Let's get one thing straight here. I am a killer when I need to be. But I am not a murderer. If there is a way to take this woman out of here and save her I would do it. And not just because she was a woman either. Though it tug to my heartstrings, the two men that were there were also probably under some sort of compulsion to stay in the sect. This meant that if I got them out, they would be bound to me or they would be bound to the Civic authority.

I could not imagine the field day. The case manager of a former demonic cultivator would have. When the primary method of dealing with demonic elevator is to shoot on site and ask questions later. Or we'll stab on site as a case may be in this place. What I need to do was to figure out a way to get her to come to a secondary location from here. I have nothing that she would like you to come with me but I knew that she had to. If she was going to live. I chose to give her the opportunity.

"Okay friend, so we're going to use our hearts now and think about what we really care about," I said, leaning in. " And what I think you care about is getting out of here and telling me more about your cultivation."

She looked like she had been considering it for a minute. Look. I'm not going to walk sporty about how good I looked. But you know those studies how they say that once you've had sex, then other women will find you more desirable?That was playing through my head at that exact moment.

It was total bullshit.

But still, it was one of those human interest pieces that you're like really. Is this a thing? I was just trying my best to give her that Dad charm. She looks like she had a severe lack of father figures in her life. This lead to an unreasonable lack of any kind of parental guidance really.

In the end, all that really mattered was if she took the bait. They might be trying to lure me in but if we were a neutral ground, I would had the upper hand.

"You want me to leave here with you?" she said. "How forward of you, but I'm happy here."

"I really think that's in your best interest to come with me now," I said.

For a second I let her feel my actual realm. I figured it was the only way. In this world, people respected strengths and just about nothing else. She had known that I was drunk within her before. All she knew was that I was looking for a place in her organization or someone's organization and perhaps she would get a kickback from signing me up. I hope it was one of those cheap knick nacks that you get on a free trial.

Those were really a thing here? I certainly hope not. But I would have had passed the vampires to have a pizza party for their guys instead of giving them living wage raises or something.

"I'll come..." she said, meekly.

"Great."

I felt compelled to grab her hand. Mostly because I have been holding hands with Lee as much as possible. But this was the Lee. This was just another cultivator. And she was going to get the note that I was leaving from my spirit beast so I didn't feel bad. The constables outside would appreciate This woman's aid in answering a few questions once you got to them. All I need to do was to get her out and get her under their control. With their specialized devices, these demonic cultivators might be able to be draw upon their qi.

She left behind me, following me through the crowd. Was close, it just felt like shooting fish in a barrel. It wasn't until we crossed the road and she was beginning to question things that we got

First, I want you to consider that a big part of what made that sect special isn't the people, or the area, or the block. It isn't the color or the decorations, the sounds or curtains. What made that place special was the effort you invested, the memories you have with your them, the memories of days and nights feeling like a family. And those things, those _feelings_ and _memories_ will **always** be yours, untouched and untouchable by anything these blue coats say or do.

Next, I'd like you to build on that idea, that this safe place of happiness existed not because of a Sect or leader, but because of the _effort you put in_ shaping it and caring for it and making it your own group. Which means **you,** your efforts, your passions, are the key to making places that feel safe and welcoming in your life. That means that when you have kids, you can build a new tree house with them, teach them how paint and nails and love can create a safe space. And it means that right now, wherever you live, there's a corner or a closet or a room that you could decorate, invest time and effort and love into, to make your own tree-house.

> Last thought, I promise. You're an adult. You've moved away from home, hopefully for good, but obviously even if you return, it won't be as a child. That's a _transformation_ for you, from dependent child to independent adult, from a kid who is supposed to do what they're told and obey their parents into an adult who is still thoughtful about what their parents say but does what is in their own heart. Transformations like this are mostly internal things. We don't go from limb-climbing larva to big-winged butterflies; we still look the same and talk the same and mostly act the same. But this tree-house, and the hot-tub, that's physical evidence of this transformation. Your parent's house is still a home, but they're no longer full-time parents of a child; their lives are being transformed as well, and they are remaking their environment to reflect this new reality. You're changing, they're changing, and the relationship between you & your parents will be different too. You're not a child who **must** live with her parents and needs a shelter; you're an adult who gets to negotiate new boundaries with her adult parents. Take this as a symbol, an omen, and run with it a little.

She didn't know it was about that her. With the collar on, her face drain of color. Her entire demeanor changed.

"What the hell am I here for?" She asked.

"You know why you're here," I said.

Under my guidance, the blue coats had a pathway forward. They had chosen to use my idea.

"The state is going to give you one option right now. If you tell us everything you know about the Red Fang sect, you might live for a few days more."

She might have struggled against the collar, but now, she was as weak as a puppy. I had to think about what would it be like if I got into that position and realize that I was not going to want to do that. Maybe there was a way that I could grab one of those and train to work against them.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"You guys have it from here?" I said.

"We can take this part."

She sobbed. She had been so proud, but the laws are the laws for a reason. This was about to turn into a hot war and the only reason that it hadn't was because men hadn't found a secret underground bunker somewhere with live people being kept. It could be that they weren't doing that to not draw attention. But now that one of us was convinced. Min was one hundred percent on the same page as me.

I walked out of our the second story safe house at the blue coats had set up for us. They had wanted to come in but now I was going to tie them up with doing the parts that I didn't want to deal with. Their local connections were going to be there soon. Men plopped onto my shoulders, and welcome feeling that I was waiting for.

"I take it that you found nothing either?" She purred.

"Just the woman there," I said.

"Shame, really. This group must be good at hiding their tracks," she said. "Moon Lee is working on those two enforcer types. They are very interested in her, almost to the exclusion of anyone else in the club."

"Shall we go and talk with them?" I said.

I bound it off after her, stopping. When I was with insight of the club. Club. The bouncer gave me a look and nodded apparently satisfied that I was returning. I was glad that they didn't ask me about the woman that I had left with ten minutes earlier.

Myin had snuck in some other way. I could feel her ahead of me. Not that we were in competition, just that she was doing really well and at that point in time I was thinking about how she'd gotten in. I looked up and I saw several over windows and sighed.

I just hope no one saw her.

She could take care of herself though. Heck, Lee could take care of herself, I just wanted to speed up the process. If you're dating somebody you have to think that you're going to enhance their life. You shouldn't be pulling them down. This was even more evident in this case where I highly skilled woman who trained me did not need my help but I was just trying to be her backup even if she didn't eat it. And by enhance her life. What I mean is that I was going to get her out of the situation that we were in as fast as we could and as safely as possible, thereby getting us to a place where we could move on with the rest of the mission. I think that the sect would start to notice when more and more of the member started to disappear. It's not like I could just grab them and turn them into little pills and then take them out of my pocket. They were going to have to leave at their own feet well if we did want to cause a ruckus. At some point in time someone was going to notice that they were all missing somewhere. And that was the person that we were trying to find. So far men hadn't found a secret hidden crime Boss somewhere sitting in FIP booth. She had found a bunch of small rooms where people were doing on say everything to each other but it was all just cultivators getting naked and getting the rocks off. Not the other kind of unsafe for you that I was trying to avoid.

Like maybe it was me but being strong and flexible made things way easier than I thought. It was going to be in the bedroom. And this is after just a day of being in a relationship here.

When I got back into the club proper, Lee was looking like she was on her second drink and a tube went next to her. Looked like they were giving her State secrets the way that they were leaving spiritually. So of course I was like. Let's give him more time. I looked around for more people with the mark.

My working theory was that the bigwigs were not here. Whether they had been pulled away for some important meeting or they just didn't show up every night at the club, they physically were not here and they were letting their lieutenants do their duty work. This meant less oversight and less higher ranked cultivators. This was the ideal time for us to strike then. Whenever that woman gave to the blue coats would lead to a larger group coming down on the sect almost immediately. As knowing at a reliable way of testing? If so, was it to Monica until they have their hands on them, this whole business was so bureaucratic as to be exactly up my alley.

It wasn't me. Being a killer was one thing but I didn't want to be a murderer. With these guys? I would become the thing I didn't want to be.

We just needed to lure them out. Now how would I do that if I was smart?

I ran back outside and passed by the guy at the door. I looked at him, his curious face never turning away from me.

I ran back the two blocks to where the blue goes were hiding.

They were questioning her.

"Deputize me," I said.

"What?"

"Make me a deputy blue coat temporarily. Give me two of those collars," I said.

They had at least thirty or forty collars right there. I was going to have to pull something out of my ass if I was going to get them to leave but at least I would have four of them to use. I expected some resistance but did not know what was going to happen. I fully expected the worst to happen, as always. Murphy had a way of edging his way into my heart and soul.

I had tried the quiet One. I was expecting Min to come back with news at any moment that she had found humans being held someplace. I was going to get these guys outside. Ask them to smoke and then drag them off.

I was a bounty hunter and they were about to be big game. I just need to to make sure that they didn't have a vote in what was happening to them next.

I turned to the woman.

"How many of you are there in the club?" I said.

She spat.

"I'll never tell you anything," she said.

I smiled.

I squatted down really close to her.

"Look. There's no way that you get out of this without some sort of scars. You might think that you're evil but really all you are are children playing at evil," I said, unveiling myself. "You're not evil. You're children."

I put a hand behind her head. My nascent soul pushed her back as my hand held her in place.

"Now, let me make one thing clear here. The government has failed you. Your sect has failed you. You should have been killed already. I am doing this as a favor to my friends over here. So if you don't give them exactly what they want, you're not going to be in a position to want anything ever again."

She was already pale but now I could feel her skin getting cool clammy. Of course this asshole would go into shock right about now.

Feng put a hand on my shoulder.

"We can take it from here, sir."

I returned my veil to the active position. She projectile vomited next to me and I got out of the way in time.

I wish that I had a good quip ready but it wasn't to be.

Instead I just slunk out, back to the streets, with several collars under my robes. When did life become so complicated?

It had to have been when one asshole decided that I was the one that he needed to recruit to get to the next realm.

Fuck that guy.