Zi Zan smiled.
"Alright then, let's go."
Everyone agreed and the group turned and walked out of the room. As they made their way towards the front entrance of the estate, Lokei was unusually quiet, it was as if something was bothering him. He knew that his father was up to something shady but now he was determined to find out exactly what kind of business his father was dealing in.
Lokei finally looked up at Zi Zan.
"Wait."
Zi Zan glanced at him.
"What?"
Lokei frowned.
"I know my father is up to something shady. But what exactly is it that he does?"
Zi Zan kept walking for a few paces before he responded.
"I wouldn't really call it shady business but at the same time, it is."
Lokei's expression turned to confusion as Zi Zan looked ahead.
"Your father is involved with an auction."
Lokei stopped walking.
"An auction?"
Zi Zan nodded.
"Or rather, your family has been involved with the auction for quite a while."
"How long have they been involved with the auction?" Lokei asked.
Zi Zan looked back at Lokei.
"I believe for about two decades."
Lokei looked at Zi Zan.
"For twenty years?"
Zi Zan nodded. Lokei's expression changed. He had never known anything about all of this.
"Then tell me."
Zi Zan glanced at Lokei.
"Tell you what?"
"Anything you know about the auction."
Zi Zan smiled faintly.
"It's called The Heishi."
"The Heishi?"
"Yup."
Zi Zan kept walking towards the front entrance.
"They auction everything and anything."
Lokei's eyebrows raised.
"Everything?"
"Everything. Weapons, artifacts, rare materials, forbidden objects. If someone was willing to pay enough, Heishi could probably find a way to get it on the table."
Zi Zan looked at Lokei.
"How do you think the Yoshe Clan became so wealthy? Your family is literally the richest family in Ketura."
Lokei's eyes widened.
He had never thought about it, not even once. He had grown up surrounded by expensive things, servants, massive estates, and everything else that came with being part of the Yoshe Clan. And he had accepted it as normal and just part of his life. Even though he wasn't the centre of attention in his family, he had still grown accustomed to the lifestyle that came with being rich.
The freedom to spend money without thinking twice. Lokei slowly looked down at his hands.
'So everything that I've had was because of Heishi?'
Lokei started thinking about how much involvement his family really had in the auction.
The mystery of the Yoshe Clan and their origin had only intensified. Lokei still had many more questions than answers.
Eventually, they reached the front entrance of the estate.
Zi Zan pushed the large doors open and the others followed suit but before they could leave something happened. They stopped dead in their tracks and four figures stood before them.
Waiting for them, all four had the same light-blue hair as Lokei himself.
Lokei's expression changed as
Sun Yunso, Sa Wayong, and Chu Runar stared in shock at the four strangers.
Chu Runar looked at Lokei before looking back at the four figures.
"Uh..." he said as he pointed in their direction. "Are those your siblings or something?"
"No. They don't look related."
Sa Wayong exclaimed.
Sun Yunso said nothing as he stared at the four figures, his eyes holding a strange expression as he looked over them. Something seemed off about these four.
They weren't just standing there, they looked like they had been waiting specifically for them. Sun Yunso's hand moved towards his blade and slid it from the sheath in one fluid motion
He stepped forward, his expression now dark with intent.
Ready to fight.
The four figures did not hesitate and the moment Yunso drew his blade, they moved. One of them rushed forward and Sun Yunso met him head on. Another figure came from the side forcing Sun Yunso to twist out of the way as a second strike slashed the air where his head had been. Sun Yunso stepped back and immediately retaliated. The battlefield erupted into chaos.
Sa Wayong and Chu Runar quickly joined the fight while Lokei stayed close behind them. Zi Zan calmly moved forward. One of the attackers charged at him but Zi Zan simply raised his foot and the earth cracked beneath him. Two huge golden structures suddenly burst from the earth. They shot forward and slammed into the attacking figure, throwing them to the ground.
Zi Zan lowered his foot.
"That's one."
Sun Yunso glanced towards him for only a moment before another attacker appeared right in front of him. Sun Yunso's grip tightened around his sword. His expression became cold. He disappeared forward.
Chu Runar quickly stepped forward.
"Spider!"
A spider web spawned under one of the figures ready to capture them but the figure suddenly jumped.
"Damn!"
They landed several meters away. Meanwhile Sa Wayong stepped forward.
She clenched her fists, obviously nervous.
"I-I can help too…"
The female fighter immediately turned towards her. Sa Wayong barely had time to react. The female fighter completely overwhelmed her by pushing her back. Sa Wayong stumbled and caught herself.
"Ouch..."
She looked embarrassed.
"I tried."
Zi Zan watched the chaos for a few seconds before he sighed.
"That's enough."
He clasped his hands together. A deep rumble came from beneath the ground. Golden structures erupted from the earth. They shot up around all four attackers, pinning them in place before they could move. The battlefield suddenly went silent.
All four figures were captured.
Zi Zan lowered his hands.
"There. Much easier."
Zi Zan approached the four bound figures.
He examined each one thoroughly.
"Who are you?"
Neither of the figures responded. Only stared.
"I asked who you are."
Again no response.
Chu Runar scratched at his neck.
"Are they puppets or something? They haven't said a word. Unless they're trained assassins."
Zi Zan shook his head.
"That wouldn't make any sense."
"Why?"
"Because none of us have done anything to make us targets of an assassination."
Chu Runar mulled it over.
"...Fair point."
As they continued their conversation the clouds around the four figures began to dissipate. Their bodies melting into strange liquid-like masses.
Lokei's eyes widened.
"What the—?"
The strange clouds floated up into the air. Within seconds the four figures had completely vanished with nothing to show for it. Zi Zan gazed at the empty space with a grave expression.
"...Interesting."
Sun Yunso slowly sheathed his blade.
Whatever those four things were, they certainly weren't here by accident. The group stood there in silence.
Nobody said a word; they simply stared at each other, still trying to comprehend what just occurred. Sun Yunso sheathed his blade and sighed. Lokei, however, remained confused. His eyes were fixed on the empty spot where the four figures had vanished.
Eventually Zi Zan spoke.
"Well... That just happened."
"You can say that again," said Sun Yunso.
He glanced at the empty street where the four figures had disappeared.
"But who were they?"
Sun Yunso paused, contemplating what he had seen.
"They had the same hair colour as Lokei, but judging from his reaction, they weren't related."
He turned to Lokei.
"So who are they?"
Lokei simply stared ahead; he did not answer but his expression told it all.
He had no clue who those people were.
Zi Zan eventually sighed.
"Let's just leave that case behind. We should be getting going anyway. We have two hours before the Heishi begins. Let's make light work."
Everyone agreed and the group began to make their way out of the estate. As they ran through the streets, Lokei remained deep in thought. He couldn't shake off the feeling of what had just happened.
Who exactly were those people? They couldn't have been any distant cousins. If they were, he would have known about it.
'So who could they be? And why did they have the same hair colour as I?'
Elsewhere, far away from the Yoshe estate, Saikichi stood in a large storehouse. Row upon row of different items were displayed around the room, all prepared for the upcoming auction. Saikichi let out a sigh as he admired the items.
"I'm still tired from the Ten Family Meeting. Even if I wasn't the one fighting, just feeling that man's pressure almost took the life out of me. I don't even know how the hell I contained myself."
He slowly walked past the various items, admiring them one by one.
"Well, that doesn't matter anymore. Today is the day I make money again. A huge amount of money. Enough to keep the Yoshe Clan going for years to come."
Saikichi continued walking until he came to a particular display, his expression changed. Sitting before him was a magnificent katana.
The blade was beautifully crafted, but what immediately caught Saikichi's eye was the hilt. An upside-down cross was engraved into the design. Saikichi looked at it for a while then smiled.
"I still can't believe I managed to get this magnificent blade into my possession. The sword of the Heavenly Demoness herself. What an honour."
Saikichi chuckled.
"Although, I wonder just how much fortune this thing will bring me."
While Saikichi was still admiring the blade, four mysterious figures from the Yoshe estate suddenly arrived inside the storehouse. The four immediately bowed to him and Saikichi glanced towards them, slightly confused, but eventually realized who they were. One of the figures, a young man who appeared to be in his late teens, stepped forward and began giving his report.
"You're back I see. Did you get the information I wanted?"
"As you said, Lord Saikichi. Your son, Lokei, is working with Zi Zan. There were also three others. One female and two males. One of the males carried a sword and was able to keep up with me during the battle."
Saikichi knew instantly who the young man was referring to and a slight smile appeared on his face.
"What an interesting boy."
Saikichi glanced towards the katana in front of him and for some reason he wished he knew the boy's name, but here was the problem. He said that Su Qing was his master but the rumours he had heard over the years suggested otherwise.
Su Qing had supposedly left his old life behind after having a son. Even his life with the Wolves had been abandoned.
Could that boy really be his son? He had to know and since he was traveling with Lokei and Zi Zan, he would get his answers no matter what.
How fun would that be if Sun Yunso really is Su Qing's son, there are so many ways he could mess him up physically and mentally
Saikichi 's composure finally gave way as a broad grin spread across his face.
Today is going to be a memorable day, not only will it bring him an unbelievable income but also destruction.
…..
18:00, September 18th
The 126th Heishi began slowly and steadily. People had gathered from all corners of the world for this auction, all here willing to pay exorbitant prices for whatever the Heishi had to offer. Within mere moments the auction hall had been filled to the brim with eager customers.
Each and every one of them was here for the sole purpose of viewing the items on display and if they caught their eye, willing to spend whatever it took to own them.
Inside the auction hall, two Armada members sat side by side, waiting for the Heishi to officially kick off. One was a young male, the other a young female, the male leaning back in his chair as he released a heavy sigh.
"Man, what a pain. Why do we have to be here in the first place?"
His companion gave him a sharp look before replying.
"Cut that crap out already, you know why we're here. Don't act like you've forgotten about it or something."
The young man gave a grin in return.
"And what if I'm just playing dumb? What are you gonna do about it?"
Without another word his companion unsheathed a knife and placed it against his throat.
"Don't make me do this, or I'll really make you do this."
The grin immediately left the young man's face.
"Okay, okay! Sorry. Damn."
Without another word, his companion sheathed the knife.
"We need to get the Nishizi and save millions of lives, at least that's what our commander told us anyway. And judging by the attendance, it's gonna be extremely hard to do so, unless we take it in another way."
"I get what you mean, but I have a question about this sword that we are supposed to bid for. I know in the records it's said to be a high ranking cursed weapon, but what actually does it do?"
The young female let out a disappointed sigh, at her teammate.
"What world were you born in for you to not have a clue about anything? The Nishizi, is a sword that belonged to the Heavenly Demoness, and from the information that I was given, it's strong, not sure how strong but just strong."
"Okay, that kind of makes sense but doesn't at the same time. And here you were insulting me for not knowing anything."
"Shut up."
The young female then looked around at the packed auction hall.
"I heard that our commander should also be here as well. Why do you think so?"
"Probably because of the request of arrest that she was given. Remember the higher ups had suddenly put out an arrest and requested that the Koga Black Ops, meaning we us should take care of it. But since the other four commanders were busy, our commander gladly took the job. So that must be the reason why she might be here."
"Okay, that makes sense at least. Now we better get ready. I think it's about to start soon."
The young man gazed at the centre, ready for anything that would come.
Outside, multiple carriages were parked because of how many people came in attendance. That also included the number of guards stationed around the hall. Their simple job was to make sure that uninvited guests didn't enter the premises, at all.
So far they were doing perfectly well. And they also believed that all guests had arrived and it was time to close the gates, but that was until someone unknown came out of nowhere. They slowly walked to the gates of the auction house, taking each step slowly not wanting to rush. The guards saw the figure and immediately got confused. One of them came out and tried to confront the mystery person but had his arm sliced clean off.
The mysterious person was Sun Yunso and it looked like he wanted to destroy the Heishi.
Back inside the auction hall, Saikichi stood at the center and looked around at the packed audience, and there were many of them.
How delightful, one would say.
A smile crept up on his face and he raised his arm and said:
"Now, let the Heishi finally commence!”
High above the auction hall, one guard was on duty watching over the entrance. From the vantage point he suddenly spotted a young man, nonchalantly entering the Heishi, a sword already in his hand. The guard's eyes nearly popped out of his skull.
"Hey...!"
But before he could finish his exclamation, darkness claimed him, his head falling from view. He never knew what happened. The last thing he saw was Zi Zan, casually holding his head like a typical Bard of old Shakespearean times.
Zi Zan closed his eyes.
"Rest in peace."
Meanwhile downstairs, a few guards were on duty. Everything was going well until one guard suddenly spotted a small ink dragon flying past them. The guards turned to see the odd sight, but none of them saw the young man standing behind them, Sun Yunso, with his expression cold to the brim,.
Within seconds, Sun Yunso moved and the guards barely had time to react before they were cut down by the young assassin.
The Heishi had just begun and the first blood had been let.
Sa Wayong and Chu Runar soon entered not long after Yunso had cleared the path. They quickly followed after Yunso, the young swordsman looking to the hall in front of him.
"I've cleared the path for you, the next thing we have to do is clear the hallway to the auction hall and the store room," Sun Yunso said. Mr. Zi was already on his way to the store room with Lokei. I'm sure they will get there soon enough, that just leaves the two of you to clear the auction hall and hold off until we get there."
Sun Yunso's face was serious.
"Can I count on the two of you?"
Sa Wayong shyly nodded.
"Yeah."
Chu Runar gave a confident grin.
"Leave it to us."
Sun Yunso gave a small nod.
"Good.."
With that, the two groups split up with Sa Wayong and Chu Runar heading to the auction hall while Yunso continued on his way.
The Heishi had truly begun.
As Sun Yunso continued running down the hallway, he found himself surrounded by even more guards. Sun Yunso clicked his tongue in disappointment because he knew that this meant more blood was about to be spilled.
Normally he would not have cared, but the problem was he looked down at his attire, which was the clothes Lokei had specially picked out for him.
Sun Yunso sighed.
Staining the clothes Lokei specially picked out for him would be a bother, not to mention embarrassing.
He gave a firm grip to his sword.
"Guess I'll have to be extra careful then."
The guards took notice of him.
"Who the heck is that?!"
"Get him!"
They went after him, but it was already too late, Sun Yunso moved like a shadow among the guards, killing with ease. One by one the guards fell until the hallway was silent, the young assassin continuing on his way, his attire not a single drop of blood on it.
Good
He glanced at his sleeve.
If he had gotten his clothes stained, Lokei would have most likely berated him. In fact, ever since they were little, whenever she had gotten her clothes dirty, the sarcastic nature that always seemed to be in her was suddenly gone. From what he witnessed a few days ago with the servant when they arrived,, he was sure that whatever happened to her had taken that nature away from her.
Sun Yunso continued on further into the Heishi, vanishing into the depth of the long hallway.
Elsewhere, the four mysterious figures of the Yoshe estate had returned. This time, however, they were not attacking; instead, they were standing in front of a large door, as if defending it.
One of the younger figures gave a glance at the door.
"What exactly are we guarding this year?"
The older figure shook his head.
"I'm not entirely sure. Seems like it's something really valuable."
The young figure nodded.
"Oh. I see."
The female figure crossed her arms.
"We just have to do our job. That's all. We can't do anything else."
The fourth figure casually gave a nod.
"Figures."
Not far from them, Lokei carefully peeked out of the corner.
His eyes went from the four figures to the staircase ahead. There was a clear path from where he was to the stairs but the four figures were in the way.
Lokei swallowed.
Should he risk it? He knew he had to but ever since meeting those four, he wasn't even sure to himself that he could beat them in a fight. But he had no choice; he had to do it, or else everything would all come down.
Lokei took a deep breath, then he ran. He dashed right past the four figures. The older man immediately recognized him.
"Lokei!"
He turned and gave chase.
The other three figures looked at each other in confusion, but as soon as they saw the older man chasing Lokei, they quickly understood.
It had to be him.
"But why was Lokei here?" The younger figure asked.
The female figure's expression became serious.
"You forgot? They might be here to overtake the auction. We need to find the rest of them."
The younger male nodded but before any of them could move, Zi Zan was already behind them. His fingers were placed against the door; he gave it a glance.
"...Huh?"
He couldn't open it; for some reason, the door appeared to be locked.
The other three figures froze in shock; none of them had noticed Zi Zan appeared behind them.
How did he arrive there so fast?
Zi Zan gave them a slight sidelong glance, his line of sight turned to the door again.
The commotion that Lokei had caused allowed him enough time to slip in, so a thank you would soon be delivered to him. But first, he had to take care of these three figures who were looking at him in an extremely shocked manner; he couldn't leave them here.
If he wanted to check what was in the storehouse, he would have to deal with these three first. The three figures slowly turned to Zi Zan, all of them were silent. Zi Zan stayed perfectly still with one hand resting against the locked door. He gave them a look from the corner of his eye.
"Three against one, you guys really don't know how to be fair."
The female figure immediately stepped forward and vanished from her spot.
He blocked her strike with a golden structure that suddenly appeared from the floor.
The other two figures moved at the same time.
Zi Zan sighed.
"Alright, let's get this over with."
The floor beneath them suddenly started to shake.
Golden pillars shot up from the floor forcing the three figures to jump away.
***
Auric.
It allows Zi Zan to manipulate the earth around him and transform the minerals within it to create a brilliant golden substance and that's because the gold he created wasn't ordinary.
It was incredibly strong, allowing Zi Zan to shape the ground into massive structures, weapons, barriers and restraints, and the more earth surrounding him, the more dangerous he became.
***
One of the figures landed several meters away from Zi Zan. He calmly looked at them.
"Now then, which one of you wants to go first?"
The three figures exchanged looks before all three of them moved. They rushed at Zi Zan from different sides but Zi Zan didn't move. The ground suddenly erupted and three golden walls shot up, surrounding him and blocking their attacks. The female figure immediately jumped over one of the walls and brought her weapon down towards Zi Zan.
Zi Zan tilted his head slightly.
"Too slow."
A golden spike shot up from the floor, forcing the woman to go back as the other two figures attacked from behind.
Zi Zan turned around.
His foot tapped against the floor and a massive golden fist shot up from the ground and slammed towards them.
Both figures jumped aside.
The golden fist crashed into the wall behind them. Zi Zan looked at the damage.
"That's going to cost someone."
The female figure suddenly appeared in front of him. She swung but Zi Zan raised his arm and a golden barrier shot up instantly. The impact sent him flying backwards several steps.
"So you three aren't completely useless."
The female figure didn't reply as she attacked again. This time Zi Zan caught her weapon in between two golden plates that had formed around it. He twisted his hand, tightening the plates. The weapon became trapped. Before she could react, the ground beneath her feet opened.
Golden chains shot up, wrapping around her.
The other two figures immediately rushed towards Zi Zan.
He smiled.
"Three against one, remember?"
His fingers snapped together. The entire hallway suddenly erupted with golden structures. Pillars shot up in every direction, blocking their path and forcing the two figures apart. One tried to leap over the pillars but a golden hand shot up from the floor sending them flying back. The other tried to get around the side but Zi Zan was already there. He placed two fingers against the figure's chest.
"Got you."
A golden structure shot up behind the figure, pinning them against the wall. Within seconds, all three were restrained.
Zi Zan calmly looked between them.
"That was easier than I expected."
He turned back to the locked door. His expression changed.
"Now let's see what's so important about this place."
Zi Zan tried opening the door again but it did not budge and that was because it was locked.
How the hell could he forget something like that?
Zi Zan sighed in disappointment; he stared at the locked door with no idea of what to do next. He needed to know what's inside the store room since the item that they came for should be there but with the gorgeous door in front of him, his dream was going to be slightly impossible. Maybe the door only opens for members of the Yoshe Clan, that would make sense since this is a Yoshe hosted auction. But the problem now was that Lokei was far away; he had made a distraction for him.
Suddenly he felt a presence behind him but did not turn around. It may be one of the three figures that he had fought with recently.
His eyes shifted slightly to the three figures still lying on the ground.
Their durability is actually insane if that's the case.
Before he could think any further a flying kick came from above. Zi Zan immediately stepped aside.
The kick hit the ground where he had been standing.
Zi Zan turned around.
A masked figure stood before him, he remained completely silent.
Zi Zan glanced at him then at the three figures still lying unconscious on the ground then back at the masked stranger. His face became slightly more serious.
That's not one of them.
So who the hell was this person?
Meanwhile, Lokei continued running through the corridors with the older figure close behind him.
"Lokei! Lokei, wait!"
Lokei didn't stop as he only kept on running.
The older figure continued calling after him, but Lokei refused to slow down. Eventually, Lokei suddenly jumped onto the wall.
He pushed off it, vaulted over a railing and disappeared from sight.
The older figure stopped and looked around, confused.
"Where did he...?"
Suddenly Lokei landed behind him; he immediately spun around and launched a kick toward the older figure.
The kick connected, or at least, it should have. Without even turning around, the older figure raised his arm and blocked it.
Lokei's eyes widened; the older man hadn't even looked at him.
"...Seriously?"
The older figure finally turned around to face Lokei.
"Why were you running? We could have had a normal conversation, you know. But you had to run away like a child."
Lokei tried to pull himself free, but the older figure's grip was far too strong.
"Let go of me."
The older figure didn't budge. Lokei sighed.
'Guess I have no choice.'
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small stick he carried with him.
Seidan immediately began flowing through it. The tiny stick expanded in his hand, transforming into a full-sized staff.
Lokei tightened his grip and, without hesitation, swung it toward the older figure. The strike surprisingly connected and the older figure was sent flying down the hallway. Lokei stared at his staff.
"...That actually worked?”