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Chapter 6: Trials on the Road

At the mouth of an alley off a street in the capital of Olei Kingdom, Ashura hid most of his body in the shadows.

He cautiously watched the direction of the city gate.

This was the third gate he had scoped out.

At every gate agents of the Black Water clan swept their eyes over everyone going in and out.

Ashura knew that the moment he tried to leave the city he would be hunted down, so getting out had become his greatest problem.

Luckily this gate lay in the opposite direction from August Academy, and the Black Water clan’s defenses here were the weakest.

He looked at the bustling market inside the walls and the endless stream of people at the gate, grinned as a plan formed, and slowly withdrew into the alley’s shadow…

Before long several half-grown children appeared to be going out of the city to play together.

Soon after leaving they hurried back, clutching silver coins and heading straight for the crowded streets.

As they ran they shouted, “Mother, there are silver coins in the grass outside the walls, we all picked some up, I want braised pork!”

Everyone stared in shock, and a woman who sold snacks grabbed her own child, snatched the coin from his hand, bit it, and hissed, “Tss… it really is silver!”

She quickly asked her child where he had found it.

The child pointed outside the walls and bragged, “We found it while playing in the woods not far away, Mother, I want to buy braised pork!”

Without a word the woman pocketed the coin; a single silver piece would cover a month of expenses for her family of three, braised pork or not…

The quicker-witted shoppers were already sprinting toward the gate.

The slower ones, seeing the rush, followed suit, and soon a tide of people surged out of the city shouting…

The Black Water clan guards on duty had no idea what was happening.

The crowd pushed out in a frenzy, leaving no way to check those leaving.

In no time only a few stall owners who had not managed to pack up remained at the gate market, pounding their chests in regret.

A while later Ashura emerged from behind a large tree in the woods outside the city.

He too had mixed into the stampede; the whole scene had been orchestrated by him.

The coins in the children’s hands were his, the lines they shouted were lines he had taught them, and if they did as instructed they would each get another coin afterward.

He had also left several coins in the alley where he had hidden, knowing the children would find them when they returned.

He looked back at the capital gate of Olei Kingdom, his eyes firm and profound.

Shouldering the Twin Swords his second brother had given him, he ran toward Saint Gobban City.

He avoided the main road, choosing trails and forest paths instead.

First, he needed to avoid the Black Water clan’s pursuit; second, he hoped to slay wild beasts to raise his strength, for Saint Gobban Academy required Warrior Tier 3 for entry.

Unexpectedly he encountered few beasts along the way and far more bandits trying to rob him.

At first he spared most of the thieves he met.

That changed when he saw a poor girl Azhiya’s age violated and killed by bandits; from then on he slew robbers without hesitation, having realized that killing them meant saving others.

Late at night, beside a brook in the forest.

The black-haired youth Ashura was roasting a wild wolf for dinner.

Ashura had always enjoyed experimenting with food, and most small animals he had caught before had ended up in his stomach.

Now eating wolf meat made him sigh, and he reached the conclusion that wolf was not very tasty.

He had been away from home for more than 3 months, pushing forward every day without daring to pause.

Living rough and purging bandits had added a touch of savagery to him; the mischievous grin he once wore had become a wicked smirk.

He had already advanced to Warrior Stage 2, and such minor breakthroughs seemed to come to him as naturally as water flowing downhill.

Life in the wild had taught him much and also made him feel intensely lonely.

By nature he loved lively company, yet in 3 months he had not had a proper conversation with anyone.

The journey had tempered his character, making him steady and calm.

Gazing at the moon, he sighed, “I wonder how things are at home? Has Grandpa come back? Has Big Brother’s leg been healed? Will Sister-in-law keep waiting for him?”

Muttering to himself, he leaned against the tree and gradually fell asleep; he truly felt a little homesick…

The next day, just as the sun peeked over the horizon.

Ashura woke from his sleep and stretched.

After checking his bearings he headed toward Saint Gobban City; his destination for the day was a town called Lingquan Town.

Ashura knew he had left the Black Water clan’s sphere of control, but if he kept trudging over mountains he would never reach the academy on time.

Therefore he needed to buy a mount in Lingquan Town to hasten his journey to Saint Gobban City.

Lingquan Town was a small settlement.

Legend said that a spring in the town produced spirit water that boosted strength and prolonged life.

The youthful Ashura hurried to the spring upon hearing the tale and bent down to gulp the water.

When he looked up he saw a cow beside him drinking in the same posture, and his mood soured instantly…

Ashura then entered a brokerage that sold mounts.

A skinny man in his forties with a curly goatee hurried over; although the boy’s clothes were plain, the air he carried marked him as a young master from a wealthy family.

Bowing and nodding, he said, “Sir, my name is Chaha; it is an honor to serve you. Tell me what you need and I guarantee you will leave satisfied!”

Ashura glanced at him and said flatly, “I want to see what mounts you have.”

Chaha immediately led the way, saying, “Please follow me, sir!”

Guided by Chaha, Ashura arrived at the stables; it was his first time in such a place.

All kinds of mounts were on display in the pens… over a dozen breeds of horses alone, as well as wind wolves, earth drakes, unicorns, and even flying Beasts that had been tamed for riding.

A Beast mount had to be tamed; once tamed it wore a beast-control ring that greatly suppressed its ferocity and made it obey its master’s commands.

Naturally, the higher a Beast’s grade, the harder it was to tame, and unless it was raised from young it would never submit to a weak owner.

Powerful clans often kept their own Beasts, which would submit to their members and could even be driven into battle.

Ashura coveted those Beasts, imagining how imposing he would look riding one.

Yet he lacked the strength to control a Beast and feared attracting unnecessary trouble.

With that in mind he said to the goateed man, “I want to buy a dragon horse for travel; the faster the better. Do you have a suitable one?”

Chaha felt a touch of disappointment, having thought the boy would be a big spender.

After a moment’s thought he said, “Sir, we do have a dragon horse here, magnificent in every way; it could easily cover 1,000 li a day!”

“However, it has yet to be tamed; its wild nature is hard to restrain. Are you still interested, sir?”

Ashura found that intriguing and immediately asked to see the dragon horse.

Chaha led him to a shed where a tall black horse was bound with ropes; its coat was pure ebony, its bearing superb.

Two burly men took turns whipping it; the horse neighed continuously, yet its cries carried unmistakable defiance.

Ashura told the men to stop and circled the black horse twice with interest.

Seeing a black-haired youngster circling it, the horse snorted twice and regarded him with disdain.

Ashura found its attitude amusing and genuinely liked the black dragon horse.

As for taming it, his eyes flashed as a wicked idea struck him.

He turned to Chaha and said, “You all go out first; I need to have a talk with this dragon horse.”

Chaha was taken aback but did not argue; he left with the two beast tamers.

The youth grinned roguishly at the horse, and for some reason the animal felt a twinge of fear.

Tilting his head, the boy asked, “Can you understand me?” The horse ignored him and tossed its head.

Unfazed, the boy took out a pouch and said, “I studied some medicine as a child; these are silver needles. I don’t know how they work on horses, but if you behave I’ll let you enjoy a little acupuncture!”

Although the black horse was intelligent enough to understand human speech, it had no idea what acupuncture was.

Were those long needles torture instruments meant to force its submission?

Ashura drew a needle and said, “With the first needle I’ll numb your left hind leg!”

Before the horse could react he flicked the needle into an acupoint on its left hind leg.

The horse felt no pain, yet its leg suddenly went numb and it nearly collapsed.

Terrified, it watched the grinning youth draw another needle.

He said, “This one will numb your right hind leg!”

With that he flicked the needle into the right hind leg; the horse’s back legs instantly gave out and it sank onto its haunches.

The black horse still struggled, trying to stand on its useless hind legs.

Ashura slowly pulled out another needle and chuckled, “This one ought to go into your front… oh no, I forgot you have one more leg back there!”

“I’m going to numb the leg between your hind legs as well!” he said as he prepared to flick the needle.

But this time the horse clamped its jaws onto his sleeve.

It looked at the little devil before it, eyes filled with terror and pleading.

Slowly it bent its two front knees in surrender…

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