Chun looked at his alchemical supplies, then at his apothecary robes, then finally at the criminal standing before him. “And you're sure now is a great time? Also, how did you find me?” He asked. He tried to sound calm as he mixed ingredients, but he still imagined a hint of tension crept through the questions.
“The informants of the Black Tiger Gang are spread across the Sapphire Port, constantly gathering information. When a person peaks our interest, such as yourself, it is not hard to gather resources and find you. As for timing, we thought it best to reach out as soon as possible due to rising tensions among other gangs, and the fact you had given quite a show to the entirety of the criminal underworld.” Rin explained.
As she spoke, Chun had added a vial of his saliva to his concoction and put it in the furnace. “Fine, I'll let the intrusion of my personal space slide.” He gestured to his office. “Not that, I'm sure, any of you cared,”
Rin didn't reply to that. So Chun continued.
“What is the deal?” He asked, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms.
“Simple, we give you resources to grow, and you join the gang. Our leader promises you a high position for your stage. As well as special privileges.”
Chun assumed it was something similar to this. While the extra resources would be nice, and he imagined ‘special privileges’ was something most martial artists would admire, he wasn't swayed. The Rose Treasury Pavilion already had a similar deal with him, and he was sure the gang knew. He had sponsored them during the tournament after all.
Reading Chun’s expression, Rin continued. “Naturally, we are aware you have ties to the Rose Treasury Pavilion in many ways, and are particularly close with the owner. So if you refuse to join us. We have other offers that are less binding, but just as beneficial.” She explained.
Chun’s brow raised. “Why would you think I would willingly leave the Rose Treasury Pavilion to begin with?” He asked, not letting the woman move on.
But Rin still answered immediately. “A test, I assume. While the offer is very much real, it would gauge if you would leave us were another gang or company give a better offer.”
Chun was surprised at the bluntness of Rin’s comment. But it was a smart move. Why would they give him an offer if another gang could come and take him away within the next moment?
Chun waved his hand for the woman to continue.
“The next offer is that you do a favor for us, and we grant you protection from any assaults from another gang or company. While it is true we can only protect you from so much, we can at least keep prying eyes off of you, and let you do as you please with the Rose Treasury Pavilion.” She explained.
She was about to continue when Chun raised a hand for the woman to stop. “Does this ‘protection’ extend to my place of work and the Rose Treasury Pavilion?” He asked.
“Your workplace, yes. However to intrude on the goings on of the Rose Treasury Pavilion without the owner’s permission will likely spark conflict. However if you could convince the owner to let us protect them, then I'm sure we could work something out. And, if you were wondering, your servant, the foreign woman, will also be under our protection.”
Chun nodded, that was going to be his next question.
“As for the final offer,” Rin tapped her storage ring, causing a scroll to appear in her hand. She then stepped forward and set the scroll on the table before stepping back. “The leader of the Black Tiger gang requests your audience. Within that scroll are instructions on how and where to meet them.”
Chun glanced at the scroll, then back at the woman. “Why? What’s the last offer?”
Rin bowed in apology. “I do not know, Mr. Hyang. They simply requested they discuss the final offer with you in private.”
Chun rolled his eyes. “How am I supposed to agree to the offer if I don’t know what it is? How do I know this isn’t setting me up for some trap?” The man glared into Rin’s eyes with slowly growing frustration. But the woman didn’t seem fazed in the slightest.
“You can always take one of the other offers.” She stated. “However, all offers expire in three days. Whether you choose to take any of them is up to you. For now however,” Rin tapped her storage ring again as a small black piece of wood appeared in her hand, which she then tossed to Chun.
Catching it and turning it over in his hand, he noticed that it was a shogi piece, specifically the ‘Silver General’ piece. It also hummed gently with internal energy.
“We will be notified when that piece is broken. We will take that as a sign that you have made your decision and dispatch one of our own, likely myself, to you.” She explained.
“And if I choose to not make a deal with you in three days?” Chun asked.
“All deals are off, and you will become another useless face in the crowd.”
“Even though I may pose a threat to you?”
“You pose no threat to the Black Tiger Gang.” Rin said matter of factly.
“Yet.” Chun stated bluntly. He swore he saw the woman flinch just slightly. A few seconds of tense silence passed before Rin spoke again.
“The Black Tiger Gang holds many martial artists who are far superior to anyone you have seen within the tournament, including Sariah, who you barely survived a duel with. So please, think of who you threaten.”
Chun pursed his lips together and sighed through his nose as he looked at the small furnace on his desk that was currently cooking a pill. “What is the Black Tiger Gang’s relation with the other two gangs within the Sapphire Port?
Rin raised a brow. “For what reason would you need to know that?”
Chun shrugged. “If I wanted to join you, I would like to know who I’m making an enemy of. Joining you is one of the offers, correct?”
Rin nodded. “The Iron Spider Gang is generally neutral with us. We stay from their territory, and they stay from ours. There are occasional minor squabbles between our members. But it has yet to spark into any sort of war. The Laughing Mask Gang, we have an rather uneasy relation with due to the strength of some of their top martial artists. While most of their members are hardly stronger than ours, their top three members, in terms of strength, are roughly on par with our leader. No gang is at war with another currently.”
“And your relation with the mercantile companies?” Chun rolled his hand in a ‘go on’ gesture to the woman.
“Most of the mercantile companies do not interfere with any of the gangs, including ours. However, that does not mean there haven’t been points of conflict.” The woman’s tone sharpened slightly at the final few words.
“How the Pearl Wave Company humiliated your sponsor in the tournament?” Chun raised a brow, getting a nod from Rin.
“One you dispatched rather brutally.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I only did it because Kanta was pissed at the company for some reason.” Chun shrugged.
“Though I do have one question, Mr. Hyang,” Rin began. “Are you a former member of the Iron Spider Gang?”
Chun’s brows rose slightly, but he said nothing.
Seeing his confused expression, Rin explained her question. “You used two separate techniques used by the Iron Spider Gang during the tournament. While they were both relatively simple techniques, they are not taught outside the gang. The simplest explanation is that you used to work for them to some degree, and they taught you. But you left for some reason. We also heard you killed a member of the gang in this very establishment. Is that what led you to the Rose Treasury Pavilion for protection?”
Chun didn’t answer immediately. Instead, his mind was quickly processing what Rin told him. Did the Black Tiger Gang truly expect that he used to be part of the Iron Spider Gang? If they were under that impression, he might have a bit more leverage than he thought. Maybe if he played his cards right, he could turn this assumption to his benefit.
“And if I were?” Chun asked, scanning the woman up and down. He used the next few moments to check the pill within the furnace and adjust the heat slightly.
“Then I’m sure you hold information pertaining to them,” Rin stated. “Information you will be rewarded for offering us.”
“And how am I to be sure the Iron Spider Gang wouldn’t find out about me doing so? Spilling their secrets will put quite a bounty on my head. More than I already have now by killing one of their members and maiming another. I am already within their sight as someone to kill.” Chun explained.
“If you accept one of our offers, we will ensure your safety,” Rin stated simply. “We have martial artists strong enough to stand against any assault worthy of you.”
Chun nodded. “I will decide which offer to choose within three days.” He said, waving the woman away. “Now leave me; it is rude enough you interrupted me at my workplace. I would suggest you don't disrespect me anymore.” He tried to make his voice as threatening as possible, but it didn’t seem to affect the woman at all. In fact, Chun could swear he saw the faintest hint of a smirk as the woman began to turn away.
“Very well, Mr. Hyang. Just be aware of the repercussions of denying our offers. We know where you live, and who you hold close.” She said before leaving Chun’s office.
Chun sat in complete silence as he contemplated his plans for the next few days. He intended to take the third offer, if he were going to take any of them. He certainly wasn’t going to join the gang. If anything, he was going to bide his time until he could destroy the organization entirely, or at least take it over. Though for the near future, he would use their resources to attack the Iron Spider Gang first. They were the most likely to attack him anyway.
After some time, his pill was finally finished. He put it in his mouth and began to pack up his equipment. He read through more of his sword manual, skimming along the parts he already knew (which was most of it) but paid a bit more attention to some of the basic technique diagrams it showed him. The manual actually had the first three forms of an entire sword technique.
The first was a single focused strike across himself, supposedly to cut whoever was in front of him in half at the waist. The technique didn’t do anything particularly interesting beyond giving the basics of how to funnel Internal Energy into one’s blade. Which Chun already knew how to do.
Martial Technique Learned: Swordsman’s Slash
The second was slightly better. It was a set of three slashes that attacked the chest, ankles, and neck of an opponent in quick succession. It involved using his Internal Energy primarily into his arms at a high intensity to increase his attack speed for a brief moment.
Martial Technique Learned: Swordsman’s Flourish
The final form within the manual actually took a bit of effort to replicate with his current energy control. The final form was a quick lunge and thrust forward that projected out the tip of the sword with internal energy for more range and force.
Martial Technique Learned: Swordsman’s Pierce
At the end of his shift, Chun decided to stop by Pairu’s office to notify her of what he was up to the next few days.
“You want to take off the next three days? That seems rather sudden.” The woman said, crossing her arms and looking the martial artist up and down.
Chun nodded. “Something has come up, unfortunately. And we haven’t particularly had need of my services the past few days since Heiyin’s… incident.”
Pairu tapped a nail on her desk before eyeing the bracelet on Chun’s wrist. The one she had given him. “I suppose three days isn’t too long a time for your absence. But, out of curiosity, why?”
“I had an encounter with a particular person recently. In fact, did you see a woman dressed in black walk through here?” Chun asked.
Pairu just shrugged. “Plenty of women come through here.”
“Well, regardless, she had given me an offer. Several actually. And I have three days to choose which to take. But I am going to use those three days wisely.”
Pairu nodded along, but judging by her expression, she only understood so much. “I don’t suppose this would have anything to do with you killing Heyin?”
“Not directly,” Chun said with a faint smile.
Pairu studied his expression for a moment before sighing. “I suppose three days won’t hurt. But keep that bracelet on you.”
Chun bowed to the woman before leaving the establishment and going back home.
Once he arrived, he was met with a bear hug from Saraiah, who, for some reason, was still naked.
“Master, I was worried when you had vanished from bed once the sun rose. I had thought you’d left me.”
“I had work, Sairah.” Chun squeaked out as his lungs were being rid of their air. Luckily, the woman dropped him a moment later, letting him breathe again.
“I didn’t think you were in any great danger. So I waited for you to get back. But in the interim I also went to the market.” The woman stated.
Chun raised a brow as Sariah began to dig in the chest near his bed. A second later, she took out a large set of iron lamellar armor. It wasn’t laced with Internal Energy, but it was still armor.
“You damaged my last set of armor, so I have decided to buy something more fitting for these new lands. Before I always got strange looks when walking through the streets wearing it.” She explained, holding the armor up to herself like she was testing how a shirt would look on herself.
Chun wanted to say something that she would still get looked at regardless of the type of armor she wore simply due to the fact it wasn’t typical for most people to wear armor on the streets. But he held his tongue. “It's probably best that you get some new armor, Sariah,” Chun said. “Because we have a busy few days ahead of us.
Sariah’s brow rose. “And why would that be, Master?”
Chun didn’t answer; instead, he let his Aura of Lust free and began taking off his robes. “I’ll tell you in a moment. But first, I need to work some stress off.”