As the setting sun cast a golden glow over the sky, rin steps outside his house from the side door. He, wearing a sky blue robe, feels the cold autumn wind hitting his body and sees many pedestrians walking on the streets already wearing warm clothes. He is a Middle-Ranking Samurai, making his body tolerance of heat and cold higher than ordinary people.
He steps onto the street, starts walking in the direction of the Paradise Tower. Along the way, he finds the governnt's workers lighting up the street lamps as the golden glow of the sun slowly disappears.
Reaching the Paradise Tower's street, the golden glow of the sun finally disappears. Yet the streets are vibrant with light from the street lamps and the welcoming glow from the buildings along the street.
Before he reaches the Paradise Tower, he stops, and he slls the scent of herbs and other dical materials. rin glances in the direction the scent is coming from and finds a dical material store. At that mont, he rembers the intent of buying the body refining powder of the Seiko family.
He makes his way toward the store, and covered the distance to the counter in two steps, and an old man smiles at him from behind the counter." Boy, what do you need?"
rin's gaze swept the shelves behind the man, noting the array of herbs and dical supplies, including so rare ones, but now he didn't co for them. " Do you have the Seiko family's body refining powder?"
The old man studied rin, clearly surprised by his youthful appearance but already a Low-Ranking Samurai." Your family must be proud at your age, you beca a Low-Ranking Samurai."
rin rely offered a faint smile, electing not to divulge his true cultivation realm as a Middle-Ranking Samurai.
The old man didn't press, continuing, " How many pouches of the body refining powder do you want?"
rin, for a mont, considers how many pouches he would need to research out the material required to make the Seiko Family's body refining powder and the answer he cannot tell and decides two for the ti being." Two. How much would they be?"
The old man stooped, pulling open a drawer. "One pouch is 40 square coins."
rin retrieved his money pouch, extracting a round coin and thirty square coins. As the old man set two pairs of pouches on the counter, rin deposited his paynt.
The old man then demonstrates lifting two pouches. He then opens it and shows him inside the pouches, one contains black powder and light green powder. " You must put the black powder in a water-filled tub and mix the light green powder in a glass of water. Then drink the water from the cup as you enter to take a dip inside the tub."
With a warning, he says," If this is your first ti, be aware: a few monts after entering the tub, you'll feel pain, and it will intensify. To get the best results, stay in the tub until the pain completely subsides."
rin acknowledged, " Thank you." He collects the four pouches. As each body refining powder's pouch consists of two, one pouch of the black powder and another of the light green powder. After the old man counted the coins and nodded his approval, rin turned to leave, hearing a final, "Co again," from the old man.
A few monts later, rin stepped inside the Paradise Tower.
A different woman from his previous visit, yet equally striking, approached to greet him. rin returned the acknowledgent. "Is there a room booked under the na Sato Ryota?" he inquired.
The woman glanced toward the Paradise Tower's reception counter, where a man and another woman were stationed. The man, acknowledging the conversation between rin and the woman, consults a register and says with his head down," First floor, room no. 06 for the night."
The man looks up toward rin and asks," Are you Mr. Matsuda Kanoru?"
rin confirms," Yes. Did Mr. Sato arrive?"
The man shakes his head and answers," No."
A thought sparked in rin's mind. He wasn't sure of Sato Ryota's motives, but he knew of his Viper Gang affiliation. They were now adversaries.
A flicker of understanding crossed rin's eyes. He wasn't sure of Sato Ryota's intentions—a genuine exchange of healing knowledge or sothing else entirely. But he knew Sato Ryota was associated with the Viper Gang, now on opposing sides.
He'd encountered enough stories of protagonists acting low-key, leading the enemies to attack, and then dealing heavy losses to the enemies. While rin doesn't see himself as a central figure in such a narrative, he knows the Viper Gang would attack him.
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If he reveals that he is an ordinary person or a Low-Ranking Samurai, the Viper Gang will surely attack him. To serve warning to other healers ddling in their business. And then, he deals heavy damage to the Viper Gang.
And revealing his samurai rank could be a deterrent. The Viper Gang boasted five Middle-Ranking Samurai under their leader, Osamu, a formidable figure just shy of the High-Ranking level. But this doesn't give them the confidence to act against rin after knowing rin's Samurai rank is the sa as theirs.
In the city, if they cannot kill rin without any commotion, and quickly, then they wouldn't be able to because of the city guard. And it is impossible to kill people in the sa rank without any commotion, except using poison. But they are already aware that rin is a healer, and their poison may not harm rin.
So, knowing rin's rank, they may not act against him, but if rin hides his rank. The chances of taking action against rin increase. And if they take action, rin would also take action against them, and the animosity between them would increase. When they find they cannot directly take revenge against rin. Then the Viper Gang may take indirect revenge again rin by attacking his family.
Without Middle-Ranking Samurai protection, his family is vulnerable to any attack from the Viper Gang. So, for his enemies not to target his family, rin has to reduce his enemies to specks of dust before they get the chance, or control the animosity between him and his enemies.
So, rin's priorities were clear. He would assist the Mori family, but not lead their charge. As the Mori family enemies are not only the Viper Gang. So, every decision rin makes from now on, he has to make extrely carefully.
The decision now is also very important in hiding his Samurai rank, leading the Viper Gang to attack him, or revealing his realm and making the Viper Gang cautious to attack him.
Deciding with a polite smile, rin asks, "Are there any rooms available on the third floor?"
"Yes," the man replies, "three rooms are empty."
"What is the cost to book a room on the third floor?" rin inquires.
"Twenty-five round coins for two hours," the man states, "but one of you must be a Middle-Ranking Samurai." In response, rin raised his open palm, his inner energy manifesting as a visible ball of light.
The man nods respectfully, "Which room would you prefer? Two, five, or six?"
"Is there any difference?" rin asks, then waves a dismissive hand before the man can answer. "Any one will do."
"Then room number two it is," the man says. "After you pay," he gestures towards the woman who had greeted rin, "she will escort you."
rin pays the fee. "When Mr. Sato arrives," he instructs, "please send him to my room."
The man nods his understanding. rin then follows the woman towards the third floor.
As rin followed the woman to his room, Ryota and Bayo arrived on Paradise Tower's street. Walking towards the entrance, Bayo, his face etched with confusion, questioned, "Hold on. You brought here to intimidate this healer, so he'd join our gang?"
Ryota sighed, a hint of impatience in his voice. "Are you being deliberately obtuse? Haven't I explained this three tis already?"
"What I can't wrap my head around," Bayo persisted, "is why you'd willingly bring in a competitor. He'll siphon resources from your share. And you yourself said he's more skilled than you. Aren't you worried about becoming irrelevant?"
"His talent lies in creating antidotes," Ryota clarified. "His other skills, I can't say. But think about all the poisons I've developed that we can't sell because we lack the corresponding cures. We need him for that."
They entered Paradise Tower, and once again, a strikingly beautiful woman greeted them. Ryota addressed the receptionist, "I have a booking under the na Sato Ryota."
The man behind the counter nodded, not needing to check the register, as rin had just gone upstairs. "Yes, Mr. Sato. And Mr. Matsuda has already arrived."
Ryota looked at the woman who greeted them. "Then take us to the room."
"Actually," the man interjected, "there's a slight issue." Ryota and Bayo exchanged a look. "What is it?" Ryota asked.
"Mr. Matsuda booked a room on the third floor and is already there. So, what are we going to the room that you booked?" the receptionist explained with a smile, oblivious to their surprise.
Bayo leaned in, whispering to Ryota, "How does he know I'm coming?" Ryota ignored him, asking the receptionist, "Is he alone?"
"Yes, he is," the man replied, then gestured to the woman. She would lead him to his room."
The woman smiled at them. Ryota returned the smile and nodded for her to lead the way. Before they followed her, Ryota says," Cancel my room."
Bayo grumbled, climbing the stairs, "Ryota, what about your plan?"
"What do you think?" Ryota retorted. "Abort it. What else can we do?"
"Then there's no need for to co along," Bayo said, stopping. "You two can just discuss healing techniques."
"Fine by ," Ryota replied. Bayo turned and headed back down the stairs while Ryota followed the woman upwards.
Crossed legs on a mat on the soft-carpeted floor, rin stared at the nu in his hand. The nu is different from the nu he viewed the previous ti. The nu contains dical diets helpful in cultivation. As there are a large number of them, rin is unable to decide what he should order.
A faint aroma of incense hung in the air, the gentle rustle of paper the sole disturbance. The calm is broken by the room's door sliding open. rin's eyes from the nu look up and sees another striking, beautiful woman wearing the Paradise Tower's uniform. But rin's eyes did not linger on the beautiful face of the woman or her other assets, but the man standing behind her catches his attention.
The woman bows to rin and steps aside as Ryota enters the room. rin, with a slight smile on his face, says," Take a seat."
Ryota, with a cautious expression, nods and starts to sit on the mat opposite rin. The woman slides the door closed, and the sound coming from outside the room fades away.
Ryota, after taking a seat, asks," Healer Kanoru, I wasn't aware you are a Middle-Ranking Samurai."
rin replies calmly with a glint in his eyes," And, I wasn't aware that you are the healer of the Viper Gang."
Then both of them stare into each other's eyes, raising the tension in the room.
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