It had been just over a year since that day at the mudhouse on the fields. With Khan gradually transforming into a man. He was head and shoulders over Hoffley now, and the girls were starting to mature. He and Hoffley had had to build out 2 separate rooms for the girls now that their bodies were starting to change.
Hoffnung(the son) still hadn't come back to visit at this time. He was probably still cultivating at the sect and hadn't fulfilled the requirements to come back home.
On, the plus side, Khan, was starting to be hailed as some sort of business mogul, in the poor district.
With his calculated works of charity, and his dealings with, the tanner, the butcher, and the metal workers, being more widely known, it only added to his reputation.
Khan had grown more muscular over this past year due to the consistent pratice of Hoffnungs training manual. He had grown into a lean, muscular young adult. The muscles of his body robbing it of any excess fat. Channeled into more and more power stored in their tightly bound coils.
The sun had baked his skin into become slightly darker than it actually was. His chiseeled face and hands gradually getting darker as time passed. An almost stark contrast to his pearly white teeth and eyes.
The locks of his hair had grown longer, reaching the upper part of his back.
His face gradually getting a harder look, and his eyes gaining the clarity and focus of a hawk , it was almost as if he had gained a second, underlying vision in addition to his eyesight.
The slight stubble on his chin signaling the coming end of his boyhood and the start of his new life as an adult man.
It wasn't only him that had undergone changes, Hoffley was getting old. The grays slowly bursting out and infiltrating the blacks of his body hair, especially on his face and on the top of his head.
He was gradually getting weaker. His eyes getting dimmer and the greying of his pupils showing the rapidly advancing effects of his advancement in age. The bones and joints of his body gradually starting to resist his every move. Khan had been taking on more and more of the financial duties of the house as Hoffley started to get older.
A farmer's job was very intensive on every part of the body, especially the back. Hoffley had taken to soaking in a tub of hot water every night to help take awy the pain of his screaming joints.
The girls hadn't noticed yet. All they knew was that their father was getting fatter and his beard was getting grey.
Khan was thinking of buying them a new house close to the guard barracks so when he wasn't around, the guards would at least keep them safe and with their older brother's status as a cultivator in the sect, that should take care of protection from the local thugs and then from the nobles.
Khan had been planning to leave for a few months now. A place like this would be fine if he was just trying to get a little more wealth and then settle down, but that was not what he had in mind. He was thinking of becoming a traveling merchant.
It was exponentially more dangerous, but the rewards were also far far better than what he would be able to get over here.
Buying the house would, in his eyes cancel any debts Khan had with hoffnung and his family.
He had been talking to the tanner, Azul, about the sort of routes he could use and where to hunt the most in demand animals. He had been doing this without trying to tip him off to the fact that he wanted to leave the city.
If he did that, then Azul might just shut up in order to get him to stay. Khan was the most profitable supplier he had, and his leaving would be a massive hit to his business, and… most importantly, his profits.
So, Khan had been discreetly getting as much information from Azul as possible, routes, the most popular animal hides, which cities had the biggest markets, how far away they were, the location of dangerous bandit groups, etc.
It had been a long last three months, and Azul had almost caught on a couple of times so khan had to throw him off with nonsensical questions and by even not taling about those subjects entirely.
It was a tiring task, but he felt like he was getting near the end of his task. Soon, he would be able to leave with enough knowledge to at least make it out there on his own.
Right now, Azul was telling him how to spot the tracks of spirit animals. His only advice on surviving those was, run.
Those were basically supped up, then improved versions of already wild and dangerous animals. If you weren't a cultivator, you would stand about an icicle's chance in hell of beating them.
"Khan, how are you with commissions?"Azul, tentatively asked? Which was weird because he usually talked in a haughty way, as if he was a king and everyone else was a slave.
"Why? Whats the commission?"Khan asked, surprised that Azul was being so nice it was almost as if he was distressed.
"Can you do them or not?"
"I can do commissions, but I have to know what they are first, Im not sending myself to my death, I don't care if you are the one askoing or not"
Azul stared at him for a moment before saying, "Its a noble woman, she wants 10 leopard furs."
"10? Thats a lot but I can still do it? Is that why you were so hesitant earlier? This isn't that big of a deal."
"The problem is she wants them from 10 Celestial Mirror Leopards."
"Celestial Mirror Leopards? A spirit animal? Are you mad?" There were a few spirit animals that were widely known throughout the district, even the poor part. That was because they were one of the few bold enough to come near a human settlement protected by cultivators.
For the Celestial Mirror Leopard, it was because it was fast and hard to see. At first glance, it resembled an ordinary leopard with its sleek, powerful body and graceful movements. However, its fur is where the similarity ends. Each spot on its hide is silver and reflective, almost mirror-like, shimmering with an ethereal glow especially under moonlight and it was extremely fast, especially under moonlight.
This was the kind of animal that Azul wanted him to hunt. He repeated himself "Are you mad?"
Azul, quickly got up from his seat, "Please," he put his hands together, "please, I got drunk and started boasting that I was the best tanner in thee city, she…she was in her carriage passing by and then heard my drunken nonsense."
Khan, ever calm, led him to a small table and poured him a cup of warm tea. "Who wants it Azul, why are you so distressed? Explain yourself"
"Last night, at the Moon's Crest Inn, I drank more than my share," Azul admitted, hands trembling as he took the cup. "Lady Vespera was there—the noblewoman visiting from the capital—-she was in her carriage and overheard me. She wanted to know more so she sent her coach to ask me about it. In my foolish state, I boasted I could procure her ten skins of the Celestial Mirror Leopard."
"And let me guess, she took you at your word?"
"She did, and now she expects me to deliver. Khan, I have no idea how to even find one, let alone ten."
"She really believed you could get a hundred of that beast's skins?"
"She had one of her retainers ask me if I could get her the skins of a celestial mirror leopard. I said I could get a hundred, but then she asked for 10. She wants them in pristine condition."
"So now you want my help getting these spirit beast skins. What do I get out of it?"
"You'll do it? Thank y–"
"That's not what I said. I asked what I would get out of it. "
"It's 10 gold coins per skin. I'll give you 5, so 50 gold coins in total. How's that sound?"
"I want that and 20 percent more for every animal skin i bring you after this." Khan was going to milk this situation for all it was worth.
"No way, 5 percent"
"Fine 17 percent."
"8"
"15 percent"
"10 percent"
"Deal" Khan had learned a few negotiating tricks after dealing with Azul for a while. And he was going to use them to their full measure.
"I also want as much information as I can get on the leopard. I'm not going in blind."
"I don't know much about the animal but I the noble lady is a book worm from what I hear, im sure she has some books on the leopard. Do you know how to read?"
"Yeah"
"Are you sure she will even want to meet me?"
"Ill figure something out. Don't worry. "Thank you, Khan. But you must know, she is not easily swayed, especially with her books. Her reputation... she is as stern as the northern winds.""
"Alright, then we will need to be as steadfast as the mountain oaks," Khan replied
The following day, dressed in his finest yet modest hunting garb, Khan accompanied Azul to the grand mansion where Lady Vespera was staying. The tanner coached him as they walked. "Remember, Khan, Lady Vespera values honesty and cleanliness almost as much as a tree its roots. Stand tall and speak clearly."
They were greeted at the door by a servant who led them through richly decorated halls to a lavish sitting room where Lady Vespera awaited. The noblewoman was draped in silks that shimmered like the surface of a lake at sunrise, her eyes sharp and assessing as they fell upon Khan.
"Young Khan, the hunter," she greeted, her voice smooth as polished stone. "Azul claims you can speak on his behalf. Tell me, can you fulfill the promise he so rashly made?"
Khan met her gaze, his posture unyielding. "My Lady, the Celestial Mirror Leopard is a spirit creature, not a target for us mortal hunters. To take even one life would be a task as great as jumping over a mountain in one leap. Azul spoke in haste, influenced by spirits and the jovial atmosphere of the inn."
Lady Vespera's eyes narrowed, "Then I expect you to train your legs, peasant. If none of you are able to procure what was promised, I shall have your heads and that of your families. " However, she motioned for him to continue.
"I understand," Khan continued, "we still plan on getting you the skins. Its just that its something unique that very others will provide, and even then, for an exorbitant price." Khan paused, ensuring he had her intrigued attention.
"So?" Lady Vespera asked, her curiosity piqued.
"I have long heard of your magnificent library, allow me access so I can learn more about the celestial mirror leopards.," Khan proposed. "There is no point hunting down a creature I know little about, save its name. I would just be throwing my life away and you would get nothing."
Lady Vespera considered this, her expression unreadable for a long moment. Finally, she nodded. "Very well, Hunter Khan. I accept your offer.You will not have access for more than an hour every day. You will have 2 weeks to learn what you must. But be warned, I expect that you honor your claim."
"As the mountains are steadfast, so too is my word" Khan assured her.
As they left the grand house, Azul breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Khan. I owe you greatly."
Khan merely nodded, knowing the real challenge lay ahead—not in tracking or hunting, but in leveraging this experience to get more access to the library. He was a peasant. This was a once in a life time opportunity to have access to those books, he would make sure to get as much out of this as possible.
And then, finally, he saw it. A glint of water in the moonlight, a small pond hidden deep in the forest. He moved closer, his heart pounding in his chest. There, on the edge of the pond, was a beaver dam. It was smaller than the one he had found before, but it was intact. And there were signs of life—fresh tracks, chewed branches, the unmistakable sound of water splashing.
Khan's lips curled into a grim smile. He had found them.
But as he stood there, staring at the dam, a strange feeling came over him. It wasn't triumph. It wasn't relief. It was something darker, something more primal. He thought of Azul, of his father, of all the people who had ever doubted him. And he thought of the knife in his hand, the arrow at his side.
He could do it. He could destroy the dam, kill the beavers, and take what he needed.
And if anyone stood in his way, they would regret it.