Learning To Live As A Cultivator

Chapter Eighty - He has been busy

Jin Li hadn't intended to stay the night at Leon's hut, it was convenience that had brought him here.  After successfully completing his first mission, although the points had been doubled, he knew they were just a drop in the ocean for if he wished to obtain quality things such as the Water of Small Blessings.  So he and Sun had taken on a variety of missions that gave reasonable points.  There were not many of these available for first years unless one wished to lower themselves to cleaning guest rooms and mucking out griffin nests, but it was more than during normal times when all first years would vie for the same missions.

Within the past week or so, Jin Li and Sun had dealt with false devil's vine sprouts, journeyed into town to collect an Elder's foot cream and cleaned a multitude of practice swords.  The false devil vine sprouts were minor demon beasts in plant form. They were not like the true devil vine, which only a martial artist of at least Senary cultivation would dare to deal with.  It just looked a bit like the deadlier kind in it's sprout form, but the former did not grow beyond a half foot and the most damage they could do to a person was give them a bad rash.  Finding out that the foot cream was for a fungus infection was probably far more unpleasant than dealing with those plants.

In between times, Bowyer had stepped down from the inner school mountain and sought out Jin Li to spar with a couple of times, even tested Sun's skills and reflexes.  He had been delighted by the smaller boy's swiftness, something that he was still lacking, even if Sun's strength equalled nothing more than a tickle upon his sturdy form. 

By yesterday morning, Sun had felt that he could no longer take the abuse and refused to crawl out from under his blanket, hence Jin Li took a quick mission by himself.  It was naturally nothing that required much effort anyway.  Just take some cutting knives down to the outer and inner alchemist schools.  These were often given to first years in exchange for their weak pills, a sort of incentive for them to begin taking and fulfilling requests by their own merit.  By now, most of the first years across every school would have begun to settle in and look beyond the basic lectures and learning materials on offer.

Hence, he had come to this school on a mission, but seeing as he had been grabbed by Bowyer to spar first thing, then lead to eat and spar again in the afternoon, he had not left the school until the sun was already sinking beneath the tree line.  He was swift enough that he needn't worry about arriving here nor getting back before the dark, but on arrival, his stomach had begun rumbling again, so he had dropped the knives off at each school, before deciding to grab his evening meal at the outer school Food Hall.  He was not a stranger there, but he did earn himself several glares as he packed away dish after dish of food.  The girls, who happened to decide to sit at the table he had claimed for himself, may have had something to do with that.

"You are Leo's friend!" One girl said, brightly.  Her beaming smile had him wondering both where he had seen her before and who exactly was this... Leo...?

"Maimai," the girl sitting beside that one chided, in a softly spoken voice.  This one too seemed familiar.  "Please consider your manners."  She offered Jin Li an apologetic smile, which Jin Li ignored, more interested in what was on her plate.  How did she think she would survive until breakfast on that meagre portion?

"Yes, Merylin," the other pouted slightly and poked her vegetables with her chopstick.  "Oh, I haven't yet thanked Leo for his advice the other week!  I forgot to when I met him at the stables."

"What sort of advice?" A plain girl sitting the other side of that one asked.

"Senior Leo gave me some tips to making clear spiritual pills and burning energy pills!" The girl replied, cheerfully.  "I haven't made a cauldron explode in almost two weeks!"

Jin Li rolled his eyes, wiped his mouth upon his napkin and excused himself, before standing and leaving the Hall.  "Wait!" The soft spoken girl called out to him, causing him to turn to look at her.  She cast her eyes down and colour rose in her cheeks.  "I wished to enquire... the standings begin tomorrow.  Maimai and I are fortunate enough to be able to witness.  Will senior be taking part?"  All students, above first years, were expected to show their faces, but forfeiting was still optional.

Jin Li narrowed his eyes and simply replied; "No." And with that he walked out to find the sky was already dark.  He made a sound of irritation, before choosing to stay over at his servant's hut for the night rather than bother to run back at this late hour. Of course, he hadn't expected that he would end up being used as a pillow!

Now, he was standing outside while Leon fiddled with the locks upon his door, staring at the healthy patch of purple spirit grass in Leon's garden.  It didn't really look any different to other patches of purple spirit grass he had seen, but then again, he was not an expert.  He had no interest in looking at flowers and trees regardless. 

The wind brushed through the garden herbs and Jin Li noticed that there were carved markers in each patch.  Each noted the herbs' name and he couldn't help but wonder if there were those odd markings Leon liked to carve upon them as well.  Sure enough, on the reverse of each one were carved the marks.  He did not know what they meant, but found himself reaching for the Koi fish dangling from his sword and he ran his fingers over the mark upon it.

"Shall we g-go?" Leon asked.  Jin Li nodded and they began to journey to the inner martial arts school.