Chapter 1: The Black Merchant

-----Zhu Wushang POV-----

It’s been 12 years since I’ve come to this world. Yes, come to this world, It’s not wrong to use this to describe me. Because after the first year since birth I have many bits and pieces of strange memories pop up in my head. These memories do not are very different from each other.

One time, I'm an inspector that try to uncover a dark secret of a cult in a world that’s completely unfamiliar to me. Other time I’m an elite or high-rank officer that can give a command to fire an apocalypse maker that destroy all life with a searing light when it explodes and the mushroom-like cloud would follow after the explosion. Sometimes time I’m a great merchant that has an organization of 100 thousand people around the world, my wealth is unimaginable. And many more.

Those memories have nothing to do with each other at all. It’s like I’m an observer that saw those people living their lives and got fascinated by it. All the things I’ve seen in the memories is always from the third person perspective, I saw how they live their lives and consequence of their action, including outside factor that would affect their lives. But, I’m sure that’s I’m not the one who's experiencing it like I living my own lives right now.

All of those memories help me a lot when it comes to judging someone character. I can sense if they can be trust or not. And it helps my mind to grow more mature than the child at the same age as mine.

I don’t know what those memories is, but I know one thing. All the people I saw in those memories remnants, none of them had spirit-root. And there is no cultivator in those memories.

So I wonder if I came from that world? But Enough of my dilemma, right now I need to finish preparing this feast. I heard from Fatty that my godmother has come here from the imperial continent to celebrate my birthday so I need to do my best because this would be a grand feast for our family.

“Young master!” A familiar voice sounded. I look at the direction while tasting the soup in the tasting plate in my hand.

“What do you want? Fatty.” I ask a fat boy who’s running to me with an exciting smile.

“I heard that young master going to personally prepare the feast!!”

“And you want to to make sure it delicious by pre-tasting it first?” This thing always being his goal when he’s coming here while I’m the one who’s cooking the food.

“Ahahaha Young master always read my mind just like the great sage that can foresee heaven secrets.” Fatty chuckling and rub his hand together with pleasure while flattering me.

“Stop flattering me fatty there’s no additional portion for you even if you praise me to heaven." I told him in a matter of fact while fatty just shamelessly chuckling and shrug it off.

This is fatty, His name is Hong Paopao. He’s the servant that hired by my father and come here when I was 4. He’s my first friend even he’s a servant and is 4 years older than me. At first, he didn’t have the nickname fatty, He’s even slim to the point of seeing his rib through his skin.

But after he gets the first taste of my food and become my assistant for taste testing my new dish. Like I had pushed the button that shouldn’t be pushed in the dangerous tomb, His foodie spirits have been awakened. After that his food standard had significantly raised, He can't’ help himself to give a critic to a bad food when he ate one, and it's usually escalated to a brawl when the chef that makes the food he ate can’t take the critic.

His body becomes more and more obese until he becomes what he is today and gets a nickname <Fatty>.

I quickly finish preparing the food, this Jade tranquil soup that I cooked from the essence of 10 spirits vegetable and herbs mixed together is the last dish I need to finish while waiting for the honeyed roast spirits lake bird that I prepared. This bird I got from my father when he brings me to hunt a wild game in the outer rim of the Great forest of nowhere, and he hunts it for this special day. Other than this, I still got many spirits herbs and vegetable to use for my cooking.

I start to do the “stir-fried spirits rice” and control the flame with my hand and use my inner qi to control fire to be more precise to maintain the taste and freshness of the food while stir frying it.

Yes, I can only use inner qi which is the result of my research and comprehension toward the nature of spiritual qi in the hope that I can use spiritual qi even if it’s an artificial one. The result made me realize that It’s impossible to use it if I didn’t have a spiritual root. But from what I understand, I had created a method to use inner qi which is the life force of every living being of this world.

This inner qi is far more inferior than spiritual qi more than heaven compared to earth. First, it can only enhance bodily function and strengthen it. I’m much faster, stronger and have sharper sense than mortal but I can’t use the inner qi to create the element like fire water or electric. At most, I can only use the sword qi or finger qi strike from a short distance, no more 10 Meter.

The maximum extent of the inner qi is equal to the peak of Spirits Warrior, which I already achieved. When I reached 14 years, I need to train my body the hard way to increase my strength further. But even I try my best, the maximum power that I can reach will never pass the primary stage of Spirits commander.

The only thing that I regret is that I can’t use spiritual qi, Otherwise with this brain of mine, I could be able to many things that would make my family proud.

Enough of my dilemma. With fatty and other servants help. I quickly finish the rest of the task in the kitchen. I divide ⅓ of all the food for servant before I tell them to send the rest to the dining room in the main building.

I scoop up the soup with a ladle and pour it into a small bowl and give it to fatty.

“Fatty” I called.

“Thanks! young master.” Fatty takes it without much decorum before I scoop up another small soup bowl for myself and eat with him.

Both of us enjoy the soup and talk about trivial things in the manor for a bit before I excused myself to go to the main building.

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In the main building of the manor which is where my parent and I Iives. In the dining where many food and plate are placed and prepared neatly for every family member and guests. I’m looking at the figure of a gorgeous black hair girl in her early teens, and she’s looking back at me with a beautiful smile.

Her name is Xiao Lan, She’s older than me for two years, but she’s usually acting like she’s the younger one.

“Wushang!” She’s walking toward me and hold my hand before asking.

“After the meal, come fishing with me at the lake. You had promised.” She said.

Yes, I had promised her to fish with her at the Green lake since last week, but I heard that a very important guest would come to my birthday that’s why I got busy with my dad to find some good ingredient to be used in this feast.

“OK” I responded with a nodded.

She smiles and skipping to the side of a beautiful, voluptuous woman who's talking and giggling with my mother. 

The woman is my godmother Qin Xue’er, she’s working for the Great Phoenix Empire, I heard that she’s working in the royal court, but I don’t know specifically which position she’s working. But, One time she wants the emperor to give me a decree to let me work as her personal chef, luckily the emperor didn’t give her this decree. The woman that can request an Emperor of a nation to provide her with a decree she should be at least a minister that have many merits.

I’m walking to my father that’s talking with a handsome mustache man that always hides a disdain when he sees me within his eyes, He’s the guardian of Xiao Lan and always stay at Xiao Lan side. He’s not Xiao Lan father that’s for sure, Because I never heard her ever called him father, at most she would call him uncle, but usually she would call him by his name, Wang Zhao that’s his name.

This guy seems to be kind and upright but his eyes when he’s looking at me tell me otherwise. He never hides his disdain and disgusting expression when there’s only me, in my book an upright and kind man would never show contempt toward someone when they can't cultivate.

Something tells me that this guy can’t be trusted.

----End of Zhu Wushang POV----

After everyone has gathered in the dining room. The honored guest finally arrived, this guest is a handsome and charismatic man in the luxurious gold-trimmed black robe, his finger adorned by many storage rings. He’s walked inside the dining hall and greets everyone with his business-like smile.

“Sir Black Merchant! Please sit, this feast will never disappoint you!” Qin Xue’er said with a polite tone.

“Thank you miss Qin” He’s sitting at the head of the table which is exactly opposite from Zhu Wushang that’s sitting at the other side.

At the moment he’s looking at Zhu Wushang, His eye constricted and the dreaded feeling slowly flowing from the deepest inner of his soul, His hand shaking, his heart thumping in fear. He used all of his spiritual qi to barely suppressed it. Luckily he can still maintain his poker face until he calmed down.

[Who… the fuck... is that child? Is he born with an innate gift that can counter me? Or He actually that… no, It’s impossible he shouldn’t… I need to find out about this child ASAP] The black merchant thought while the cold sweat slowly flowing on his back.

He had an idea on where this fear of him came from, but he didn’t dare to think further because if it’s true, that’s the end of his freedom.

He smiles at everyone before nodding at Qin Xue’er to start the feast and keep this fearful thought of his at the back of his mind.

The fear he felt is the thing that he swore to himself to find a source. And if possible eliminate it forever.