Contemplation

Sheng Zhen sat crouched on the tiled roof of Blooming Lotus Pavilion and watched the Deacon search for them below. Behind him, Zihao held his arms around Seng Zhen's neck. It was a comical sight, a fully grown man hanging on for his dear life onto the back of a twelve-year-old.

But Sheng Zhen was in no mood to joke around. The earlier confrontation with the young lady and the apathetic attitude of the world, it shook him. That time if Sheng Zhen had not alleviated some of the pressure from Zihao, he would have been seriously injured.

And that is not considering he, himself was a victim of that pressure. It might have not affected him due to his higher cultivation but he was just a twelve-year-old. That young lad wen could not sense his cultivation, he was sure but she still attacked him without provocation, without reason. If he really was just a scrawly twelve-year-old, he would have been dead by now.

And from the reaction of the people around, and the words of his Uncle earlier, such actions were the norm, not an exception.

For the first time in his life, Sheng Zhen questioned himself, 'Was I right?...to leave the village, to walk the path of a cultivator... if it means entering a world this apathetic, this cruel.... and if I remained here, how long will it take for me to become like this?'

"Um Zhen'er, I am getting a little uncomfortable here", Zihao's call brought him out of his thoughts.

His uncle's grip was loosening, and he was trying to use his feet to get a foothold on the slanting rooftop.

"Just hang in there for a second", Sheng Zhen held Zihao and jumped. From one roof to another, he moved nimbly like a shadow. Even in broad daylight, no one saw him.

Sheng Zhen turned towards the walls, intending to leave the city as soon as possible. From roof to roof, he purposely avoided the more prosperous parts of the city. With Shadowless Flight, it was possible for him to hide his presence but doing it while lugging around Uncle Zihao was not so easy.

Soon the towering beast wall was inside his sight. In a single leap, he cleared the fifty meters tall wall and landed gracefully on the roof of a thatched hut outside. Even after falling from such a height, the thatched roof did not even creak under their combined weight, a testament to Sheng Zhen's skill in Shadowless Flight.

Looking around, he spotted a deserted alley behind the building. Sensing no one there, he jumped down.

The moment his feet touched the ground, Zihao let go and fell to his knees.

"Uhggg...never...again...", Uncle Zihao groaned, his head spinning with nausea.

"Well...at least we did not get caught. Who knows what a large family like Wen would do to us if they found no so-called master exists", Sheng Zhen said with false cheer.

Uncle Zihao caught on to his mood. Sheng Zhen's first foray into the world and he already got exposed to its negative aspects. Zihao knew Zhen'er was a kind boy, a little mischievous at times but he had a heart of gold. Seeing the cruel reality of the world, no doubt Sheng Zhen is shaken.

But Zihao was also proud of how he handled the entire situation. At least he could be assured that Sheng Zhen will handle himself well in the world.

"Well...we left behind the horsecart. Even sickle grass is there...and here I was hoping to earn some coppers from them", Zihao spoke, his face no longer looking as pale as before

"Oh yes! Uncle how are you going to leave now, without the cart."

"Haha, don't worry. Caravans usually leave for villages nearby, I can hitch along for some copper. As for the horsecart, well...I can't do anything. Going back is risky, especially for a mortal like me", Zihao continued,

"How about it, you can keep the steed. I am pretty sure you can manage to hide from the Wen clan without a problem. And it is not like they are very interested in you."

Sheng Zhen nodded, he was pretty sure no one can find him in this city as long as he did not want to be found. After all, he was able to steal from the Auction house, one of the most protected buildings in the entirety of Ifte when he just eight and no one was able to detect him.

"Alright then, I should leave before it is too late", Zihao said, looking at the position of the sun in the sky. It was late afternoon and if Zihao wanted to reach the village before sundown, should begin searching for a caravan as soon as possible.

Sheng Zhen and Zihao exited the alley and wandered around the streets. They were outside the walls and in a small settlement around the city gate. Many shacks and buildings were littered around, quite opposite to the planned architecture of the city. Many caravans were standing at the side of the road, driven by all kinds of beasts. Sheng Zhen saw beasts ranging from lizards the size of elephants to bears that looked like the one he killed in the forest four years ago, just with completely brown fur.

Among the whole, horses were instead the rarest beasts because they pulled only pulling caravans of just mortals. If from what Sheng Zhen could sense, almost everyone was cultivator here, looking ready to leave for frontier settlements in the Indigo Beasts forest. Caravans of mortals were only a few and far between.

Zihao went to one such caravan and exchanged some words with the driver. Getting the answer he wanted, he paid some copper coins and turned to face him,

"Zhen'er, I will soon be leaving with them", he placed a hand on Sheng Zhen's shoulder, "And If it got too much, come back to the village, to the family. We will always be waiting there."

Sheng Zhen nodded. Satisfied, Zihao sat in a horsecart, and before long the entire caravan started to move.