The many gangs and syndicates of Sea Spring scrambled to know who did it, who had taken advantage and killed them off when their boss had died.
Who would take over the businesses owned by the Tuli's?
But, none of this concerned Shou Xin.
He laid in the backyard of the rundown plot.
"Eleven drops, it takes you eleven drops to get a single drop worth stronger…" To try and explain Vienna's feelings right now would be impossible as there were too many flashing at once.
"Increase the efficiency." He muttered.
Shou Xin hearing that muttering felt his world shake and he sat up.
"I'll die."
"You'll die anyway." Vienna didn't care.
He raised his arm and slashed down, the tiniest most miniscule amount of Qi he could scrounge up burst forth putting a scar on the tree which Shou Xin wanted to sleep on.
"The First Form, Listless Slash. Technique is important, but the reason I made you learn this art, is because you are talentless. Even if you had an ocean of qi as vast as the stars, you could only use a small portion, since your soul is like the faucet, and that faucet is brutally small." Vienna's words hit the mark, "The Talentless Sword Art is made by me with that in mind. Using the smallest amounts of Qi possible, you will become a master over the blade."
"I…" Shou Xin was left speechless as tears swelled in his eyes.
Though he was not talented enough to learn it in it's entirety so fast, he could tell that Vienna had not lied, that was indeed the Listless Slash he'd been learning for a long time.
Shou Xin's blade raised, but his tears fell.
Vienna scowled and barked, "Quit crying you fuckin' baby!"
Shou Xin lowered his head and prepared himself.
He originally had the intention to neglect his training and focus on tasks or to sleep.
However, his mind rejected it at the last moment with a ferocity which could kill a weaker mind.
Training never ends.
Much like the tide, it ebs and flows but never ends only changing pace.
The Sea Spring Executioner's Blade danced with the ferocity of a penguin, and not a very scary one at that.
The technique was off, the swings weak, the blade uncontrolled.
And yet, he could not help but smile.
For this was his blade, his art, his path.
Not anyone elses, not chosen for him.
All of it.
His.
Smack!
Vienna trucked him knocking him flat on his face.
"You call that a Listless Slash?! I will slash this entire city to pieces if you don't stop playing around! Again!"
Vienna's ruthlessness never ceased to amaze Shou Xin, yet he said not a word.
---
Within a large chamber, a magnificent bed which could fit ten people spread out like starfish was lavishly decorated, the walls lined with weapons and the walls themselves made by master craftsmen.
The sense of Qi filled the room.
Atop the bed, the sheets writhed and loud noises could be heard rebounding until eventually the turbid qi vanished and three people appeared atop the bed sitting in lotus.
"Tuli Pavilions business' should be up for grabs now. Have that boy take care of them. He destroyed it, he should keep what he earned. However, everything he makes goes back to us save for one percent." Lord Sea Spring leaned against the beds back, "As for the dead, make examples."
"Yes, Shizou." Little Spring caressed Lord Sea Spring's chest as he replied, "What of the other syndicates? They are deeply rooted and after the biggest of them fell, they are even more deeply hidden."
"Isin't it obvious?" Young Sea stood from the bed, her clothes loosely draped over her fine silken skin, "Have the executioner deal with them. Let him gather a few pebbles, grow a small faction. They won't be able to amass any real power."
Little Spring seemed doubtful, but ultimately nodded.
---
Shou Xin stopped his daily practice.
It had been three months since the last time he had gone into combat of any sort.
The high command of Sea Spring, Lord Sea Spring, had been in seclusion and so besides the executions which occasionally occurred, he had nothing to do but train.
Without being contacted for a mission, he focused single-mindedly on training.
He could not take the Primeval Qi from those he executed lest Lord Sea Springs companions, Little Spring and Young Sea, were to notice after all.
Using the small amount of Primeval Qi he had managed to gather, he could practice the first form, listless slash, far better.
His mastery had risen a bit.
"Work." One day, a man came by with the seal of Sea Spring.
He said nothing else, and vanished.
Such things were common place.
"They don't want to associate with scum like me, huh." Shou Xin picked up the task from the earth bitterly, "But I'm not scum…"
"Your right, your trash." Vienna jabbed from the side.
He could no longer take hiding, and so had become a lazing house cat.
As he read the task, his eyes narrowed and Vienna whistles which was a chilling experience to see from a cat.
"FInally, some good work." He proclaimed loftily as he was not the one to do it, "What do you wish to do? Gobble up all of the businesses and take over the underground?"
Shou Xin frowned.
"And have all of Sea Spring, the Exiled Court, Cloud Seer Academy and whichever clan is behind Lord Sea Spring come after my life? Then what? I'd die long before becoming anything."
"Che," He scowled, "Your no fun at all, you know that?"
"It will be a long night."
Without much other thought, Shou Xin began his preparation.
Sea Spring Executioner's Blade. Check.
Clothing. Check.
And he was complete with his prep.
Within the document was all of the information needed.
Though he'd been doing small tasks for the town over the last few months like silencing thugs and criminals before they made it to trial, today was his first big work since the Tuli Pavilion.
"The boss is a Single Chain Mortal?" Vienna frowned, which was strange on a cat's face, "...they overestimate you."
"I can do it."
The two looked at eachother and Vienna who had at some point arrived on his shoulder, jumped off landing soundlessly.
"It's your death, though, it would be too bad if I couldn't keep my word." He waved a paw, "So don't die, or I will chase your soul into the Chaos and drag it back."
He simply nodded.
"Then, I'm off."
"Have a good time."
-----
Time slowed to a near stop as the blood gushing from his abdomen refused to stop.
Shou Xin glanced skyward between the leaves at the moon high above and was reminded of the time he first met Vienna, that abyssal night.
"...the misfortune weep, the fortunate rejoice, huh…" He said self-deprecatingly, "All I do is weep."
To understand how he got here, one had to go back a ways in time.
After leaving the rundown place where Vienna slept, Shou Xin headed towards the target area where the boss of a newly rising syndicate had set up shop.
Yet, as he was approaching, he paused.
"Come out." His words echoed through the empty streets.
Yet, the street's were not empty.
In a moment, he'd been surrounded by tens of thugs which held grudges against him for his jobs.
Such was the life of an executioner, taking the burden of grudges from their lord whom the common criminal could not touch leaving only him to vent upon.
He had been lynched like this a few times, but never to this degree.
At least six or seven of these were at the level of being underbosses just before breaking into Single Chain Mortals the place where Shou Xin was at.
The Mortal Coil.
Within it are nine chains, and when they are all lifted, one gains the ability to take up a Dao and choose a name which will be carved into their souls, solidifying their existence.
Those within the Mortal Coil all sought to break past it, yet few ever succeeded.
Let alone breaking out of the Mortal Coil, breaking in was terribly difficult as one needed to strengthen themselves to a considerable degree just to gather a small amount of Qi, let alone what was needed to break the first chain.
One's Primeval Qi they're ability to breakthrough, alongside their understanding, the greatly the Primeval Qi before breaking into the Mortal Coil, the stronger the foundation of the Inner Sea.