Desire

White Crane Hall.

Yin Zhong sat in a chair near the seat of honor, his back straight. He glanced at the woman occupying the seat that had originally been his, drew a silent breath, and got down to business:

"Hall Master, there's an important matter here that needs your attention."

The woman seated in the place of honor didn't speak when she heard Yin Zhong. She merely adjusted her posture.

She looked to be around forty, with dark eyes, short hair, and long, slender brows. She wore a well-fitted white robe edged with trim.

She was none other than Xie Jun, the true Hall Master of White Crane Hall.

One of only three Wén Realm martial artists in the entire White Crane Merchant Association.

Yin Zhong continued without pause:

"Some time ago, one of our merchant association's partner organizations, the Wan Hua Association, was maliciously targeted by a certain gang and couldn't fight back. They went to our Silver Willow Pill Workshop, hoping to pay a price in exchange for protection.

"After weighing the matter, Jiang Yan, the workshop's current steward, agreed."

Wan Hua Association? Xie Jun's left hand, holding her teacup, paused as she searched her memory for information about the organization.

But she drew a blank. She had no impression of it at all.

It must be a small organization... Xie Jun promptly settled on a fairly fitting assessment of the Wan Hua Association. She had been in charge of White Crane Hall for years; she was sure she would remember any partner organization of significant size.

She didn't understand why Yin Zhong was so solemnly bringing up trouble involving such a minor organization.

But Xie Jun knew that Yin Zhong wasn't an incompetent man who talked just to hear himself speak. If he was bringing this up,