If things don't go as planned, make a new plan.
For nine years and three hundred and sixty-four and a half days Collin was the beloved son of the clan chief. He was doted on form the moment he woke up in the morning till he went to bed at night.
Then on his tenth birthday his cultivation talent was tested.
Collin was found to have no cultivation talent. After a few moments Collin was grabbed by the back of the collar and dragged out of the room, and instead of going back to his nice big room with servants to cater to his every whim, he was taken to a small shack and told if he returned home, he would be beaten.
As the clan chief's son, he knew what his fate was. He no longer existed within the clan. Till his sixteenth birthday he would only receive this shack, some food, and a small allowance from the clan. After his sixteenth birthday he would be thrown into the streets, his life and death meaning nothing to the clan.
For the first few days he did what anyone would do in his situation, he cried, he begged the gods, and then he cursed the gods. After he stopped crying, he spent several weeks planning on how he was going to make everyone sorry they had cast him out.
The first step to this new goal was to leave the clan, after exiting the clan gates for the last time he took a few moments to look back and remembered the good times, before he turned away.
Collin walked to the town market. A long street with hundreds of small shops selling anything and everything the people in town could want. A month ago, Collin would have walked the street flanked by his guards making sure everyone saw him so he could bask in their flattery. Now Collin could only wish that no one would recognize him while he bought the items he needed.
Collin thought himself lucky when what he wanted to buy was at a stall less than twenty feet from the beginning of market street. Using most of the money he had Collin bought: 1 black hooded robe with gloves, one white faceless mask, one bronze crown, and a knife.
Ducking into an alley and quickly donned his new attire, Collin walked down market street without fear. Dozens of people dressed just like him were wondering market street. They were the "faceless", servants sent out by their masters to buy and sell items without anyone knowing who they were or who they worked for.
Collin had dreamed of having serval faceless servants to do his bidding, buying cultivation pills, cultivation manuals, buying alcohol, and bringing back women to play with. He also wondered what he was supposed to play with women, since he was only nine everyone just told him it was something he would learn when he got older and would like it.
Slowly walking down market street Collin made a mental note of what stalls sold cultivation books and other items he thought he may need. About forty minutes later, Collin was standing in front of the gate of a small villa.
The villa was located in a neighborhood that felt, odd. It was oddly quite, it was oddly empty, and it was oddly clean. The entire neighborhood was covered in arrays. Sound dampening arrays so no one could hear what was said in the villas. Illusion arrays to keep people from seeing inside the villas. Defensive arrays to protect the villas and to kill any who would attack them.
Collin spent several minutes staring at a tree next the villa. It was a dozen feet tall and covered with bright green leaves that were blowing in the wind, but there was no sound. Not from the wind or the leaves of the tree, just an odd silence that Collin found creepy.
After a shake of his head, he removed one of his gloves and used the knife to make a small cut on his hand and placed it on the gate. With a slight flash of light, the gate to villa opened. Collin walked through the gate closing it behind him, he looked at the villa.
The tall outer walls where bright white topped with reddish orange tiles. The five buildings that made up the villa had light blue walls with gold trim and accents with the same reddish orange roof tiles. The two small buildings in the back were servants' quarters, one male and one female. The two buildings in front were a guard house and storehouse. In the middle was a two-story building with everything a young master could want: a basement for spell casting and using techniques, a cultivation room with a sperate spirit gathering array, a library room, several bedrooms, and a great room to host parties.
Walking into the main building, Collin headed to the second story and into the master bedroom. The master bedroom had a massive bed, it was five Collin wide and two Collins long. The room had six columns embedded into the walls with decorative tiles extending from the floor to about Collins shoulder.
Walking to the decorative tiles between the second and third columns on the left side of the room, Collin tapped five of the tiles. A clicking sound was heard as the second column opened, revealing a cabinet. It was a safe where the villa owner could safely hide their valuables.
Reaching into the safe Collin pulled out a silver bag of holding. It was full of gold, gems, and spirit stones. If Collin wished, he could live like he did in his old life of a few weeks ago. Servants and guards could be hired, teachers could be brought in to teach him about politics, art, and cultivation. Cooks making fine meals anytime he wanted. It was tempting, very tempting.
The only problem was the wealth in the bag of holding was given to Collin because he was the young master of his clan and if everything went as it should have Colling would be the next clan leader in fifty to seventy years. While these bribes and gifts were the property of the clan, they were overlooked because was the young master. Currently Collin was no longer his clans young master or even a member of his clan. If he decided to flash his wealth around a clan elder would come and take it and throw him to live on the streets or the ones who gave him the gifts and bribes would demand refunds.
It still several hours before dark and Collin had already crawled into the massive bed. Tomorrow he would head to the market street and buy information about the alternative paths of cultivation, arrange for his daily meals from a restaurant, and begin to plan the next several years of his life.
Six months ago, Collin bought this villa simply because he thought it would be cool to have his own place. He imagined that he would cultivate here till he got strong, he would then attack his clan's enemies killing most and bringing some back here to torture for the crimes against his clan. He would then throw their broken bodies in front of his father and the elder council and be the hero of his clan.
The childish dreams of the past have become the wealth and sanctuary of today, and foundation for tomorrow.