Chapter 16

Traveling on foot for a whole day was draining to Jason who has no spiritual energy to replenish his stamina leading to him taking a break but who would have thought that taking a short break would be problematic. While he was taking a break by a tree, a carriage with workers all around it could be seen passing through, and taking it as an opportunity to ask for directions, Jason quickly rushed out of his resting spot and ran in front of the carriage to them which actually worked.

"Halt" yelled the coachman as he ordered all the workers to stop while pulling on the rope to stop the horses from stomping on the kid in front of him.

"What happened, why did you stop the carriage?'' asked a lady's voice from inside the carriage.

"Mistress, there seems to be a teenage kid in front of us" replied the coachman to his mistress.

"A teenage kid, let me see" said the mistress from within the carriage as she stepped out of the carriage with a whip in her hand.

After leaving the carriage, the mistress walked up to Jason while playing with the whip with a smile on her face as she approached him.

"What in the world is a kid like you doing alone in a place like this?'' asked the mistress after walking up to him.

"I'm truly sorry for troubling you all but I just wanted to ask if you people can tell the name of this place" reply Jason with a bow.

"And you are"? Asked the mistress with a frown on her face.

"The name is Jason" replied Jason.

"Hmm, Jason if I may ask, who are you traveling with"? The mistress asked as she began to size him up.

"No one madam, I'm traveling alone but got lost along the way" he replied with his head lowered.

'He seems to have a strong build and is young compared to these old lab rats of mine. It wouldn't be bad if I made him my lab rat but he seems to lack in cultivation. I wonder if he would be able to take in as much potion like the others' the mistress begins to think to herself with a smile on her face as she continues to watch and after making a conclusion about what to do to him, she lets out a short smile before speaking up.

"So you just want to know where you are right"?.

"Yes madam, I would be so honored if you can help me" replied Jason with excitement when he heard her question.

"So how do you plan on getting back on track just because you know where you are"? She asked once more with the same smile on her face.

"I have a map here with me which I could use to find my way back to where I'm heading so you don't have to worry about it" replied Jason.

"Let me see" the mistress requested with her hand stretched forward and Jason, not seeing it as a problem, gladly handed the map to her.

Going through the map and not being able to see anything important in it, other than different locations, the mistress' expression suddenly took a change as she kept the map away and it was only then that Jason knew he had run into the wrong person.

"Hey, give that back" he said in anger.

"Sorry kid but you see I have no intention of giving it back to you" she said before turning to the coachman with a frown as she ordered.

"Jack get the kid a collar".

Hearing the coachman being told to get him a collar, Jason couldn't help but take a step towards the mistress in an attempt to get the map back but before he could do anything, he felt something hanging on his neck that is when he noticed jack was standing behind him.

"Now be a good boy and go stay in line" ordered the mistress with an evil smile on her face.

Jason just stood there in shock as he turned to the mistress before looking at those who were standing by the carriage and it was only then that he noticed the collar on their necks. Just when he was still standing there in shock, a cracking sound rang out as he felt a stingy pain on his back.

"I said get in line boy" said the lady in a cold voice as she lash the whip forward readily to give him another hit if he still refused to follow her orders.

Left with no choice since he could feel the pressure that was coming from her, Jason decided to go join the others but before leaving, he turned to give the mistress a look once more.

Seeing that he has joined the other lab rats, the mistress let out a satisfying smile before instructing Jack to move the carriage.

With the instruction given out, Jack begins to move the carriage once more with the lab rat following from behind. While they were walking, one of the lab rats who happened to be a woman who seemed to be in her forty spoke up to him in a shaking voice.

"Why did you have to go and stop this carriage young one"?.

"I've been walking for hours with no hope of finding any town or person to ask for help which led me to stop the carriage in hope of finding help but who would have thought that things will turn out like this" replied Jason as he let out a painful sigh.

"You are too naive, don't you know that in this world, not all you see can be trusted" said the lady with a pitiful look on her face.

"My mother also told me the same thing" commented Jason with his head lowered as he was reminded of his mother's warning.

"And where is your mother now"? Asked the lady.

"She is probably at home" Jason replied without a second thought.

"So you ran away from home"? Asked the lady once more.

"Something like that" he replied.