Ame walked up and bowed back at him as she introduced herself: "Greetings, elder Liao Hu. I am Kaen Ame, Captain of the 11th Royal Guard's Squad and these are my men. We are here under His Majesty's orders to claim the annual tribute"

Liao Hu nodded once before he made an inviting gesture towards the inside of the sect. He said: "The sect master is undergoing a cultivation session right now. He will be done by nightfall, how about waiting inside?"

Ame nodded.

The group went in, following after the elder. Before he left, he gave some candies to the young disciples who seemed overjoyed.

They followed the man to a 'guest's residence' where they could wait for the time being. Liao Hu explained that matters regarding the tribute had to be dealt with directly in presence of the sect master. Not in a hurry, Ame agreed to wait.

As they stood or sat within the hall of the mansion they were given to wait, Jin patrolled around its interior. He was using his special secret eye technique, trying to find concealed items. In his past life, there were many ways to hide things and it was the same in this one. The difference was that he was capable of picking on the slightest visible clues in this life.

And there were things to be seen here.

Blood traces.

He was unable to tell from when it was but it was obvious that blood had been spilled here. And considering what he was seeing, blood had flowed just about everywhere around this place. Only some furniture were devoid of traces, probably having been replaced and being new ones.

Of course, this was the Blood Boiling Sect so, as per its name indicated, it had relations to blood... However, for blood to be everywhere in the guest house?

From the beginning, Jin remained careful. This was, after all, a Demonic Sect. And they were here to claim a tribute too... Much like loan sharks in a way. Except it was legal.

In any case, there was too much blood in a place where there should not.

After he finished his round, Jin returned to the hall. Some were meditating, others chatting together or simply resting. Ame was sprawled over a couch and lazing about.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

As she saw Jin return, she waved and asked: "So?"

Jin answered: "Nothing"

She nodded.

Jin did not plan to say out loud what he found. He went to sit in front of Ame and faked a medidative pose. Then, as he felt that Ame was still watching him, he began to draw two characters on his knee.

[HERE]

[BLOOD]

Ame understood the message and frowned.

Then, she sighed.

As she thought, it was probably not going to be so simple as chatting a little, getting the fees and leaving. Well, it could be like that. If she decided not to poke around.

She knew that Jin did not want to make waves. And she also had to take into account the lives of the others who were now her responsibility.

She sighed again as she moved slightly to find a better spot and closed her eyes. She needed some time to think about it...

Meanwhile, after noticing that she received his message, Jin began to pick a pellet and start cultivating. Since he could, he would. Pursuing power was a constant struggle and required devotion. As long as he had some time, he would use it towards the goal of strengtening himself.

And as the day came to end, night fell.

Knock, knock

Someone was at their door. One of the young teammates got up and went to open. He found himself face to face with a young kid who had not lived more than a decade judging from his height.

The kid, with its childish voice, stated: "The Sect Master is out and invites you all to a small banquet"

After he finished his piece, the kid remained standing there blankly. The young man looked at him and asked: "Are you going to guide us there?"

The kid nodded. His eyes were not focused.The young man, however, did not think much of it. He called out the others and the group departed, following behind the kid.

The walk was silent but rather short.

They were led into a bigger pavilion in which was a gigantic table. Seated at the far end were four men and one woman. They all seemed to be in their early thirties.

The five got up and bowed as Jin's group entered. The man at the front introduced himself: "Greetings, royal envoys, I am the Sect Master of this branch, you may call me Bo Min. You already met Liao Hu. These are our other elders, Tian Shun, Yu Chin, Lai Long and Ma Jiao. Little Qing, thank you for bringing our guests, you can go eat now"

The little kid bowed and left. His gaze still out of it.

Jin had noticed it by now. He was likely not the only one. Yet no one was bringing it up and probably no one would.

Ame introduced herself and the group and they all sat at the table. They began to exchange a few words here and there, talking about random things about the situation of the kingdom and such. While interesting, it was slightly off-topic.

Then, the food arrived.

Kids of different ages were bringing in the plates. They were between 12 and 18 years old. Jin could not help but ask: "There are a lot of young disciples, Sect Master Bo Min"

Bo Min chuckled as he laughingly answered: "Indeed and they can be quite the raucous bunch! However, it is always a delight to teach younger souls and help them grow as cultivators"

The young men in Ame's team applauded and praised while the older ones also offered their compliments but on a softer tune, having realized what happened. As for Jin, he couldn't help but be stuck on the fact that his inquiry seemed to have been dodged.