"Welcome to my home," The overseer said casually as he kicked his boots off and sat down on the bed. "So, tell me, are you a young master who escaped from home?"
Shocked at the question, Xu Min looked at the overseer with an expression of complete and utter disbelief on his face. He looked so lost that the overseer could not help but laugh out loud.
"I guess not," He said while wiping a tear from his eye. "Well, if you want to keep your job, you better tell me your background. I can't afford to have someone noticing you, and thinking that we have kidnapped a genius from some noble family."
"I'm not from any noble families, though." Xu Min said with his hoarse voice as he looked at the overseer, contemplating whether or not to tell the truth. Telling the truth would not be a big deal, as long as he made sure not to tell him where he came from; however, there was always a chance that the overseer would start searching for his background. If he found out, who knew, if he would sell Xu Min for the bounty given out by the Zhong family.
"You have to be from a noble family. How else can a kid like you become a peak Student Warrior?"
"My talent is good." Xu Min stated. When it came right down to it, it really was his own talent which brought him this far. He was never given any medicinal herbs or pills like the young master, so he was actually not lying.
"Well, someone taught you how to cultivate. And from the looks of it, it was someone who was not a complete idiot either. Looking at you, it's obvious you have been training both your body and your Qi. It is not a bad job you have done, not at all." The overseer said as he kept looking at Xu Min with a penetrating look. It seemed as if he could see the deepest secrets of the young man.
"I'm not a noble runaway," Xu Min finally said. "But I can't tell you where I'm from." Having decided that it was simply too risky to talk about his background, the young boy could only clench his teeth, and accept that he needed to find another good manual labor job.
"Alright," The overseer sighed, "My name is Wang Li. You can stay here for now. Since you are only a kid, I can't let you fend for yourself."
He saw that the young boy was very hesitant and unsure. He wished to refuse the offer, but as soon as his eyes locked with Wang Li's, he understood that this was not an offer, but an order. He swallowed his objections and nodded obediently.
"My name is Xu Min." He answered honestly, before his eyes became alert because he finally realized his mistake. Telling his real name had never been his intention, yet this man managed to get it out of him without any problems.
Seeing a satisfied smile on Overseer Wang Li's face, Xu Min had the urge to punch him in the face, but instead he moved towards the wall of the house and sat down, leaning against the chilly wooden wall.
As he closed his eyes and was about to start breathing like Overseer Tian had taught him, he felt something land on his lap. Opening one eye, he saw that a key was lying on his leg.
"Since you will be living here for some time, you better keep this copy," Overseer Wang Li said before he turned towards the stove, and started a fire in the hearth.
Taking the key in his hand, Xu Min once more closed his eyes and started breathing as he had been taught. It did not take long before golden specks of light were visible in the air around him, with some entering and others exiting.
Looking at the boy, a brief expression of surprise was visible on the face of Overseer Wang Li before he smirked and murmured to himself, "He truly does have monstrous talent," before he continued focusing on the stove in front of him.
On the stove was a saucepan and within it was a hearty seafood soup filled with the best shellfish and stonefish which he managed to purchase during a small break at work. On the side was some bread which Overseer Wang Li sliced into pieces. He quickly placed it next to the soup on the stove, allowing the bread to heat up slightly.
After he heated the food up, Wang Li did not instantly start eating; instead, he looked at the meditating Xu Min. A smile appeared on his face as he saw the boy constantly absorb and emit those golden specks. Then he sat down on his own bed, and started to meditate as well.
The two men, one young and the other old, sat in meditation for a few hours as both of them absorbed the essence of the heavens and the earth. Their breathing started to sync at some point, resulting in the entire room being filled with golden specks of light. Some of these specks were large, while others were small, but they were everywhere within the room.
After a few hours, Xu Min finally opened his eyes. As he did, Wang Li did the exact same thing. Looking around, the young boy was deeply shocked because he had never seen that many golden specks before. But sadly, they soon dissipated into nothingness, leaving behind no traces at all. Sighing deeply, Xu Min heard his stomach growl. A smile appeared on his face though, as he saw Wang Li handing him a bowl of soup and some bread.
"Eat up," the Overseer said, as he poured another bowl of food for himself.
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