— The Emperor's Imperial Record, Entry No. 36 —
"So, what do I do now? I have my first trip for him in less than a week." In my mind, it was clear that I had dropped myself into hot oil.
Big Randy answered as Igor lay sprawled on the couch, "You go. Shirking a deal you made with him will be far worse than actually working for him. You don't get to positions like his by letting others cross you like that."
I pulled at the fabric of my robe collar. "But you said he was a terrible person," I almost threw my hands up in the air. "If I can't refuse this, then should I say no to future work with him? Can I even? I don't want to get entangled with him anymore."
"No. He'll want to keep you working till the war breaks out in full effect at the very least." Big Randy sighed. "The best thing you can do now is prepare. Make the most out of this." He looked at me, distrust littering his face, 'Don't tell me that you only planned to do trips for him?"
"No," I had already chosen to tell him about the deal, so I decided that I might as well tell him about this. "I was thinking, the soldiers… they wouldn't have very many things. Especially if they're from peasant families."
Big Randy put a hand on his chin as he listened to me speak. Inwardly, I waited to see his reaction, he had far more knowledge of the city and the people we were talking about than I did.
I looked to Igor to check if he had anything to say, but he had already dozed off by then.
Big Randy clapped his hands to get my attention, "Khan, this isn't a candy-sweet world. You're not a little girl."
'Why did he suddenly turn so serious?'
"You cannot go around just handing out free food in the woods, eventually, the beasts realise that you have more food on you than you give them."
*Aaah,* 'A misunderstanding?'
"No, no, of course I'll charge them, I just want to know what you think about all of it. I'm sure they would want actual food, maybe sending messages to their parents, blankets, anything Wan Cheng himself wouldn't provide…what do you think?"
I looked at him as he churned my words in his head. Hopefully, I was on the right path. Igor's snores in the background permeated the air like a drumbeat, while Big Randy sat backwards on his chair, reaching for a pastry, only responding when he realised there was none of them. "That's not a bad idea, kid, but have you thought about how you would transport all these things? Surely, you don't think they'd fit into one of those bags you carry around?"
I paused. I hadn't thought of that. If I were really to do what I was saying, then I'd probably have to get some sort of caravan…'Never mind, that can be for later. If this doesn't work, then none of it will matter.'
"I could just do the first delivery of whatever the captain wants. Then I'll do my best to talk to the soldiers. Maybe I could learn something."
*Mhmm,* "At least you're not rushing head first." He thought for a moment, finally coming up with something, "Wan Cheng may not take kindly to it if he starts to think you are some sort of spy, regardless of whether I was the one who originally sent you, so make sure to be extra careful."
"Of course, I won't take any chances."
But, he wagged his finger at me, trying to make sure I understood, "I'm serious, Khan, do everything in public, and in as bright a day as possible."
I nodded.
"And one last thing, people like these, like the man you are now going to be dealing with. Words don't carry any weight to them. They only use them as carrots. When you find out it's not real, then they have a barbed whip and a stick waiting to get you to do what they want." Igor's snores periodically punctuated his words with a low rumble. "Do you understand?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good, then go prepare, I'm sure you're still tired from your trip. I've kept you too long."
I left, looking back to see Big Randy helping Igor to his feet. I turned away, trying to get home as fast as possible. I had barely spoken to Huo Qianlei when I was home last night, and I still had to visit Healer Yao Po.
….
As soon as Khan left, Igor went back to his usual demeanour, shoving off Big Randy's helping hand, "You shouldn't have given him that bracelet."
Big Randy threw his hands up in defeat, "I know. But who else should I have given it to?" He looked out the door to see if anyone was coming, "How many cities has it been? What happens if one day we can't keep running? Should we just be forgotten?"
"Everyone is forgotten, Randy!" Igor sat back down on the chair, this time with noticeably more care, "I just want to live. They've been chasing us for almost fourteen years, Randy."
"I know." He sighed, deflated, but we've been running for too long for us to get caught now."
Igor only scoffed, saying, "If we get caught, because of that kid, there'll be no saving us. We're old this time, Randy. We won't be able to run again." Igor looked outside, where I had exited,
"They'll take him too, just for being related to us."
….
I barely felt any more pangs of want for the dreg qi anymore.
A small victory. Hopefully, I was completely free. I looked down at my arm as I walked, opening and closing my fist, looking at the way the skin sailed over the musculature. 'It's scarred. Ruined forever.'
I had been hurt before, of course, hunting, but each time, it healed and either looked as good as before or left a very light scar. Now, it was almost like I was deformed.
Especially my chest, I put a hand up to it. Feeling the knots and bulges that made up the new skin. I'd made a point over the last few days to not be seen topless.
But I couldn't remain sulking forever, I had chosen to do it. If that was the cost, then so be it. As long as I became a cultivator, I wouldn't mind even if I chopped off my own arm.
I looked at the scars again, they still looked terrible, but with my new mindset, I saw it as a vast improvement from what it was when that spirit beast caused them. 'At least, I'm still alive.'
*Mphh* A child bumped into me, and I looked up from my right arm. The district was largely the same as when I left it a few days ago.
I did not know why I was expecting change. Maybe it was a small part of me hoping that the cultivators would come down and clean the city.
Their city.
….
In a small hut on the edge of the city, sat a fat, oily man. He hit the table with a large, meaty fist and pulled at his hair in frustration. "That damn hunter boy! He must have been tricking me all this time."
*Rip*
A tuft of hair came out, terrorizing the man's already fleeing hairline. But he didn't even notice.
"Where'd he get all that money?"
It was the field overseer. He was currently in his quarters, overlooking the grain fields filled with hardworking men and a slowly growing pest population.
Ever since Khan had left, they'd started to come back again.
He ran a long, out-of-place pinky fingernail over a stained parchment. He had been doing this for hours. On the parchment was Khan's name. Written over and over like he was carrying out some punishment.
Next to every harsh, rushed scribbling of Khan's name was a number. An estimate of how much the kid had made. Every time he looked at it, he would scratch it out and write a new one.
No one would tell him anything he didn't already know. Not even those pathetic bastards who tilled the fields. Their bellies had long memories as far as he was concerned, and he couldn't just punish everybody. Not over this. Even he didn't have that kind of power.
He had been trying to get at Khan for quite some time now. But he wasn't able to. The first time he'd tried, Big Randy and Igor were there to stop him, and after that, the boy had been wise.
He'd packed up and left as quickly as possible, and now he was at the edge of the Mudfoot district. Khan was so close to the silver scale district that the supervisor didn't dare to try and do anything.
The supervisor smashed the wooden table again, hurting his hand and angering himself even more.
*********
Far away, in a tanner's hut, sat Azul, cloaked with a thin robe and the soft, but harsh glow of the candlelight.
Tears ran down his face, mixing with the pulled-out hair from his scalp. 5 full pouches of silver sat on the desk. Some of them spilled over. No one was willing to take the job.
"…Maybe I should go myself." He said it with such trembling that even he himself did not believe the words he had just spoken.