"You have done a great service to our clan. The Wang Clan is immensely grateful to you. Here are your earnings. You are now free to go. However, we will once more resume these sparring sessions once things were settled down in the city. I hope you will be available at that time," the man said in a genial tone causing Duncan to squint his eyes.
He wasn't convinced by the act they were putting out.
Sure, the Wang Clan had paid him and let him go as they promised. But, it didn't negate the fact that they had held him, prisoner, for the past two weeks. And if that isn't enough, the sheer amount of anger radiating from the Young Master who was standing beside him was enough for Duncan to skip the city the next moment.
Despite his ardent efforts, the little twerp hadn't managed to beat him up. Sure, he did land a punch or two in the final hour of the spar. However, Duncan responded in a timely manner and beat up the little twerp in retaliation.
Currently, the Young Master of the Wang Clan was sporting multiple bruises and cuts all over his body thanks to Duncan. And Duncan would be a fool to once more come face to face with him without becoming a cultivator himself.
So, Duncan wasn't swayed by the genial act that was being put on. He calmly thanked the man and left the sparring grounds with haste. He was really eager to get going. With the money he had earned, there was no reason to stay in the city and invite the wrath of the Wang Clan.
Once Duncan left, the Young Master looked sullenly at the man. Even the guard who always shadowed Duncan was looking at the man with questions etched on his face.
As a guard of the Wang Clan, Wang Yun knew that this wasn't the Old Lord's usual style. While he may come across as fair and genial, no one became in charge of a large cultivation clan without being ruthless. And the Old Lord was one of the most ruthless men the guard had ever come across.
"Father, are we letting that little peasant walk away just like that?" the Young Master asked in indignation.
The man calmly looked at the child and snorted.
"It was you who was really inept enough to get beaten up by a lowly mercenary. You still have face to ask me such a question?"
The Young Master's face looked hideous when he heard his father's question. He clenched his hands in anger and looked at his father with an unwilling expression.
"Master, do you have any instructions for me?" Wang Yun, the ever dutiful and wily servant asked cautiously.
"Do nothing," the man snorted in displeasure. "Things are not that easy in the city currently. The Star Imperial family has gone crazy. They even eradicated the entire Jian clan. That's the Jian clan. Not just any clan."
"Patriarch has ordered me to tread lightly until things settle down. We have had inquiries from the Mercenary Association regarding this job for the past week. I don't want to bring the City Lord's attention towards our clan just to deal with a lowly mercenary."
"So what if he walks away from this unscathed? Can he really escape our grasp in this city? We will let him think that we are benevolent. And when he comes again, we will make sure that he stays here forever," the man said in a vicious tone.
"But, will he come back again, my lord?" Wang Yun asked in suspicion.
"We have given him enough gold to last a year. Mercenaries like him are willing to die for a mere fraction of such gold. Why would he be any different? Still, we should do something to keep his interest in us. Do you have any idea?"
"My lord, apart from sparring, the man didn't seem to have any other activities these whole two weeks. The only thing I could note was that he really indulged in the wines we served him," Wang Yun replied dutifully.
"I see," the man nodded thoughtfully. "Here, give this wine gourd to him. Tell him that it is a token of my appreciation. And also hint to him that there will be more such rewards if he is willing to take this job again."
"My lord, this wine is only suitable for cultivators to drink," Wang Yun asked in confusion.
"Exactly," the man said in a strong tone. "He will not get such wine anywhere else. If he is truly fond of wine, he will once again return here to get a taste of this wine. Even with all the gold, some things can't be just bought. This will lead him back here."
"What if the energy inside this kills him?" Wang Yun asked in trepidation.
"Then, it is none of our business. We only gave him a wine gourd in good faith. If he dies from indulging in it, then we can't be at fault, right? Moreover, it would only cause his death if he drank the entire gourd in one go. For a mortal, his body is sure sturdy."
"I understand, my lord," Wang Yun gave a servile smile in return as he understood the scheme of his old lord.
If the mercenary drank the wine, he would be hooked on it and will come back to get its taste again. And if he died drinking it, that is also good as the Wang Clan would have taken care of him without exposing themselves.
"Go, and keep an eye on his activities," the man commanded Wang Yun.
Wang Yun left the yard in short order leaving the Young Master and Old Lord of the Wang Clan alone.
"You need not feel discouraged. You will defeat that man one day. For the past two weeks, you have been improving at a tremendous rate. I am truly proud of you. But, I am sure that you also noticed that the man was able to prevail despite being weaker than you. Do you know why?"
"He has more battle experience. Even though I am stronger than him, he was able to use my own strength against me. He found weak points in my attacks and exploited them," the Young Master said sullenly.
"Good, at least you are aware of your problems. Take note, you would have prevailed over any other mortal simply by virtue of your strength. However, that man's strength is only a little worse than yours.
In such a situation where you don't have overwhelming strength, the combat experiences will truly come into play. In a fight, it is not always about cultivation levels. If your strength is not too far apart, you will have to rely on your martial arts and battle experience. I hope you understand this.
Never ever think that the cultivation level is everything in a battle. A true warrior will be able to fight with opponents above his level. That is the mark of a true genius. I hope you learn this lesson early."
"I will father," the Young Master said in a determined tone.
"Rest now. I will arrange for you to travel to the forest nearby and battle wild beasts. That way, your battle experience will grow and you will have faced true danger. I don't want you to grow into a flower from greenhouses. I want you to become a true genius. Our clan's fate will rest in your hands in the future," the man said fondly ruffling the child's hair.
"I will not disappoint you father," the Young Master once more vowed, causing a smile to bloom across the man's face.
*****
Duncan didn't dilly dally for long in the city once he stepped out of the Wang Clan compound.
After two weeks of imprisonment, just walking across the streets without any true destination in his mind was enough for Duncan to realize how precious freedom was to him.
At that moment, Duncan vowed to himself that he would always remain free and not end up in such a situation again.
With his bag weighed down with the amount of gold he earned, Duncan realized that going to his usual places with such an amount of gold on his body was truly unwise.
Apart from his bag, the only things Duncan carried were his old sword and the wine gourd he had been gifted by the Wang Clan. Just taking a whiff of that wine made Duncan realize that it was priceless stuff.
So, Duncan initially wanted to go to a secure place and have a taste of that wine. But, his reason prevailed and he knew that the time window he had to escape the city might close at any moment.
He didn't know why the Wang Clan let him go, but he would be a fool to still stay in the city. He realized that the tension in the city might have been partly responsible for the Wang Clan to be lenient toward him.
So, the smart thing is to escape from here before those tensions resolved themselves.
Having made the decision, Duncan decided to do the smart thing. Instead of going to his usual haunts, Duncan marched straight to a merchant stall selling horses. He bought a fine stallion for a high price and purchased a few trinkets that looked expensive but was really cheap, before heading straight to the city gates.
From his time in the city prior to this, he knew which gate led towards his town. Jumping upon the purchased horse, Duncan left the city without bothering to look back. He knew that he needed to be gone as fast as he could.
The Wang Clan servants who were watching him from the shadows were surprised by the speed Duncan left the city. The information was soon forwarded to Wang Yun who was tasked to keep an eye on Duncan.
Wang Yun's face became unsightly when he learned of Duncan's departure. He knew that this would displease the Old Lord as he was hoping for Duncan to return. Being a guard himself, Wang Yun knew that Duncan would never return willingly.
"You think you can escape our clutches just because you leave the city? How naïve? Do you think the Wang Clan is that inept? Let me show you that earning our money is not that easy," Wang Yun sneered and sent a message to one of his contacts.
Soon, a bandit group by the name of Reavers received information about a lone traveler traveling from Starmist City to Starsinger Town with a lot of gold in his possession.
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