*****
Chapter 29 - Against the Clock
*****
Zhujiao looked around the room in something of a daze. It was one thing to tell himself that he needed to act; it was another entirely to actually do anything.
The energy from the pill was still roiling under his skin, but the initial surge had tapered off and it was easier to manage now. His dantian was already full of refined Qi, but as the remaining energy poured in, it seemed to… almost overlay on top of his existing Qi?
The sensation was strange and hard to describe, though given that Lao Yi had told him he needed to compress his Qi to form a liquid, he felt moderately sure it wasn’t harmful. It brought up several interesting questions about how Qi could shift between the states of matter, but right now, he was too preoccupied to think much about it.
Zhujiao wandered through the doorway to the back room, taking in the benchtops cluttered with random scrolls and herbs yet to be processed.
… He should probably take some of this, right? Medicine was always valuable, and it’s not like Lao Yi was going to be around to complain.
He reached out to take a poultice from the nearest counter, hesitating. It felt somehow wrong, like he was stealing. A moment later, he shook his head. It wasn’t stealing if the owner had abandoned it and had no intention of returning.
Again, he reached out, but again he paused, this time for a more practical reason. Considering the gang knew where he lived, going home wasn’t an option, which meant he was limited to what he could carry. Grabbing the first things he saw was a waste of an opportunity.
Zhujiao’s eyes narrowed as he scanned the room, forcing his scattered thoughts into focus. He didn’t have much time. Lao Yi had left him with nothing but confusion and a rapidly closing window of opportunity. If the Red Talons were on their way—and if they could track him by the pill’s unique Qi signature—he needed to move quickly.
He moved into the smaller storage room with purpose, snatching the plain cloth bag hanging by the entrance. Its single strap was frayed but still sturdy enough for his purposes – not to mention the bag itself was padded to carry glass vials.
He swung it diagonally across his body to prevent it from swinging about as he began to sift through the cluttered room with a more critical eye. Lao Yi might have been a stingy teacher, but he certainly didn’t skimp when it came to the quality of his work.
Zhujiao snorted lightly as he moved through to room, plucking the more useful items into his bag. He had wondered how Lao Yi was affording all of this – even assumed he was working with the Red Talons. Knowing he was a cultivator explained how he kept it all going, but not why he had come to the slums in the first place.
He shook his head firmly, dismissing the thoughts. There would be time to consider that later.
Having collected most of the obviously valuable items lying around, Zhujiao hesitated for a moment before turning to rummage through the drawers. He might be cutting things a little close here – after all, he had no idea when his master had stolen the pill. He might be safe for hours yet, or the Red Talon could start bashing down the door any second.
It might be a little risky, but considering he didn’t have any money, resources, or even a place to live, anything he could gather here would be worth its weight in gold.
He was beginning to regret his decision by the time he had checked most of the room and found nothing, but managed to hit the jackpot with the second-to-last drawer. Inside, almost buried beneath a haphazard pile of dried herbs and scraps of parchment, was a small, weathered pouch. The faint clink of metal as he lifted it sent a jolt of excitement through him.
With a quick glance over his shoulder, Zhujiao tugged the pouch free, his fingers working to untie the simple knot. As the string loosened, he peered inside to find a modest handful of silver coins.
He hesitated only a moment before slipping the pouch into his bag. This felt more like stealing than anything else he had taken, but Lao Yi wouldn’t need them where he was going, and Zhujiao had more pressing concerns than moral qualms.
He quickly slid the drawer shut, his movements growing more urgent. He had pushed his luck enough.
Tugging at the strap of his bag to make sure it wouldn’t break at an inopportune moment, Zhujiao took a deep breath and moved towards the door. He hesitated just as his hand touched the worn handle, an inexplicable urge to look back tugging at him.
He forced himself to remain focused. This wasn’t the time for second-guessing or nostalgia.
Pushing the door open, he stepped out into the street, the morning air cool against his skin. He had to be quick, had to move before—
A flicker of movement at the end of the street caught his eye, and his heart skipped a beat.
Three figures were moving towards the clinic with clear purpose. Zhujiao recognised the band on their arms instantly: Red Talon enforcers. They hadn’t seen him yet, but it was only a matter of time.
The early morning crowds quickly melted away before them, bystanders realising they had a sudden pressing need to be elsewhere. If nothing else, living in the slums had a way of enhancing your survival instincts.
Zhujiao’s mind raced, weighing his options quickly. He could try ducking back into the clinic and going out the back, but these guys weren’t messing around, and if they had people covering the back entrance he was screwed.
The indecision had him frozen for a crucial second, and the choice was taken from him when one of the men spotted him and shouted. Zhujiao turned and bolted in the opposite direction, his bag thumping against his back. Shouts rang out behind him as the Red Talons gave chase, their footsteps pounding against the cobblestones.
His mad dash might have been fuelled by the fear of what they would do to him if they caught up, but all the adrenaline in the world wouldn’t change the fact that he was physically twelve years old, and his pursuers were grown adults.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Zhujiao made it all of twenty steps before one of them managed to grab his bag, yanking him back with it.
“I’ve got the little—”
Zhujiao drove his foot… someplace uncomfortable, cutting off the man’s triumphant shout and pulling himself free, but the small pause had been enough for the other two to catch up and surround him.
“Vicious little thing, aren’t you?” the taller of the two chuckled.
Zhujiao swallowed hard, his eyes darting between the two remaining Red Talon enforcers. The man who had spoken, who Zhujiao mentally dubbed Goon 1, stepped forward, ignoring his companion curled up on the ground groaning.
Clearly, the Red Talons didn’t foster a sense of camaraderie.
“Hand over the pill, kid,” Goon 1 demanded, his voice laced with lazy confidence. “Make this easy for yourself.”
Zhujiao wet his lips nervously. They clearly didn’t know that he had swallowed the pill, which hopefully meant they would be more concerned with retrieving it than hurting him. Of course, that would only last for as long as it took for them to find out, so it didn’t help him much.
He also didn’t miss how Goon 1 looked like he was rapidly losing patience. He had to act now.
His brain helpfully supplied him with memories of what he had done in this situation last night – namely, gotten beat up without being able to fight back.
Except… the pill he had swallowed had just filled his dantian with a lot of Qi, so…
Zhujiao closed his eyes for the briefest moment, just long enough to reach within and touch the pool of Qi that was still buzzing from the pill’s remnants. He could feel the energy vibrating through his meridians, ready to be unleashed. With a deep breath, he began to cycle the Qi, faster this time, channelling it into his limbs.
When he opened his eyes, the world seemed sharper, the colours more vibrant. The two enforcers hadn’t noticed the change yet—good.
With a sudden burst of speed, Zhujiao lunged forward, his body moving with a fluidity that surprised even him. He wasn’t any stronger or faster than usual, just… better. It was like his limbs were moving before he could consciously order them to, and somehow his mind was able to keep up with everything despite his lack of experience fighting.
Goon 1’s eyes widened in shock, but he was too slow to react. Zhujiao’s foot connected with the man’s knee in a swift, precise kick, causing him to stagger back. The brief opening was all he needed.
He spun on his heel, aiming low this time, and drove his foot into the other man’s groin—Goon 2, he mentally named him as the man doubled over with a strangled gasp of pain. Zhujiao didn’t wait to see the aftermath. He bolted down the street, his bag slapping against his back as he ran.
Shouts erupted behind him as the enforcers quickly recovered, but Zhujiao didn’t look back. He raced through the streets, pouring on as much speed as he could, cycling his Qi all the while.
His reserves were draining quicker than he was comfortable with, but the pill had supplied him enough to keep going for at least another few minutes. Fortunately, it was only the immediate bystanders that had cleared out, and it didn’t take long for him to reach an area that had more people in it.
Zhujiao was under no illusions that any of them would step forward to help him, of course, but they would inadvertently get in the way of his pursuers.
He could hear the Red Talons closing in behind him, but the enhanced Qi flowing through his body gave him a crucial edge. His small frame slipped through narrow gaps between the stalls, carts, and crowds that filled the street, spaces too tight for his pursuers to follow without slowing down.
Zhujiao’s lungs burned and his legs ached, but he couldn’t afford to slow down. He darted around a corner, nearly colliding with a fruit vendor who shouted curses at his back as he sped away. The sounds of pursuit had faded slightly, but he knew better than to assume he was safe. The Red Talons were relentless, and they’d be furious after the humiliation he’d just dealt them.
I need to get to the merchant district, he thought, his mind racing. He couldn’t keep running forever—his Qi reserves were finite, and the effects of the pill would eventually wear off. The city guard patrolled the wealthier areas diligently though, and even the Red Talons wouldn’t risk drawing their attention in broad daylight. If he could just make it past the dividing avenue, he’d have a chance.
He took another sharp turn, this time into a narrower street that led directly toward the heart of the city. The buildings here were slightly less dilapidated, and the streets marginally cleaner—a sign he was heading in the right direction. Encouraged, Zhujiao pushed himself harder, tapping deeper into his Qi reserves. A warm surge flowed through his limbs, easing his fatigue and propelling him forward with renewed speed.
Just as the main avenue came into sight, his path was abruptly blocked. Three more burly figures stepped out from a side alley, each bearing the unmistakable crimson armband of the Red Talons. Zhujiao skidded to a halt, heart pounding as his eyes darted around for an escape route.
Either they had anticipated him running, or this was simply bad luck.
Knowing him, it was probably both.
“Going somewhere, kid?” the largest of the trio sneered, cracking his knuckles. His bald head gleamed in the morning sun, and a jagged scar ran down the side of his face, giving him a permanently menacing scowl.
Zhujiao cursed viciously under his breath but forced himself to focus.
He didn’t bother waiting for the enforcers to make a move, spinning on his heel and sprinting deeper into the labyrinth of alleys that wound through the slums.
The enforcers were momentarily caught off guard by his sudden retreat, but they quickly recovered, yelling orders to each other as they gave chase. He raced into the narrower streets, barely squeezing into a narrow alley in time to avoid the original group of Red Talons that had been chasing him.
‘Great,’ he thought sarcastically, gasping for breath as he ran, banging his elbow rather painfully on a protruding bit of brickwork, ‘now it’s really a party.’
Fortunately, the alley opened up into a bustling market street, and Zhujiao didn’t hesitate. He darted into the crowd, weaving between the throngs of people who barely noticed the child in their midst. The market was already teeming with early-morning activity, vendors shouting their wares and customers haggling over prices. The perfect cover, if he could just blend in.
He yanked the strap of his bag tighter across his chest and ducked into the nearest stall, a small stand selling cheap trinkets and knick-knacks. The vendor barely glanced at him, too busy arguing with a customer to notice the boy slipping behind a stack of crates. Zhujiao crouched low, his heart pounding in his ears as he tried to catch his breath.
He peered through a gap between the crates, watching the Red Talons push their way through the crowd. They were close—too close. But the crowd was thick here, and the enforcers were struggling to keep track of each other, let alone a small boy who knew how to keep his head down.
His Qi reserves were miraculously still more than half-full, but his body couldn’t take any more strain. If they caught him now, there wouldn’t be any miraculous bursts of speed or strength to save him.
He made a mental note to start working on his fitness. Assuming, of course, that he managed to survive the day.
The enforcers passed by his hiding spot, their harsh voices fading as they moved deeper into the market. Zhujiao didn’t dare move for several long moments, his breath hitching in his throat. When he finally peeked out again, the coast was clear—at least for now.
He slipped out from behind the crates, moving with deliberate calm as he melded into the flow of foot traffic. Every instinct screamed at him to run, but he knew better. Panic would only draw attention. Instead, he kept his head down, his pace steady, and gradually made his way toward the market’s edge.
As he reached the quieter outskirts of the market, Zhujiao allowed himself a small breath of relief. He had bought himself a few minutes, maybe more, but the Red Talons wouldn’t give up that easily. They’d regroup and redouble their efforts, and it wouldn’t take long for them to pick up his trail again.
He needed to get out of the slums, out of their reach, and into the merchant district where the city guard would be his best shield. But even that was a temporary solution. The Red Talons wouldn’t stop until they had what they wanted—or until he found a way to stop them first.
Zhujiao’s jaw clenched as he slipped into another side street, his mind already racing with possibilities. He would need to think quickly, act even faster, and somehow stay one step ahead of his pursuers. Because if they caught up, there wouldn’t be a second chance.
He took a deep breath, his resolve hardening. He couldn’t afford to make any more mistakes.
Not if he wanted to survive.