Molting the Mortal Coil

“It’s not an allowance, it’s a salary. If you want a raise, you’ll have to take on more responsibilities. All you do is act as a guard on call for a month a few times a year.”

Tujiu frowned, “I have to work more? What about you? You were gone for years…”

Sage cut him off, “That’s cause I’m a business owner. You have to invest and become a part owner of something, but it's risky because it might fail and you could lose everything.”

Xiezi was busy purchasing a necklace mounted with a large ruby and slipping it around her neck while Tujiu got a little lesson on business. By the time she was done, Tujiu had already grown tired of the subject, “Miss Xiezi, you have the most powerful wrists. They are so strong and flexible. Can I borrow some of your money, Miss?”

Xiezi kicked the bald man in the back of the leg and he stumbled to the ground. He rolled a few times, calling out in an aggrieved voice, “Ow! You kick so hard, I’m sorry! Your ankles are just as powerful as your wrists!”

Sage shook his head, Tujiu’s weird insults and compliments seemed to be getting him in trouble again as the strange comments attracted a few more kicks from Xiezi. She chased after him, kicking him till he rolled up against a wall before she finally gave in and walked away. Tujiu kept rolling around and wailing like he was on the verge of death for a while until Sage called back to him, “Get up before you get lost.”

Xiezi and Sage had already started down the street and they were just turning the corner. Tujiu popped back up to his feet, not showing even a single bruise. Xiezi was just fooling around after all, but Tujiu’s exaggerated response made one want to punch him some more. Only after he was scolded did he realize they stopped caring and he had to rush to catch up.

Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse.

The three of them entered a restaurant, a pagoda style building with railing instead of walls and windows. The upper floors were of a mezzanine style with a wide staircase spiraling upward in the center of the building. It had an open and airy feel both on the inside and out. They were seated on the inner ring, with a view down at the first floor of the restaurant, happily trying the local specialties when Sage realized something was wrong.

It was rude to be constantly flooding your surroundings with Spirit Sense. Among cultivators it would be like intruding on someone’s personal space. So, in the middle of the city, Sage could only keep a very low level of his Spirit Sense active. It was a very gentle, yet also much reduced version which meant he didn’t realize what was happening until it was too late. When he sensed something wrong, he expanded his full Spirit Sense and immediately understood what was going on. Many people in matching robes had gathered outside the restaurant, surrounding it from every side. He had no idea who they were, but the symbol on their chests that said ‘Violent’ felt quite familiar.

In just a few moments, enough of them arrived outside to completely block the streets in every direction. The restaurant was located at the corner of an intersection, so they had to block off four directions at once. The people on the street started to complain, but then they noticed the matching uniforms and most of them realized something was going on. Most of them were mortals and knew better than to get involved, fleeing the area quite quickly. Only a few people weren’t smart enough to understand and they were knocked out and tossed aside.

Sage’s powerful Spirit Sense wasn’t really detectable by those weaker than him, and he knew that the hundred or so outside weren’t all that impressive. Most of them were only at the third rank, only a couple dozen were at the fourth. While it was not a good feeling to be surrounded, Sage still didn’t know what they were up to. Obviously they were surrounding the restaurant his group was in, but there was still no idea who they were after. As long as they didn’t go far, Sage wouldn’t bother with them.

At that moment, the other people in the restaurant had all realized what was going on. They saw the people gathered outside blocking every path away and started to grow worried. Most of the people in this restaurant were cultivators, as it served quite expensive food, so only a small minority of the customers rose from their seats and crowded into the back corner of the restaurant by the kitchen. The rest had a similar attitude as Sage, waiting to see what was going on. At that moment, the real powerful ones arrived.

Sage felt them entering the range of his Spirit Sense and dashing down the streets like a dark wind. The normal mortals barely had any idea they were there, only feeling a breeze when a half dozen Core Formation Cultivators passed by. They spread out, one of them standing on each of the four streets while two of them walked into the restaurant. Arrogant as their blockade was, they were remarkably polite when they entered. The two of them slowly walked around the restaurant, observing each person’s face and aura. After a few minutes they finished their sweep and bowed to the crowd, “Pardon the disturbance.”

After making a very meager apology, then turned and left the restaurant. Maybe the others took things to already be over, but Sage was not so easily fooled. He’d been carefully observing the two with his Spirit Sense and they were quite calm. At least until they looked in his direction. As soon as one of them saw Sage clearly, he froze up for a split second before reverting to his calm and careful sweep of the crowd.

Since he couldn’t be sure if they were merely able to sense his strength or if it was something else, Sage just let them be. The best protection against such hooligans was simply to avoid engaging with them. The crowd outside started to pull back and slowly disperse, but after they traveled a thousands yards away they stopped and started their blockade again, this time many more of them arriving from afar to close the many more streets covering such a large area. They didn’t just cordon off a street corner but a few of the surrounding blocks this time. An extremely gaudy carriage arrived outside the perimeter, escorted by dozens of men on fierce Spirit Animal Horses.

Ohh, that’s who it is!

When the carriage pulled to a stop and the people inside stepped out, Sage finally realized where he knew them from. The new arrivals had a different uniform from the first group, and their crests read ‘Tang’. At that moment he made the connection.

The Violent Fist Sect. The Tang Clan.

Grey Beard and Tang Zhelan. After completing a commission for young genius Song Lu Tian, Sage had accidentally drank too much while celebrating. While still hung over he accidentally saw a murder and the friends of the victim thought he was admiring his own handiwork. They chased him and Sage killed that 5th rank old man that he had dubbed ‘Grey Beard’. That was his first real confrontation with someone at that level of power and he’d only narrowly avoided death by using the Timeless Eyes.

“Seems like some old trouble has caught up with me.”

Sage felt no fear or worry from the current lineup he sensed, but even so he still gave his friends a warning so they would realize they were no longer part of the audience. Outside, the Tang Clan members were speaking with the 5th rank Violent Fist Sect members who had just been in the restaurant. From the sneers on their faces, Sage didn’t even need to use the Heart’s Tongue to know that they were boasting about what they were going to do to him once they got their revenge.

I wonder if these guys will believe that it was all an accident? Hah, who am I kidding, of course they won’t.