The announcement was up by the next day. However, unlike most such 'requests,' instead of being issued personally or in private, because of the backing of an actual Elder of the sect, it was nailed to each of the entrances of the outer disciples' dormitory and to all the gates leading to the private adobes, where Nue Toah was also living. All things considered... it was a sect-wide announcement, as far as the outer disciples were concerned. It was concise and direct, written in a precise script, and sealed with red wax, representing Elder Thane's personal endorsement. Now what remained was nothing but waiting for Nue's answer...

  Of course, at first, no one paid any attention to it when walking past the gates, but then it finally someone checked it out, noticing an Elder's seal.... Proving that it wasn't a hoax nor just a prank, because nobody would dare to fake an Elder's wax seal on it... It became news that spread like wildfire.

  “Siu?” someone muttered, standing amongst others, reading the note and looking bewildered. “Never heard of the guy.”

  “Me neither, but it was time someone smacked that bitch in the face.” Another voice added, "Since she had a breakthrough, thinking she would become an inner disciple, she has been an unbearable twat about it."

  “Tell me about it. If not for her being a vindictive bastard, I would have done it myself...”

  “Yeah, sure...” others groaned, hearing someone boasting, but everyone knew that it was just best to avoid dealing with that woman. It wasn't worth the headache with her rotten personality at all.

  It didn't take long for the news to spread, something that both Siu and Elder Thane expected. It was the only way Elder Thane could help Siu out besides training, making sure the challenge was accepted... as knowing Nue's personality, something like this wouldn't go unanswered.

  And they weren't wrong.

  Toban was already smirking by the time he delivered the news, knowing that Nue was doing her morning routine and meditation at her favorite spot. She was already angered by the fact that her new toy had been missing for a day, planning how to punish her when she eventually appeared... but Toban didn't really care about that part. He just found the situation interesting... and entertaining.

  “Boss,” he called out, grinning, "I think you should read the announcement they posted at the gates."

  "I don't care about some idiots making a scene." She answered, eyes closed, sitting still, legs crossed, arms resting on her knees as she practiced her breathing technique. "If you are here to ask for more money for something publicly put up, don't even dream about it."

  "Nah, this is free of charge, Boss. But you SHOULD read it. Here, I have a copy." he walked directly next to her, daring to disrupt her concentration, pushing an exact copy of it into her palms.

  With a bulging vein on her neck, she did open her eyes, snatching the paper, ripping it at the edge by the force of her hand's movement... Then she flinched. She didn’t look up at first, reading it twice, her brows furrowing more and more. Then slowly, she looked up at Toban, actually surprised.

  "He posted this...?” she asked, confused.

  “Oh, he did more than that. Elder Thane backed it. Don't you see his stamp at the bottom? This is as proper as it gets. Hells, this has the whole Outer Disciple section in an uproar now. We have what? A thousand or so people here? Yeah, girl... everyone is getting clued in. Everyone! You do realize many of those have toes you stepped on... they are going to be there to watch you get spanked.”

  Nue didn’t answer right away, but her eyes were already twitching and her fingers were trembling from anger.

  “That bastard...” she said under her breath, her voice hoarse as she ground her teeth together, “Hmph! If he wants to be humiliated in front of everyone, so be it... I will cripple him while everyone is watching!”

  “Be careful about that plan,” Toban said with a laugh, “And let’s be honest... You won't have a chance to actually hurt him now. With an Elder watching the duel... your plan to hurt him is fucked.”

  “Shut up.”

  “I’m just saying!" Toban shrugged, raising his hands, but his tone remained just as jovial as before, "Nue, that new guy? He’s not stupid. I'm quite interested in his limits, to be honest with you.”

  “Then go and ask him on a date,” Her voice sharpened, her eyes spewing fire at him, but Toban remained unbothered, “He’s nothing. That’s the part that pisses me off!”

  "Nothing, eh?" Toban gave her a sideways glance, “You sure you’ve still got the upper hand, Boss?”

  "Your tone is pissing me off." She spat, standing up, brushing past him, but when she intentionally shouldered him, it felt like hitting a steel plate.

  "I’ve been watching the new blood," Toban continued, without a flinch, scanning as Nue touched her shoulders, beginning to massage them a little, "The kid hasn’t taken a single day to rest. He’s training harder than anyone I’ve seen, especially amongst the newcomers. He may know nothing concrete... but he is meticulous. He has skipped over multiple pitfalls that you or I fell into in our first year... He moves around as if he had already done this before. Doesn't that tell you something, Nue?"

  "You are overthinking things. Always..."

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  "Maybe," He shrugged, changing topic, seeing that Nue wasn't listening to his warning, "You’re still learning your Red Fang technique, right?”

  “Stop asking questions!” she snapped, hating the fact that somehow Toban, in the past, managed to decipher what type of technique she was training... of what she had got herself. She hated that Toban, somehow, always knew everything.

  "I'm not after your precious prize!" He snorted, slowly turning angry himself, "You think too much of it anyway... So much so that you are becoming delusional. What I am saying... maybe you should train a bit harder, too.”

  "I have been here for four years now." She scoffed, looking away, "Even if he has a month to prepare, that little bastard won't get out of this without a broken spine..."

  "So, you are accepting the challenge?"

  "Of course!" She snapped at him again, "Who do you think I am? I will break him for practice, and then I will take the test for the Inner Disciple position at the end of the year... I am ready."

  ...

  ....

  .....

  Neya, fearing to go out of the community dorms since Siu stepped into her mess, blinked her eyes as she looked down at the scrolls he placed into her lap.

  “…You did... what?”

  “Paid for a medicinal bath,” he said simply, pointing at the reservation bill he gave her, “Full soak with high purity. It should significantly reduce your healing time. In all honesty, while you are soaking, you should do your breathing technique. Misfortune can be turned into fortune, you know. All that you suffered while 'training' with Nue... was not all... Well... Without effects. Soak, do your breathing, and maybe you will have a windfall. Who knows?”

  "..." Neya just stared at him, her mouth opening, then closing, then opening again, doing her best to find the words, “But... but that’s so expensive! You used your CC—”

  “All of it.” Siu didn’t flinch, but he also shrugged as she looked at her, “So... Yeah... You owe me... Big time.” She opened her mouth again, clearly struggling between guilt and gratitude, until Siu interrupted her by tapping the scrolls in her lap. “Furthermore, before you try to thank me, it's not free. I’ve already set up your repayment plan, flip it."

  Recovering from the shock of hearing his words, Neya hurriedly did so and continued reading while Siu explained it in simpler terms.

  "These are all short-term delivery jobs, all of them are hand-picked by me, going through safe routes and sources. All of them are offered directly by the Sect, in fact. After you are back to full strength in a few days, then you’ll complete them, one at a time, and pass down seventy percent of the earnings to me.”

  While he spoke, Neya’s eyes flicked through them, scanning the mission slips. True enough, they were all reasonable, simple requests, not even for disciples but for the Sect directly. She was tasked with helping to move items and organize resources allocated to the Outer Disciple branch, which came from the top... And nobody would dare to interfere with that.

  “…You picked these out for me...?” She asked, amazed. How did he even find these? Weren't these supposed to be sniped by the older, more experienced disciples who were here for years already?

  “Yeah, I picked them out,” Siu admitted, leaving out the part where he used Elder Thane's name to... pressure the disciple responsible for posting them, making sure that he would have a chance getting the slips before someone else grabbed them. “So, here is how it will go: You’ll sign for them, deliver them, and complete them. Easy? Easy. Do it all, and then you will give me my money back. Fair?”

  "Fair." Neya looked up again, her voice firm, and it was clear her feeling of guilt or being indebted to him was already gone from her eyes. "I will settle my debts! Promise!"

  “Good,” Siu smiled at her, “So you don’t have to think about it anymore. Finish these, and all your debts are cleared!”

  "..." For a moment, Neya didn’t say anything, but then she nodded and hugged the scrolls tightly to her chest, whispering, “Thank you...”

  "Sure." He chuckled, stroking her head once, before leaving, as missing Elder Thane's training session... was not a good idea.

  ...

  ....

  ......

  Later that day, limping a little, Siu was coming from the training grounds, cursing the Elder's wooden baton he used to fix his movements, when Lorean found him, stopping him in his tracks.

  “Can we speak?” she asked, not waiting for or offering any greeting.

  "I guess?" He asked back, tilting his head, surprised that she came to meet him.

  “You’re reckless,” she continued without holding back, “You just got here... Offering a challenge like that? She’s years ahead of you... And I looked into her past. She’s not the kind you antagonise if you want a peaceful place amongst the Outer Disciples.”

  “Pressure is motivation."

  “Fine, then cook yourself alone! Why are you pulling us all into this mess?”

  "Excuse me?" He asked, trying to see where this was going, with a feeling that he was actually beginning to dislike Lorean.

  "A vindictive woman like this... Nue Toah person, won't stop with you. She will, even if you win, keep coming after you. She is a rabid dog, and she will start biting everybody. Including me, just because we live in the same dorm."

  “I did it exactly because of that..." He snorted, "Because she went after Neya. It surprises me that you understand the point yet not at the same time."

  "..." Lorean just stared at him for a moment, her arms crossed before her chest, measuring him, “She could cripple you. No... she will try to. Maybe even kill you if she pushes it too far. There’s no honor in sect duels, even if it's in the name.”

  “That’s fine.” He shrugged, "I'm not that easy to get rid of."

  “She’ll target your weaknesses.”

  “Then I’ll fix them? What is this? Are you worried about me?”

  "I am worried about MY future." She answered, and Siu felt this explanation was actually... an honest one. “You do realize you’re alone in this, right? So don't splash around and get everyone muddy.”

  “Maybe.” He answered calmly, "Maybe not. We will see." And with that, he began walking again, brushing past Lorean, "We have different views on how one should act inside a sect. I am not telling you which one of us is right, because both of us believe in our own way. I'm just telling you right now, while we are still neutral parties." He whispered as he passed by her, "Don't become my enemy."

  ...

  ....

  ......

  It was early the next morning, and although Siu had arrived home late the previous night, by dawn, he was off again, stretching before his exercise when Tian arrived, heading directly to him.

  “Hey,” he said simply, crossing his arms, standing before him. “So... I heard that girl accepted your challenge. There is no backing out of it now.”

  "I know," Siu grunted, straightening, controlling his breathing, “Get to the point, because my calendar is full for the next month. If you want a rematch, it has to wait.”

  "Heh," Tian gave a lopsided grin, watching him, “You're an idiot.”

  “…Thanks?”

  “However...” Tian paused, “You’re the idiot who stood up when someone needed it, so I guess I’m rooting for you.”

  "Wait... you are complimenting me? Huh..." He looked towards the west, "No... the sun didn't come up from the wrong end. Then... are you a clone? Oh, someone took control of your body! Are you possessed by a spirit?"

  “Don’t get me wrong,” Tian snorted, grimacing, “I still want to kick your ass someday. But I’ll do it after you survive this...”

  "As I said," He chuckled, "My calendar is full. But, sure... I can slot you in after all this clown show is over."

  “I’ll hold you to that.” Tian nodded, turning around, "Don't get killed or crippled. That would be... disappointing."