Chapter 19: The Demigod With The Spirit Eyes
...
*THUNDER!*
Thunder sounded as dark clouds hovered above the White Tiger Duke's estate, bringing with it a massive pour of cold rain. Behind the servant quarters of the estate was a small clearing with a single woodshed.
Standing alone in the middle of the clearing was Perseus, looking mournfully down at a large piece of stone in front of him.
His silver hair stuck to his forehead and temple. His eyes no longer had the sparks of happiness that he had regained since being reborn in this world. They were dull and lightless, matching his His expression was that of utter detachment.
"Why..." Were the only words that came out of his mouth as he stared at the stone, hand tightening hard enough to draw blood, but the cut on his hand healed slowly when it made contact with the rainwater.
Before him, the stone marker had writing on it. It was his mother's name etched into it in English with excellent penmanship. The letters were carved beautifully to complement the person it was made for.
Here lies Huo Yun'er, beloved mother and heroine. Just reading that made his eyes morph into murderous intent.
Five years. Five more long years had passed, and unlike the first six he'd spent happily beside his mom, these did not treat him so well. Things had taken a turn for the absolute worst when he awakened his Martial Soul, Spirit Eyes, during his Martial Soul Awakening Ceremony.
The Duchess was ruthless, and his mother died right in front of him, and just like before, he was utterly powerless to do anything about it.
No tears were falling from his eyes. They had long since dried after he buried his mother. That was over a year ago.
"…" A silver aura spread around his body, and the rain in the area fell harder. "Nothing...nothing has changed!" He slammed his fist on the nearby tree.
*PUNCH!*
A visible chunk on the tree was made.
*THUNDER!*
Nothing changed in this new life. Just when he thought things had become different in this second life and that he would get to live happily again, he'd end up losing it all again.
"I swear..." He said with gritted teeth, his voice low yet unwavering as his expression contorted in silent anger. "I'll be the last thing you see!"
"I'm going to kill you." He raised his head up to the dark sky and made his conviction known. "I'm going to kill all of you! No one will be spared. AAAAAAAAGHHHH!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, causing the nearby birds to fly away.
*THUNDER!*
Everything they ever cared for, everything they ever loved. He swore he will come back and reduce it all to ash right in front of them. It didn't matter if it would take ten or twenty years. He will find them and hunt them down. All of them would pay for what they had taken from him. Especially that raging bitch, the Duchess.
After getting his Martial Soul and learning that it was the weakest at a measly level one, the Duchess and the entire household kicked him into the dirt. That vile woman made sure that everything they had was stripped away from them, and just to beat them down even further, she paid off the other servants to harass them—the same people his mother had always treated with kindness and respect.
On the pretext that his mother had a terribly contagious disease, the Duchess made them live in a poorly maintained woodshed away from the servant quarters, stripping them of all their financial resources and even their own home.
They lived on scraps. His mother worked herself to the bone to provide for them, enduring their terrible treatment. She worked until her health deteriorated. She always laughed it off and told him she was fine, but he knew she was lying. Day by day, her body grew weaker as she kept providing for them, and her son could only watch, unable to do anything.
With his terrible start as a Soul Master, Percy trained and cultivated his Martial Soul like a man possessed. As he was still the duke's son, he was given the basic method of cultivation, and so he trained intensely for five long years until finally managing to become a level ten Soul Scholar.
Not only did he get his Martial Soul but the awakening ceremony also brought something unprecedented. He regained a small percentage of his demigod abilities and powers. He didn't know how or why, but he took it as a hint that if he cultivated more, he could regain his former might and use it to save his mom, but it was all for naught because, quite frankly, cultivation was a long and arduous process that demanded tons of time and resources, and he had neither.
But through this suffering he relearned a fundamental truth of the world. Weakness was a sin, and because he allowed himself to get too comfortable, it cost him everything. He will not repeat that.
It had been a year after his mom's death. Truthfully, he didn't want to stay in this place a second longer at the time, but he had no choice and needed money while cultivating in the safety of this damned estate. So he had to go through one more year of this shit. It was a testament to his patience that he didn't try to outright strangle them.
It was rough, but he finally made it to level ten as a Soul Scholar and was now able to get his first Soul Ring.
Turning to leave, Percy gave one last look at his mother's grave before departing.
...
In the dead of night, the Silver Demigod quietly snuck out of the rear gate on the northern side of the Duke's mansion. He eased the bronze door shut, making sure to not make a single sound. When it closed shut, he checked his surroundings to see if anyone had caught him before bolting off without looking back.
This was the plan for the last couple weeks. The Duchess's celebratory going-away party for her youngest son resulted in fewer guards patrolling the area, making it the perfect opportunity to sneak out without any trouble.
In the event there were guards standing in his way, he was fully prepared to knock them out at a moment's notice, and if that didn't go right and a fight ensued... well, let's just say it was good there wasn't anyone there and leave it at that.
Once he was far out of eyesight from the estate and a new morning arose, Percy settled into a steady pace. For almost a week he'd be on his feet. When he was thirsty or hungry, he'd drink mountain water and whatever he could find in the wild or what he had on hand, but he made sure to do so only sparingly, and when he had to rest, he'd sleep atop the trees until morning came and resumed his journey.
When he wasn't on the road, he'd be busy drilling footwork, forms, or practicing his Spirit Eyes. The amount he traveled was far more than one would expect of an eleven-year-old child, but because he was a fledgling Soul Master, he did not feel much fatigue and recovered rather quickly, but whether that was because of Soul Power, demigod body, or his sheer will was up for debate.
Naturally, He'd changed in the last six years. His spiky silver hair was styled in messy, layered strands with side-swept bangs that framed his face in a tousled yet elegant way to his shoulders, with the silver eyes to match. He wore a white jacket with blue trim along the sleeves, crisp white pants, a black undershirt, and a bright red scarf tied around his neck. Red wristbands circled both wrists. His mother had made the outfit.
He headed northward, traveling on the official road. He had long since prepared for the day he would leave, saving up whatever little amount of money he could. Combined with the savings his mother earned from the manual labor at the mansion, he had around 14 silver and 70 copper to his name, a simple map of the continent, a weapon on his waist, and simple road snacks in his brown travel sack.
His plan for the moment was to find a special forest to do something. After that, most likely head to the next city for work. During his travels he met with many passersby, none posing a threat to him. One of them, a middle-aged man who worked as a traveling merchant, gave him proper directions as well as sold him some things he'd need for the road. He continued on his travels until almost a week had gone by.
"I must be close." Percy gave a quick look at his map before tucking it away.
The map showed the direction he was headed, marked the tree shadows on both sides of the road, and signified that he was close to his destination, the Xingdou Forest, or Star Dou Forest in English.
Wiping the sweat off him, Percy stepped off the main road and went into the woods. Instead of immediately going to do what he intended first thing, he found a shady spot, sat cross-legged, and began meditating to recover his strength.
As a Soul Master who only just began his path of cultivation, he only had so much Soul Power to work with, so he couldn't waste it all willy-nilly. He had to be careful of maintaining his reserves and keeping them from depleting to zero. When a Soul Master exhausted all their Soul Power, they would become extremely exhausted and pass out. To regain Soul Power in the quickest amount of time, a person only needed to meditate to replenish their amount. Sleeping also worked, but that took longer.
An hour later he opened his eyes, and he took a moment to regather his thoughts. Soul Power was simple and strict. Restoring Soul Power quickly right after exhausting it still left him a bit tired. He was still new to Soul Power, but from what he's learned, it worked similarly to the other powers from his world, like Chi or Senjutsu, which he was well versed in.
A major downside was that Soul Power reserves can only grow when a person breaks through their bottlenecks after every tenth level by absorbing Soul Rings—no way around it.
And the only way to get a Soul Ring was by slaying Soul Beasts, which were extremely powerful animals native to this world, and just like monsters from his previous world, they were not kind to humans. They were extremely hostile from the stories his mom told and became even more frightening after the Darkest Day. Combating them wouldn't be easy.
Normally he should've been accompanied by an adult with more Soul Rings to guide him and provide safety, but that wasn't going to happen. If only he could use his magic, he wouldn't need to struggle so much, but that was impossible for the time being. His full divine powers are not accessible at the moment, which is sad because he wouldn't mind transforming into Silba and tearing that mansion apart in front of the Duchess right about now. Too bad.
Moving on, he pulled a weapon from his waist. Unsheathing it, he pulled out a 40 cm long dagger with a dark green scabbard.
It was beautifully curved with a gleaming silver blade with intricate blue and silver engravings near the hilt and a purple gem in the middle. For such an ordinary dagger, it felt natural to hold. It also felt exceptionally comfortable, and that's because he knew it wasn't a normal dagger. As a natural weapon expert, Percy could tell there was something more to it. He just didn't know what.
This weapon was the White Tiger Dagger, his mom's final parting gift. It was a gift from his father, and she had given it to him just before dying.
A solemn look flashed across his eyes, followed by a regretful and angry sigh. He hated this weapon. No, that wasn't right. It wasn't fair to the weapon. He hated his father.
Many times he pondered just throwing it away or leaving it back in the estate. His rational mind even thought about selling it just to further his own goals, but he didn't have the heart. This was the final thing she'd left him. He'd never forgive himself if he did.
"Enough!" Percy growled, sheathing it. "He is not your father. He means nothing to you. Nothing." He swept his hair to the side and let out a breath.
He got up and went to locate the nearest water source. As the son of Poseidon, he had a unique ability to locate water sources, a minor ability that had no combat uses, but he found use in it quite well over these past few days.
The sound of nearby water did not fall on deaf ears, and he calmly went.
As he made his way there, he had his eyes closed while doing so but was making his way to the stream without tripping on himself, following the sound of the water. His Martial Soul was quite special. He named it Spirit Eyes, and it gave him a unique ability of increased visual prowess, making him perceive his surroundings with incredible clarity and slow down his perception of time.
Because his Martial Soul was of the spiritual attribute, it also increased the rest of his six senses more than ordinary people. It became much more pronounced when he did it with his eyes closed.
On top of that, as a battle-hardened warrior, he perceived his surroundings as if he had eyes on the back of his head. He did not lose that even after being reborn. That combined with his Martial Soul gave him an incredible edge. His Spirit Eyes were so amazing that they almost matched his natural vision when he was at his peak.
Finding the stream, he kneeled down and filled his water pouch. When he finished, he paused, studying the clear water. "Hmm, I could go for a dip right about now." He then placed his bag down and began removing his clothes.
It had been a while since his last bath, and he was starting to miss it the last couple of days. Since he regained a bit of his demigod powers, he never smelled bad and would never be capable of smelling bad. That meant he didn't need to shower, put on deodorant, or even brush his teeth. His body would never smell.
That said, he still preferred to bathe if not to simply clear his mind. It was a habit of his, not to mention he felt more vitality from doing it.
Hanging his clothes on a branch, a buck-naked Percy slipped into the water. Floating on his back, he let out a long breath. "Much better." He felt all stress from him leave him along with the flowing stream.
Contrary to the horrible treatment he suffered, his physique was very defined, with a lean physique not many would see in children his age unless they had a martial soul related to explosive muscle growth that increased strength. In that aspect he matched or surpassed some of them. With short silver hair and eyes. He stood at four feet nine, just shy of five feet. It was all thanks to the small amount of his demigod abilities coming back that he was able to grow without being hindered, but it did nothing to help with his cultivation speed.
Aside from relaxation, he felt strength surge in his body and even an increase to his clarity, but it was minimal compared to what his Spirit Eyes can do. He inherited a lot from his father. What was happening now was one of his more basic passive abilities called water empowerment and the ability to heal through water. It can only heal cuts and minor injuries. It wasn't strong enough to heal severed body parts like his healing factor, which he didn't have access to, but it was very useful for training.
As he was bathing, green fishes that swam downstream drifted around him as if in joy. These green fish were in fact Soul Beasts, but they were too young and weak to produce Soul Rings, just like chickens.
They circled him, hovered against his chest and stomach. It painted an almost adorable scene. 'Leave me alone, guys.' He told them with still-closed eyes, not out of annoyance but because he was going to get out soon.
The fishes heeded his words and fanned away.
Percy was not at all surprised by this. It was just another of his minor abilities. All aquatic life instinctively adored and obeyed him. That went double for horses since his dad created them. With this power he could command them and even have a back-to-back conversation with them, but that part of his power was unavailable, but even half-working, it made dealing with Soul Beasts a lot easier. He could definitely see himself using it more in the future.
Stepping out of the water, the Silver Demigod's eyes glowed a mesmerizing sea green for a split second before returning to their normal color. At the same time, his body was completely dry, as if he'd never stepped inside the water.
Holding his shoulder, he stretched his neck side to side before picking up his new clothes from his bag. He washed his older ones and used his water powers to dry them.
Feeling hunger, Percy sighed and went back to the stream, crouched down, and lifted a finger toward the water.
Immediately thirty fish gathered in front of him with a heavy heart and asked, "Forgive me, but I require sustenance." He asked with a low voice.
Just because he regained a small bit of his divine powers didn't mean he could go on without eating. That was simply not possible. He could hold out for a little while, sure, but it's not like he was like before reincarnating in Soul Land. He can't go on forever despite the pain of hunger. The fruits and berries and dry goods he'd brought with him were running low. He hated the idea of eating sea life, but it was this or starve.
Instead of running away, the fishes merely inched closer, signifying that they would sacrifice themselves. They were more than happy to be food for their lord. Percy only closed his eyes and gave a sincere thank you. To make their deaths as painless as possible, he said, "Die." His eyes flashed sea green.
The fish hearts stopped, and they turned belly up.
He built a small fire of dry twigs, shaved sticks to use as skewers, and rinsed a few broad leaves in the stream. With the White Tiger Dagger, he sliced four fish into clean, thin sashimi pieces on the leaves and set the rest aside to grill. From his bag he pulled a lemon and a handful of greens and roots he'd foraged, plus a few odds and ends he'd bought from that merchant—spices, sugars, and a couple of sauces. Seven copper well spent.
He cleaned the remaining fish, skewered them, rubbed salt inside, tucked perilla leaves into the belly, and set them over the fire. With his Spirit Eyes dialed in, he watched the heat and turned each skewer at the right second, cooking them with the skills and grace of a world-class chef. When the first batch was done, Percy nodded approvingly and let them out to cool.
He opened his hand. Liquid silver pooled in his palm and poured to the ground. It rose into the air, spinning and swirling. It was his silver water that he was so famous for.
When he awakened his Martial Soul, he had regained it, but only a sliver of it. To explain it in math, at his peak he controlled its volumes on the scale comparable to the Pacific Ocean. Now he could only manifest it about the size of a short sword—roughly 0.13 liters, or ≈130 cubic centimeters. Four and a half ounces.
He stared at the glistening metal of his water and gave a simple command. "Blade."
The silver water brightened and formed a 29-centimeter short sword. Percy stood up and gave a few testing cuts. His movements and handling of the weapon were like second nature to him. The weapon slashed through the air, cutting up the falling leaf.
He stopped his movements to seat himself back atop the stone. He stretched out his hand and said, "Ball." The weapon softened, swirled into a rapidly spinning sphere, and then—
*SLASH!*
It shot across the stream and into a tree, chewing a hole the size of a man's head through the center. The trunk creaked but remained standing.
Percy nodded once more. Even with this paltry amount, his silver water proved why it was one of the most ferocious and fastest elements. Even at that size, it remained devastating under his hands, as it always was. "Still got it." He clenched his fist before summoning another and recreating the same short sword.
In this world where Soul Power was the main power source, his divine abilities, no matter how minute, provided him an advantage no one could expect. Combined with his fighting experience from his past life, it would undoubtedly help him survive and thrive in this world as long as he was smart about it.
However, he couldn't get too full of himself. Right now he was just an orphan who only just recently made it to the point where he could break through to the next rank. Compared to the real powerhouses he heard of in Soul Land, he didn't hold a candle to them. That's why he'd make sure to keep his abilities secret until he can regain his full power, that too coupled with his Martial Soul.
Not wanting the fish to get cold, he picked up a skewer, and just as he was about to dig in, his senses alerted him to nearby footsteps coming his way. It was people.
"Who's there!?" He pointed his silver water weapon in their direction, ready to slice the heads off them in case they turned out to be thieves, and in the worst-case scenario, see whether he can escape or bring them down with him.
From the woods two people came out. A girl and a boy were walking along the stream but stopped when they saw his weapon and defensive stance.
The girl held her arms up, not wanting to start any unnecessary trouble along with her compatriot.
The girl was young, around fifteen or sixteen, smelling of grass and, strangely enough, vitality. Her long black hair was tied back with a pink bow. Her dress was a flash of pink and purple, sleeves flared and edged in frills, with ribbons at the waist and another bow at her throat. Big golden-orange eyes watched him, bright and nonthreatening.
She was actually quite pretty. When it came to beauty, she ranked pretty high, even by supernatural standards. Now that he thought about it, many people in this world were rather good-looking. Could it be because of Martial Souls?
Behind her was a handsome boy around the same age with his hands behind his head nonchalantly smelling of an element he had very bad history with. He was tall with short, tousled violet-purple hair, with purple eyes and a gentle expression on his face. He wore a dashing white coat trimmed with purple and fastened by cross-shaped clasps over his patterned blue shirt with a loose tie. Wavy blue shirt, dark trousers, and a golden chain at his waist.
Despite his gentle face, he behaved with a calm confidence under his laid-back smile.
These two strangers were quite the pair, looking like they were straight out of a pop band.
"Sorry, we didn't mean to scare you. We promise we're not here to hurt you." The violet-haired boy apologized, giving a short bow.
"He's right." The girl addedquickly,, not wanting any problems to arise between them. "We don't mean any harm. Honest. Sorry for scaring you."
Seeing their apology was genuine and not sensing any malintent from them, Percy stared at the duo for a full minute. He didn't lower his sword down as he continued analyzing every single feature of the duo. From bodyweight to height, posture, and even breathing.
It was a long moment of silence between the three, and the boy and girl felt like they were being inspected from head to toe. Finally, Percy stabbed his short sword into the ground. Not quite lowering his guard but displaying to them that he wouldn't look for conflict if they didn't.
He stared back into the campfire. "Who are you people?"
"I'm Tang Ya." She happily introduced herself. "It's nice to meet you."
Chuckling, the boy answered next. "And I'm Bei Bei. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." The violet-haired boy introduced himself with a one-hand wave.
Despite their nonthreatening stance and sensing no desire to harm or steal from him, Percy wasn't going to let his guard down around them for a moment. His instincts told him they were capable fighters, especially the purple-haired fellow, Bei Bei. He actually felt his hairs stand on end, and it was mainly because of him. The scent of electricity wafted off him, while the girl smelled of grass and vitality that reminded him an awful lot of Chi and nature magic, be it small with the hint of something... thorny.
In short, a fight with those two wouldn't go well. "What do you want?" He asked, tone flat.
When posed thequestion,, the girl actually fidgeted in her spot while twiddling her fingers. "Little brother, I was attracted to your grilled fish. It smells so good. Can you sell me one, please?" She said, causing Bei Bei to palm his head with a sigh.
Percy stared at the two for a moment with an incredulous look. "..." Did this girl really just ask him for one of his fish? He was expecting something but not that.
He looked at Bei Bei, and the guy offered a helpless smile.
The girl had come into the woods with her friend not so far away from him. That's when she caught a whiff of his cooking and, attracted to the scent of grilled fish, went in the direction of it. She didn't know why, but she just had to try some.
"Eh...I...I." While he wanted to simply tell them off, seeing the cute look of expectation on her bubbly face, the silver demigod didn't have it in him to tell her to go away and so, despite himself, handed her a skewer. "Here. You don't need to pay me for it."
Tang Ya's eyes lit up like a festival. "Really? Don't mind if I do." Taking the skewer, she sat in front of him, and when she took a bite, her eyes widened as if she were over the moon. "Wow, this is so good!" She excitedly said between bites.
"Yeah..." He muttered, looking away. "You're welcome."
The violet-haired Bei Bei walked toward her, looking down with gentle exasperation. "Xaio Ya, our little brother here hasn't even taken a bite yet, and you're already halfway through the thing?"
Tang Yas's pink eyes widened in indignation. "What did you just call me?" She aimed the skewer at him.
Below her fierce yet cute glare, Bei Bei raised his hands up in surrender. "Fine, Ms. Ya. Happy now?" He said and patted the girl's head.
A blush touched her cheeks along with a smile, causing the boy to be momentarily heartstruck. She playfully swatted the hand. "That's more like it. Remember your status." She reminded him before happily going back to her grilled fish.
Seeing the display of public affection, Percy could only stare deadpanly. 'I...I am so confused right now.' Shaking his head, he grabbed another skewer and offered it to Bei Bei. Since he gave some for Tang Ya, he saw no reason not to do the same for her boyfriend. "You can have some too if you'd like."
"Are you sure? You haven't eaten yet, and I wouldn't want to intrude." He asked, not wanting to be impolite.
Percy shrugged his shoulders. "It's fine. I've caught more than enough for myself, and if I want, I can always get more. Dig in." He replied coolly.
Smiling, Bei Bei took the skewer and sat beside Tang Ya, who was already on her second. "In that case, don't mind if I do. Thank you. little brother."
A small frown was on Percy's face when he called him "little brother," but it disappeared. He didn't like the idea of being addressed like that, but it's not like he'll blow up at them just because of that. This was just part of the culture in Soul Land, so he wouldn't take offense to it. He definitely wouldn't follow them.
"Don't mention it." He stood up and went to set more fish over the heat. Something told him he was going to need more.
"Wow, this is really good." Bei Bei, who had just taken his first bite.
"I know, right?" the girl beamed. "I've never had grilled fish this amazing. Little brother, you are the god of fish!"
"I know, right?" Tang Ya beamed. "I've never had grilled fish this amazing and delicious in my life! Little brother, you are the god of fish!"
Her praise wasn't just out of the mouth. She meant what she said. She had tried many grilled fishes in the past, and this completely blew them out of the water, no pun intended.
Forcing himself from snorting at that god of fish thing, Percy merrily said, "You're welcome." before focusing back on the fish, but deep down he was happy somebody enjoyed his cooking so much.
"I agree with my teacher. This is really good." Bei Bei finished his and, noticing that they hadn't asked what his name was, asked, "Little brother, since we gave our names, can you tell us yours?"
Percy paused over the grill, the question hanging between them. Now that he thought about it, since he ran away, he hadn't really thought about how he was going to be addressed. "Huo Yuhao." he said finally. "Just Yuhao is fine."
For the time being he'd go as Huo Yuhao. In the likelihood he ran into a familiar face from his past, which he doubted would happen, this alias would make a good cover.
Tang Ya and Bei Bei traded a quick look but kept silent. Tang Ya pointed at the leaf near the fire, where neat slices of raw fish rested. "Little brother Yuhao, do you not plan on grilling these?"
He shook his head. "No. That's something else. It's called Sashimi."
"Sashimi?" Both of them asked, confused.
Unsurprised by their reaction, he gave a short explanation. "It's raw fish. You dip it in soy sauce or something similar to boost the flavor. Normally there's rice under it, but I don't have any right now." He pulled a small bottle from his bag and popped the cap.
The aroma wafted off the raw fish and landed on their noses. "This is a sauce I mixed myself out of spices, herbs, and an already made sauce I bought from a travelling merchant. It's a little spicy, but it has a sweet aftertaste." He then slathered the raw fish.
Tang Ya immediately shot her hand up. "Can I try some?"
"Teacher Tang Ya." Bei Bei said, half-scolding. He had believed that they've already asked enough of this young boy.
"I'm really curious." She pouted.
"I don't mind." He brought the meal to her.
She thanked him and popped a slice into her mouth. Her eyes went wide. "Wow! Little brother Yuhao, you're a genius. A food genius!" She praised, prompting Bei Bei to try some as well.
"Amazing. The sauce really gives it a new world of flavors." Bei Bei commented as he went to take another bite.
"It's nothing." He replied impassively as he finished his fish. "Sadly, I don't have any more sauce left." He told them, and the look of disappointment on Tang Ya's face almost made him feel bad. "But there are plenty of these if you'd like."
Tang Ya perked up immediately, and all three began digging in.
...
..
.
(Finally, we can get this party started. Also, Percy will be called Pery when written and Huo Yuhao by people who don't know his true identity in Soul Land. Just wanted to clarify. Peace.)