“You’re going alone, Alex. Keep us updated, and take notes on everything. If this really is a potential Alternate encounter, don’t take any chances and call in the cavalry. If not, leave and don’t look back. Understand?”


    In terms of worst-case scenarios, I compiled a short mental list: going outside and forgetting to wear pants, getting my bank account hacked and losing all my savings, and having to meet the son of a former Zenith General. Alone. No back-up due to blackmail. It was a common strategy in the Jianghu; probably was one of the better shitty things you could do.


    If Jin Tianyou was anything like his father, Jin Junjie, then he’d gladly start yapping. We couldn’t call his bluff, then, so that meant a lovely morning drive outside city walls, with no one but the radio keeping me company.


    Normally, someone like Jin Tianyou would live in Starry Heights—the Beverly Hills of Ordo, so-to-speak. Almost every elite sword and their families lived there, including Seraph and Rector. However, the Jins thought otherwise. Of course they did, because they saw themselves as superior to the urban filth wasting away inside the city.


    The Jin Family Manor was its own special place. It was a quaint, court-styled complex built on top of a hill, bringing traditional sect architecture to the Sovereign Peninsula. Resembled a TV set from a historical C-drama, if I hadn’t noticed high-tech cameras and an iron gate surrounding the high-walls. You’d see that a lot in the Jianghu''s older structures: their architecture was a strange mesh of history and modern technology. These days, newer sects—newer buildings in general—leaned toward function more than aesthetic. Much to the dismay of the Court’s Standards of Architecture, of course.


    It didn’t matter here. The Manor was isolated, out-of-place, constructed for exclusion and exclusion only. You could admire the Manor, but not up close or else you’d be chased away. The proper place was down below, where you had to crane your head upwards and see the magnificent walls and a little sliver of the slanted roof-tiling.


    The Manor was a testament to Jin Junjie’s hypocritical arrogance. He abhorred urbanites, yet founded Martials Guild within the urban and westernized heart of the Slayer Capital. He was among the elites, yet lived far away in his own special hut. The most successful and pathetic cultivator in Ordoian history, I think.


    But this man had been a Zenith General once upon a time. No matter my opinions, this was still one of the most dangerous places in Ordo.


    “Identify yourself,” said the robotic voice at the front gates.


    “Conqueror,” I answered. “Vice Guild Master Jin Tianyou is expecting me.”


    “Please wait.” Cue annoying music. It lasted for a few seconds before the voice cut back on. “Welcome, Conqueror. Follow the road and park your vehicle in any of the available spaces. Afterwards, walk down the eastern path and through the main gate. As you enter the grand courtyard, you will find Master Jin. Thank you.”


    The gates automatically opened. Here we go. Yet another once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in my hands.


    I drove for a slow twenty seconds, taking my time to observe the surroundings. I thought I’d find curious maids and servants poking their heads through doorways and windows, but there was no one. Heard nothing but singing birds and whistling wind. The parking lot was empty. I parked and slammed the door loudly, and all I did was startle nearby squirrels. The morning was dead and lifeless here, feeling straight out of a horror movie.


    The Manor was exclusive, yeah, but you needed a sizable staff to maintain the property—so where the hell was everyone?


    I don’t like this.


    Dammit, not like I could turn back now.


    I found the “eastern path” as mentioned; a few lonely steps later, I was facing two massive red doors about twice my height. Dragons danced through the wood, their scales glittering with gold leaves, daring me to enter. I didn’t want to. Just about every muscle in my body told me to fold. Give up. Nothing good will happen if you walk through these gaudy doors.


    Unfortunately, the Manor itself made the choice for me.


    The doors opened on their own.


    “Motherfucker…” I muttered, cracking a morbid smile.


    Before me was the masterpiece of the Jin Family Manor: the grand courtyard, which was exactly how I imagined. Large, fantastical, dream-like—as though stepping inside a different world. Despite the lack of visible caretakers, the courtyard was undeniably breathtaking. Patted stones led to displays of colorful nature: a crimson tree giving shade to violets, a running spring cutting diagonally through the courtyard, and glowing flowers stealing lumens from the sunrise. Gravel satisfyingly crunched underneath my feet, the color somehow perfectly uniform. Walls surrounded me, with more of those red gates preventing access to other sections of the Manor. In front of me, rising above everything, was a lodging fit for a prideful emperor. Four stories tall, built more as a throne room than a house.


    I couldn’t gawk for long, because something else had immediately grabbed my attention: a cultivator kneeling parallel to the spring, using a flat rock to hold his tea brewing equipment. I’d seen so many pictures of him online, watched so many videos. The urban prince of Martials Guild, wielder of [Ancestral Qi]—Vice Guild Master Jin Tianyou.


    He was dressed in a fine cultivator robe, the colors and quality so pristine that you couldn’t mistake his status. Blue and white, seemingly a pure and innocent combination, yeah? I’d agree if it was anyone but him wearing them. In a city filled with high-rankers and prodigies, Jin Tianyou was a step above the rest. He was a monster. I had no rational reason to claim this—it sounded insane—but my gut was firing on all cylinders: “This man is dangerous. This man is dangerous. This man is dangerous.”


    Give him five years, give or take a few, and he’d be in the top one-hundred. Another five years, he might even rival Shui Yuan (水源).


    <Hmm…> Jin Tianyou was staring down two flaking tea-cakes. He asked in Mandarin, <What do you prefer, Conqueror? Raw or ripe pu’er?>


    I dry-swallowed and carefully made my approach, so careful that it probably looked like I was walking in a minefield. <I-I don’t drink tea. I’m more of a coffee-person.>


    <You’ll try ripe this morning, then.> He wrapped what I assumed to be the raw pu’er and set it aside. <Come, sit.>


    It wasn’t an offer. Either I indulge in his hospitality or he’ll have morning tea with Agent Dwyer and Dietrich instead. Dammit all.


    My legs buckled as I lowered myself onto the ground. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from impolitely groaning in front of him. This was the consequence of barely having any sleep to recover, all because of the living nightmare in front of me.


    Jin Tianyou had the slightest yet amused smile, an eyebrow half-raised, from watching a geriatric man in his early twenties. Most women would swoon from the attention he was giving me, but he was pretty like how a handcrafted doll was: porcelain and enigmatic. What was he thinking? What was he planning?


    He parted his smooth lips, head slightly turned. <I heard you were injured during yesterday’s breakthrough.>


    I nodded, and as though he cursed me, my muscles flared in aches. My poker-face kept the pain from bleeding through. <I haven’t fully recovered.>


    <I should’ve brought out a tea that’ll encourage healing. My apologies.> Jin Tianyou broke off a chunk of ripe pu’er and dropped it into a lidded cup. <Have you tried Chinese tea before?>


    I watched as the leaves were drenched in already-boiling water. <A few times. I went to a teahouse for one of my friend’s birthdays, but that’s the extent of it.>


    <I see.> Jin Tianyou let the leaves steep for a handful of seconds, then the infusion was filtered into a transparent pitcher. The color was wonderfully dark like light chocolate. Clear too, not a hint of debris. He poured the tea into his small cup first, then mine. He asked, <I suppose you know what to do with the first wash?>


    Chunhua lectured me once about it. I said, gingerly holding the warm cup, <I do, Guild Master Jin.>


    He did the same. <To new relations.> Then, he poured the tea into the spring.


    <To…new relations.> I did the same. My fingers gripped the ceramic hard so that my sweat wouldn’t cause a diplomatic disaster. Longest few seconds of my life. Once it was over, I mentally sighed in relief.


    The second steep was on its way, the water splattering and drowning the opened pu’er. <You have your questions. They’ll be answered in a matter of logic. The first on your mind must be: ‘Why me?’>


    I couldn’t refute his claim. All I could do was sit there like a girder, watching as he refilled my teacup. This steep was darker than the first round, and faintly, I spotted my wavering reflection. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Jin Tianyou took my silence as affirmation, holding his cup in-line with his upper-lip. <Do you recall Primordial Plaza, Conqueror? When you first spoke with Sophos?>


    Speaking with Sophos was several times less nerve-wracking than our conversation, but yeah, I did. I said, <Does this mean you were eavesdropping on our conversation, Guild Master Jin?>


    He hummed in the affirmative and sipped his tea.


    I took this time to taste the pu’er for myself. Earthy, smooth, it wasn’t bad. It partly washed down the bitterness in my mouth but it couldn’t untangle the knot in my stomach.


    <It was surprising,> he told me. <Sophos operates on her own…rationality for the lack of a better word. To approach a civilian went beyond unordinary, until that civilian was the same man who made small waves amongst the Big Four.>


    Was that why he wanted me? To check out the random asshole of the week? I hid my grimace using the cup. <I didn’t make the best impression on certain people.>


    <On the contrary, you certainly impressed me.> Jin Tianyou drank the rest of his tea, then rubbed his fingers against the smooth surface of the cup. His fingernails were one micrometer away from scratching it. His lips smacked together, loudly, like a clap of the cymbals.


    The sound echoed inside my head. My throat was suddenly dry, and downing the rest of my tea wasn’t enough to quench it. <What… What do you want with me, Guild Master Jin? Why did you pick me of all swords?>


    <It’s obvious. I want to know more about you, the enigmatic Conqueror. You, who so easily integrated into the high-rankers of Ordo. That’s why I threatened Rector: to ensure this private meeting.>


    I put my cup down, and it clanked against the wet rock. <Threats aside, you know I can’t tell you how that came to be.>


    <No, there’s no need. I already know.> Jin Tianyou, against his stoicism, betrayed a slight smirk. One that revealed a dagger-thin strip of his white teeth. He set his cup down without so much of a sound. <It’s because you’re different from the rest.>


    My mouth opened to automatically refute, but it was left hanging there. <I… I don’t think I follow.>


    Jin Tianyou gracefully rose to his feet and held his hands behind his back. He embraced the early sunrise with pride. <This is the Slayer Capital, home to the highest caliber of warriors. Prodigies study in Ordo University—something you’re familiar with—veterans flock to the Big Four in droves. This is the birthplace of the greatest hero, Kosmos. We live in a cesspool of talent, discipline, and labor. Geniuses clash with fellow geniuses, ambition sparking against ambition. At a certain point, it becomes…predictable. Overabundant. As I realize these words—genius, prodigy, savant—are uninteresting rhymes, I find myself growing less and less enthused.> Jin Tianyou faced me, now. <Until I encountered you at Primordial Plaza.>


    My heart thumped.


    <You had been a civilian then, but I saw it clearly: your promise. You inhabit an entirely different realm and you’re aware of this. Within ten years, you’ll reach the same critical acclaim as your Guild Masters. Rival them, perhaps. Triumph over them. Do you understand the reason behind your visit now, Conqueror?>


    The cultivator loomed over, the weight of his pale-blue gaze oppressing me to the core of the earth. While he maintained an unnaturally stoic expression, his eyes were wide and unmoving, completely fixated on mine. <You, like myself, will rise above the heavens, for that is our purpose in this world.>


    Like how Sophos could appraise my [Skills], Jin Tianyou had a sixth sense and saw right through me. He saw my potential, a fire ignited by the mysterious [Memento Recollection] and my uncle’s [Anti-Slayer Techniques]. Unlike him, I had no desire to “rise above the heavens.” The cultivators’ way of living was antithetical to mine, and this psychopath was the perfect representation of it.


    That wasn’t a human being looking down at me. It was a demon, a monster.


    In his eyes, my image was reflected in them.


    <Ha…> Jin Tianyou cracked a small, subdued laugh and stepped away. <I look forward to our continued meetings, and most of all, your progress. Here.>


    From his robes, he handed me a small folder.


    I reluctantly took it, my body feeling much lighter now that he backed off. <What’s this?> I asked, my voice coming out in a low hiss. I didn''t know how to take his words, so I pushed them aside in favor of the mission.


    <The file regarding the incident. As I told Rector, there has been a strange occurrence in the past couple nights. It’s why the Manor is lifeless, as I ordered the staff home.>


    Finally, we were talking about the job. I opened the file and— “Jesus Christ!”


    I nearly dropped the file in the spring. A crime scene photo flashbanged me: a close-up of a middle-aged woman, her left cheek clawed off to the point where her crooked and pink teeth were exposed.


    I sputtered, <What the hell is this?! You said this is a ‘strange occurrence!’>


    He replied flatly, <It’s strange to see a woman’s teeth through her cheek.>


    Jesus.


    I ignored his comment and flipped to the next page—and there was another photo. This time, the victim was an older male. His left forearm was ripped to shreds, and a part of his scalp was nothing more than a hairy meat-flap. Looked like his torso also sustained some wounds.


    Jin Tianyou noticed my disgust and explained, <The victims are recovering from their injuries, don’t worry. The first attack occurred the night before, then the second last night. Hours ago, actually. These incidents approximately occurred around the new day; however, there are no witnesses. Everyone who discovered the victims only saw their wounded colleagues, never the culprit. Initially, I had brushed the matter aside to prioritize my other responsibilities, but the second attack forced my hand. With the breakthrough at Angels, I suspected it may be connected to your going-ons. Thus, I’m handing this case to you.>


    <Right…> I stood, skimming through the photos and other notes he’d personally handwritten. <Where’s your father in all of this?>


    Jin Tianyou briefly paused. <In the Jianghu. He won’t be available for quite some time.>


    It wasn’t atypical of Jin Junjie considering his position; frankly, better his son than the General himself. I asked, <You haven’t checked the camera footage?>


    <I didn’t have the time. They’re yours.>


    <What about the crime scenes? I don’t know the layout of your Manor.>


    Jin Tianyou pointed behind him, toward one of the red gates. <I provided a map, but the first attack occurred in the western wing outside the Bathhouse. The second…> Then, he pointed in the completely opposite direction. <In the eastern wing, behind the Hall of Public Knowledge. You’ll spot and smell the blood before you’ll see it.>


    I didn’t know how to react to that last sentence, but alright. Reading his notes closely, he knew only the bare circumstances. Wasn’t helpful, plus I had no evidence that these attacks were committed by an Alternate. Needed to investigate further to confirm the possibility. What was more likely though? An animal or a sadist, or an Alternate? Admittedly, it was a coin-flip.


    I looked at the thick walls surrounding the Manor, then turned to the hazy clouds drifting above us.


    Jin Tianyou tilted his head slightly. <Conqueror?>


    <...I want a full detailed list of your security measures, Guild Master Jin, and files on every employee you have. That includes their contact info.>


    He let out a soft hum. <Very well. I’ll have them arranged later. As you most likely guessed, I cannot shadow you during your investigations.>


    Wasn’t surprising. With his father gone, he was technically the Acting Guild Master; and with the internationals poking around and tryouts being delayed, the logistics became fucked to put it lightly. Yet something was bugging me.


    I asked, <Are you letting me have free reign of your Manor?>


    Jin Tianyou looked toward the main gate. <No, but how coincidental. I was about to mention your companions, because they’ve just arrived.>


    As the main gate automatically opened, I expected an eager junior who’d lick Jin Tianyou’s shoes for a crumb of his attention. Instead, the woman behind the gate was the exact opposite. His attention? Praise? Didn’t need that, didn’t want that. Hell, she didn’t care enough. Because, very few people were insane enough to stroll through the front-door with a cigarette in their mouth.


    Blackviper was notorious for that: her lackadaisical attitude. She was a Head Officer but more known as Jin Tianyou’s second. Easy to see why. Past her good looks and skintight black bodysuit, those lazy electronic eyes could kill. Every part of her body could. Cybernetic arms, hidden weapons, the rifle strapped to her shoulder. Similarly to the Manor, she should only be admired from a safe distance.


    In her original Worldline, she had been an assassin after all. Now in our world, she was hunting monsters, not humans. At least, to my knowledge.


    “Boss.” Blackviper took her cig out and brushed aside her midnight hair, her ponytail swaying side-to-side. “I brought ‘em.”


    Filtering behind her were two more women.


    A forest-haired cultivator and a stupid-looking esper in streetwear.


    I nearly dropped my file again.


    Me and Chunhua locked eyes first, and her shock quickly morphed into silent, seething rage.


    <They will be your companions,> Jin Tianyou said to me. <Blackviper, Forest Master, and Uprise. As tryouts have been delayed for all guilds, I decided to administer a special test instead—>


    I whipped my head toward him. <You brought them here—?!>


    <To support and encourage you, because I expect the issue to be swiftly resolved. After all, the premise of your being here is the ignorance of our pesky internationals.> A threat. We were all in danger of being reported to Dwyer. <At midnight, then, I’ll visit my Manor again in hopes of a positive development. Do your best.>


    Event Commission: Attack on the Manor


    Pay: TBD


    Description: For the next sixteen-ish hours, I have to investigate two savage attacks at the Jin Family Manor. I’m torn between two orders: determining if the culprit was in fact an Alternate, as per Rector and Morgan; and providing a satisfying conclusion, as Jin Tianyou expects. You don’t blow off a cultivator like him, even if his father’s a disgraced Zenith General. Scorning the Marital Zenith Sect was an easy way to earn an Extermination Edict. I’m catastrophizing, obviously, but not a good idea. Sixteen hours. I need to make them count. Hopefully, the girls will cooperate.