After the Heavenly Omen of Chain clattering time begins to flow. In the blink of an eye, twelve years passed in the Heavenly Dao world.
In Maple City.
The vast Maple City is a mid-sized city situated in the west of the Divine Continent. Occupying an area of a hundred miles.
It is one of the major cities famous for its spices. From far far away merchants travel here to buy premium spices.
It is also one of the richest cities in the West. It is basically divided into three sectors.
First is the poor sector occupying about fifty miles of area. In this, only the poor and the middle-class residents live.
Second is the rich sector. It is situated inside a fortress-like wall that separates it from the poor sector. This sector occupies a thirty-mile area. In this sector, only the rich and wealthy thrive.
And lastly, the main sector is situated in the core of Maple City taking an area of twenty miles. It is occupied by the most elite class of society, the cultivators.
It is a forbidden zone for mortals. It is filled with luxury that no mortal being can dream of. Everyone in the poor and rich sectors aspires to just take a single look at the core sector.
But it is protected by thick and high walls surrounding it twice the size of the rich sector. And there is a grand formation covering it that only lets cultivators and their descendants pass through.
The rich and the poor can only look at those impenetrable walls with envy.
And in the heart of the main sector, the area of ten miles alone is occupied by the city lord of Maple City.
In the main sector.
Three boys pull a twelve-year-old kid with green hair and green eyes to a secluded corner and throw him on the ground.
He is wearing a normal black robe not too plain or too expensive.
"Hey Tian Ming, we are a little tight on cash, why don't you give us all the coins you have?"
In the centre of the three boys is a handsome man with a pair of eyes that resemble peach blossoms. His clothes are extremely extravagant and gaudy, and he gives off an irresponsible aura.
I look at him and say in a deep voice.
"If you want to rob me just say so. Why bother giving such a flimsy excuse Wang Xuan"
Wang Xuan narrows his eyes, anger flashing in his pupils.
"Rob you… Don't kid yourself Tian Ming. I Wang Xuan is the grandson of an elder of Maple City."
Wang Xuan looks at Tian Ming with a mocking laugh. "And you are a rootless orphan. The only reason you can even live in the main sector is that the old timer picked you up from god knows where."
"That's right, someone like you should feel honoured because lord Wang Xuan is asking something from you."
"Yes, you should kneel down and hand your money like an obedient dog."
The two boys beside Wang Xuan add their statement to please him.
I look at the smug face of Wang Xuan and his lackeys and I brush off the dust from my robe.
"I am not going to give you a single penny." Then I extend the middle finger of my right hand to them. "So fuck off."
The smug smile on the face of Wang Xuan and the others vanishes.
"You little…"
One of his lackeys rushes at me and throws a punch at my face.
I simply tilt my head to the right. His punch brush passed me and I used my left hand to punch him in the face.
"Argh!"
The boy fell down on the ground with a broken nose.
"Is that all?" I say.
"How dare a dog…"
The second boy also charged at me but before he could even reach me. I spin on my right foot and kick him in the face.
He smashed into a wall with my footprint stuck on his face.
I look at Wang Xuan whose eyes are red with anger.
"Are you just going to watch or… You are afraid to eat dirt like your lackies."
Wang Xuan looks at the two boys who have gotten up from the ground. The two boys turn their heads down in shame.
"Useless trash." Wang Xuan begins to walk.
"Don't lump me with those garbge. Just because you have defeated them you think you are my equal."
Instead of replying from my mouth I extend my right and do a full hand wave to provoke him.
Wang Xuan grits his teeth at the provocation and jumps in the air and throws an axe kick.
I look at the kick coming to my face and take a step back. His attack misses, then he quickly changes his stance and rushes at me.
He dives to my left side and throws a hook from his right hand. I duck down and dodge it. He does not stop and keeps attacking.
Wang Xuan is different from the other two. Since childhood, he has been training in martial arts and is highly proficient in hand-to-hand combat.
I dodge and sometimes block his attack. But little by little I am losing ground and then finally he has backed me into a wall.
"You rat now there is nowhere for you to run." Wang Xuan smiles and prepares to finish Tian Ming.
Since there is no other way, I decided to confront Wang Xuan with my full power.
"Wang Xuan, you are again bullying Tian Ming."
Before Wang Xuan can land the finishing blow a sweet voice falls in his ears and the smile on his face disappears as he feels chills.
He turned around instinctively and a kick hit him on his left cheek. He flies in the air and smashes into the side wall.
"Tian Ming, are you all right?"
A girl stands in front of me and looks at me with worry in her eyes. She has fair skin, a raised nose, shapely eyebrows, almond-like eyes, and rosy lips are all evidence that she is a beauty in the making.
In particular, the tear-shaped birthmark at the corner of her eye gives her a sort of unique charm.
Although she wore no costly jewellery and looked rather plain, she had a strong look paired with a long pony-tail that bounced with vitality.
She is Xi Liu Su, the granddaughter of Xi Yijian, the old man who adopted me.
I look at the miserable Wang Xuan who is trying to get up and say to her with a warm smile.
"I am alright, not even a single scratch. Those idiots can't harm me."
Xi Liu Su giggles as she looks at Tian Ming. But still has worry in her eyes.
"Xi Liu Su."
At Wang Xuan's calm, Xi Liu Su looks at him with a cold face. He grits his teeth and looks at Tian Ming with eyes full of resentment.
"Tian Ming, are you going to hide behind a girl?" He screams.
Xi Liu Su is the most beautiful girl in the entire Maple City. And the crush of everyone including Wang Xuan.
The cold look on her face is making his heart feel like it has been cut into a hundred pieces.
I sigh in my heart. As I remember, a person has said that beauty is the root of too many problems in the world.
Now I can also feel how true that statement is.
"Xi Liu Su, you are the woman of the Young city lord. How long are you going to stick with him?"
The expression on her face hardens at the word 'young city lord'. The city lord is the strongest cultivator in the entire city with unrivalled might.
As his successor, the young city lord is destined to rule Maple City. And like everyone else, he also has a crush on Xi Liu Su.
"Wang Xuan don't spout nonsense, I never agreed to be his woman."
She says with a cold voice but Wang Xuan can feel fear in her voice.
"Hahaha it doesn't matter, tomorrow the cultivators from Flying Sword Sect will come to select disciples. With the young master's talent, he will definitely become a cultivator."
"So what, do you think I can't become a cultivator?"
She says as Wang Xuan shuts his mouth. Alongside the young city lord, Xi Liu Su is the most talented one and she will definitely become a cultivator.
She knows it too and that's why she can be bold. The cultivators have a status equivalent to gods in today's society if she becomes one even the city lord can't takeher lightlyr.
"Humph. We will see what the future will tell us."
Wang Xuan gives a final glance to Tian Ming and Xi Liu Su and leaves with his lackeys.
After Wang Xuan and the others disappear, Xi Liu Su turns to Tina Ming and says with an apologetic voice.
"I am sorry it's my fault if I hadn't rejected the confession of Cui Miao he wouldn't have sent Wang Xuan to bully you."
I look at her face and flick her forehead.
"Aw!"
Xi Liu Su looks at Tian Ming with resentment.
"Silly girl, why are you sorry? You don't love him so you did the right thing by rejecting him. I would have been upset if you had accepted him."
With the words of Tian Ming, she can feel the burden in her heart lightening up.
"And as for Wang Xuan, don't worry. He is not a big deal, I can handle him."
Xi Liu Su Smiles at his reassuring words. Her heart says she thinks she can rely on him.
"Let's go, grandpa is waiting."
I nod and follow behind her.