The Penniless Devil

Huan Wei was looking at his swollen face in a mirror. He was bruised all over. The blood from his lip had dried on his face. He hadn't slept all night, even though he had almost fainted. It made his blood boil that he still couldn't fight back to his father. All the money he had collected with all the plans, scenarios and murders he had concealed was gone in an instant. Only three or five copper coins were left. It wasn't enough to buy food for a day, let alone pills.

In the morning, Huan Chao opened the door to his room. Because the boy had to go and work to bring in the money. If he left it locked in his room, his money supply would be stopped. After letting him out, he let himself out of the house. He was going to wander around as usual. He never worked at anything. He never brought anything useful home. His only qualification was to consume what was in the house. He knew no boundaries. He did not even hesitate to burn his own child's future dreams.

Huan Wei washed his face and hands. He cleaned the blood stains thoroughly. The only thing he could do for the bruises was to apply ointment. He did not feel the need to hide it. This was not the first time Huan Chao had been violent. He had beaten Huan Wei countless times before. He even had to go to the doctors a few times. The whole neighborhood was used to Huan Chao practicing the martial techniques he had learned on his son.

After spreading the ointment well on his face, he combed his hair that had fallen over his face. He had never tied his hair until today. He loved the way it fluttered freely in the wind. It was one of the few things that gave him a sense of freedom. The way his hair harmonized with the wind...

The caravan must have already arrived. The streets were probably packed. People were buying what they wanted or spending time watching the merchants' marketing. Unfortunately, Huan Wei had nothing to buy from this caravan.

Life didn't treat everyone the same. Huan Wei was not a good man. It wasn't his experiences that drove him to kill people in distress. He saw the ease that came with the option of death. He was able to save what he couldn't save if he worked for months. One man's desperation was another man's hope. This is how Huan Wei understood the world. It was a cycle. People would always fall into despair at some point. And their desperation was used to someone else's advantage. Huan Wei's desperation became a source of money for Huan Chao, but what would happen now?

If he could not get the High Tier Natural Energy Pill he needed, he would not be able to overcome his body's hunger for energy. His energy system had a hunger that simple energy pills could not overcome. Other people could raise their cultivation levels by sitting at home and meditating, but Huan Wei's body wouldn't allow it. Previously, he had reached the peak of the Pedestrian stage by trying to utilize the few energy field leftovers he had found in the forest, but to break through the bottleneck he was in, he either needed a real energy field or that pill. Without one of the two, there was no way through.

He took a deep breath and left the house with his swollen face. People filled the streets. Even though the caravan was set up in the market place, the queues at most stalls stretched far away. People were talking among themselves non-stop. They were all excited, but Huan Wei did not listen to any of them. There was no innocent expression on his face this time. Huan Chao was his father. So he knew exactly where he could demoralize his child.

"I refuse," he said to himself. Anger flared inside him as he thought about what his father had said. "I have never been a loser and I never will be. I am the one who understands destiny. Even the gods will be amazed watching me. I will be superior to all of you. Begging for mercy will only make your death more pleasurable. For me..."

His brow was furrowed as he walked. He was looking at the ground. Somehow he had to come up with a plan to get that pill. The caravan would be here for a few more days. He had to find a way before they left. He had no choice. Maybe he could steal it somehow? But that would be very difficult and risky. The caravan would be well guarded. And if he was caught in any way, the town leader, Huan Fu, would have him executed to protect the reputation of Bitter Sea Town. It would be the cultivators of the Path of the Earth who would come to capture Huan Wei. It was impossible for him to resist. He had to think of something else. No one should suspect him.

He could have tried to sell the pills he took from Huan Liwei, but that would have linked him to Huan Liwei's disappearance. So he couldn't do that. And since the merchants were all dealt with by Huan Fu's men, he couldn't do one of them a favor that would be repaid. There seemed to be nothing he could do today. So he decided to observe. He would keep his eyes open for possible opportunities. So he went to the marketplace.

When he got there, it was hard to even find space to take a step. Since it was the first day, everyone had come to see the best products. Everyone was pushing each other to get to the stalls. The town guards were trying to keep them in order.

"Calm down!" one of the guards shouted. "No one will get anything if you do this."

"We'll get the disruptors out of here!" another added. People calmed down and lined up to avoid being kicked out of the market. The merchants seemed satisfied with the situation.

Huan Wei looked at one of the merchants. The man's expensive clothes and jewelry were the first things that stood out. Needless to say, his financial situation was excellent. The 30 silver coins Huan Wei had barely saved in all that time were probably nothing to this merchant. Perhaps he even paid more for the wine he drank with his meal.

He looked at the man's stall. There were all kinds of technique manuals. Huan Wei was too far away to read the titles of the manuals. He hadn't gotten into one of the queues, but he wasn't allowed to get too close to the counter. One of Huan Fu's men was talking to the manual merchant. They were probably making a deal for the Manual Pavilion. If Huan Wei was also a cultivator who had broken through the Explorer stage and chosen his path, he might be able to enter the Manual Pavilion, but in his current state, he could only dream of entering it. If his father had any sense, instead of traveling around all day, he would have studied a few manuals there and seen ways he could make more money, but unfortunately he didn't.

Huan Wei looked at another stall. It was a weapons stall surrounded by guards. A variety of daggers, spears and swords were on display. Some were in special cases. They were encrusted with runes, a wonder of alchemy. A weapon could only reach its peak form if it was decorated with runes, but it was very difficult to find an alchemist who could place the runes. Moreover, such weapons needed the permission of the Great Sword Palace to be sold in town markets like this. As such, these weapons were perhaps too expensive even for Huan Fu. Huan Wei could only watch from afar.

As he wandered through the crowd, he saw that the guards were tightly controlled. There were at least three people at each stall. This was the case even for those selling clothes. It was impossible for anyone to steal here. "At least if there is no diversion."

Huan Wei looked around. He thought about what he could do to divert attention in any way he could. There were inns in the vicinity. They were already prepared to accommodate the merchants, but they too were guarded by guards. Naturally they would not let him in. If he was going to do anything, he had to do it either inside or outside the marketplace. The inns were out of the plan.

He looked at the people. They were all eager to buy something. Most of them had their money ready. Maybe he should try to steal someone's money? But it was impossible in this crowd. Besides, anyone who saw him would be able to catch him immediately. He needed another way. A way that would remove suspicion from him completely. This time it would take a big plan.