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Chapter 33 - Off the Streets

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Zhujiao awoke to the sensation of something sharp prodding his side. He blinked blearily, the grogginess of sleep still clinging to his mind as he tried to make sense of his surroundings.

The rough bark of the tree he had slumped against the night before scratched at his back, and the dim light filtering through the leaves above told him it was early morning. The sharp prod came again, more insistent this time, and Zhujiao’s eyes snapped fully open, meeting the stern gaze of a city guard.

‘Ah,’ he thought, staring up at the man, ‘That’s not good.’

“Up, now,” the guard barked, his voice leaving no room for argument. Fortunately for Zhujiao, the man seemed more annoyed than outright aggressive, waiting impatiently for him to scramble to his feet.

As he stepped out of the little sheltered area he’d bunked down in for the night, he saw two more guards standing a few paces away, their hands resting casually on the hilts of their swords.

‘That’s… extra not good.’

“What are you doing here?” the first guard demanded, clearly having already jumped to conclusions. In fairness, it was probably the correct conclusion, but still. Zhujiao’s mind raced for a viable excuse, but unsurprisingly, nothing came to him.

“Right, that’s what I thought,” the guard grunted, clearly reading the answer in his expression. “Come on, then. You know the rules,” he continued, reaching for Zhujiao’s arm.

Zhujiao jerked from his grip, instinctively cycling Qi. Almost instantly, the world seemed to snap into focus, and he found it easier to avoid the man’s grasping hand. The guard blinked in surprise, not having expected his target to avoid his grip, and his face darkened.

Before the man could do anything else, though, Zhujiao quickly pivoted, sidestepping the man and darting past his two friends.

“Hey!” the guard shouted, but there was a notable lack of urgency in his tone.

Zhujiao didn’t look back, weaving through the trees as he put distance between himself and the guards. That was… shockingly easy. Much easier than it should have been, actually. While using Qi, he was faster and more nimble than someone his age should be, but certainly not fast enough to escape a situation like that without some serious effort.

He heard the guards’ voices behind him, but they were growing fainter. They weren’t giving chase, not really. Zhujiao darted out of the entrance to the park and ducked into the first alleyway he saw, breaking line of sight to…

He slowed, straining his ears before creeping back to the corner and peaking around it.

Nothing.

Had they just… given up?

He hated to say it, but it was a little disappointing – the Red Talons at least had the decency to make him work to escape.

Zhujiao shook off the somewhat loopy thought. Clearly, he was still in the process of waking up. After considering it for a little longer, it actually made sense. To them, he was just another homeless kid who had tried to sleep where he shouldn’t. They didn’t care enough to go after him, not when there were bigger problems plaguing the city.

‘Fine by me,’ Zhujiao thought, turning and continuing down the alley somewhat aimlessly. Even if they hadn’t been trying to arrest him as he first thought, they would still probably kick him out of the nicer areas of the city and back into the slums.

Where the Red Talons would be all too happy to take him off their hands.

He heaved a sigh as he walked, heading towards the sounds of crowds in the distance. The park was clearly going to be off-limits as a place to sleep – no sense in pushing his luck. The guards might not care too much now, but if he kept going back, they would catch him eventually.

For now… for now, he needed to find a place to cultivate. His Qi reserves were hovering at around half right now, which was more than he was used to but less than he would like. Being as it had repeatedly been the only thing between him and capture, he really needed to keep his reserves as topped up as he could.

His next step would be finding another place to sleep tonight, hopefully one that would last him longer than a single day.

Right now, he figured his best bet was probably heading for the markets. The merchant district was divided into two main sections, which people called the ‘stalls’ and the ‘storage’. Like most nicknames, it wasn’t entirely accurate, but it was close enough for most people.

The ‘storage’ area was where Zhujiao was coming from, consisting of wholesalers and warehouses. The merchants based out of that area sold large or bulk items – furniture, grain, raw materials, etc. The ‘stalls’, on the other hand, sold… well, everything else.

They would likely be packed with people right now and at most times of the day – the perfect place to lay low for a little while. In addition, it would allow Zhujiao to learn a bit more about the city’s broader situation.

The vendor from last night had talked about a plague, which was… concerning, to say the least. Zhujiao wasn’t entirely sure if his low level of cultivation would allow him to resist the effects of a plague or not – cultivators were largely thought to be immune to such things, but right now, he was weak enough that he probably didn’t even count as a proper cultivator.

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The markets were packed, a dense, bustling throng crowded with merchants, buyers, and pickpockets alike. Zhujiao had never been to these particular markets – far too expensive for an orphan like him – but he had never even heard of it being this busy before.

Clearly, the vendor had been right about the incoming plague. Even if the danger was overblown, by this point it didn’t matter – enough people were panic-buying that the rest were forced to do the same, or else there would be nothing left for them.

Zhujiao eyed the crowds warily from the entrance of the street. The last thing he wanted to do was plunge into the mess, but he needed to get some supplies together or he wouldn’t last a week.

Judging by the prices some of the vendors were shouting over the din, he would be hard-pressed to afford to last a week at this rate.

He grimaced, putting the thought out of his mind in favour of taking a deep breath and forcing his way into the crowd. The prices were likely to only get higher from here on out, so waiting around wasn’t doing him any favours.

He hadn’t taken three steps before he felt a small hand dart into one of his tattered pockets. Before he could react, it was already gone, and in the press of humanity, trying to find the would-be thief was a fool’s errand.

It’s not like he had anything to steal in his pockets anyway – his only worldly possessions were in his bag, with the strap tightly wound around one wrist.

Zhujiao grimaced, tightening his grip on his bag and weaving his way deeper into the market. The air was thick with the smell of sweat and spice, and his small frame was jostled by people moving in every direction.

Snatches of conversation drifted past him, and he strained his ears to try and hear anything useful.

“...doubled since yesterday!”

“... supply’s running thin...”

“...heard the Blooming Lotus Sect’s been called in...”

The last bit caught his attention, but the voice faded too quickly for him to track in the crowd. He grit his teeth in frustration – he’d never much enjoyed crowds, but this was tight enough that he was starting to get claustrophobic. Not to mention that he was small enough that there was a serious risk of being trampled if the crowd got any rowdier.

Zhujiao looked around for the closest stall he could see selling dried food and started forcing his way towards it. The vendor, a stout man with a greasy apron, was shouting prices that made his stomach drop, but none of the other vendors were offering prices that were any lower.

The vendor’s eyes darted to him as he approached, narrowing at his ragged outfit. Zhujiao’s hand hesitated over a small bundle of dried fish. If he was careful, it would be enough to last him for a few days, but…

“A Silver Mark for the bundle,” the vendor barked, “And you be keeping your hands where I can see them, boy.”

Zhujiao nearly choked, too shocked by the price to feel offended by the insinuation. “A Silver Mark!?”

He hadn’t meant to say it aloud, but the shock forced the word out. The vendor shrugged, unbothered. “Prices have gone up. You want it or not?”

Gritting his teeth, Zhujiao dug into his bag for the coins. It was far more than the fish was worth, but he didn’t have time to argue. He handed over the money and took the bundle, tucking it securely into his bag before moving on. His mind was already working, calculating how long he could stretch this purchase.

He pushed further into the market, passing stalls selling wilted vegetables, overpriced bread, and small sacks of rice that cost more than he’d ever seen them go for. Every vendor’s face was a mask of exhaustion, their eyes darting nervously at the dwindling supplies.

As he walked, he paid closer attention to the snippets of conversation that drifted his way, though he made sure not to loosen his grip on his bag. Considering the poor were always hit hardest by measures like this, it was no surprise pickpocketers were out in force today.

“Plague’s already reached the outskirts...”

“... city’s closed its gates to the refugees...”

“...the Sect’s supposed to arrive tomorrow...”

That last bit made Zhujiao pause. People loved to gossip about Cultivators and Sects, but considering he had heard something similar earlier, maybe this wasn’t just hot air.

That… could be bad.

Not for the city – if a Sect was coming to a city after it got hit by a plague, chances were it was to help. That was part of why everyone put up with cultivators, even beyond the fact that… well, no one could really get rid of them.

No, if a Sect came to the city, it would be bad for him. Probably, anyway. Lao Yi had been as frustratingly vague about that as he had been about everything else, but considering the old man had thought it worth a warning… well, Zhujiao wasn’t just going to dismiss it.

Zhujiao pushed through the throngs of people, his shoulders brushing against rough fabrics and sweaty skin. He was starting to get a headache from all the noise, and if he was going to figure out his next moves, it wasn’t going to be from here.

He continued down the bustling street, head on a swivel as he scanned for any potential places to rest up for a few hours. Unfortunately, as the crowd began to thin, the number of guards wandering around started to rise. Each time he caught sight of one, his nerves frayed a little more.

Logically, he knew that none of them would bother him – he wasn’t doing anything wrong at the moment, after all – but that didn’t help him relax any. Besides, he was willing to bet that they would notice if he stuck around for too long.

Turning down another narrow alley, he kept his eyes peeled for any opportunity. The walls of the buildings on either side were close enough together that they cast long shadows, providing some relief from the oppressive heat of the day.

He had only been intending to pause for a minute or two to think things through in the shade, but as he leaned against the wall he noticed something that had him pausing. About halfway down the alley, there was a stack of crates and barrels against one wall, packed high enough that they almost reached the overhang of the roof.

Zhujiao tilted his head and squinted at the roof as a sudden mad thought sprung into his head. The style of buildings in the city meant that the rooftops were uneven, some sloping gently while others had sharp inclines, but…

…He was pretty light, being physically twelve. Not to mention that with the addition of Qi, he was quite nimble and sure-footed. The guards were pointedly not light, weighed down as they were by their armour and weapons.

And the buildings were close enough together that he could navigate between them with little effort.

He glanced around the alley, making sure no one was watching. The crates and barrels seemed sturdy enough, though a few looked like they might give way if someone heavier tried to use them. Zhujiao approached cautiously, testing the stability with a light press of his foot. The wood creaked slightly but didn’t shift.

Satisfied, he began to climb. The ascent was quicker and easier than he had expected, and he didn’t even have to resort to cycling and Qi to make it up.

As he reached the top, he grabbed hold of the roof’s edge and pulled himself up, careful not to disturb any loose tiles. The warm sun bathed the rooftops in a comforting glow, and as he stood, he took a moment to appreciate the view.

From his new vantage point, the chaos of the market below seemed distant, almost insignificant. The sound of bustling people and shouting vendors was muted, allowing him a brief moment of peace.

Better yet, the buildings were close enough that as long as he stayed low and away from the edges, the guards would never be able to spot him. Zhujiao moved carefully across the roof, his footsteps light. The tiles underfoot were hot but stable, and as he crossed to the next building, he found a flat section of roof that seemed well-suited for what he needed. He set his bag down and sat cross-legged, the tension in his body slowly easing.

It might not be the most comfortable place, but it was private, and right now that was what he needed most.

Zhujiao couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction at his decision. He knew this situation was temporary—he couldn’t stay up here forever—but for now, it was a good place to rest, recharge, and plan his next move.

Especially with his master’s warning still running through his mind, the potential threat of the Blooming Lotus Sect looming over his future.