With Siu agreeing so easily, Lorean was already heading back to make her report, expecting a proper acknowledgment for her efficiency. The location where she found Toban this time, after searching for him for about three hours, was at an unremarkable spot, an old-looking, tiny stone pavilion tucked between two older courtyards that were apparently out of use. To her surprise, he was sitting there on a stone bench, legs crossed, as if he were meditating, listening to the wind that was passing by him.

  "I had to ask four others to finally find you... You could give me some contacts that make it easier, because this is highly inefficient." Lorean started, a bit annoyed that her whole day had been spent searching for people, be it Siu or Toban.

  "After your report, I may just make that happen," Toban said with a smile, opening his eyes, letting out a breath, and for a moment, Lorean felt the young man's body ripple from the sense of raw power she was hit with... but it disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. "Well?" he asked, turning towards her, "Did he refuse?"

  "No," she said proudly, "He accepted, conditionally, of course, but that was expected."

  "Very good," Toban's eyes shifted to her, his smile becoming genuine, "It's good that he is very much accepting towards friends or people he knows. That can be used..."

  "I will add that he knows he is being used...." She muttered, shaking her head, continuing her report, "He chose the time and place himself, which will be one week from now, midday, in the kitchens, during lunch."

  "We can work with that," Toban hummed, standing up from the bench, "Good work, I will take it from here."

  "He was very clear about it," she added, warning him, "If it's a meeting, he'll attend, but if it's anything else, he walks. I am sure of that..."

  "Not our problem," Toban shrugged, opening his arms, "It's up to the client from here on; we only had to make the meeting happen."

  "You're pleased, I assume?" she began, smiling and taking a step closer to him.

  "I am satisfied," he nodded, "But don't try to charm me, girl, I am like you... A lot. We can have a fling if you want it, but it's a give and take..."

  "I just want my reward." She said, giggling, knowing full well what he meant, because she felt the same way, which was probably why her handler was someone like Toban.

  "Sure," He reached into his sleeve and withdrew a small lacquered case, easily fitting into someone's palm. "Your payment."

  "Hm?" Lorean didn't touch it immediately, of course, "For arranging the meeting," she asked, "Or for being so quick about it?"

  "For both," Toban snorted, still holding it out, "Greedy."

  "Maybe," She smiled faintly, "But I told you... I adapt quickly." At last, she reached out, took it, and when she opened the case, there were three little pins inside. "And these are?" She looked up at Toban, a bit confused.

  "The first pin will let you get into our warehouse."

  "We have one?" She flinched, first time hearing about it.

  "Of course," Toban continued with a chuckle, "But only organizers and above can access it... Otherwise, how are we going to pay our agents? Do we carry everything with us at all times?" Hearing him speak, Lorean's eyes flashed at once, knowing this meant she was already promoted... making her proud of herself more than ever before. "The address is on the pin; decode it, and you can find it. Your material payment will be handed to you then."

  "Another test..." She shrugged, but kept smiling.

  "Of course." He nodded, pointing his finger at the second pin, "This one has another code in it, leading you to my private residence. So you can find me whenever."

  "Is this an invitation?" She asked, her smile changing just a bit, just like her position, pushing her chest up a little.

  "As I said, if you are in the mood for it." He shrugged, ignoring the rest of her, "The third pin is simply the acknowledgement of your position. Don't wear them openly, but keep them on your person. Any questions?"

  "Nothing much." She shook her head, closing the lid on the box, putting it away, "If there is nothing else, I am going to retreat to solve these riddles... I need my actual payment to advance myself."

  "You do that," He nodded, beginning to leave, patting her shoulders, "After the meeting has been concluded, I will help you settle in as an organizer. Few have ever risen to this position this quickly, but... people like you will bloom with us. Congratulations."

  ...

  ....

  ......

  The week had passed quickly, and for Siu, it was all about getting back to normalcy, going to train, trying to comprehend the Fox's form, and trying to master its foundation, which was more tricky than any of the previous ones. After spending time with it, he finally understood why it was called an advanced variant. Still, making gradual progress, he felt it wasn't an impossibility; it just needed more focus... Which was coming harder now, thanks to Arya constantly chirping in his ears.

  It wasn't any different now, heading to his meeting with Nue, something that Arya most likely already forgot about. By the time he reached the kitchens, the midday bustle was already in full swing, of course, steam rising from wide-open windows, filling the air with the scent of broth, roasted meat, and fresh bread, all the mixes that led him there on the first day.

  "Way too many people, Master!" Arya complained, watching how the disciples filled the space in clusters, trays balanced in their hands, voices overlapping as they tried not to bump into each other, searching for open seats. "They will eat all the good food, like my siblings! I hate it!"

  "No, they won't," He said, trying to placate her, "Relax."

  The fox's ears flicked, still nervous as her attention locked onto the serving line. She straightened on his shoulders, like a meerkat, standing on her hind legs, trying to look over everyone else's head, her tail swaying for balance, her eyes scanning each station with nervousness.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  "Meat... They will eat all the good meat! Let's get to the front, Master! I want my meat!"

  "We won't cut the line, or we will make enemies out of everyone here. Stay put and stop drooling on my head!"

  No matter how much Arya complained, she couldn't do anything, only sit on his shoulders, ignore everyone else gawking at the pair, right until they got their turn. Standing in front of the long buffet-like counter, her gaze lingered on the skewers first. They had thick cuts of roasted boar, still sizzling, right next to the braised ribs... Then the grilled chicken, its skin crisp and golden...

  "Yes!" Arya declared, her tongue licking her mouth almost constantly by now, panting like a rabid animal, "That! And that! And... Why are you stopping, Master? Take it all! ALL!"

  "All of the meat here is bigger than you! It won't fit..." Siu hesitated, knowing her greedy eyes were way out of control.

  "I am small, but I can fit it all! Just push it down, I will make space for it! PUT ALL THE MEAT IN ME! Ow!" She yelped out as Siu reached up, flicking her head, bringing Arya out of her sudden hunger-induced mania. "Master?!"

  "Wake up, Arya. We are not going to make a scene here, so choose your meat wisely. You will get one because I am not turning you into a stuffed chicken. This is not... whatever your home was, you will get your portion, no need to panic."

  In the end, Siu got some grilled chicken and some roasted cuts of boar before moving along, not wanting to hold up the line for a fox who demanded a portion of every possible choice.

  "Finally," she said, inhaling deeply, even if she only got one wing, which was as big as her in size, "Proper food!" She muttered, watching it on Siu's plate, wanting to start eating then and there, but somehow she managed to hold herself back. Then, the moment they reached the vegetable station, Arya recoiled slightly, her nose wrinkling, almost losing her appetite. "What is that...?" she asked flatly, staring at a tray of steamed... greenery.

  "Vegetables," Siu answered simply, putting some of it on his plate.

  "You eat that?! Ew... Disgusting."

  "They're good for you." Siu countered her, "Where I come from, meat is a luxury, and we mostly eat things like these."

  "I don't know, Master, they smell like an insult to everything that tasty... Its... Like... Something that came out of someone's butt," she said with utter disgust. "Why would anyone want to eat trees and flowers? They belong in the ground, not in someone's mouth!"

  "I will chalk it up to you being a cranivore," Siu said, filing it away, not wanting to get into an argument with her. Instead, he began searching for an open table, taking an empty seat at the back after a few minutes of searching.

  "Haaah... Too bad..." Arya suddenly said with a sigh.

  "What now?"

  "There wasn't any fish... or shrimps... Some clams? Oysters? Caviar! Crabs!"

  "We're not exactly near the sea." Siu reminded her, surprised she was bringing up such things.

  "Tsk... I know." She shrugged, "Back home, there were a lot of those... I like it, even though I was only given the parts my siblings didn't want."

  Listening to her, Siu paused, looking at her more closely now, realizing that the little fox had to have come from either next to a big river, one which he had no idea where it might be... Or maybe, just maybe, from next to the ocean? If that were the case, it meant that somehow Arya managed to travel at least four to six times the distance he did to arrive here... However, he didn't have much to ask, because soon, Arya was off his shoulder, sitting on the table, tearing into her portion, yanking the soft meat off the bones, barely even chewing it before gulping it down.

  "Ahhh," she moaned, "I LOVE MEAT!"

  "If you keep inhaling it like that, you will choke on it. Nobody is taking it away! Start eating normally, for heaven's sake!"

  "But it's soooo good!" she replied cheerfully, her tiny paws holding it down, as she chomped down again, even biting on the bone, crunching it happily. "Why didn't you take me here before, Master? Those quick rations we were eating are nothing compared to this!"

  "Money." He answered simply, eating much more slowly, his eyes sometimes scanning the crowd, looking for Nue's arrival.

  "We have that, no? That birdie paid you a lot! Hah... he deserved it, trying to eat me out!"

  "Eat you up, no?"

  "Same thing." She answered, with meat hanging out of her mouth, "Master, I don't want to eat rations again!"

  "I am saving up, so for the time being, deal with it."

  "For what?"

  "We need our own space, and the abodes with private cultivation chambers aren't cheap. I will have to take a few more jobs to gather a bit more CC and then rent one for a year straight."

  "I don't get it." She mumbled, and she genuinely didn't understand the concept, but she wasn't really interested in it either.

  "It's the most important part," Siu tried to explain to her, "Training comes with pain and injuries. No matter if I show it or not, if I limp or not... experienced eyes can read my progress and my physical state. If I anger someone in the future, they can learn much from that and plan accordingly. Not to mention that if I want to keep secrets, doing it there is impossible. I learned it early, Arya," He added seriously, making the little fox look at him with both of her eyes while gnawing on the bone, "that in a Sect, you must keep your cards close to your chest."

  "We have cards?"

  "Metaphorically." Siu chortled, shaking his head.

  "Oh... Okay!"

  "Same with why we are here now," He continued, once again scanning the disciples who were coming and going, many of them looking at the duo, or, mostly, at Arya, with an intense hue of green flashing within their eyes. "It's way easier to find me and bother me when everyone knows where I am, what I am doing, and what my newest achievements are... And knowing is already the first step towards winning."

  "Winning what?" She asked, her tail wagging happily behind her, almost done with the chicken, including the bone.

  "Everything." He answered, his eyes stopping on a figure who had just entered... and as their eyes met, she began walking towards them, her gaze never leaving Siu. Without asking for permission, she sat down opposite him, making Arya look at her, confused, turning her head back and forth between them.

  "Siu." She said, finally blinking her eyes that were for sure unfriendly... but controlled.

  "Nue Toah." Siu nodded, slightly leaning forward, making sure he was ready if she made any moves... especially towards Arya. "Are you here to challenge me again?"

  "We will fight," She nodded, leaning back and crossing her arms, "It is inevitable, but not now. Maybe when we both become Inner Disciples. Now... I am here to invite you on a hunt."

  "..." There was no way to mask his own surprise for Siu, showing it on his face, blinking his eyes before finally opening his mouth, "No. I am not going into the forest with you... Do you take me for a fool?"

  "It's a hunt that will have multiple members besides me, and I want you on that team. Every core participant can bring someone."

  "..."

  "Master..."

  "Stay silent," Siu ordered her, not wanting to explain anything or have to deal with distractions while watching Nue's eyes. "You are... Not lying..." He muttered in the end, getting a bit confused.

  "As I said, we will fight... but not now. That hunt is going to aim to take down a very dangerous beast," she added, leaning forward, "one that only comes out when snow covers the forest. There would be twelve of us, if you also come... Taking it down, the shares would be spread equally between us all, so... Do think about it."

  "I am surprised you have friends who invite you... to anywhere."

  "..." She said nothing to that, only snorting and rolling her eyes, standing from the table. "Think about it. You still have a few months to prepare. If you are interested, find me again, and I will tell you more."

  "Why me?" Siu asked suddenly, looking at her before she left.

  "So I can see how you fight when your life is on the line," she answered with a savage-looking smile appearing on her face. "Don't worry, I won't betray you in the fight and let you die to a beast! You know... I want to kill you myself, so... I wouldn't sabotage your chances of survival in the forest. Because," She leaned closer to Siu, taking a whiff of him, before licking her lips, "I will be the one strangling you to death... Not some barely sentient creature who can't even enjoy it..."

  If you like my work, you can also support me on Patreon and, for $5, read four weeks ahead! Or if you like my works, supporting via the $1 tier would also help me, so that maybe one day writing can be my main job.

  Or just buying me a cup of coffee would help, too~!