Corvus smiled simply because of how stupid this beggar was; after all, he had made it glaringly obvious that this was a trap.
'I guess greed is the undoing of every man,' he thought. He had turned swiftly and caught the beggar's thin wrist, causing the man's eyes to widen in terror at his reaction speed.
"Shit!" the beggar cursed, trying to yank his hand back, but he found the grip impossibly firm. Desperation kicked in as he released his hold on the rusted dagger, letting it fall toward his free hand. He caught it mid-air and thrust it toward Corvus's exposed midsection, but it never connected. Corvus landed a heavy fist against the beggar's face, slamming his head backward.
The beggar felt pain ripple from his nose to his brain; the force felt as though it had been delivered by a grown man. He tried to use the momentum to roll away and escape, but Corvus whose spirit qi had already absorbed the kinetic force from the previous punch slammed his fist once more against the beggar's face.
With a wet crunch, the beggar was lifted off his feet and hit the ground with a heavy thud. He didn't even notice the impact, as his full attention was on the bone-chilling pain radiating from his shattered nose.
"Arghhh!" he screamed, clutching his bleeding face. He raised his other hand, now empty of the rusted knife, in a pleading gesture. The reality of the two punches had finally set in, making him realize that this "prey" was actually a spirit master.
"Please, have mercy, my lord!" he cried.
Corvus glared down at the beggar, heightening the man's terror. Knowing that a lingering fear would serve his purpose, he turned his gaze toward where the rusted dagger had landed and pointed.
"You planned on using that?" He knelt and picked it up, bringing it to eye level to inspect it.
"Oh, it's even coated in poison," he remarked, causing the beggar's eyes to go wide.
"No, my lord! I didn't know! I only planned on threatening you with it, I swear! I couldn't even kill a fly, please!"
"Tsk, tsk,tsk. You do know such underhanded means are punishable by death," Corvus muttered, taking a step closer to the now-kneeling man putting the fear of the heavens into the beggar, to the point that the man actually burst into tears, surprising Corvus and stopping him in his tracks.
"Plea...se... ha...ve mercy!" the beggar cried, slamming his head heavily against the ground and cursing his rotten luck for encountering a spirit master.
Corvus stared down at the beggar's shameless display, though he didn't blame him; after all, no one wanted to die.
But it played perfectly into his calculations.
"I'll spare you," he said, causing the still-crying beggar to raise one eye in disbelief.
"But on one condition," Corvus continued. "You'll be my informant, starting now. Tell me about the happenings within the dark alleys."
The beggar, seeing this as a lifeline, immediately kowtowed, slamming his head against the ground with a dull thud.
"Thank you, your greatness! I'll do anything, anything at all!" he stammered. Stopping his frantic bowing, he began filling Corvus in on the situation of the dark alleys.
He spoke about the major gangs,establishments, and families within the dark alleys, ranging from the weakest to the strongest. It turned out the district was dominated by two families and one gang, each boasting its own spirit masters. This made Corvus wary; since he had no idea what realm these spirit masters had reached, though he was certain they wouldn't exceed the second realm.
He then questioned the beggar, whose name was Karon, about ongoing conflicts. It seemed he had been right to lure Karon, who proved to be extremely knowledgeable about the undercurrents of the dark alleys.
As it turned out, the two families were at war with each other, while the main gang acted as both a mediator and an aggressor. Karon detailed every smaller gang and family aligned with each side, until he mentioned a mortal family that caught Corvus's attention.
This family, though lacking a spirit master, possessed several skilled martial artists, making them a formidable mortal household. However, they were being suppressed by three gangs that constantly attacked their businesses, putting them in a desperate situation.
Corvus felt he could and should capitalize on their predicament.
Mostly because they didn't seem aligned with or involved in the major power struggles of the dark alleys.
So, he instructed Karon to lead him to this family, but not before delivering a menacing threat.
Corvus lunged, his hands catching the collar of the now-standing Karon and slamming him against the wall. He pressed the rusted dagger against the man's throat.
"If you try any tricks, I'll find you and end you in the most painful way there is," he hissed making karon swallow hard before nodding frantically. "Ye... yes, boss."
The use of the word "boss" made Corvus pause for a moment as he tilted his head, but he chose to ignore it. He followed Karon, who began leading the way through the shadowed Streets.
Karon, per Corvus's command, highlighted the different gang and family territories as they passed through several narrow alleyways and streets, giving Corvus a bigger picture of the Dark Alleys.
Corvus knew to remain vigilant just in case Karon tried anything funny; after all, he couldn't trust a thug. He stimulated his spirit qi, keeping it ready within his pathways.
Just as Karon and Corvus were about to cross a street into the territory of the mortal family Corvus had chosen, two bulky men in ragged clothing with bald heads covered in scars suddenly emerged from a dark corner, stopping Karon in his tracks.
"Look who it is," one of them said with a sneer.
"If it isn't Karon the dirtbag," the other added, making Karon flinch as he raised his hands in a pleading manner.
"Hey, Posu, I swear I was just about to come give you guys what I owe! It's... just, I... eh... forgot to bring the money along," he stammered. This brought a frown to the faces of the two thugs and a raised brow from Corvus behind him.
'He's not very good at lying, is he?' Corvus thought.