《Syndicate》 1. Missed Appointment The bustle of the streets died as the night beckoned. A raggedly dressed teenage boy stalked the narrow alleyways. The dark was where he truly belonged, where his skills shined. It was only natural for one of his kind. His body tensed and his senses heightened as he pressed himself firmly against the wall and listened closely for the drivel of his friends with loose lips and fat wallets. As if on schedule, two drunken men, one tall and lanky and the other short and chubby, wobbled down the streets. One could easily tell that they were rich aristocrats from the way they dressed and the accessories they wore. The poor who lived around these parts would have no need to work a day more for the next few years if they could happen to possess anything of what these aristocrats currently wore. ¡°Ah, why are we stuck here in the boonies governing over these poor sobs?¡± lamented chubbier man. ¡°Someone has to do this job, not like we were born with the talent to be great heroes,¡± replied the other. Suddenly, numerous people emerged from the alleyways of the streets and brandished their weapons, if they could even be called weapons. Although they emerged menacingly enough, the majority were wielding pitchforks and other farming tools that looked as if they were shoddily glued together with rice paste. They could probably hardly harm small game, much less a fully grown human. A man holding a rusty hatchet stepped forth from the crowd. His eyes were big, but they seemed small because his head was much bigger. His eyes were wide apart, but his face was even wider. However, the man¡¯s body was flat and thin, completely disproportionate from his facial structures. If one were to describe him, he would be likened to a compressed toad. ¡°You spend your time blabbering about heroes and you can¡¯t even focus on your actual jobs; where else would you useless blockheads have any success?¡± bellowed the toad-faced man. He looked like a toad and he sounded like a toad. The boy could not help but let loose a snicker, drawing attention towards his direction. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. The boy clapped his hands over his mouth and kept silent. If he were discovered, then he could not begin to imagine the consequences. Of course, the drunken men had not taken light of the opportunity provided. As the crowd was distracted, they had sobered up and retreated a fair amount. ¡°What are you fools waiting for? After them!¡± With the toad¡¯s outburst, the crowd remembered their original objective! They hustled and ran over the toad. If the man didn''t look close enough to a smushed toad before, he just got that much closer! Of course, one could only expect so much from a ragtag group of people. With the country in such a disorderly state, ravaged from corruption and war, the people would naturally become more and more unruly. The middle to upper class citizens would usually face minor issues. However, for the lower class, resources and food were scarce and, worse of all, crime was rampant. Furthermore, as if there were nothing to lose anymore, there would be the occasional band of rebels. However, in reality, most of these rebels were outsiders that sneaked into the slums to take advantage of the current plight. Seeing the mob chase after the two men, the child''s eyes deviously shifted left and right before beginning to take liberties in "taking care" of the toad. After making sure the toad was unconscious, he searched for any valuables. However, all he found was a coin purse with a big hole at the bottom. How pitiful! Being mischievous, by the time the child was finished, the toad looked like he was one with nature, one with the road ¨C lying naked on the street with his limbs outstretched. Suddenly, as if complimenting the boy¡¯s skills, the sound of the clock tower signaled midnight as soon as he finished. However, the boy abruptly brushed off the dust off of his clothes and started running. He was late for his scheduled appointment! 2. Sleepless Night Nearing the outer boundaries of the slums, the boy stopped running and started to tippy-toe hurriedly. Although he had to slow down his pace, he was getting ever closer to his destination. Out of nowhere, he flinched as he encountered an old man dressed in rags kneeling down in front of him. ¡°Sir, I¡¯ve been waiting all this time for someone like you. You have the features to become a great hero in the future!¡± The boy smiled awkwardly. He inwardly cursed the toad for wasting his time. Time was money and he wasted valuable time for no gain. If he had left earlier, he would probably not have had to deal with this beggar. ¡°Don¡¯t go! I will suffer for revealing a Heavenly secret, but although I will suffer for this, I must simply tell you your fortune!¡± The old man mumbled in a coarse voice as he grabbed onto the boy¡¯s legs. The boy¡¯s face suddenly changed and became very serene and angelic as he reached into his clothes and pulled out a coin purse. ¡°Thank you for your efforts. Although I don¡¯t have much, please take this.¡± The boy said as he handed over the coin purse. As soon as the beggar moved his hands to grab onto the coin purse, the boy had mysteriously disappeared. The beggar smiled brightly with tears forming at the edge of his eyes. The coin purse was very light, and it was likely just nothing much. Yet, the beggar had heartfelt belief that a boy with such a generous heart would really become a great hero. As he noticed another person approaching, he kneeled back down and repeated exactly what he had just said to the boy. --- A beautiful girl nervously paced around in her bedroom. Her silk smooth cheeks were flushed red with expectation and embarrassment. The girl wore a simple dress, yet she was very attractive. She had changed from her pajamas in preparation, but her heart was still not ready. She was a simple and inexperienced maiden. Ling was in a nervous wreck. She had been contemplating very considerably about this over the past few weeks before deciding to indulge herself. Yet, she was still hesitant. This would be her first time! Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.Suddenly, Ling¡¯s heart stopped when she heard a silent tap on her door. It would be unlikely to be anyone else at this time of the night, so she figured it must be him. She froze as she thought about the things she had heard about Adrian. She had heard from one of her older, more experienced girlfriends that if Adrian would perform his best every night, then she would live a very comfortable life. However, would it be right to do such a thing? With the wealth she possessed, there would be countless other ways to indulge herself. On one end, her reputation may be tarnished. On the other hand, she found it difficult to resist the temptation as she had often fantasized about doing this before. She finally reasoned that she only have one life to live and it would be silly to be so old-fashioned. She would just try it once, and if she didn¡¯t like it, then she simply wouldn¡¯t do it again. Ling¡¯s voice trembled as she said, ¡°Please come in.¡± Adrian walked in and Ling closed the door quietly behind him. He was tired and his face was flushed red. His dress was not so modest as his pants were stretched by his encounter with the beggar and his thin clothing was wet from his sweat. Seeing Adrian¡¯s wild appearance ignited a strange feeling in Ling¡¯s heart. Her movement was stiff and droplets of sweat were forming on her face. Her hands felt very moist. She was trying very hard to avoid eye contact with Adrian. The room was spacious and well decorated with modest furniture. It was dimly lit with light crystals and had a faint, sweet fragrance that permeated the room. The room gave off a very relaxing feeling. The bed, that was big enough for two, was looking very alluring to Adrian. Breaking the silence, Adrian curiously asked, ¡°Is this your first time doing this sort of thing?¡± Ling averted her eyes and nodded her head. Adrian smiled precariously. Seeing Adrian¡¯s smile, Ling realized that she was the one in control. Why was she nervous? He had to satisfy all her needs tonight. Finding her confidence, she whispered firmly: ¡°Get prepared, you will not be sleeping tonight!¡± 3. The Misunderstanding Adrian woke up abruptly. His entire body felt sore. Even he did not expect to work throughout the entire night. Stretching out his arms widely, he yawned immodestly. The room had gotten very messy over the course of the night. Seeing that it was still fairly early, he started to clean up the room a little. Stirring awake from the noise, Ling snuggled against her pillow and mumbled, ¡°Five more minutes.¡± Adrian could not help but chuckle. She was such a naughty girl! She was not kidding when she said he wouldn¡¯t be sleeping tonight. This ridiculous girl had neglected her homework for the entire summer. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t regular homework for normal people! The materials were not the problem, but rather the quantity. What kind of teacher would assign so many papers to write? Despite her innocent looks, she may be far more mischievous and naughty than she seems to be. She must have angered her teacher to receive such a punishment. Moreover, seeing the homework she had to do, she may also be from a far superior household than he had previously expected. He grimaced, realizing that he should have definitely charged more. The typical student would simply learn the basics of martial arts directly with their body rather than their minds. Despite being considered fairly educated, most common martial arts instructors would rather speak with their swords than with their pens. A student¡¯s aptitude would be graded by their physical skill rather than their knowledge. Additionally, most common instructors aren¡¯t paid well enough to bother reading drivel, much less being able to read and write well. Most commoners in this day and age can read, but not write ¨C that was something almost exclusive to the noble class. This was because many people started working as soon as they were able to. That meant they had little use for reading, and usually even less use for writing. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Thinking this, Adrian frowned ruefully. The people who knew how to write well were those who were privileged or could not make a living through their physical skills. He knew very painfully how well he fit into the latter category. Shaking his head, he dispelled his depressing thoughts. He had not given up hope just yet; he would become rich one way or another. Just because his body was a little different doesn¡¯t mean that he would not amount to much in the future. He was still young. He still had a future to look forward to! Feeling better, he decided to nudge the girl awake with his hand. Once he received his payment, he could leave and finally get some rest. Ling opened her mouth and chomped down on his hand. Adrian flinched and, while it was painful, he tried his best not to make any noise. Instead, he bit down on the fist of his other hand and screamed internally. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Then, there was another knock. After two more knocks in quick succession, the door burst wide open. A tall, well-built man walked into the room. Adrian¡¯s heart shrunk as he smiled meekly. Even Adrian understood that his current predicament looked very misleading. 4. More Misunderstandings Adrian frowned as he was deep in contemplation. He didn¡¯t bother struggling when the guards came and tied him up. There was no use struggling. His biggest regret was that he was likely not going to get paid at all now. He sighed while he curled into a ball in the corner of the prison cell. Surprisingly, the interaction between the tall man and Adrian was very candid and cordial. This meant some fists were raised and many profanities were heard, but no one was actually hurt in the entire process. The tall man was supposedly Ren Fang, or as he quickly learned, ¡°Young Master Fang,¡± the fianc¨¦ of Ling Jiang. Young Ling Jiang really was from a much higher hierarchy than Adrian had previously expected. There was much significance in having a family household name. With the rise and fall of many during the wars that ravaged the country, many families rose and fell in power. With the rise of a new ruler, old families that were allied with the previous were usually demolished. The people in those families were usually excommunicated or exterminated. Those that escaped would forever lose their name in history, as the new ruler feared a possible rebellion. Ironically enough, Adrian bemused, this solution proved to be fruitless. In fact, it had the opposite effect. Some people that escaped renounced their name and lived under a false name. Some people gave up their family name to live forever in servitude. Others banded together under a new household family name and rebelled. Unfortunately, some succeeded, and some failed. Incidentally, the country currently did not even have a name that the people could stand united under. These constant uprisings with a new ruler taking over the country every few years ultimately weakened the country as a whole. Many speculate that those with the power to leave should leave immediately. It was a common belief that the surrounding nations would eventually invade. Others presumed that the monsters in the nearby wilderness were getting wilder as of late and would attack soon. There were even some that believed the country was cursed. Such thoughts had further harmed the growth of the country as many left the country, but few dared enter. However, strange occurrences have been occurring around town recently. The common folk fear that there may be a new disease spreading as many people were becoming strangely pale. It is said that once the color of their skin paled, they would become extremely unresponsive. They were extremely active during the night, but they were sluggish during the day. Adrian remembered hearing a story about a lady that was crushed under a wagon in the streets in the middle of the day. Many people thought that she had died, yet she stood back up and wandered off like nobody¡¯s business. It is said that she was extremely violent towards anyone who tried to help her. Moreover, she was reportedly especially ferocious against a group of men that tried to rob her in the middle of the night. Adrian sighed. While most people wanted to leave, all Adrian wanted to do was to live freely in the streets where he was born. However, to do that, he needed money. The only solace was that he did not have to pay rent for the jail cell that he currently resided in. It was not that he was not afraid of death, but more that he understood that he was not in any imminent threat of death. It was to his benefit that ¡°Young Master Fang¡± had reacted so predictably during their chance encounter. If Adrian were to be falsely accused, then rumors would spread like wildfire. It was a matter of playing the waiting game. However, time meant money, and he didn¡¯t have a lot of time left. Adrian lightly coughed into his hands when he suddenly heard the sound of keys fumbling against each other. Then, he heard the sound of a lock being turned. He quickly wiped his hands on the edge of his ragged old shirt, leaving a trail of red substance, and stood to attention with his back as straight as the wall behind him. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. There was an older man with graying hair standing behind the jail guard. He had an especially kind face. However, after glancing over Adrian, he frowned slightly. ¡°Boy, did my future son-in-law treat you that roughly?¡± the older man asked. Adrian shook his head and replied meekly: ¡°Master Jiang, I presume?¡± Master Jiang nodded his head slowly, as if he were in deep contemplation. Despite how kind he looked, Adrian had noticed a sudden change of expression in his eyes that sent chills down his back. Although it was a minute change, Adrian felt like it was a fierce intent to kill and it was directed at none other than him! Adrian¡¯s palms started to sweat a little bit. The fear was creeping in. Perhaps he was not as safe as he had originally presumed. He had originally heard in the streets that Master Jiang was most noble and kind, almost like an unsung hero. He was exceptionally understanding to the plights of the people and he firmly pursued justice. Adrian no longer knew if he believed in what he heard. Someone that is supposedly so kind would undoubtedly have mercy on his soul. The level of intensity in the killing glare that he had received was simply not normal. ¡°And you, dear boy?¡± asked Master Jiang. Still feeling pressured, Adrian¡¯s reply was short and to the point: ¡°Adrian, just Adrian.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Master Jiang replied solemnly. He understood the implications of having such a simple name, especially such a foreign name. Adrian licked his lips and said, ¡°This may be out of my position to speak ¨C¡° ¡°Speak and I will listen,¡± Master Jiang interrupted. His eyes met directly with Adrian¡¯s. Adrian felt that he had met his match. With all the experience he has had in the past, he could not read Master Jiang¡¯s thoughts. With the exception of the death glare he had noticed earlier, this man in front of him exuded respect and exceeding kindness. Perhaps he had imagined it? With nothing to lose, Adrian continued, ¡°Would you kindly provide me with some herbs so that I may take my medicine? Young Master Fang did not lay a finger on me; however, I have a chronic disease that I was born with. It seems that I had overexerted myself last night and need to take my medicine earlier than expected.¡± Hearing this, the guard first backed away from Adrian when he heard that Adrian had a chronic disease. Then, his mouth opened into a wide circle when Adrian finished talking. On the other hand, Master Jiang¡¯s expressions stayed the same the entire time. Somehow, seeing this scared Adrian more, yet he feared making any questionable movements. Adrian bit his tongue since he realized that he said very ambiguous things. As if the guard could read Adrian¡¯s mind, his mouth became a wider circle as he shifted his eyes between the two. ¡°I¡¯ll have Ling Ling bring it to you personally. She told me that she was especially satisfied with your performance last night. She learned a lot from you,¡± responded Master Jiang in a playful manner. Adrian was so shocked by his response that he simply smiled awkwardly. At this point, the guard¡¯s mouth could not get any wider. The guard was so confused now that it seemed as if he was having a meltdown as he shifted his eyes rapidly between the two trying to figure out what had actually transpired. 5. Medicine Adrian sat in the corner of the cell while he waited patiently. It felt as if it was a long wait, but there were no windows nearby to tell the time. Moreover, the lights were very dim and flickering every now and then, so it bothered him ceaselessly to the point where time felt like it passed slower. With nothing better to do, Adrian started to nod off slowly. Waking him up abruptly, a tied up man was tossed fiercely into the adjacent jail cell with a loud thud. He was gagged with what looked like to be a sock and his arms and legs were tied up. ¡°Darn ruffian bit me!¡± complained one guard to the other as he kicked the man. ¡°The people are getting rowdier and rowdier. I just want to lie around peacefully,¡± replied the other guard, pulling him back to make sure the man doesn¡¯t get kicked to death. The guard contorted his face and sighed, ¡°Yeah? I¡¯m feeling a bit woozy. I¡¯m going to go lay down. Keep watch for me?¡± Concerned, the other guard nodded his head and patted the other on the back and walked him back slowly, ¡°Get some rest; I¡¯m surprised our private jail is even getting so many people lately. We may have to start packing two to a cell from now on.¡± Unperturbed, Adrian tapped his fingers impatiently, wondering when he¡¯d receive his medicine. It should not have taken them this long if they were honestly trying to help. He reasoned that it would probably be easier if he just died in his cell like that. Realizing this, his face contorted and he growled with great animosity. Then, he smashed his hand on the ground, leaving a small dent. ¡°Ahem,¡± someone coughed lightly nearby. Looking up from his corner, Adrian locked eyes with Ren Fang and growled, ¡°What do you want?¡± Clearing his throat, he then opened his mouth and then closed it immediately. His eyebrows furrowed as if he was distressed. Finally, his eyebrows returned to normal and he started speaking with extreme clarity. Looking at the dent on the floor, he responded jokingly, ¡°You know, if you had resisted, we probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to lock you up. Actually, you probably could have just escaped since we can¡¯t bother expending resources on you right now.¡± ¡°If this is all you have to say, then leave. If you¡¯re not going to be helpful, then I won¡¯t bother wasting time with you,¡± Adrian snorted in reply. ¡°Well, if I were to leave, what am I going to do with all this?¡± Ren said as he tossed a bag between the cell bars. Opening the bag and seeing the ingredients for his medicine, Adrian relaxed and asked, ¡°Wasn¡¯t Ling supposed to be bringing this? And why did it take so long?¡± ¡°I guess now you feel like talking to me huh?¡± he smiled snidely. Adrian crossed his arms and reluctantly nodded his head. ¡°Well,¡± he paused to scratch his nose awkwardly and then continued: ¡°First I should probably apologize to you for earlier.¡± He bowed his head slightly, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I heard about what happened. She got you into this trouble with his mischievous attitude. In fact, I heard that you were a most impressive tutor. If you don¡¯t mind, I would like to ask you for your advice later. Of course, you will be getting paid.¡± Adrian blinked his eyes many times in quick succession in surprise. Continuing on, Ren pointed to the bag of medicine, ¡°To be succinct, Master Jiang adores his daughter, but Mistress Jiang is especially harsh. She is henceforth unconditionally grounded until further notice, and seeing that it was an opportunity for me to apologize to you, I came instead. Moreover, it is easier to silence you with money than burying you somewhere secretly, especially a man of your talent.¡± Adrian raised one eyebrow, ¡°You¡¯re surprisingly honest. However, do explain to me how is it easier? Also, talent? What talent?¡± ¡°Hmm, this isn¡¯t matters that you need to know. And please, don¡¯t try me. I¡¯m only answering your questions because I feel like it. I don¡¯t know what family you were from originally, but you seem very stupid for someone who tries to act so smart. Know your position,¡± Ren bluntly stated. Realizing that further discussion was pointless, Adrian asked one simple question, ¡°How much?¡± ¡°Room and board, three meals a day, and medicine provided whenever you need to take it,¡± he replied instantly. Adrian nodded his head vigorously without hesitation. ¡°You¡¯re not even going to ask what¡¯s the catch?¡± Ren remarked, bemused. ¡°No need, I¡¯m not very smart remember?¡± Adrian sneered. ¡°Good. Good,¡± Ren nodded, smiling gleefully, ¡°I¡¯m liking you more and more, you¡¯re learning.¡± One of the guards began unlocking the doors for Adrian to leave. The guard looked stressed as he began fumbling between all the keys. It was difficult to tell if the guard was incompetent or stupid. Annoyed, Ren asked, ¡°Where¡¯s the usual guard?¡± ¡°He¡¯s resting, sir. ¡®Cause of the busy work we¡¯ve been doing lately, our men have been getting injured here and there.¡± ¡°I see, thank you¡± Ren sighed as he dismissed the guard after the door was unlocked. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. --- Ren led Adrian to the mansion next door. The Jiang and Fang family were quite literally close to each other. Stopping before one of the many rooms inside the mansion, Ren turned to Adrian and nonchalantly said, ¡°Well, this is your room. As for formalities, you are to be my personal assistant. You know your duties; you will be ¡®helping¡¯ me with my studies. Well, I suppose this is where I leave you so that you can take your medicine. I wasn¡¯t sure if you were going to eat it all raw or something like that, so I had my servants bring you alchemy tools. Use them as you see fit.¡± Watching Ren trailing off, Adrian finally entered the room and sat down to take a breather. He realized he had to calm down and collect his thoughts. He needed some time to digest the sudden chain of events. With such little knowledge of the world beyond what he had read and the small interactions he had with others due to his obsession with his disease, he was incredibly inexperienced when dealing with people. He understood that very well, especially after being cheated of his family¡¯s inheritance, what little there was of it. No matter how stupid he admitted to being, he would not believe that everything was as simple as it seemed. Eventually realizing that he cannot comprehend their motivation without some more information, Adrian started spreading the ingredients that he was given. There was more than he had asked for! These ingredients were simple to find, but still fairly expensive in comparative worth to his life. Adrian started inspecting each ingredient, fearing the possibility that the ingredients were maliciously tampered with. Meticulously analyzing each ingredient, he deduced that the ingredients seemed completely normal. He wondered if this ¡°Young Master Fang¡± was a nicer guy than he had thought. Slowly, but surely, he measured and carefully proportioned all the herbs and materials. Mumbling to himself as he worked: ¡°Each season corresponds to an element on the main elemental wheel. Spring corresponds to wind, summer to fire, fall to earth, and finally winter to water. Since it is still summer, the months of fire, I should have less Herbs of Fire and more Herbs of Water. Following the months of fire are the months of earth, which means I should have less Herbs of Earth and more Herbs of Wind. This would equalize the elemental imbalances.¡± Adrian himself understood that he wasn¡¯t the brightest, but he had complete confidence in his carefulness. Nodding to himself that this was the correct proportion, he grounded everything into a powder and then tossed it into the cauldron with a splash of water. Turning up the heat, he started to stir. ¡°Mix, mix, swirl, mix,¡± Adrian hummed happily. These were the few things he enjoyed in life! Finally, after a while, the mixture turned into black and looked extremely gross. He turned his nose away and coughed lightly. ¡°Yup, this is the part I hate the most,¡± Adrian sighed as he scooped up the mixture and drank it while it was still warm. He had let it cool down before, in fear of burning his tongue, but it had tasted even more disgusting. This was the least disgusting way to take his medicine. If he had more talent, he would be able to utilize the furnace to turn the mixture into a pill. ¡°Soon,¡± he thought. Looking back, he had been taking his medicine biweekly for as long as he remembered because of his unique constitution. It was a strange sickness. He was told that if he cultivated, then he would not live very long. Of course, choosing between a life of hard work and a short life versus a life of freedom and a long life, one would naturally choose the latter. However, he refused to relent and his family had supported him up until their downfall. Tears started to form in his eyes as he thought about how much his family suffered trying to cure him. Cultivation pills did not grow on trees and neither were the medical expenses. Worse yet, they paid a yearly tuition to hire him a personal tutor, hoping that he would gain the knowledge he needed. Unfortunately, their efforts were ultimately fruitless. Adrian had even spent countless nights in the library trying to find more about his disease, but no one knew. Rather, no one cared ¨C they did not have the luxury to help him when they could barely help themselves. That was how cold and ruthless this nameless country had become. Worse yet, his family¡¯s business suffered greatly due the rumors about his condition being contagious. Thinking back ruefully, it was probably the work of their business rivals. How dastardly! Business eventually came to a halt. This caused his father and his mother to work tirelessly until they fell ill from the harsh conditions and eventually passed away. Remembering all this, he steeled his resolution. They were only going to use him up until he was no longer useful. He has to quickly discover his current advantages and disadvantages so that he knew what cards to play. Feeling refreshed after taking his medicine and having formulated an action plan, Adrian slowly drifted off into dreamland.