Rei Yang maintained her outwardly calm appearance as she’d been taught. She was a young lady of a renowned sect after all. Inside, however, she was fuming. This nuisance of a trip had fast escalated into a full blown disaster when her uncle decided they’d be spending who knows how long in these cursed mines.

If things had looked bleak from the air, being in the midst of it all was downright misery. She’d barely left the skycoach and already the hem of her pristine robes had turned dull brown from the dirt. Her white silk shoes didn’t fare any better.

And the smell. Try as she might, she could only lower her senses to the level of a regular mortal. Her nostrils were attacked by mix of smells from rotting food to human excrement. And sweat. Lots and lots of sweat.

She glanced at the young man leading them. She had hard time comprehending how the man could live with himself. Grime covered him from head to toe and even from distance she could smell him.

”Uncle, why are we wasting time like this? We could’ve taken up the overseer’s offer and sleep at least somewhat comfortably” Rei Yang said.

”You’ll see” Shin Yang answered.

Rei Yang was about to keep pestering her uncle but the chance was taken from her as they arrived at what looked like a simple garden. Usually she wouldn’t have spared it a second glance but here, in this bleakness, it was vastly different from everything else. It was almost jarring.

The young man leading them turned back to them.

”Will this suffice, esteemed cultivators?” he asked.

Rei Yang saw Shin Yang glance around the surrounding and the give a barest of nods. A nod she’d come to know a his sign of approval. Without saying a word her uncle walked past the young man to the middle of the grass clearing.

Unceremoniously he drew a square, glyph covered platform from his spatial ring and dropped it on the ground. Rei Yang sensed his master send a sliver of fine tuned Qi into the construct and almost instantly it started folding outwards.

In few breaths she realised what she was watching. In front of their eyes the Qi construct folded out into a moderately sized, two story building, closely resembling a pagoda.

”Uncle! You brought it with you? This is great!” Rei Yang said, excited.

Shin Yang turned back to her and with something close to a smile answered ”I thought you’d appreciate it”

”Thank the heavens! I dreaded what sort of quarters we’d be forced in” Jun Chang chimed in on the praise.

Rei Yang noticed the young man who been leading the stare at the construct in pure shock, his mouth hanging open. Haven’t seen that before, have you? Rei Yang thought smugly.

Shin Yang walked back to them and noticed the young man staring at the construct. He cleared his throat but got no reaction from their guide.

”I believe there is a bath waiting for you.” He said.

That broke the man out of his stupor. ”I-I-, yes, yes, I believe there is. I’ll leave you to whatever it is you do.”

”You are to come back here once you’re done. Don’t take too long.”

”Yes Master Shin Yang, I won’t.”

***

Min Yon Sul was still trying to wrap his head around what he’d seen when he reached the bathhouse. Full building didn’t just sprout out of nowhere. And where had the small square even come from?

Distracted by the questions swimming around in his head Min Yon Sul almost walked into someone exiting the building.

”What the hell are you doing here?” The man asked.

In the heat of the moment Min Yon Sul answered without thinking ”What do you think? I’m here for a bath.”

A fist struck his the side of his face with the force of a Silver Body cultivator. He was sent sprawling and only came to a stop several paces away.

The man closed the distance and stood above him ”I asked you, what the hell do you think you’re doing here? You cretins know this place is reserved for the overseers.”

”And I told you, I’m here for a bath” Min Yon Sul said, spitting blood on the ground.

The man easily picked him up by the front of his scrappy shirt ”I see you’re one of the slow ones. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you remember this lesson.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

”You really should check with the clerk on duty.”

”I don’t think I will.”

The man raised his right hand for a backhanded strike.

”I wouldn’t do that, ” Min Yon Sul said with a full smile of blood coverd teeth. ”Unless, of course, you want to explain the Martial King Shin Yang why their servant isn’t able to see to their needs.”

That gave the man a pause. After a quiet moment the man threw him back on the ground and stalked back into the building. Moments later he returned, face twisted in a scowl.

”Get in there. Say a word of this to anyone and I’ll personally see to it that you don’t see the next dawn.” The man said, stomping past him.

After he was sure the man was gone, Min Yon Sul let out the chuckle he’d held back. That’s right, you fucker, you go your merry fucking way and let me have my goddamn bath, he thought.

Min Yon Sul pushed himself and spit some more blood on the ground. His lip had been split from the inside. He gingerly touched his throbbing cheek. With a hiss he drew his hand away as spike of pain jolted through his face. Broken, then.

He entered the hallway and walked up to the reception desk. The collared clerk sitting behind the desk perked up the moment he heard the footsteps. Min Yon Sul could see the subservience shift to confusion on the clerk’s face.

”And who are you? You sure as hell aren’t an overseer. Wait, what happened to your face?”

”You know, fell on the stairs.”

”Ah yes, the stairs, I see. They can be treacherous around here.”

”Mmmhmm. Anyway, I’m Min Yon Sul, there should’ve been a word from an overseer.”

”Oh, it’s you. That explains the overseer just now. Well, the stall on the right at the end of that corridor is free. Here’s your set of fresh clothes.” The clerk said, shoving a canvas bundle across the counter.

Min Yon Sul nodded his thanks, tugged the bundle of clothes under his arm and strode in the direction the clerk had pointed.

”Remember, the last on the right! Don’t get lost or you might find another set of stairs, if you know what I mean!” The clerk yelled from behind.

”Got it, last on the right” Min Yon Sul replied.

He made his way through the twisting corridor. Why the hell was the place this place so big when so few used it? Finally he could see a wall at the end of the walk way. Just as he was about to reach his destination, he heard a voice through the door across the hallway.

”There’s been a change of plans. It’s happening tonight.” A deep baritone said.

Min Yon Sul stopped on his tracks. What was happening tonight? And more importantly, why should he even care?

”What? What about the--” the higher, nasal voice was cut off by a splash of water ”--ing?”

Min Yon Sul stood frozen in the in the middle of the hallway. He definitely wasn’t supposed to hear this conversation.

Just go, take your fucking bath and forget this ever happened, he thought to himself.

Yet, against his better judgement, he slowly crept closer to the door as quiet as he could.

”The boy is taking care of him.”

”And what exactly is he going to do besides get squashed like a bug” third voice said.

There was a murmured that couldn’t be anything else than agreement from the second speaker.

”He has Soul Sundering Poison on him. And the Elders are waiting in position.”

There was a quiet pause. Min Yon Sul had no idea what the overseers behind the door were talking about. But at this point he was extremely fucking sure he was not supposed to hear this conversation.

There was a sound of movement from the room. With a jolt of panic he realised someone was walking towards the door. As fast and as quiet as he could, Min Yon Sul sprinted to the last door on the right.

Please, don’t squeak, he thought, as he laid his hand on the door handle and gingerly pressed down. The door swung open quietly and he dashed in. He heard the door open in the corridor before he had enough time to press his own door all the way shut.

”I could’ve sworn I heard someone in here” the first voice said in the corridor.

Min Yon Sul scanned the dark room. His heart beat in his ears like a drum. He spotted the large laundry basket in the corner of the room. He almost started towards it but then paused for a moment. There was no way it wouldn’t make noise if he tried to climb in. So he did the only thing he could and picked the worst hiding place anyone ever used.

He moved to the corner the opening door would cover.

He laid flat against the wall and held his breath. Slowly the sound of steps closed in on the hallway.

Why the fuck did I have to stop to listen

The door pushed open and someone stepped one foot in the room. Min Yon Sul was sure his hammering heart would give him away.

After what felt like an eternity the door pulled closed.

”I guess it must’ve been the a rat. Gods know just how much of those little shits we have in here.” The voice muttered, slowly fading with distance.

Min Yon Sul held his breath so long he was sure he was going to pass out. What in the nine hells had he just heard? And what was the going to do with it?

Nothing, he was going to do absolutely fucking nothing, he decided. He was going to forget it ever happened.

He didn’t want to spend even a heartbeat more time here than he had to but after a moment’s consideration cold logic won. It’d be hard to explain why he was still as dirty as when he left if he didn’t clean himself.

Min Yon Sul stripped down quickly and without making any unnecessary sound mixed cold and hot water into a small basin. Without splashing he poured the warm water on top of his head. As the warm water poured down his body he almost regretted not taking the full bath.

He shook himself from his thought and rubbed himself down with the rough soap. Another rinse with a round of warm water and he had to admit he felt like a new man. He pulled on the fresh clothes and tossing his worn down rags in the laundry basket without second thought. He was not going to miss his old clothes. At all.

He didn’t quite run back to the front desk of the bath house but it wasn’t far from it. He only slowed his speed before reaching the desk.

The clerk on the desk lifted his head again, and his surprise was evident by the raised eyebrows.

”Done already? You should’ve enjoyed when you had the chance, not like you’re ever going to get another.” The clerk said.

”Can’t keep the Martial King waiting” Min Yon Sul replied, trying to keep his voice as neutral as possible.

”I guess there is that. Always at the beck and call of our masters.”

Min Yon Sul only nodded back to the clerk and strode past the desk.

He was already at the door when the clerk behind him asked ”You didn’t see any rats, did you?”

Min Yon Sul froze in place. ”Sorry, what?”

”Rats, man, rats. The overseers complained about them again but all the traps have been empty lately. I really don’t want to start hunting through the place for them.”

”N--” Min Yon Sul started answering, the a thought struck him. ”No, didn’t see any. I think I might’ve heard some scratching in the walls, though.”

The clerk lifted his face towards the roof and blew out a long sigh. ”Great, just fucking great.”

Min Yon Sul felt almost sorry for the man. But it was a price he was more than willing to pay to cover his tracks a bit more.

Without any more delay he headed back to the garden. He might’ve just said it on the spot but it still wasn’t any less true. He really didn’t want to keep a man who could splatter him across the field with a thought waiting.