Qu Yan waited with fading patience in the audience chamber of the Borrow. The Iron Mantis headquarters was a large stone and metal structure buried seventy feet underground. Yan hated coming down here. The windowless rooms, lit only by flaming torches and the occasional glass lantern, and the stale air made her feel suffocated. But this was necessary. Dozens of other members stood behind her in a line, but she paid them no heed. She focused only on her goal—and the allies beside her.

  Beside her stood Lei Yun and Gong Ruiwen. They had been her brother’s friends and had gone with her to confront Ming’s murderer. They… and Lan Chen. But now Lan Chen too was dead. Tears tried to form in her vision, but she forced them away. My brother’s friends—no— my friends are here with me. I have to be strong. She needed to appear so, at least, to have any chance of success with her request.

  Yan rubbed at the grey armband that now covered her left forearm. It was the same armband that had once belonged to her brother. Now it was hers, marking her full initiation into the Iron Mantis.

  She stared around the wide, square-shaped room. Several of the Iron Mantis higher-ups members lounged on cushioned couches or played cards at tables scattered along the edge of the chamber. Only those within the organization’s Inner Circle were allowed to reside here so casually. Members like her, from the Outer Circle, were only allowed to meet the Leader if vouched for by a member of the Inner Circle.

  Yan’s eyes moved to a man in his early forties who was lying on a couch, sipping from a cup of rice wine. The man was an Inner Circle member named Qu Fenghua—her uncle. His eyes met hers, and he gave a slight nod. Yan returned the gesture, then turned her gaze to the empty steel chair at the far end of the room. At some point, the Iron Mantis’s leader would come and sit there. She just had to wait until then.

  “Does it normally take this long?” Ruiwen asked.

  “It’ll take as long as it takes,” Yan replied. “I’ve never been here before, but I’m guessing the Leader is busy. Sooner or later, he has to come out though.”

  “Is that what your uncle told you?” Yun asked. Yan saw his expression shift to one of discomfort as he examined the surrounding members of the Inner Circle.

  Most of them were cultivators in the Adept Realm. The pressure emitted from their chakras filled the room, making the air feel heavier and breathing more difficult. It had been the same way the one other time she had come down here—another reason she hated this place.

  “He did,” Yan replied. “He said it might take a while, but we just need to be patient.”

  As if the Heavens had heard her, the side door opened, and a tall, bald man in his forties entered the room, followed by a younger woman. Both individuals wore slate-colored robes and had grey armbands on both arms. The man’s robes were sleeveless, revealing multiple scars along his muscled limbs. They matched the four scars that ran along his scalp.

  The room, previously filled with soft conversation, fell deathly silent as Steel Joh took his seat to preside over the day’s audiences. His eyes were cold as he focused on Yan. She had seen the Iron Mantis Leader several times before, but never from this position. At the peak of the Adept Realm, Steel Joh’s chakras emitted a thick pressure that stood out even in this room. He was a monster of a man, and the only reason the Iron Mantis exerted so much influence over the Western Quarter.

  There were many stories about Steel Joh—about how he had once won twenty-four duels at the Dueling Pit in a single day, how he had defeated an entire squad of the City Guard on his own. One rumor even claimed he had managed to kill a member of the Kurai Clan and escaped, but Yan didn’t believe that one. The Kurai Clan would have burned down half the Quarter looking for him if it were true. The only truth Yan knew for certain about Steel Joh was that he was strong—and she needed that strength.

  Yan spared the woman who had moved to stand beside Steel Joh’s seat a glance. Cui Rong, Steel Joh’s second and the Chief Enforcer of the Iron Mantis, had long black hair and deep lines that hinted at a life of hardship. Her uncle, Qu Fenghua, had once told her that while Cui Rong was only the second-strongest member, she had killed more people than even Steel Joh.

  A pang of regret filled Yan. Ming had recently been accepted as one of the organization’s enforcers. He had been so excited at the time, hoping it would provide a better future for them. Now he was dead. As Yan looked up at Cui Rong, she wondered if the Chief Enforcer had known her brother.

  Steel Joh held out a hand, and a servant from the side immediately brought out a wooden mug. The Leader took a hefty drink before resting it on the chair’s arm. “Let’s get this started. You,” he pointed at Yan, “what can I do for you?”

  Yan stepped forward and pressed her fists together. Members of the Iron Mantis did not bow like disciples of sects or schools. Here, members were supposed to be equals. It was part of the reason so many residents of the Western Quarter were drawn to the organization. Respect was still important, though.

  “Leader, my name is Qu Yan. I humbly request your assistance in obtaining justice for the death of two Iron Mantises: Qu Ming and Lan Chen.”

  “Qu Yan, huh.” Steel Joh peered around the room before settling on Qu Fenghua. “Fenghua! I take it she’s one of your relatives.”

  Qu Fenghua rose from his position, rice wine cup still in hand. “She’s my niece, Joh. Her brother and friend were two of our enforcers. They were killed by two interlopers in the Quarter. I thought it right to let her ask you for help.”

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Steel Joh nodded. “My condolences for your loss.” He turned to Yan. “To both of your losses. It is always a tragedy when any Iron Mantis dies, but that cannot compare to the loss of one’s kin.”

  “Thank you,” Yan said, bowing her head. It was more consideration than she had expected, and Yan felt another wave of tears starting to form. She forced them back.

  “And these two beside you,” Steel Joh said, “are they family as well?”

  “Friends,” Yun answered. “Of both members who died.”

  “My condolences to you two as well, then.” Steel Joh turned to Cui Rong. “Did you hear about this incident?”

  Cui Rong shook her head. “I haven’t. When did this happen?” she asked Yan.

  “Four days ago. My brother was killed at the Dueling Pit by…” The words stuck in her throat, but she forced them out. “By a spear wielder who nearly killed me in a duel.” She pointed at the spot where Ishin’s spear had pierced her. “He only went to confront him for his actions, but the scum killed him!” Yan stopped herself, realizing she was shouting. She forced herself to take several deep breaths. “I’m sorry for the outburst.”

  “That’s alright.” Steel Joh waved dismissively. “Your brother died trying to do what was right. To think that this spear wielder killed him when he was just trying to stand up for his sister…” Steel Joh shook his head. “It’s unforgivable.” The Iron Mantis Leader took another sip of his drink. “Did your friend also die at the Dueling Pit?”

  “No. We”—Yan gestured at Yun and Ruiwen beside her—“went to confront the spear wielder later that day after he left the Dueling Pit.” Yan spat the next part out, all thoughts of composure gone. “We wanted justice for my brother, but when Chen went to punish the spear wielder, a random fourth-layer Initial Realm cultivator who we’d never seen before appeared and killed him without provocation! We were forced to leave after that.”

  “Let me get this straight. You fought the spear wielder in a duel at the Dueling Pit and were almost killed by him. When your brother went to confront him about it, the spear wielder killed him. Later, when four of you went to confront the spear wielder, a second person appeared and killed your friend. Did the second person appear to know the spear wielder?”

  “Not at all,” Yan answered, shaking her head. “The spear wielder even asked who the second man was.”

  “We can’t let this pass, Joh,” Cui Rong said, bitterness plain in her voice.

  “I agree.” Steel Joh scratched one of his eyebrows. “Do you know where these two are now?”

  Yan felt a wave of relief wash through her as her shoulders loosened. Since her brother had joined the Iron Mantis three years ago, she had always viewed the group as her extended family. What we couldn’t do on our own, my brother’s new family could. Ming. Chen. Soon you’ll both have justice.

  “The spear wielder used to reside at an inn called the Traveler’s Abode. But he left the next day, led by the other person. We secretly followed them across the city to the Eastern Quarter until they reached the Eight Oaths Resolve School. At that point, I knew it was best to seek your help.”

  Steel Joh’s previous look of righteous irritation suddenly shifted to one of wariness. “Tell me, did either of the two dress in blue and orange robes?”

  The question surprised Yan, but she answered honestly. “The fourth-layer Initial Realm cultivator wore that, yes.”

  “Joh,” Cui Rong said urgently, but softly, leaning down beside Steel Joh. All trace of anger had left her as well.

  Steel Joh held up a hand. “I know.” Cui Rong straightened. “Fenghua, did you know about this?”

  “I…did not, Leader,” Yan’s uncle said with a frown. “That was my mistake. I should have inquired about the matter more.”

  Yan didn’t understand what was happening, but felt uneasy. “Apologies, Leader, but I don’t understand what you all are getting at.”

  Steel Joh pressed his hands together and rested his head atop them. “Listen to me, Qu Yan. I know this will be hard to hear, but from what you’ve told me, those two are affiliated with the Eight Oaths Resolve Martial School. Likely, they are disciples. I’m not sure why they were in the Western Quarter, but regardless, we can’t move against them now.”

  Yan felt like the entire world had just turned upside down. She had to take a step back to steady herself. What’s happening? Hadn’t they just agreed to avenge my brother and Chen?

  “Leader, I don’t understand. You said we couldn’t let what happened to my brother… to both of them… stand. Why? Why are you changing your mind?”

  “I can talk with her about it later,” Fenghua offered.

  “No,” Steel Joh decreed. “She deserves to hear it from me.”

  “Hear what?” Yan’s voice was a faint whisper now.

  “The Three Martial Schools are all led by Merit Realm cultivators, just like the Kurai Clan and the Righteous Mantle Sect. They control dozens of Adept Realm cultivators. If we target their disciples, the schools will seek vengeance against us. It wouldn’t be like when the City Guard tried to root us out five years ago. The ensuing battle would be brutal, and we’d almost certainly lose.”

  “But they killed two of our own,” Yan tried. “How can we… how can you let that stand?”

  Steel Joh’s expression changed to one of sympathy. “It isn’t fair, I know. But the Heavens don’t care about fairness.”

  —

  Half an hour later, Yan was back on the open streets of the Western Quarter, Yun and Ruiwen at her side. The sun had begun to set, and the familiar odor of the Quarter filled the air.

  “That… did not go well,” Ruiwen spoke to no one in particular.

  “Cowards,” Yan growled. “The Iron Mantis is supposed to be strong, to support each other in this harsh world. Yet they will do nothing.” Anger had long replaced any sorrow the fire cultivator felt.

  “I didn’t think the Leader feared anyone,” Yun added. “I thought the rest of the city feared us, so they left us alone.”

  “Clearly not,” Yan snapped. After seeing Yun’s shocked expression, she added, “I’m sorry, Yun. I’m not mad at you.” She stabbed a finger in the direction of the Borrow. “I’m furious at them.” Yan let out a breath. “Nonetheless, this has shown us our path forward.”

  “And what is that?” Ruiwen asked, peering down at Yan.

  “If the Iron Mantis won’t help us avenge Ming and Chen, then we’ll have to do it ourselves.”