Chapter 38: The Jealous Merchant
Time: Midnight.
Location: The Alley behind the Phoenix Spirit Pavilion.
The moon was hidden behind thick clouds, plunging Green Willow City into darkness. The curfew was in effect, and the streets were empty, save for the occasional patrol of the City Guard.
But in the narrow, trash-strewn alley behind Fatty Wang's shop, five shadows moved with professional silence.
These weren't the clumsy, low-level mercenaries from three months ago. These were professionals.
The leader, a scar-faced man named "Viper" Zhang, signaled for his team to stop. He was a Qi Refining Layer 5 cultivator, a veteran of the sect wars who now worked for the highest bidder.
Currently, the highest bidder was the Golden Pill Shop.
"Check for traps," Zhang whispered, his voice barely audible over the wind.
A small, wiry thief crept forward. He scanned the ground, looking for the scorch marks or tripwires that had taken out the previous team.
"Clean," the thief signaled. "But the door is reinforced. Spirit Iron plating. We can't burn through it quietly."
"We don't need to burn it," Zhang sneered, pulling a heavy, glowing talisman from his vest. "Shattering Earth Talisman. One hit, and the wall crumbles. We go in, smash the vats, and leave. No killing unless necessary. The employer wants the business ruined, not a murder investigation."
The team nodded. They moved toward the back wall.
They were confident. They had studied the rumors. The "Masked Brewer" was said to be a fire-user, likely a rogue cultivator. But they had five men, all Layer 4 or above. They had water-attribute talismans prepared to counter his flames.
They were ready for a cultivator.
They were not ready for a monster.
The Watcher.
High above, perched on the dark tiled roof of the shop opposite the alley, Luo Feng sat with his legs crossed.
He wore his bamboo hat and black robes. His breathing was so shallow it was nonexistent. With his breakthrough to Layer 6, his aura concealment was nearly perfect. He melted into the night like ink in water.
On his shoulder sat a bird.
It wasn't a normal crow. It was massive, its feathers absorbing the moonlight, its golden eyes burning with a predatory intelligence.
"Five of them," Luo Feng whispered. "One Layer 5. Four Layer 4s. The Alchemy Guild is getting serious."
Little Gold shifted his weight. The roof tile under his talons hissed quietly as the heat leaked out.
"Caw?" (Kill?)
"Not yet," Luo Feng stroked the bird's metallic feathers. "We need to send a message. If we kill them, they disappear. If we terrify them... they talk."
Luo Feng looked down at the thugs who were placing the talisman on the wall.
"Go," Luo Feng commanded. "Test the Stream."
The Flame Stream.
Viper Zhang was just about to activate the Shattering Earth Talisman when the temperature in the alley spiked.
It wasn't a gradual warming. It was instant. The chill of the winter night vanished, replaced by a suffocating, dry heat that made the hair on his arms singe.
"What the..." Zhang spun around.
He looked up.
Descending from the darkness was a streak of black and gold.
"Ambush! Water Shields!" Zhang roared.
The mercenaries reacted fast. They crushed their defensive talismans. Blue spheres of Water Qi enveloped them, creating protective bubbles. They smirked. They were prepared for fireballs.
Little Gold didn't shoot a fireball.
He hovered ten meters above them, his wings beating slowly, holding him suspended in the air. He opened his beak.
Hsssss.
A sound like a high-pressure valve releasing steam filled the alley.
Then, the Flame Stream erupted.
FWOOSH.
It was a continuous, pencil-thin beam of concentrated liquid fire. It didn't explode on impact; it cut.
Little Gold swept his head from left to right.
The beam hit the pavement first. The stone didn't just scorch; it melted into bubbling lava instantly.
Then, the beam hit the first mercenary's Water Shield.
HISSS-POP.
There was no contest. The Water Shield evaporated in a microsecond. The steam explosion knocked the mercenary backward.
The beam swept across the second man's shield. Same result.
It was surgical. Little Gold wasn't trying to incinerate the men; he was stripping them of their defenses. He slashed the beam across their weapons, melting the steel tips of their spears. He slashed it across their boots, burning the leather off their feet.
"It's a Spirit Beast!" Zhang screamed, his eyes bulging in terror. "A Layer 4 Fire Spirit!"
A cultivator throwing fireballs was one thing. A flying beast that could sustain a laser of flame was a completely different nightmare. You couldn't melee it. You couldn't outrun it.
Little Gold got bored of destroying their gear. He aimed the stream at the ground in front of them.
Sizzle.
He drew a line of molten lava between the thugs and the shop wall.
Then, he hovered lower, his golden eyes locking onto Zhang. Smoke drifted from his beak.
"Caw."
The sound was low, dismissive, and utterly terrifying.
The Rout.
Viper Zhang looked at his melted spear. He looked at the line of lava. He looked at the monster hovering above him.
He realized something terrifying: The beast was playing with them. If it wanted to, that beam would have taken their heads off.
"Retreat!" Zhang screamed, his voice cracking. "Forget the mission! Run!"
He didn't wait for his men. He activated a Speed Talisman and bolted down the alley.
The other four scrambled after him, tripping over their own feet, dropping their weapons. One of them, whose pants were smoking, was patting his backside frantically as he ran.
"Monster! It's a monster!"
They fled into the main street, their screams echoing in the silent city.
The Legend.
Luo Feng didn't chase them.
He jumped down from the roof, landing softly next to the line of cooling lava.
Little Gold descended and landed on his shoulder. The bird looked proud, preening a feather that was glowing with residual heat.
"Show off," Luo Feng chuckled, feeding him a Mutated Chili. "You melted the pavement. Now I have to pay Wang to fix it."
But the message was delivered.
Within twenty-four hours, the story of the "Masked Brewer" changed.
Before, he was just a ruthless man who used fire traps.
Now, the rumors in the tea houses were wilder.
"He doesn't fight alone," a traumatized mercenary told a hushed crowd in a tavern. "He controls a Golden Demon Crow. It breathes liquid fire! It melted my sword like it was wax!"
"A Beast Tamer?"
"No, worse. A Tamer usually hides behind the beast. This guy... he stood on the roof and watched. He treated us like training dummies."
The Alchemy Guild went silent. The Golden Pill Shop stopped sending spies.
They realized that the Phoenix Spirit Pavilion wasn't just a lucky shop with a good supplier. It was a fortress guarded by a Layer 6 Cultivator and a Layer 4 Spirit Beast.
The cost of attacking had just become too high.
Luo Feng walked through the back door of the shop, where a pale Fatty Wang was waiting.
"They're gone?" Wang asked, eyeing the bird on Luo Feng's shoulder nervously.
"They won't come back," Luo Feng said, pouring himself a cup of tea. "At least, not the small fry. We have bought ourselves peace."
He looked at Little Gold.
"For now."
[End of Chapter 38]