Feng Xiao was sipping some orange juice in a dirty tavern inside Bluewind City, his refined clothes catching the attention of the occasional guests who liked to drink early in the morning.
Why is the chosen one not talking to me?
He put down his juice, a look of discomfort crossing his face.
If he does not talk to me, how can I talk to him? Also, what is the matter with the gift part? Why would I receive gifts from strangers?
He ran his fingers through his hair, ruining the perfect hairstyle that Marta had spent hours doing. As he tried to justify Marta's recommendations, he instinctively started squinting his eyes, trying his best to look focused. This was something that he had started doing when his father forced him to study geography. This was the art of looking focused while lost in thought.
His mind went back to this morning's events.
- That morning -
Feng Xiao was eating his breakfast while curiously eyeing the armored man in front of him. Even if he had lived in his house for a month, Long had never joined him while he ate. Usually he said some random stuff about protocol and manners and left him with Marta.
Feng Xiao caught the cookie from Marta's hand, preferring to eat it himself rather than be fed.
Yes, my servant is here. I cannot look like a child. Father always says that a master must look strong in front of others.
These were Xiao's thoughts even though the way he had acted made him look more like a gluttonous kid than a refined young master.
Long finally spoke, breaking the tense silence that had formed since he sat in front of him.
"Young master..." His tone was filled with respect. He looked away as if ashamed. "I cannot help you anymore. The patriarch spoke to me yesterday and he said that you must accomplish your quest alone."
Xiao's smile froze. Marta instantly berated her husband.
"So, you want to kick him out of our house just because 'the patriarch said so'?"
"Marta, it is not lik—" Long tried to intervene, but Marta cut him off, her voice filled with rage and indignation.
"Stop!"
It was evident she had various reasons to be angry at her husband and she was just using this occasion to vent her rage.
Feng Xiao looked at them as the conversation became one-sided, with Marta screaming while Long tried to calm her down. However, what Xiao found curious was how Long was constantly looking at Marta's belly, occasionally trying to touch it before she forcefully slapped his hand away.
Feng Xiao shook his head in disappointment.
No, Long is not the chosen one. Yes, even if he is a good bodyguard, he cannot be him...
Long was his personal bodyguard and was a kind man, but he was too rigid and cared too much about the rules. Besides this, he was too easy to push around, never daring to talk back or refuse orders.
Since his quest had started, Feng Xiao had slowly built the ideal chosen one in his mind. Just like the heroes from the fairy tales his nanny read to him before bed, the chosen one had to be strong, cunning, determined, and most importantly someone no one could order around.
He shook his head, trying his best to focus on his situation. The patriarch had ordered Long to let him continue his quest alone. His face hardened. It was his time to be brave and continue his task alone.
When the room finally calmed down, Marta's face was completely red, her heavy breathing could be faintly heard in the silent room.
Feng Xiao got up and bowed toward them.
"Thank you for your hospitality. I will do my best to continue alone."
He reached the door, only to hear Marta calling for him.
"Wait." Marta reached him and pushed a bag filled with food and money his way. "Take this."
Feng Xiao wanted to bow again, but she stopped him.
"When you go outside, you should never talk to or accept gifts from strangers, ok?"
Feng Xiao was about to complain when he felt Long's hand on his shoulder.
"What she said is very important." He smiled lovingly toward his wife. "You will never find the hero you are looking for if you talk to strangers. The patriarch said the same thing."
What Long said was obviously a lie, but Feng Xiao did not question him. Long had never lied to him.
Xiao then saluted the couple and went outside, vowing to himself to never speak to or accept gifts from strangers when out on his quest.
-Tavern-
That brought him to his current problem.
But why? How can I approach the chosen one if I can't talk to him? Even if I find him, it would be useless.
He tapped his fingers anxiously on the wooden counter.
Unless… unless the chosen one tells me his name first! Then he wouldn't be a stranger anymore!
Thinking about this he glanced at the barman serving drinks behind the counter. He had managed to order some orange juice only because the barman had introduced himself before taking his order.
Is he the one I'm looking for?
He spent a few seconds thinking about it, then discarded the idea. The chosen one he was looking for was supposed to save his family. He had to be young and strong. There was no way an old man like the barman could be the person he was looking for.
The barman looked at the child sitting at the edge of the counter with a confused look. The child had entered his pub early in the morning and ordered an orange juice. He had expected him to flee after receiving some "hints" from his clients. Yet the child didn't react to any of them, he sat there in complete silence as if speaking to others was beneath him.
A suspicious look crossed the barman's face as he gave a beer to a fat man across the counter.
"Hey Spinx do you think he's from" he leaned closer, his voice becoming barely audible. "him?"
The fat man gave him a shocked look.
"Him?" his voice was too high, attracting some strange looks from the clients.
The barman cursed him silently; their line of work was a dangerous one, they didn't want to attract unwanted attention. Spinx's face slightly reddened when he realized his rocky mistake.
He lowered his voice to a whisper.
"Mmm" He tapped his finger three times on the almost rotten counter. "let's test him one more time"
At the signal one of the patrons who was drinking beer in a corner of the bar got up and started walking towards the exit. His steps were confident but wobbly. Every onlooker would mistake him for a random drunk who was going home, easily forgetting about his existence after a few casual glances.
However when the man passed by the child he suddenly stopped and bent down to pick up something from the ground. He spoke nonchalantly, his voice low enough so only the child could hear him.
"Ops. I dropped my knife" he looked at the child "I should be more careful… could've hurt someone"
His smile became wicked as he used the blade to scratch the counter close to the kid.
"Luckily I didn't ruin the edge." he let out a low whistle "My blade is still sharp enough to cut wood."
As he spoke he made sure to keep eye contact with the child, making sure he had noticed him. Then when he felt like he did enough he left the tavern, he only had to threaten him, he didn't have to hurt him.
The barman looked in horror as the man walked out of the tavern, the child had completely ignored him.
He served another beer to Spinx, a worried look was starting to appear on his face.
"What do you think?" he whispered, glancing at the boy, who had begun tapping rhythmically on the counter.
He wanted to add more but what he saw shocked him. A chill ran down his spine.
The kid was tapping his fingers on the counter perfectly mimicking Spinx's signal. Besides this he was staring at them!
A few beads of sweat started forming on his forehead; the kid wasn't unaware of their moves, he simply didn't care about them.
The barman shot a knowing look at Spinx who instantly nodded. If they wanted to know the truth they could only see if the child knew the code.
They approached him.
Spinx was the first to speak, his tone amicable yet stumbling like a common drunkard.
"Hey.. I'm Spinx" he let his words hang in the air "kiddo what are you doing here?"
The kid looked at him, his face beaming with happiness.
"I'm looking for chosen ones"
The barman silently cursed.
Chosen ones? He is really here for the merch?
He sighed. He didn't want to believe it but the signs were undeniable. That man had really sent a child for this kind of job. He quickly drew a figure on the table signaling Spinx to continue.
Spinx talked again, even if he was sober his drunkard imitation was perfect.
"Kiddo, I know you are new around here but if you want information you don't talk to random drunkards you ask the barman" he pointed at the old man "Got it?"
"Really?" the child turned his big eyes, fixating on the old man across the counter.
The barman put on a serious expression. It was time to ask for the code.
"Yes, but information isn't something you give to everyone, you have to answer one of my questions before you can get what you want."
He looked at the excited child, feeling resigned, then he whispered the pre-established question.
"I always put a secret ingredient in my beer to give it a special taste what is it?"
This was the question the client had chosen. It was normal enough to not catch attention but they had decided a specific answer that was impossible to guess.
The child didn't hesitate and responded immediately, his expression similar to that of a student who confidently answers his teacher's questions.
"I know this, my father always says that drinks taste best when you add some fruits from the North!"
The barman's face darkened, the only fruit that came from the north were pomegranates. The child had answered correctly.
He tightened his grip on the counter while trying to hide his annoyance. He had spent the entire morning waiting for a contact, thinking something had gone wrong. But no!
That fucker sent his own child for the merch!?
His mind short-circuited. Naturally he knew he was working with a bunch of scumbags and cruel people but sending your own son to decide where to deliver the merch? That bordered on madness.
A thought suddenly hit him.
Wait. Should I let him check the merch quality?
Usually he let the contact personally test and examine the goods. Sometimes even gifting the contact some extra pieces to leave a good impression. But this time the contact was a child, he doubted he had that kind of interest.
This wouldn't be a problem for normal clients. However, this was the son of that person, he couldn't let go of this opportunity. The man had paid a fortune for the goods, he had to leave a good impression if he wanted to have some repeat business.
The barman was still thinking on how to handle the situation when Spinx asked the fateful question.
"Do you want to check the chosen ones that we have here?"
The child didn't hesitate, directly refusing Spinx's proposal.
The barman breathed a sigh of relief; luckily this kid wasn't interested in the goods even if his father was a deranged and cruel man the kid didn't have enough time to pick up some bad habits. It was still too early for that.
He shot an angry glare at Spinx, then turned back to the child. He already knew another way to leave a good impression.
"Wanna have lunch?"
Spinx gave him a strange look, but he ignored it. He considered himself a master of public relations and what is the best way to leave a good impression on a kid? Naturally it's with good food!
Feng Xiao's face brightened however he forced himself to ask more questions about the chosen ones.
"Yes, but I need to know where I can find the chosen ones"
The barman didn't mind, food was just a way to leave a good impression, his main objective was still delivering the goods.
"It depends where you want to find them"
The child looked at him with wide eyes.
"Wait can I choose?"
"Yes, but it depends on what your father thinks"
There was a small pause before the child spoke again. The barman nodded to himself. Everything was fine now. He had calmed down and was completely at ease. Even if his father was a dangerous criminal, a kid was still a kid. Actually he felt it was better this way. This kid lacked the aggressive and arrogant behaviour that the other contacts had.
Feng Xiao looked at him, seemingly remembering something.
"East, father always says that a lot of heroes live in the East, like the ones in the place full of Roses"
The barman nodded to himself, with his knowledge of the city he could easily interpret Feng Xiao's exclamation. The East clearly referred to the Eastern district where most of the city's brothels were located; meanwhile the place full of Roses was the "Rose Palace" a brothel specially built to cater to high-ranking individuals.
Considering the bright and lawful reputation of the "Rose Palace" owner he didn't expect him to be involved with his client but he didn't think too much of it. Delving too deeply in others' secrets was dangerous, he only had to deliver the merch, nothing else.
He smiled again. This was going to be the biggest sale of the year. He was going to make a fortune when the merch was delivered.
He wholeheartedly cooked a plate of chicken wings and potatoes for Feng Xiao, even making sure not to use too many spices so he would not overwhelm the delicate taste children usually had. Then he handed the plate to him with the warmest smile he could manage.
"Eat, and go East. I am sure you will find plenty of chosen ones as you travel there."
Later...
Feng Xiao leisurely walked toward the Eastern district, his face beaming with happiness.
Finally I can find the one I am looking for and go back home!
He still had some doubts about the barman and the friendly fat man beside him. For example, how did they know where he could find chosen ones? Were they also searching for them? But he did not think about it too deeply. Since his father wanted him to find a hero that could save his family, would it not be normal for others to look for a similar person too?
He briefly stopped at the entrance of the Eastern district. The start of the Eastern district was marked by a huge stone gate. Two words were engraved in the smooth stone.
"Red Light"
"Wow." He let out a murmur in admiration.
The district consisted of a single wide road. Brothels occupied the entirety of it, leaving only small narrow roads leading to small bars and other hidden facilities where shady dealings constantly took place.
Feng Xiao entered the district, his eyes constantly scanning his surroundings, searching for someone who matched his idea of a hero. The main road was filled with people of every kind: rich, poor, tall, short, fat, making it look like someone had taken the entirety of the city and thrown it onto a single road.
However, no matter how hard he looked, Feng Xiao could not find anyone who fit his idea of a chosen one. It was not that his standards were strict, but whenever he found someone who seemed to match them, they either ignored him or shooed him away.
Naturally, this kind of person could not be the chosen one that his father wanted him to find.
Unknowingly, after two hours of constantly walking and being ignored or dismissed by potential candidates, Feng Xiao arrived at the Eastern gate of the city.
Dissapointed, he looked toward the outside of the city. There the city guards constantly stopped travelers and caravans that wanted to enter, occasionally inspecting their cargo and asking questions about their origins.
"Maybe I misunderstood them?" He started thinking back to the barman's words.
A guard approached him.
"Hey, this is not a place for kids." His voice sounded bored. "Are you lost? Do you need someone to accompany you home?"
Feng Xiao looked at him, then gave him his family emblem. This was something his father had given him a long time ago in case he got lost or needed to identify himself.
"Sir, do you know the place full of roses?"
He had been thinking back to his conversation with Spinx and the barman. The only part that seemed out of place regarded the place full of roses. They had told him to choose a place, and only after he chose they told him to go east. If they knew where he could find the hero his family wanted, why force him to choose a place?
The guard returned the identification token.
"The place full of roses?" Unlike the others, this guard had traveled the entire contined during his youth. "You mean the Rose Kingdom? That's a nation in the East."
He frowned. "But that place is far from here. A child from a noble family like you shouldn't travel alone." The guard paused for a second. "Come, I will take you back to your home."
Feng Xiao stopped him just as he reached for his hand.
"No. I have to go alone. It is my father's order."
Without waiting for a reply, Feng Xiao bypassed the guard and walked through the Eastern Gate of Bluewind. He did not mind the surrounding guards' strange looks. Now he knew where he needed to go.
Nothing could stop him now.
After thinking it through, Feng Xiao believed all of this was his father's plan. Long had forced him to walk alone because Feng Haoran ordered him. Marta's recommendations were also from his father. This had unknowingly led him to not interact with anyone in the tavern. Anyone except Spinx and the barman, who then told him to go east after he mentioned his father's words.
It all made complete sense.
Feng Xiao smiled as he walked on the unpaved road outside the city. His real journey had finally begun.
In the following days, two major news stories struck Bluewind like a storm.
The first concerned the youngest son of the Feng family, who had left the city alone without aides or guards.
The second reported that a gang of human traffickers had delivered their captives to the wrong location, which resulted in the arrest of one of the largest crime associations in Bluewind City.