A swift breeze ran through the foul-smelling alley.
The young man who seemed like a cultivator stood before the boy.
The man scanned Wei before slowly kneeling to get a good look. As he moved the beaded tassels, clicked, making a satisfying noise.
...
"...Not a very comfortable place to rest." The young man said lightly, his voice was deep yet soft.
Wei remained silent, slightly shivering on the cultivators' intentions.
He lifted his hand, revealing long, pale slender fingers. Gently he moved strands of hair on Wei's face. As he did, the wounds he had from getting beat up were distinctly visible under the moonlight. The man moved aside the boy's wet hair and lightly touched Weis bruises, allowing a wave of warmth to seep, dulling the pain.
His eyes narrowed at the sight.
"...You're not sad? Usually, kids throw a tantrum."
Wei avoided making eye contact, leaning sideways.
"Pft...Stubborn kid." He grumbled lightly.
Silence.
"If you stay here, you'll continue getting beat up...If you come with me, you'd fight back."
He snickered
"But it wouldn't be that easy."
Wei's finger slightly twitched.
"Seems you don't talk much, heh...that's fine. How's it if we make a deal then..."
"Theres a beast in that forest. Get its head. You have all day to do so."
He stood up, slowly walking away into the vast haze; his long black hair swayed peacefully in the breeze.
"Then...I suppose you'll be my student." He whispered, his voice echoing in the alley. Wei could imagine a smirk on his face as he strolled away.
Wei bit his lips slightly. He couldn't fight back; He was always weak. Weak enough, to be a play doll for those who are strong.
How would he get strong in a singular day?
------------------
Golden sunlight Illuminated the scene; darkness slowly vanished. Ground wet from heavy rain, bringing a new life to the soil.
Wei had found himself struck in the eyes by the bright light; they glowed a beautiful grey-ish blue, glittering the longer he looked.
Though this peaceful morning didn't last long until the thought struck him; He had forgotten about the deal from last night!
He gently got up; his wounds seemed to heal faster than expected.
Not wasting any time, he streamed to a warehouse not far from where he was. All that were left were a few standing walls and a roof with a ton of holes. It was hard to still consider it a warehouse.
Wei had tried living here before, though it was infested with ants which made it a not-so-great place to sleep.
The only thing that was useful was leftover weapons. There were few gardening tools along with a choppy katana without a sheath; the blade was slightly dull and had a simple black handle, though it was better than nothing.
He had often seen students use wooden katanas to practice; they would swing it up and down as if they were trying to cut the air in half.
Wei did the same thing; he swung it up and down, raising his arms slowly, and forcefully slicing the air with a fast swoosh as he came down. He repeated this process, feeling the strength of his arms coming to use.