The fetid tranquility of Outcast Mire – if such a thing could be said to exist – was shattered by the arrival of unwelcome elegance. Sun was in the middle of a heated "negotiation" with a particularly greasy-looking merchant over the price of some suspicious swamp roots that the merchant swore had "remarkable Ki-restorative properties" (Sun suspected they were more likely to induce remarkable gastric distress), when a ripple of unease spread through the Mire's denizens. Even the usual chorus of belching, arguing, and insect buzzing seemed to diminish.
He glanced up, annoyed at the interruption. Standing at the precarious edge of the swamp, where the rotting boardwalks met vaguely solid ground, were three figures. Two were burly, grim-faced men in the unmistakable jade green silk of the Jade Serpent Sect, their hands resting meaningfully on the hilts of their swords. Between them, looking entirely out of place amidst the squalor, yet somehow commanding the scene, was Lin Fengyi.
She'd changed since their last encounter. The silk of her robes was still immaculate, her posture still ramrod straight, but the overt haughtiness that had practically radiated off her before was muted. Her face, framed by her severely pulled-back dark hair, was leaner, her eyes sharper, carrying a new weight of seriousness and a watchful intensity that Sun found vaguely unsettling. The Jade Serpent Sect's prized "genius" had clearly been doing some thinking – or had been subjected to some very stern lectures from her elders.
"Vagrant," her voice, cool and clear, cut across the suddenly quiet Mire. The few Mire-rats still visible scuttled for cover. Even Grok, who had been observing Sun's bartering attempt with amusement, seemed to sober up, his one good eye narrowing. Trouble from a major sect was bad for business, and bad for one's continued existence.
Sun let out an exaggerated sigh, abandoning his attempt to swindle the root merchant (who looked immensely relieved). "Oh, for the love of… Can't a formerly divine entity enjoy a brief respite in a charmingly pestilent bog without being accosted by overdressed reptiles? What is it this time, Jade Locks? Did you lose your favorite silk ribbon? Or has your Sect Master finally decided he wants my expert opinion on advanced feng shui for viper pits?"
Masha One-Eye, from the doorway of The Leaky Ladle, arms crossed over her formidable chest, watched the unfolding drama with her single, inscrutable eye. She made no move to intervene, merely observing, much like Sun had observed her and her armband.
Lin Fengyi ignored his customary barrage of insults, her gaze unwavering. "My Sect Master, Jian Qing, wishes to speak with you."
"Does he now?" Sun ambled over, splashing through a particularly noxious puddle with deliberate indifference. "And here I thought I was off his 'people to glare suspiciously at' list. What's on his mind? Decided my unique brand of rugged charm is exactly what his stuffy sect needs? Offering me a lucrative contract as the official Jade Serpent Heckler?"
"It concerns the… events at Blackwood Gorge," one of the senior disciples, a dour man with a jaw that looked like it could crack stone, interjected gruffly. "And your… peculiar abilities. We believe you have information, or capabilities, that could be of use."
Sun stopped a few feet from them, hands on his hips, a smirk playing on his lips. "Information? Oh, I've got loads of that. For instance, did you know that the average swamp leech can consume three times its own body weight in blood? Fascinating creatures. Also, the ale in this town tastes like it was strained through a corpse's sock. As for capabilities… I'm exceptionally good at annoying people. As you may have noticed."
Lin Fengyi's jaw tightened, a familiar flicker of irritation in her eyes, but she held her composure. "The Crimson Thunder Dojang has also intensified its investigation into the Gorge. Their Elder Xiao has reported further… anomalies. There are concerns among all the major sects. Things are stirring that have not been seen for generations."
Sun raised an eyebrow. The "Song of Shattered Will" had certainly hinted at a world rife with underlying tensions. "Anomalies, you say? Besides the fact that your entire Murim society is built on a foundation of petty squabbles, stolen techniques, and an unhealthy obsession with shiny rocks? Shocking."
"Sect Master Jian Qing proposes a temporary truce," Lin Fengyi stated, her voice formal, though Sun could detect the undertone of distaste. "And an offer. He believes your… unique sensitivity to Ki signatures, particularly the kind encountered in the Gorge, could be vital. There are whispers of an 'Old World Relic' of immense power awakening, or perhaps a… tear in the fabric of reality itself. Your input is sought."
"So, let me get this straight," Sun said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "After I metaphorically (and almost literally) wiped the floor with your star pupil and generally treated your esteemed sect with the reverence one reserves for a persistent fungal infection, your boss now wants my help because things are getting spooky in the woods? You want to use me as a highly specialized, and no doubt disposable, ghost-detector?"
He paused, a considering glint in his eyes. He was tired of swamp cuisine. He needed access to better Echo Nodes than Masha's cursed armband (though the Shifting Sands Echo was proving surprisingly useful). And, if he were honest with himself, the thought of being a deliberate irritant within the hallowed halls of the Jade Serpent Sect held a certain twisted appeal. A temporary alliance with these uptight vipers, however fraught with peril and potential backstabbing, might provide him with resources and opportunities he couldn't easily acquire scrounging in the wilderness.
"And what, pray tell, is in it for yours truly?" Sun asked, his tone shifting from sarcastic to pragmatic. "Besides the stimulating intellectual companionship of you delightful serpent-folk and the chance to be first in line if whatever is in the Gorge decides it wants a human sacrifice?"
Lin Fengyi met his gaze squarely. "Safe passage through Jade Serpent territories. Access to certain… resources, within reason. And," she hesitated, the words seemingly catching in her throat, "perhaps… an exchange of information. Your methods, while… unconventional, possess a certain… baffling effectiveness that my Master wishes to understand better."
Sun let out a bark of laughter. "Baffling effectiveness? Is that what they're calling it now? I prefer 'unpredictable genius,' but I'll take it." He looked from Lin Fengyi's earnest, if strained, face to her two glowering escorts. This was a risk. These people didn't trust him, and he certainly didn't trust them. But the alternative was continued squalor and a painfully slow grind.
"Alright, Jade Locks," he declared finally, with a sigh that suggested he was doing them a colossal favor. "You've twisted my arm. I'll grace your Sect Master with my presence. But be warned: my consultancy fees are steep – payable in edible food, non-leaky waterskins, and a solemn promise that no one will try to 'accidentally' practice their fatal Ki-strikes on me while I'm sleeping. And if I so much as smell a drugged cup of tea, I swear by the Unmaker's nonexistent beard, I will teach your precious jade-roofed pagodas how to spontaneously sprout legs and run screaming into the nearest swamp. Are we clear?"
Lin Fengyi nodded, a flicker of something unreadable – relief? Resignation? Deep foreboding? – in her eyes. "Crystal clear, Vagrant." As Sun sauntered past her, a swagger in his step that was entirely unearned given his current dilapidated state, she couldn't help but notice the subtle, almost predatory awareness in his posture. He was still crude, still infuriatingly arrogant, but the dismissive, almost desperate air he'd had during their first encounter was gone. Replaced by something sharper, more calculating. This wasn't just a wild dog they were leashing; it was something far more unpredictable, and potentially far more dangerous. The Jade Serpent Sect was inviting a fox – or perhaps a starved wolf in fox's clothing – directly into the henhouse. This was going to be interesting. And almost certainly disastrous.