The orphanage courtyard was deathly quiet, the faint hum of distant chaos lingering in the air. Smoke from the upper city fire clung to the sky like a curse, blotting out the morning light. Yao Qin stood by the crumbling wall, his sharp eyes fixed on the broken gate, dread pooling in the pit of his stomach.
He didn't have to wait long.
Scarface arrived like a tempest, the gate slamming open with a thunderous crash. His presence was suffocating, his aura jagged and volatile. Though his body was battered and wrapped in hastily applied bandages, his Qi was stronger—more raw and uncontrolled. His dishevelled appearance told a story of survival, but it was his eyes that held everyone in place: cold, furious, and unrelenting.
The gang leader's gaze swept across the courtyard, landing on Yao Qin and Han Wei like a predator sizing up its prey. Without a word, Scarface marched forward, his steps heavy with anger. As he passed a rotting doorframe, he seized it and ripped it free in a single motion, the wood shattering into splinters as he hurled it across the courtyard. The remnants landed dangerously close to Fang Hui, who yelped and scrambled away.
Scarface's voice was a growl, low and menacing. "You've got a lot of nerve coming back here."
Han Wei raised his hands defensively, his voice trembling. "Scarface, we—"
"You think I care what you have to say?" Scarface snarled, cutting him off. His Qi flared, cracks spidering through the stone beneath his feet. "The Tang's stronghold burns, half my men are dead, and I'm missing a damn arm! And now you think you can just crawl back here like nothing happened?"
Yao Qin held his ground, his gaze steady. "We didn't come back empty-handed."
Scarface's narrowed eyes flicked to him. "You better have something good, or I'll make you wish the Tang had finished you off."
Han Wei's voice quavered as he interjected. "We—We couldn't stop the Tang. They were too strong. But we—"
"Silence!" Scarface roared, his Qi lashing out in a wave that made the air shimmer. "Your excuses mean nothing. If you don't have something worth my time, I'll carve your eyes out and sell you to a slaver."
Yao Qin's heart pounded, but his face remained impassive. He stepped forward, pulling a small satchel from within his cloak. His movements were slow, deliberate, as he revealed the Azure Pill. Its faint, otherworldly glow caught Scarface's attention instantly.
"What's this?" Scarface demanded, his tone sharp with suspicion.
"A bargaining chip," Yao Qin said evenly. "For the Redbloom King."
The courtyard fell silent, the tension thick enough to cut with a blade. Scarface stared at the pill, his expression shifting from anger to a mix of intrigue and disbelief.
Han Wei's voice cracked as he whispered, "It's… It's a cultivation pill. High-grade. Enough to—"
"I didn't ask you," Scarface snapped, his eyes never leaving the pill. He took a step closer, looming over Yao Qin. "And you just happened to stumble across this in the chaos?"
Yao Qin met his gaze, unflinching. "We took it from the Tang. It's valuable enough to earn their wrath and powerful enough to matter to the Redbloom King. If we deliver this, we live."
Scarface reached out, snatching the pill from Yao Qin's hand with a roughness that left no room for protest. He studied it, his expression darkening as his Qi surged again, radiating barely restrained fury.
"And what makes you think the King would value this over the mess you left behind?" Scarface hissed. His voice was cold, his anger a sharp edge threatening to cut them both down where they stood.
Yao Qin didn't flinch. "Because power is all that matters to men like him. And this pill is power."
Scarface's lips curled into a snarl, his grip tightening around the pill. For a moment, Yao Qin thought the gang leader might crush it in his palm, but then Scarface let out a bitter laugh, the sound laced with venom.
"You've got guts, kid," he said finally, his tone dripping with mockery. "You think this shiny little trinket will save you? Fine. We'll see if the King thinks the same."
Without another word, Scarface turned on his heel, his Qi receding slightly as he stalked toward the gate. His footsteps left cracks in the stone, a silent testament to his lingering rage. As he reached the broken gate, he paused, glancing back over his shoulder.
"Pray you're right," he said coldly. "Because if you're not, I'll make you wish you'd died with the others."
The he rammed his fist through what remained of the d, leaving the courtyard in oppressive silence. Fang Hui whimpered from his corner, and Han Wei collapsed onto the bench, his hands trembling.
"You're insane," Han Wei muttered, his voice barely audible. "He's going to kill us. He's going to kill us all."
"Move! Both of you! We're going to see the Redbloom King." Scarface barked from outside!
Han Wei stiffened, his face draining of colour.
Scarface's glare was like a dagger. "Did I stutter? Hurry the fuck up and follow me. Or stay here and die. Your choice."
Yao Qin's heart pounded, but he forced himself to stand, his expression unreadable. He glanced at Han Wei, who hesitated for a moment before rising on shaky legs. Together, they trailed behind Scarface, the weight of impending judgment pressing heavily on their shoulders.
As they followed the faint glow of the upper city fire still flickered in the distance, casting long shadows across the ruined courtyard.
The walk through Red Blossom City was anything but peaceful. The aftermath of the night's chaos clung to the streets like a suffocating fog, filling the air with the acrid tang of smoke and the lingering scent of blood.
Scarface led the way, his gait uneven yet unrelenting, the jagged burns across his body still raw and exposed. Han Wei followed close behind, his steps faltering as his eyes darted nervously between the wreckage and the people who passed by. Yao Qin trailed slightly, his sharp eyes absorbing every detail.
The city was a living tableau of tension and despair. Vendors hastily repaired their stalls, their faces etched with worry as they whispered of escalating violence between the Great Sin Gang and the Dark Mountain Faction. In the distance, the glow of smoldering ruins painted the skyline in hues of red and orange. Yao Qin spotted a group of guards dragging away bodies—some marked with the Great Sin's insignia, others bearing the crude tattoos of Dark Mountain warriors.
"Keep up," Scarface barked, glancing back over his shoulder. His voice was low and gravelly, yet it carried enough weight to make Han Wei flinch and quicken his pace.
Han Wei muttered under his breath, "Doesn't he ever slow down?"
Yao Qin didn't respond. His focus was elsewhere, his thoughts a calculated whirl of possibilities. The events of the previous night had created a power vacuum, one that neither the Great Sin Gang nor the Dark Mountain Faction could ignore. The tension in the streets was palpable, a precursor to the storm that would soon engulf the city.
As they passed through the central market, the devastation became more apparent. Stalls lay overturned, goods trampled into the dirt. A beast, half-charred and clearly dragged from the Danger Zone, lay abandoned in the middle of the square, its claws still twitching in death. A pair of children scurried past, their hands clutching stolen bread as a vendor shouted futilely after them.
"Looks worse than I thought," Han Wei said, his voice barely above a whisper. "The Tang really tore through here."
Yao Qin's gaze flicked to the sky, where tendrils of smoke curled into the heavens. He said nothing, his thoughts turning inward. This city was always on the brink.
Scarface suddenly stopped in his tracks, causing Han Wei to nearly collide with him. The gang leader's eyes locked onto a group of Dark Mountain warriors standing outside a fortified building adorned with crude tribal insignias. The warriors were imposing—barbaric men with wild hair, their weapons coated in fresh blood. They eyed Scarface with a mixture of disdain and amusement.
"Keep moving," Scarface growled, his voice low and dangerous. He didn't stop to confront them, but Yao Qin noticed the faint flicker of Qi rippling around him, a subtle warning that kept the warriors at bay.
Yao Qin's sharp eyes caught the way the warriors smirked as they watched Scarface limp away. The Great Sin is losing its grip, he thought. Even Scarface can't scare them like he used to.
The group pressed on, eventually leaving the market behind and descending into the underbelly of the city. The streets grew narrower, the buildings leaning precariously as if ready to collapse at any moment. The air was thick with the stench of decay, and the faint sounds of muffled sobs echoed from the shadows.
Han Wei hesitated as they passed a dilapidated alley where a chain gang of slaves was being marched toward an auction block. Their shackles clinked rhythmically, their hollow eyes staring blankly ahead.
Han Wei averted his gaze, but Yao Qin's eyes lingered for a moment longer. The sight stirred something cold and calculating within him. Slaves, gangs, factions—everyone in this city is bound by chains, visible or not.
Finally, they approached their destination—a seedy tavern tucked into the corner of a rundown district. The sound of raucous laughter and clinking glasses spilled out into the street, mingling with the faint roars of a nearby fighting pit. Scarface pushed the door open with a shove, the hinges groaning in protest.
"Inside," he commanded, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Yao Qin followed, his eyes narrowing as he stepped into the dimly lit room. The stench of stale beer and sweat assaulted his senses, but it was the faint undercurrent of fear that caught his attention. The patrons—all gang members—stopped their conversations to stare at Scarface. Their gazes flicked to the burns covering his body and then to the two boys trailing behind him.
"Where's the boss?" Scarface growled.
One of the men pointed to a back door without a word, his hand trembling slightly. Scarface grunted in acknowledgment and continued forward, his heavy boots thudding against the floorboards.
As they approached the door, Yao Qin's sharp eyes caught sight of a large, bloodstained map pinned to the wall. It depicted Red Blossom City and the surrounding regions, with key locations marked in crimson ink. His gaze lingered on one mark in particular—a heavily circled spot labeled "Dark Mountain Refuge."
Before he could study it further, Scarface shoved the door open, revealing a stairwell leading down into darkness.
"Follow me," he ordered, his voice echoing ominously. "The King is waiting."
Han Wei glanced nervously at Yao Qin, who nodded subtly. Together, they descended into the depths of the Redbloom King's domain.