This so-called young master was quite an old man. Satori ran up like it would to its father, pure and innocent. The old man had gray hair, looking in his 60's. He patted the monkey like an old pet.
"Satori, what've you been up to know?" he questioned, humorously suspicious of the monkey. Seems like it causes trouble often.
"Nothing! Nothing…it's just that, well, I'll allow this beast named barbos to explain." the monkey gestured toward me. The old man smiled with genuine sincerity. This man was much older than any "young master" I've ever encountered yet.
"What's your name?" I hoped to get to the topic naturally. Meanwhile, dia had no class whatsoever.
"Why are you called young when you're old?" she asked with the cruel innocence of a child.
The man merely laughed, and invited us to sit in the back of his garden. There was a fairly broad pond and orange-striped fish leapt about. "My name is Li He, but most of the clan call me "Little Li". You understand the irony? It's because I'm old, you see?" He spoke in a strange literary style of prose.
"I am old, as I was born without the heavens blessing. My two parent, prodigies at the high-domain stage. Yet I came out average. Now, I stand on dantian formation, a life span of only 150 years. This year, I am 97."
Holy shit, 97?
"He looked good for a 97 year old" au-ha was impressed. I couldn't disagree. However, most cultivators in this world lived in the hundreds to thousands of years. Mortals strangely, did not exist whatsoever. They were simply called D or F grade cultivators. Still, they could reach the qi foundation stage. Diantian formation was only the second stage, meaning he was born with D grade aptitude.
I couldn't decide whether he was mad or a sage. I started on with my requests. "First, I need to join the clan. I have herbs, beast cores, corpses, and souls. I need a fine alchemist, and maybe some way to sell these excess beast cores and souls." I listed demands one by one.
He slowly took a sip of tea.
"Hahaha, you move so fast, child. Why is that? The faster you move, the slower you travel. The slower you walk, the farther you go." the old sage Li He spoke pure nonsense.
Dia looked at me for a translation. I just shook my head, it's not like there was even one in the first place… "Can we join the clan?" I asked as bluntly as possible.
"Of course. Why not? But you are an impatient lot, you know we are holding a tournament in a couple fortnights, do you not?" he merely raised an eyebrow curiously.
"Yes, but it would be pointless. Trust me, I have no desire to take fights in any tournaments besides the Central Mountain tournament." I wasn't about to pound on some younguns while the crowd 'ooohed' and 'aaahed'.
Well, not yet at least.
"Ohh, you want to reach the central mountain, join a clan there?" he questioned.
"Honestly, I wish to go into that mountain and travel to the top. Other world's await me. Above and below. " I spoke almost as mystically as this man. His eyes glowed and smile shimmered.
"Other worlds? I always felt there was more out there…" he glanced at the sky, toward nowhere in particular. Then looking back at me. "You want to take one of our two spots? Haha, that shouldn't be a problem, I will certainly not be going."
"I need a spot too!" dia chimed in. "I need to leave the world as well," a watering innocence in the eyes.
"I would let you take them both, but the other is well contested. A genius born of the clan is already mid outer field. You will need some strength, but one look at you gives me the feeling you have it in abundance."
He looked over at the monkey, "Tell me satori, What do you think of the beast 'Barbos'?"
The ape eyed me, "Damn thing, it fell out of the illusions way too quick. And then it ate my eye! So, no, I don't like them." it crossed its arms.
"Wha- hey, satori, you would've done the same thing in my position. I'm also helping it grow back. You deserved it, too. Lucky I didn't swallow you whole. I still might" I scoffed out with indignance.
The ape stared at me with wide open eyes, but I was slightly resistant now, and quickly looked away. If I stared for a while, I may still be ensnared. I use my lengthy monkey tail to give him a slap.
The old sage, "Little Li," laughed aloud at the antics. "You two are like brothers!" and I couldn't help but feel a little childish. The monkey indignantly shouted 'are not!'.
"Look, Satori, I'm sorry, okay? You want some beast cores to munch on?" I spoke to satori and provided a handful, they may not be useful for evolving a beast at the higher level, which satori clearly was, but they were quite tasty little candy balls. Some hard, some soft and chewy.
"Ha! I won't be bribed so easily." he claimed as he took them all instantly and began chewing eagerly.
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Little Li then gave us robes, and led us to his parents and told them he wanted us to be able to join early. A man and a woman, both who looked to be 30's max, in good shape and quite attractive.
The sight of this old man calling them two, 'mom and dad' was absurd. The man called Alch, The woman named Mem.
"These two? For what reason, my son?" asked the father, Li Alch
"Because, I like them, and know they are quite powerful. You have always asked me to find a champion to take my place. I live the easy life now. I give these two to you as a gift." claimed Little Li in our defense.
A moment of silence as they looked us over.
"Yes, the Shi clan woman has a high outerfield cultivation, but I feel nothing from the other." The woman spoke, Li Mem. She looked fondly upon Dia, but took no interest in me.
The man's eyes glowed. "Are you kidding? He has the power of earth coursing through him wildly, I've never seen anything like it. You, warrior, what is your name, where do you come from?"
I cupped my fist in the standard salute. As the saying goes, 'when in Rome, you bow to the caesar'.
"My name is Barbos, I come from a now destroyed tribe. I've wandered the lands for the past few years. I am a strength cultivator…of earthly power...and bodily transformations." I made something up that made perfect sense in this world.
Li Alch, He had brown and nice hair, chiseled jaw and frame. Li Mem, pretty and sharp featured, black hair that was short. The great elder of the clan, Li Alchs father - Li Chimia, is known as the world's greatest alchemist, which is how the clan got its renown.
They nodded their heads.
"Good finds, son. Well done."
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We pretty easily assimilated into the clan. No tournament necessary. The few clan members all jeered at the unfair treatment. So, if you just cozied up to the useless young master, would they let you in? The clan thought low of us.
But they pretty damn quickly warmed up to Dia, within the day, who was enjoying popularity.
She was quite stunning, and those antler horns were no doubt dazzling. Her innocent nature was the cream on the top. Though I never liked cream.
These people didn't warm up to me nearly as quickly. After all, I looked like some normal man. The monkey would often come hang around, bothering for cores or just speaking nonsense.
"Brother, help me find some ape girls, please!"
I sighed and shook my head "Maybe in another world, don't you have a tribe, or parents or something?" The monkey sadly shook its head.
"I mean it," I said, "maybe in another world.".
It had been a few days since we joined, when I approached the old young master little Li. He was always in his garden. He greeted me with a downward nod as he gestured to a seat. The monkey hopped on his shoulder, where it seemed most comfortable to be.
"I have hordes of cores, and beast souls to sell." I spoke to the point.
"hm, why in need of money?" Little Li asked.
"Well, it's always good to have money, right? Plus I would like to see one of the famed auctions, at least once. Maybe I'll find a beast soul fitting for me." I leaned back in the garden chair, and sipped the tea as calmly as him.
He smiled and spoke with lyricism, "Well, an auction is fun maybe one or twice. But thrice? I say not. Just a bunch of silly little mots yelling out increasing numbers for things they don't really need. They travel a road of pointless greed!"
"Yeah….so when's the next one? And how can I sell this stuff?" It was very difficult to get straight answers out of the wizened Little Li.
Finally, he just told me to go to the store. I asked for some sort of token, and he said the robe was enough. I asked Satori to come with me, just in case they tried to screw me. He hopped on my shoulder, and it felt quite natural.
As we walked down the road to the store, I asked Satori his story.