Death

"I can't get careless, I'm far from saved yet, I have to heal first." Ye Mo sat down in a lotus position and began absorbing the ambient Qi inside his body through the method described in the book.

He could feel vibrations running throughout his body like his whole being was trembling. His bones hardened, his skin took a fiery tint and strength filled his muscles while his ribs were slowly shifting back into alignment.

Qi flew in every corner of his body, gradually improving his condition and bringing a sensation of invigoration.

After some time in meditation Ye Mo rose and his skin returned to its tanned color.

"Such a strong feeling after only a short time cultivating and it was just the Qi method of the body refining technique, a Star Class martial art is truly something else."

He was overjoyed, he could finally see the light after all these years struggling, like his life was just starting now. However, the hunger took him back to reality, he had to return to the city.

His fractured ribs didn't completely heal yet, but the pain greatly lessened and he felt he had the same energy as if the events of this day never happened, so not that much, but still enough to reach the city without dying.

Being shirtless, Ye Mo concealed the body refining technique in his pants. Fortunately it was night and the visibility was low, more importantly, he knew no one would care about him anyway so he didn't worry too much about it.

He was just an orphan like many others in this city, people would hardly give him a glance or any special attention, much less approach him.

After some time spent walking, he safely reached the city and got back to his run-down shack in the slums at its periphery.

When he arrived, Ye Mo was extremely exhausted by this journey outside and slept a bit then absorbed Qi in his body for the rest of the night. He would never sleep too long in case someone approached him in his sleep, but also because he was too cold.

The shack was a crumbling ruin, its walls riddled with gaping holes and rotting wood barely holding together. The door hung crookedly on rusted hinges, the upper left part was missing and during a windy night, it would tremble unceasingly, a strong gale was often enough to leave it open.

Anyone who wished to enter could do it effortlessly, so Ye Mo had to stay on guard at all times.

When Ye Mo wanted to rest, he would lay on a pile of dirty sheets on the ground in a corner of the shack. The roof sagged in places exposing the night sky littered with scintillating stars he would watch from this corner when he couldn't find sleep.

The hut was in such bad shape you could easily punch and kick the walls open without any resistance. It wasn't surprising it was abandoned in the state Ye Mo found it, but he didn't have any better place to stay and had to accommodate with the situation.

The next day in a dark alley, a young man with messy black hair was hurriedly eating some fruits and drinking water while looking left and right.

It was Ye Mo and the fruits were stolen.

He continued refining his body most of the night and felt much better, with his state right now stealing something from a food stall was a piece of cake. The vendor wouldn't notice one or two fruits missing and he did this half his life after all. The last time was an isolated case since thievery is not an exact science and there is always a risk of being found. He was very weak at this moment and felt he wouldn't be able to last much longer if he didn't eat anything, but it was still rare for him to get caught; otherwise he would have died long ago.

"I can feel I got stronger and now that I am sated, the plan can begin." Ye Mo muttered emotionlessly while touching his stomach.

That evening, in a tavern of the town, a drunkard was leaving the place.

He was staggering with every step, it could be seen he drank a lot.

"Fucking hell, I have no luck today." The man grumbled as he looked at the twelve bronze coins in his hand.

The currency commonly shared by both mortals and cultivators were metallic coins of different value.

Bronze coins were the least valuable coins and the most common among mortals. The second most valuable coin was the silver coin then the gold coin. A hundred bronze coins was as good as one silver coin and a hundred silver equaled one gold coin.

Twelve bronze coins was barely enough for two drinks so the man was far from pleased. He was a regular of the tavern, but no one knew his real name nor cared to learn it so everyone called him old fool.

He lost his job long ago, and to pay for his booze, he was selling nights with his wife to scums and gansters of the slums. Obviously, he wasn't giving her any choice.

However, with time her condition was degrading and less and less people would pay for her hence his foul mood.

"I need to find a solution fast, maybe I can sell her as a servant to some young master. Worst case, I can just kill her and sell her organs. I'm sure it would last me a pretty long time hehehe..."

Talking to himself, the drunkard stumbled into an empty alley, lowered his pants and started relieving himself when suddenly a hand was put on his mouth. He didn't have time to react before a sharp piece of glass tore through his throat. His eyes rolled back, and he collapsed in a pool of blood and urine.

Near the old man could be seen a small shadow watching him struggle on the ground before dragging the body away once it stopped moving.