After leaving the Mu Clan, Xi Shen entered the City to look around, but mostly just to calm his thoughts.
The mundane world always gave him a peace of mind, whether it reminded him of those few years in his own village or it was a nice change of pace from the cultivation of world affairs.
‘Now that I think about it, I was 14 when those events happened, sending my world crashing down on my head. It happened in the blink of an eye, but it had left a scar in my heart that’s still affecting me even in this life.’
As Xi Shen was thinking that to himself, he would absentmindedly glance at the stall owners by the roadside who were selling their goods.
Because he wasn’t really paying attention to them, he didn’t see the cautious look most of them had given him, nor the disgusted looks a few people who swerved around him shot towards his back.
Currently, Xi Shen had his messy hair down along with his bare feet and dirty robes, he looked like a child beggar.
If his mother had seen him like this she would had tear his ear off, either from her pulling or her scolding's. The first few years when he reincarnated into this era, he hadn’t had time to adjust to his new environment or his massive shift from a slave to a prince.
Certain habits and traits he had in his past life had spilled over to this one, and they were more glaring in his situation. A simple example was his habit of not wearing any shoes, as well as his unconcern about getting extremely dirty, and the fact that he just didn’t put much thought into his appearance.
As a prince these traits were unacceptable. His mother was the one who had beaten basic social etiquette into him and forcefully suppress those bad habits.
Obviously, Xi Shen had found it rather strenuous to live in that environment and would always find ways to sneak out, but his mother would always have Fu Wei find him and bring him back.
However, with his mother nowhere to nag him, his bad habits had begun to come out one by one, starting with his bare feet until they eventually devolve into him looking like a child beggar.
If one were to compare his adult appearance right before he reincarnated to his appearance right now, it would have an uncanny similarity.
“It’s not like I can’t put on the disguise to resemble someone with a decent appearance, but when I don’t have to I don’t want to.”
Xi Shen mumbled under his breath as he walked with his hands behind his back through the crowded street.
A few people who walked passed him heard his inaudible mumbles and thought, ‘Oh good lord what is the king doing having these children out here? This one had even gone crazy muttering to himself, good heavens!’
They would have pitting looks on their faces as they said that. But there were others who thought otherwise, that people like Xi Shen were nothing but vermins who cause problems everywhere they went. Stealing all their goods and pickpocketing their customers.
From that, one can see those thoughts were mainly held by the local vendors of the City.
“Thud…”
All of a sudden Xi Shen felt someone bump into him.
“Owe! What the hell!?”
A child in ragged clothes about 12 or 13 fell onto his butt after bumping into Xi Shen. He was clutching at his forehead which was beginning to turn red.
“What the heck are you made out of, my head feels as if it’s about to split open!”
The youth said in shock as he looked up at Xi Shen.
“You thieving brat!! Get back here, how dare you steal from me?!! I’ll kill you, you little piece of shit!!”
A man who wore luxury clothes said pointing at the youth, as he stomped through the crowd pushing and shoving people.
“Crap!”
The youth said in a panic as he flew up off the ground, however, he looked at his hands to see it was empty. In an even more panicked state, he began looking around frantically on the ground, “Non-no-no, where is it?! I just had it a moment ago!”
The youth said eyes roaming around, but as he heard the man coming closer he gritted his teeth and decided to leave it be. It was regrettable but getting caught would worsen his situation.
However, just as he was about to turn and leave in another direction, he happened to see Xi Shen bending down to pick up a brown storage bag.
Seeing this the youth's eyes spout fire, and ignoring Xi Shen intimidating height difference, he immediately leaped towards Xi Shen while saying, “Bastard that's mine! I stole it first, you can’t have my earnings!”
The youth was slow and rather short, so Xi Shen only lifted the storage bag over his head to prevent the youth from getting it.
After realizing he couldn’t get the bag from Xi Shen, the youth's first instinct was to punch this thieving kid, but he hesitated when he remembered how hard his body felt against his forehead. As he was hesitating the man he had stolen from finally caught up to him.
Frightened, the youth went behind Xi Shen. Since he was much bigger and stronger than his frail self he’ll take the beatings better, and while this man was pummeling him he’ll use that chance to escape!
Xi Shen’s curious gaze moved from the youth and turned to the man that just appeared in front of him.
His face was red from anger, and his chest looked like it was about to explode.
His hand held a small metal stick and when he saw Xi Shen with his storage bag, his anger exploded.
“So you’re his accomplice? Thieving brats the both of you! I’ll show you what happens when you steal from someone you shouldn’t!!”
The man stepped forward and without hesitation sent the stick in his hand whipping out to Xi Shen’s face. The man showed no concern about whether Xi Shen was a kid, and his stick made a violent swoosh showing that he wasn’t holding back whatsoever.
Seeing this Xi Shen realized this man was in the 2nd stage of the Qi Condensation Realm.
‘How did this kid steal from a 2nd Stage Qi Condensation Realm cultivator? I’m impressed if he did it while the bag was on him.’
Xi Shen thought before he casually plucked the stick from the man’s hand.
This caused the man to stumble forward due to the inertia of missing his intended target. When he regained his balance and saw the stick he had previously held in Xi Shen’s hand, the man became dumbfounded.
“You-you…”
The man stuttered out but Xi Shen only threw the storage bag back to him and said, “Get lost.”
The man fumblingly caught the bag in his shock, and after once again looking at the stick in Xi Shen’s hand and the dirty but well made close, he smartly, or stupidly, came to a conclusion that made him scared shitless, ‘Expert!’
The mortals and low-level cultivators alike have this notion that cultivators who cultivate to a high realm, would revert to a young appearance and gained immortality. It wasn’t necessarily wrong that most cultivators chose to have young appearances, but it was exaggerated, and it was just one of the misconceptions they have about cultivation. Ultimately when they thought about cultivation, gaining immortality and becoming young was the first thing that came to their minds.
The man didn’t hesitate to turn on his heels and left in a flash.
The youth who was behind Xi Shen had his mouth open wide completely gobsmacked.
Xi Shen turned to him and once again confirm what he saw. Around this youth was a white glow, and a white halo was hovering over his head. Xi Shen was the only one who could see it though.
‘This is a feature of the Saint Physique from the Saint God Temple, interesting.’
The youth who had become terrified by Xi Shen's display of strength saw he was looking at him intensely. The youth shivered before he said, “Ahh no, don’t hurt me! I didn’t know big brother was so strong, don’t hurt me!... But I wanted to use you as bait and then run away, so please punish me! No, wait! Forget that last part! I-I-I…”
The youth seemed to be struggling with his words. Xi Shen also saw the white halo above his head shining intensely.
As if he can’t resist whatever he was fighting back anymore, the youth blurted out uncontrollably, “I should be punished for trying to use you as bait, so I’ll accept any punishment big brother is going to give me!”
After saying that, the youth had a bitter expression on his face and he seemed as if he wanted to crawl into a hole and die.
This made Xi Shen curious about what was happening to him.
“Weren’t you trying to steal from me when you bumped into me?”
Xi Shen asked and the youth's expression turned struggle once again, but he inevitably blurted out, “Yes, I was trying to steal you because I thought you might have few earnings from your own route.”
Xi Shen saw that the halo above the youth's head had been shining intensely when he was trying not to answer his question.
‘Is the Saint Physique forcing him to tell the truth? The Saint Goddess was one of the few that attained Godhood from a mortal virtue, the virtue of Honesty. The Saint Physique was possessed by the Apostles who were bound by a force that prevents them from being dishonest. To have this type of physique in this day and age, and his current situation the less…”
Xi Shen finished his thought after having the youth a pitting look, ‘...how pitiful. This must have caused him numerous hardships because he can't lie. And he seemed like an M wanting to be punished. Poor kid.’
The youth had on a bitter and helpless expression, but he seemed to have gotten used to him blurting out the wrong things at the wrong time.
“No good Jun!”
A shout suddenly came from behind.
“Huh?” The youth said as he turned around in surprise.
Xi Shen looked as well to see another youth in ragged and dirt covered clothes.
The new youth came up to them and pointed at the youth name Jun and said, “No good Jun, what are you wasting time here for? The big boss is holding a meeting to divide up the loot. Make sure you have something prepared to give him!”
Hearing that, Jun's expression became worried when he remembered he had lost his loot.
“From your expression, I guess you haven't gained anything. That’s the third time this week, Big Boss won’t let you off easy this time either.”
After snickering at a sulking Jun, the youth looked at Xi Shen and asked with a frown, “Who is he? There isn’t supposed to be another beggar boy on this route. This area is run by our Big Boss. Hey kid, who are you?”
The youth was about the same height and build as Xi Shen. He sized up Xi Shen while pointing at his nose.
Jun seeing this pulled back the youth and said, “Big Nam, don’t pick a fight with this brother.”
“Huh, why?”
The youth name Big Nam gave Xi Shen a once over before he scoffed and said, “Whatever, I’m heading to the meeting place, Big Boss is waiting for us to gather.”
With that, Big Nam turned and left.
Jun wanted to leave but gave Xi Shen a hesitant look.
Xi Shen thought for a moment about what to do.
‘Should I kid-I mean, recruit him? He’s at the age where most people start their cultivation. It would be a waste to not become a cultivator with his physique.’
That was what Xi Shen was contemplating.
‘Hmm, for now, let’s just observe him a bit more. Aside from that Meiling girl, this is the second time I’ve seen a Physique from the God Era in this Era. His own is a bit purer though, I’m curious about the other effects it has, other than making him prone to tell the truth and wanted to be punished for his wrongdoings.’
Thinking up to here, Xi Shen said, “Lead the way, I’ll come too.”
Hearing that, Jun's expression tensed. He didn’t know who this person was but, the way he sent that man running away told him he wasn’t so simple.
Jun wanted nothing to do with Xi Shen, but being scared of what he’ll do to him, he reluctantly nodded his head before leading Xi Shen to where the meeting with his Big Boss was being held.
*******
~Fun Fact~
Moon gave me the inspiration to create the character Jun! Also, Jun's name can be translated as "Truth."
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