The cowardly money grubber

Yellow Leaf village

Spring had come to end and the start of summer was welcomed by sun sending forth scorching rays. It was early morning and mercenaries, beast hunters and street peddlers were already feeling the rising temperature. The village was located in the southeast corner of Blue Sparrow country, yet it was a very popular village due to it being very close to Yellow Leaf valley.

The village's name originated after the discovery of valley, which was believed to be the only way into the Dark Forest from the Blue Sparrow country. Dark Forest was a gigantic forest spanning across many countries. It was rumoured that there were immortals living within the forest. However, no mortal had ever come back alive after entering the forest so no one could confirm the rumours. Even the Yellow Leaf valley was termed as a dangerous land as there were a large number of beasts which could threaten the life of mortals. Every year, many mercenaries and beast hunters lost their life to the beasts in the valley. However, gaining quick silver by selling beast products like skin, fur, bones, horns etc and the uncommon medicinal herbs that could only be found near the edges of Dark Forest attracted many more mercenaries and hunters.

On the busiest street of the village where many guilds and shops were located, there was a particularly tall building that stood out as the only luxurious inn of the village where the clientele were the most successful mercenaries and hunters and other rich people that passed by the village, named 'Mei's Inn'. Rich decorations, luxurious furniture and extremely comfortable private lounges were the basic necessity that were provided. The main attraction was the sumptuous food made only from the various beasts and medicinal herbs found in the valley, which was said to increase the overall fitness of a person if taken regularly, hence it was famous among the powerful mercenaries and hunters. The inn, raking in a large amount of gold due to the various specialities provided, had employed many veteran mercenaries and hunters as guards to prevent anyone from eyeing the mouth watering profits. No one knew the owner of the inn. It was said that the inn belonged to an immortal, who frequently passed by the village, with reason being that they could stay at a comfortable place when on the journey to the Dark Forest.

A young man, wearing yellowish brown clothes, was carrying a rather large goat shaped beast on his left shoulder, a satisfied smile on his face. He was rather handsome, but the surrounding people had disdainful gaze on their faces when they looked at him. Some were pointing at him and whispering to their partners. However, the young man didn't care, instead feeling more proud at all the attention. He was the most infamous hunter at village, known by most as the 'Cowardly hunter', and known by rest as the 'Miserly money grubber', Li Yu.

His father was a beast hunter who passed away when he was 10 due to poison from a snake during a hunt, and at 11, his mother passed away due to illness and constant yearning for his father, leaving behind a 7 year old brother, Li Ming, and a meagre amount of money with an old house with 3 rooms and small courtyard as inheritance. Most people pitied them as the country had rather strict laws towards male orphans, not allowing anyone to adopt them. They would be sent to the army to be trained as soldiers, which was the worst occupation in the country due to the constant warfare which has been going on from about 10 years before Li Yu's birth.

Left with no choice, he took up his father's dagger and bow, vowing to take care of his brother by hunting beasts. The neighbours were filled with admiration over his choice while wishing him success, but it didn't take long for admiration to turn to disdain. This happened due to his cowardly fighting style, where he would shoot the beast in either the eyes or butt hole, and run away at any missed shot. Relying extremely on this fighting style and various ambushes and traps, he could kill enough beasts to live a comfortable life while taking care of his little brother.

While most disdained him openly, many hunters secretly tried to copy him. Unfortunately for them, they failed at the seemingly simple but relatively difficult task. It must be known that the task does not only require a good command over the bow and arrows, it also requires a huge amount of patience. For example, Li Yu had to follow a tiger for 6 continuous days without eating and sleeping during his first hunt, only drinking water sparingly from a leather pouch. Relying solely on the thought of his hungry brother waiting for him at home supporting him, he finally managed to chance upon an opportunity when tiger was taking a dump. He managed to shoot the arrow right through its eyes and through its brain. Thankfully for him, he was trained enough by his father and was skilled in using bow and arrows, otherwise he would be the tiger feces next day.

Due to the failures of most hunters trying to follow his strategy, their jealousy induced mind spurred them on to be more and more disdainful towards Li Yu. But he didn't care, as a full stomach and a happy brother was more important to him than the view others had for him. Gradually becoming more cunning and deceitful, his hunting tales spread more and more. Only his brother was in the dark about his 'fame', just due to a single statement from him "I don't care what you talk about me, don't say anything to my brother. You should remember that hunting beasts is always more difficult than hunting humans". Due to the threat, no one talked anything about it to his brother, who thought of him as a brave warrior. Li Yu always taught his brother, Li Ming, about righteousness and integrity.

Li Yu's main dream was for Li Ming to become a great scholar of the Blue Sparrow country, hence he spared no expense in sending his brother to the neighbouring city where there was a branch of Blue Sparrow Scholar Academy, the best academy in the country, when he was 16 and his brother was 12. It was enough for him to be disdained on, he wanted his brother to be admired by everyone. Due to the expensive fees at the academy, he started to sell his spoils at higher rate and buy his daily needs at lower to save more money. Hence, he earned more 'fame' in the market as 'Miserly money grubber'. Living a comfortable life as a hunter, he was satisfied with it. His secret dream was opening an inn like Mei's Inn and marry a beautiful wife, living a luxurious life, having many children etc., the common dream of a mortal. Due to his excellent hunting speed after many years of hunting, the manager of Mei's Inn approached him for a regular job as one of the inn's exclusive hunter when he was 18, with the perks being good hunting equipments, daily medicinal food for improvement of the body, and high salary. Li Yu instantly agreed with the offer.

The next day was a very special day, as Li Ming, now 16 years old, was coming back with a good result from the academy. Li Yu quickened his pace, entered the Inn from the backdoor, handed over the beast, took the money, and returned home to clean it up properly. Finishing doing everything that needed to be done, he went to sleep on the bed. Drifting on to sleep, he awoke at midnight hearing the familiar *Beep* sound.

*Beep* "Welcome to Good Fortune Cultivation Chat Group. Hello, you have been chosen as the latest member of the group. Get the cultivation start-up pack which includes a low grade Earth level cultivation technique, 10 low grade spirit stones, and a low grade Human level spatial ring. Join now!!"

"Shut up and let me sleep" Li Yu shouts in his mind, drifting off to sleep again, as if what happened was a regular occurrence.

When Li Yu was 17, he received a blue coloured round marble like gem from the stomach of a fish he bought at the market. Thinking it to be an expensive gem, he kept it inside his clothes, ready to sell it in the neighbouring city, where he would get better price. At midnight, when he was sleeping, he heard the same voice, awakening with a jump. Thinking it to be a weird dream, he went back to sleep. Next day, he realized that the gem was missing. Almost having a heart attack by thinking of enormous loss of money by losing the gem, he searched the house, to no avail. Sad at the loss, he carried out the regular job of hunting and selling the beasts throughout the day, catching one boar like beast and two goat like beasts that day.

At midnight that day, he heard the same thing. But this time, the voice rang again and again. Shocked and terrified at hearing the voice, he broke out in cold sweat while thinking about the tales he had heard when he was a child about a devil bewitching a mortal into selling the soul to him. He shouted "I don't want to join" and the voice stopped. He couldn't sleep that day, and it continued for a week, when he got used to the 'bewitching voice of the devil' as he called it. He also came to realise one day that it all must be related to the gem which disappeared, as it started that day when he got the gem.

'Deducing smartly' the chain of events, he came to conclusion that the blue gem must be a devilish contract that the devil has sent to mortal plane to bewitch mortals. More and more pleased with himself, he congratulated himself for being an 'intelligent savior of mankind' who 'saved the world' from the devil's schemes by not getting bewitched, thinking that maybe only 'intelligent' person like him has the right to seek immortality.

He immersed himself in delusions, till the age of 19, where he got to know the truth of 'immortal's world' from the manager of the Mei's Inn, who was a fat old man who liked drinking wine. Once, taking advantage of him being drunk, Li Yu asked about the mysterious owner. The old manager, drunk on the wine, told everything about the mysterious owner, cultivation world, about how weak were treated as ants, the plotting and scheming that regularly took place etc. Realising the truth, he became even more terrified and swore to never be a cultivator, as his little life was more important than a distant and unreachable dreams of moving mountains and rivers, living as long as the sun and moon etc.

Next day, manager called him and fiercely scolded him for taking advantage of manager being drunk, and warned not to talk about anything to anyone or to pay with his life. In return, manager promised to give him spirit stones, which could help Li Yu remain healthy and increase the fitness of his constitution as long as remaining in the proximity of the stones, in exchange of gold coins he had collected so far. Li Yu respectfully declined, swearing to never come in contact to anything related to cultivation world, lest he be bewitched to enter that dark world which seems bright on the surface.

Forgetting everything about the conversation, he resumed the daily life, never once agreeing to join the chat group as he didn't want to become a cultivator.

Now he was 20, tomorrow his little brother would come back from the academy, and they would discuss moving to capital where Li Ming could pursue further studies and Li Yu could open a shop or inn there, depending on the local demand and situation. Dreaming about the bright future ahead, Li Yu had an innocent smile which can only appear when a person is sleeping.