Chapter 6 A New Life

• Surrounded by his loyalists, Zi Han finally had a chance to experience the warmth of being with a loving and caring family.
• However, the problem was that he had never even committed the simplest of crimes and was utterly clueless about leading a gang of mobsters.
• To add to his surprise and confusion, he had just discovered that he could make the elements obey his will.
• A part of him was still skeptical about the tales woven around him, but after seeing and hearing everything, he knew there was no going back. That face on the painting was his, even though he had lost his regal air.
• Right now, Zi Han’s first goal was to mend his present condition before trying to figure out his past. Since he had just lost his job and been kicked out of his house, he needed a new place to stay and a fresh source of income.
• Although the Black Dragons had accepted Zi Han as their new leader, he knew it would take a lot more than an appeal to past allegiance to command them. In order to maintain his power, he needed to forget that he was a simple college student and act like the Supreme Dragon.
• Taking a deep breath, Zi Han moved away from the mirror and addressed Dongxiang. “I need a place to stay. Somewhere I can call my own.”
• “Will this mansion not suffice?” Dongxiang asked. “We will make the necessary—”
• “I can’t stay with you. Don’t forget I am still Zi Han, and the people will become curious if they see me here. Not to mention, I still don’t know anything about our enemies,” Zi Han replied, cutting him off. “I need some peace and quiet to think things through. Besides, I also have to deal with my personal problems.”
• Although Dongxiang was initially reluctant to let Zi Han walk away, he eventually understood his reasons and accepted his decision. “I am ready to serve you as you please, master. Just let me know how I can assist you.”
• “I need a house, a car, and some new clothes,” Zi Han replied. “We can discuss everything else later.”
• “See that our master’s demands are fulfilled. Make the necessary arrangements,” Dongxiang advised Zhen Lee, who left the room at once to procure everything required.
• Being raised by miserly foster parents, Zi Han had never received more than a few hundred Yuan as an allowance. And even after working part-time jobs for almost three years now, he had only managed to save less than five thousand.
• But now that Zi Han had acquired a Gold Debit card, he felt elated beyond measure. Money was definitely the answer to most of his problems and he was planning to spend a sizeable part of his good fortune today itself.
• “Ahem.” As Zi Han was looking at the card, Dongxiang coughed to catch his attention. “I would request you not to make too many large purchases at once. It might attract too much attention, and we are surrounded by enemies.”
• Zi Han put the card away and cleared his throat. He realized from Dongxiang’s tone that he was genuinely concerned about his safety.
• “Point taken. I have something else to discuss. You said I had power over the five elements in my previous life,” Zi Han said, staring at his bracelet. “So this must be the source of all my powers. An ancient artifact enchanted with magic.”
• Dongxiang bowed again and apologized. “I am sorry, master, but that bracelet is merely a family heirloom meant to remind you of your past. Your ascended soul is the true source of your power.”
• “Then I don’t need to worry about my enemies. I can just burn them to ash!” Zi Han exclaimed, cupping his right hand and flinging an imaginary flame orb at the candlestand mounted to the wall. “Cast fireball! I said, cast fireball!” he shouted again.
• Yet, despite raising his voice and straining the muscles of his forearm, he couldn’t even manage to conjure a dying ember, let alone a fireball.
• “What exactly am I doing wrong? Why can’t I conjure the flame anymore?” Zi Han asked, staring at his reddened palm.
• “It is because you cannot conjure flames out of thin air, master,” Dongxiang replied before moving closer to offer a more detailed explanation. “Elemental magic is one of the most difficult arts to master. To harness the power of any element, you need that particular element to be present in your surroundings. For example, if you wish to use the power of fire, you need access to an open flame.”
• Things gradually became clearer for Zi Han as he understood the basics. But he also realized there was still a lot more to this.
• In this world, only a chosen few could wield the Sacred Arts, and Elemental Manipulation was among the rarest of traits. Thus, even though Zi Han had mastered the elements in his previous life, in his current life, he was nothing more than a novice.
• Excited at the prospect of wielding this astounding power, Zi Han latched onto the opportunity to learn more.
• “What about the other elements?” he asked.
• Dongxiang asked the rest of the gang members to leave the room before continuing the discussion.
• “To harness the power of water, you need a source of water nearby. Similarly, using lightning magic requires a source of pure elemental electricity. The easiest of all elemental affinities is air, for it is all around us. Apart from that, with some practice, you can also bend the ground to your will by harnessing the power of the earth.”
• “So, the most difficult element to control is fire?” Zi Han asked.
• But Dongxiang shook his head. “No, master. It is lightning. Fire may not be all around us, but a keen mind can tame any flame with ease. Lightning, however, is the wrath of Heaven and can only be manipulated by a chosen few.”
• “Interesting.” Zi Han furrowed his brow, focusing his mind on this new information.
• “All elemental masters harness their power from nature. You only need to awaken your mind,” Dongxiang said.
• “So, in other words, I can’t conjure the elements from scratch, but I can only command what’s around me?” Zi Han questioned.
• Dongxiang nodded. “That is correct, master. But I am afraid you need to cultivate your powers to amplify your magic. It usually takes years to even gain mastery over a single element. But I am quite confident that a celestial like you will be able to tame them in just a few months.”
• “Of course,” Zi Han replied, faking confidence. He wasn’t afraid of hard work if it meant he could finally master the elements, but he wondered how long it would take him to achieve results.
• After some initial contemplation, Zi Han looked at Dongxiang again. “We will discuss this later. For now, I need to settle some old debts.”
• Dongxiang bowed. “Of course, master. We should talk more about your Sacred Art once you have learned your first skill.”
• "How do I learn a new skill?" Zi Han asked, curious as ever.
• "The elements will guide you, master. You only need to connect with nature and harness the power of your Qi energy. Once you have learned your first skill, we can discuss more."
• "Alright, we will cross that bridge when we get to it."
• Zi still felt clueless about the whole cultivation process, but he decided to keep it aside for now and focus on things which were actually under his control.
• Playing the role of a gang leader was difficult work for a boy who had always been forced to kneel before everyone around him. But Zi Han was slowly trying to get used to his new life.
• Tap! Tap!
• A knock on the door interrupted their discussion. With Zi Han’s permission, Zhen Lee entered the room again.
• “I have spoken to the most reputed car dealerships and arranged a meeting with a real estate agent as well. If you want, I can call them here and—”
• “No, I will speak to them outside,” Zi Han replied. “I want to keep a low profile for now. Besides, it’s never a good idea to invite strangers to your home. You never know who has what intentions.”
• “Always thinking three steps ahead. I would expect nothing less of you, Supreme Dragon!” Dongxiang smiled at Zi Han’s words, his eyes beaming with pride. “We are truly grateful to have finally found you, master.”
• Zi Han, however, felt unworthy of such high praise as he was still nervous about leading the Black Dragons. But he decided to play it cool instead of shattering their illusions.
• “Things are going to change now. We will reclaim all that we lost and make our enemies pay for their transgressions. Just put your faith in me,” he replied with single-minded determination, trying his best to play the role of a leader.
• Dongxiang and Zhen Lee bowed again, admiring Zi Han’s great character.
• “The long wait is finally over. Let’s crush those rodents who dared to question our authority!” Zhen Lee exclaimed with a fiery passion burning in his eyes. He was ready to weed out the enemies of the gang, but Dongxiang stopped him.
• “Patience, young Dragon. We should leave everything in the Supreme One’s capable hands,” he said, putting a hand on Zhen Lee’s shoulder to calm him.
• Zi Han felt relieved by the intervention. Even though he liked having the Black Dragons under his command, right now, he had no intention of starting a bloody gang war or provoking the authorities.
• “Let’s head out, Zhen. I need some clothes first, and then we will be paying a visit to the Fenwick Housing Complex,” Zi Han said.
• “Fenwick?” Zhen Lee asked in confusion. “I don’t mean to offend you, Great Dragon, but that place is a dumpster. Are you sure?”
• “I was raised in Fenwick, so yes, I am sure,” Zi Han muttered and headed for the door. But he stopped before turning the brass knob. “Before I can begin my new life, I need to handle some unfinished business. And I expect your complete cooperation.”
• “Forgive me for my insolence. I live only to serve you, Supreme Dragon!” Zhen Lee declared, thumping his chest again.
• “Just what I wanted to hear,” Zi Han replied in a resolute voice, stepping perfectly into the shoes of the leader. “Let’s go now. It’s time I finally settled some old scores.”