Liwei grinned when a carriage stopped at the side of the sparring ground, in front of the Lu residence. Lu Baiyu stepped out of the vehicle, a wide smile on his wrinkled face. Liwei snorted and bit into his apple. He chewed as he looked at the old man and his annoying grin.
Lu Baiyu's eyes widened in utter surprise when he saw Liwei standing in front of his house, leaning against the wall and waiting like an old friend. He stood motionless for a brief moment, staring at him.
A faint smile played on Liwei's lips. Swallowing the last bite of his apple, he greeted the stunned old man with a casual wave.
"You're back, old man!" he exclaimed. He tossed the apple core into a nearby garbage can and crossed his arms over his chest. "So, where have you been? I've been here for, like, almost an hour."
He made it sound as if they had agreed to meet. But nothing he said was true. He had only arrived a few minutes before, and he also knew where the old man had been. Judging by his gleeful expression, he must have successfully recruited another disciple. And this disciple was Liwei's most precious pawn, Shu Yue.
Exactly as he expected to happen.
Lu Baiyu narrowed his eyes, his hands balling into fists. "What do you want?" There was a slight tremble in his voice.
Liwei let out a low, amused chuckle. The old man looked so nervous. He couldn't help but find it incredibly funny.
"You look tense, old man; is there something wrong?" Liwei asked, a trace of a smile on his lips. He sauntered over to him and put an arm around his shoulder. They were almost the same height. "How about you get some fresh air and loosen up?"
"I already did what you told me," Lu Baiyu said, his voice low and tense. "I'm sure you were here yesterday, so you should know that the scroll was already used as a reward, so why can't you leave me alone? What else do you want?"
"Oh, you've got it wrong, old man." Liwei chuckled. "I'm not here to greet your family."
When Lu Baiyu stiffened, Liwei almost laughed. Lu Baiyu was still unaware that he was a demon, yet he already feared him so much. What more if he found out about his real identity? Liwei smiled as he reflected on the thought. However, he had no intention of telling anyone the truth, not even a single mortal.
You see, you're not the only one who keeps a secret here, woman.
His lips curved into a smile when he thought of his precious pawn.
"Then why are you here? Why can't you just leave me alone?" Lu Baiyu said through gritted teeth.
Liwei's features darkened. He leaned in closer and whispered in his ear, a wicked smile on his lips. "Since I'm already here, I could just kill everyone inside your house right now. Would you like that?"
The color drained from Lu Baiyu's face, and he instantly bowed his head, trembling. "Please have mercy! I will do whatever you want. Just please spare my family's life!"
Liwei couldn't help but let out a quick, wicked laugh, and his friendly demeanor returned. "Let's take a stroll around to help you loosen up, old man. I'm pretty bored too, so I'm fine accompanying you. Besides, I want to talk to you about something."
Clasping his hands behind his back, Liwei started walking down the street. His smile broadened when he heard footsteps following him from behind. People were so easy to manipulate. Just use fear as a weapon and they would obey you like a dog.
Despite the threat, Liwei had no intention of killing him or his family. Lu Baiyu had yet an important role to play. This old man was Shu Yue's only key to finding Liwei, so Liwei would gladly spare his life. Furthermore, it would be up to that human girl to decide whether or not the old man lives. What mattered most to Liwei was that she find him. But only after she finished the little game he had set up for her.
His silver eyes glittered with excitement as he thought of her again.
We'll meet soon, my precious pawn. I know you're looking for me, wanting to catch me. You will very soon.
Because I will let you catch me.
"After this day, I won't show up again," Liwei told Lu Baiyu. When the old man opened his mouth to speak, Liwei held up his hand. "But only if you swear to me that you will not touch her."
Lu Baiyu gave him a funny look. "What do you mean by that? Do you think I'm some kind of bad guy who threatens or harms people like you?"
When he met Liwei's cold gaze, he flinched and cleared his throat. "Look, I'm just an old man from a weak clan. Plus harming someone never crossed my mind unless absolutely necessary, so I don't really get what you're trying to say, young man."
Liwei was aware of Lu Baiyu's plan. He knew of all his schemes and the reason for his visit to Shu Yue. While he meant no harm to anyone, that didn't mean he wouldn't resort to violence once he discovered that his new disciple was plotting against him. But Liwei wasn't really worried for Shu Yue. Everything was going according to his calculation.
Lu Baiyu might believe that everything was going his way, and Shu Yue might have thought she was getting closer to capturing Liwei, but they were nothing more than pawns in his game.
"I know about your little secret," Liwei said with a waggle of his eyebrows. "Recruiting talented disciples? I wonder why."
Lu Baiyu went rigid. He stopped walking and looked at him. "You... H-how did you know about that?"
"I have an abundant source of information," Liwei responded as he came to a halt.
"Who told you this?"
Liwei could sense his anger, but it wasn't directed at him. It was an emotion triggered by the thought of betrayal. Liwei fought off the urge to snort. He was angry for being betrayed?
What a hypocrite.
"Don't worry, you haven't been betrayed; my information didn't come from any of your disciples. Besides, I don't intend to spread this little secret of yours. In exchange, don't make things difficult for her."
"Who are you talking about?" Lu Baiyu said in a sharp and ugly tone as they started walking again. "How about you tell me who this person is you're referring to? Maybe it'll be easier for me to avoid her and save her some trouble."
A faint grin made its way onto Liwei's mouth. "Oh, you'll know, you'll know," he said as he abruptly came to a halt and bowed his head forward. "Well, then, I'll take my leave now; I hope this is our last meeting, but if you ever need me, you can find me at Ancient Moon."
With that, Liwei patted the old man on the shoulder and disappeared into the crowd.
***
Shu Yue was seated on her bed. She took the soul-binding scroll from the bamboo tube and unfurled it. There were a number of intricate runes inscribed on it, taking up the entire surface. Rolling up the scroll, she stood up and sat on the dressing table. There was a slip of blank parchment, a brush, and a bottle of ink placed on the table, which she had prepared earlier.
She dipped the brush in the ink and began scribbling on the paper. Just as she was about to end the letter with one last word, there was a knock at her door. She set her brush aside and took the other scroll from the table.
"Come on in, Xiao Ran," she said. She didn't need to know who was outside her door. Xiao Ran's hushed footsteps and soft knocks were as familiar to her as her own breathing.
Xiao Ran opened the door and went inside her room. "Young Mistress, it seems that you're right."
"About what?" Shu Yue asked as she met his gaze.
"About the old man. I saw him talking with a suspicious guy. Unfortunately, the guy already left before I got close, so I didn't see his face. But one thing I'm certain of is that he's the same guy as the one from the sparring ground. He also wore the same white robe. However," His brow furrowed. "He was wearing a white belt instead of a gold belt this time, so I'm confused."
"A white belt," Shu Yue mumbled and thought for a minute. Disciples who wore white belts were classified as E-rankers, the lowest rank. It was the belt that Xiao Ran wore, but only for appearances' sake.
Disciples took great pride in their rank; they valued them like how a noble valued their status, hence possessing the lowest rank was considered humiliating. Nobody wanted to be perceived as weak. Everyone desired to be strong; to be superior; to be predators. So, if a disciple was of high rank, it was unlikely that they would want to be seen in public wearing a white belt. That was akin to a high-ranking noble walking out in public dressed as a commoner.
So, if this mysterious man was willing to wear a white belt in public, he was more cunning than Shu Yue had thought.
"He's clearly messing around," Shu Yue stated. "We don't know if he's a Saint-rank, but he's definitely not an E-rank. I'm afraid we're up against a very calculating man."
Xiao Ran frowned, falling into silence. "At the very least, we now know that the old man is working with him."
"Nope," Shu Yue said with a thin smile. "Elder Lu isn't actually working with him; he's simply another pawn in his game. He used Elder Lu to get to me, and now we'll use Elder Lu to get to that man."
She handed Xiao Ran the scroll. "Here. Take a look."
Frowning, Xiao Ran unrolled the scroll and examined its content. "This..."
"Is a portrait of Lu Rui, yes," Shu Yue finished for him.
Xiao Ran glanced at her, then back at the scroll. He studied the portrait for a few moments before returning his gaze to Shu Yue. His eyes showed understanding of the task at hand.
"The Second Young Master?"
Shu Yue nodded. She took up the brush and finished the last character on the parchment. A satisfied smile stretched her lips as she lifted the paper, reading the words written on it. She waved her hand, and a gentle wind blew the ink dry. Satisfied, she rolled up the parchment and tied it with a dark red ribbon.
"Remember to be nice to him, Xiao Ran. As much as you can, don't intimidate him," Shu Yue reminded him as she placed the parchment on the table.
"I'll do my best, Young Mistress."
A faint smile flickered across Shu Yue's face. Lu Rui was Lu Baiyu's youngest grandson, the second young master of the Lu family, and one whom he doted on the most. He would serve as her backup plan should she run into unexpected problems or if peaceful negotiation failed to work with Lu Baiyu, which she could already sense would happen.
If the mysterious man threatened Lu Baiyu with the death of his entire family, then Shu Yue would use an equally cruel method to force the old man to speak. The only difference was that Shu Yue would instill a different level of fear in Lu Baiyu by holding a family member hostage. In this manner, he would have no choice but to immediately comply.
It might seem cruel, but she had already chosen this path. She would use whoever she needed, and there would be no turning back. She wasn't afraid to use any kind of method as long as it could help her achieve her goals.
"Please send this letter to Teacher for me," Shu Yue said as she handed him the scroll.
"All right." Xiao Ran nodded. He rolled up the portrait and stuffed it inside his sleeves before taking the scroll from her.
"Let's just hope tomorrow goes well," Shu Yue murmured, looking at herself in the mirror. She had her mask on this time, which she wore on the side of her head, so she didn't encounter emotional triggers. "Please remain hidden until I give you the signal, okay?"
Xiao Ran smiled warmly. "All right, Young Mistress. You can summon me anytime." He reached out a hand toward her, brushing her cheek with the back of his fingers. "Your fox will never disappoint you."
***
The next day, Shu Yue was riding in a carriage. She pulled the curtain back and looked out the window. There were rows of umbrella-covered stands and stalls on the side of the street with plenty of people passing through. They already reached the western market sector, so at any moment they would arrive at the Lu residence.
After a few moments, the carriage rattled to a stop and the driver announced their arrival. Shu Yue climbed out of the carriage. The sparring contest had ended an hour before, so the place was deserted. Twirling her bamboo stick, she strolled toward the Lu residence. Just then, someone grabbed a hold of her sword, stopping her from twirling it.
"Jeeze! Careful, young miss. You don't want to smack someone with that stick, do you?"
Startled, Shu Yue clutched her sword tightly and turned around to face the speaker. The man was tall, probably as tall as Xiao Ran, and dressed in a white robe. His left arm was out of the sleeve, letting the garment hang down behind him. Underneath his disheveled outer robe was a black tunic. He was wearing a bamboo hat that obscured most of his features, so Shu Yue couldn't see his face clearly.
But what stood out the most to Shu Yue was the grey belt he was wearing. Such a belt signified that the man was neither a warrior nor a magus. He was a mere civilian.
"Hey, are you ...mute?" the man said when Shu Yue remained unresponsive. His voice had a playful tone to it. He lifted the brim of his hat to properly look at her, revealing the handsome features of a man in his twenties. His long, dark hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, with a few loose strands framing his face. Painted on his chin was a beauty mark.
He blinked and stared at her. He had beautiful eyes the color of the moon that seemed to glow as they gazed at hers. They had a sharp, wild aspect to them, almost predatory.
Shu Yue blinked and broke her gaze. She regarded him with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry about that." She kept her expression neutral as she studied his face.
He's no ordinary man.
Despite the grey belt, Shu Yue was doubtful that the man in front of her was a mere citizen. There was something strange about him that she couldn't quite put her finger on.
The man was still staring at her, his brow furrowed slightly. He then pulled down his bamboo hat, covering his face once again.
"Oh...well, be careful next time," the man mumbled. Then he nodded a goodbye, clasped his hands behind his back, and left.
Shu Yue watched his receding figure, a puzzled frown on her face. His movements were elegant and confident, in stark contrast to his disheveled outfit.
What a weird man.