Chapter 4 – Headless Profits

Lin Yue stared at the bloody mess coating the alley walls. She had wanted them dealt with—yes—But their heads were absolutely evaporated. “What the fuck did you just do? That was Sheng Bo—the bounty target!”

The shadow dragon spun in lazy circles, patting his incorporeal belly with a wisp of inky smoke. A deep burp echoed through the alley. “So what?”

“So what? The bounty hunters can’t claim shit without his head!” Lin Yue kicked one of the headless corpses. Blood squelched under her boot.

Shadow flipped upside down, drifting closer until his glowing red eyes hovered inches from her face. “Perfect! They’ll keep hunting and killing. More delicious souls for us!”

“You did this on purpose.” Lin Yue raised a finger at him.

“Ha! You told me to be useful.” Shadow twisted around her shoulders like smoke. “Can’t pin the blame on me! This works out great for us both. No need to get upset.”

Lin Yue rubbed her temples. The Tiger Gang’s body count would skyrocket while the hunters searched. But they’d figure it out eventually—either conclude Sheng had escaped or died. The hunters might get pissy when no one claimed the reward, but they couldn’t blame her.

Unless… A cold weight settled in Lin Yue’s stomach. If anyone connected her to Sheng Bo’s death, the bounty hunters would switch targets to her faster than starving rats on fresh meat.

A client hunting down her own target after placing the bounty breached propriety.

She scanned the shadowed corners and rooftops. Empty. Perfect.

She would still need to be fast. The blood pooled around her feet as she crouched beside the nearest corpse. Her fingers worked through pockets and pouches with haste.

The mark bags yielded a decent haul—silver, copper, and a few trinkets worth pawning. She dumped everything into her own pouch, tossing the empty bags behind a pile of rotting vegetables. No point carrying evidence that screamed ‘dead gang member.’

Metal glinted in the dim light. Sheng Bo’s dagger lay abandoned near his headless corpse. Lin Yue snatched it up, testing the balance. Clean lines, sharp edge, nothing distinctive about it. Much more useful than the rusted blades of the others.

Shouts erupted from the main street. She sprinted deeper into the maze of alleys, each turn taking her further from the bloody scene.

“More souls!” Shadow spiraled around her. “Think how long we could go without feeding if we struck now!”

Lin Yue pressed against a rotten wood wall, watching Shadow drift in excited circles. The bastard had a point. The screams and clash of steel echoed through the warren of alleys. How many would die tonight?

More than she had expected. Turning a week of souls into a month would buy her more time. There was some risk, but that was the name of the game when it came to survival.

She slipped from shadow to shadow, tracking the carnage. Fresh corpses littered the streets, victims of opportunistic hunters. It had been a while since a gang purge. Too many were itching to use their blades.

Shadow swooped down on each fresh find, draining the lingering spiritual energy with gleeful slurps.

The copper-tinged breeze carried the scent of fresh kills. In the alleyways, she darted between bodies, fingers dancing through pockets and pouches. Not everyone was interested in loot, and most were afraid to move as fast as she when their lives were on the line.

She snatched up anything valuable—mostly coins and jewelry—but only when she was out of sight. I’ll leave the brazen looting to others.

The gang's flat house where she and Xue bunked in reeked of death. Blood dripped from the bamboo windows, covering the outer walls in arterial sprays. Shadow phased through the wall, re-emerging stuffed with stolen souls. That confirmed the bastard could phase through walls. Only distance mattered for his tether.

The night’s violence began to ebb. Lin Yue’s mark bag bulged against her hip, heavy with pilfered treasures. She’d need a new spot to stash all this loot.

Shadow drifted behind her like a bloated serpent, rolling through the air in lazy loops. Each burp echoed off the alley walls as he patted his belly. The invisible tether dragged him along as she walked, his ethereal form bouncing off the invisible walls without a care.

“How many?” Lin Yue stepped over another headless corpse.

Shadow stretched mid-air, yawning wide enough to show rows of spectral teeth. “How many what?”

“Days until you starve to death?” Lin Yue asked.

The dragon floated toward her face, spinning in slow circles. “At least a month now.” His glowing red eyes brightened. “Speaking of which, got any more food?” He spiraled behind her back.

“Glutton.” Lin Yue scoffed.

No response came. Lin Yue spun around, scanning the empty alley. The weight of Shadow’s presence vanished, leaving only the coppery stench of blood and death.

“Shadow?” The word bounced off blood-stained walls. “Get your ass out here.”

Silence answered.

“Fuck.” Lin Yue pulled her sleeve over her hand, wiping crimson smears from her arms. The blood had soaked through her clothes, leaving dark patches that screamed guilty.

She slipped through the winding alleys toward Drunk’s Corner—a charming slice of the slums where alcoholics passed out in their own vomit. The stench of stale beer and piss assaulted her nose as she rounded the corner.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Perfect. A man sprawled against the wall, snoring loud enough to wake the dead. His clothes reeked of cheap rice wine, but they’d work better than her blood-soaked ensemble. No coin purse in sight—some enterprising thief had already claimed that prize and dumped him here to sleep it off.

She yanked the outer robe from his limp form. The fabric felt grimy under her fingers, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. She pulled it over her bloodied clothes, wrinkling her nose at the fermented stench. At least the dark color would hide any remaining stains.

The night market’s usual cacophony had dwindled to scattered voices and shuttering stalls. She stuck to the shadows, avoiding the few merchants still packing up their wares. A drunk stumbled past, singing off-key. She ducked into a doorway until he passed.

The inn’s entrance glowed with warm lantern light a short while later. The bouncer’s face twisted into a familiar scowl as she approached. Lin Yue flashed him her sweetest smile—the one that said ‘fuck you’ in the politest way possible. He crossed his arms, but remained silent as she walked past.

The door creaked open to reveal Xue perched by the window, silhouetted against the dim streetlight. She spun around at Lin Yue’s entrance.

“Yue!” Xue’s gaze dropped to the suspicious bulge at Lin Yue’s hip. “What’s that?”

Lin Yue pulled the mark bag free and tossed it onto the bed. “Loot. Start sorting.”

The mattress bounced as Xue scrambled onto it, yanking the drawstring open. She pulled out a silver bracelet encrusted with dried blood and wrinkled her nose. “This is gross. You need a new bag.”

“Told you the Tiger Gang would die tonight.” Lin Yue shrugged off the stolen outer robe, letting it pool on the floor.

Xue’s eyes widened. “Won’t they come after us?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Lin Yue sat down at the table to rest her feet. “Sheng Bo’s dead. They’ll be too busy trying to hold Fifth Street to give a shit about us.”

Lin Yue watched as Xue sorted through the blood-stained loot. Shadow’s presence remained absent—probably sulking somewhere in her tattoos. Good. She needed time to process this clusterfuck without his constant commentary, and dragging answers from him in front of her ward would only traumatize Xue further.

Exhaustion crept through her muscles. The night’s violence caught up with her body, demanding rest. She pushed herself up and stumbled to the washbasin. Cool water splashed over her skin, washing away dried blood and sweat. Her clothes hit the floor with a wet thud.

She’d need to dispose of the evidence before anyone noticed all the blood that wasn’t hers.

Later, though.

“Y-Yue?” Xue’s voice quivered. “Did the ink... change?”

Lin Yue glanced down at her skin. The formless shadows had shifted into intricate sigils—curves and angles that pulsed with an inner darkness. Fantastic. She sighed.

“It’s magic ink.” Lin Yue shrugged, aiming for casual dismissal. “Does weird shit sometimes.”

“Uhh...” Xue stared at the markings.

Lin Yue trudged back to the bed. “I need sleep. Sort the loot if you’re bored, but don’t open that door for anyone.” It was locked, but the warning was sound. She slipped under the covers. “Breakfast comes in the morning. Wake me when they knock if I’m still out.”

“Okay.” Xue nodded, fingers still working through the pile of stolen trinkets.

The mattress embraced Lin Yue’s aching body as she drifted into darkness. Questions about Shadow could wait until morning.

* * *

A sharp knock at the door jolted Lin Yue from sleep.

Xue pressed against her chest, arms wrapped tight around her torso. The kid’s face nestled into her chest, breaths coming in soft, peaceful puffs. Lin Yue rolled onto her back to stare at the ceiling. The clingy kid came with her.

Made sense—probably the first real bed the brat had slept in. Getting knocked out by soul-sucking Shadow-Shit probably didn’t count as proper rest.

“One second!” Lin Yue called out, carefully extracting herself from Xue’s death grip.

She untied the bundle from the tailor, shaking out crisp folds of gray-black cotton. The new robe settled over her shoulders with a satisfying weight—loose enough for quick movements but fitted enough to avoid catching on things during an escape.

A gentle knock echoed through the room. Lin Yue pressed her eye to the peephole, confirming the maid’s familiar round face and loaded breakfast tray.

“Thank you.” Lin Yue accepted the tray.

“I’ll bring fresh water in an hour,” the maid said. “Just leave the basin outside your door for collection before then.”

Lin Yue nodded. “Got it. Thanks.”

The lock clicked shut with a reassuring clink.

Xue already sat up in bed, nose twitching like a hungry rabbit’s. Lin Yue laughed at the kid’s eager expression.

Steam wafted from the loaded breakfast tray. Lin Yue inhaled the rich aroma of rice congee mixed with savory pork buns. Pickled vegetables added sharp notes to the morning air, while perfectly boiled eggs nestled against a large pitcher of soy milk.

Lin Yue scooped up a modest portion of congee, adding chunks of pork from a steamed bun. The warmth spread through her chest—actual hot food still felt novel after years of dry bread and rats. She pushed the remaining dishes toward Xue.

“Eat up, kid. You earned it.”

While Xue devoured the feast, Lin Yue crossed to examine their sorted loot. Neat piles covered the floor—Xue had arranged everything by type and apparent value. Copper coins formed careful stacks of twenty, while silver pieces gleamed in their own section. Jewelry and trinkets lay grouped by material and craftsmanship.

Lin Yue counted methodically. The silver pieces added up quickly, and estimating pawn values for the trinkets... Forty-seven silver total, including what I had left from the bounty. Not bad.

Their weapons collection proved decent, too. The two quality blades would serve well—especially Sheng Bo’s dagger, with its superior steel and balance. The cheap knife would do for teaching Xue some basics, while the blade oil would keep them all from turning into scrap.

Beyond the weapons and new clothes, their possessions remained sparse.

Lin Yue flexed her fingers, watching Shadow’s markings shift beneath her skin. It was time to shift priority to figuring out her unwanted passenger while they still had resources and breathing room.

One thing was sure, he had proven that he wasn’t just full of lies.

He was dangerous as all heck.