As the setting sun cast a golden glow over the sky, Merin 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 government'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 smells the scent of herbs and other medical materials. Merin glances in the direction the scent is coming from and finds a medical material store. At that moment, he remembers 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?"
Merin's gaze swept the shelves behind the man, noting the array of herbs and medical supplies, including some rare ones, but now he didn't come for them. " Do you have the Seiko family's body refining powder?"
The old man studied Merin, clearly surprised by his youthful appearance but already a Low-Ranking Samurai." Your family must be proud at your age, you became a Low-Ranking Samurai."
Merin merely 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?"
Merin, for a moment, 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 time being." Two. How much would they be?"
The old man stooped, pulling open a drawer. "One pouch is 40 square coins."
Merin retrieved his money pouch, extracting a round coin and thirty square coins. As the old man set two pairs of pouches on the counter, Merin deposited his payment.
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 time, be aware: a few moments 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."
Merin 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, Merin turned to leave, hearing a final, "Come again," from the old man.
A few moments later, Merin stepped inside the Paradise Tower.
A different woman from his previous visit, yet equally striking, approached to greet him. Merin returned the acknowledgement. "Is there a room booked under the name 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 Merin 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 Merin and asks," Are you Mr. Matsuda Kanoru?"
Merin confirms," Yes. Did Mr. Sato arrive?"
The man shakes his head and answers," No."
A thought sparked in Merin'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 Merin's eyes. He wasn't sure of Sato Ryota's intentions—a genuine exchange of healing knowledge or something 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 Merin doesn't see himself as a central figure in such a narrative, he knows the Viper Gang would attack him.
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 meddling 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 Merin after knowing Merin's Samurai rank is the same as theirs.
In the city, if they cannot kill Merin 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 same rank without any commotion, except using poison. But they are already aware that Merin is a healer, and their poison may not harm Merin.
So, knowing Merin's rank, they may not act against him, but if Merin hides his rank. The chances of taking action against Merin increase. And if they take action, Merin would also take action against them, and the animosity between them would increase. When they find they cannot directly take revenge against Merin. Then the Viper Gang may take indirect revenge again Merin 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, Merin has to reduce his enemies to specks of dust before they get the chance, or control the animosity between him and his enemies.
So, Merin'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 Merin makes from now on, he has to make extremely 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, Merin 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?" Merin inquires.
"Twenty-five round coins for two hours," the man states, "but one of you must be a Middle-Ranking Samurai." In response, Merin 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?" Merin 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 Merin, "she will escort you."
Merin pays the fee. "When Mr. Sato arrives," he instructs, "please send him to my room."
The man nods his understanding. Merin then follows the woman towards the third floor.
As Merin 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 me 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 times 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 name Sato Ryota."
The man behind the counter nodded, not needing to check the register, as Merin 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 me to come along," Bayo said, stopping. "You two can just discuss healing techniques."
"Fine by me," 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, Merin stared at the menu in his hand. The menu is different from the menu he viewed the previous time. The menu contains medical diets helpful in cultivation. As there are a large number of them, Merin 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. Merin's eyes from the menu look up and sees another striking, beautiful woman wearing the Paradise Tower's uniform. But Merin'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 Merin and steps aside as Ryota enters the room. Merin, 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 Merin. 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."
Merin 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.