The man Stone was talking with, stood behind the polished wood counter.
He was an old fellow with down turned dark eyes that seemed to peer through everything. His beard was grey and was knotted with wooden beads. His head was clean shaven unlike Stone with his half head of hair.
Zero did not know what to do. Could he still leave? It was nighttime already and he doubted he would find a bed by this time. Unless he made his way back to the harlot lane. He shuddered as he imagined that.
' Absolutely not. '
He tilted his head down and walked forward, waiting for the old man to finish his discussion before speaking up.
"A terrible fate awaits us, old friend. To think I would see another battle of the realms ensue before I passed. Ha! We should drink."
Stone was not pleased. "Old Bao this is serious. Tis' not just a mere battle of a few higher than mighty cultivators. There are immortals involved..."
The grouchy man lowered his voice to a whisper.
"Something went wrong in Hell. The balance is shifting."
At the mention of Hell, Zero's breath hitched. The eye within him seemed to thrum. He had no idea what these men were going on about. But it was clear to even a fool, that should they find a certain scroll on his person, he'd be in much more trouble than he would've for being a "ghoul".
He couldn't care less for the meal or a bed at this point. He began to retreat.
However, these men were far more observant than they appeared to be. As he turned to leave, gaze on the floor, the old man Bao called out to him.
"Afraid of talk of rebellion and immortals, boy?"
Zero did not answer, choosing to bow deeply instead and leave.
"You know, you are not very inconspicuous. The silver hair gives you away." The old man smiled peacefully, eyes creasing. He raised a withered hand to gesture at the long, messily tucked strands of hair at his nape.
Foolish. He didn't even take time to coverup properly.
Stone had turned about now. He was downing a golden liquid that was inside his mug. The aura of the liquid was extremely sharp and hot. Zero had a feeling he would not like to taste.
A slow realization crossed the giant man's face. He dropped the mug.
"Wait a moment. I know this boy."
Zero tucked his head deeper. But it was of no use. Stone walked up to him and ripped his hat right off. He stood there, unsure what to do at the moment. He really should have taken his chances with the pretty night woman. But alas, it was too late.
Would he be captive again? He doubted he would ever stand a chance against Stone. The brute had held off and killed the flesh abomination all on his own strength.
Zero had killed them by the sheer luck that it was a full moon, and the scroll had deigned full moon nights as yin source hunts for him. That said, he wondered when he would be forced into...eating.
He could find a yin source at any time before he was forced to, but he didn't just have the guts to do so again. The rot was still fresh on his tongue.
"You were supposed to be dead." Stone told him, scanning the boy from head to toe, noticing how he was in one piece.
"Now, now, friend. That's no way to treat a customer. I believe you are already acquainted, not so?" Old Bao said and then turned to Zero. "What is your name boy?"
Stone continued to stare at Zero in subtle disbelief. It made the young man quite uncomfortable. He pursed his lips then answered the innkeeper. "Zero, sir. I...I am quite lost. "
"Ah. I see. Strange name for a boy. Or anyone in fact!" He laughed, took a sip of the golden wine.
"First time traveller eh? You do be careful going around telling strange folks you've lost your way. Can attract trouble."
Huh. He didn't know that. But there were lots that Zero didn't know.
"Yes, mister. " Zero said with a nod.
The old man smiled. He was well mannered for a country lad. And he seemed extremely special. No one found the Bao inn with the normal eye...
"You must be tired. Go. Sit somewhere, I'd send food and tea in a bit. "
Zero nodded but stood uncertainly, nervously looking at his straw hat in Stone's hands. The old man noticed this and let out a laugh. "Where you are now boy, the demonkind and Mutated are not exactly strange sights. Go now."
He still stood. "I'd rather not stand out mister. "
Stone grunted like he could not even be bothered and tossed the hat for him to catch. It landed on the wooden board floors and Zero went on to pick it. When he had fastened it over his head, making sure to tuck in his hair, he found a floor table in a far corner and sat silently.
"That boy..." Stone started to say.
Old Bao looked on, curious.
The giant man sighed, shaking his head. "He was a crippled corpse when fellow Li captured him. I had hit him, not anything fatal of course. But the boy would only smile."
"Overnight, he had grown an arm and silver hair. And then..."
Stone paused to look back at the scrawny fellow in a coat that was three times his size.
"And then, he somehow survived the onslaught of shadow beasts that carried dangerous amounts of Egui essence."
Old Bao was rarely shocked. But now his long, grey eye brows raised ever so slightly.
"If the boy is here, alive. Then it can only mean one thing. The two shadowbeasts that remained, are dead." Stone turned back to watch a small smile creep unto old Bao's face.
"Like you said, dear friend. The balance is shifting. We shall see many prodigies rise from ashes in these times."
Stone shuddered, as a man his size could. "I just wonder who he is. He resembles a country bumpkin. But how..."
He shook his head, greatly bewildered. When he accepted his mission from the outer courts in the imperial palace, he had thought the job would be simple for a Qi novice approaching Master.
The task was straight forward. Lay low, infiltrate one of the many Nisari ranks and find the "piece".
He was in search of a renowned talisman that was said to have originated before dark mana had seeped unto the earth. Long before the battles of the demonkind and cultivators.
He disguised himself as a simple minded brute force, hoping the mission would not take much of his time. He still had other Nisari ranks to search through.
Until the unfortunate encounter with those hellish beings made waste of the camp.
He looked back to the boy who was now seeping some tea that was served to him.
Who was he?
Zero was busy enjoying the exquisite meal that was brought to him. He had never had such delectable food before. His mother was a fine cook, but they were too poor to afford good ingredients.
It was his first time having such enjoyable dishes. Every bite was a burst of flavours. He had truly been missing out in that village of his.
As he ate, he observed the people in the inn. Many of them were men. He spotted a few women amongst some parties but they all seemed to have the same bearing as the men.
They were for one, grandly eyecatching. It was something about their essence than their actual physical appearance. None of them actually looked prettier in true standards, than the lady in the harlot alley.
But the aura about them could make even the most beautiful prostitutes look like dirt.
He wondered who these people were and why they had chosen this back street inn amongst all the others. As he sat, contemplating these things, something happened.
A young man who looked not much older than him drew his blade against another man. The latter was middle aged and portly looking but his eyes were fierce and his bearing was sharp. He too drew his sword.
"I shall not have a commoner like yourself disrespecting the Han sect!" The young man said. His eyes were bright and angry. The people that accompanied him had drawn their blades as well.
The other man had come alone and it seemed he had intruded on the younger man's discussion with his party, provoking him.
"You foul bottomed imperials can eat shit!"
Before any of them could make a move, a sudden chill permeated the otherwise warm inn. It could not be the snowy winds as the windows were shut and the fire place burnt high.
This was different. All the people in the inn seemed to notice this as well, furthering Zero's assumptions that they were not ordinary folk.
For a moment, the hall fell quiet. Outside, the snow whistled on.
The very next second, a scream from a distance in the city broke the silence.