They moved through the alleys of the city as Shang was thinking. "This doesn't sound like a bad deal. If I give him the technique, I doubt it would change anything if I fight him. It will stop me from ambushing him, but as I saw earlier, that's a useless thought—I'd need a peak-tier technique to damage his armor and All the ones I have are loud and grand, so I don't think I lose out on this deal since I never planned on assassinating him. Not that any of this mattered, though. I can now say I brought him here for this favor and not have him try and kill me later. It's better than tricking him and then not giving him anything."
Shang looked back at Lin Shu. "Alright, Li. But I'm not giving you the technique, and I'm not taking any shards as collateral, since I'll be needing the favor right now."
Lin Shu listened. He needed the technique as early as possible so he could learn it. "I might not be able to master it completely, but it should improve my aim significantly from where I am now." He looked at Shang and said, "Alright. What do you want me to do?"
Kai then whispered, "Li, you're gonna actually help him? We can, you know, just beat him up and take it from him."
Lin Shu pushed him away. "I would've done that already if he couldn't just fly away."
Shang laughed at Lin Shu's remark. "Well now about the favor, I'm gonna need you two to help me with a gang I scammed a while ago."
Lin Shu said, "Is it the one that attacked us?"
Shang answered, "No, no. Those are others. These ones hired me for a job to steal something, but I decided to take it for myself. But of course, they took offense to that and are now trying to kill me for it. Unfortunately, I can't exactly fight them since they're always in the city, and I need space to actually use my flight to the fullest. But you'll do better here, Li. That's why I need you. At first, I was gonna ask Yu for this, but after you asked me about the technique, I decided to get you to help me."
They ran through buildings as Shang smiled and said, "We're close, it's just around the corner."
They took a turn and entered an alley leading to a large door. Next to it, two men stood guard. Shang stepped into the light, and they noticed him. One man squinted, then his eyes flew open in anger as he nudged his companion. They immediately bolted through the door, running at full speed. Shang looked at Kai and Lin Shu with a grin. They approached the door. "Kai, do you mind blowing this door for me?" Kai looked at Lin Shu, who nodded.
A booming sound echoed as the door shattered inward.
"We're gonna need to be swift. We don't want them to overwhelm us," Shang said. Lin Shu and Kai nodded. "Don't leave anyone alive."
Shang stormed into the building. Inside were several tables with gold being flung around—an illegal gambling den. A few men stepped forward, but Shang dodged with a flip. One of his wings grew mid-motion, slashing a man's head clean off. People looked on in horror, guarding their possessions and themselves.
"Don't leave me waiting, guys! Let's move!" Lin Shu and Kai exchanged a glance and sprang into action. Blades formed from Lin Shu's gauntlets as he sliced through the crowd. Kai, not wanting to collapse the building, stuck to precise bursts of flame that burned his targets to a crisp.
Shang laughed, beating down anyone in his path. His wings constantly morphed, acting as both shield and weapon. Lin Shu carved a bloody path, while Kai's targets were left as charred husks.
"Hahahaha! Well done, guys! Now let's go an—" A fist exploded through the ceiling, slamming Shang into the floor. A hulking, bald man with a long beard appeared, raining furious punches on Shang's face. Lin Shu immediately attacked, landing a blow that shook the man. As Shang scrambled free, Lin Shu followed with a knee to the jaw. The man tanked it and swung a meaty fist. Lin Shu slid between his legs, slashing his calves with his blade. Kai rushed in with a fist wreathed in flame, hitting the man in the face. The man grabbed Kai with one hand, about to headbutt him, when Shang reappeared, his face bloody but smiling. He drove a knee into the man's face. Lin Shu tried to slash the man's neck but was pushed back as a fist aimed for Shang's stomach, sending him flying. Kai retreated before he could be hit.
"SHANG! I AM GONNA EAT YOUR FUCKING FLESH FOR WHAT YOU DID TO HER!"
Shang slowly stood, wiping dust from his clothes. He raised a hand with a smile. "Long time no see, fatty. I'm here to deliver my condolences. What happened to your daughter was something no father should endure. But I do have a way for you to meet her again. Maybe that's why I brought my friends—they couldn't hold back when I told them how terribly your daughter was treated and killed. So they wanted to help you meet her as well. Don't worry, baldy, we're here for you."
The bulky man's face turned crimson, veins bulging. Blood seeped from his nose, mouth, and eyes. "DIE, YOU SCUM!" He attacked with renewed ferocity, giving them no chance to flee. "TO HELL WITH IT! YOU'RE ALL DYING WITH ME!"
Lin Shu felt a surge of oppressive energy. "That's... that's a Rank 2 technique! Damn it!"
Shang's smiling face disappeared. He grabbed Kai and ducked behind Lin Shu. "Protect us, brother!"
Lin Shu was about to run, but it was too late. "Shit! I can't let him hit my armor with that. The infernal force is at its peak in my body if I get hit, I'll blow up! I have to release before i het hit or else it'll bloz me up" He thought, "I can't tank his attack! You have to attack with me, Use everything you have!"
In Lin Shu's hand, lightning roared. "LIGHTNING FANG SURGE!" Sweat poured down his forehead. "I'm using all my lightning at once—this is worth two Surges. I'll also have to expend all my stored infernal force. I've never done that before in one go. I'll have to test my luck. And I'm gonna kill that fucking bird after this."
The bulky man looked increasingly ragged, as if he couldn't withstand his own technique much longer. Lin Shu studied him. "Is he really a Rank 2 cultivator? It shouldn't have taken him this long, and he shouldn't be taking this much damage from using his technique."
As if reading his thoughts, Shang called out, "Come on, guys! He's a crippled bastard! He already lost his cultivation. He used to be a Rank 2 cultivator, but not anymore. He's just a run-down peak-stage cultivator now. Isn't that right, Big Back Hougu? You're a washed-up bastard! Bring it on, fatso! I'll let you meet your daughter!" Shang looked at Lin Shu with a grin. "Don't cower away now, Behemoth! Show him why that's your title! Hahahahaha!"
Shang spread his wings. Dozens of feathers detached, hovering in the air before sharpening into glinting blades. Kai was sweating profusely, a massive ball of fire swirling in one hand while his other arm was fully engulfed in corrosive black gas.
Lin Shu walked forward slowly. He had never channeled all his lightning at once, nor released all his infernal force in a single attack. The dark steel coating his ivory armor grew hotter and hotter, radiating waves of intense heat. "I don't have a way to release the infernal force without close contact to maximize damage."
"WAIT, LI! YOU'RE CHARGING?!" Shang shouted, eyes widening.
Lin Shu roared, "HIT HIM NOW!"
The bulky man took a heavy step forward, his arm now sheathed in a jagged, red, rocky substance. Shang's feather swords shot forth, grazing the man's legs and tearing flesh. Kai's explosion shook the building to its foundations, but the man persevered, his beard singed, his qi visibly draining as the rocky armor began to shrink and crack. He was slower, physically weaker, but emotionally unstoppable—his eyes bled pure hate, and nothing short of death would halt his advance.
Lin Shu felt blood seeping from his own eyes and ears, his body feeling cooked from within. The lightning made his arm numb and heavy, but he pressed forward, clashing with the injured titan.
Fist met fist.
A cataclysm of lightning and white flame erupted, blinding and deafening. Shang yanked Kai back. "WAIT! WE NEED TO GET HIM OUT!" But seeing the building shudder, Shang, looking uncharacteristically wary, leapt through the nearest window, dragging Kai with him.
The last thing they saw was Lin Shu and the bulky man engulfed in a maelstrom of energy before the building groaned and collapsed in on itself, stones and timber crashing down in a cloud of dust and debris.
Shang was on the ground, bleeding, with Kai next to him.
"Shit, we gotta go help him," Kai said, scrambling toward the rubble. They saw a bulky mass stand up from the debris.
"Damnit, this bastard is still alive?!"
Hougu stood atop the rubble, his clothes torn, his body a map of lacerations and burns, his beard singed away. He fixed his bleeding eyes on Shang. "I'LL KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU DID TO HER! I'LL FLAY YOUR SKIN, YOU BASTARD!" He took a step, but his body betrayed him. He stumbled, falling to his face. As he pushed himself onto his knees, he looked to his right in dawning horror. "What... how can this be?"
His entire right arm was gone. In its place was a gory, mangled stump of flesh and splintered bone. "That kid... he was just a high-stage cultivator. How did he do this? Were his techniques actually strong enough to breach my defense? I know my Rank 2 technique was weakened by my insufficient qi, but still... or was this the backlash of my own technique?" The man stared in shock, his rage momentarily clouded by disbelief. He slowly turned his head back toward Shang, who was now running toward him.
"YOUUUUUUUUU! I'LL KILL YOU!" Hougu roared, but his body refused to obey. He collapsed back onto the rubble.
Shang moved closer, breathing heavily, and punched him, sending him sprawling. "You... you really made me work for this one, fatso. Hahahaha," Shang gasped, wiping blood from his mouth.
Kai moved quickly, frantically digging through the rubble. "SHANG! HELP ME, QUICKLY!"
Shang glanced at Kai, then back at Hougu. "Well, I have to help my friend over there. So, this is goodbye, Hougu. Take this as a lesson: don't send your daughter to watch over me, and never think I didn't know you planned to kill me right after I got you that item." As Hougu tried to swing a weak, one-armed punch, Shang stomped on his head, pinning him. A sword of condensed feathers formed in Shang's hand. He started sawing at the man's thick neck. "Damnit, your flesh is tough. I wonder how Li was able to turn your arm into that gory mess."
He finished the grim task and hurried to Kai, helping him dig through the shattered wood and stone. They dug frantically but found nothing.
"Damnit, Shang! This is all because of you! If he's dead, I'm gonna burn you alive, you bastard!" Kai yelled, his voice cracking.
Shang scratched his head, As he saw kai with genuine worry in his eyes. "Aoyan and Yanqi are gonna kill me if he's dead."
Suddenly, a figure stirred beneath a large slab. A hand, bloody and scraped raw, pushed the debris aside. Lin Shu rose from the rubble, his dark ivory armor completely shattered and gone, revealing a torso and arms crisscrossed with deep, bleeding scars. He pulled dust-clumped hair away from his face, breathing in ragged, heavy gasps.
"LI!" Shang and Kai shouted in unison.
Kai jumped over. "You had me scared for a second! I thought you were dead!"
Shang nodded, a relieved smirk returning. "Yeah, that fight was something. I'm really surprised you're still alive after a Rank 2 technique, even if it's from q crippled guy"
Lin Shu breathed slowly, fixing his gaze on Shang. His eyes, usually guarded, burned with a cold fury. "Why didn't you tell me he was a fallen Rank 2 cultivator who could still access his old techniques?"
Shang scratched his head again, the picture of nonchalance. "Well, I mean, he's a peak-stage cultivator now. I didn't think that detail really mattered."
Lin Shu looked at him, and a slow, dangerous smile spread across his battered face. "It's okay. We all make mistakes."
Shang smiled back, relaxing. "Exactly! I knew you'd underst—"
Lin Shu moved. It was a blur of pained motion. He stormed forward, grabbed Shang by the neck, and slammed him against a broken wall. "We all make mistakes," Lin Shu repeated, his voice a low growl. "But you agree that you should pay for them, right? Otherwise, how will you learn?" He drove a fist into Shang's stomach. The air whooshed out of Shang, and he crumpled to the ground, coughing.
"I don't have any qi left. I had to use everything to survive your 'mistake'—a lie we all know it was." Lin Shu took a shaky step forward.
Shang slowly stood up, wheezing. "You're injured, and I don't have any qi either. I wonder who's gonna beat the other." He then held up his hands. "Oh, come on, Li, listen. I'm sorry! I actually didn't think he could use a Rank 2 technique! You saw him—he was killing himself while using it! I didn't expect him to be that desperate! You can't blame me for that! But if you want us to have a fight right now, fine by me. Let's settle it now, and have a clean start."
Lin Shu smiled again, a chilling expression. "Right. Fairly. Kai, do you mind helping me roast this chicken?"
Kai smiled, cracking his knuckles as he stood. "It'll be my pleasure, Li."
Shang backed away slowly. "Guys, come on! We're a future team! Did you see how we beat them all up? It's like we're already brothers who've fought together for years! Also, Kai, if it wasn't for me, you would've been dead or injured back there! I risked myself, saved you, and got my wing injured in the process!"
Kai spat. "And who got us into this mess in the first place?!"
Shang sighed dramatically. "Really, Kai? I planned on us splitting this guy's belongings because I wanted to share. But now you're gonna make it look like I'm just trying to save myself by paying you off!" He reached into his pouch, pulled out a scroll, and tossed it to Lin Shu. "Here. As promised."
Lin Shu caught it, opening it briefly to confirm it was the vision technique. "Fine. I won't smash your skull today. But I'm taking half of this guy's belongings, since I'm the one who took him down. The rest will be split between you two, and I want Kai's share to be equal to yours. So don't try to scam him."
Shang sighed, his mind racing. "Didn't know this bastard was suicidal enough to use a Rank 2 technique in his state. How was I supposed to know he actually cared about his daughter that much? Whatever. If I can get this over with, I'll just give them what they want..." He looked at Lin Shu, his assessment sharpening. "But how was he able to do that? I know Hougu's Rank 2 technique at full strength, but even weakened, it was still a quasi-Rank 2 technique. That's not something you can overpower with just two peak-tier techniques. That means he has something that is itself quasi-Rank 2. Did Yanqi give him that? I know for sure he wasn't this strong awhile ago when he fought Xie Lang. Even then he only won because Xie Lang's a battle maniac and a moron... at least, that's what my information said."
Shang moved toward Hougu's corpse to retrieve the spatial ring from its finger. Lin Shu's hand shot out, snatching it first.
"After thinking this through," Lin Shu said, his voice firm despite his wounds, "I'll be the one splitting the things here. But first, let's get out. People will have heard the commotion and will be coming." He glanced at the scroll in his hand, then at the ring. "This better be worth nearly getting cooked alive."
Shang nodded, his usual smirk absent. Lin Shu looked at Kai. "Burn it all. I don't want anything that can trace us to be left. No blood, no hair, nothing. Disintegrate this entire rubble."
Kai nodded, his expression turning grimly focused as he summoned flames to his hands, ready to erase the scene of their brutal night.
Kai burned everything he could as Lin Shu and Shang tended to their wounds. "Alright, we should go now," said Lin Shu. They soon began to hear the sound of hurried footsteps echoing through the alleyways. Several curious onlookers and lowly gang enforcers arrived at the scene.
Lin Shu immediately moved. He couldn't risk anyone seeing his unmasked face. In a blur of pained but ruthless efficiency, he slaughtered every person who rounded the corner, his steel-coated ivory claws making quick, brutal work of them. Shang followed suit, his feather blades finishing off those Lin Shu missed. It was a grim purge.
They noticed a few windows creaking open, frightened faces peering out from the surrounding buildings. Luckily, the area was mostly abandoned—a district of illicit dealings and crumbling structures—but 'mostly' wasn't good enough for Lin Shu.
"Kai," Lin Shu ordered, his voice leaving no room for debate. "Engulf them. Make sure no one has the chance to get a clear look."
Kai hesitated for only a second before obeying. He unleashed waves of fire, both at the people and at the buildings themselves. Flames roared up facades and across rooftops, creating a blazing curtain of smoke and chaos that would obscure any witness and occupy any would-be pursuers.
As the inferno spread, Lin Shu was about to sprint down the street with Kai when Shang stopped them. "Wait! I have a better idea.?"
The two looked at each other and nodded. They didn't want to stay a moment longer, not with the risk of sect disciples, imperial soldiers, or rival gangs converging.
"Alright, I can't fly here; the space is too tight. So we're gonna need to climb. And while I can jump and use my wings to assist from one balcony to the next I can't carry you guys right now, That means you'll have to climb on your own."
Lin Shu nodded. Ivory clawed gauntlets formed over his hands, instantly sheathed in dark steel. He dug them into the mortar between bricks and began to scale the wall, leaping from window ledge to window ledge with a feral grace. Kai used controlled bursts of fire and black gas from his hands and feet to propel himself upward in short, explosive hops, narrowly catching hold of a balcony railing where Shang helped haul him up.
They continued their vertical escape, Shang flitting between perches to wait and occasionally offer a helping hand. Finally, they pulled themselves onto a flat, grimy rooftop and collapsed, catching their breath.
They looked down. A crowd was gathering around the burning wreckage of the building and the adjacent homes Kai had set ablaze.
Shang leaning over the edge with a nervous grin. "We really did a lot of damage," he said, looking down at the panicked people and the spreading fires. Kai looked at the flames licking at the night sky, his expression clouded with regret. He had done what Lin Shu asked, but now the reality settled in.
"Don't you guys think we did too much?" Kai asked quietly.
Shang patted him on the back with a bloodied hand. "Oh, don't worry, Kai. If you're worried about some family or kids, then don't. This place is a shithole. All the buildings around here are filled with illegal auctions, gambling dens, and black markets. The 'innocents' here are thieves, fences, and addicts. You shouldn't feel bad about it."
Kai looked at Shang, then at the chaos below, and gave a slow, reluctant nod, trying to convince himself.
Lin Shu stood up and placed a firm hand on Kai's shoulder. "You did well, Kai. I'm glad I brought you along." His praise was simple but it carried weight.
Kai managed a small, tired smile, scratching his head. "Haha, thanks."
Shang threw his arms around both their shoulders, laughing. "We did great, didn't we? We're such a great team, don't you two think? We also had a blast, right? And we got the ring of a past Rank 2 cultivator! Think of what it could have!"
Lin Shu allowed himself a small, sharp smile at the thought. "Maybe it wasn't a bad night after all."
Kai, however, was still scanning the streets below. He suddenly nudged them. "Guys, I think there are imperial soldiers down there. We should leave."
Lin Shu nodded. Shang started to unfurl his wings, only to be shoved down by Lin Shu. "Are you crazy? How many people in this city have wings? They'll know it's you if even one person sees you flying. We're going to jump from one building to another and then come down on a different street."
Shang scratched his head. "I was gonna tell you guys to latch onto me. I could have flown us out. But I guess it's risky." He looked around. "So, where do we go?"
"We'll move across the rooftops for a while," Lin Shu decided. "Then we'll come down, change our clothes, and blend in. I don't want anyone to recognize or follow us."
The group spent the next hour as shadows in the skyline, leaping gaps between buildings, descending fire escapes, and melting into different alleys. They changed their bloodied, torn outer garments for spares from their rings in the shelter of a dank doorway, becoming three unremarkable, if weary, young men in the late-night crowd.
Finally, they found themselves in a modest, quiet restaurant, securing a private room in the back away from prying eyes and ears.
Shang was smiling from ear to ear, brimming with adrenaline-fueled joy. "Hahahaha! I tell you guys, I haven't had this much fun in a while! We should do this again! I'll call Yu for next time!"
Lin Shu simply drank deeply from a cup of water, while Kai put his head on the table, looking utterly drained. Shang laughed again, then turned his attention to Lin Shu. "So, what did you find in his spatial ring?"
Lin Shu took the ring off his finger. "Haven't taken a proper look yet." He began emptying its contents onto the table: various pills in jade bottles, a few mundane-looking scrolls, several low-grade weapons, and, most notably, a few pouches that clinked with the distinct sound of aether shards. "Unfortunately, no techniques. Just shards, pills, and other junk that isn't worth much to us."
He opened the pouches and began to count. "Wait. Some of these are Cerulean Shards. Approximately eight. There's also fifty-nine Blue Sky Shards." He did the mental math, the cultivator's marketplace exchange rates second nature. "So, we have a total value of around a hundred and thirty-nine standard shards."
Lin Shu looked at his two accomplices. "I'm taking seven Cerulean Shards. You two can split the remaining one Cerulean and the fifty-nine Blue Sky ones evenly, per our deal. You can also divide the other miscellaneous items, though they're not worth much. I guess this guy really was just a washed-up cripple."
Shang laughed and nodded, eagerly taking his share of the shimmering stones. Lin Shu placed Kai's portion next to his sleeping head. For a few moments, there was only the sound of the restaurant around them and Kai's soft breathing.
Lin Shu broke the silence, his eyes fixed on Shang. "I heard that guy say you stole something from him. Mind telling me what it was?"
Shang, who had been eating ravenously, swallowed and grinned. "Well, it was a peak-tier Ascendent weapon. A bow. Hougu hired me to retrieve it from a ruin, sent me with his daughter and some of his men as 'supervision'. When I found the weapon, I decided to just take it and kill them all. I then sold it to a Rank 2 cultivator a few days later. Ever since, Hougu tried to kill me every chance he got, but I've been laying low in the arena recently. He couldn't barge in there unless he wanted to offend the officials and die without ever laying a hand on me." He shrugged, as if discussing the weather. "Worked out, until tonight."