Forbbiden Cultivation Ch. 0077

********* Slave or student? ********

I wake up before Bei Liu and Bi Lang. It's not difficult. They're to lazy. I smile. Shi helps me get dressed. In student clothes. She kisses me.

"Good luck," she wishes me nervously.

I leave a note for my hosts. I'm sure they'll come looking for me when they read it. When they wake up. I hope everything will be all right by then. Before I go, I touch their buttocks a little. As if it brings luck. In fact, they were just too tempting. Liu moans in her dreams. They'll sleep at least another hour.

At this time of the morning, it's opened. The slaves have already started working. It's a good time to go.

No one is outside. I leave the cabin. I walk with fast steps toward my destination. Without running. Without attracting attention.

I pass an intersection. Then another. And another. I leave the women's dorms behind. There's not much distance left.

"It's him! Catch him!" a voice suddenly shouts.

I turn around. He's pointing at me. Shit. He's carrying a device. It's a blood detector. It can sense me if I'm close enough. If there's no barrier or anything hiding me. Shit. There's bound to be more.

There's no point in hiding anymore. I start running, pushing my first stage of the Soul realm to the limit. I cross an intersection. Two more arrive from there. Chasing me. Those two's cultivation is lower than mine. The first one's is higher.

At the end of the street, there's another waiting for me. With one of those detectors. He must be at the third stage of the Soul Realm. Shit. He's smirking. Confident. Challenging me to come. Luckily, they're just students.

I suddenly change direction and abruptly open a door. I bar it behind me. It's a service door for the sawmill. It doesn't have a key. It's locked at night. Secured from the inside with the wooden bar. It's something that the students don't know.

I hear them banging. They won't be able to open it easily.

"Sorry," I apologize as I push past a slave.

He looks at me, confused. Maybe, he's recognized me. I don't leave through the main entrance. That's where they'll come looking for me when they see they can't get in. I go through the building. To another side door. In another alley.

I've caused some planks to fall. Maybe, something broke. I'll apologize later. Now, I'm in a hurry.

I run down the alley until I arrive at an avenue. One of the sect's main streets. It's like a small town.

"There he is! Stop that slave!"

The students look around. There're a few slaves. They don't know which one.

"Fuck! The one dressed as a student!" another shouts.

There're many dressed as students. But only one running. Me. But the students don't want trouble. They don't want to get involved in something they don't understand. Well, not all of them. One cuts me off. I run over him. He was at stage five, Genesis.

After seeing him bruised, no one else crosses my path. I guess they don't believe the slave thing. Not with my cultivation. They must think something strange is going on. In fact. They move away. They prefer to avoid trouble.

Some are coming toward me from a distance. They must be from slave control. I've reached the kitchen. I went in through the side street. I quickly set up the ladder that was lying around. The one we used to clean the chimney. I climb up. And I take it with me. I leave it on the roof. I'm sorry for the trouble I'm causing other slaves.

I cross the roof, while being careful not to slip. And I jump onto the building next door.

There're several following me down the street. Looking at me. They seem furious.

The next building is farther away. Will I be able to jump? I better. If they catch me, I don't know if I'll be able to get out of this. I'm not going to risk it. So, I jump with all my strength. Which is more than I thought. I still don't know well the full extent of my new realm. Some tiles have broken.

I'm over the slave control building. A curious irony. Some people are coming out. Pointing at me. I change direction. Heading for the back of the building.

"Surround the area. He's going to jump again," one shouts.

And I jump. But not over the other building but to the ground.

About five of them run toward me from both ends of the street. I enter through the back door. To the slave control building itself. It's the door we slaves have to use. There shouldn't be any others at this time. There aren't. I breathe a sigh of relief. Having to wait would've been a serious problem.

The door opens again. Behind me. But I've already entered the room. It's the same attendant as before.

"What do you want?" she asks disdainfully. She looks at me out of the corner of her eye for just a second, just like that time.

"I've reached stage two."

"Put your hand on that stone and force the qi to circulate," she orders me, without looking at me.

I don't think she remembers me. Suddenly, two figures burst into the room, heading toward me.

"What do you think you're doing!?" the attendant growls as she releases her pressure toward them. It's not going toward me, but I can feel it.

"He's an escaped slave... We have orders to capture him" one replies, intimidated, trembling.

"It's not my problem. Wait until he leaves. You can't enter here without my permission," she orders, her face menacing.

I don't think she wants to help me. He's just annoyed when her authority is challenged.

""Yes, elder,"" the two obey. They're looking at me resentfully.

I ignore them. I do as she's told me. The stone gleams slightly. The sensation of a bit of my qi being absorbed isn't so strange anymore.

"Come closer."

He takes a metal seal and presses it against my neck. It burns. It hurts. But less than the first time. The seal replaces the old one.

"You can go," she says without looking at me.

I return to the entrance and stare at her. The slave control people glare at me, waiting for me to leave. The attendant looks up. She seems irritated.

"What do you want now?" she asks.

"I've reached stage three."

She stares at me. She must think I'm stalling.

"Put your hand on that stone and force the qi to circulate," she orders, but this time she's looking at me. Her brow furrowed. If it doesn't glow, I'll be in trouble.

I do. It glows.

"Come closer."

It burns me again as the seal is replaced. Those waiting for me look at me in confusion. With hatred, but confused.

"You can go," she says again.

I return to the entrance. She's looking at me. Curious?

"And now?"

"I've reached stage four."

For the first time, I notice her expression change. There's surprise. Then, a smile. It seems there's even expectation.

"We're not going to repeat this again. Tell me, how far have you gone?"

"Soul Realm. Stage one."

I hear murmurs behind me. They must be the ones waiting for me. The attendant's smile widens. She seems to find it amusing. She's one of the important elders of the sect. Sometimes, she has to come here. I think I heard she lost a bet.

"That stone. Same thing," she tells me indifferently. I think she's faking it. She seems curious.

There's some dust on it. On that one and several of the others below it. They're never used. The qi is absorbed more strongly. The stone shines.

"Ha, ha, ha! How amusing! Ha, ha! Those out there, you can leave. He's a student now."

I breathe a sigh of relief. I can't help but smile.

"Da Ting!"

A student appears immediately. She's about fourteen years old. She's in stage seven. I remember her name. It could be of use. It's a convenient coincidence.

"What do you want, master?" She bows respectfully.

"Tell someone call the admissions department. Have them come and welcome a new student."

"Yes, master."

She raises her head and looks at me. Puzzled. Curious. Her green eyes are beautiful. Pure. Innocent. Half hidden by the red hair that falls over her face. She's adorable. Soon, she disappears. I don't know what I should do now. I feel a little nervous. The attendant is an important person.

"This's the most interesting thing that's happened in years," she laughs. "A slave who becomes a student. Who hid his level. And who was being chased. Tell me. Why have you hidden it until now?"

There seems to be genuine interest in her question. I suppose it's not strange. No one cares about slaves. About our situation. We're just objects. Tools. How could she know?

"There're no level five slaves. Few level fours. And it's not because they can't do it," I begin to explain.

She's looking at me. She's no longer smiling. It's impossible for me to know what she's thinking.

"Many students are rich. And lazy. So, they struggle with cultivation. And they're envious of those who surpass them. If those are slaves, they can take it out on them. Not all are like that, but some are. Actually, it only takes one."

Her face seems calm. As if it doesn't concern her. But at least, she's listening.

"That's why they're beaten. Raped. Used as training dummies. At four, it's dangerous. At five, it's impossible to survive. And then, there's the pleasure faction."

She frowns at the last sentence. It confirms what I know about her. Maybe, I can get something. We were planning to try to talk to her in the future. But now it's even better. I hope the girls' plan works somehow.

"The slaves are used. Their cultivation is absorbed. Discarded. That's why no slave dares to go beyond the fourth. Few from the third. Most prefer to stay at the second. I work copying manuals. So, it's easy for me to access them. And I managed to learn how to hide my qi. Until I could reach the soul realm."

"I understand. You've explained a lot. Why?" She asks. She's perceptive. Better.

I look around. She understands. She waves her hand.

"They won't be able to hear us. Speak."

"It would be easy to help the slaves. Give them a chance to rise. All it'd take is forbidding lending or using them if you're not at least twice their level. No doubt, a student at Soul Realm is much more valuable than a slave. Besides, this way, the slaves would be grateful to you," I explain.

"And why do I need them to be grateful to me?" she asks with some disdain. At least, she asks.

"We slaves are everywhere. We hear many things. Many conversations. Sometimes, some important ones. Like some around the pleasure faction. With whom you're secretly at war."

I feel a chill. Her gaze is sharp. It seems to pierce through me. I think she's interested but not convinced.

"For example. That Da Ting. It'd be best if she didn't go out alone. She should be protected. Someone heard they were planning to kidnap her. At least, someone at Soul Stage Four is involved. It won't be before Soul students returns from their exploration. They plan to use her, and as many others as they can capture. The more, the better. To use them to weaken you. And to increase their power."

This time, I can see she's angry. Quite angry. We slaves are good at perceiving it. We need it to stay out of trouble. Her fist is clenched.

"I'll think about it. We'll see if you're right," she replies, her voice calm. She's good at controlling herself.

"Thank you."

"Your escort has arrived. You're interesting. Maybe... Never mind. If you ever discover any slaves with mirror qi, let me know. You can go," she waves me off.

"Mirror qi?" I ask, puzzled.

"They call it that because to newbies it seems reflective," she replies. She's back to whatever she was reading.

"And what would you do with them?"

She looks up again. I think she's realized I know something. She smiles. Yes, she's perceptive. It could be dangerous.

"You really are interesting. For some of our most powerful techniques, it's necessary. They're ideally suited for our faction. We'd buy them, educate them, and they'd eventually become students. Probably inner students. Even elite ones."

She stares at me. I guess I have no choice but to trust her. I hope it's good for them. The Illusory Faction has a good reputation. And I haven't heard or seen anything overly strange. Of course, we don't go into the secret areas. We overhear conversations, but there's a lot we don't know.

"There're three sisters. One is at stage two, the others at stage one. Their names are Sai, An, and Dandan. They say their qi reflects."

"Three? Wow! That's great news! If it's true, I'll owe you a favor. If you don't have anything else, you can go. By the way, since you've reached the Soul Realm, the slave tattoos no longer work. You can make them disappear yourself."

She smiles mischievously. She hasn't told me that until now. I thought I couldn't lie. Nothing I can do about it. I bow and leave. I hear her calling Da Ting in the distance.

"Reserve three slaves. Their names are Sai, An, and Dandy. They're sisters. Let there be no confusion. Have them come here."

"Three slaves? Yes, Master." She seems confused at first. Then, she simply obeys.

"When you're done, come. We need to talk."

Meanwhile, I meet a servant. I know him by sight. We've met before. He bows to me. He'd never done so. He used to be higher than me. Now, he's lower.

"Please, follow me." he welcomes me respectfully.

He leads me to gather some clothes. A small instruction booklet. Then, some pills. The usual ones for new students. Low-level ones. They're no use to me anymore. Not even if my cultivation method were normal. But it's the standard procedure. Perhaps, I can sell them. Or give them to slaves. I'll consult with the girls later.

He explains the basics I need to know as a student. Nothing I didn't already know. I've been a slave for years. But I don't interrupt him. Finally, he leads me to a cabin. He takes out a piece of paper.

"Put it in your hand, you'll absorb it. With this, you'll be able to control the barrier. And grant or deny access to others. The instructions are in the manual."

I nod. He turns to leave. But he turns back again.

"I'm impressed. You're an inspiration to all of us. Slaves and servants. At least, we know it's possible."

He bows even deeper and leaves. I watch him go, surprised. Such respect feels strange. It also feels good.

I open the barrier. I know how to do it. It's not the first time. It's no big deal. A normal room. A normal bed. Later, they'll bring sheets. If I want it, they'll clean it. I don't need it.

To me, it's much more than a room. It means I'm free.