Chapter 2: The Cultivator

Chapter 2: The Cultivator

Grandmother Lu woke him early the next day. Very early. The sun wasn’t even really up yet, just the barest suggestion of light on the horizon, but Sen didn’t really mind. He had been given shelter for a night. That was more fortune than most of his ilk enjoyed. He simply bowed to Grandmother Lu and took his leave. There were places where he might find food if he was quick enough. Not the kind of food that would stay good until night, but something that might keep his stomach from aching until he thought it would drive him mad. So, Sen ventured forth. It was early enough that none of the noble brats would hassle him. They didn’t rise this early. He might run afoul of a shopkeeper or half-wild dog, though. Both things had happened before and he had the scars to prove it.

Still, some risks were worth the payoff. You simply could not survive without food. He knew that there were other ways. There were hunters who ventured outside of the town into the largely untamed wilderness beyond the walls. There were animals there that you could hunt or capture in clever snares. Sen knew this, but it meant little to him. He had no bow, no spear, and no snares. Even if he had those things, he didn’t know how to use them. Staying in the town was dangerous. It would become more dangerous for him in time. He was old enough now that one of the gangs would press him into service if he wasn’t very careful. That was a life almost sure to see him dead, eventually. Yet, leaving would mean truly courting death.

In town, he risked the wrath of noble children, the town guard, and gangs. Beyond those walls, he risked the ire of spirit animals that even the unearthly cultivators feared. If those heaven-defying figures of legend tread with care in the wilds, what hope did he have of surviving? One day, if he became desperate enough, he might make the journey beyond the walls, but it would be a day of true desperation indeed. For now, he would simply take his steps with care, and keep a sharp eye out. For the next hour or two, though, he largely had the town to himself.

He took full advantage of that fact, making his way to the Song Wu Dumpling shop. He lucked out and found a few dumplings that the rats and other vermin hadn’t found in the trash. He wondered sometimes what they would taste like fresh. Most days he was simply grateful if there was something to eat at all. After he’d eaten something, he went to the central market. There were shadowed corners where he could hide all day, free from the sight of the guard and his own enemies. Although, when he was honest with himself, he was getting a little too big for them. Another year, maybe less, and he’d have to find a new way to stay out of sight.This creation is firmly rooted in the depths of Nøv€lß¡n★

Then, the cultivator stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes swept across the marketplace. It looked to Sen like the man meant to bore a hole through the world with his gaze. Sen shuddered as the man fixed on his hiding spot and then took a step in his direction. Cold sweat ran down Sen’s back, but then a miracle occurred. At any other time, Sen would have considered the arrival of the mayor and the other local nobles as a dark sign. Today, it was reprieve given human form. The mayor strode up and bowed deeply.

“The mayor of Orchard’s Reach bids the mighty cultivator welcome.”

The rest of the nobles bowed as well and murmured their welcomes. The cultivator looked, at least to Sen’s eyes, like the whole spectacle annoyed him. The cultivator gave one last look at where Sen was hiding, then turned his attention to the nobles. He bowed to them.

“Cultivator Feng greets the mayor.”