Jodio studied the man's face for a long moment. At last, he chuckled, took another sip of tea, and beckoned to the organization member standing behind the door curtain.
"Bring the money," Jodio said with a snap of his fingers.
"Yes, boss." The member bowed and hurried out of the private room.
"I'd heard Lord Jodio was a generous man, and meeting you today proves your reputation is well deserved! Here's to our deal! May you soon break through from Soul Elder to Soul Ancestor!" Tong Bei raised his cup with a broad smile.
"Ha. Here's to your health. May you stay healthy forever." Jodio raised his cup as well.
The member rushed back as quickly as he had left, carrying two heavy cases. He set them on the table and opened them for Tong Bei to inspect. Fifteen hundred gold coins was no small sum. For Jodio, it amounted to two-fifths of his operating funds.
Tong Bei gave the coins a cursory count, then pulled a thick book from inside his clothes. Jodio flipped through it, nodded, and signaled that they could complete the deal.
Tong Bei nodded, tipped his hat, and promptly left with the two large cases of coins. Jodio calmly sipped his wine, but Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai could sense the murderous intent rolling off him. He was not hiding it at all.
"Boss, that price was a rip-off," Ma Hongjun said, stepping forward with a grim expression.
"I know." Jodio nodded.
"Then..."
"He offended me and thinks he can just walk away? Dream on." Jodio rose with a cold smile.
"He dared to threaten me, then mocked me for being a Soul Elder. He must have a death wish. Hongjun, call in our people. Find out which hotel he plans to stay at and clear the area." Jodio tapped the table again.
"Are we going to kill someone?" Dai Mubai could not help asking.
"Dai, did Oscar ever tell you about the theory of order?" Jodio asked, clasping his hands behind his back. He was not particularly angry. He simply felt that if Tong Bei dared speak to him that way, he had better have plenty of relatives to spare. Jodio was used to threats and mockery, but anyone who spoke to him like that had to take responsibility for his words. Tong Bei could not blame Jodio if his whole family paid for them too.
"He did. But... wasn't this a fair deal?" Dai Mubai asked, baffled.
"What are we?" Jodio paused and pointed at himself.
"Soul Masters?"
"We're a damn organization! An underground gang!" Jodio said, giving the carriage outside the window the middle finger.
"Dai Mubai, I've never claimed to be a good person. I'm simply a man with boundaries. The strong should have boundaries of their own. That's their pride, the proof of their strength!" Jodio declared, clenching his fist.
"I do good because I want to. I don't do evil because I don't want to. I can live that way because I'm strong. The strong act according to their own boundaries and never betray them. Dai, if you want to be strong and free, you need that same resolve. That is what it means to be strong!"
"He could've raised the price, negotiated, or refused to sell. But he dared to insult me and tried to snatch food from a tiger's jaws. Sorry, Dai, that wasn't a jab at you. What I mean is, he came to my territory to do business, knew I was the boss of Passione, and still spoke to me like that. Does he have lives to spare?" Jodio took the dark red cloak Ma Hongjun handed him.
Jodio's speech left Dai Mubai stunned. What the hell? Is that something a leader should say? Aren't we the good guys? That sounded like something a villain would say! And so violent, too! What kind of nine-year-old talks like that!?
"But this... isn't right, is it?" Dai Mubai finally managed. He knew Tong Bei was shady and hardly seemed capable of keeping a secret, but they were going to kill him without another word.
"My heart and actions are clear as a mirror. Everything I do is justice." Jodio glanced at Dai Mubai and strode out of the room. Two organization members and Ma Hongjun immediately put on similar cloaks and followed. Before leaving, Ma Hongjun tossed another cloak to Dai Mubai, apparently inviting him along for tonight's "activity" to help handle official business.
"What kind of justice is that?" Dai Mubai muttered, dumbfounded.
To Jodio, it was justice.
Jodio had not forgotten why he had come here. He was here to carry out the Pincer Attack! He had traveled ten thousand years into the past alone, not for any nation or family, but to complete the temporal Pincer Attack and save the timeline ten thousand years in the future.
Being alone meant he was his own last line of defense. Anything that threatened him had to be eliminated. Compared with the countless people of Douluo ten thousand years from now, killing a few people could hardly weigh on his conscience.
Everything was for the Pincer Attack. Anything that advanced the Pincer Attack was justice!
That was Jodio's resolve: to do whatever he decided needed doing.
Boom!
Heavy rain came with a peal of thunder, slowing Jodio's brisk stride for a moment. He glanced back at Dai Mubai, who had caught up, then continued forward at a steady pace.
"After the rain stops, that man will die," Jodio told the others.
The rumble of thunder filled Tong Bei with a sudden sense of foreboding. The downpour that followed put him even more on edge. He had only just entered his hotel, but he immediately packed his luggage and prepared to leave. He had no intention of lingering in Suotuo City.
Anyone who had traveled widely—or had friends who had been murdered—knew that a thunderstorm was ideal cover for revenge killings and robberies. As a traveling merchant, Tong Bei understood that perfectly well. The deal had been cordial enough, but he could not be sure what the other party was thinking.
Tong Bei hurried into his carriage and peered through the window from behind his glasses. Everyone was hastily packing up. Most stallholders had decided to close for the day and go home. No, wait. Why are even the vendors with large parasols leaving?
A terrible premonition struck Tong Bei. He suddenly remembered something from when he had first arrived in Suotuo City. He had visited the local branch of Spirit Hall. What had the Soul Grandmaster who received him said?
"Half of Suotuo City belongs to Suo. The other half belongs to Jodio."
Cold sweat ran down Tong Bei's back. He looked toward the edge of the street and saw several people glancing up at his carriage from time to time. None of them looked friendly.
"Why did it have to rain now?" Tong Bei muttered through clenched teeth.
"Let's see what a mere Soul Elder can do to me."
Before you continue