“AIYHHH!”
A resounding clap, followed immediately by a high-pitched scream, snaps the two boys out of their soul-soothing meal. With sharp eyes, Dan whips his head towards the commotion behind him. Wei sets his chopsticks and spoon down as he glares past the back of Dan’s head at the two men towering over the young girl and the noodle stall owner; their hands atop the handles of their blades to intimidate their targets.
“Bullshit! Look at all the customers you have.” The man clad in gray yells before spitting on the noodle stall owner. “You must take us for fools. You should have no problems affording a measly protection fee!”
“Out it, old man…” The other man, clad in black, smirks as he turns his attention towards the trembling girl. With a flick of his thumb, he pushes his blade a few centimeters from the sheath. “...Else we’ll be forced to take something else as payment. Quite a beauty you are. Why don’t you leave this useless life behind and f-”
*THWACK*
Before he can finish his vile sentence, a thunderous impact sends him flying away from the noodle stall and crashing into the building across the road. A metallic hum fills the air as the man in gray draws his blade. With the situation escalating beyond words, he lifts his blade as swings towards the figure before him.
Sensing the air shift towards his chest, Dan slides his foot back half a step and pivots his body sideways, moving him a mere centimeter away from the blade’s path. As he watches the blade slice through the brisk air, moving slower than a snail, his brows suddenly tense up as an image passes across his mind.
The environment around him suddenly disappears. The melodious breeze falls silent, replaced by the sound of torrential rain crashing around him. The stone-lined road melts away, replaced by the unsettling sinking sensation of mud and soil. The assailant's black hair suddenly fades, each strand suddenly shining with a tint of red. In an instant, his surroundings snap back to the noodle stall. A thought of de-escalation passes his mind, causing the pain in his arms and rib cage to suddenly flare and urging his body to move instinctively.
Just as the blade moves past his knee, Dan lifts his foot above the man’s hand before tensing his thigh to stomp down. Just as the blade recoils off the stone-tiled road, it suddenly drops back down with a metallic ring followed by a resounding crack and splat.
“ARRGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! FUCK! MY HAND!”
A chilling scream tears through the palpable silence following the stomp, causing everyone in the vicinity to flinch in cold sweat. Off to the side, Wei jumps to his feet upon seeing the rage emanating from Dan’s eyes. Unsure if he had imagined the faint crimson glow flashing across Dan’s glare, Wei kicks off. In mid-dash, his heart drops as he observes Dan dig his foot deeper into the puddle of blood and tilt his torso. As Dan’s other foot winds up with his hip, Wei begins to panic.
You idiot! They’re not martial artists!
Following a sudden shift of his hips, Dan’s leg whips through the air and tears towards the revolting smirking face. In reality, however, the man’s face was anything but smirking. Seeing death crashing towards him, the man in gray chokes on his own screams and freezes. A warm sensation fills his lower body as he soils himself at the sight of the encroaching end.
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“DAN!” Wei screams out upon realizing he won’t make it in time to intercept the kick. “SNAP OUT OF IT!”
Centimeters before exploding the man’s head like a watermelon, Dan’s foot abruptly freezes. A gust of wind whips past the man’s face, sending his tears and hair flying behind him. As the gust fades and his hair floats down, Dan lowers his kicking foot back onto the ground.
The sight of Dan moments away from committing a heavily punishable offense had temporarily ripped the air from his lungs. Seeing Dan’s foot touch back down, Wei heaves a heavy breath before swiftly recomposing himself. With the cold sweat wiped from his forehead, he reaches into his sleeve and withdraws a golden plaque.
“Scram!” With a stern voice, Wei lifts the rectangular emblem before him. “Or would you rather deal with my Zhou family for your crime of extortion?”
Seeing the golden “Zhou” engraved on the golden plaque, subtitled with two characters for “Weixing”, the man in gray suddenly trembles before groveling his forehead onto the piss-stained road. He struggles to remain silent as he lifts his mangled, shivering hand from the stone-lined road before fumbling away.
“Where are you going?” Dan snaps as the man scuttles away. He turns his glare towards the trembling man before continuing. “Take the other filth with you.”
Without a peep, the man in gray obeys, rushing over to the unconscious man leaning against the building across the road. With a heavy heave, the two rise and disappear into the night.
“Idiot!” Wei steps in front of Dan, anger overtaking his previously concerned gaze. Grabbing Dan’s collar, Wei yanks him closer. “For someone so smart, you’re equally ignorant to the laws of the Grand Government. Do you have any idea what would’ve happened had you killed a normal civ-”
“Apologies, uncle.” Dan pulls himself away from Wei’s grasp and turns towards the noodle stall owner and his daughter. He fumbles his finger between the bandages around his arm, expending extra effort to extract the bronze coin. After dropping the coin into the noodle stall owner’s hand, Dan bows deeply and continues. “For the damages. Thank you, and please take care.”
With that, he hastily turns around and steps away from the noodle stall, not wanting them to see any more of his unsightly expression. Wei sighs as he watches Dan’s departing figure. He reaches into his sleeve to extract a gold coin, bending his knees and pressing it into the noodle stall owner’s hand.
“For the food. Apologies for my… Apologies for my friend’s outburst. Thank you and take care.” Seeing that both father and daughter are uninjured, Wei rises to his feet and walks away.
After the third step, he pauses. Having grown up in the royal court of Zhou, Wei is well versed with the treacherous nature of man. Putting himself in the figurative, and very familiar shoes, he realizes that the event that transpired tonight might not end so simply. The worst case scenario flashes across his mind, urging him to reach into sleeve and extract the golden plaque once more.
Staring at the plaque, he hesitates at the thought of letting go. As the luxuries of life flutters across his mind, Wei sighs before arriving at a decision. He turns back towards the noodle stall owner and approaches with steady steps.
“Uncle, please keep this displayed on your stall at all times.” He places the plaque atop the gold coin in the man’s hand, folding the trembling fingers shut before rising to chase after Dan.
With his back turned, Wei doesn’t notice the deep, kneeling kowtows from the noodle stall owner and Yanyue. As he races after Dan, he remains ignorant to the magnitude of his hasteful gesture. By handing off ownership of the golden plaque, Wei had unknowingly declared the father and daughter pair as honorary friends of the royal Zhou family- instantly changing their lives by elevating their status to that of a respected family.