Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Eventually, William came to the interchange and transferred the money into his account. Besides the thirty grand Chester gave him, he also had the fifty grand from Thaddeus and seventy grand from all the patients he treated in prison. Okay, I have six figures in my account now. He bought a ticket and got on the bus. Right away, he closed his eyes and started cultivating. His manual was something called the Way of Heaven and Earth. It was split into the realms of Divine, Deity, Demigod, and Mortal. The realm of Mortal was split into Qi Cultivation, Spirit Cultivation, and Foundation. William was an Intermediate Qi Cultivator for now, and his Qi was running around his meridian, clearing his mind of banal, useless thoughts. Other than that, his body felt great too. Suddenly, he smelled a nice scent, and he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a gorgeous woman standing beside him. She was about twenty years old, and she had beautiful eyes and a small nose. She was wearing a pair of headphones. The girl had a good figure and looked just as beautiful as a goddess. That has to be the most beautiful pair of legs I’ve ever seen. Fair, gleaming, taut, and straight. That’s a sight to behold. The girl was nearly five-foot-eight. She was wearing a short white T-shirt, a pair of light-red denim jeans, and a pair of white shoes. She had a flat stomach and a pair of bountiful breasts that jiggled as the bus swayed. William started feeling thirsty after taking a glance. He had not seen a woman for two years. Any woman could attract him, let alone someone like this lady. He concentrated and turned his third eye on. In his sight, the girl’s clothes disappeared and he could see her body in full, but William quickly looked away. Don’t want to have a nosebleed. Yet he couldn’t help but take another look, but just then, the very same girl suddenly held his arm. “Honey, I’m thirsty. Do you have any water?” Wait. What did she call me? The next second, he realized why she called him that. Before he knew it, the bus was already packed, and a group of four lads was standing around the girl. There was lust in their eyes and leers on their lips. Oh. Molesters. He smiled and handed a bottle of water to the girl. “Here you go.” There was frustration in the lads’ eyes. They had followed this woman for a while now, thinking she was alone. Where did this guy show up? The man in the lead still thought he had a chance with the woman. He narrowed his eyes and asked William, “You have a hot girlfriend. What’s her name?” William shot him a look. “None of your business.” The man sneered, “I can say the same to you. Hop off the bus right now, or else” William sneered as well. “Sure. My stop’s coming right up anyway.” The girl’s heart sank. I knew it. I can’t count on men. The men laughed. Once he leaves, things will be easy. We’ll drug this woman and do whatever we want with her. The driver shouted, “Pebbleton! Anyone want to get off here?” Pebbleton was a stone’s throw away from the county William was from. He said, “I want to.” The driver stopped at a remote three-way junction. William held the girl’s hand. “We’re here, honey. We should hop off now.” The girl froze for a moment, but she followed William quickly. The lads were surprised, but they followed them as well. Then, the bus drove away. “I told you to mind your own business, punk. You’re just asking to be taught a lesson.” The lad in the lead sneered and whipped out a dagger as he and his friends slowly closed in on William. William shot the dagger a look. “Leave now. If you make me fight you, you’ll regret it.” The lad stopped for a moment, and then he laughed. “Tough talk. Let’s see who’s tougher. You, or me.” The lads pounced on William, but William charged straight ahead and sent two of them flying before anyone realized what was going on. He crushed the bones in the foot of one and broke the rib of the last remaining lad. Screams of pain echoed through the air, and all the lads lay on the ground, breaking out in cold sweat and groaning in pain. William dusted his hands off. “I told you so. Call an ambulance, but you aren’t healing that easily. I’ve made sure you’ll live in constant pain for three years. You’ll heal completely in five years, don’t worry.” He smiled at the woman. “So, where are you going, miss?” The girl snapped out of her shock. “Thank you so much.” “No problem.” The girl mused over her options, then she asked, “Can you take me along with you?” Wait, what? Before he could say anything, the girl quickly added, “I don’t want to go home all by myself. What if something like this happens again?” True. Any girl would be scared after a run-in with molesters. He nodded. “Sure, I’m going to the county. Tag along and we’ll see what happens.” The girl nodded. “I’m Tia. Tia Lloyd. What’s your name?” “William Barrett.” William said, “The beltway is about six hundred yards away. We’ll get a ride there.” Tia nodded and walked with William. It only took them about fifteen minutes to get to the beltway, just as William said. A few minutes later, they got a cab and made their way to town. The town was named Halivaara. It had a population of a million or so, and it was about number one hundred in terms of the domestic economic scale. William’s home was in east Halivaara. It was a place where the city and village met. William made a call to his sister after he got in the cab. His sister was called Mia, and she was in Grade 11. She was bright, beautiful, and a hard worker. After William was sentenced to prison, Mia had it hard. It weighed on William, but fortunately, he received the privilege to call Mia every day not long after he was imprisoned, and he gave her all the money he made. Weirdly, no one took his call this time. Worried, he made two more calls, but still, they were not picked up. William’s heart sank. Did something happen? He called his mother, and it went through quickly. “William,” a woman said gently. William asked, “Where’s Mia?” “She came to the hospital this morning. She just left to buy me lunch.” William secretly heaved a sigh of relief. “She didn’t take her phone with her?” “She did. Why?” Melisenna’s heart sank. I don’t want her to worry. William said, “It’s alright. I’ll give her a call.” He hung up, and panic finally settled in. Mia specifically set a different ringtone for my calls. She would pick it up if she knew it was me, but now she’s missed my calls three times. Either she’s set her phone to silent, or she is in no position to take my calls.