“He took down a dozen on his own? I doubt it.” Another slender monk sized Snow up, his hand cupping his chin. A perverse glint danced in his eyes. “I think you were ogling the pretty lady to get serious in the fight.“Tsk. Ass-kissers!” The bald security guard merely smiled wryly. The last thing he would do was refute the monk. The others were frustrated about the situation too. The security team was a mean-looking bunch, often intimidating their targets from fighting back right away. The bald security guard could not understand how Kaze managed to fend off a dozen men on his own. “Well, sic the others on him.” The last monk snapped a grim look at the new batch of security guards. He yelled curtly, “Don’t just stand there. Get him! What are we paying you for?“Those without nerves of steel can get out of Emerald Bull Palace now!” The certified practitioners ranked the highest at Emerald Bull Palace. The security guards were nothing more than tools to make money for
During her last visit to Emerald Bull Palace, Cyan witnessed Jude and Alfonso chatting happily with Juan. Jude, Alfonso, and Juan were of a social standing beyond Cyan. Cyan’s family made their livelihood through the Viper’s Den South River State Branch. Alfonso was the former deputy chief and the longest-serving veteran. It was only right to suck up to a powerful figure like Juan. To think Kaze would start trouble on a foreign turf, disturb the peace at Emerald Bull Palace, and hurt the employees. Kaze was playing with fire.Cyan shouted frantically, “Kaze, stop! Stop right now!” Losing the fear, the three young monks looked smug and looked at Kaze in defiance. The monk in the middle sneered. “The lady is right. Juan is my uncle.“I dare you to hit us.“You won’t be walking out of here alive.“If you know any better, you should apologize to us on your knees and pay us eight to ten million dollars in medical fees. I might be happy to let you off the hook. “Otherwise
Without looking at Cyan, Snow kept her face straight and her mouth shut. At first, Snow thought of telling Kaze to ignore these people. There was no need to make a big deal out of things. However, the security guards took things far, and Snow did not want to waste her breath anymore. Sometimes, it was best to fight fire with fire. The security officers and three monks needed to be taught a lesson. Cyan was furious that Snow paid her no heed. She uttered exasperatedly, “Can you handle the fallout, Kaze?” “Why can’t I?” without looking back, Kaze replied indifferently. He stepped on the young monk’s face, and the latter shrieked in agony. Everybody was dumbfounded. Kaze’s cruelty and audacity knew no bounds. Dozens of security officers on the floor stayed down. Since Kaze did not care that one of the monks was Juan’s nephew, he would have no qualms about killing the rest of them too. “Get up and keep your back straight on your knees, or I’ll break your arm.” K
Looking at the astonishing scene, Cyan’s lips twitched, her eyes burned with flames of anger. She shouted, “Kaze, did you not hear what I just said? Are you deaf? You’ve already knocked out the security guards and now you are doing this to them? Do you know that they are Master Juan’s disciples? One of them is also Master Juan’s nephew! “How dare you! You are going to pay for it! If Master Juan finds out about this, this is going to get nasty!” Cyan was so upset that she wanted to slap Kaze in the face. The other worshippers already noticed the commotion and started to gather around them. When they saw Kaze teach the arrogant security guards a lesson, they felt a surge of satisfaction and relief. Emerald Bull Palace was huge and had a lot of parking spots, yet it was the biggest place of worship in Riverbank and a famous one among the worshippers. Therefore, the security guards took advantage of their positions by issuing unnecessary fines, harassing female visitors, and
They had no idea how Juan got the news so quickly and was able to gather a group of followers to the scene. Usually, such trivial matters would not even reach Juan at all as he was a busy and elusive man. Even within the Emerald Bull Palace, he rarely appeared in front of his followers or the worshippers. As the master of his art, he maintained a veil of mystery around him. However, it was not a question that they could answer. They only knew that Juan had come to do them justice. Kaze wiped his hands without even looking and said, “Don’t worry. I am not running away, I don’t need to. The Emerald Bull Palace and Juan will have to give me an explanation about this.” Since Juan had begged to be his disciple a while ago, Kaze had agreed to take him in, even if just nominally. Therefore, as a disciple, Juan must act like one in front of his master. Juan might be respectful and act humbly in front of Kaze but he should not allow his own disciples to bully others. Kaze did no
Draig looked at Kaze scornfully, like he was an idiot out of place. “Kaze Lee, you are really a fool. You’ve gotten so used to bragging your way out of things. Master Juan had stepped in to deal with the Ryokanians and you assumed he was here to help you, trying to be your support? “The other funny thing is, you think that allows you to cause a scene here in Emerald Bull Palace? Where’s your brain? What makes you think you have the right?” He continued to mock Kaze, airing his grievances while at it. He even raised his voice because Albert was not around. “Is that so?” Kaze looked at Draig, who had returned to his boastful and arrogant self. He slightly shook his head and scoffed. Draig pursed his lips and said, “Am I wrong, Kaze? For Snow’s sake, I’ll give you one last piece of advice. “You should know your place and limits. Had I not held back the Ryokanians and Master Juan stepped in to deal with them, what would have happened to Snow? Have you thought about that? “A
“Master Juan is here!” Right after Cyan’s words subsided, Juan and his group of followers finally arrived. Juan wore a white religious attire. Albeit a straight face, he looked like a deity from heaven. Kaze remained calm and steady on the spot, saying nothing. He wanted to see how Juan would handle the situation and provide a satisfying explanation. Likewise, Draig remained silent. It was not that he was also waiting for an explanation from Juan—he was merely waiting for Juan to speak to him first so that he could maintain his appearance. Not only the two of them, but the others remained silent as well. In fact, most of them lowered their voices, some dared not even take heavy breaths, as they waited for Juan to handle the matter. Juan must have been aware of what happened earlier. Kaze was practically insulting Emerald Bull Palace. Even with Juan at the scene, the security guards, almost thirty of them, were still on their knees. The bigger the commotion, the more
“Master, that guy is being completely disrespectful of you…” The monks and the others knelt before Juan, crying and complaining about what Kaze had done to them. Seeing his disciples kneel in front of the public, speaking in an embarrassing way, Juan’s expression turned ashen. He wished he could slap them off the face of the earth to save himself from the humiliation. However, his reaction looked like anger to the others instead of embarrassment. His reaction made the atmosphere even more stiff and tense. No one dared to interrupt or make a noise, afraid of suffering the master’s wrath. Cyan carefully looked at Draig, hoping that he could step up and mitigate the problem. Otherwise, once Juan flew into a rage, punishing Kaze alone might not solve the problem. After all, the monks made it clear that Cyan and the others were with Kaze, so there was no way they could escape anymore. Draig looked at Kaze who remained calm and confident and Snow who was expressionless. He
“Kaze can pull the punches for sure. I mean, he has the Butterworth branch chief’s trust for a reason. “There has to be something for him to win the branch chief’s approval.” Edmund doubted there was depth to Kaze. After all, Edmund decided whether to take on a person based on their abilities. It made no sense to pay attention to losers, as he would hold them in contempt. Edmund had been impressed with Herman, who excelled in strategies and management. That was why Edmund bumped Herman up and made sure he stayed on top. “Got it.” Herman nodded and had one foot out the door. “Don’t be in a hurry to leave. There’s one more thing.” Edmund pointed at the table. Herman approached and stood on bent knees. Pleased with Herman’s submission, Edmund passed him a wine glass. Herman took the drink humbly before looking carefully at Edmund, awaiting his orders. “The wine was just airlifted from abroad. I can vouch for the taste. If you’re looking to sip on the finest, yo
Time went by, and a towering man in a suit showed up outside the door. Picking up on the noise inside the room, he knocked on the door. It was hard to tell whether the person inside could hear the knocking, so the man waited outside. The door was opened, and a woman, her face flawless with makeup, popped her head out and saw him. She cocked her head back at Edmund. “You have a guest, Mr. Witterson.” “Let him in,” Edmund instructed. He then leaned in to take the drink from the girl next to him with his mouth. The other girls cheered him on. The group was lost in their fun. The man, who entered the room, stood by the sofa respectfully. He kept his head down, his gaze staying low at the bottles of alcohol spread across the table. It was a bit of a wait before the man approached at Edmund’s order. “Tell me about Dwight.”While listening to the girls’ singing, Edmund turned to Herman. Herman rushed over as soon as Edmund called. He won a lot of money at poker toda
In this particular circumstance, Morris had to play it safe so that things would not get out of hand. The last thing he wanted was to be dragged into the mess. At least, he finally saw the Wittersons’ true colors. Morris’ friendly advice was met with disrespect and insult. However, the Wittersons were a force of nature, and Morris was not about to take them head-on. Despite his frustration, Morris had to walk away. Well, Edmund would soon face his downfall at the height of his power, and Morris would be there to enjoy the ride. Still, it did not sit well with Morris to have a young fella walk all over him. It had crossed his mind to keep the Wittersons in check, but there was only so much he could do. Morris had to be the one to back away as the Wittersons grew haughty. Morris believed there was more to Kaze’s visit to Westeros. Nothing major happened in Westeros recently. At least, there was nothing worth the other branch’s attention. However, a representative of the
Morris suggested entertaining Kaze well. Things would not be good for the branch if Kaze got dirt on them. That was where Edmund disagreed with Morris. His idea was to send someone to sound Kaze out. Edmund was smug because Morris’ decision was wrong. “You shouldn’t do that. Kaze is here on behalf of the Butterworth branch. You don’t want tension between both branches.” Morris looked at things from a wider perspective. Edmund believed Kaze was just a doormat of little importance. “You just overthink things, and it’s not good for your age. You’re getting senile.” Edmund did not take Morris’ advice seriously. He believed he was right. “You’re not getting it. Kaze is from Butterworth. Even if he doesn’t hold a high position there, we were in the wrong. We did not keep our tracks clean either. “Now that he’s back, I’m worried that he’ll cause us harm.” Morris was only giving a heads-up because the whole branch was at stake. Edmund was young. Due to his lack of judgmen
“We should be generous to our guest from Butterworth. You can arrange as you see fit. Please don’t house him in a messy home. Hire cleaners to tidy up the place. “You can report back to me if you need more money, but it’s not a reason for you to misuse the funds.” Herman wanted to hang up. The money was now in Dwight’s bank account, so he was washing his hands off the matter. The plan was to keep Kaze happy. He was just an insignificant member of the Butterworth branch anyway. The whole thing would blow over soon enough, so long as Kaze kept to himself without taking things too far. Herman would figure out a way to get him out quickly anyway. Maybe Herman and his friends did not have to do anything to get rid of Kaze. “Got it. I’ll be a good host, Herman. I won’t let you down. I’ll keep you in the loop.” Dwight was over the moon to get the notification about the money transfer. “Just play by ear and arrange what you see best.” Herman hung up and continued playing pok
“It’s becoming a hassle now. Are you going to inform the Viper’s Den about the change of accommodation?” After much hesitation, Kaze nodded to take up the offer. Dwight was thrilled. It only hit Dwight that he had to communicate with the Viper’s Den. Kaze was booked for a hotel stay, and Dwight’s job was to take him to the destination. Yet now, Dwight took him to his home. “I’ll tell my superior and see what he has to say.” Dwight was not sure whether the change was appropriate. Nevertheless, he did not want to pass up on a great opportunity. He simply grabbed the bull by the horn. If Kaze stayed at his place, the Viper’s Den members had to respect Kaze’s request even if they had a problem with it. “But when they ask, you can say that you’re getting along well with me. Living together just makes work more convenient.” Feeling unsettled, Dwight tried to get their stories straight with Kaze. Hopefully, the Viper’s Den would not come after them. “Aren’t we friends? I k
Dwight gave some suggestions. “But I’m worried about being a nuisance to your family.” Kaze remained hesitant, torn between decisions. “No, you won’t. I usually live alone. They stay somewhere else. They barely visit. I’ll just let them know not to visit for now,” Dwight replied. Dwight figured out what was in it for him. He could not let Kaze leave. “I don’t want to put your family in an awkward position.”Kaze was still considering the matter. “Relax. They don’t live with me anyway. The room I have for you is tidy. No one has stayed there before.“I’ll hire some help to freshen up the place. I can guarantee you an experience no less than at the hotel.” Dwight spoke with great confidence. “We should finish our food and doggie-bag the rest. I’ll take you to my place.” Dwight was ready to get things going. Kaze took the offer and nodded. “I’ll be in your care then.” Kaze was glad that his plan went through. Dwight had no idea that he got played. Nevertheless,
“I’m new to the place, so I don’t know much. Can you show me around when you’re available?” “No problem, but I usually have some stuff to take care of. I can’t be there 24/7. “Why don’t you propose to the branch that you want me to be your guide and attendant?” Dwight suggested. There was no telling whether Kaze would accept his proposal, but it was an opportunity to prove himself. He was never involved in the core operation. Often enough, he was the branch members’ punching bag. Though Dwight was aware that he was not good enough for the big stuff, he still wanted to succeed. Kaze was the trusted aide of the Butterworth Branch chief. He was in Westeros for a reason. By joining Kaze, Dwight would come across the major players. Kaze saw through Dwight’s plans. “Sure. I’ll do that.” Kaze did not mind the request. “Great. I’ll let them know on your behalf. I’ll be responsible for your needs while in the city.” Dwight was overjoyed at the opportunity. “So you live
“You must be rich. I often see rich people picking tabs for everybody. Talk about extravagance.” The tension in the air was lifted when Kaze offered to pay for everything. “I’m not. Consider it an apology,” Kaze explained, not wanting to cause unnecessary misunderstandings. He did not see the point of continuing the conversation. Dwight’s angry screams came from outside. “What the hell is this? I only ordered a bunch of stuff. Why am I being charged an exorbitant amount?“What do you mean my friend is paying for everybody? That’s throwing money away,” Dwight said while storming his way over. “I know you have money, but you shouldn’t do this, Mr. Lee.” Dwight did not approve of this type of generosity. “You rubbed them the wrong way. It was only right to apologize. Besides, it’s not a lot of money.” Kaze looked at the bill and handed a bank card to Dwight. “It’s my treat.” The consumption was barely a dent in Kaze’s savings. The meal did not cost more than his us