CG Chapter 152: When Shadows Whisper
Certain ancient truths were etched into the parchment that was the starry sky, these truths were as old as time, or perhaps before it was born, or even the...
One such truth was that just as yang rises to the heavens above, filth sinks below hiding itself in the most obscure and shrouded corners, unseen by the eyes of the common man.
Two different worlds, yet in truth but two sides of the same coin.
Exiting from his humble, shoddy room, Aretius made his way to his next destination in this world. As he took his next step, everything unfolded before his eyes.
There were walls laid by the heavens of this world on his path to cultivation, making his next breakthroughs much harder, if not impossible.
Even with the Dark Star rank information of beggar sects he acquired from Qi Hao, there was still a lot that he didn't know. Yet there was a single pure truth he was certain of: with his current status and without resources, he wouldn't be able to get far, even with all the knowledge of the world.
During the last ritual, he had managed to strengthen his body and resolve many of the previous problems. Still, he didn't have the power to fix the sorrow of old age or the dust of time.
His body felt as though it was resisting any form of strength; it was like trying to pour wine into an old and broken jar. No matter how much you poured it would simply leak, and if you tried to seal that hole, it would cause the whole jar to break from the pressure.
That, however, didn't mean that his path was cut off or that his journey had ended, as he still had another road to walk.
Although he couldn't completely fix the jar for the time being, he could make sure the jar wouldn't break and reduce the leakage.
This meant his path required a hundred times, a thousand times, the resources of others, just to reach the same height.
Yet, that didn't make him feel any form of sadness, because as long as there was a road, no matter how hopeless or lonely it might seem, he was willing to walk it. After all, wasn't the road to immortality such a harsh road?
With all of his meager resources already nearly depleted, Aretius decided to go and find himself new benefactors.
Humanity's rise is, in and of itself, built on devouring those who are lesser than us. The big fish consumes the small fish, and the small fish eats the shrimp.
Unfortunately, in this life, he didn't have the backing of the towering tree of Flameheart, which had once bled while covering him in its shade to push him further and make his road brighter.
With that being said, he had two main options. One, he could go at it all alone, stealing from the wealthy merchants of the city before silencing them. The other was to find a new shade to lie under.
By joining a powerful group, he could get himself the backing of a new tree. This tree, however, might be an illusory tree that would throw him if the scales tilted to the other side.
Of those two choices, the natural one was as clear as the sun to Aretius.
While the first might seem tempting at first sight, as he would have all the loot he acquired solely to himself without giving a cut to the giants behind him, it would be but a fool's dream. He would be betting on luck to not get caught too early.
With that option, he might become the enemy of the whole world before long.
That is why sometimes it might be a wise choice to find an organization that would give you backing, because no matter how shallow the waters of that organization might be, it still follows the rules of the game and would give you shade while you are still small.
If you are lucky enough for your bones to grow tough to withstand the harsh winds of the outside world and for your spirit to surge under its shade, then it might not be too late to swallow the tree or the entire forest.
In an area between the slums and the inner districts of the town, there was an insignificant wine store nestled between the others. It seemed as if you didn't look for it, then you wouldn't see it, not attracting any attention and seeming like an inferior imitation of the one beside it.
The broken plaque above the store's door read 'Moonlit Barrel.'
Aretius's eyes glanced at the name on the broken plaque for a fleeting moment before his foot stepped in.
Once he entered the store, the first thing he noticed was the heavy smell of dust and the vile of cobwebs covering the various types of alcohol on the stone shelves.
From there, his eyes shifted to a short, old man with a well-defined square face sitting behind the counter. Aretius was almost unable to see the old man's face, as the counter nearly covered his whole body.
The only things visible were the few hairs remaining on his bald head and the creaking sound coming from the old rocking chair underneath him.
Seeing that the store was empty and that there was no one other than the two of them in the store, Aretius stepped forward before the old man, who looked completely uninterested in the new customer.
Maybe it was because he didn't seem like he could afford anything, even in this cheap store, or maybe simply because the old man was too lazy. No matter the reason, Aretius didn't care.
He knocked three times on the counter. With each knock growing stronger, it caused the counter to shake as if it might fall apart at any second. Luckily, however, he stopped at the third.
Strangely, even the knocking and the seemingly falling counter didn't make the old man turn his head.
At the same time, Aretius simply continued talking.
"Give me your top quality wither blossom, but make sure it is from the top cellar."
Hearing the order, the old man's eyes remained unfocused, looking like he was about to fall asleep. But Aretius noticed a subtle frown as the old man asked in a hoarse voice, "How old?"
Noticing the frown, Aretius knew that he was in the right place and said, "A thousand and one years old, aged with a goat's eye, and brewed in the yin hour."
The old man stood up from his wooden creaking chair. "Please follow me. We rarely get such high-quality orders, so we store them in the lower level."
Aretius followed him without question, knowing that he had placed his first step into the shadows.
He had just entered the den of the 'Withered Shadow Hall.'