A month had passed since Vera took the meridian enhancement concoction. In that time much had changed.
Following the reckoning of the third young master's faction, city streets were filled with people, walking without fear. A period of peace that, unfortunately, lasted only three months.
Rumours travel faster than sound.
Facing death, the coalition thrashed around violently. The only ones brave enough to leave their homes at these times were martial artists or alcoholics. Having pulled up a chair on the second floor of the Rioluo pavilion, Vera listened to drunken chatter carefully.
A table of gruff labourers sat by the counter, drowning in flasks of baijiu. The eldest of the labourers slumped into his chair, his tongue stuck out, trying to catch the last drop of his liquor. He turned to his compatriots with a disheartened gaze; each syllable slurred to the ground.
"How could they not pay us for our work? They were the ones who shut down the swamp reformation early, right, Qiu?"
A dull thud resounded as he slammed his flask into the table. The labourer, Qiu, who was seated beside him, swatted the old man's flask from the table. He spoke without raising his head from the counter.
"With what money would they have paid us, old man Lao? Those damned beggars ransacked almost every mercantile house in the Seventh Sector. Even if they wanted to, they wouldn't be able."
Old man Lao sniffled as he stared at the ceiling; veins bulged over his hand as he gripped his flask.
"Shut up! They could've borrowed from the capital and paid us all. The capital is still safe, isn't it?"
Qiu, face still buried in the counter, trembled at those words. A sharp breath escaped him.
"Do you really think those beggars would leave a caravan carrying gold alone? Be glad we got here with our lives intact."
The rest of the labourers nodded in silence; most were too weary to even raise their heads.
Vera looked at this scene from the second floor. His brows furrowed at the contents of their conversation.
Just what are the sect branches doing? How are blatant inner-city attacks taking place?
This situation was surprising; while the Sixth Sector still had aggressive camps to deal with, there were no inner-city attacks.
Vera got up from his seat and walked over to settle his bill, along with the labourers'. He was still listening to their words, but there was not much of value to note anymore. Nonetheless, he heard all he needed to. Lest the situation in his own sector get worse…
We need to clear out the camps before they can make a final stand.
Vera rushed through the empty markets. Once vibrant markets turned to dusty stands. The only people Vera passed as he left for the sect gates were night guards.
Soon he passed the branch's stone walls; a few paces ahead stood five guards.
At the gate he was met with Yang-chun; unlike the first time he'd seen the boy, a lot had changed.
His once pristine armour was covered in scratches and dents; his old golden spear was replaced with a standard-issue refined iron piece.
Yang-chun rushed over to greet Vera at the sect gates; even though it was well into the night, he was alert.
Vera scanned his body quickly. The cause of his newfound alertness was visible. A thin cut ran from his throat to his jugular; the wound was seared shut and stitched over.
Yang-chun bowed his head at Vera.
"Senior brother, what brings you here at this time?"
Vera returned his bow.
"I'm here to check for any new camp sightings."
Yang-chun asked for Vera to walk with him as he gestured for the others to be careful in his absence.
As they passed through the sect gates, Vera could hear hurried chatters throughout. Yang-chun, already acclimatised to this shift, explained the situation as they walked.
"The number of camp sightings has gone down significantly, without our interference, as you may already know."
Taking Vera's nod for an answer, he continued explaining.
"However, just this morning, a new camp was spotted in the sector outskirts. Its size was over five times that of older camps."
A dull screech sounded as Vera halted in place; he gripped Yang-chun's shoulder firmly.
"Are they building up for an attack?"
Their conversation grew silent; only the bustling of the sect could be heard. Yang-chun took a low breath and shook his head
"The scouts considered this possibility, but… We have the branch master. The best in the Sixth Sector coalition was a Third Synergy master; that one hasn't been seen in the past two months. They don't have the ability to confront the branch directly."
Yang-chun removed Vera's hand from his shoulder and continued walking.
"I'm sure you want more clarity on the matter, but I can't tell you what I don't know. The branch master might be able to tell you more."
Vera gritted his teeth; the situation was growing perilous. The two of them walked to Aspartese's office in silence.
As they reached the office, Yang-chun bid Vera farewell and headed back to his post. Standing outside the office, Vera knocked at the door. After a moment of silence, a voice came from inside.
"Come in."
Vera opened the door and walked in. His eyes widened as he observed the state of the office.
Documents were piled over Aspartese's desk. The smell of ink assaulted the senses. But what struck Vera the most was…
There isn't a single flask in the room. That old coot is actually working!
His head buried in a mountain of files, Aspartese raised his hand over and gestured for Vera to take a seat.
Understanding how serious the situation was, Vera kept his thoughts to himself and pulled out a chair beside the desk.
After five minutes of filling out documents, Aspartese finally turned to face Vera.
"I guess you heard about the camps. I'll say this in advance, but you can no longer hunt them on your own."
Vera clenched his fist; wrinkles grew over the skin of his eyes as he stared at Aspartese.
"I know the camp sizes have increased, but a few more One Law practitioners can't push the needle enough for me to lose."
At this response, Aspartese simply shook his head; his tone ran dry, as though he hadn't drunk a sip of water in hours.
"Do you think I don't know that? One of the enforcers followed up on the scout's lead; they seemed to have merged with another sector's coalition. The camp has at least three Second Synergy masters."
Vera's head recoiled. There was no reason for someone like Aspartese to be worried over a force of just that size.
"Won't it be over if you make a move? What's going on?"
The quill in Aspartese's hand snapped in two. His nostrils flared up.
"Fuck!"
He flung the broken quill to the corner of the room. Visibly exhausted, he leant into his seat and took a deep breath.
"The scouts intercepted communications. There may be other camps of similar size that are waiting for me to leave the city. We think they wanted us to intercept it. The same happened at the Seventh Sector. Branch master Gui went out to take care of the camp, thinking it was a bluff."
Aspartese massaged his temples; his expression turned to a grimace.
"They weren't lying… Right now, all I can do is wait for reinforcements, but even that…"
He didn't need to finish that sentence. From the conversation in the bar and what he heard here, Vera realised.
"The situation is the same in all the branches. What about the main branch, though? Don't they have multiple high-level masters?"
The chair creaked as Aspartese leaned over to his desk; he pulled out a report from the pile and passed it over to Vera.
"Both the Sect and Vice Master were summoned to the palace because of a dispute with another domain; it has something to do with the slavery reforms. As for those remaining, there is another problem."
Vera scanned through the document. His thumb bit into the paper as he reached its end.
"The Fourth Synergy master of the coalition attacks just as they leave… The dispute's timing is too perfect."
He set the report back on the table. There was only one group that would contest reforms on slavery. The scent of ink was overshadowed by that of gold
"Fucking merchants."
By no means could the beggar coalition have fought the Blade Master sect, but this wasn't a fight. Vera tightened the belt over his robe.
"Is there really nothing we can do right now?"
Aspartese looked away from Vera with a solemn expression. There was an answer, a way to break the current standoff.
His fingers bit into the table edge.
"There is a way. If he agrees to help, we may be able to break through. But you will be needed and... The risk of death is very real. Would you still be willing to go—"
Vera cut Aspartese off. His tone was almost a shout.
"Of course I'd be willing to go! The matter has long passed the stage of just you and me!"
From the day he arrived at the greater heavens, Vera already hated the beggar coalition. The more he learned about them, the more he understood what kind of people they were.
He never forgot about the day he met Chun.
Aspartese leaned over and held Vera's shoulder, his gaze still unable to meet Vera's. Despite being the one who asked, he still cared for Vera and his family.
"Vera, think about it carefully before answering. As much as we need your help, your life isn't just yours right now. Think about Chun—"
Once again, Aspartese was cut off, but it wasn't Vera who cut him off. A voice sounded from outside the office.
A grainy voice closer to a bark than speech. A voice that both Vera and Aspartese recognised.
The office door slammed open.
"Aspartese! Tell me where the camp is immediately! They know about another child of Zhuge!"
The man Aspartese needed had arrived
There was no need to ask; if anything, Aspartese would have to hold him back.
Both key pieces were more than willing. Regardless of his reluctance, Aspartese was still bound by duty. Unable to reject, he sank into his seat. The solemn expression on his face worsened.
It's too perfect…
A feeling backed by no evidence. He could only comply.
***
At the break of dawn, a squad of fourteen third-rank warriors stood by the city gates. The sun, peering over the horizon, formed a faint red hue.
Families stood in front of the squad members; the sound of tears and sniffles filled the air. Some begged for them not to go; some held back their tears.
Vera knelt on the ground, his arms tightly wrapped around Chun. Tears and mucus stained his robes. Unbothered by it, Vera consoled Chun.
Each tear caused a pang in his chest. Having fought to death without fear for so long, it was almost foreign to him.
By their side, Aspartese and Sword Dog stood silently, two beings bound by duty, reluctantly so.
Chang-yu stood by her sister; she was a part of the few who held back their tears.
To those in the sect, the stakes were apparent. A den of coalition members outnumbering them by far and the presence of high-level masters who could kill them with ease.
Nonetheless, it wasn't a task that could be avoided.
Soon farewell came to an end. Families stepped back, allowing Aspartese to give out the final commands.
The squad members lined up by the gate, facing the branch master.
Aspartese bowed his head, his gritted teeth hidden by his beard.
"As the situation demands it, I cannot assist you in this task. I can only pray for your safety and support you with equipment."
He raised his head and offered the squad a salute.
"Rely on your allies and come back home safe!"
The fourteen-person squad returned the salute. Their voices coalesced as they received the command.
Without further ado, the squad bid their families well and left through the gate.
Vera walked over to Sword Dog; his calloused hands combed through Sword Dog's fur.
"I'll come back safe. Take care of the family when I'm gone."
Sword Dog stifled a whine. Beyond his control, his hind leg dug into the ground incessantly. Sword Dog nuzzled against Vera's leg and walked back to Chun. His teeth bit into the loose end of Chun's sleeve as he dragged him back home.
Just as Vera was about to follow the rest of the squad and leave, Aspartese held him back for a moment.
"Vera, because you already have a weapon, you didn't take anything from the barracks."
He reached into his rucksack and pulled out a thick fur held tightly by a leather base.
"Take this along with you. It may be old, but it has protected me faithfully for nearly a hundred years."
Vera received Aspartese's armour. A short giggle escaped him as he held onto it.
"After this, I think I can only help you usurp vice-master Tong Xuan."
Aspartese stared at Vera with a blank expression. As a breath passed, he too laughed.
"We'll see about that after you come back."
As he turned to leave, he gazed at Chang-yu. No words were spoken; it was just a look. But that alone was enough to convey his meaning.
Vera left the city.
From behind, the hidden fifteenth member followed. Zhuge Jin walked side by side with Vera. The city gate receded into the morning fog. Vera didn't look at Jin, but he spoke.
"Let's finish them off quickly, old man. My family is waiting."
Zhuge Jin, bearing a conviction that didn't lose to Vera, stared at the path ahead.
"Hm. Let's."