A God in a Xianxia world

Chapter 60 - End Of The Hunt

"Yeah" shouted Adam in agreement, before everyone gave cues to their horses to slow down and begin turning.

Tom, taking his horse onto the road and trotting forward towards Acorn's west gate in view at the end of it, took notice of the many cultivators moving back and forth along the road.

Like usual, there were many people present, all cultivators, constantly trudging back and forth as part of the monotony of Acorn's town life. People, weak and strong, rich and poor, in groups and by themselves, all moving back and forth between the forest and the town, making their living, tempering themselves, strengthening themselves or just seeking the thrill of the hunt.

There were those that were armoured and those that were not. There were a few who had horses but many who did not. There were people with wagons, people with carts, people with bags and people with nothing but their own two hands and the clothes on their back.

Some, coming back from their hunts in the forest, were bloodied and injured, others, weary and exhausted, and yet still more who were happy and content with their day's worth of hard work.

In stark contrast to them though, there were those who had yet to enter the forest. The eager opportunists seeking to make their fortune, the confidant veterans who approached it as just another day and the inexperienced young, impatient and curious novices who had yet to have their first taste of the forest, nor know of its dangers.

Looking along the length of the road, Tom saw the familiar scenes he had seen when travelling it before. Ordinary warriors and sect disciples alike, both carrying back the hauls of their hunts, hard earned after much trail and tribulation. A fantastical array of beasts slain and brought back to be dissected without mercy, their lives ending so new goods could be bought and sold from the stalls and shops of Acorn town.

It wasn't just Tom looking at others though. Tom and Adam's own group attracted a fair amount of attention and not just because of their full wagon or the fact that they were all riding horses. The powerful smell that was still being emitted by the fragrant sweet orchids had spread throughout the nearby area and turned many heads, though after a momentary interest people started turning away again and those who had lingering thoughts, being so close the Acorn and with so many others around, could do nothing but watch on with greed in their eyes.

Looking around, Tom could see that amongst the people travelling to and fro, the ordinary warriors, wearing a vast array of different clothing, made up the majority, yet the familiar grey uniforms of the Iron Fist Sect were a common sight and the blues of the north east's Flowing Water Sect could also be picked out.

Amidst all of this, the only truly strange or rather unexpected thing was the new addition of those wearing the orange uniforms of the south's Fireblaze Sect, a sight that came as a great surprise to all present since those of the southern sects rarely ever came to the north.

"Hmm, that's a surprise" said Adam, who saw them first.

"Are they Fireblaze Sect disciples?" said Harrison questioningly upon seeing them. This question however, was to know one in particular. It was merely shocked utterance he let out after being surprised at what he saw.

"It looks like it" replied Avery with a serious look on his face, his mood ruined.

"God I hate those guys" scoffed Marcus.

"They are rather arrogant" said Adam.

"Arrogant, hah, they're more then arrogant Adam, they're insufferable pricks. I'm just happy they usually stay in the south, with the rest of their kind"

"Well, it's not like we need to bother with them. They're of no consequence to us, just ignore them" advised Adam.

"Hey, what's the big deal?" asked Lance to Pike. Having grown up in a village and still being relatively young, he didn't have much knowledge of this subject area, nor why everyone was reacting the way they were.