v4c36: The Labour’s End

Tie Delun breathed a sigh of relief as he entered the manor that was their base of operations.

 

He was in the Profound Realm; and yet he was just as tired, sweaty, and sore as he had been capable of being as an Initiate.

 

Five days.

 

That was how long it took Delun and his comrades to hit every location and free every slave that had been taken.

 

In the end, the locations had bloomed to nearly four hundred manors, mines, plantations, and foundries. The list seemed to only grow with each location searched; each spot seeming to only ever reveal yet more places where people were being wrongfully held.

 

Delun would not say that they had been five of the hardest days of his life, but they had certainly been one of the most trying. A non-stop race across the entire commandery. Neither he nor any of his comrades had rested in their work for more than a moment. Some places surrendered immediately, while others tried to fight or run—but all of them ended the same way: with the bastards in irons, the slaves freed, and another set of slavers to apprehend.

 

Seeing the misery and inhumanity in those places had been an… experience, but the way their faces lit up when they heard Delun’s words… well, that was a reassurance that those he’d saved may have been battered, but they were not broken.

 

And even one person freed would have justified every effort they’d undertaken.

 

Still, it had been five days of near non-stop work. He could feel his Qi tremble slightly. He would definitely need to meditate and recover his equilibrium before finally speaking to his father and mother about exactly what had happened since he had been away.

 

They had always been patient with him, and their help in this endeavour had taken a load off of their group’s shoulders… but things couldn’t be put off forever.

 

He heard his sigh echo out as he turned to look at his partner for today. The Torrent Rider had pulled off his mask; the younger cultivator running a hand through his hair, sweat slicking it up. While it would have been nice to stay with Tigu the entire time, they had ended up trading off partners often—Xiulan’s idea, so they could work better together. Having learnt the flow of fighting with the others and knowing who they were during the rare quiet lulls, Delun found himself agreeing with the wisdom.

 

“I wanna sleep,” the young man mumbled, complaining for the first time since they had started today. Delun had to admit that the boy was tough as hell, and his insight into where the scum would try to run was honestly better than Delun’s own guesses. Zhang Fei was a fierce hunter, that was for certain, and he was an attentive and dutiful Junior.

 

That, and hearing some of the bastards scream about a ‘demonic rooster’ had been absolutely hilarious.

 

Delun chuckled and reached out, clapping him on the shoulder. “You did good, Fei. Nice job on finding that bolt-hole.”

 

The younger man smiled up at him. There were bags under his eyes, but an ember of satisfaction burned beneath them.

 

“Thanks, Big Bro. I’m glad I could… helllll—” A massive yawn interrupted his words, the Torrent Rider’s eyes squeezing shut. “—lllp.”

 

Patting his junior twice more in comfort and in pride, Delun chuckled. “Let’s go get cleaned up—maybe Yin is back and we can bug her to heat some water for us.” The water heated by Yin always felt the best. The heat lingered like the morning sun, seeping into muscles and relieving tension that he didn’t even know was there.

 

Fei grunted. Delun shifted his grip from the kid’s shoulder to his back, pushing him along and keeping him on the right track as he wobbled slightly, rubbing at his eyes. Delun nodded at a couple of the Underbridge men who were standing guard and received fists clasped in respect in response.

 

“Young Master,” they intoned.

 

He had to admit that it was kind of strange to hear that with honest respect and not with the typical undercurrent of fear or sycophantic simpering from strangers.

 

But why should it be?

 

He shrugged the thought away as they entered the manor.

 

As it turned out, they didn’t need to bug Yin. The woman took one look at them and headed towards the baths.

 

Nearly an hour later, though some of that was helping to wash Fei’s hair, Delun was sinking into a seat in the main parlour. He saw the Torrent Rider stagger off to greet his exhausted dog, receiving a few tired licks at the boy’s approach before he fell asleep again.

 

A clink of a cup brought his attention to Tigu, who smiled tiredly at him. She tapped the cup of tea and then eased into the seat beside him.

 

“Long day,” he stated simply.

 

“Long day,” Tigu agreed, bumping him with her shoulder… and then leaving herself there.

 

They sat in simple silence in the manor. Tigu’s shoulder was resting against his own as they calmed down from the events of the day. Delun looked around the room. The frantic energy that had characterized the past couple of days was gone.

 

The Torrent Rider was asleep in Yin’s lap, Shaggy Two at his feet. The woman was running her fingers absently through his hair, a look of peace on her face as she spoke quietly with Loud Boy, who was also being used as a pillow. Rags was leaning against the smaller man’s side, his ragged bandanna over his eyes.

 

It was peaceful. It was comfortable.

 

Slowly, the slight tremor in his Qi faded… just in time for Xiulan, Xianghua, Xinlai, Sergeant Han, and the Special Inspector to walk in.

 

If Delun was tired, he had no idea how the mortals were still on their feet. Both of them looked like death, and Xinlai was hiding her tiredness with makeup.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

 

Xiulan and Xianghua looked fresh still— but he could see the slight hitch in their movements. In addition to raiding manors, they had also been talking with officials and the Special Inspector, as well as meeting with the Plum Blossom’s Shadow. In this, Delun was lucky. He just had to smash down doors and stand there menacingly.

 

Delun reluctantly removed his shoulder from Tigu’s touch and got the new arrivals some tea. Both women nodded appreciatively, while the Special Inspector muttered his thanks.

 

Xinlai looked at it with confusion on her face, clearly examining it for poison. Then she muttered her thanks. She looked even more confused when Yin offered to heat more bathwater for her… but she nodded her head tentatively.

 

Yin carefully moved the Torrent Rider’s head from her lap and set off, the confused Young Mistress in tow behind her.

 

“So… how was it?” Delun asked.

 

He hadn’t yet met the Plum Blossom’s Shadow. He had heard the rumours, of course, of the new organization, but he hadn’t actually gone to buy information from them yet.

 

Xiulan sipped her tea, then made an appreciative sound. “They’re far more competent than the Tigers in the Grass and the Eyes Amongst the Stalks.” Delun chuckled at her joke, before Xiulan’s eyes turned serious. “They thanked us for our actions. Apparently their ‘Master Scribe’ takes a dim view of such things.”

 

“It’s a bit worrying… but I’m ill-inclined to look at a gift too closely,” Xianghua said as she frowned at her cup.

 

They lapsed into contemplative silence. Xianghua had told them about her first meeting with the organization before the first raid. She had said they had been oddly accommodating for an information organization. She had been politely served tea in a well lit room, her backup being Yin and the Torrent Rider.

 

They had been expecting to have to pay a hefty sum for information on nobles.

 

Instead, the rates had been almost unreasonably cheap… and the amount of information had been thorough. Every man who had been bribed, locations of holding cells, locations not on any of the letters and scrolls they had, bolt-holes, and provisions down to an amount determined after including that a guard had pocketed some of them. The Plum Blossom’s Shadow had quite literally given even the receipts of the slavers to “show their work”.

 

It wasn’t some shit mixed in with the truth, but absolute correct facts, maps, and habits that spoke not only of a terrifying capability to gather information but to organize it for maximum utility.

 

When Xianghua had asked them about the thoroughness of the information and the price, the man had just smiled and said:

 

“You are on Master Scribe’s list of preferred contacts.”

 

And that had been the end of that. The man simply didn’t speak any more on the subject… and hadn’t said more to Xiulan either. They had simply come each day with more information from their ‘agents in the field.’

 

None of them knew who this Master Scribe could be, but apparently he was a friend… or, at least, a person whose goals aligned with theirs.

 

“Enough about these Plum Blossoms, though. Delun, would you like us to be there when you speak with your mother and father?” Xiulan asked, as she put her empty cup on the table.

 

Delun paused at the words. Both Xiulan and Xianghua were absolutely prepared to back him up if need be.