Fu Shulin was working the counter when they came in, five men and two women, dressed in fine cultivator robes. Not the frosty blues and teals of Jade Dragon Manor, these cultivators were dressed in bold, peacock colours. Purples, greens and yellows. As garish as opera singers minus the makeup.
They were from Soaring Crane sect, their territory was a province to the east of Beishan. Fu Shulin didn't know what they were doing so far from home.
One of the men, tall and intimidating walked up to him and slammed his hand down on the wooden counter to get his attention -- unnecessary, considering Fu Shulin was already looking at him.
"You, kid, how long until Longbei?"
"At the moment sir is closest to Longyu--"
The man interrupted him with a frown. "I know where Longyu is, I asked you about Longbei."
"A few day's journey sir," Fu Shulin said, struggling to keep the animosity out of his voice.
The man tsked loudly and turned to his companions. "You heard the kid, even flying on sword I don't feel like continuing on for now."
The two women and one man had already sat down at a table, and were looking around in a mix of annoyance and contempt.
The youngest of the two women ran her finger down the table as if looking for dust. "This is sort of a dump. We should have stopped in Longyu instead."
The man at the counter frowned. "I'm not circling back just because this place isn't up to your standards."
She harrumphed in annoyance, her friend consoled her with a careless pat on the shoulder. Another of the men kicked a table with his foot. "Bring us food," he told Fu Shulin dismissively.
Fu Shulin was hesitant to leave this group alone in the hall, but An Mu was in the kitchens he needed to warn her about preparing the food for the guests. His Shifu was meditating in his room. Fu Shulin didn't want to interrupt him but it would be better if he was around. He could tell these people were trouble.
An Mu dismissed his concerns when he told her about the group of Soaring Crane cultivators in her inn. "These people are all the same, loud braggarts the lot of them. You're used to the elegant side of cultivators but I've seen plenty act like loudmouth drunkards."
Fu Shulin returned to the hall with pitchers and pots of wine for the group and reassurances that the food would be ready soon. He watched from behind the counter as they became progressively drunker, and more rowdy.
When An Mu called him to help with the food they were all laughing and screaming over each other, as if competing to see who could be the most obnoxious.
They were so rackuous that trying to serve the platters and bowls of food was a challenge. When one of the men, gesticulating wildly, slapped a bowl of rice out of An Mu's hands and to the floor, Fu Shulin lost his patience.
"If you don't want to eat we can take the food back to the kitchen," he said, kneeling to help An Mu gather the pieces of broken clay into her apron.
The loudest of the group reached for Fu Shulin's collar and pulled him up. "Watch how you speak with your betters, kid."
Fu Shulin struggled in the man's grip. He was raised easily off the floor even with the man sitting down; to the amusement of his companions who laughed as if it was the funniest thing they'd ever witnessed.
"Please, honored guests, let him down, he's just a silly child, he doesn't know what he says," An Mu said, head lowered, still holding the pieces of broken clay in the folds of her apron.
Seeing her like that enraged Fu Shulin. She shouldn't be the one apologizing, who were these ruffians to bully an elderly woman? Did they have no shame?
He felt anger coursing through him, raising like a tide, whipping his spiritual sea into turmoil. It was no longer the quiet, still, expanse Yao Yan instructed him to envision. No boat could sail its waters, no one could swim its currents. It was a force of nature and it threatened to pour out of Fu Shulin like a storm.
"Let me down," he said, struggling to keep his composure in the face of the rage building within him.
The man ignored him and shook him in the air, making his companions laugh louder. Their laughter rattled inside Fu Shulin's head, the dam of his rage was holding on by a thread, he didn't know what would happen once it broke.
An Mu approached Fu Shulin, trying to hold on to his sleeve and pull him down. "Please, honored guests..."
"Seize your yapping," the man holding on to Fu Shulin said, and used his body to bludgeon An Mu, sending her sprawling to the floor. She whimpered in pain, from the fall, and the pieces of broken clay cutting into her legs.
A surge of fury so potent rose up Fu Shulin's throat like bile, he let out a furious yell which released with a shocking wave of energy. It shot through the room like a whip, breaking him free of the smirking man's hold and sending him and his companions thumbing against the wall at furious speed.
Fu Shulin hovered in the air while their bodies collided with satisfying fleshly smacks into the walls and floor. As the energy ebbed he floated gently to the ground.
"Mumu jiejie, are you alright?" he asked, crouching next to her.
She looked up at him in shock, her mouth open in a wordless question, until finally she let out a rattling laugh. "Since when can you do that?"
Fu Shulin let out a relieved chuckle and helped her to her feet. "I guess I just needed to find a beautiful maiden to bring out my chivalrous side."
He watched the smile dim from her face, replaced by panic but before he could make sense of what was happening she threw him behind her and stepped in front of the sword edge meant for his back.