Chapter 15 - Shabby Man Spark

"Lost traveler?" asked one of the mercenaries.

"I finally found some people, and they treat me like an enemy," cried the man pitifully.

"What do you mean by lost? Explain," commanded Captain Du.

"You see, I was traveling with a group, but we were ambushed by a herd of beasts, and we had to split," the shabby man explained. "In the end, I was left alone."

The man briefly recounted his situation; they had been traveling to the mainland when the ambush occurred. Since then, he had been wandering alone in the forest for days without finding a way out.

Though he had lost all hope, he perked up when he heard voices and found his way to this group.

"To the mainland?" they exchanged glances.

"Perhaps you people are also going to the Mainland?" asked the shabby man.

The mercenaries accepted the possibility of being ambushed by a herd of wild beasts. However, there were still a few holes in his story.

"Why should we believe your words?" questioned a mercenary.

"Why? I'm harmless, for instance," replied the man.

They had already tried to sense the shabby man but discovered he was only a mortal. There was not a single strand of Qi in his body. In that case, he would indeed be harmless.

"How did you survive in the forest alone?" asked another mercenary.

"This forest provided for me," the man answered, retrieving a fruit from his dirty pocket.

It was a common fruit they had seen everywhere on the way. Certainly, if one were hungry, one could find many fruits and berries. Although not everything was edible, there was enough to survive.

"Still, we can't take you with us," said Captain Du.

"Why? Are you going to leave me to die here?" asked the shabby man pitifully.

"Let him follow," the mayor's voice came from the side.

"It could be dangerous," warned Captain Du.

"He is just a helpless mortal. There shouldn't be any danger in bringing him," said the mayor.

The mercenaries exchanged glances, deciding what to do with the man. Although they had initially hesitated to let a stranger join the group, they acquiesced. After all, it was the mayor's decision.

"And who will carry him?" asked a mercenary.

Realizing the shabby man was just a mortal and didn't practice any martial arts, they understood he wouldn't be able to keep pace with them. If they walked, it would only slow down their journey.

None of the mercenaries in the group seemed inclined to carry the man. The group turned their attention towards the disciples.

"Big guy, you should do the job," suggested a mercenary, staring at Senior Brow. "You'll also lose some weight."

The chubby Senior Brow shook his head. "I can barely run myself."

The other disciples also avoided eye contact, indicating that none of them wanted to carry him.

The chubby senior turned to Lin Mo.

"You can do this for us, right, Junior Brother?"

Lin Mo wore a wry smile but remained silent.

"We've seen you carry huge logs like it's nothing. This shouldn't be a problem," said the chubby senior. "And helping a mortal would sow good karma."

In the end, Lin Mo had to acquiesce to his fellow sect member's pleading and shoulder this burden.

"Then I'll be relying on this young master," said the shabby man, bowing his head.

Carrying the shabby man, they continued their journey forward.

Along the way, the shabby man introduced himself as Spark.

"That's a strange name," remarked the mayor upon hearing it.

"I was born with that name; I can't change it now," replied Spark, shaking his head and shrugging.

"Oh, no-no. I didn't mean to be rude," the mayor quickly apologized.

"No need to apologize. I'm used to hearing such remarks," Spark reassured him.

"You must've been quite lonely these past few days, wandering alone," the mayor said.

"Oh no, nobody is ever alone in this forest," Spark responded.

"What do you mean?" asked the mayor.

"Of course, birds, beasts..."

Spark continued to talk about various encounters in the forest, edible fruits, and vegetation, displaying a vast knowledge akin to a forest hermit.

When they asked about different kinds of fruits and their taste found along the way, he answered them accurately. Gradually, they became slightly more amiable toward him.

Night fell, and they began to prepare meals. While some worked on cooking, the rest sat around the bonfire.

"I've picked a few fruits. Can you help me identify them?" asked the mayor, retrieving some colorful fruits from his pouch.

Spark separated the edible fruits for the mayor. Most of the colorful ones were deemed inedible and set aside, but a group of bluish fruits remained.

Spark appeared bewildered and asked, "Why would you need these fruits?"

"Why? To eat, of course," replied the mayor.

"Do you know their effects?" asked Spark.

"Does it have effects?" the mayor inquired in return.

Looking around, Spark made a gesture with his hands. One hand formed a circle to represent a hole, and with the other hand, he raised a finger and began inserting it in and out of the hole.

The disciples couldn't contain their silent chuckles, which were heard by all present.

Seeing the disciples covering their mouths, the mayor appeared confused.

"It's a fruit that works as a natural Viagra," explained Spark. "Only wild bulls eat those. I've never seen a human take one before."

Understanding Spark's explanation, the mayor's cheeks turned red with embarrassment. He quickly threw the fruits away from his sight.

The disciples couldn't hold their laughter anymore and burst out laughing. Even the stern Captain Du chuckled at the sight.

While the place was filled with laughter, Spark noticed a gaze directed at him and asked, "This young master has been staring at me for a while now. Is there something on my face?"

"This young master," Spark referred to, was none other than Lin Mo, who had been staring intently at him.

Lin Mo awoke from his dazed stupor and asked, "Have we met before?"

"Not that I remember," replied Spark.

The man in front of him looked oddly familiar. Lin Mo felt like he had seen him somewhere, but he couldn't quite recall.

"Old ghost, do you find anything strange about this man?" Lin Mo asked the old ghost inside the ring.

The old ghost, who had been sleeping peacefully, woke up and swept his senses through the surroundings.

"I don't sense anything strange from him," the old ghost lazily replied.

"Check again properly."

The old ghost lazily floated out of the ring and circled the man, sweeping his senses. While circling, he felt a gaze and shortly stopped.

"Did he just meet my gaze?" The old ghost wondered as he observed the man casually chatting with Lin Mo.

The old ghost went in front of Spark and began waving and making faces, but Spark didn't react at all.

The old ghost shrugged off the thought. "It must be my imagination."

"There's nothing wrong with him. He is just a mortal," said the old ghost. "Did you find anything odd?"

"No, it's nothing," replied Lin Mo.

Another night passed in the forest.

The next day, they were on their way when a mercenary motioned for everyone to halt.

"There are people ahead," whispered the scout of the mercenary group.

"Could they be his companions?" asked the mayor, turning to Spark.

Looking ahead, Spark shook his head.

"Shush," Captain Du motioned, indicating for everyone to be silent.

Not far away, within a hundred-meter range, they saw three silhouettes strolling, seemingly looking around. They all wore similar red attire with swords strapped to their backs.

"Bandits," Captain Du muttered.