The Great Tiger Society was middling at best when measured against the totality of the martial sects across old China. This was good enough to be one of the top five sects located in this distant city from the capital.

A cadre of their lower level cultivators returned to the compound with the night’s collected taxes in tow.

Terrified eyes revealed those who were new to the experience.

Dead ones revealed those who weren’t.

They were still several blocks away when a simple thought entered the cultivators’ heads.

Let them go home.

Good deed done, he returned to slurping noodles from the generous bowl.

Warmth flowed into his stomach.

Not that the cold night air bothered him.

“The young ones will be punished for disobeying their masters.”

He regarded the old man that sat down next to him at the street food cart.

“Paying customers only,” he said.

The old man ordered a bowl without hesitation. He wore simple robes of gray. A long, luxuriant beard flowed down his chest. An equally impressive mustache, like a catfish’s barbels, joined it. Straight hair flowed down his back and shoulders. All the color of the purest snow.

Oddly, the old man’s facial features were perfect. Not one single wrinkle marred it.

It was too perfect, like something done on a computer.

A deeper look revealed the truth.

“Dragon,” he nodded.

“Psionic Prime.”

He relaxed his features to avoid betraying surprise.

They remained silent for several long minutes.

The only sound was the slurping of noodles.

Under normal circumstances the cart owner would’ve cried to see that he had no customers aside from the two men. Fortunately, for him they were generous.

The first one had paid in Universal Points. Equivalent to a month’s earnings for one bowl of noodles.

The old man, who the cart owner suspected to be a disguised master, had dropped a handful of gold coins for his bowl.

He half-listened to their conversation about the weather as he cleaned and packed up. There was no need to stay through the night, after all.

“You have taken from me, Psionic Prime.”

“People don’t belong to you, dragon.”

“I have claimed this land known as China to guide forward into a just and benevolent society.”

“And? They left of their own free will. Maybe if you didn’t let the sects treat them terribly you’d have some kind of point.”

“I request that you depart.”

“In a day or two.”

“Immediately.”

“No can do. I swore a thing and I can’t go back on my word. There’s a Quest.”

“You are not the only one that can claim the spires’ privilege.”

“Hmm, figures. Well, I’d rather not fight.”

“Then leave.”

“In a day or two.”

“Now.”

“Impasse… listen, dragon. I’m curious… how are you and winged dragons related? I’ve been wondering about it since I learned about you.”

“A question for a question. An answer for an answer. I will tell you what I know if you tell me how a Psionic Prime and a Solar Paragon can come out of the same womb.”

“That’s easy. I don’t know.”

“My answer is the same.”

“Figures.”

“There. You may depart with my generous magnanimity.”

“I heard you’re hiding from the Phoenix Dynasty. And yet here you are in the… flesh. Seems risky, especially with the Great Sage of Beijing on her way. She finds out you’re here then the phoenixes will come blasting in.”

“All the more reason for you to depart. Unless you don’t care about the common human. For a clash between powers will hurt them the most.”

“A clash that you’re inviting.”

“It is you who would create chaos.”

“The sects enforce a feudal system unnecessarily. They weaken this entire country just to have people to lord over. It makes things easier for invaders,” a snap of fingers, “is that why you’re here? Am I threatening your plans to become the dragon emperor of China?”

“I am older than your civilization. My wise and benevolent rule has created enlightened civilizations across multiple worlds. I will do the same here.”

“Well, now I have even more important questions. And if you’re so wise and benevolent then there isn’t a good reason for you to demur. It sounds like you’ve been around for when a world gets done with the protected phase. What can we expect?”

The dragon spoke words that no native of this world could ever hear.

“You see?”

“Stupid spires.”

“You can’t prepare. No one has been able to. You can only rebuild and fight against invaders that would destroy rather than build.”

“Right and you’re on the build side, according to yourself. Honestly, I’m skeptical just going by what you’ve got here. If you’re so powerful and benevolent, why let the sects rule? Why don’t you force them into this enlightened civilization you tout?”

“Why don’t you?”

“I’m lazy and scared. It’s good to know that a really old dragon can relate.”

“The impudence of youth. One day you will learn… if you live long enough.”

“I’m thinking that we aren’t that far apart on this. So, just go away for a day or two.”

“Your actions will ignite conflict between the sects. The people will suffer.”

“Good thing you’ll be around to fix that. Or if you’re too scared and lazy, I guess the phoenixes can do it? Though, probably not, from what I’ve heard.”

“One does not burn the whole forest down to destroy a scattered handful of diseased trees.”

“Then the park ranger needs to take care of those trees himself, seeing as how he keeps claiming the forest is his.”

“I see that appealing to your humanity is fruitless.”

“As a nonhuman, you really shouldn’t be doing that. As an outworld invader, you definitely shouldn’t be doing that. I’m more magnanimous than most. A just and benevolent society is the goal and if that’s what you’re ultimately going to build here then, I wish the best of luck. I’m not seeing it though.”

“Because you are impatient.”

“Hard to be otherwise when we’re watching and listening to people suffer unnecessarily.”

“And you are interfering.”

“That I am. Least I can do while I’m in the area.”

“You leave tracks that can be followed by those with the right abilities and power.”

“Aside from you, how many others?”

The sound of slurping noodles was a telling answer.

“Thought so. Listen, I’m not budging on this. If you’re going to attack me, unprovoked, let’s at least go to a spawn zone or something. Might as well accomplish something useful while you waste my time.”

“The young tiger ever seeks to charge into the horns of the ox. The old tiger waits for the ox to sleep.”

“Point taken, which is why I’m not barging into there,” he gestured toward the walled compound across the street, “and beating everyone up. It’s why I’m simply going to give Cat Sister a bad case of food poisoning for the next few days. I know, you’re thinking that a high level cultivator can’t get food poisoning from normal food.”

“I was not thinking that.”

“Mind over matter,” he tapped his temple. “Anddd… done. One hidden guard down.”

“They will suspect another sect. Violence is certain to follow.”

“Not if she isn’t the only one that gets laid out for a few days,” he stood and thanked the cart owner. “I’m heading to the Elemental Society next. You can come with if you want to continue this debate.”

“My warning has been delivered. The blood be on your hands. Do not expect the people to be grateful once they learn the truth.”

“Are you going to tattle on me? Seems weird for an ancient dragon to act like a little kid.”

The dragon in the guise of the old man was gone when he glanced back.

The cart owner hadn’t noticed anything amiss. He was too busy counting the small pile of gold coins left on the counter.

The next morning, Bei stood at the edge of the dirt field with Bakunawa and Minokawa.

She was focused on the upcoming fight.

It was another opportunity to learn.

“You weaponized diarrhea?” Bakunawa said.

“Cat Sister and Ice-crowned Tempest are down,” Minokawa said.

“I don’t even want to know how… but, how?”

“It’s about belief and manifesting. These cultivators are pretty big on that sort of thing. So, it didn’t take much to push their minds into thinking that they ate some bad seafood.”

“What about the other three?”

“Thundering Rhino powered through it. Crapped everything he had and just went back to business. I couldn’t find Gloomy guy and Happy Heron was doing something important and I wasn’t going to mess her up.”

“Well, that’s weird. How can you not find someone? Has that ever happened before?”

“Sometimes. I’m thinking he spends most of his time in the shadow realm.”

“For real? Did you confirm that’s a thing? I thought it wasn’t clear.”

“That’s what I’m calling it. Whether I’m right or wrong… I don’t really care that much,” Minokawa shrugged. “I’ll pick him up the instant he steps out into the open.”

“Okay, so that’s three guards and the three sects you hit are probably looking sideways at the other two?”

“Yup. It’s tense at the Phoenix Dynasty building where they’re keeping Bai.”

“What this about my brother?” Bei’s ears perked.

“Nothing changed. The plan is still on track,” Minokawa said.

“The dragon’s a complication,” Bakunawa whispered.

Bei heard thanks to her mask.

Dragon! What dragon? she thought.

“I doubt that he’ll move on us,” Minokawa whispered.

“If you say so. Maybe, you should make your move now?”

“I need to be here for your matches.”

“Let me guess… they’re going to try to get me.”

“Yup. Multiple sects have hired assassins or ordered lower level members to sacrifice themselves to take you out.”

“So much for honor,” Bakunawa snorted.

“It’s not all sects.”

“Yeah, but I’ll bet the ones holding back know and are hoping one of these a-holes pulls it off.”

“Some.”

“Alright, I’ll leave them to you.”

Bakunawa’s next match was as ridiculous as his first match.

Bei watched him scream at the top of his lungs.

“Tatsumaki Senpukyaku!”

He spun like a top in midair with one leg out, kicking his opponent across the field.

“I learned nothing from that,” she muttered.

“Maybe you’ll have a better opportunity in the next match.”

They left the stadium, had lunch and wandered around for a bit while eating snacks from the vendors lining the streets leading up to the stadium.

The afternoon match was much better for Bei.

Bakunawa had promised as much.

His opponent was Twin Serpent Fangs, known for his identical sabers and venom.

The blades flashed in the dying light, cutting Bakunawa’s shirt to shreds, yet not his skin.

“How?” Bei looked to Minokawa.

“It’s a secret.”

Twin Serpent Fangs retreated with cricket flees the foot, then struck back just as quickly with viper bites through the grass.

Bakunawa punched the blades.

“Oops,” Minokawa echoed the loud crack.

The blades held, but the cultivator’s wrists did not.

Blades flopped loosely as he sent a spinning kick that glanced off Bakunawa’s upraised arm.

A flash of movement.

Bei saw Bakunawa seize Twin Serpent Fangs’ ankle and throw him like a dirty rag.

“Here it comes,” Minokawa sighed.

“Psycho Crusher!” Bakunawa launched himself with a roar.

He flew forward, horizontal to the ground, hands out front, one held in a claw that struck the cultivator. Once again, he rotated, spinning both his entire body and the hapless cultivator.

They flew across the field until Bakunawa slammed Twin Serpent Fangs into the wall with a loud crash.

“Well, I hope you got something out of that,” Minokawa said.

Bei nodded.

She did… well, up until that last part.

“Why does he waste movement with spinning?”

“This is a joke to him.”

Bei didn’t like the sound of that.

Cultivators deserved to be taken seriously, did they not?

And yet, if they weren’t strong enough to stop Bakunawa from making sport of them, then was it not his right to do as he pleased?

Thoughts to ponder later when she would meditate on what she learned this day.