Chapter 58: Quick History Lesson and Internal Conflict
Doing all he could to dodge Bei's questions, Jian succeeded in not letting out all he knew, and most importantly...Bei still had no idea that Jian definitely knew her younger brother , Wang Meilin. The woman had quickly forgotten about her invasive questions when Jian brought up a question that made her realize just how unprepared the kid was.
" I swear....This is so stupid. How did you even the idea to compete in such an event ? You clearly have the abilities for it, but seriously ! A little bit of knowledge ! You don't know a damn thing about this country or even the world as a whole. You won't go far in life like that, information is a powerful tool after all. " Bei said as Jian bowed his head.
He knew he was quite clueless, but this was really embarassing. He just took in everything he could get to know, but in the end he still clearly lacked knowledge. For exemple, he knew only a few of the countries that were on the continent, he also knew only a few sects and not even the most powerful, no, just the ones that had come into contact with the Raja sect at some point in time.
And as such, he was now going through a quick history lesson, courtesy of Lady Wang Bei who looked effectively pissed off. Jian was good at learning, however he just way too many questions and it was starting to have an effect on her sanity.
"Alright, I'm just gonna abandon when it comes to general knowledge that serves no direct purpose. You are lucky I want to help you, or else you would be in such a bad situation...Trust me. And if you didn't know my oldest brother, I wouldn't have helped you, you can bet on that." She complained while pointing at a country on a map by using a stick she grabbed somewhere.
She was showing the different countries to Jian, but he was more interested in what she had to tell him about the sects.
" The Razor Sect...You only mentioned them, but you didn't explain anything about them contrarily to the other sects, why is that ?" Jian asked.
Bei froze and let out a forced smile.
" W-Well...Let's just say this sect has some very powerful people backing it, and people usually avoid talking about it. Anyway, this isn't important. You need to know that this event will get many eyes on you, the eyes of greedy people who will want to use your powers for their own goals. I have no idea how you usually deal with those things, but I recommend not showing off too much. Beat the others and that's it." Bei said.
She had no idea that Jian wasn't planning to do this at all. Jian didn't have anything to protect. Jian wasn't linked to anyone that could get hurt because of himself. Be it the Crow or Jian, none of the two had any reasons to hide themselves like rat. Now of course, Jian wouldn't just randomly show off his abilities, but he also wouldn't hide like he was constantly hunted or something like that. And this was a good opportunity, both to get the prizes, but also to have some powerful people become interested in Jian. After all the Crow was interested in Uma, and most people would assume it was because of the two promising disciples she had with her. If Jian became famous, the Crow would follow.
"*Cough* As I said, that sect doesn't matter. What you need to know is that this will be a big event, you will get a lot of attention...And we will both get something out of it it you did really well. However it's your call. Play it small or big. I don't really care. I want to understand your bond to my oldest brother and most importantly I want to know the people whom he used to live with. Can't really do that without getting unwanted attention if you are still some random disciple whom no one knows. You get famous by doing tricks in the stadium, I get to have my questions answered. " Bei said as Jian began to rub his temples.
"So...Let me get this clear....You want me to get famous...So it's not weird when you visit me to learn about your brother ?" Jian asked. Getting a nod from Bei he had an urge to sweatdrop, for this was perhaps one of the most selfish thing he had ever heard, but she was so honest he couldn't even get mad.
That and in the end, he had planned for that as well. Normally one would avoid giving themselves out, because they had things to protect. But Jian had nothing, even if everyone knew about him, it wouldn't change a thing. He was still quite anxious about showing his kishin powers, but Mara had told him something that nearly took out all of his anxiousness.
Now he was walking without a care in the world, going back to the mansion whilst looking around him. There were all sorts of stalls, selling various things ranging from fruits to weapons. He knew he had quite the bad equipment, but he also didn't have a lot of money. He would wait before spending, because he could just get lucky with the system and get some insane gear. In fact, with the skills and gear he had...Some more kills and training would get him to a whole other level. He nearly couldn't wait for his intense training to start....But there were things to settle first.
And Jian was quite the problems magnet. And what happened on his way home proved it.
*BOOM !*
"Fuck !" A merchant screamed, crouching to dodge the body that was flying his way.
Jian crashed on the wall and coughed the smallest amount of blood. He would've been in a world of pain, had it not been for his soul heritage, instead he was back on his feet instantly and looked left and right for the threat.
He was in for a treat as he finally noticed two distinct groups engaging in a ferocious battle. One side was wearing black robes with silver outlines, while the other was wearing blue robes with some patches of yellow here and there.
' Goddamnit...Bei is definitely an oracle. What she taught me is already coming in handy. The first guys, they are from the Silver Chimera Sect, and the others are from the Still Sky Sect. The Still Sky Sect is much less aggressive, so logically speaking it should've been the Silver Chimera Sect's disciples who started this.' Jian thought. Taking in his surrounding, he saw that the civilians still hadn't left the area, not because they wanted to see the fight, but because the disciples were simply too powerful and were too heavy handed with their attacks.
Jian decided to help the civilians first, before actually joining the fight. It wasn't his problem, but it would be a good starting point for the Crow.
Putting on his disguise that he hid at all times in his inventory, Jian immediately spun into action. He began a simple operation, grab the civilians two by two and carried them to another street while dodging the effects from the disciples' attacks.
From that other street, they could all just run away, but he did tell them to run as fast as possible while the disciples were still relatively calm. The fight was sure to escalate soon. In the end Jian couldn't save everyone however.
He stayed there, looking at the corpse of a woman who had been crushed by the rests of a small shop.
' Okay, that's quite gruesome. I can understand why the royal family doesn't exactly like the sects. And worst is...They can't be stopped. Each sects has hundreds of disciples with that kind of strengh.....Attacking just one sect would already be a small mistake, but with the all the alliances that have been made, the royal family can't do shit. But damn....That poor woman just randomly got crushed, and I'm pretty sure those two groups are fighting because of a shitty reason.' Mara said, looking at the woman through Jian's eyes and sighing.
'...Not like I can do much anyway.....But what I don't understand is why they are fighting. Bei did tell me those two sects were allied, and not only were they allied, they were on the verge of fusing...Is this an internal conflict ? I mean not all sects keep their disciples on leashes, so these guys could be bad elements...But this is a bit too much. An all out fight in the middle of busy streets...And the army still hasn't made a move. ' Jian thought. He moved the woman's corpse to a small alley and immediately jumped over a building to watch the fight
" So here is the situation...Most of them are stronger than me, but I am much more resistant than them. I can't use my kishin powers or my wolf, as those belong to Jian and not the crow. Same for the halberd.....And pretty much everything except my curse eyes. And this is something I can use." Jian said. His eyes of the blight activated as he watched the fight unfold.
'Ohoho ! This is bound to be good.....But kid seriously, taking those guys out by using your eyes of the blight on a long distance like some sort of sharpshooter.....I am proud of you boy.' Mara said, wiping away a fake tear as Jian groaned.
"Shut up for a second. I need focus."
It was show time.
**************
( With the disciples )
" Grand Tortoise Fist !" A disciple called out, crashing his fist in the side of another.
The leader of the group of disciples from the Still Sky Sect was a man of small stature but who had an immensely intimidating face, with his small fox eyes and the many scars he sported all around his mouth.
He was engaging in a battle of pure strengh with the leader of the other group as they both laughed.
"Ya ain't winnin' dis one, Qirio !" The older man with a thick but stylish mustache exclaimed.
"I was going to say the exact same thing, old man." Qirio responded, before shoving his elbow in the older man's face.
He was getting ready to use that occasion to kick the old man away, but he noticed something on his right. He looked in shock as one of his fellow disciple started to foam at the mouth, his eyes becoming bloodshot whilst he made some strange groaning noises.
"...The hell is happening ?"
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING ?! Unhand me you dumbass !" The older man yelled as one of his own bit him.
Qirio was completely dumbfounded by this turn of event. All the disciples who had been previously injured simply dropped to the ground or started to attack their own. Now this whole fight had been an internal conflict between two groups belonging to the two allied sects, but this was a bit too weird. He would've foreseen it if some of his allies would've had tried to betray his group....And the Silver Chimera disciples were known for their loyalty to the sect and their fellow disciples.....No, this wasn't an internal conflict inside of another internal conflict...This was an attack from an invisible enemy !
"Get out of there ! There might be some poison in the air !" Qirio yelled. Everyone instantly followed him and they all appeared on the roof of a relatively tall building.
Qirio looked around and saw that the situation was getting worse, everyone was just dropping to the ground, and even though none of them died this was still quite the massacre. He looked around in a frenzy, his mind going over all the scenarios that could explain what was happening.
That was until he saw them, in the distance
Two glowing blue orbs shining in the distance.
" D-Damn.....Damn you...."