Another month passed in a flash and Wu Hai's birthday had arrived. He had practiced everyday and his body had shown the fruit of his labor.
Master Jiang had prepared a special gift, he was going to the Great Springs of Zera with Wu Hai. The Visit would clear his body of accumulated toxins and purify his energy channels to make his training speed a little faster, maybe even easier. It wouldn't be enormous but a 1% boost in a body's strength was still a significant growth for the young or old.
"Wu Hai! Hurry up. I don't want to lose half the day. Bring the Wooden Cube over here, there is a box fixed to the bottom to my buggy. Toss it inside and lock it down, then get back over here and sit. I don't have time to explain, it will make it faster." Placing the cube into the box felt rather redundant.
Once the Cube was secured, a shimmering light-wave passed over the carriage and it lifted from the ground.
With the Hyppoicroc at the front, they could move at a decent speed on land. A thousand meters could be covered in a few moments. The wind would sweep across their faces. The two tried not to open their mouths as they passed along the road. Sometimes a stray bug or sprite would be caught by the beast pulling it instead of landing in their faces.
The Hyppoicroc was a species of Fat Purple Lizard with flexible skin and a long tongue.
With no drag on the Carriage, the Hyppoicroc was unstoppable. Its momentum broke through a blocked valley entrance as they made their way up a trail an into the hills beyond.
֍ꟷꟷꟷꟷ֍
Reaching the Great Springs of Zera, pock marked hills could be seen steaming from a distance during the winter, the water temperature was at a steady heat.
The Springs were in fact a large cluster of natural hot springs. "My ancestors created this place. It gave us the ability to heal our sick and the ailments from the travels of the world. They say the energy channels of higher beings will be widened if you can remain in the heated waters. You're powers are currently mostly fire, It won't be easy to achieve a breakthrough if you can't hold on and calm your mind. The Yin energy within the waters can remain in the body, your powers will suffer if you lose focus." After saying his piece, Old Man Jiang disrobed and stepped into the water, turning to see what Zao Wu Hai would do.
Master Jiang sank into the water, then crouched so he could lay back.
Wu Hai who was stuck in a stupor, he decided to follow his master's lead.
Slowly pulling the clothes from his body, Wu Hai could see the eyes of Old Man Jiang staring but didn't know why it should bother him. He tossed himself into the water and made a small scene.
After being scalded by the water, he was scolded by Old Man Jiang.
The effects of the spring were more than Wu Hai had expected and his energy levels were rising, however they were not going out of control. Black Flames poured from his hands somewhat uncontrollably but after calming his mind and visualizing a darkflame barrier surrounding his body, it pushed the yin energy away once he got it under control. Wu Hai's shoulder length hair rose into the air, defying gravity and drying instantly.
When he relaxed, it fell back down into the water's edge.
He tried to relax, emulating his Master. As the water whisked its way from Zao Wu Hai's hair he sat back and started circulating his energy to consolidate the medicinal effects of the pool. It didn't take long for him to feel the effects, a state of clarity, the rejuvenating effect was definitely worth the trip. Feeling his power on the rise again, he maintained his focus and listened to the world around him.
They relaxed for a few hours, time had passed unknowingly.
Old Man Jiang was a regular at the Springs, his only concern this time was for the Boy. The Boy would soon reach for greater heights. Wu Hai would have to advise him well before his day of adulthood, lest he suffer.
There was no rush in training. Those that did had a tendency to die young. With an extended lifespan, Old Man Jiang had seen his share of disciples fall, failing in life.
'The depraved could only look upon their shattered dreams, results from their values and lack of conviction. A child of this caliber must be groomed correctly.' He thought. There were things that needed to be tended to and his disciple would have to commit.
It was closing time at the Spring when the first sun had started to set. Mounting the carriage after dressing themselves, the sharp air of the night cut at them during their voyage. The cover of the coming night had dropped the temperature quickly. Old Man Jiang was not one for the Cold, he flicked the reins of the Hyppoicroc's Harness and they sped along the road back to the Capital.
֍ꟷꟷꟷꟷ֍
A few days later the shop had been closed the entire afternoon and several of the shops customers were not ready to give up on what they had come for.
There is no such thing as a free lunch, as soon as one of them touched the locked door, a clap of lightning descended down from the sky, exploding the mans hand like an irradiated sausage. Watching the bones fall from his hand into the dirt the man screamed in terror.
"What the FUCK! Sister!" Pleading for help the man rushed to his teammates side. She looked at his hand with disgust. He had always tried sleeping with her, not stopping with a simple word.. sometimes he would force his hands on her. Seeing the mangled mess he had to call a stump, she rolled her eyes, pulled a dagger from her waist and thrust it into the mans chest.
As he choked on the blood entering his lungs and fell to his knees, he saw her pilfer his gear. Tossing what didn't interest her to the side and then casting an immolation spell, she drowned the man in a sea of flames. His body rolled around on the ground, a byproduct reaction of high heat on contracting muscles.
She kicked it away, it dispersed into ash.
"Trash, couldn't you just have looked with your fucking eyes for once." She grabbed the miscellaneous crap she had found and returned to her Inn, the alleys and shadows covered her exit.
֍ꟷꟷꟷꟷ֍
A smoldering pile of ash met the Old Man at his Shop door the following day.
The spells guarding entry weren't cheap.
Most trash would be twisted into unrecognizable messes, depending on which trap they had sprung. "Lightning huh..., whats this.. a Ring.. nice." Picking the ring up he noticed it was already free from an owner and smiled. He tossed it in his hand and opening his door, he turned the sign around.
Wu Hai had outside training, he was allowed to enter the shop and browse the various books, tablets, orbs and treasures kept about. When the day was half done a bell rang and the door to the shop was cast open abruptly. It slammed against the wall, making a loud noise and letting the hot air inside.
'I guess someone needs a dramatic entrance.' Zao Wu Hai scoffed internally, His master had told him to stop verbalizing disinterest and disrespectful comments.
A lady, clad in green and red, came into the shop. Her long flowing gown sparkled and the corpse of a large fire lizard had been made into a trophy she kept on her shoulders. With eyes red and a yawn she approached the counter top and started talking to Old Man Jiang. It was normal to have customers only show up once, never to return.
Random people coming by had all sorts of attitudes.
She opened her cherry lips and wanted to see a listing of what was in the Shop. Old Man Jiang didn't bother keeping track, if anything went missing it was usually vaporized with the thief.
"I don't keep one." he replied. "Its easy to use your eyes. Be my guest, but mind your manners when you talk to Elders. You cling to a polished face, don't let it get too thick." Not missing a step Old Man Jiang was quick to dismiss her attitude.
Her eyebrows twitched and she held her tongue while she scoured the store. It didn't take long before she huffed to herself and then pointed at a shelf in the distance with only five items on it.
A Herringbone carved Chaos Bone Necklace, Rain Channeling Medicine Bag, 1000 year demon horn, and finally a small black box containing the powdered essence of a drake.
"Which one?" Old Man Jiang didn't care what she wanted, he was mostly irritated at the earlier experiences he had with this woman already. It was important that he make some sales, but not at the cost of his respect.
Never.
"I'll take the Drake Essence and Demon Horn. Name your price and wrap them up." It did not seem to work as well as she had hoped, when he finally stated the price she lost her cool.
"200 year Immortal wine or equivalent liquor. Or, you could try passing me a Magic book or 10." Old Man Jiang wouldn't yield easily. "If you can't afford it, don't bother trying with Money, Mortal needs are just a trifling matter." Closing his hands in front of him, he leaned into the counter and said "What Else?"
He tried to end the sale quickly or have her leave.
'This woman would meet her end if he didn't finish this up soon.' Wu Hai watched from across the shop, his Master at work.
She pulled out a 300 Year Immortal Fruit Wine, and 2 Books. One being the Slick spell and the other was a push spell. Both were useful but ranked very low. "These should do, If you ask for more.. consider our sale void. I'd rather suck off the lecherous beggar outside than give you anymore face you greedy old fuck." Throwing out obscenities to rag on Old Man Jiang, she had made a mistake.
Collecting the wine into his hand, he pulled the cork and turned the bottle over, releasing its contents to the floor.
Tossing the books on the ground he said, "get out while you can still breathe."
With a blacked face, the lady sucked on her lip. She grabbed her hem, and whipped herself around to face the other direction. She shook her ass in contempt and walked to the door. Rather than being smacked in the face as he watched her leave, he summoned some roots and tore the dress from her body before dousing her in a thick sap. She lifted her arms with a look of hatred and flicked her fingers to rid them of the goo.
Looking like a giant snot covered human that just entered the world, she covered her bits and ran from the shop cursing under her breath. She tripped on the way out and landed in the dirt. It began to sting and burn, the goop was hot under the sun, very hot. Her skin started to burn.
Old Man Jiang knew she'd be back, she was a pussycat while he was a flying tiger. Never letting problems like that bother him, the store was busy all day. Retrieving the books from the floor, Master Jiang laughed at his good fortune and cleared the goop with a wave.
֍ꟷꟷꟷꟷ֍