The rest of the trip in was, thankfully, uneventful. Or as uneventful as you could get when you dragged two bodies on your shoulder towards the beginner village. By the time they reached the edge, the pain had faded for Arthur, his stomach only aching with every step, every breath. Thankfully, the knifing had been more of a shanking, the damage easy to patch for his enhanced healing ability. His eye... well. He could worry about that later.
It was only when they reached the no man’s land that they had another problem, though not in the way that Arthur had expected.
“I’m not carrying him in there,” the woman said, dropping the body she carried unceremoniously to the ground.
“What now?” Arthur whined, turning around gingerly. He had been keeping an eye on them obliquely, but this sudden change of heart caught him by surprise. Not that he had a lot of attention, but enough for the expected betrayal.
“I’m not bringing him in there.” She prodded the man with her boot.
“Mei mei . . .” A long-suffering sigh erupted from her brother. “Explain.”
“Guards.”
When most people still looked puzzled, the brother smiled. “The guards. Violence. We don’t want to get caught up in that.” He nodded to the body. “We don’t mind helping, but we’re not getting into trouble with them.”
Firm nod from his sister.
“Doesn’t work that way,” Mel said, turning around from where she had been leading the group, leaning a little on the spear she held. To Arthur’s surprise, he realized that she had a bloody wound running down one side of her body that looked gummy and dark red after drying a little.
“What do you mean?” the young man said.
“The guards stop fighting in the village. And seem to be able to tell if a fight is over, or so it’s rumoured. So no assassinations or the like. But if you bring in someone injured, it’s fine.” She shrugged. “I assume it’s because some people use the inn for healing.”
“Oh,” he said.
Without speaking his sister grabbed hold of the body again and hauled it over her shoulder, the injured man letting out a little groan at the rough handling. She started walking immediately, leaving the brother to catch up.
Arthur eyed the darkness for a second more, noting that they had a few watchers but nothing too onerous. Then, he took off after the group, hoping that he might avoid any additional problems. Thankfully, being a staff wielder, using it to help him walk made the injuries less visible. Though he could not hide the damage of a scarred, burnt face.
They got about halfway there when they were interrupted by two people walking up with wide smiles on their faces. They were a man and woman in their late fifties, and unlike the majority of the cultivators on this floor they were dressed in expensive silks and colourful outerwear, with the woman even bearing some elaborate gold jewelry.
“Clan Head Chua!” the man cried. “Fancy meeting you out here. Oh, your poor thing. Your injuries . . .”
“Who are you?” Arthur demanded.
“I’m Boss Loh! And this is my wife,” the man said as they all eyed the mixed-race couple. “It’s fortunate we met, really. I was hoping to speak with you about a merchant contract. Maybe I can provide you something, on the house, for your wounds.”
“A merchant.” Arthur drawled the last word. Adrenaline had worn off, his breathing had grown less steady, and the pain had increased. The offer of medicine was almost tempting.
Almost.
“The best.” Boss Loh slapped his chest. “We might not be the biggest, but we’re not that far away from it. And we have access to anything you might want. Beast cores, credits, goods from outside. I have clothing, jewelry, weapons.” He lowered his voice, stepping closer as he added. “Cultivation techniques.”
Arthur could not help but be interested then. He needed those techniques. That strength. He took a step forward, only to find Mel’s hand stopping him. The sudden halt brought a hiss of pain to his lips.
“This one has been trying to speak with you for days now.” Mel lips tightened, shaking her head. “I had some people look into him. He’s not someone we should make a deal with.”
“Why?” Arthur asked curiously. He could see the faltering smile on the other man, but he was not backing down, and Arthur had to admit he admired the man’s bravery. Not enough to stand around forever though.
“He’s overstretched. Some bad deals outside and a drop in customers on the first floor. Seems like his brother cut him off from outside, because he hasn’t sent anything back in a while,” Mel said. “So, what he has is what he has.”
“Ah, but we are not asking for an exclusive arrangement,” Boss Loh said quickly. His wife, standing beside him frowned a little but chose not to say anything. In fact, when Arthur’s gaze turned to her, she let a finger slide down from her neck to her bust line, pulling at the silk to part clothing and offer a more generous view of her impressive bosom.
A squeeze on his arm reminded Arthur he was staring. He might not have the instinctive flash of lust common to vigorous young males, but he still enjoyed the views. Pulling his gaze away was easy though. Being in pain, being Yin-bodied, both helped.
“It seems that you are in need of us. And we could use you, so we’ll choose you,” Boss Loh went on. Now that got a little smirk from Yao Jing. Right. Anime or CCG lover there. He looked at Mel, raising an eyebrow. “Unless we’ve got other offers?”
“Nothing concrete. Just a few nibbles,” she said.
“Then let us talk with him.” Glancing back over his shoulder, at the bodies his people were carrying and their exhaustion, assessing their injuries and his own, he added, “Later. Set up an appointment, and we will talk about it later.” Arthur’s voice grew cold and low. “And make sure to bring the best prices and items you have. You’ll only get one chance.”
Boss Loh looked a little green at that but sketched a low bow. So did his wife moments later. They stepped aside, allowing Arthur and his group to pass, Mel holding her tongue until they had left the couple behind, and the group threaded the streets of the beginner village.
“Why did you agree to speak with him?” Mel snapped. “He might offer us something now, but he is no partner for the future.”
“Maybe not.” Arthur paused, then added, “But he has cultivation techniques and those could be useful. And more importantly, he is desperate. He is ready to be taken by others, for his goods, his contacts, all of it.”
“How does that help us?”
“Because those who would gobble him up will not want us to help him. And so, they’ll come to us with real offers.”
Mel blinked, tilting her head and staring at Arthur in surprise. When she made to speak, he cut her off. “I’m not entirely dumb. And I’ve seen how others handle these things. Copying others isn’t hard.”
“Maybe. But that’s still a good call.” She grinned evilly. “And you’re right. If we string him out, we can make him and them bleed.”
After that, the group limped their way to their clan building. Steeling himself, Arthur opened the doors, knowing that their next steps were going to be less than pleasant. After all, they had a pair of attackers to interrogate.
And he really would have to hold back his own desire to punish them as pain wracked his body.