90 First Confrontation

Shou was the first to make it outside, seeing as he was closest to the door. He was promptly hit by a wave of air, brushing past his whole body and sending his clothes and hair aflutter. Following that came a cloud of dust and debris that put a haze around the whole area. He had to cough and close his eyes before truly being able to see what exactly had occurred.

The actual explosion was far away, indicated by the rising smoke from that particular place. Faint sounds of screaming, as well as a pale hue of orange, were also good signs that the unrest was over there. Smaller blasts continued on, though they weren't anything much compared to the first big one.

The others of the Store of Fates came rushing out too. Lan Jiu came right after Shou, with his weapon drawn. "Who's raiding our store?"

"It's not 'our' store. It's mine," Shou corrected him. "And no one is, the big boom came from that far away place."

Lan Jiu cupped his hands over his eyes, trying to see further. "What exactly is over there? Is that still the city?" Just like Shou, he wasn't a native of this land. But he couldn't imagine such a sight to happen often.

"Judging by the distance, that must be the white district," Mei Xue spoke, as she landed right between the two of them, her red dress flowing in the wind. She appeared just like a fairy, as she used her movement arts to arrive.

"More specifically," Zhang Yong spoke, "It's where one of the mansions where  the Zhang family resides."

"Isn't that bad for you," Lan Jiu asked, "It is the same family as yours right? judging by the name, I mean." The four of them looked at each other. Not counting the Shou as he was an outlier, these were the strongest of the group. They should be fine if they were simply looking.

Zhang Yong laughed. "What a fun irony. I would have never thought in my life that a sect member would worry about me." He shook his head. "But no, officially, I have cut most of my ties with the family, the only thing I carry with me is my name. To be honest, I haven't been inside the mansion for decades it feels like."

The other guys, much weaker in their cultivation level, ran out, jogging and out of breath. Lin Zhuyue rested her weight on her knees. "Woah, I should do some exercise again," she said, "Anyways, what happened, is everything alright?"

"It's not related to us, but it would not hurt looking," Mei Xue spoke. "Given the City Lords' recent behavior, I can't help thinking it is linked with him."

Li Yinyi peeked out the window. "Do you think hes' playing with fireworks?"

"...Why would he be doing that?"

"You can come out now," Ah Bai spoke, as he gestured to his merchant friend. "There's no danger."

"Are you sure," Ah Liang asked frightened. It's funny how the first time he visited this place, he was terrified of entering, but now he wouldn't feel safe anywhere except inside this store. "Are you sure everything is fine," he asked again.

"Let's go take a look," Shou spoke. It would be against his character to ignore something so interesting when it was right in front of him. "Those who don't want to  follow, stay here and watch the shop for me."

And thus, the team was divided in two. The first ones, following Shous' lead, the curious, consisted of Mei Xue, Zhang Yong, and Li Yinyi. The rest opted to watch the store, either because they held no interest, or because they were scared to go anywhere near the incident.

Team Shou moved out, first running on the street, then hopping from building to building as that was a lot faster. Though they had to wait for Li Yinyi whose cultivation stage wasn't that high yet.

Mei Xue and Zhang Yong were inwardly surprised by Shou though. Not because he was able to keep up, but because he used Spiritual Qi to do so. As far as they knew, he was a mere mortal, and they hadn't bothered to check that fact, yet it seemed like he had started cultivating too.

The two of them tried to pry into his realm but soon came to an astonishing conclusion that they could not read him. This either meant that his cultivation stage was so high, they were in different dimensions, or that he had such pure Qi, that it wasn't possible for them to feel it. Both were rather unbelievable conclusions.

Shou stretched his sore legs. It was the first time in a long, long, long while since he used his Qi. He had to let his rusty meridians melt first as he had lost the feeling of being anything other than mortal. Again, it was a melancholic feeling, full of emotion.

"It's here," he spoke, jumping down a 2-story building and landing in an alleyway. The other three followed them, with Zhang Yong helping Li Yinyi down. Here, the panicking voices were a lot clearer, and it wasn't hard to make out the gossip, with just a little concentration.

"Can you believe we saw a fight of cultivators in broad daylight," someone whispered with excitement.

The other one replied in a hushed tone, "I wouldn't exactly call it 'seen'. They moved so fast, I couldn't tell anything apart after a while."

"That's because you haven't trained well. That's why I tell you, what matters is strength, not money."

"Ssh! They are coming out now."

The surroundings clamored, as the doors to the Zhang mansion opened. A bunch of stern-faced soldiers walked out, as they parted the crowd in two. Behind them, they were two older people, their heads low, while their whole body was battered and bruised. The soldiers had bound their hands and dragged them by a rope.

Zhang Yong frowned harshly. "That's Zhuji and Diyi. They are retired elders of the family." He balled his hands in a fist. "I can't believe the City Lord dares to barge into the abode of the three families so brazenly."

Shou looked at Zhang Yong's hands, as the man's nails dug deep into the flesh of his palms, threatening to burst. For all the words he had spoken about cutting ties, he still held quite a lot of lingering feelings, it seemed.

A loud soldier in the front announced a scroll in his hand. "Zhang Zhuji and Zhang Diyi have violated the good faith of the citizens and colluded with the sects outside. They have intentionally and maliciously put the Extended Delight in danger, in hopes of selfish gains." His words reverberated through the streets, silencing the onlookers. "The wise City Lord has put a stop to this and issued an arrest. That is all."

A young man ran out of the manor, his head bleeding. He had a weak disposition, further highlighted by his battered breath and open injuries. Yet, his voice was not weak at all, "This is bullshit! Elder Zhuji and Diyi would never do some—" His words were cut short, as another soldier dragged the man back.

"These bastards," Zhang Yong shouted, his face red with wrath. He stepped forward but was promptly stopped by Mei Xue.

"What are you planning on doing," she asked him.

The muscular man turned back. "It's one thing if they go after the Zhang family. What they do is not of my concern, but I won't stand here watching, as they enact injustice." He stared at Mei Xue with dark eyes.

"With that right," she continued pressing. "You aren't part of the family, and you have no relation with the government or the City Lord. If you go out, you won't be a hero, but a mere hooligan messing with a business that does not belong to him."

"Still..."

"Even the justice faction needs a clear reason for why they are doing it. And it cannot be something shallow, such as morality and ethics," Mei Xue spoke ."This isn't a game where everything is black and white."

Zhang Yong stopped moving. The spiritual pressure he emitted slowly steadied, though the silent anger remained as strong as ever. Li Yinyi glanced at him, feeling a little frightened, as she had never seen the calm and carefree Sir Yong like that.

"But I am not telling you to sit and wait. There will come a time when they will get their just desserts. I am sure of that," Mei Xue said. She glanced at the soldiers carrying their prisoners away, her thoughts only for her to know. "However, for now, let's return."

Shou had also watched Zhang Yong. What Mei Xue said was true. Morals changed, just as times did, and what was right in the last era may not be so in this one (unless one was a god or the devil). Just because one proclaimed themselves to be the just faction, did not mean that everything would be correct automatically. If Zhang Yong jumped out there, saving his family members, how would he look like? He was impressed that Mei Xue, who had lived less than a century, could think in such broad terms.

But all this did not matter to him. Justice, evil, demonic, destructive, celestial—these were all terms beneath him. They could not adhere to him, as they weren't even as old as him. He existed before even the idea of harmony or Yin and Yang. He was just Shou. What he did was not to be defined.

Thus, he spoke, "You do have one right, you know? You are the customer of the Store of Fates. That, in a way, is your faction and your reasoning."