Trying to push through a crowd while remaining incognito was damn near impossible.

I finally gave up on the incognito part altogether, dropping [Mask of the Despised] and just going for broke, pushing and shoving people while yelling for them to get out of my way. The response was more curses and insults, with people threatening to do all kinds of crazy shit to my ancestors.

I couldn’t give a damn.

My mind was focused on only one thing.

Beat Mak Tung back to his hideout.

I wasn’t sure how much of a lead he had on me, but I would stop at nothing to get there first. The pushing and shoving helped distract me from the thoughts that were spiking in the back of my mind though.

I was already reeling from my defeat, but on top of that I had the guilt of carelessly hanging Hein’s life in the balance, betting on the [Odds Being Against Me] to see me through.

Shit, was I wrong…

A lump of fear rose in my throat.

I didn’t know if I was even in any condition to fight Mak Tung. I barely had enough Frenzy reserves left to keep upright and my Flame was still struggling to recover from that spectral spear attack. Even now, I could still feel the residual effects of the thing being stuck in my chest like bad heartburn.

Not in the best of shape, I thought.

But I had to prepare for another battle nonetheless.

If I was even given that chance.

Visions of me arriving to find Hein already slain plagued my mind.

No… I didn’t want to think about it.

I had to hurry!

I finally got to some open road and was about to pump some Frenzy to lay on the speed when a hand like iron caught me by the collar and pulled me dead to a stop. I was about to lay into whoever the hell it was, thinking it was perhaps Mak Tung, but I was shocked to see the ornate ceremonial robes of Governor Tai Su Long instead.

“Running away like the rat you are, eh?” he said with a piercing glare. “This is not over, Bull Man. You have caused my clan to lose much face this day!”

I was about to shrug off his grip, but then tempered my soul with [Indifference] instead. I was already in enough trouble and the last thing I needed was to compound it by giving this fool a reason to detain me further.

“Governor,” I said with as much humility as I could muster. “Please, I have somewhere I need to be. We can talk about my punishment when I return to the ship. I well deserve it, I know.”

I said the words with [Struggler’s Resolve] and the sincerity of my tone caused him to pause. I did indeed consider myself worthy of punishment, but not for what he thought. I couldn’t give a shit about his clan’s honor or them losing face.

But I deserved all the punishment in the world for what I’d done to Hein.

I just prayed I could get to him in time.

To take the punishment for him.

Tai Su Long harrumphed and held his head in the air. “You’ve done more damage than you know. I’ll be meeting with the princess to discuss how you can atone for this sin.”

“So be it. Can I go now?”

He glared at me like he wanted to rip my head off, but finally he released my robes. “We’ve been ordered by the princess to depart before dawn. Your failure now extends to the entire battalion. I’ll be speaking to both General Gong and your superior officer, Senior Platoon Commander Jei Su Long, to decide your fate.”

Just the mention of his stupid nephew caused more ire to brew in my soul, but I was in no position to be angry at anyone else besides myself right now.

Tai Su Long finally released his grip.

“Go,” he said. “And if you decide to turn coward and not return to the ship, I will ensure you are not just hunted down, but executed for abandoning your post.”

I glared at him, but instead of saying anything, simply ran off.

His threats meant nothing to me.

The was only one execution I was concerned about stopping right now.

Hein’s.

* * *

I yearned for the Struggler’s sweet embrace as I raced through the city at top speed, but not even he could comfort me right now. I cycled my Franzy constantly, trying to reignite my Flame after the spiritual disruption of Rhe Su Long’s spear.

I finally got enough juice flowing to get above the rooftops using [Lightning Walk], but I had to stop short of [Ride the Lightning]. My Dantian just couldn’t take it right now.

Shit…I’ll just have to make due, I thought.

I sprinted through the air with sparks flying from my feet.

I finally saw Mak Tung’s hideout up ahead and my heart dropped when I saw his entire gang gathered in the courtyard and riled up for a fight. They were all screaming and hollering with a massive bonfire burning in the center of the main square.

I prayed with all my might that Hein wouldn’t be on a stake in the middle of it.

As I got closer, I actually spotted him.

Hein!

He was with Mak Tung and Captain Lin Fei. They were all seated behind a table or altar it looked like, with Hein and Lin Fei perhaps tied to their chairs.

An execution, waiting to happen.

Damit…

The bastard was waiting for me to return to kill him right in front of me?

To hell with that!

He was in for a rude awakening if he thought I’d just allow something like that to happen.

I leapt over the perimeter wall of the compound with [Lightning Walk] and crash-landed right before all three of them in a flurry of sparks and dust. I pumped my Frenzy with [Fear the Flame], putting on as much bravado as possible to hopefully back him into quick submission. Although I’d lost to Rhe Su Long, he’d seen my strength in action, and he didn’t need to know I was running on near empty.

For all he knew, I was more than capable of going toe to toe with him.

“You touch Hein and you’re a dead man, Mak Tung!” I shouted and the entire compound went silent.

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The roar of the bonfire behind me was all that could be heard as Mak Tung cocked his head quizzically at me. He shared a quick glance with Captain Lin Fei and a subtle smile crept upon her lips.

What the hell?

Had she turned against us?

I then looked to Hein, and he was grinning as well.

Now, I was really confused.

“You dare come into my home and demand my death after you renege on your end of the bargain?” Mak Tung rose from his chair and drew a long cutlas from his waist as he slowly stepped towards me. “You’re lucky I haven’t slaughtered him already.”

I readied my axe, fortifying myself with [Steel Skin].

He then stopped short of me. “Do you know why I haven’t killed him yet?”

I grimaced and cycled my Frenzy.

“Because you just made me filthy rich, bitch!!”

He let out a howling cackle and the entire compound joined in with him, hooting and hollering again. At the table, Hein and Captain Lin Fei were laughing as well. I suddenly felt like the dumbest kid at school as the punch line went right over my head.

Mak Tung sheathed his sword and then slugged me on the shoulder. “I’d be within my rights to kill the both of you for how bad you messed up this whole thing, but damn it if you didn’t pull a comeback from the pits of hell! Vomit in her face? Genius! Who does something like that?!”

More laughs and hollers ensued.

“Damn effective though,” Mak Tung said raising a bottle to me. “Well played, Iron Bull.”

“Uh…” I said, still dumbfounded. “Wasn’t an actual play, but I—”

“Who gives a shit now?!” he said. “I was hoping to maybe make five or ten times my money with the switch back. But when you started losing like hell, I knew no way were you going to pull it off. But I damn well waited, hoping. And then, from out of nowhere. Boom! Puke to the face! Instant victory!”

His gang cheered for him again.

“So, you still made money?” I said.

“Made money?” He let out another laugh. “Bull Man, I came this close to ripping up those bets,” he said, pinching his thumb and forefinger together. “But son of a bitch! 75 to 1? Can you believe that? I had to run the hell out of that betting booth with my winnings, before they all tried to kill me. I must have bankrupted three royal families today.”

I was rocked back on my heels as the situation became clear in my mind.

I hadn’t been thinking straight.

I was so stressed out about getting my ass kicked and possibly getting Hein killed that I didn’t even consider what winning the match outright might have done. I fell to my knees exhausted and thankful.

Flame, you pulled it off again, I thought.

Captain Lin Fei and Hein came to join me, slapping me on the back.

“Hein, I’m so sorry, man. I really shouldn’t have pushed you into this. I was no match for that girl. Or woman. Or whatever the hell she is.”

“Well, I’m surprised you didn’t win out right,” Hein said. “I have to admit, I took out some insurance on you, so don’t feel too badly.”

I looked up at him shocked. “What?”

“I bet against the plan,” Hein said. “Knowing how hot headed you are, just in case you couldn’t control yourself and still ended up beating the hell out of her instead of throwing the match, I bet for you to win. That way I’d have money to pay Mak Tung off and not kill me. Didn’t go as I planned, but I made the same odds off you as Mak Tung, 75 to 1, so I guess for that, I can consider your debt of being a total dumbass paid.”

He laughed then and I stilted laughed with him.

“You fail upwards, every time,” he said. “What was it you said your scholar friend calls you? The mystery that is Chun?” He paused for another laugh. “Anyway, I knew you’d figure it out somehow.”

Figure it out?

I couldn’t claim credit for that, but damn was the entire experience humbling.

I stayed there on my knees while everyone in Mak Tung’s gang slapped me on the back and ruffled my hair like I was a team mascot or something. And for as bad as I had performed, yet still succeeded, I probably was one.

“Come on,” Mak Tung said, dragging me off my knees. “Enough sulking. When fate throws an unexpected peach in your lap, enjoy it!”

He pulled up a chair to the table and sat me down.

Music began to play as wine and whiskey flowed.

I still couldn’t believe what had happened.

Five minutes ago, I was fearing for Hein’s life but now he was clinking cups and laughing with Mak Tung—his would be executioner.

“Oh!” Mak Tung said, reaching into his robes. “Before I forget. Here. Your payment.”

He tossed me the cultivation manual.

I looked at it nearly beside myself.

A dozen small pages of life-changing information that was perhaps one match and a couple of months of preparation too late. Losing to Rhe Su Long made me realize the jumps between tiers in the Sacred Soul Realm were perhaps two or three times that of those between Core Tiers.

I was expecting a challenge, but not to get floor-wiped by her.

A bit of that was due to the false advertising by Tai Su Long as well.

It was supposed to be an even match, but there was nothing even about it.

Rhe Su Long was a 9th Tier Sacred Soul Realm cultivator, and up against that, a fledgling 1st Tier like me should perhaps have lost, if not be killed. Which is perhaps what Governor Tai Su Long wanted. But it was sobering in more ways than that as well. As I reflected on what had happened some more, I realized the Flame was indeed guiding me, but not in the way I had thought.

My lesson wasn’t just correction for the hubris of thinking I could tackle any battle, ill prepared. It was confirmation that I needed the knowledge in this manual more than ever. And it had seen me through to obtain it.

Bless the Flame, I thought.

“I’ll have this back to you by morning,” I said. “If you don’t mind, I’ll skip the festivities to go meditate and memorize this.”

“Forget it!” Mak Tung said. “You know how much money you just made me? That’s yours to keep. Let it help you in winning against the Little Princess next time.”

He laughed and I chuckled a bit. “Thank you. Doesn’t feel fully earned, but I appreciate it.”

“To tell you the truth, you did a lot better than you think,” he said. “The little princess rarely pulls out her Naga form, even for competitors in her Tier Realm and Bracket. The fact that you were able to do it at your level says Hein was right to think you might have actually won against her.”

That made me feel a bit better.

I realized something else then.

My bout with Rhe Su Long was like a preparatory fight. The Warden back home was about on her same level. And she had a couple hundred years of experience on her to boot. And no way would she be grossed out by some puke either.

I flipped through the manual and thought about my journey ahead.

I not only had to survive the Hell Worlds.

I would need to use my exposure there as a form of cultivation as well. I needed to get to at least 5th tier to face the Warden, possibly more. I looked through the manual again. My Flame burned with the eagerness of knowledge and advancement, spurred on by my humbling loss.

“If its all the same with you,” I said, starting to rise. “I’m still going to start reading.”

Mak Tung’s dark eyes flashed. He stood quickly to shove me back down.

“Like hell you are!” he said. “You don’t make over 350,000 spirit stones in a single day and not celebrate with a night of drunken stupidity! Now sit your ass down and enjoy your damn self!”

“Yes, Iron Bull,” Lin Fei said, pouring me another drink. “Let’s celebrate your victory. Vomit and all!”

She laughed good naturedly and Hein toasted to me as well. “To the Iron bull. May no obstacle stand in your path!”

“To the Iron Bull!”

Ah, what the hell, I thought and slugged back a shot of whiskey.

As the fiery liquid went down my throat, I relaxed a little.

One night of partying couldn’t hurt.

And we were off planet by dawn anyway.

Best to make the most of it.

A smile finally returned to my face as Hein poured me another drink.

“Thank the heavens for people who are smarter than me,” I said with a salute. “To the gamblers who won, despite the Chun.”

* * *

It was the early hours of the morning by the time Hein, Captain Lin Fei and I rolled onto the massive square where our drop skiffs were being prepped for launch. The place was abuzz with activity, with soldiers busy stowing gear and making ready for our departure.

I was swimming on my feet by that time, half-plastered and grinning like an idiot. Hein and Captain Lin Fei were in much worse condition, leaning on each other for support as we made our way inside the compound.

The combination of alcohol and laughter had taken the sting out of my loss, but as I sobered up just enough to catch the looks from some of the soldiers that passed by me, I had some of that sting suddenly reappear.

People were glaring at me and the contempt in their souls was palpable.

Even when I finally left Hein and Lin Fei to find my own platoon, I could sense something was off. My men were overly quiet around me, giving me only polite smiles and bows of respect. The elephant in the room was my unworthy win, no doubt. But no one said anything out of respect, or perhaps shame.

“Ah, so he finally shows up!”

I didn’t need to turn about to know it was the bane of my existence approaching.

Unlike the rest of my men, Jei Su Long had no reservations when it came to disrespecting me.

“Legionnaires!” he shouted. “Let us thank the Junior Platoon Commander here for our speedy departure from civilization. It is due to his ill-gotten win, that the Princess herself has now ejected us from her domain. Come, let us applaud him.”

He began clapping and then barked for my men to do the same.

They responded with half-hearted golf claps, humoring him.

“Nice,” I said. “Did uncle Tai teach you that one?”

The idiot looked surprised, like I hadn’t just endured Tai Su Long doing the same to me mere hours ago in the ring.

He became flustered then and quickly said, “Were you a true prodigy, we would no doubt have been rewarded with another week of shore leave for a true victory in the ring.”

I was going to let it slide with [Indifference], but to hell with that.

“I say its good timing,” I said with [Struggler’s Resolve]. “Or have you forgotten we’re still on a mission here? Every day we waste getting to the Hell Worlds is another inch of ground that we have to retake in sweat and blood. Blood that’s already been shed by our brothers and sisters who ventured before us.”

Jei Su Long harrumphed. “Then even more blood shall be on your hands, Junior Commander.”

I scowled at him. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Sins must be atoned for,” he said. “And in this case, it comes in the form of the entire battalion.”

I looked to my men, but they seemed as dumbfounded as I was.

Jei Su Long only laughed.

“We have another pitstop to make thanks to you,” he said. “And I’m certain you will not enjoy it.”