Chapter 229: Crossing

~~~

“Eastern Port City, you say?”

Lady Pan frowns as she turns to her bookshelf. She is one of the four leaders of the Brotherhood of Thunder. Her job is to coordinate the efforts of the Brotherhood’s various informants across City Lord Lei’s territory.

She is also in charge of much of the Brotherhood’s records and bookkeeping.

“The name sounds familiar,” she says, as her fingers brush over the spines of the books one by one. “The date’s curious too. Considering when the attack happened, any record should be… here.”

Lady Pan takes out a large, leather-bound volume and places it over her desk.

“Do not get your hopes up,” she warns Liu Jin as she turns the pages. “Not all prisoners that pass through City Lord Lei’s territory are saved by us. That is true now and even more so back then. The Brotherhood was much smaller during those days.”

She pauses before adding, “Besides, some people simply weren’t worth rescuing. No one was crying when the blood-thirsty murderers were being taken off the streets. In some cases, we even helped the City Lord’s men locate the more dangerous bandit groups.”

“Interesting,” Liu Jin says, stroking his chin. “And because you did such a good job helping the City Lord eliminate the other bandit groups, he turned his eyes to the people. Is that it?”

“The irony is not lost on any of us,” Lady Pan says darkly. She jabs her finger at a page. “Here.”

Liu Jin is instantly at her side, his eyes devouring the words written there.

“It seems we rescued some people who claimed to be from Eastern Port City,” Lady Pan says. “Not many. Just one group. We helped them sneak back to the Crimson Cloud Empire, and we have not heard from them since. Their names are–”

“I don’t know them,” Liu Jin says, having already finished reading. He sighs and goes back to his seat. “However, it is nice to know other people from Eastern Port City survived.”

Lady Pan gives him a sympathetic look.

“I am sorry,” she says, closing the book. “I know it is not what you hoped to hear, Doctor Qing. Considering how much Elder Liu’s health has improved thanks to you, I wish I had better news to tell you.”

Liu Jin smiles sadly.

“Lady Pan, I used to think everyone from Eastern Port City died that night. Now, I know that night was not an utter tragedy, and I have the Brotherhood of Thunder to thank for it. Believe me when I say that is enough.”

And yet, despite knowing how unlikely it would have been, a small part of him had been hoping to find a name he recognized. A friend.

Su An’s face flashes through his mind. It has been such a long time since he last thought of her.

How horrible of him.

“Even so, I wish I could have done more for you, Doctor Qing.” Lady Pan purses her lips. “Considering the timeline, I had also been hoping for more. It was a very eventful time for the Brotherhood.”

“Eventful?” Liu Jin blinks. “How so?”

“It was only a few weeks later that we found this city,” Lady Pan says. “It all began when Brother Sou, that’s the oaf with the ax, found a woman with violet hair lost outside the Whispering Depths. He assumed she was an escaped prisoner and tried to help her, but she took his money and food when he let his guard down.”

Lady Pan snorts in an unladylike way, showing her opinion of her fellow leader.

“Whether there really was a woman or not, it is a fact he spent a long time looking for her. First, he tried the nearby villages. Then he turned his eyes to the Whispering Deaths. That’s how he found this city. Considering the dates involved, it just occurred to me… Perhaps the woman was also from Eastern Port City?”

“A woman with violet hair?” Liu Jin frowns. “I am sorry, but I do not recall anyone like that, though I cannot claim to have known everyone in the city.”

Lady Pan smiles sadly, showing the wrinkles on her face.

“No, you do not have to pretend, Doctor Qing. I know what I speak of is incredibly unlikely. Please, forgive an old woman for her flights of fancy.”

~~~

City Lord Lei Jihai will never forgive Commander Qing!

The City Lord marches down to his study, a single letter clenched tightly in his hand. Everything about him-–from his clenched jaw to his flaring Qi-–screams anger.

“Out!” he yells as he throws the door open, startling the two servants there. “You can clean later! out!”

The servants run out of the room so fast one can be forgiven for thinking they used a movement technique. The City Lord slams the door shut and throws the letter over his desk. Then he thinks about it some more and throws it at the wall.

Watching it noiselessly fall to the carpeted floor brings him no satisfaction.

That seems to be the running theme when dealing with Commander Qing Jin. Nothing is ever satisfactory. His long-thought-dead cousin appears, but he has become too strong for him to kill with his own hands. A skilled cultivator is sent to help him deal with his bandit problem, but his attempt at an ambush fails miserably!

Now, Commander Qing is just roaming the countryside doing nothing!

City Lord Lei grits his teeth and punches his desk in frustration, glaring at the letter on the floor with all the fury he can muster.

It’s another one of Commander Qing’s “reports.”

The letter is written with impeccable calligraphy. Each word is carefully chosen, and each paragraph is full of riveting detail. Reading it is such a lovely experience that it would usually take someone a while to realize there is nothing of worth written there. It is just a lot of nothing masquerading as something. It had been a somewhat amusing trick the first time, but City Lord Lei’s patience has long since vanished.

Something must be done, but what?

Someone knocks at his door. The City Lord’s Qi flares up. It should have been enough to scare away any of his servants, but the person behind the door is not a servant.

“What is it?” He barks out.

“City Lord, the day is far too bright to be in such a dour mood,” She says as she enters his office without waiting for his permission. “You should try smiling more. It will make you younger.”

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Lady Lu. She is yet another one of Commander Qing’s jokes at his expense.

The City Lord obviously hadn’t taken Lady Lu’s desire to stay in his city at face value. Clearly, the whole thing had been a performance she and Commander Qing prepared in advance so she could stay behind and gather information for him. Those had been his thoughts back then.

The more he learns of Lady Lu, the more he begins to doubt his initial assessment.

In mere days, Lady Lu ingratiated herself with the daughters and wives of many influential officials. It seemed suspicious at first, but Lady Lu has only used that bond to get herself invited to various parties and celebrations. When Lady Lu is not at some party, the girl is often shopping or going in and out of the casinos, always making unreasonable demands of everyone around her and acting like an overly pampered lady.

Additionally, the number of public duels between young men, some of them his officers, has curiously increased since Lady Lu started living in Rainstorm City. No one can prove she is the reason behind those, but the City Lord is reasonably certain that she is. A spoiled girl like Lady Lu would obviously enjoy toying with male attention.

No wonder Commander Qing did not argue much against leaving her behind. Lady Lu might be a beautiful flower for a young man like him to have at his side, but like all young men eventually do, Commander Qing has clearly learned the benefits of distance.

“I am a busy man, Lady Lu,” he says. “State your business and leave.”

“Is it not obvious?” she asks him, putting a hand on her hip. “I heard that news of my Jin had reached the city. Surely, there is a letter for me this time.”