Spring had just begun around the State of Zhiyuan. The flowers were blooming, and many new bird variants were migrating there.
On the merchant side of the state, successful trades were rising in quantity while the overall marketplace was growing much more vibrant after the past few dull months.
The world was waking up from a dull slumber. Everything was moving.
As the sun rose from the east and blessed the land with its shine, Soha pushed up his bamboo hat to look at the city gate before him. Beyond it was the Li Clan's city, a blessed place, as the people around it called.
Soha knew his path as a martial artist was about to begin here today.
As of now, it had been three days since he opened his eyes to this world. Early morning, he had left the inn, and after all the walk and emptying his pockets for carriages and food, he was finally here. All he now had was a week's worth of money to survive.
But weren't men supposed to live by the fist?
He let the bamboo hat fall back, covering his masked face in its shade and entered the city without much fanfare.
Yet, in his mind, he was having a conversation, "…Emma, there is a saying on earth that the Rome wasn't built in a day."
[Yes, that's true…]
"Don't get so discouraged. You have been really helpful. If I still can't save Evelyn now that I have this chance, I am just a fool," he said with conviction, "and I should do atleast something to prove my worth of being the owner of such an amazing treasure as you, right?"
[…] Emma remained silent.
"But I wonder who the 'Protagonist' of this World is… even looking at Mirrors doesn't work…" he sighed as he pushed through the morning bustle of merchants in the town. They were all setting up their stalls.
There were crudely dressed people who were pushing heavy loads on one part, and on the other were people with morning faces of laziness, often with a fan in their hand as they ordered people around.
[I don't know how that part of my Power worked… I think I can realize who the 'Protagonist' is when I see him or her, but I am not sure about that either…]
Each world was supposed to have a Protagonist—a central figure of the times who would change the world, picture an era for the ages, a most influential person of this time.
But neither he nor Emma knew who the Qian Long Martial World's current Protagonist was.
"Let's see when it happens. I kind of feel like that guy who ran away from the brothel is the 'Protagonist' since he had such a grand start with becoming the talk of the martial world and all," Soha shook his head, "but just like you, I don't know either."
It was just a hunch because he was the first rising rumor he had heard about after arriving. But that could just be a small stone making a wide ripple. Who knows?
***
Li Clan was a majestic Martial Arts family with ties to all of the Righteous Factions in the State of Zhiyuan, and even by themselves, they were a long-standing family with renown all across the State.
The Li Clan had establishments throughout the state, which encompassed an area as wide as Texas on Earth—even if he were to travel by train, which was like a dream in this world, it would take him at least a year to cover the whole State.
It was that enormous, and yet the Li Clan had establishments all over the state in a world that lacked decent travel methods.
If they weren't mighty, who was?
A cool breeze ruffled Soha's messy hair under the bamboo hat. His mind wandered slightly.
'Evelyn…'
He sighed.
On Earth, he would have never felt like this, constantly on edge for someone else. But that made him happy instead of sad.
Only his two sisters, Elder Sis Evelyn, the little monkey of a little sister Eva, and his Mother Susan could make him so desperate like this. Soha's hands clenched around his dark robes.
As he stood in front of the intimidating wooden gate of the great Li Clan's manor, more than 50 meters in height, Soha couldn't help but feel his nerves turn taut.
Thinking of his goal made him calmer. Thinking of returning to Evelyn's corpse made him deadly calm.
"Emma, it begins now," he said with a pale smile.
[Good luck…]
With a deep breath, he knocked on the wooden gate. It only took a few seconds for an eyehole to open, and a languid man asked him from the other side, "What do you want?"
Soha looked through the holes in his mask, his gaze calm.
"My name is Hei Ren. I wish to become a vassal of the Li Clan."
The person on the other end calmly asked, "Don't you plan to show your face before that?"
Soha shook his head, making the guard chuckle. "There is a door on the east side of the manor's wall. Enter from there, and there will be an Elder of the Li Clan there; he will tell you the details."
Bowing his head slightly, Soha walked away.
…
An hour later, Soha found himself in a dark room, facing a yellow-faced old man.
"My name is Li Yuntao, the 14th Elder of the Li Clan," Li Yuntao said, his hand on his short brown beard. "Now, boy, are you sure you want to swear allegiance to my Li Clan? It's quite a choice, y'know?"
Soha nodded calmly, putting his bamboo hat aside and then calmly removing his red mask.
Li Yuntao squinted at him, a smirk on his face until the scar on Hei Ren's face made him click his tongue.
Soha hid his nervousness and said calmly, "My name is Hei Ran. An ordinary fugitive with wanted posters all around… and I don't care what dark things the clan wants me to do. As long as I get to learn your best Martial Arts, that is."
Li Yuntao's eyes shined, another type of grin growing on his face before he repressed it. "How old are you?"
"By today, I am Seventeen, nearing eighteen."
"Good…" the old man's voice lingered, an authoritative calmness to his tone, "but any Fugitive who wants to swear allegiance has to do something to gain our trust. You must have heard of it if you have heard of our recruitment, right?"
Soha nodded, calmer than before.
This part was in the thug, Hei Ran's memories, which Emma sorted out, and she had told him about it—the righteous clans would take fugitives in as their little moles to get little 'things' done under the shade.
They even give you good Martial Arts. You just have to be their good dog for a lifetime.
Soha didn't mind that since he didn't have to be here for long anyway. After becoming a Martial Master, he would be out of this world, back in his home.
Yes, becoming a Martial Grandmaster would have made saving Evelyn a piece of cake, but doing that in merely one and a half years was impossible. Even the youngest Martial Grandmaster in history was forty-five years old!
Just looking at the number of Masters in this world and comparing them to Grandmasters was enough. In all of Zhiyue State, there were only five Grandmasters, whereas the number of Masters was numerous, almost one in every three cities. Becoming a Master seemed atleast a bit feasible.
And even though Martial Master level of strength would only be as strong as Rank 2 Espers, it would still give him enough power to escape the Abyss with Evelyn as long as he was willing to lose a hand or two in the process. He didn't mind such meager losses.
A dog? Okay, a dog he shall be.
"We will give you a particular poison," Li Yuntao said without beating around the bush, a good-natured grin growing on his face. "And you will report every week to take the antidote. Your whole life, you will stay the slave of Li. Are you that determined?"
Soha nodded, his scarred face filled with calm conviction. "But what kind of Martial Art can I get?"
Li Yuntao waved his hand proudly.
"Our clan despises Demonic Techniques since they reduce the longevity of the practitioner and also require other people's lives, so we store it separately, but it has quicker improvements that you guys love, and there are also some spear and sword arts we gained from other families after defeating them.
"I will bring you to our collection. You can choose one of them freely."
Soha's gaze shimmered. "What class are these Techniques?"
"The best of them are Martial Master Class," The old man said, showing his yellow teeth, "and many had become Martial Masters using them. Even among our vassals like you."
Soha asked, "Nothing with the Martial Grandmaster Class?"
The old man looked at him as if he expected the question but then sneered coldly, "Grandmasters are all Clan Patriarchs or Sect Heads. Do you think we would give the Li Clan's core inheritance to you?"
Soha averted his gaze, looking downwards in shame.
The old man nodded in satisfaction and placed a small bottle in front of him, filled with a green poisonous liquid. Soha glanced at it with a long gaze.
He knew they would have no use in killing him here and now with a sneaky trick; there was no need to since Li Yuntao himself was a renowned First Class Martial Artist.
For such a veteran, even though he was old and not in his prime anymore, it would be easy to kill someone like Hei Ren without all this trouble.
Li Clan was famous for the way they treated their fugitive vassals in the underworld. They were fair, good-natured, and even left hope for the fugitives in the end, if they become Martial Masters, they could marry a daughter of the Li Clan and settle in as an honorary Li Clan member.
Nevertheless, taking the bottle, Soha paused, gently rotating it on the table.
In one of the worlds he had witnessed before, a villain had been cheated by that world's Protagonist precisely like this: After making the villain drink the poison, the Protagonist barely gives that villain useless techniques and still makes him a servant for life.
Soha had no time for such a thing.
"I hope you can give me the Technique before I drink it," he said humbly, "I've heard of the Li's great name for not being thrifty with their techniques, but I hope you understand."
Li Yuntao smiled, his gaze wide and merry.
"So be it."