After cleaning himself up and taking care of his wounds, Lican continued his journey as if nothing had happened. His clothes were still covered in blood, but that wasn't much of an issue. Many people came out of the wilderness without bothering to clean themselves up, so no one paid much attention to him as he walked past them.
"Yawn."
Lican yawned. I need a good rest, man, he thought.
While lost in thought, he noticed several people hurrying in the same direction, as though something major had happened. His brows furrowed, but he had no interest in getting involved in whatever was causing the commotion.
He simply continued toward the end of the road, walking as though none of it concerned him.
Lican had been walking for some time when he noticed people hurrying toward a particular direction. He didn't really care, so he continued on his way, too absorbed in his own thoughts to pay them much attention.
He was thinking about the runes he had learned and wondering which one he should try to inscribe first. His mind was so occupied with his thoughts that he barely noticed he was slowly moving in the same direction as the crowd.
Bump!
Lican suddenly felt himself collide with something soft, almost like a cushion.
His brows furrowed.
Only then did he realize how noisy his surroundings had become.
He raised his head and looked at what he had bumped into, only to find a girl standing in front of him, staring at him with a death glare.
"Hey, brat, watch wh—"
She was about to curse him out when she caught sight of his rather handsome face and suddenly paused.
Lican awkwardly scratched his head. He knew he was at fault.
"Sorry."
He genuinely meant it. Who just walks into someone like that? It almost looked as if he had done it on purpose, so he felt the need to make it clear that he hadn't.
The girl pointed at him, her face slightly red.
"You... I'm in a good mood because the young city lord is on his way. Hmph!"
She tried to sound intimidating, but somehow, the attempt only made her look cute.
"Young city lord?" Lican asked, curiosity evident in his voice.
"Yes, the young city lord! The genius who hasn't been seen in a hundred years. He was born with an Earth Spirit Vein."
There was obvious admiration in her eyes as she spoke, but before she could continue, Lican interrupted her.
"What is an Earth Spirit Vein?"
The red-haired girl turned around and stared at him strangely.
Lican scratched the back of his head with a small, awkward smile.
"Do you live in a cave or something? You don't know what an Earth Spirit Vein is?"
Lican shook his head.
The girl stared at him for a moment, as if scanning him from head to toe. Her eyes fell on his ragged clothes, but even then, she couldn't believe he genuinely didn't know.
Even a beggar should know something like this. It wasn't exactly a secret.
She raised a brow.
"You aren't hitting on me, right?"
Lican almost choked on his own words.
Lican hurriedly shook his head.
The girl simply stared at him. "Even if you are handsome, you aren't my type. Handsomeness can't make you strong. Hmph."
She said it as if she were giving him some serious advice.
Lican shook his head internally. What a cute girl.
He had been cooped up for far too long and hadn't interacted with anyone his age in a very long time. Seeing such an innocent girl, whose admiration for someone ran so deep, made him savor her innocence. He almost reached out to pat her head. It had been a while since he had felt this kind of closeness with someone.
The girl looked at his expression and seemed to mistake his silence for embarrassment.
"It's okay. I'll tell you," she said slowly, moving to stand beside him.
She was almost a head shorter than Lican. After clearing her throat, she put on a serious expression, which nearly made Lican smirk.
"Spirit veins are a cultivator's potential. They determine how efficiently a cultivator can absorb the worldly Qi around them and how easily they can break through cultivation bottlenecks."
She paused, waiting for Lican to digest the information before continuing.
"They are four types of spirit veins," the girl continued, counting them off with her fingers.
"First, Heavenly Talent. They are so rare that major sects would fight wars over them. They don't even need to work as hard as ordinary cultivators. As long as they cultivate normally, their strength can grow at an astonishing rate.
"Second, Earth Talent. They aren't legends, but with enough hard work, proper guidance, and a little luck, they can still become powerful masters.
"Third, Mortal Talent. Their potential is much lower, and many struggle to advance. To succeed, they often need expensive magical pills and other resources to force their cultivation forward.
"And finally, Waste Talent, or Broken Veins. They're at the very bottom. Most sects won't even allow them through their gates, and people with such talent are usually treated as servants or peasants."
The girl shook her head as if the thought alone was disappointing.
Lican was fascinated. So these were the people favored by the heavens.
He had always known that this cultivation journey wouldn't be easy. He hadn't tested his aptitude yet, nor did he have the materials required to do so. Only those from wealthy families could afford to test their children at birth.
His... forget it.
"And there's one above the Heavenly Spirit Veins..." the girl said, pausing mysteriously.
She gestured for Lican to lower his head to her level. Lican followed her command, and she leaned closer before whispering into his ear.
"This one is a legend. They are called Mutated Veins and Elemental Veins. Even empires would go to war to acquire someone with such talent. Families fortunate enough to have a child with this kind of aptitude usually keep it hidden until the child becomes strong enough to protect themselves. If they aren't careful, someone might kill them before they have the chance to mature."
She blinked when she realized just how close she had gotten to Lican.
"Having talent is both a gift and a curse."
Lican's face remained serious as he thought about her words. Even with extraordinary talent, it seemed that one couldn't escape the cruelty of this world.
He shook his head before turning toward her.
His face ended up only a few centimeters from hers.
The girl froze, her cheeks immediately turning red as she quickly stepped away.
"You mentioned sects and empires," Lican said, completely unaware of her embarrassment.
"Hmph."
The red-haired girl turned around. Lican scratched his head, then his eyes suddenly shone as he smiled. He brought out his pouch and jingled it, making the girl turn back.
Lican brought out three silver coins, then gestured for five.
Having no choice, Lican handed over five coins to her, making her smile.
"Hmm, now you are a gentleman," she said, tucking the coins into her pocket.
The both of them had completely forgotten about the so-called young master who was coming today.
The girl cleared her throat as she stood in a more comfortable position.
"There are five sects, two empires, countless clans, and two forbidden zones. I don't really know much about them, but what I do know is that the young master is from the Crimson Clan, and this city is under them. This clan should be under a sect, maybe even an empire," she thought aloud.
"So the empires are the strongest?" Lican asked.
"Hahahaha!"
The girl laughed as she gripped her stomach.
"Those sects are extremely powerful. I once heard about an emperor giving a verdict after a guard slapped one of their disciples. The emperor ordered the guard to prepare gifts as compensation," the red-haired girl said.
"Oh."
"I heard the young master was fought over by several sects and even an empire because of his talent. He rejected the empire because he didn't want to become a guard or, you know, be bound by the empires and their rules and rites. Even if his position would have been several times higher, he chose strength first," she said.
"Oh, how do you know all this?" Lican asked curiously.
The girl's expression suddenly dimmed.
"No need to tell me. I was just curious," Lican said hurriedly after noticing her expression.
The girl simply nodded.
Lican felt a little guilty. Maybe her past was complicated. He shouldn't have asked.
"You haven't told me your name," Lican said, trying to ease the mood.
The girl's stern expression immediately returned.
"Hmph. So you are hitting on me, huh?"
She slowly walked toward Lican, balling her fists.
Lican was definitely holding back his laughter as he watched her actions.
"We haven't even known each other's names. I thought it would be polite to know yours since you've already told me enough information," Lican said quickly.
He suddenly dodged a kick from her, causing her to stumble.
Her face reddened from embarrassment.
"Sorry!"
Lican hurried to her side and caught her before she could slip again, making her blush and fume.
"You... you..." She pointed at Lican but stopped as if she had given up.
"Neris," she finally said.
She lowered her face.
It had been a long time since she had told someone her real name.
"Neris," Lican repeated. "I like it. Mine is Lican," he said, pouting slightly.
"Who asked you? Hmph," Neris said grudgingly.
Lican scratched his head in confusion.
Wasn't he supposed to introduce himself too?
What he didn't see was the smile on the girl's face as she watched his confused expression.
He is too weird. Forget it.
They suddenly heard chatter around them. That was when they realized they had actually been standing there for something.
"The young Lord is coming!"
"What a promising young man. I hope he can marry my daughter!"
"Marry your daughter? Hahaha! She ain't worth being his maid!"
The people around them began to banter.
Neris didn't seem amused by it anymore.
She simply sighed.