1 Dying Old Man (1)

In front of him was a long, relatively safe plain, only a few small animals were in sight, the grass for pasture was previously tall and robust, now it was low and empty.

The young man could only be described as average, he did not have any type of beauty or outstanding characteristics despite his origins. His eyes were black along with his long black hair that reached up to his shoulders. Her clothes could be described as simply simple, just raw cotton and a few lighter pieces of cloth, there were some patches scattered over the clothes, there were three on one leg, two in front of the chest and three more on the back and despite the state of their clothes, on his face he could see a determined and untamed expression shining in his black eyes.

The young man looked back and faced the city walls, his eyes were focused on the silver mountain that was at its core. The Silver Mountain was similar to most of the mountains he had seen many times before, but with some differences, the mountain although no one officially admitted or named it was known as the Silver Spear Mountain and divided into three areas.

The first area was something similar to a small plateau at its base, there were some important constructions, like the Court of Absolute Laws, its duty was the judgment and the length of the laws regardless of their origins and status were all the same, there was also a great construction known as the Alchemy Association, there were hundreds of experienced alchemists who made elixirs and medicinal pills aimed at cultivation and body improvement, the monetary value of just one of these elixirs was something he could never pay for in his entire life, there were also a large academic complex that functioned as a school and boarding school, of course those who were from noble or higher families could just ignore the boarding part, they were from influential families and had surprising statuses, they were not like those from simple families, fortunately he managed to save enough savings to pay his tuition at the Estrela do Amanhecer Institute, three meals a day, a large number of books and scrolls to read and study, a comfortable room along with a soft, easy-to-sleep bed and a hunting ground that he could get some extra money from if he could hunt something.

The second area was where the three main families were located, the Sheep Family Realeza, the Infante Celeste Family and the Sangue Divino Family. These three families, are the most powerful in all Wizard City, mainly the Family of the Blood, they were like the supreme lords of the city for three hundred years. Along with thirteen noble families and twenty-seven aristocratic families, they had altogether thousands of cultivators who were the main force of Wizard City in defense against the Demons.

The third area was a small flat area on the summit of the Silver Mountain, it was only a few hundred meters long from one end to the other, in its center was a small temple that was used in major important ceremonies such as the christening of a new patriarch of a noble family or main family, a wedding ceremony for important members of the main families or the exchange of power between the main families, although it is very rare given the dominance of the Divine Blood Family.

The young man slowly blinked his eyes and then opened them and looked back at the natural pasture in front of him.

"Baa baa… baa balas… baaaa… .."

The black-eyed youngster's sheep made noises that echoed through the tranquil mountain range.

Bingwen crawled to the top of the hill while the evening breeze was heavy; however, at that moment, perspiration drowned in his weak body. At thirteen years old, a little boy like Bingwen was using all of his power and physical strength to climb this rugged hill, that scene of darkness slowly penetrating the light exuded a macabre sensation for anyone outside the walls.

Although the day has been quiet so far, his mind was tormented by the fire of uncertainty.

Coming from the streets, an organ that never knew his parents and was abandoned on the streets, with no talent for cultivation or alchemy. Until the age of seven, a good-hearted old woman had raised him, the old woman had named him Bingwen. His name was just Bingwen, he didn't have a family name or the old woman who took care of him, he chose to go without a family name too, that wasn't very important to him either, but he still hoped that one day he would find with their parents or at least find out what their true origins were.

Today was the last day of the second week of the four week period of the mandatory interval at the Estrela do Amanhecer Institute. Bingwen had chosen to do some simple work, caring for and taking the sheep to graze was a very simple thing that he had already gotten used to for a long time, however, during the approaching sunset, he noticed that he missed his leading sheep . Filled with concern, he ran back to the mountain range to find her. After what appeared to be comparable to combing the entire mountain, he was unable to find the sheep.

Thinking about the evil owner En Gua, and the missing sheep that belonged to him, Bingwen feared the worst in his heart.

Suddenly, Bingwen thought of a place. There was only one place he didn't look for - or had intentionally ignored - the Blackwell Cave!

When he looked towards the dense forest with blood red leaves in front of him, the trees looked like a ferocious beast from an ancient era, its trunk was thin at the top and at the bottom it looked more like a balloon, its branches seemed to be dancing on the wind, stirring and stirring, even when there was no wind or physical interaction, it was as if these trees were alive with the help of some force from heaven and earth.

Bingwen had read in an old book, that before the Dark Ages, the world was full of countless different races and species, there were many species among them, the human race and the demonic race were the most populous and powerful, there were also many races spiritual, there were trees, there were plants, there were animals and there were even ores that after a few tens, hundreds or thousands of years of existence would be able to form a spiritual consciousness and gain a human form and can live freely among other races.

But the world had changed, the spiritual races became extinct, humans retreated into walls and fortresses and their cities were far from each other, and it had been hundreds of years since anyone had been able to make contact with other cities outside and demons reigned supreme over the earth.

When more Bingwen looked towards the forest in front of him, the howls of the wolves reverberated from side to side, Bingwen couldn't help shaking with fear.

The Black Spring Cave was the only "building" in the Blood Forest, it was considered a cursed place in the vicinity. The old tales that there is an old demon there and any intruder will be instantly devoured. Everyone who entered the cave never left alive to tell a story.

At that very moment, the sounds of En Gua's whips rang in Bingwen's ears. If he really lost the premium sheep, then En Gua would definitely whip his meat into small pieces.

At that point, Bingwen ground his white teeth and approached the Forest of Blood as his body disappeared into the forest's light.

"Aowwww…."

"Aaaaaaahhh…"

The sad boy screamed along with the wolf's howl and the boy's panic.

Bingwen's terrified voice sounded again over the night that has just begun; "Why… why the fuck is there a fucking Wolf here? Where are the city guards when you need them? These garbage must do their job right !!"

"Get out! Get out of here now! Xo!"

"Awooooooo ... .."

A long howl of a wolf was suddenly heard behind Bingwen and that howl was obviously very close…. so close it was right next to your ear. Bingwen spun around and surely, on his right he saw an adult wolf covered in gray fur that had appeared twenty feet from him and was looking at him with wild eyes.

Wild wolf!

Bingwen's heart was suddenly alarmed…. The city walls were only a few hundred meters away, and now a wild wolf has appeared right here? How can this be possible? Were the guards on the walls really that incompetent? Although this wild wolf was just a normal animal, it was still a wolf and he was in a place that it was impossible for him to be.

Wait ... was it that wolf that caught the sheep? There is a good chance that he is the real culprit for all this! This wild wolf suddenly appeared here and gave Bingwen no time to react; he growled once and then ran in a straight line jumping a distance of around seven steps directly towards Bingwen. The shiny, cold fangs were enough to tear his body apart.

While thinking about it, the wild wolf that was in the air began to fall with its head in front, razor-sharp teeth coming closer and closer to its eyes….

Cut!!

The clothes on his right shoulder were torn ferociously as they almost wounded the flesh. Bingwen, who had deflected the situation from a sudden attack, did not wait to stand and used all his strength in his tightly closed right hand and swung towards the gray wolf. The powder that had been prepared to be used on the sheep should they become rebels surely hit the head of the wild wolf that had just landed.

The wild wolf suddenly howled and its body fell in the middle of the roar as its paws desperately scratched its own eyes. Bingwen got up immediately and quickly grabbed the knife that was hidden between his clothes. He gritted his teeth suddenly and using all his strength to attack the wild wolf, intending to pierce his throat using the knife in his hand.

Although wild wolves were normal animals, their skins and bones were extremely strong. When a normal person used all his strength to cut his throat, the result would be merely a skin wound that would not threaten his life but would instead agitate his aggression. Bingwen's knife went down extremely fast, the place she landed was firmly out of sight…. The knife was certainly in the space between the bones of the wild wolf's throat and tore its throat.

The howling of the wild wolf began to fade. His whole body shook violently before falling to the floor without a sound.

"Phew ..." Bingwen breathed a sigh of relief and reached out to wipe his sweaty forehead. Although his strength was low and his body was weak, his experience in battle and vision continued. The fact that he had so much trouble with a simple, extremely normal wild wolf made him involuntarily reveal a bitter smile.