Chapter 10: Home Sweet Home

Yee Rhys opened his eyes. And was surprised to find that he was still a guest of the Grand Elder. However.

The veranda looked exactly the same as before the cultivation began, except the tea service had disappeared from the table, and the hostess herself was nowhere to be seen. But the scroll with the Seven Gems technique was right in front of him, gleaming mockingly on its smooth sides.

His stomach rumbled, hinting that his last meal had been in the Roasting room, and tea wasn't even a snack. Yeah, it wouldn't be soon before he could do with just Qi. In the meantime, food was needed, and needed regularly.

Technique, on the other hand. A smile occurred on his lips. The Seven Gems Technique was indeed high-level, which was evident even from the first part. In a smaller sect, it would have been considered secret and only available to a select few.

Using it as a basis could create a solid foundation that allowed him to take levels with confidence as long as he had enough innate talent. As far as he knew, ordinary outside disciples were supposed to have lower level technique, and workers were supposed to have some kind of low level technique that made it unrealistic to even crawl up to the level of the Soaring Core.

- Have you worked your way up? Not bad for one day. I remember the last record for speed of the first wisp was five days. Looks like you have a small chance of getting close to it.

The lady emerged silently at the entrance to the room, as if woven from shadows and sunlight.

Yee Rhys looked outside; it was about noon. It looked like he'd really had a full 24 hours. No wonder his stomach flatly disagreed with such interruptions in feeding.

- All right, my dear - The landlady smiled sweetly - it's time to go.

Yee Rhys felt the currents of wind begin to gather around him, hinting at his imminent departure. A scroll slipped into his pocket.

- I almost forgot. - The lady beckoned, and the collar clicked open, sailing back to its original owner with a wave of chain. - You don't need it anymore.

Mixed emotions were born in the young man's heart at parting with this accessory. Joy and relief on the one hand, a slight sadness on the other. Yee Rhys smiled mentally. Who could've thought that he'd already gotten used to the collar.

Then an unknown force took hold of him and carried him toward the exit.

- By the way - The Lady's voice caught up with him at the door - you have guests. Entertain them.

A surprised Yee Rhys was carried away.

Guests? What guests? He hadn't made any friends over the years. There were only a handful of daredevils willing to even talk to the Untouchable. Disciples ignored him, workers shunned.

Enemies? Most of them realized after the first skirmish that there was heaven above heaven and their patrons were not the brightest. The less intelligent needed a second lesson. A couple of times they did show up on the doorstep. But they got hit even harder than the first time. There were even some dumb-heads who needed a third lesson. And only one lunatic had shown up five times.

There were also scammers who offered to buy high-level treasures and techniques for next to nothing. But they quickly realized they weren't welcome here.

What do we have left? Most likely, the last hero rested and came for revenge.

***

The homecoming was a resounding one. Yee Rhys was rattled into the center of the courtyard. But in terms of damage, he got away with a couple of bruises and a little dizziness. He smiled wretchedly. Apparently, the Lady had decided to get even with him "for all the good stuff," and now he could forget about a peaceful life for a long time.

Waiting for the ringing in his ears to subside, Yee Rhys cautiously got up. The courtyard, familiar to the last rotten piece of wood. And at the same time it looked complete strange to him. After all, previously he had had absolutely no interest in where and how he lived. He had food - good, a roof - even better.

The young man did not get this courtyard right away. At first they didn't bother and put him in a general barrack, two people per room. He didn't care. The people around him did, as it turned out. When the Manager got tired of complaining about seizures, messed-up rooms, and vigilantes prowling around the dorm, the problem was moved to a separate room, away from the honest toilers.

Yee Rhys took a fresh look around the courtyard. It was quite small, ten by ten meters, surrounded by a fence of half-rotten planks. The ground inside was stony, with sparse stunted grass.

A wooden house, looking as good as the fence, adjoins the far wall from the entrance. A small window is squinting blindly at the owner with its surface. The crooked door is propped up by a stick, so it won't open to all winds. According to memory, there is one room inside, conventionally divided into a bedroom and a kitchen.

And he lived here?

Yee Rhys felt a twinge. Even the Roasting room was more comfortable. And memory unobtrusively suggested that this was just the beginning. In the house... He couldn't remember a single time of cleaning. Dishwashing was the main and very rare act of cleanliness over the years.

By the way, where are the promised guests? Looking around once more, the young man noticed through cracks in the fence near the gate a scrawny teenager dressed as an Outer Disciple. Was that him? Didn't look like it. In addition, it seems that the master's method of his return home made a strong impression on the child's fragile psyche, forcing him to move away and lay low.

All right, the guests would have to wait. After a whole day of sitting, not only his stomach but also another organ made itself felt. So the young man hurried first to the nook between the house and the fence, where the cherished booth huddled.

***

Back in the courtyard, Yee Rhys pondered his next move. His stomach kept reminding him that lunch was next on the list. There were two ways to eat: to go to the canteen or cook yourself. He took another look at the sky - judging by the sun, it was dinner time.

Putting his hand to his rumbling belly, Yee Rhys found the greasy fabric of his belt under his fingers. By the way, memory, please dear help me out, when was the last time that clothes were washed? Long ago? That much is clear. But when exactly? When was the last time I bathed? And when was the last time I washed?

A frightening hunch shot through his head and his hand reflexively jerked to his head, running it through his greasy hair, symbolically pulled back into a ponytail with an equally greasy rag. Involuntarily he jerked his hand away, and the young man grimaced. No wonder he'd been dubbed Untouchable. With a layer of dirt like that, he didn't want to touch himself. And what it looks like from the outside is better not to think about.

I wonder how the Lady ever let me in the house.

It's decided we're going to wash up right after we've eaten. There's a river nearby. Then change clothes... well, is there a change of clothes in the house? My memory creaked and remembered only a heap of rags in the corner, remained from the previous sets of clothes after a long period of wearing and fighting. Someone kind always threw him a new uniform after the previous one had turned into outright rags. I wish I could find that kind person and ask for another suit. And to thank him for his kindness wouldn't be out of place.

Though, Yee Rhys smiled sadly, there wasn't many to look for. There were only two people to thank for his trouble: the Lady, whom her Master had coerced into it, and the Manager of the Craftsman quarter, who had already been whipped into the task by the Grand Elder. And it was doubtful that the beauty would be in the business of issuing uniforms to the workers. At most, she'd give orders for new uniforms when the old ones had become out of date.

Having decided on his immediate plans, the young man adjusted his clothes, which were to be added to the pile of rags in the near future, and headed for the gate. He did not have time to leave, however. A clattering sound was heard as a gang of youngsters in the robes of the Outer Sect burst out from around the corner. They headed unmistakably toward his yard. Yee Rhys stopped before he reached the exit. I wonder if these were the same guests or not?

- Did you see her? - A fat man, apparently the leader of the party, howled from a distance.

- No. - Shook his head scrawny teenager, who had been hiding near the gate all this time.

He had a bad feeling about it.