Hearing that the overseer gave the young boy a job, the other workers could not help but sneak a glance towards the young boy who immediately started to move crates like he had been told to.
Although he was young, no one made fun of him, nor did they question why he had wanted the job. They just observed the young man as he moved the crates, one at a time, towards the shoreline part of the harbor. A cart was waiting for them so they could be sent to the shops in the city.
After they saw the young boy working earnestly, and how his face was starting to sweat like their own, they felt respect for him. Their respect increased even more when they saw that even after several hours moving crates, the boy continued, sweating hard, but showing no signs of giving up.
Seeing this, all the older men who worked at the harbor were greatly surprised. When it came to strength, it seemed as if the boy was equal to them, something they had a hard time accepting. His speed was also very similar to their own, signifying that he was definitely a cultivator.
The other workers were not the only ones watching the young boy. The overseer spent the majority of his day observing the young child. His eyes narrowed, and his hands clenched and unclenched once in a while. All this time, his eyes were focused on the boy, but also somehow distant, as though he was busy contemplating something important.
The day turned to dusk and the sun set on the other side of the sea. The blue seawater and the blue sky turned purple from the sinking sun. The sight was so breathtakingly beautiful that even Xu Min, whose heart was filled with hatred and vengeance, had to stop to enjoy the beautiful scene.
As Xu Min was observing the beautiful sunset, a new group of workers arrived at the harbor. The voice of the overseer rang through the air, "Everyone gather up! Time to switch shifts. Come and collect your money or I will keep it."
Hearing the voice, laughter could be heard in the harbor as everyone went towards the overseer and gathered up in front of him to accept their pay.
Working at the harbor was a job that could only be done if the workers had a certain amount of strength. However, when these men gained enough strength, they would move on to better paying jobs. This meant that the job as a worker at the harbor was neither really good nor bad.
After waiting for his turn, Xu Min was astonished when he received five copper coins. Although five copper coins was only enough to pay rent for a bed and get one meal at an inn, it was still the first time the young boy had ever earned money with his own hands.
His life at the Zhong Family Compound had been one where he was a servant. Everything he had was given to him, or provided by the family. Since they had paid money to buy him at a young age, Xu Min never saw any sort of payment for his training to become a family guard. Neither had his older sister.
Just as Xu Min was about to walk away, wondering if he should sell some of the plants he had found, he heard the overseer's voice. "Wait. I still need to speak with you kid," He said it in a whispering voice right next to him. Xu Min instantly stopped in his tracks and obediently stepped aside, waiting for the overseer to finish his job.
The overseer's job was not done yet. As soon as he finished paying the workers at the harbor, he had to spend another half an hour explaining to the new overseer which ships were unloaded already, and which ships still needed to be unloaded. He also needed to report what happened during the previous shift.
While the overseer was working, Xu Min stood completely still, waiting for the overseer to return to him. He was in no rush since he had nowhere to return to in this city. All he needed to do was to find an inn, and spend the rest of the night cultivating.
"It's good to see you waiting for me," A deep voice sounded. Xu Min was startled, because he had not expected to hear any voice coming from right behind him. He was a cultivator, how was it possible for him to be taken by surprise like this? Even if the other guy was a Warrior it still should have been possible to detect his movements.
"Now follow me," The overseer said, as he turned around and walked into the dark alleyways leading away from the harbor. Seeing this, Xu Min hesitated slightly before he decided to follow the man. It was obvious that the overseer's cultivation base was far above his own, and if he had wished to harm him, he would have done so already.
The truth was that Xu Min was curious. He was curious to know what rank this man had achieved, and how he could sneak up on him without being noticed.
Walking through one alleyway after another, Xu Min had quickly lost track of where he was and which way they were moving. Even so, the young boy still rushed behind the older overseer, following him to the best of his abilities.
Finally, after moving for half an hour, they arrived at a shabby looking house attached to other similarly looking houses, none of them seemed to be in good condition. Watching the overseer open the creaking door, Xu Min would have guessed that it would fall from its hinges at any moment, but unexpectedly, it lasted.
Entering the house, he saw that it was not as shabby as on the outside. Inside there was a small stove and a bed. Apart from the overseer, no one else seemed to live in the house, but unlike the outside, both the stove and the bed seemed to be well-maintained. At the foot of the bed was a chest with a lock on it; as to what was locked within the chest, Xu Min had no way of knowing.
Comments (4)
See all