"Where is Ruo Xi?" he asked as soon as he entered the tavern. His eyes scanned the entire place but he couldn't find her.
"She's in the restroom," someone replied.
"By the orders of the city lord, everyone please gather at the square."
East's voice rang in Taeyang head and he wasn't the only one. One by one, those in the tavern got up. Even those who were sleeping woke up.
"Is something happening?" Someone asked Taeyang.
"Imperial soldiers, none of you should cause trouble. They are just hear looking for someone and would leave after searching," Taeyang replied while moving to the two doors at the far right of the bar.
"Hey wait, where are you going?" a waitress tried to stop him, but one look from him caused her to freeze. The door opens just before he reached for its handle and Ruo Xi stepped out with another lady.
"Huh?"
Startled by Taeyang's appearance before the door, Ruo Xi gasped. However, Taeyang grabbed her hand immediately and pulled her towards the entrance.
"Come with me," he says.
"Where are we going?" she asked while jogging beside him.
"The city square," Taeyang replied. "There are some troublesome people around, and I don't want them touching my people," he adds before walking out the door.
Taeyang walked quickly while pulling her along. "Do not look at your hand and don't resist it," he ordered.
"Okay," she replied.
He gently poured his mana into her body through her hands. She felt extremely unease about this. His mana was moving freely in her body. This was dangerous to her and also an invasion of her privacy. He could easily kill her if he wanted to or by accident if he doesn't control his mama properly. And depending on how good he was with controlling it, he could see her whole entity.
"Be honest with me, were you an executive?" he whispered for her to hear.
"What? No, I wasn't."
"How many of you are in this city?"
"Huh? I don't know the exact number but around five to seven."
"Is an executive among? And are all of you guys together?"
"I don't think an executive is among, and no we aren't together. We came across each other in the city."
"So you are not sure if an executive is here. Shit, there's going to be a blood bath."
"Huh? Why?"
"Imperial soldiers are here for one of your executives that escaped. If that person plan on resisting, innocent people are going to die."
"My goodness!"
"East! East! Can you hear me?" Taeyang says to himself.
"You don't have to shout, I'm already connected to you. Once you call my name I'll hear you," East voice sounds in his head.
"Inform the guild master, there are at least eight dark moon people in the city and one of them is my person."
"Hold!"
"Okay," Taeyang said and then yelled. "By the orders of the city lord everyone gather at the city square!"
He takes a turn at the next street while pulling Ruo Xi. "Why the hell have they not rang the bell?" he thought. And as if waiting for him, the sound of a bell came twice.
"Guild master is asking, can you find them?" East voice sounded.
"Yes, but I'll need time," Taeyang replied.
"How long?"
"Twenty minutes."
There was a brief silence after he replied her. Soon her voice came again. "Guild master said you have only ten minutes. Is your person with you?"
"Yes, she is."
There was a pause again. A stone flew up from the ground. It stretched as if it was elastic and wraps around Ruo Xi's right wrist.
"Guild master will protect her, go find them!"
"Understood!" Taeyang replies and turns to Ruo Xi. "Circulate my mana and refine it."
"If I refine it, won't my aura cover yours up?" she asked. The reason he poured his mana into her was to cover up her mana's distinctive scent with his. She knew this well, but for her to refine his mana and make it her own, meant it was meaningless. So she thought.
"Your aura is by no way as strong as mine, so that won't happen. Head to the city square and act nonchalant, I'll find you."
Taeyang ordered and shot into the sky before she could reply. She watch him jump from building to building and disappeared.
"Is he really going to protect me?" she thought while looking at the wristband made out of rock. "Anyways I should hide. He may be strong but he shouldn't be a match for imperial soldiers."
She looked around to make no one was paying attention to her. Those passing by were in a hurry and cared not for those around. When she was sure about hr surroundings, she turned to a near by alley. She had not gone half in way, when a huge wall rose from the ground, obstructing her path. Her brows furrowed as she tried to jump over it, to her surprise it rose higher. She turned to the building and as if reading her intention the building rose up.
"I don't care if you are Southeast's person, if you cause trouble for the city lord, I'll personally rip your skin off!" a voice sounded in her ear. She had heard this voice before while she was in the restroom. Now she was hearing it again and it sounded in an harsh tone. "There are twenty imperial soldiers here, and while concentrating on them and the various thousand citizens, city lord is also specially concentrating on you because of Southeast, so stop bothering him with your meaningless actions."
"Yes ma'am."
"Go to the city square now!"
Ruo Xi steps out off the alley and obeys the instruction given. Meanwhile Taeyang who was on top of a building far away, stretches his body and sighs. "I can't believe I'll be using this."
He circulates his mana and in the next moment his senses heightened. Taeyang could feel, see, smell and ear at a greater level than before. However…
"Still not enough," he thought. "East! Tell guild master to connect me to the city."
"Wait, you didn't know?"
"Know what?" Taeyang furrowed his brows.
"Being a cardinal means you can connect at all times. You don't need guild master's approval."
"You are kidding, right? The last times the guild master connected me." His eyes dilates at her words.
"No, he didn't. Search your body for the connection. You are a sub-cardinal so it would be faint. Since you are southeast check your legs."
"There is no conne… uh? How did I not notice before?" Taeyang voices with a dumbfounded expression on his face. At his right foot he could feel it, a connection, like a string to the city.
He closed his eyes, urging his mana and pulling on that string. A huge amount of mana flowed into his body from the string. It rushed through his veins, alongside his blood.
"Mana, the basic of life and of all living beings. Some are born with abundant of it and some with but a perk of dust of it."
He could still remember the words of his first teacher. Then he was but a child, a talented young child who needed no teacher, however he had one. And she was the very person who brought him into this world, his mother.
"Remember this always, the major difference between every living being, is how they control their mana! The question now is, how do you control your mana?" his mother's voice rang in his head.
Immediately, all his senses heightened. He could see, feel, hear and smell everything and anything in the city. It wasn't only the city. His range of sight, touch, hearing and smell spread to about one hundred and fifty meters in all directions around the city.
"Why did I remember mother in a situation like this?" he thought as he covered his mouth, holding himself from throwing up.
Right now he felt dizzy. The various scents and smell entering his nose caused him to gag. All the sounds he heard, from people chattering, animals crying out and more, caused his head to ache and his ear to bleed. The stumping of feet and movement of all kinds caused his body to go numb. He could see everything, from the buildings to the people, the forest some distance away around the city, the animals in it and more. So he didn't miss the blood trickling out of his eyes. Honestly, he was so close to passing out. The only reason he didn't was…
"Let's complete our mission, then go drink," he said to himself. He took in a deep breath, then exhaled and concentrated on one scent. The scent of the mana of the dark moon members. "Found you all. One two, three, four, five and six."
He sighed and called out. "East."
"Damn your voice is loud."
"I didn't even shout," he frowned.
"You used that ability of yours again?"
"Yeah, tell guild master I've found them."
"I can hear you," the guild master's voice sounded. "We are both connected now. Did you find the executive?"
"No, there is no one with the strength matching that of an imperial soldier," Taeyang closed his left eye and bit his lower lips. The pain he felt was increasing.
"So they are all small fries?"
"Yes sir."
"Separate all of them from the citizens. Just incase the executive is hiding amongst them."
Taeyang frowned. "If there was someone as strong as an imperial soldier or as a cardinal I will kn…"
He coughed blood before continuing. "I will know… huh?" his brows furrowed even more.
"What's it?"
"I missed one," Taeyang replied and thought. "Am I becoming… no, no… but I didn't notice the link in my body and now this, it can't be a coincidence. I'm not as sharp as I used to be. If that's the case I'm growing wea…"
"Taeyang!"