As she walked towards one of the more prominent clothing stores the boy showed her, she managed to see a group of rather unsavory individuals bullying a local vendor and a boy. A handsome boy, most likely equal in age to her, was laughing haughtily as the weak, middle-aged man kissed his feet with such desperation you'd think the boy's feet were made of gold. The handsome youth had a deep fiery red hair and a sheathed sword on his waist. His body was lean and powerful but he didn't look like the type to train his body. At least to Jing anyway. The young bruised and beaten boy next to them wasn't thought of at all as he slowly but surely attempted to crawl away from the scene with a look of pure hatred and disgust in his eyes. The boy didn't look like anything special. He had black hair like a majority of those present now but looked pretty scrawny and small. Probably a couple years younger than herself but not too young.
Jing was curious. Why would this older gentlemen be lowering himself to such a humiliating degree for this pretty boy? And for what reason did that boy get hurt to such a state?
[Mission available for host!]
[Follow and find out exactly where the ordinary youth is heading!]
[Rewards: Rare Ticket]
'A rare ticket? That's a whole two tiers above the normal tickets I've been given lately and two tiers below the highest rarity ticket. Something is fishy about this mission…' Jing hypothesized.
"Li Li go follow him. Make sure he doesn't spot you. If by chance anything happens, try and take whatever you believe is valuable and bring it back to me." Jing told him while gently ma.s.saging his feathers.
Li Li took off high into the skies and began observing the boy far from where he could be seen by any normal person. Based on his current path, Li Li could guess that he was heading towards the forest. But for what reason could this normal mortal have for going into the dangerous forest filled with wild beasts and spirit beasts without nary a weapon in sight? Not adding his ugly wounds gained from the motley crew of humans from before.
Li Li continued to tail the boy from high in the skies as he determinedly headed somewhere inside the forest. Throwing fear, reason, and all h.e.l.l into the wind to get to his destination.
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Why was this elderly gentleman kissing the feet of the handsome youth? The reason was because this young master was no ordinary youth! He was Tang Wuying! The only son of the amazing and powerful Lian Wuying! The sole ruler of Yellow Jade City! A youth with a great talent and future! Stated to already have reached the peak of the fifth stage of the Qi Gathering realm! His strength reaching over 1775 jin! Easily able to overpower any mortals with just his pinkie finger.
"Younger Master Wuying!! I had no eyes and couldn't see Mt Tai! Please forgive my horrendous and terrible actions of offending your glorious self!" The street vendor begged as he kissed the feet of the young master.
Tang Wuying's face showed a sneer that was getting wider and wider the more this ugly fool praised him. The sooner these thick-headed peasants get it through their heads that they should be groveling beneath his feet and worshiping the very foot marks he leaves behind, the better their lives would be! His very presence in front of them should make their lives 9x better! And gaining his wrath should make them want to offer their daughters and wives as payment for upsetting his mood.
But. This ugly…. Disgusting…. Old fool dares to not sell to him just because some insignificant ant got there first?! He's lucky his father threatened to cut off his allowance if he killed another mortal from angering him.
He smirked.
But he didn't say anything about beating them like pigs… So, he told his followers to beat the boy who dared not give him what he wanted, showing the surrounding plebeians the consequences of daring to go against his words. The boy who resolutely refused to give up something as meager and pathetic as a simple apple to him of all people! He dared to spit in the face of this young lord's good gracious!
'I even gave him face by giving him another chance of rectifying his words. But no. He refused to kowtow 3 times and call me his father. The nerve of some of these peasants….'
Wuying kicked the old man off his sandals, completely fed up with this whole situation.
"Let's go." He said.
Leaving the surrounding civilians to murmur and gossip about the young master.
______________________________________________
Jing had her ears fully opened and in work. Learning many things about this supposed young lord.
"That's why we never mess with cultivators son. Don't do anything to get on their bad side no matter what."
"That young master is at it again with his rampant bullying…"
"And since his father is the ruler of Yellow Jade City, there is nothing anyone can do against him."
"It isn't all bad though. I hear that the young master is going to take the Golden Serpent Sect test in two days! So we'll be free from his tyranny soon!"
"Thank goodness… He probably has a good shot at pa.s.sing too since he's already at the fifth stage of the Qi Gathering realm! He's a rare talent I hear for reaching that stage at his age!"
"He'll be out of our hair soon enough. His father is no help either. Any complaints about "little Wuying" is swept under the rug or the person that made the complaint is gotten rid of."
Jing decided she has heard enough and entered inside the clothing store to get something that made her stand out less. A standard ordinary hanfu robe looked nice. One of the stores workers came over to her with a smile. A fake one, but professional, nonetheless.
"Do you need any help miss?" He asked.
"I'm fine. Thank you. I'll take this." Jing said choosing one of the cheapest robes on display.
The look on the worker's face turned into one of disgust and ridicule once he saw her choice. A visible vein appeared on top of Jing's forehead from anger but she held in her rage with a smile.
'I was initially interested in this girl because of her unique and appealing outfit.. but considering that she can only afford something as trashy as that.. she must have stolen it.' The worker thought haughtily.
"You know… if you decided to sell that outfit you have on now, you could afford to buy any one of these amazing options!" He said gesturing to the row of expensive silk robes on display.
While Jing could pay for them with the 13,000 Yuan gained from her last two successful missions without a problem, she didn't see a reason to with her ability. To her a piece of wood has the same amount of use as a piece of iron or gold. Spending more cash on something when she could pay less for the same thing would be crazy. So, she refused.
"No thanks. I'll take this and go."
The worker apparently didn't count of her refusing his "good will" and it was apparent on his increasingly annoyed face.
"I see… Okay then… That'll cost you 600 yuan in total." He lied.
Jing took a look at the price tag for the shoddy robes she chose to pick and it said it only cost 300 yuan.
"The sign says it costs 300 yuan. Not 600." She corrected.
"Sorry about that Miss… I seem to have forgotten to replace that old sign. The price had increased due to…. an oversupplying demand….." He spat through his teeth.
Jing's patience was wearing thin. Why was this guy making so much trouble for her when she just wanted to buy some raggedy clothes? If he continued this nonsense she will decide to do her shopping elsewhere. And maybe in the future a cute little owl can give him some trouble by ripping his clothes to shred in the middle of a public s.p.a.ce. Who knows?
Jing went over to grab a different set of shabby robes that costed 300 yuan and just as she placed the clothes on the counter.
"I'm sorry but that one has increased in-----"
Jing threw the clothes in the guy's face
"You will regret this!" She yelled and stormed out of the store. Intent on getting her revenge in the future for dare causing trouble for her. She heard him yell something from behind her but she ignored it and went into a less fancy clothing store.
This store had much more diversity in regards to its type of clothing along with cheaper prices. But the clothes were made out of cheaper material. More rough and uncomfortable compared to the silk outfits in the other store. Thankfully that wasn't a problem for Jing! She grabbed the cheapest robes, sandals, and sash she could find and brought them to the counter. The employee this type was a nice old woman. She had an amiable and gentle smile that could probably brighten up anyone's day.
"That'll be 330 Yuan Missy." She told her.
Jing reached into her pocket and into her inventory as she pulled out the necessary payment without any issue. The woman took her money and Jing left with her new items. Her anger has slightly dissipated but her revenge will still come for that annoying guy. But for now… more shopping!
______________________________________________
Li Li has been following the boy for a while now and it seems that the boy was in a dangerous situation. He was followed by a few of those other men from earlier that injured him in the first place and seemed to want to finish the job in the name of their young lord.
'How pathetic.' Li Li thought as he watched from the trees as the men slowly surrounded the boy with weapons.
But he would not interfere. His mother told him only to watch the boy and to take whatever seemed useful. He didn't know why his mother thought something of great importance would show up but what kind of son would he be if he didn't dutifully carry out her commands? So, he continued to watch as the men stabbed the youth multiple times over with glee. They laughed loudly as the boy screamed and yelled in pain as he was stabbed over and over. Tears of blood could be seen running down his eyes. His eyes were full of nothing but hatred, rage, and indignation towards the world. His final words were cursing the entire generation of Tang Wuying and swearing to the heavens if he lives through this he would annihilate his entire ancestry. The amount of soul, determination, and power in his voice oscillated throughout the heavens, scaring the murderers' very souls. They stopped and took a look at their horrendous deed before turning away and leaving the boy's body to get eaten by wild animals.
Li Li felt something in the air. Something powerful… Something ancient…. His feathers rustled in agitation and he had half a mind of leaving immediately. His instincts were telling him to fly as fast as he could and get away from this area right now. But he is not a creature of instinct anymore. After being saved by his mom, he has become much more than a simple owlet and so, chose to stay and ignore his instincts.
The clouds parted in the sky as a purple object came streaking down from above. Li Li saw with his enhanced sight the object that was headed straight for the deceased boy. It was an organ… It was his fourth favorite organ to eat. The two soft meat organs inside the chests of monkeys is what it resembled.
The purple organ crashed between the dead boy and the living ones. The goons were knocked off their feet from the force of the impact. A small crater was made when it landed and Li Li could see the thing beating. As if it was somehow alive… His instincts were screaming at him even louder as his mind wondered… is this what his mother wanted him to get? He got into position on the tree and flew towards the organ as fast as he could, intent on s.n.a.t.c.hing it up into his talons.
But the purple beating organ had a different idea. It was as if it somehow knew of Li Li's intentions and at an even faster speed threw itself into the body of the deceased boy.
'Impossible…' Li Li thought as he witnessed the boy's body rapidly healing and the organ moving itself into position inside his body.
Li Li was about to tear open the boy's chest himself and get the strange body part for his mother but he felt a strong overpowering presence warning him. But no matter how overbearing and powerful this ancient force was, Li Li would do anything for his mom… And this was just a corpse not too long ago, how tough can it be?
Li Li flew towards the boy that was being healed back to his perfect state. He reached him in an instant and tore open the boy's chest cavity with his talon. His object of desire was staring him right in the face and as he reached in with his talon, a sudden purple force erupted from the organ and launched Li Li far into the sky. Li Li squawked in surprise before quickly realigning himself and watching as the organ's ancient power seemingly decreased. The organ glowed a lighter color compared to its darker deep purple hue from earlier as the boy's body started recovering once more but at a much slower pace.
"YOU DARE TO INTERRUPT ME ONCE MORE VILE BEAST AND I WILL END YOU IN SECONDS!" A booming overwhelming voice shouted inside Li Li's head.
'You are strong unseeable one. But, I can tell that you are weakening. That strange glowing meat will belong to my mother! I can feel strong energy coming off of it and my mother would benefit from having such a strong power!' Li Li responded back.
'Hah….? A first stage spirit beast being able to speak back to me…? Being able to survive the force of my aura….? Being sentient enough to form thoughts!? WHAT ARE YOU CREATURE?!!?' The voice questioned with so much force Li Li almost felt compelled to answer him.
'I'm Li Li. The son of Jing! And you will be the meat that makes my mother even greater!' Li Li declared as he determinedly soared back down towards the almost fully recovered boy.
Li Li was closing in at fast speeds and just as he was about to rip the boy to shreds, the goons from earlier appeared in front of him with purple glowing eyes. One of the goons picked up the youth nearly completely healed and started running away deep into the forest while the others distracted and held up Li Li. Li Li could only watch as the youth managed to get away from him and keep the glowing piece of meat. Although annoyed with his failure, he was severely outmatched compared to the being inside that meat. Whether it be in experience, intelligence, energy, or age. That person was far above him in everything.
'But it won't happen a second time….' Li Li swore as he dug into the skull of one of the many goons he defeated and started eating pieces of their brain.
______________________________________________
Jing could be seen dressed in a completely ordinary outfit roaming the streets. If anyone took a look at her they would quickly look elsewhere simply because of how plain and boring she looked. Even if they had a reason for looking at her, they still felt the need to look elsewhere and think of her as nothing special. This wasn't due to any refinement from her ability or anything. This was just how normal Jing looked, walked, and acted. But she did refine the items she bought earlier but those were for other purposes not really relevant to her current situation besides the one that made them feel like the most comfortable clothing in the world. Even the richest silk in the mortal realm is nothing compared to the clothes Jing is wearing right now.
"It's getting dark.. I wonder where Li Li is?" She asked herself as she headed towards one of the inns inside the city.
Just moments before she headed inside the inn, Li Li returned to her and perched on her shoulder.
"Well? What did you find out?" She asked.
Li Li flew to the ground and started etching words into the ground with his talon. Words that Jing remembered.... and somehow knew how to read…. The letters were different compared to the writing she's seen around the city but she still understood it all the same. She wondered how the h.e.l.l did Li Li know those words as well..
"I guess we'll have to watch out for him and his ancient lung if he shows up again…" She said looking at Li Li.
"I'm going to have to teach you about anatomy. You can't call different organs soft meat this chewy meat that. If it was located right here." She pointed to her left chest and right chest.
"Those were his lungs. Not strange purple meat okay?" She said.
[Mission Completed!]
[Rewards: 1 Rare Ticket!]
'Well… It's good to know that I don't have to personally involve myself to complete missions that the system wants from me. I'll save this ticket and those three other ones I saved for the morning. I'm pretty sleepy.' She yawned.
Li Li nodded as he flew back onto her shoulder. The two then entered inside the inn and paid for a room for two nights. They didn't ask for any food because Jing still had some refined berries. But Jing absolutely refused to sleep on the bed before refining it into something that was more suitable for a person of her stature. The entire bed wouldn't fit inside her but the comforter and covers could thankfully. And that was all she needed as she pulled out her shrunken pillow rock and kneaded it into its original size.
"I bet you remember this don't you?" Jing smiled as she looked at Li Li's face once he recognized the pillow.
He sunk himself inside the pillow just like he did a few moments after being born and quickly fell asleep after eating one of the golden berries. Jing showed a motherly smile as she laid with Li Li on the pillow and quickly fell asleep as well.
