Legacy of Hatred

Naturally, Liam didn’t realize how on the nose his choice of a new name was. He only cared that they were different and something else.

The meaning of protector had to remain. Even if Liam changed his name, he wanted that implicit duty to exist. After all, his own father had given it to him, and that whole journey was about avenging him and the rest of his family.

Also, Liam truly didn’t trust himself. He might have gotten better with words and people. At the very least, remaining cold and emotionless was something he could attempt to do. The matter with Simon had shown as much.

Yet, lying was something else altogether, and choosing such a similar name was Liam’s way of lowering the difficulty of the strategy, or at least hoping that it did.

Similar meaning or not, it still didn’t feel good to use a different name, but Liam had no other option. His Master had given the order, so he had to follow it, and he even acknowledged why.

After completing the test with the mouse, Liam resumed running at full speed, following the direction he had decided upon during his seclusion.

The undisturbed run allowed Liam to explore his new state more. In theory, cultivators would spend far longer in seclusion after a breakthrough for that exact reason, but he didn’t have the privilege of standing still.

Luckily, Liam learned better in real-life situations, so his confidence increased quickly, gradually becoming natural.

And, as Liam crossed multiple environments, making sure not to stumble on anyone, a strange realization settled in his mind. Just like the room had felt brittle, the world now looked smaller than he recalled, as if its frailty and secrets were more in the open for him to see.

The strangeness soon grew old, replaced by pressing priorities. Ideally, Liam wanted to reach the edge of that Outer Circle, or go directly to the next. Still, he was heading North-West rather than just West to prioritize leaving the six Sects’ area, stretching the journey that his new speed should have shortened.

Also, despite wanting to remain in the wild, traces of civilization occasionally appeared on Liam’s path. His perception alerted him far before he could even consider himself close to them, but he still engaged in long detours to be extra safe.

Like that, another week passed. Downpours had been plentiful, and winter had arrived, but Liam believed that the worst was behind him by then, at least when it came to the Pale Moon Sect finding him.

Of course, news in the cultivation world didn’t follow such rules. Liam still couldn’t believe how quickly and far they spread, but he had reached the point where he could start slowing down and look for opportunities as long as they got him even further away.

Liam’s remaining second batch of smoking powder mostly dictated that. He was going easy on eating it, but the time to concoct the third was drawing near, and he didn’t want to see his ingredients shrink even further when he had yet to find a way to refill his stashes.

Moreover, Liam had had enough of risking throwing up. He needed a pipe, and only the cultivation world could provide a suitable one.

That opportunity took another day to arrive.

Liam noticed it before his nose or ears could capture anything. He felt Qi being released while crossing a relatively barren mountain slope, and his senses immediately added complete details to it.

Liam sharply changed direction, heading down the mountain to follow his perception, until he found his targets.

Three foundation experts were running through the sparse vegetation at the mountain’s bottom. They wore simple, worn-out robes that suggested no specific allegiance, marking them as lone cultivators.

The two in the back were chasing after the elderly one in the front, and something clicked in Liam’s mind once he made his decision. His body grew colder, his presence fainter, activating a muscle he didn’t know he had as he circled the trio.

"Come here, you thief!" An angry cry reached the elderly cultivator’s ears but failed to make him turn.

"Juniors, if you insist on doing this!" The elderly cultivator shouted while focusing solely on running. "Then, forgive my aggression!"

"Don’t even try, you shameless old man," A second voice reached the elderly cultivator’s ears. "You’ll regret stealing from us!"

Naturally, the elderly cultivator had no intention of fighting. He was just desperate, his Qi reserves running short. He was also in a mostly open field, making hiding impossible.

And yet, something suddenly appeared in that very open field. The huge frame of a cloaked man materialized several meters ahead on the elderly cultivator’s path, and what followed made him hold his breath in terror.

A heavy aura that alerted the cultivator’s survival instincts reached his perception, freezing him on the spot. The same went for his two pursuers, who stopped at some distance from him.

For some reason, a rooting expert had decided to enter the fray.

’Is this what Joel tried to do with me?’ Liam wondered, inspecting the frozen trio from under his hood. ’But what happened earlier? Did I gain more than venom glands?’’

Despite not knowing what had activated inside Liam earlier, he cupped his fist under his ample sleeves and uttered a basic greeting. "Fellow Daoists."

"Greetings, Senior," The two lone cultivators in the back said, with only one continuing. "I apologize if we have disturbed you."

"Greetings, Senior," The elderly man also cupped his fist while his brain worked at full speed.

"I’m looking for directions," Liam expressed. "Do you know where I can buy cultivation resources?"

Liam could think of a few Guilds, but preferred to keep his question as general as possible to avoid leaving clues and receive answers that would give him a complete idea of what the area had to offer.

Of course, some things never changed, no matter how many kilometers separated them.

"Senior!" The elderly man called, gasping, his dark eyes lighting up. "I know this area so well, I could traverse it with my eyes closed! Please, grant me the honor of personally escorting you!"

"Senior, please don’t listen to him!" One of the cultivators in the back promptly shouted. "He is a shameless liar and a thief!"

"Yes, Senior!" The other cultivator in the back cried. "He is only saying this to trick you into protecting him!"

Strangely enough, Liam had smelled the dishonesty before the last man made it clear. He didn’t really know how, but something in the old cultivator’s behavior and tone had alerted him far more than in the past.

It seemed that the ethereal skill of Liam’s nose had improved alongside everything else, and it wasn’t hard to guess why it was so effective. He could almost see through the trio’s cultivation, sensing their overall level more accurately than ever.

It turned out the old man’s foundation was more advanced than the other two, but he probably lacked the techniques and skill to make it matter over the numerical disadvantage.

The trio looked uncomfortable under Liam’s piercing gaze, and he eventually realized what was happening. He had been on the other side of those inspections many times in the end.

And, despite disliking tricks, Liam didn’t resort to enmity, instead thinking of something more suitable to his situation. After all, he had learned about give and take when he was just a monkey-boy.

"Money," Liam said, showing his hand, the gesture mostly hidden by his sleeve. "If you want my protection, pay me."