I sat in the local inn listened to the surprisingly loud room around me. It had quickly become my favorite place in town since they were the only ones that imported beer. The town was still growing every day even though the first wave of renovations was complete. New merchants were setting up shop and there were even more homes being built for all the people that were moving here. I waved over the server and got more beer to go with the small meal I had ordered. It was a bit early but I didn’t really care at the moment. I noticed Wang Tai enter the building and called out to him.

He sat down and had an expression of fear and confusion.

“You doing alright big guy?” I asked with a grin. He scoffed at my question.

“Yeah, yeah, fine.” He waved me off and ordered himself a drink.

“Bit early isn’t it?” He looked at me like he wanted to throw something at me.

“Says the man with three empty mugs for lunch.” He received his drink and took a moment to compose himself.

“I think I became a noble.” Tai didn’t seem sure of his statement. I put down my mug. I might not know much about aristocratic societies or anything but I’m pretty sure you can’t become a nobleman randomly.

“How?” I was honestly curious. If some random hunter could be a nobleman maybe I had a chance.

“My brother-in-law brought a missive to our home. It claims my family will be the ruling clan for this village.” He swallowed a lump in his throat after speaking. Okay so I probably didn’t have a chance if it was a nepotism thing.

“I’m not calling you Lord Wang, ever.” He started to grin at that.

“Oh, but you might have to if I make it a law. ‘Henry must refer to Wang Tai as Lord Wang’ or even better, ‘Henry must call Wang Hu by the title of young lord master of the village’.” I burst out laughing. I would never be able to see that kid as anything other than a ruffian and prankster. There was no way I would ever call him something like, ‘young lord’. We continued to crack jokes at each other's expense for some time.

The entire town had a lively atmosphere. The old residents were all preparing for Zhou's wedding and the newer ones were preparing for the new years festival. Neither would be happening for several weeks but the townsfolk were all excited already. I noticed a man coming downstairs from the inn portion of the building. It was Andre. I had helped him get a room since he was in a similar situation to when I first arrived. He waved at us but went outside almost directly. He and Zhou had apparently gotten along like a house on fire and he was already hired to help in the winery. Zhou was broke because of the wedding so I was covering Andre's living expense for now.

"There is one thing I need to worry about." Tai's expression became a bit more serious.

"I need to come up with a name for the town." he fiddled with the cup in his hands. I hadn't really thought much about it. Once he said it out loud it was kind of obvious that a town needs a name. I didn't actually have any suggestions so I just shrugged at him.

We parted ways after our lunch. I took the chance to look around the town once again. It was becoming something of a habit to wander through and see what new things were appearing. I wasn't stressed out by the changes anymore. I passed by the Wang family house, or rather manor, and was a bit taken aback by the scale of it. It was certainly fitting that it was going to be the house of the local lord. My only question was how much money it would require to maintain.

The buildings hadn't quite reached the river but they were getting closer with each passing day. I was getting concerned that my usual spot would soon be occupied by buildings instead of trees. Thankfully such large boulders were difficult to remove. The cobbled road that ran through the town was still incomplete but it had already allowed merchants with larger and larger carts to make their way in.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

before long I found myself walking through the market area again. It was the fastest growing part of the town by far. As I passed what would soon become an alley I noticed a beggar on the side of the roadway. He wasn't actually panhandling simply sitting in the street and drinking. I didn't think the village was big enough for beggars to come here. He noticed me and started to laugh eerily. He gestured for me to come closer and I did. There wasn't any real reason to but it felt like I should do what he says.

"you aren't from around here either? I suppose you're from much further than I am though." He cackled. I pulled aside one of the crates of construction material nearby with one hand and used it as a chair. I held out a hand to him and he looked offended.

"You expect a beggar to give you his wine?" He eyed me curiously.

"I expect a drink if you want to talk." I smiled back. He burst out laughing and passed the gourd he was drinking from. It was good. Damn good. I thought Zhou made nice wine but this was something else entirely. He seemed to notice my change of expression and snagged back the gourd before I could take a second drink. He was fast.

"Now you're obliged to listen to a beggar rambling." He laid out on his side and let the knotted sash at his waist flop onto the ground. He yawned and eyed me for a moment longer.

"This is a strange little village, powerful people seem to gather here." He lazily scratched his belly as he spoke.

"Why do you think that is?" He smiled at me from his reclining position.

"How would I know? Maybe it's fate." I shrugged back at him. I didn't really have a frame of reference. I was sure that Long and the other two he called brothers were old monsters of some sort, but I wasn't sure what realm they might be in. I wasn't even sure what difference there was between the realms. He burst out laughing at my statement.

"I would agree with you if we were anywhere else." He finished his gourd and seemed sad as the last drop slowly fell.

"Not here though. Fate abandoned this world long ago." I froze as he spoke. I tried to not let my expression show. Sadly I had a terrible poker face.

"Don't expect any answers from me, I have a rather large wager on this whole thing and someone like you interfering could be troublesome." he pulled out another gourd as the first one disappeared.

"The only reason I even bothered to come down and look at this place was because a rather foolish young scribe has been trying to hide a few things from me." He lazily stretched along the cobblestones.

I leaned back against the building and considered my response. Every time I think I might learn something instead I'm left with questions. I took a deep breath and centered myself.

"Don't do that." The beggar seemed concerned for some reason.

"The path isn't meant for mortal men, much less one that doesn't know what he's doing." He tossed the still full gourd to me. Then I was distracted by a voice coming from the inn down the street. Min Ryong was waving to me. I turned back and saw an empty space where the man had been only moments before.

_____________________________________________________

The master of Snow Peak returned to his sect and descended to the main hall. The silk robes fluttering as he stepped across the sky. The numerous elders and members bowing when they noticed him. As he entered the main hall he saw a man sitting on his chair. A dark feeling washed over him as he caught sight of the old man. He was small and wrinkled. The sect leader froze and had to hold back his shaking. This was the ancestor of their sect. He had not come out of seclusion since the young master had begun his training.

"I didn't expect you to take over so soon number 2." He yawned as the shaking elder served him tea.

"Where is number 1? She should have survived as well." He leaned his chin on his open palm while he asked.

The temperature of the room began to fall as the sect leader's eyes changed to an icy blue. The air itself nearly turned to ice.

"She is gone." He wasn't ready for the old man to come out of hiding yet. The ancestors eyes turned the same shade of blue as number 2's and the temperature fell even lower. The tea the elder had been trying to pour was now frozen in mid air. He probably would have died simply walking into this room if he wasn't an elder of the snow peak.

"Then bring her back. We need a spare in case something 'unforeseen' happens." The implications weren't lost on the sect leader.

"That's impossible. She is under the protection of someone beyond my ability." He wouldn't actually ever try but the existence of the terrifying blacksmith was useful for a partial truth.

"Hmph, so I must do everything myself then?" The old man stood and the ice crystals that were forming along the ground started to shake.

"Even if the Smiling Asura himself is the one protecting her she will be brought back here." The ice swirled into a vortex around the ancestor and he disappeared. The sect leader's shaking could no longer be hidden. He didn't remember the old man being that powerful. He wouldn't be able to warn them in time. The leader roared and the remaining ice in the room shattered into snow.