After half an hour of observing the approaching Cultivators, I was reasonably certain that advanced elements would reach the town walls within seven to eight hours.
I couldn't sense any Cultivators of sufficient level to present a serious threat. However, that didn't make the circumstances any better.
An open battle with so many Cultivators would only draw unwanted scrutiny. Which was in direct opposition to what we wanted. So, instead, I decided that a protracted siege was likely in our best interests.
Erecting a defensive barrier around the town would be relatively simple. Maintaining it would likewise be simple. However, it would also potentially drain a considerable amount of energy.
Yi Gim and I both had the reserves and brute strength to maintain the barrier against anyone except perhaps another Monarch or an exceptionally talented Formation expert. The only problem was that the longer the barrier was maintained, the more obvious it would become to outsiders that our strength did not match our assumed disguises.
This meant that we would need to strike a careful balance between a projection of strength and encroaching weakness.
In the meantime, the approaching Cultivators provided a prime opportunity to enhance the strength of the Devils that would soon begin swelling our ranks. Which would in turn make it that much easier to put on a convincing facade.
"Your advisor is correct-"
I frowned slightly and rubbed my chin thoughtfully as I considered it.
Ultimately, I didn't need the mine or its spirit stones. It had just been a convenient cover. With the ongoing feud between the clans, that cover was proving more effort than it was worth.
I felt Sebet's consciousness flicker briefly in an imitation of feigned surprise. However, she did not insult my intelligence by refuting the observation. After all, it was almost certainly her primary motivation for suggesting our relocation. The fact that it would facilitate my safety was not beside the point, but rather a lucky and convenient justification to get what she wanted.
With everyone in agreement, we retreated to mines and hastily adopted new disguises.
A trio of short-lived Summons bearing our appearance made a show of retreating on foot out of the town and in the direction of Gozu's clan holdings in the mountains. Making a show of cursing our fickle allies for abandoning the town, and promising to return once a greater force could be brought to bear.
There was no real telling how well the Summons followed the script.
While the Summons were drawing attention to themselves, I had resealed the hidden chamber within the mine and wiped away all signs of our presence. Only then did we sneak out and over the walls and back in the direction of the city.
Relying solely on our physical strength to avoid drawing attention from spiritually attuned Cultivators, we raced across the open countryside at a truly monstrous pace. The twins carried on our backs when their fledgling strength began to fade, but not stopping or slowing for more than a handful of minutes at a time.
With Sebet guiding our path away from anyone or anything intelligent enough to mark our passing, we made rapid progress. And once we were a sufficient distance from the town, we began to accelerate our pace in earnest.
We arrived on the road leading back into the city in the late evening. However, the gates were closed and wouldn't open again until the early morning. Not wanting to draw the wrong sort of attention, we set a small fire and waited for sunrise.
As the hour drew closer, a line of merchants and commonfolk began to form in front of the gate, and we joined them soon after.
I nodded to show I understood and discreetly passed each member of our group a lesser spirit stone in preparation for payment. After giving things a little more thought, I doled out the local currency we had secured from the bandits we had slain within the mining town.
While Cultivators were generally above the use of such mundane currency, it didn't stop them from flaunting access to it. Even if there was no expectation for the money to be spent, its absence would only draw the wrong sort of attention.
Not that Sebet or her brood were complaining.
anent
I spared a glance toward Sebet and the twins.
Yi Gim suggested helpfully.
Yi Gim nodded definitively.
That I had already known, but appreciated his candour all the same.
Suspicious, I motioned for Sebet to continue.
The nature of the raw materials was obvious, and the aching hunger of the twins' otherwise silent presence only served to draw further attention to it.
Brothels and bordellos had been illegal in my home country, so I was confident that most of what I knew about them and their operations was wrong. Associated with two or three-story apartment buildings squeezed into the concrete maze of the larger cities.
I commented neutrally.
Sebet nodded placatingly, but it was clear that she had more to say.
I looked to Yi Gim for confirmation and received a stiff nod in reply.
Sebet projected an image of an opulently decorated drinking lounge that bore a striking resemblance to a cabaret scene I had seen once in a movie. Only with a far eastern feudal decor and clientele.
Thinking things through, I could see the logic in what she was proposing. However, I still had concerns.
Sebet gave me a curious look and smiled with amusement.
Sebet's grin widened, almost unnaturally so.
Yi Gim's gaze flickered to the twins, and I could see a brief conflict of conscience take place behind his eyes. However, they grew cold and calculated again almost immediately.
Yi Gim grunted but made no objections.
The gates opened and soon enough it was our turn to face the complement of guards.
Contrary to my initial expectations, we passed through without any complications. The guards appeared just as eager to be rid of our presence as we were of theirs. Although it did not prevent the seniormost amongst them from pocketing the offered bribe.
Now inside the city, we followed Sebet off the main trade roads and into the winding maze of side streets.
Like a bloodhound on the trail of a fox den, Sebet led us unerringly deeper into dangerous and downtrodden neighbourhoods. The natives held at bay only by the invisible pressure of our Cultivation and weapons openly worn on our hips.
After nearly two hours of wandering, we came to a halt before a large five-story building with a red glass lantern hanging from an iron hook above and to the side of the double doors.
Young women with faces painted in white and cherry makeup knelt on worn cushions behind the barred windows. Occupying small rooms built onto the front of the building. Their eyes regarded our company with resigned indifference, even as they smiled and beckoned toward the door.
Malnutrition was rife within the lower classes of Cultivator Realms, and I had witnessed as much many times before. So the overly slight frame and short stature of the girl in the rightmost window made my stomach churn and roil with anger.
Bile rose in the back of my throat, and it took an effort to bring my anger back under control.
Let off her metaphorical leash, Sebet wasted no time in rushing inside.
A scream came from just inside the door, only a moment late. Followed by a heavyset man with shaggy black hair and vivid crimson tattoos flying out the door and onto the cobbled street at our feet. His right forearm was hanging limply and to one side. The bones were pulverised by Sebet's own hand as she tossed him bodily into the street.
The twins' eyes the man with hunger, yawning in their eyes. However, neither made a move to feed.
Instead, Carcis kicked the man hard under the chin. Breaking several of the thug's teeth and knocking him unconscious. Lips curled in disgust, he rolled the man onto his side to stop him from drowning in his own blood and teeth. Not out of altruism, but solely to keep his food from spoiling prematurely.
More screams came from the building, and more of the tattooed thugs fell from the second-story windows.
The twins blurred into motion, anticipating and standing in the exact right place to catch and strike unconscious each of the thugs before they had a chance to hit the ground.
Flush-faced patrons, mostly middle-aged or pock-faced men, fled from the building in terror. Some of them were still fumbling with their robes and belts.
Twice, the twins seized a fleeing patron and tossed them to the ground. Brutally knocking them unconscious and setting them beside the others. Their actions were a pronouncement of guilt unto themselves. Their Oaths and Contract prevented them from acting violently against the innocent.
The young women in the viewing windows of the ground floor had retreated as far as they were able. However, the small doors behind them appeared to be locked, preventing them from fleeing outright.
Yi Gim watched the twins' actions and frowned. He gave me a questioning look but appeared to arrive at the correct conclusion on his own. With more than two dozen other patrons allowed to leave unmolested, the two men had to have done something to warrant their special treatment.
A crowd began to form down the far ends of the street as passersby stopped to watch what was happening.
Less than five minutes after her dramatic entrance, Sebet returned. Dragging a morbidly obese and half-naked man by his pudgy ankle. Provoking shrill pig-like screams from the man as she tightened and relaxed her grip with sadistic proficiency to maximise the pain.
In her other hand, Sebet held the true prize,
The sheaf of papers contained the documentation that proved ownership of the pleasure house. In the eyes of the law, possession of these documents meant we were the true owners.
Once the previous owner was disposed of, there would be no one to contest otherwise. Naturally, there would likely need to be bribes doled out to the city officials, but that would be true for a traditional transfer of ownership anyway.
"Gao Sheng has reviewed your offer, Boss! And he has agreed to your terms!" Sebet proclaimed loudly, projecting her voice so the crowds at either end of the street would hear her. "The Fragrant Rose is yours!"
The previous owner, Gao Sheng, squinted up at me from behind the folds of fat covering his eyes. "You will regret this!" He shrieked, waving his sausagelike finger, "The Crimson Vipers will-EEEEEK!!!" His outrage evaporated instantly as Sebet tore off the offending finger.
"Perhaps it would be best if we taught this pig some manners?" Sebet offered with a demented grin as she made a show of lifting the human-shaped whale by his ankle. A deliberate act to demonstrate her status as a Cultivator, and a strong one at that. Given that Gao Sheng likely weighed four or five hundred pounds.
"Take them all!" I commanded. "No doubt, I am certain there are customers who would appreciate the change in fare!"
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
"As you say, Boss!" Sebet cackled, seizing one of the tattooed thugs and carrying them back into the building.
The twins were close behind her, thick rivulets of drool already running down their lips.
Carrying the remainder between us, Yi Gim and I entered the building for the first time.
We had entered what appeared to be a common room. There were half-eaten meals abandoned on the tables, and the raised stage in the centre of the room was empty. Besides those we carried and ourselves, we were utterly alone.
Following the trail of blood from the door and behind the counter at the far side of the room, we found an open cellar door and stairs leading down into what I assumed to be a wine cellar.
Instead of following the Devils below, I had Yi Gim leave his charges at the top of the stairs and keep an eye out for trouble. A role he appeared only too happy to oblige. While he may not know exactly what Sebet and her spawn intended, he had the good sense to know he would sleep better for his ignorance.
Descending the steps, I closed the cellar door behind myself and carried the thugs into the cellar.
Only to discover that I had guessed incorrectly.
It was not a wine cellar, as I had supposed, but something altogether more closely aligned with the nature of the building itself. Albeit leaning heavily toward the taste of those with very specific interests.
Pillories, manacles, and all manner of BDSM paraphernalia were spread about the large chamber, and thick iron-barred cells lay in rows on either side.
Discarding the unconscious thugs, I focused my attention on the other side of the cell bars. To my profound relief, I found the cells were empty.
Sebet was already securing Gao Sheng into a perverse contraption I refused to identify or internalise beyond the iron and leather cuffs used to secure his wrists and ankles. While Carcis and Nebis dragged thugs into the open cells.
"This cellar is too small for the Grand Array," I commented, ignoring Gao Sheng as he made muffled screams from behind the gag lodged in his mouth. "I will lay out basic privacy measures, then leave you to do your thing."
Smiling as she worked, Sebet released a disappointed sigh and slowly shook her head. "No, it would be best if we handled other matters first," she sounded incredibly disappointed indeed. "But this will be a good learning opportunity all the same," Sebet gave her children a look that weighed heavily with unspoken expectations.
"We will not disappoint you, Mother!" Carcis barked hastily.
Nebis spared a fraction of a second to look at me before turning to Sebet. "They will suffer, and we will learn what they know," she promised.
Sebet nodded approvingly but held an air of reserved expectation. Making it clear that she would reserve praise for after the twins met her expectations, and not before.
Inscribing a privacy Array into the cellar was simple enough. I only had to use my Earth Affinity and Shape Stone Spell to mark the stone pavers covering the floor. The grate in the corner that seemed to run into the sewers required an Array of its own to block anyone who might try to use it to sneak into the building, but it was otherwise an uneventful and straightforward process.
Despite taking almost no time at all, I could feel the twins' tension growing to near breaking point by the time I was finished.
Without sparing a glance, I ascended the stairs and found the common room now populated with the women and a few men, who presumably plied their trade on the beds in the upper floors. There were infants with them as well. Held tightly and protectively in their mothers' arms.
The white facepaint, or perhaps powder, did little to mask the poor health of the faces beneath. Most had hollow cheeks that indicated long-term starvation.
One woman had what appeared to be a dislocated jaw. Despite the pain it caused her, it didn't stop the woman from keeping her head bowed and her eyes firmly fixed on the floor.
Not one of the prostitutes and courtesans dared to look at them.
Not something that surprised me, given the circumstances.
"Your old boss, Gao Sheng, is gone," I stated coldly. "You work for the Black Fox now," I motioned to the simple black foxhead tattoo on my arm. "That makes you one of us," I continued, "And no one touches our people and gets away with it."
Some of the women glanced sidelong at one another in confusion while the majority remained still.
"We do things differently. What you earn is your own. It's yours to keep." I forced myself not to react as some of the men and women sneaked glances at me. "We will provide you with security and the continued use of the building. Or, should you wish it, and prove reliable, alternative employment. To put it bluntly, the earnings from a place like this are beneath us."
"Cultivators...They're Cultivators!" One of the women whispered loudly, earning a silencing elbow from the woman beside her.
"For those willing to swear oaths of loyalty to our cause, we will even offer you the opportunity to become Cultivators," I added, piggybacking on the stir the woman had caused only moments before.
One and all, the men and women raised their heads and stared. Doubt, greed, hope and raw desperation warring behind their eyes.
"You will not be expected to come to such a decision right away," I raised my hands and motioned for calm. "You will all be given time to think things over and talk amongst yourselves. However, in the meantime, you will be expected to remain upstairs for your own safety. Just until the dust settles."
"W-What about food?!" One of the mothers interjected. She cowed her head and defensively angled her body to shield her child as I looked in her direction.
"Food, water, and medical assistance will be provided," I promised and piled a nearby table high with food from my Storage ring.
Low gasps rose from hungry mouths.
"My associate," I motioned to Sebet, "Will pay you each a visit and administer a medical inspection in the privacy of your own quarters. Should any of you require treatment, we will provide it free of charge."
One of the weaker-looking women tore her eyes away from the food with what appeared to be a tremendous effort. She looked at me with worry and uncertainty, gnawing and worrying at her lip while trying to resolve an internal debate.
It wasn't an idle boast. Wraithe had cured several patients with terminal diseases by brute-forcing a solution with the Shape Flesh Spell. Either by removing and replacing defective or compromised tissue and organs, or compelling the body to fix itself through manipulating the white blood cells.
If all else failed, the Cleanse Disease Spell would probably do the trick. Provided it was, in fact, a disease and within the scope of the Spell.
"We are aware that there are those among you who may require specialised care," I paused and looked directly at the young woman. "You have no need to fear. We will not cast them out. Provided it is within our means, we will see them hale and healthy again."
The young woman gawked back at me, her eyes wide to the point of almost springing from their sockets.
"Now, you will each be allowed to fill a plate and then return to your rooms," I motioned back toward the pile of food on the table.
I stepped out of the way, and the boldest amongst the desperate mena nd women crept forward. When it became clear that imminent violence wasn't forthcoming, they began piling simple plates high with food.
Instead of retreating upstairs beside the others, the young man passed his plate to one of the women and then returned to the table to fill another.
I nodded to show I understood.
The majority of the remaining men and women preferred to hang back and allowed the young man to retrieve the food for them before retreating upstairs. Although a handful did muster the courage to serve themselves.
Sebet waited until the last of them had returned upstairs before following them.
"You meant what you said?" Yi Gim asked curiously, his voice transmitted through our communication tablets. "Training them as Cultivators," he specified.
"I did, and I do," I replied honestly.
"That will prove quite the expense and overall undertaking..." Yi Gim paused for a moment, frowned slightly, snorted and then smiled while shaking his head. "Excuse my impertinence, I had forgotten to whom I was speaking. Raising a Monarch with the resources at your disposal would only be a matter of course."
"Somewhat limited in our current position, but sufficient to keep my promises," I replied with a small smile of my own. "Now, I need to replace these privacy Arrays and create a protection Array before trouble comes our way."
Yi Gim nodded in understanding. "And is there something I can do?"
I gave it some thought. "Wandering the street outside and showing off the tattoo should help get the word around. Especially if you could make an example of anyone inviting trouble or probing for weakness."
"I can do that," Yi Gim agreed and then headed for the door.
Left on my own, I stowed away the leftover food and then got to work.
Ideally, I would have inscribed the exterior surfaces of the building and not just the interior. However, I compromised with a more mana-intensive method, burying the symbols of the array inside the walls by reshaping the stone, clay and mortar to accommodate foreign material that formed the basis of the Arrays.
It was a tedious process and consumed a significant amount of time to ensure that the Arrays were functioning at optimal efficiency. Although it did carry the advantage of reinforcing the walls and foundation of the building.
Protective Arrays for the viewing windows out the front of the building were somewhat more straightforward. Defaulted into an active state to prevent anyone or anything from passing through the wooden bars of the window from the direction of the street. They would need to be maintained regularly, but such an expense was negligible, provided no one was allowed to strike them with impunity.
Privacy Arrays for the upper floors and individual living quarters came next. However, I discovered that the workers of the pleasure house did not sleep in the same rooms where they plied their trade. Instead, they had dormitories on the third floor.
The second floor had a long corridor that connected to more than two dozen private rooms beyond the stairwell and nothing else.
Most of the rooms were quite small, with just a simple wooden bed and faded sheets. Which would doubtless glow like a neon sun under the effects of a blacklight. The remainder, those with windows facing onto the street, had queen-sized beds and sheets of markedly higher quality.
I repeated the protection Arrays on each of the windows and created a Privacy Array for each of the rooms. Connecting them all to a central power source would come later, but I wouldn't have any problems keeping them charged while I was within the confines of the building.
In addition to the two dormitories on the third floor, there was also a large office space with an adjoining bedroom that had belonged to the Gao Sheng. In contrast to the other rooms in the building, Gao Sheng's quarters held basic privacy Formations and even a Protection Formation on the main door.
The quality was trash, so I had to work from scratch anyway. But it was interesting to find all the same.
After remotely inlaying the walls of the dormitories with the Arrays, I began ransacking Gao Sheng's quarters as a means to pass the time.
While emptying the contents of the large ornate desk in his former office, I uncovered a considerable stash of coins and literature with accompanying illustrations. Illustrations that might have turned my stomach, had I not already witnessed the contents of the cellar.
The bedroom contained more paraphernalia borrowed from the cellar, left on display with no thought as to who might enter the room and find them.
I decided there was nothing in there that could justify sullying my hands over.
Descending the stairs, I withdrew a chair from the Storage ring and settled myself in one of the far corners of the room to recuperate.
I had spent a considerable amount of mana and wanted a moment to get my thoughts in order.
The knowledge that Gao Sheng was receiving his just desserts downstairs did assuage my anger to a certain degree. However, a certain impotent rage remained.
Revenge wasn't justice, and it didn't reverse what these men had done. It only prevented them from performing further evil acts in the future. A small consolation for those who had already harmed.
However, there wasn't much more I could do, and painfully little to reverse the anguish of their victims.
It did reinforce my conviction in our plan and quieted the misgivings I held toward creating more Devils. Which I did not doubt that Sebet viewed it as quite the coup. Doubtless, this was the reason why she had chosen this place in particular.
Ascending the stairs to the third floor, I homed in on Sebet's location and entered the second dormitory at the far end of the corridor.
Smoke from a pair of cheap incense sticks hung in the air, cloying the senses. The dried aromatic herbs cover the pungent and unmistakable stench of rotting flesh.
My Toughness had long since rendered me all but immune to Diseases, so I knew I had little to fear in regard to my personal safety. However, there was a primitive part of my brain that baulked at the prospect of lingering further, let alone drawing closer to the source of disease.
All the same, I silenced those thoughts and pressed forward.
The dormitory was fitted with narrows naval styled bunks. Barely wide enough and long enough to accommodate a single person of average height. The bunks were set against the walls to either side, which left a curiously large degree of space running through the centre of the room and toward the barred and shuttered window at the far side.
Sebet had removed her patient from the bed and laid her out on the floor atop a pair of soiled blankets.
The woman was of indeterminate age. Her skin cracked, blackened and weeping from open sores scattered across her exposed body. Dull eyes stared up at me with pained desperation as her bloody lips croaked and wheezed something unintelligible with rapid, shallow breaths.
Despite the pain, she desperately wanted to live.
Dead flesh and pus lay in putrified pools, soaking into the blankets beneath the woman's body. A byproduct of Sebet's attempts at resolving the matter on her own.
Sebet explained matter-of-factly.
I drew a knife from my belt and pressed my thumb hard against the blade. Despite the magically enhanced edge, it took several moments before the pressure was sufficient to part the skin and draw blood.
Still holding the knife, I extended my hand and released several drops of blood onto the woman's body before the shallow cut closed over again.
I felt Sebet's thoughts twist and shift as she prepared to make a joke or lascivious observation, only to seemingly think better of doing so and keep those thoughts to herself. Instead, and without any visible hesitation, Sebet placed her open palm onto the woman's bloated belly.
The pressure drew fresh weeping trails of pus mingled with both her blood and mine.
A steady stream of mana passed from Sebet's hand and into the woman's body. Its presence purged a foul-smelling, black tar-like substance from the woman's pores as it swept through her body.
Switching focus to my spiritual sight to track the progress of her recovery, I realised Sebet's primary efforts were not directed toward the woman at all. They were concentrated on the unborn child within her belly.
Deformed, twisted, and barely clinging to life, it was a miracle the fetus had survived.
Sebet commented distractedly, her words accompanied by images of one of the guards brutally kicking the woman several times in the abdomen before spitting on her and leaving her for dead.
Unspeakable rage burned in my veins. The air distorted and shimmered in a haze as my Fire Affinity fed upon my anger.
Caught off guard, the blow knocked me back several steps before I regained my footing.
Lips curled in a snarl, I had already closed half the distance again before I realised what I was doing.
I looked down at my clenched fists. With what felt like an impossible effort, unclenched them. Tendons and sinew rebelled but gradually relented.
Breathing hard, I turned my spiritual sight inward and felt the presence of fresh Heart Demons surging within my veins.
Cursing at myself, I fell into a meditative stance and began actively cycling a Breathing Technique to cleanse their influence and clear my mind. Without a dedicated Array to purge the Heart Demons from my body and spirit, their presence would continue to play on my emotions. Eroding my control.
Focused inward and binding the Heart Demons as best as I was able, I was blind to the world. The task demanded my utmost attention to purge their influence and delay their return.
When I was finished, I was not surprised to find that I was alone.
The soiled blankets were gone, but dark stains upon the floorboards remained.
I felt a tremor of emotion, but came down on it hard before it had the chance to take root, forcing myself into a state of calm. The scorch marks that surrounded me were a reminder that a loss of control could rapidly prove fatal for anyone who happened to be nearby.
The dim light that passed through the window indicated that I had lost most of the day and that it was now the early evening.
I descended the stairs and found Yi Gim reclining on a couch opposite the entrance, which afforded an unobstructed view of both the entrance to the street and the stairwell. He watched in silence as I descended the final few steps, but said nothing.
Grateful for the silence, I took a seat on a nearby couch and tried my best to relax.
The privacy Arrays were designed to obstruct outsiders. As an ally, Yi Gim was excluded from its effects as a matter of course.
"Is...everything alright?" Yi Gim asked, his voice free of judgment and carrying only measured concern.
I shook my head but didn't feel like talking about it.
Yi Gim frowned slightly but didn't press the matter. "I have news regarding the Crimson Vipers. If the locals are to be believed, the gang has several low-ranking Cultivators in its leadership and acting as enforcers. One such enforcer forced a confrontation, and now he and his subordinates are below..." He shifted uncomfortably. "Your subordinate took custody of them three hours ago..." He took a few moments to centre himself. "Before I subdued the enforcer, he claimed that the gang is subordinate to one of the minor martial schools operating within the city. The Hall of Seven Shadows..." Yi Gim furrowed his brow briefly in concentration and then nodded. "I believe that is what he called them. Although it is unclear what backing or power this group possesses. Only that the enforcer believed their association might save his life and allow him to retreat with just a broken arm as payment for his flagrant disrespect." Yi Gim's discomfort was banished and replaced with utmost contempt.
It was a reminder that, despite our current circumstances and our personal rapport, he was still someone who had occupied a position at the pinnacle of the social hierarchy and martial might for longer than I had been alive. Contempt for weaker Cultivators was only a matter of course. Especially when they made threats that borrowed the strength of others.
"This is part of the reason Sebet chose them," I replied evenly. Keenly aware of how Sebet operated and her intentions to draw a steady supply of Cultivators to serve as food and sources of information. "The key will be finding the sweet spot to bleed them out without triggering an open conflict that would draw the wrong sort of attention."
A seasoned statesman, Yi Gim nodded sagely with understanding. "I made certain not to overdo it when facing the enforcer. Only showing enough strength to show that I was above him, but not so strong that I couldn't be overwhelmed by two or three of his strength at the same time." He shifted on the couch to make himself more comfortable. "How is your progress with the Arrays? Are there any materials we will need to source from the city?"
"The basics are already in place, and no, I don't think we need anything from the city at this time," I replied with a tired sigh. "I can't bind them all together into a Grand Array until a space is made for the control focus. However, unless the local Monarch or his direct subordinates come knocking, I doubt any of the locals can bypass them as they are."
"That is good to hear," Yi Gim replied, the tension melting from his shoulders and several of the faint wrinkles disappearing from his brow and around his eyes. "Is there anything I might assist with?" He asked.
I almost rejected the offer on reflex, but stopped myself. "We will need to dispose of the old furniture from the third floor. However, Sebet will handle that."
Yi Gim nodded patiently, not at all put out at the prospect of such work being allocated to another.
"We need more real estate, but we don't have the numbers to support external expectations for that kind of growth," I explained. "If you could take a wander around the area, and make a show of letting it be known that we are recruiting into our gang, and that we have plans to expand. I think that will make things easier, or at least simpler, when we do expand in the next few days."
After taking time to think it over, Yi Gim nodded in agreement. "There is a drinking house two streets over. I heard the locals make mention of, I could-"
As one, we both shot to our feet as someone made contact with the Protective Formations that reinforced the door.
Weapons in hand, we stalked forward in unison. Yi Gim took the right while I moved to the left.
Several minor impacts sounded against the door.
"A mundane?" I shared a confused look with Yi Gim and made a mental effort not to lower my guard. After all, it could be part of an elaborate trick.
Scowling, Yi Gim raised the heavy beam barring the doorway with his right hand and stepped back.
A stranger stumbled through the doors only a few seconds later. He tripped over his feet and fell to the floor. A worn-looking money pouch clanking and jingling noisily as it landed on the floor a few steps ahead of his outstretched arms.
Too short to be an adult, the intruder had short, unkempt hair and wore patched trousers tied in place with a length of fraying rope. His bare back was a tapestry of scarred skin drawn tight over a half-starved frame.
Winded by the fall, the intruder, whom I guessed to be in his early or mid-teens, groaned breathlessly and shakily tried to push himself to his feet.
Confused, Yi Gim gave me a perplexed look and then made a point of searching the open doorway for signs of another potential intruder.
"Got-huff-your-huf-money!" The intruder wheezed, his arms shaking from the effort of rising to his knees. "Where-huff-is..." Still struggling for breath, he fell silent and recoiled as he realised I was not who he had expected.
"This place is under new management," Yi Gim commented as a way of explanation as he closed the doors and set the bar back in place. "It belongs to the Black Fox now," he tapped his exposed forearm with his sabre to draw attention to the tattoo.
"What was your business with Gao Sheng?" I asked and nudged the money pouch on the floor for emphasis. "Buying a night with one of the Girls? Well, we are closed. You will have to come back-"
"Feng Xiu! Gao Sheng said he wouldn't let anyone touch her!" The intruder snatched up the money pouch and thrust it at me in a panic. "I'll get the rest! I promise! Just let Xiu-er go!"
Yi Gim and I shared a glance at one another; neither of us appeared to have expected this.
"And who are YOU?" I dropped into an easy crouch to bring us closer to eye level with one another.
The teen recoiled slightly and gave a dry gulp before he seemed to regain his nerve. "Li Chang..."
"And who is SHE to YOU," I pressed, driven by curiosity.
"Xiu-er, she-" Li Chang shifted uncomfortably. He averted his eyes, and his cheeks flushed. "She's my friend!"
Yi Gim raised a brow and considered the teen with open scepticism.
"And if I asked this, Feng Xiu, she would give me the same answer?" I asked dubiously. It was clear that the kid had feelings for this girl, but that didn't mean the feelings were mutual.
Li Chang opened his mouth to reply, but stopped. His eyes briefly lost focus, and he appeared confused. He wobbled and began to pitch forward, only to catch himself at the last moment.
Li Cheng blinked hard and shook his head. The confusion and dazed look in his eyes was gone, replaced with absolute conviction. "I am Xiu-er's childhood friend! She will tell you the same!" He stuck out his bony chest and struck it with his fist.
The abrupt transition was impossible to miss and only increased my curiosity. There was something about this kid that didn't seem quite right, and the odd reaction he had only served to make it harder to ignore.
"How did you get this money?" I asked, "I'm not going to have the magistrate's guards or noble family's retainers hammering on my doors next, am I?"
Li Chang looked surprised and a little insulted. "I didn't steal it, I earned it fair and square!" He replied heatedly before he seemed to remember his current situation and cast his eyes down at the floor in a show of submission.
"What is it?" Yi Gim asked curiously. His voice transmitted silently through the jade talisman.
"What he just said...Does that mean anything to you?" I wasn't sure if I was chasing smoke, but silent alarms were sounding in my mind, and given our current situation, prudence demanded I investigate rather than dismiss them out of hand.
"Squares being fair?" Yi Gim scratched his cheek and made to run his hand over his beard, but stopped after remembering his current beard was too short to accommodate such an action. "Perhaps it is a local idiom?" He suggested.
"No..." I slowly shook my head without taking my eyes off the intruder. The fingers of my right hand tightened on the grip of the sabre.
Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Li Chang slowly withdrew his hand that held the money pouch.
Li Chang reacted as I had expected he would. His cheeks flushing and his hands shifted defensively over his groin as Sebet's Abilities took hold of his senses. His eyes grew unfocused for a moment before they very abruptly regained their clarity. Except now, his lust was replaced with absolute terror. Li Chang's eyes were wide with fear, his pupils contracted to pinpricks, and goosebumps swept over his exposed flesh.
Li Chang tried to speak, but it came out as a strangled gurgle. He threw himself backwards and awkwardly scrambled for the door in a desperate bid to get away. All the while, unwilling or unable to take his eyes off Sebet.
Thoroughly amused, Sebet sauntered over with a snarky grin on her lips. "Hello there," she cooed, flashing her pearly white teeth in an impossibly wide smile. "My master has questions for you, but I will admit that I have a few of my own-" Sebet's eyes flashed dangerously. She closed the remaining distance before Li Chang had the chance to react and had her now clawed fingers caged around his throat. "-Mr Earthling!"