The Matron shrank back in horror, hearing that Orin was possessed. That raised her fears to a totally new height. She was suddenly scared, what if the demon attacks her for maltreating him all this while?
She quickly turned to the thug who had only arrived. "Hey Tor! Take him out of here! Bring him back only when he's healed!"
Even at that, she wasn't going to take any other chances, once he was back, she would sell him.
Of course, slavery was banned in all the Kingdoms, but there were still black market traders, how would someone like her not know a few buyers?
Tor nods his head, smiling. "Alright, let's see what he's got."
Tor moved over to where Orin lay unconscious, he bent and peered into Orin's face. He stared at the boy's hand and his face immediately turned serious.
The Matron was even more terrified. "Even you has that expression? Is the demon that powerful!?"
Grit shuddered. "Even a third step cultivator like master Tor is scared of the demon?"
Tor paused, then he stood upright. "Not scared...boy. not scared. I am simply surprised."
"Enough of the talks! Please take him already! I won't let no demon ruin this place for me!" The Matron hurried Tor to take him out already.
Tor nodded quietly, then he reached and grabbed Orin by the leg. His hand glowed as he picked Orin up from the floor, carrying him easily. He had used a cultivation technique to boost his strength, so Feng was like a lightweight to him.
"When you're done, come for your pay." The Matron said, speaking hurriedly as she jumped out of the way, allowing Tor to carry Orin away.
Tor exhaled deeply as he pulled the kid along with him. "Alright kid... let's see how you managed to get dark qi inside of you...is it forbidden arts...?
Tor slung Orin over his shoulder like a sack, the boy's limp weight no burden as his glowing hand steadied the load.
He trudged out of the orphanage, the matron's shrill voice fading behind him. The courtyard kids stared, but Tor ignored them, his eyes flicking to Orin's wrapped hand.
Black veins pulsed faintly under the cloth, creeping up his arm. "Dark qi, huh?" he muttered. "imagine if they knew. It's worse than being possessed."
He headed down a dirt path toward the village outskirts, his boots crunching on gravel. The tattoo's glow flickered, and Orin twitched—Tor paused, squinting. "Still kicking in there, kid?"
He set Orin against a tree, unwrapping the cloth. The jade tattoo shimmered, black lines snaking faster now, threading through his veins like ink. Tor whistled low. "Forbidden arts, no doubt. Third step or not, this ain't normal."
Inside Orin, the dark qi churned on its own, triggered by his last push in the shed. His crippled spirit vein shuddered, cracking open more—natural qi seeped in, mixing with the dark energy, unblocking his spirit vein even more.
His chest heaved once, a faint groan escaping, but his eyes stayed shut. He was waking.
The process was working, slow and brutal, burning through him while he slept. Tor scratched his jaw, frowning. "You're a mess, kid. Fixing you might take more than a beating—or less, if I sell you first."
Knowing that Orin had dark qi inside of him, Orin was going to cost a fortune. The black market would certainly go crazy over him. He paused for a while, staring at Feng's face that had contorted in oain. "Let's go, kid."
He hauled Orin to a rundown shack on the village edge, dropping him on a straw mat which he pulled out of his bag.
Tor rummaged through a sack, pulling out a clay jar—some cheap healing salve. "Not that it'll do much for dark qi," he grunted, smearing it on Orin's palm. He needed the kid to be awake when he sold him, he would be worth even twice as much if he was conscious. The black veins pulsed, rejecting it, spreading to his elbow.
Tor leaned back, eyes narrowing. "You're a goldmine or a death trap. Which is it?"
A third step cultivator could sense qi, and this kid's was off—wild, dangerous. It flickered, and it didn't seem original. It didn't align with his body, that made it unstable and extremely dangerous. "Black market is gonna pay big," he muttered, "but if you're cursed, I'm not touching it."
He paced, then stopped—a faint hum from Orin's chest. The vein unblocking had reached his chest, the process was almost complete.
Dark qi stalled, pain spiking inside him. His body jerked, a choked gasp slipping out.
Tor stared at him closely, watching as Orin's eyes slowly opened.
They had a new glow to them, it seemed lively, and there was obvious power coursing through them.
Orin's eyes roamed for a moment, then it came to settle on Tor.
Orin furrowed his brows, "who are you?"