Chapter 147: Information Over a Bowl of Rice

Shou Na Shi Mi Ba Huo Lei Cong Min

There was a scream and then silence. The door of the small house was swung open. Shou Na Shi walked out, wiping his hands on a bloody rag.

“That foolish old man was spiteful and stubborn to the end.” The muscular man said

Lei Cong Min sat outside patiently. “You got anything from him?”

“A little.” He said. “Weknow where he dropped Wang Ton off but he gave no further information. We still know little about this commoner’s rebellion.”

“It doesn’t matter.” She said. “We’ll just ask Wang Ton when we catch up to him. He should know more than a pawn like him.”

Another man walked of the house.

“Mi Ba Huo,” Min said at the man. “I hope the interrogation was educational.”

“It was,” Mi Bao Huo said before looking at Shi. “I’m surprised the old man did not spill his guts after you spilled his guts.”

“Like I said, spiteful and stubborn.”

“Let’s get back on Wang Ton’s trail.” Min stood up from her perch on a chair. “Mi Ba Hou, burn it.”

Shi and Min began walking away, leaving Huo who gathered feiry sphere between his hands. The burning sphere grew bigger and bigger before he threw it, where it exponentially grew. It made contact with the house and it went up in flame.

Wang Zen and Shu Nan sat at a table of a restaurant. Even though it was late at night, it still had some partons. The waitress placed a bolw of rice before the two as well as a bowl of fish between them with sauce.

“Your quite a good fighter.” Shu Nan said as she grabbed her chopsticks. “Your probably the best swordsman your age I’ve seen. You must be considered a genius where your from.”

Zen gave a mirthless laugh. “No one has ever called me a genius before but I am one of the best n hand to hand.”

“Still,” she said with a mouthful of rice as she began eatng, “doesn’t explain your nose.”

“A hunting accident.”

“Huh? But why didn’t you get it straightened out. Its expensive but I’m sure daddy would pay for you.”

He had never asked Wang Ton to fix his nose, ot that he thought he actually would. The nose was a symbol of his need to get stronger and he would not fix it for anyone. “I don’t want it fixed.”

“You’re a weird kid,” she said before reaching for a fish.

Zen took his chopsticks. “So, you said you could tell me about him. What’s his history with the Brown Feather Guild?” He began eating his bowl of rice.

“This all began the year I was born. Your father’s history with the guild forms most of his early life.” She said. “And when he was banned, he had to leave his home town.”

Zen stopped eating. “This was his home town?”

She nodded before taking another fish piece.

Zen saw that the fish bowl had two pieces left.

“Where did he go after leaving town?”

“My home town I guess.” He said. “Liu Town.”

“And kids? How many did he have?”

“Tw… one.” Zen elaborated when he saw her raised eyebrow. “My brother died when I was very young.”

“Oh,” she shrugged before reaching for a fish piece.

Zen’s chopsticks intercepted hers.

“What?”

“You’ve already had two.” He said. “The last two are mine.”

“Have respect for your elders kid!” she said. “I’m suppose to get more meat than you.”

“Okay but first you tell me why he was kicked out of the Brown Feather Guild and I’ll let you have one.”

She smirked. “Deal.” Her chopsticks withdrew. “Its quite scanderlous. Your father was chased out of town for sleeping with the guild leader’s wife.”

Zen coughed violently at that. He beat his chest, trying to dislodge the food that went down the wrong route in his throat.

She smirked as she took the fish piece and tossed it in her mouth.

“Lies!” Zen said once he regained his breath. “He would never…”

“What do you know about your father, kid?” she said. “Clearly not much. You didn’t even know you were in the town where he grew up. Why would anyone hide that from his family?”

Zen stayed silence.

“Of course, Shu Bua would banish him after that, that is if your father actually stayed in town long enough.” She continued.

“He ran.”

“Like a big coward.” She said. “He disappeared for a year and a half and came back.”

“Then what happened?” Zen asked, leaning forward.

“Nothing.” She said. “He came back wearing a mask. Rejoined the Brown Feather Guild as the mysterious warrior Dark Mask. For three years he served, without his comrades even knowing who he was.”

“Lie, bargain deceive and cheat.”

“Huh?”

“Something he said.” Zen recalled. “He thinks its its right to do underhanded things for the right reasons.”

“Well I don’t know.” She said. “Depends on what one thinks is right or wrong, I guess. In mybook, what he did was scummy. He was finally found out when the City Lord began a war with the Brown Feather Guild. Tensions increased which resulted in a violent end. Shu Bua, your father and Zi Fu came up against the City Lord and the odds were against them.”

“Why?”

“Duh!” she rolled her eyes and flciekd him on the forehead with the butt of her chopsticks. “He was powerful. He was a high level Celestial Power user and they were low level Elementalist users, your father and Zi Fu barely halfway through Master Rank.”

Zen hummed as he rubbed his forehead. “That’s when Wang Ton was found out.”

She nodded. “His mask was smashed apart and Shu Bua was angry that he had deceived him twice. But he couldn’t kill him. Those three were in a life and death battle together, bled for each other, he couldn’t kill him, so he was merciful and made him swear he would never set foot in the town.”

“Until he came back.”

“Until he came back.” She said reaching for the last fish piece.

Zen made to intercept her chopsticks but she was too fast, snacthing the fish quick and putting it in her mouth.

“Hey!” he said. “That was mine!”

“Ah ah, remember our deal.” She said between chewing her gains. “I tell you why he was banished and I get a fish piece.”

Zen leaned backand folded his arms. “That was the second time he was banished.”

“So why is he here?” she said. “We’ve established that your father is a lying snake and the fact that he told Shu Bua that he was here to honour his dead son who died years ago proves it. So why has he come back?”

“Its true.” Zen said. He looked left and right and leaned in closer and dropped the vilume of his voice. “We are trying to get revenge on the people who killed my brother.”

“Hisnot here for some other reason?” she whispered back. “To see someone.”

“Yeah, he was here to meet some old business guy.” He said. “But even that will get us closer to revenge.”

She looked disappointed and leaned back. “You sure not for anything else?”

He nodded. “How are you related to Shu Bua?”

She looked away and frowned. “I guess you can call him my father.”

“Why don’t you ever call him father?” Zen said. “You always mention him by name.”

“Why don’t you ever call Wang Ton father?”

Zen looked away and frowned.

“Don’t ask questions your not prepared to answer, kid.” She said before she got up. “I’m going to piss. I’ll be back.”

Zen returned to his rice bowl. He looked up and saw Shu Nan talk to there waistress for some time. She pointed her to the nearest toilet and she followed her direction.

Zen finished off his rice before the waitress came by his table.

“Your bill, Sir.” She said.

“Bill?” he wiped the rice specs off his mouth. “Shu Nan is suppose to pay.”

“The lady? She said youwould pay.”

Zen sighed. “Shu Nan,” Zen grumbled.