Ch.7 Do you want powers?

"You can stay here for as long as you want"

"Our village welcomes you"

Dropping that sentence, Aamon left the room to give Huo Qiang time to think.

At this time, Huo Qiang hasn't received a 'blessing' yet, Aamon plans to take his time,

Insignia is his bargaining chip in earning people's loyalty so he had to make use of it correctly.

Giving Huo Qiang time to relax and clear his mind, Aamon decides to leave him alone and go back to his 'business'.

Meanwhile, the man on the bed stood up with difficulty, legs trembling, almost falling as he held on the mattress to support himself.

He waddles onto the chair Aamon was previously sitting on, peeking outside the window.

Even with a confused mind, the horrifying scene that he experienced upon arriving at the village is fresh in his memory.

Outside, saw dozens of houses relatively distant from each other, the street was deserted, quite unusual since it was the middle of the day.

Moving his eyes to the table, a simple rice porridge was served in a bowl, with his stomach growling, Huo Qiang dug in, feasting on the plain porridge.

Recovering some strength, he ventures outside, just to clear his mind, albeit a little afraid.

But contrary to what he expected, as soon as he walked out the door, so did the people in the village,

They surrounded him, welcoming him to show their goodwill, but Huo Qiang was shocked at what he discovered.

From women in their thirties to children not older than ten, all of them are soul masters!

Since when did soul masters become as common as cabbage, especially in this backend place?

The fear in Huo Qiang's mind grew,

Even though none of the people present could pose any threat to him,

He was afraid of the mystery surrounding the place.

Especially the man earlier, who Huo Qiang guessed was the leader of this mysterious village.

The villagers are unaware of his thoughts,

In their minds, Huo Qiang is already part of their 'family' and so they treat him as such.

'What in the mother nature cult is this?'

The man said in his head, uncomfortable at the friendly smile that surrounded him.

Still, he is afraid to mess up and do something he shouldn't, he already did once, and look where it got him.

"Uhm, I'm sorry but what is going on?"

The pleasantries died down, and the villagers turned quiet, a young adult walked around the clueless Soul King with hands on his chin.

"you don't have the 'tattoo'..."

Confused about what this means, Huo Qiang wants to enquire but the kind eyes and friendly smile were replaced with a cold stare.

As if some kind of virus, the villagers disperse, leaving the poor man alone.

"What the...."

"What's wrong with this people."

"You'll understand soon, you will."

Startled by a sudden voice talking behind him, Huo Qiang stiffly turned around and saw a young red-haired lady walking toward him, arms crossed, still with those cold eyes.

"What do you mean."

He wasn't offended by the way a Soul Master talked to him, a Soul King,

Everything that had happened since he arrived at this village had done nothing but perplex him.

He wanted an answer because humans' biggest fear was the unknown.

However, instead of answering his questions, Lia simply said before leaving;

"His Majesty orders that you shall stay in the village for a few days and take a break"

"He will meet you when the time is right."

"And you must not leave the village, that's all."

After delivering Aamon's message, Lia turns around and walks away, not waiting for the man's reply.

"What a minut-"

Hou Qiang tries to chase Lia but when he tries to use his soul power, he fails!

He forgets chasing Lia as he tries to use his martial soul but no matter how much he tries,

He can't activate his martial soul or use any soul power!

'Oh no...Oh no!'

.

.

.

Per Aamon's order, Huo Qiang obediently stayed in the village,

He couldn't wait to meet 'his majesty' and asked about his soul power.

Much to his relief, the villagers avoided him like a plague, giving him peaceful days, and focusing on his recovery.

But still, some initiated and talked to him for a while, giving him some understanding of the village's situation.

As far as he knows, the Leaf Valley village was just like any village until 'his majesty' arrived.

As for what changed happened with his majesty's arrival,

The villagers were tight-lipped, not sharing any information with an outsider like him.

Fortunately, the day has come, and a knock on his door reveals Lia, who guided him to 'his majesty'.

They went to the orphanage, climbing to the highest floor, where Aamon resides.

"His Majesty is inside."

Lia pointed to the door in the middle as Huo Qiang entered alone.

Inside, he saw the first person he saw when he first woke up in this village, sitting leisurely with the same cup of tea and spoon in hand.

The room is designed as a typical office, with a table in front of Aamon and two chairs on the other side.

Dozens of questions had been prepared by Huo Qiang that bothered him for days, but before he could say a word, Aamon beat him to it.

"Sit, I know you have a lot of questions."

Sitting on the chair on the other side of the table, Huo Qiang obliged.

"I don't care what your questions are,"

"I just want to know one thing,"

"Do you wanna be strong?"

Widen eyes, Huo Qiang was surprised at the unexpected question from Aamon, gulping his saliva in nervousness.

"...yes."

The soul king replied meekly, lacking the airs that peers unfortunately possess.

"This village was just like the others."

Aamon's gazes drifted into the voice, staring into nothingness.

"I gave them power, a way to be strong."

"Tell me, are you willing to be one of us?"

He moves his sight back to Huo Qiang, sweat dripping on the Soul King's forehead.

"...What's the catch?"

Hou Qiang asked with a cautious tone, but a burning thirst for power in his eyes couldn't go unnoticed by Aamon.

"Servitude."

"Work under me and I will help you get stronger, stronger than your enemies,"

"How far are you willing to sacrifice for power?"