Chapter 26: The Rat's Return
Time: Midday.
Location: Green Willow District, Fatty Wang's Treasure Pavilion.
The mid-afternoon sun beat down on the polished stone streets of the wealthy district. While the commoners outside sweated in the heat, the air inside Fatty Wang's shop was cool, conditioned by minor arrays, and smelled of expensive sandalwood incense.
Luo Feng sat in the VIP chair, sipping a cup of jasmine tea. He was dressed in a set of azure silk robes that cost 2 Spirit Stones—an outfit that screamed "prosperity." His face was relaxed, showing none of the cold killing intent he had carried in the dark alley just days before.
Opposite him, Fatty Wang was wiping sweat from his forehead with a silk handkerchief, staring at the row of small bottles on the counter.
There were 20 Flasks.
They weren't the usual large ceramic jars of Cloud Mist Wine. These were sleek, palm-sized porcelain flasks sealed with wax and a stabilizing talisman.
"Brother Luo," Wang picked up one of the flasks, examining the clear, ruby liquid inside. "You said this isn't for cultivation?"
"No," Luo Feng said calmly, placing his teacup down. "This is Spirit Surge Wine. You don't drink this at home. You drink this when a demon beast is trying to eat you."
"Effect?"
"Instant Qi recovery," Luo Feng leaned forward, his voice low and confident. "One sip restores 30% of the reserves of a Layer 4 Cultivator. It doesn't need digestion time. It enters the meridians immediately."
Fatty Wang nearly dropped the flask.
He looked at Luo Feng with wide eyes. "Instant recovery? Brother, that's not wine. That's a life-saving elixir! Alchemists sell 'Qi Returning Pills' for 10 stones a pop, and even those take ten breaths to dissolve. If this is instant..."
"It is," Luo Feng confirmed. "And it tastes like sweet grapes, not bitter medicine."
Fatty Wang did the mental math rapidly. This product would sell out instantly in the Battle Hall district. Every fighter wanted a second wind. A flask like this was an extra life.
"I'll take them all," Wang said decisively. "And the Cloud Mist Wine too."
Luo Feng placed a second storage bag on the counter. Inside were 50 standard bottles of the Cloud Mist Rice Wine.
"The price?" Luo Feng asked.
"For the Cloud Mist, the usual 3 stones per bottle. That's 150 Stones," Wang calculated, his fingers moving as if using an invisible abacus. "For the Spirit Surge... considering the strategic value... I'll give you 8 Spirit Stones per flask. I can sell them for 12."
Luo Feng nodded. It was a fair wholesale price.
20 Flasks x 8 Stones = 160 Spirit Stones.
50 Bottles x 3 Stones = 150 Spirit Stones.
Total: 310 Spirit Stones.
It was a massive sum. A fortune. Two months ago, Luo Feng was scavenging for scraps worth 1 stone in the trash heaps. Now, he was carrying the annual income of a small clan in his pocket.
"A pleasure doing business," Luo Feng swept the pile of glowing blue stones into his storage pouch. The weight was comforting.
"Brother Luo," Wang lowered his voice, leaning in as he walked Luo Feng to the door. "You are producing a lot lately. People are asking who the 'Wine Master' is. I've kept your identity secret, but... be careful. Talent attracts wolves. And money attracts rats."
"Let them come," Luo Feng smiled, a hint of steel in his eyes. "I have ways to deal with pests."
The Shopping Spree.
Luo Feng left the shop, the heavy weight of the Spirit Stones comforting against his hip. He walked down the main street, blending in with the crowd of merchants and disciples.
He felt good. For the first time, he didn't feel like he was surviving; he felt like he was living.
He stopped at a high-end general store.
"I need soft cotton," Luo Feng told the shopkeeper. "The kind used for noble infants. And a crib made of Spirit Wood to calm the mind."
He spent 20 Spirit Stones on baby supplies. He bought soft blankets, a small wooden rattle carved from soothing willow, and medicinal incense to help Luo Xia sleep.
He was a father-to-be. He wanted his child to have the start he never had.
He walked out of the store, carrying a wrapped bundle of cloth, a soft smile on his face.
He was passing by a busy intersection when he felt a gaze.
It wasn't the sharp, radar-like ping of a Spirit Sense (Layer 5). It wasn't the killing intent of a bandit. It was something slimier. It felt like being watched by a reptile from a sewer grate.
Luo Feng didn't turn his head. He used his peripheral vision.
Standing near a dim sum stall, chewing on a wooden toothpick, was a short, hunched man with greasy hair and protruding yellow teeth. He wore mismatched leather armor that hadn't been cleaned in years and had a pair of rusted daggers at his waist.
Rat-Eye Liu.
Luo Feng's steps didn't falter, but his mind instantly pulled up the memory.
Rat-Eye Liu was a slumlord from the Outer District. He managed a block of rotting shacks near Luo Feng's old home. He was a bully who extorted rent from widows and orphans. He was only at Qi Refining Layer 3, but he survived by being vicious, observant, and knowing when to run.
'What is he doing in the Wealthy District?' Luo Feng wondered. 'Probably looking for pickpocket targets.'
He decided to ignore him. He kept walking, clutching the baby supplies.
But Rat-Eye Liu didn't look away. He squinted his beady eyes. He tilted his head, looking at Luo Feng's profile, then at his walk, then at the expensive azure robes.
Recognition dawned in those yellow eyes.
"Luo... Feng?" Liu muttered, spitting out his toothpick.
He pushed off the wall and began to follow.
The Confrontation.
Luo Feng sensed the tail immediately.
'He recognized me,' Luo Feng realized. 'He remembers the poor tenant who couldn't pay rent. Now he sees me in silk.'
Luo Feng had two choices.
Run. (Suspicious. Implies guilt).
Confront.
He chose a third option. He acted natural. He turned into a quieter street that led toward the city gates, slowing his pace slightly.
"Oi! You!"
A dirty hand grabbed Luo Feng's silk shoulder.
Luo Feng stopped. He didn't flinch. He slowly turned around, brushing the hand off his expensive robe with a look of visible distaste.
"Can I help you?" Luo Feng asked, pitching his voice to sound arrogant and annoyed, like a man who didn't have time for beggars.
Rat-Eye Liu stepped in front of him, blocking the path. He looked Luo Feng up and down, grinning like a hyena that found a carcass.
"It is you," Liu laughed, a wet, hacking sound. "I'd recognize that pretty face anywhere. Luo Feng. The trash who lived in Shack 42. The one who begged me for an extension on his rent three months ago."
Liu poked Luo Feng's chest with a dirty finger, leaving a smudge on the azure silk.
"Look at you now. Silk robes? Dragon-leather boots? And..." Liu's eyes dropped to the heavy bulge of the storage pouch at Luo Feng's waist. "A heavy purse."
"I found some luck," Luo Feng said coolly, stepping back. "Is that a crime?"
"Luck?" Liu sneered. "Cultivators don't find luck in three months. They find crimes. You stole this, didn't you? Or maybe you killed a Young Master and took his clothes? There is no way a Layer 1 trash like you made this money honestly."
Passersby were starting to look. A confrontation in the street was bad news.
"Keep your voice down," Luo Feng said, feigning nervousness. He let his eyes dart around. "People are watching."
Liu saw the nervousness and pounced. He thought he smelled fear. He thought he saw the same weak boy who used to bow his head when paying rent.
"Oh, you don't want people to look?" Liu raised his voice on purpose. "Hey! Everyone! This man is a thief! He—"
"Quiet!" Luo Feng hissed, grabbing Liu's arm. "What do you want?"
Liu grinned, revealing his gums. He leaned in close, his breath smelling of stale alcohol.
"I want a share," Liu whispered. "Call it... retroactive rent. And a hush fee. You give me half of what's in that pouch, and I forget I saw you. Or... I call the City Guards right now. I tell them to investigate the poor boy playing dress-up. I wonder what they'll find if they search you?"
It was a classic shakedown. Liu didn't know how Luo Feng got rich, but he knew Luo Feng used to be weak. In Liu's mind, Luo Feng was still a rabbit. A rabbit in silk is still a rabbit.
Luo Feng looked around nervously. He acted trapped.
"Not here," Luo Feng whispered, his voice trembling slightly. "The guards are patrolling the main street. If they search me... it will be complicated."
He looked at Liu with pleading eyes.
"I... I have a stash. Not on me. I hid the rest outside the city. Buried in the woods near the West Gate. I can give you more than half. Just don't call the guards."
Liu's greed flared. A stash? Buried treasure? That sounded much better than just a pouch. And if they went outside the city... maybe he wouldn't just take half. Maybe he would kill the rabbit and take it all.
"Lead the way," Liu put a hand on his dagger hilt. "But if you try to run, I'll gut you. I'm Layer 3 now, boy. I'm fast."
Luo Feng lowered his head submissively, hiding the cold light in his eyes.
"I won't run," Luo Feng promised softly. "I just want to negotiate."
He gestured toward the city gates.
"Let's go to the forest," Luo Feng said, a calm, polite smile returning to his face. "It's quiet there. We can discuss the... distribution... in private."
Rat-Eye Liu laughed, thinking he had won the lottery. He shoved Luo Feng forward.
"Move it, rich boy. Today is my lucky day."
Luo Feng turned and began walking toward the city exit, his steps steady.
Liu followed close behind, dreaming of wealth. He didn't notice that the "prey" wasn't trembling anymore. He didn't notice that Luo Feng was walking not like a victim being marched to his death, but like a host leading a guest to a slaughterhouse.
[End of Chapter 26]
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