"No, I'm not going to support your pill usage." The patriarch said.
Jie Shu wasn't really surprised "Tsk." But he was just hoping that he would be lucky.
He slammed the door behind him when he left, almost knocking it of the hinges 'He abolished his cultivation previously, or am I just misremembering?' The girl thought while walking along with him.
"Girl whose name I don't know!" He said while looking at her.
The girl whose name he didn't know said; "Y-yes?"
"You're learning a cultivation technique, right now!"
"W-why?"
"Because I need a lackey!" Jie Shu told her the truth, as even if she did now, what could she do? He'd break her legs if she resisted!
Jie Shu paused 'Calm down, calm down, don't break her legs. That'd cause hatred, and then she would betray you. BUT SHE'LL STILL BETRAY YOU! No, no, nono.'
"No.. No." Jie Shu said to himself, showing the girl whose name remain a mystery, that he was still mentally ill "I'm not teaching you a cultivation technique anymore, not yet, not now."
Jie Shu couldn't trust the 'Girl, without a name though' with what the screens of blue called 'C-rank' cultivation manuals. But he didn't want to take the time for her to get strong enough with a D/E-rank.
So he would meet with the supreme elder, and get support, or a few lackeys to start a drug ring.
"You want my support to become heir? No thank you." That was his answer.
"I don't want to become the heir to this trashy boonies clan! I want pills, I want money, I want to sate my pill dependacy!" Jie Shu was offended "At least give me a few goons!"
"No," The elder was stead-fast, thinking to himself "Child, you think I can afford your pill-bombing more than a few times? No, that was personal, non-faction reserve money. I still need to treat myself to many worldly pleasures as to break free from them."
Translation; No I don't want to give you money, I like my harem and my own drugs, and I can't afford my own addiction if I were to sate your's.
That was what Jie Shu took of it, and that's all that matters.
As he stormed out while nibbling on his nails 'If there's no father or grand-elder that can support my pill addiction, then I'll need to go with more extreme measures.' Extreme measure being; kidnaping.
A mortal family which is rich to an extreme degree, when you find one of these it is common sense to scam them for all their worth. In the past, he would then destroy the city they were based in, no loose ends and all that.
But now, he was a rightious cultivator looking for 'Voluntary' 'Funding'. Which was once thought to be a forgotten technique, probably. Jie Shu wasn't sure, this place had definently had a century of time to develop, maybe even more.
It should've been more civilized, but...
"Please! Someone help me!" Some girl with bruses shouted while being draged into a back alley, she seemed rich, very rich with all the gold trims. And her body-guards were layed across the floor, after inspecting all of those involved, the strongest was a mere body temperer with an F-rank technique.
Aka. Extremely weak, and with little potential.
Jie Shu could use this instead of a kidnapping, making a real source of funds, in exchange for 'Protection'. He would then use their home as his own little domain, using it to over come the tribulation between body-tempering and qi-gathering.
But how would he do this, currently his raw strength was about three quarters of the weakest opponent. He needed to get rid of the strongest in one move, but he didn't have qi to use his ultimate technique 'Abyssal star'.
If he could use that art, then they would all be erased from the annals of history. Not even the slightest trace would remain.
But he couldn't do that, so that means a B-rank art was necessary. One that could be used without qi, one whose inferior form had not been passed down. One called the 'Blade rush', he had used it previously.
You remember right? Where he cut that scarecrow to pieces.
It wasn't that impressive, right now.
If we're going by the system, of the % system of measurement in the body tempering realm. Then;
-There were 3 with 5%, 3 with 6%, 1 with 8%, and 2 with 9%.
Jie Shu examined the two body guards that followed him '14% and 15%, this is quite low, even for a boonies clan, with me being the first young master... Oh, this is a show from the elders to not get cocky, or something.'
'Hah~ I hate these subtleties, I wish I could just beat them till death's door. But- Sadly, I must control myself for my sect creation plans.'
Jie Shu didn't want to use the two body guards, as they would probably lose, their cultivation manuals were even more sub-par than the gansters, and the gangsters were obviously far more trained, had strategy, and familiarity.
Though Jie Shu could trample on all these things, he must first know, were these cowards who skipped the first tribulation within the body-tempering realm? Or were they people who had seen the light?
'Actually, that doesn't matter. All I need is the element of surprise, just pass-by without looking...'
Jie Shu followed what his thoughts had commanded, and passed by as if that girl had nothing to do with him.
But right when the gangsters felt certain that he and his body guards wouldn't do anything fishy, he unsheathed his sword, and used the only art that was currently viable enough for him to use; 'Blade rush'.
Instead of a single slash at the nearest gangster, it was three continous slashes at three vital points; the neck, the heart, and the aorta.
Before the others could react, which was strange, as even if they didn't take the risk of the tribulation, they should've still be able to react to this, with an 8% or higher.
But those three, that should've been able to, didn't. But Jie Shu wasn't really complaining, he was actually very happy about this fact, since they must've used an even trashier manual than expected.
Jie Shu just kept on attacking, but this time another, as he slashed three times just on one of the two with 9%.
Then, since no one had tried to stop him yet, he passed by two others, and used 'Blade rush' against the left-over 9%, who actually protected himself with his arms. The block was sub-par, but it made sure he didn't die.
But from behind, Jie Shu didn't have any time to praise him for doing the bare-minimum, and pierced the man's nape.
With his now bloodied sword Jie Shu just looked towards the last one who should be able to pose a threat to him, the 8%.
The man didn't seem that sad or scared, which made Jie Shu clearly annoyed. After 'The 8%' got time to gather himself, he said; "I must thank you, for killing the two left in my way. But I'll have to apologize for the fact that you won't be able to deal with me as easily as the oth-"
Jie Shu was getting extremely irratated, and no longer felt the need to rest his body. This mere '8%' dared to monologe? He must die!
Jie Shu just used what he was previously did on the two 9% and one 6%, but this time, his sword was actually stopped properly.
Jie Shu frowned, and choose to use a C-rank martial art; 'Rising majesty kick'.
keeping a firm grip on his sword, he shift a bit to the left as he smoothly raised his left leg, and kicked it against the larger man's temple with his heel.
The shaking of his head caused a concussion, which was also strange, because it should've been less exagerated due to the passing of tribulations.
Though Jie Shu just put it on a trash cultivation manual again, dis-lodged his sword, and put his sword into the '8%'s' cervix.
A minute of 'Blade rush'-ing and standing there *Menacingly*, to rest his body.
He quickly looted anything of worth, to him, from the bodies. Which were; 17 pills of unknown origin.
Jie Shu put them in his pockets, and acted like he had not stolen them, as he had stolen them while making sure they were dead.
Jie Shu made sure to pat off any dust on his clothes, then looked to the little girl with fancy attire "Girl, take me to your parents, will you?"
The girl didn't seem too shaken by these events "Huh?" That doesn't mean she wasn't shaken though.
She was kind-off shell-shocked, she had been getting kidnaped, and then suddenly a slightly handsome man killed all the thugs that had attacked her and her bodyguards.
She had been told not to trust strangers though, and she was old enough to understand that Jie Shu wasn't kind enough to save her out of kindness. She could tell from his cold-blooded murder-like look and the tone he speaked in. It sounded like how adults speaked, when talking down to her.
She didn't really know how to handle this situation, she quickly reasoned to follow her aunt's words 'If you don't know what to do, make someone else who you trust, do it for you', she didn't have anyone she trusts around, but she did know someone who could handle the situation.
"T-the man laying there, h-he's lieutenant Chen-" She was trying to tell the Jie Shu to wake hher up, but was interupted.
"Haha... Sorry to tell you this, junior, but- I do not care for these triffling things."
Jie Shu, didn't really care, like- really didn't. He was honestly annoyed when she didn't start leading the way to her home/mansion/clan compound. But her next response made so much sense "I-I don't really know where I am..." She said, kind-of sad.
"My bodyguards were poisoned with a type of sleeping pill, I believe, they only realized after they were attacked by the... Hired swords. So they made the most logical discision, which was to flee, and I lost track of my... Posistion." The girl did her best to formulate her words based on the basic ettequite lessons from her aunt.
Jie Shu paused for a moment, processing her words "Drag her somewhere secluded," He told the two weaklings provided to him, when he saw them making questioning looks he had to respond "You aren't worthy of knowing my mental calculations."
Jie Shu made almost no plans and such things this time, really. He just didn't like it that people around him could know about him, he didn't like things about himself being divuldged to the public. Why did you think that 'Morning star continent ambassador' thought of the 'Grand scourge' as an urban legend perpetuated purposefully by the Central?
The two quickly picked her up, and then paused, seemingly confused. Seeing their confusion, Jie Shu understood, they were lay-people, they didn't have the insight into what he wished from them "Please, let's go to a more secluded place, take that 'lieutenant Chen' with you too, just in case."
Finally getting clear orders, the two quickly used their understanding of the city to find a more secluded place.
A private room in a tavern/drinking pavilion or whatever you call them, Jie Shu never cared to learn before. As he was either too poor, too busy, or too powerful to care.
Though he heard the name this time, he had suddenly forgot after remembering that it didn't really matter.
After entering the room, he asked the girl again "Do you know where your parents are now that you are in a place you recognize?" Jie Shu couldn't help but frown after getting confirmation that she didn't know.
Enough to kick the woman laying on the floor in the gut, he would just use 'Advanced interrogation methods' to the information from her. He couldn't risk harming the thing he would get pills for, so he needed something else to beat it into a secret spilling mood.
Seeing that the lieutenant didn't wake up with a kick, Jie Shu started to inspect his physiological condition with spiritual energy.
Medicinal energies, very crude, low quality medicinal energies. They were crudely flowing about after the pill had been digested, their inherent qualities making it an automatic process to block mental faculties after consumption.
But it had potential for so much more, such as; Causing dreams instead of being knocked out, and even controlling the dreams if done very proficiently.
To be honest, Jie Shu doesn't know even the slightest thing of alchemy, since there were good enough alternatives when he couldn't make others do it for him.
Maybe he should do alchemy? He would be able to cook his own supply...
Written in the of december, 2022.