After the Rain Stops, You Will Die, Part One

Jodio studied the man's face for a long moment. At last, he gave a soft laugh, picked up his tea, and took another sip. Then he crooked a finger at the Passione member standing behind the doorway curtain.

"Bring the money," Jodio said with a snap of his fingers.

"Yes, boss." The member bowed at once and hurried out of the private room.

"I'd heard you were a generous man, Lord Jodio, and now I see your reputation is well deserved! A toast to our deal! May you soon advance from Soul Elder to Soul Ancestor!" Tong Bei said, raising his cup with a smile.

"Heh. Here's to your health. May it last forever," Jodio said, raising his cup as well.

The member was back almost as soon as he 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 was two-fifths of his operating funds.

Tong Bei gave the coins a cursory count, then pulled a thick book from his robes. Jodio flipped through it, nodded, and signaled that the deal could be completed.

Tong Bei nodded, tipped his hat in farewell, and promptly left with the two heavy cases of coins. Jodio calmly sipped his wine, but Ma Hongjun and Dai Mubai could feel the killing intent rolling off him. He made no attempt to hide it.

"Boss, that price was a rip-off," Ma Hongjun said, emerging with a dark look.

"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 threaten me and mocked me for being a Soul Elder. He must have a death wish. Hongjun, get our people on it. Find out which hotel he's staying at and clear the area." Jodio tapped the table again.

"Are we going to kill him?" Dai Mubai could not help asking.

"Little Dai, has Oscar told you about the theory of order?" Jodio asked, clasping his hands behind his back. He was not actually angry. He simply wondered whether a man who dared speak to him like that had relatives to spare. Threats and mockery were nothing new to him, but anyone who spoke to him that way had to take responsibility for it. Tong Bei could hardly blame Jodio if his whole family paid the price.

"He has. But... wasn't this a fair deal?" Dai Mubai asked, baffled.

"What are we?" Jodio paused and turned to point 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 just a man with lines I won't cross. The strong should have their own limits. That's their pride and 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 by their own principles and never betray them. Little Dai, if you want to be strong and free, you need that same resolve. That is what it means to be strong!"

"He could have raised the price, negotiated, or refused to sell. But he chose to insult me, and he was ready to snatch food from a tiger's jaws. Sorry, Little Dai, that wasn't a dig at you. My point is, he came to my turf to do business, knew I was the boss of Passione, and still spoke to me like that. Does he have lives to spare?" Jodio said, taking the dark red cloak Ma Hongjun handed him.

Jodio's speech left Dai Mubai stunned. What the hell? Was that something a leader should say? Weren't they supposed to be the good guys? He sounded like a damn villain! And why was he so violent? What kind of nine-year-old said things like that?

"But this... isn't right, is it?" Dai Mubai finally managed. He knew Tong Bei's background was shady and that the man did not seem likely to keep a secret, but Jodio had decided to kill him without a moment's hesitation.

"My heart and actions are as clear as a mirror. Everything I do is justice." Jodio glanced at Dai Mubai and walked out of the private room. The two Passione members behind him and Ma Hongjun donned similar cloaks and followed. Before leaving, Ma Hongjun tossed another cloak to Dai Mubai, apparently expecting him to join tonight's "activity" and help take care of business.

"How is any of that justice?" Dai Mubai muttered, dumbfounded.

To Jodio, it was justice.

Jodio had not forgotten why he was here. He was here to complete the Pincer Attack, damn it! He had come alone to a time ten thousand years in the past not for anyone's country 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 resort. Anything that might threaten him had to be eliminated. Compared with the countless people living ten thousand years from now, killing a few people imposed no great burden on Jodio's conscience.

It was all for the Pincer Attack. Anything that helped the Pincer Attack was justice!

That was Jodio's resolve: to act whenever he decided to act, without hesitation.

Boom!

Heavy rain came with the thunder, slowing Jodio's rapid stride slightly. He glanced back at Dai Mubai, who had caught up, then continued forward at a steady pace.

"When the rain stops, that man will die," Jodio told the others.

The rumble of thunder gave Tong Bei a bad feeling. The downpour that followed put him even more on edge. He had only just entered the hotel, but he immediately packed his bags and prepared to leave. He had no intention of lingering in Suotuo City.

Anyone who had traveled widely—or had friends who had been attacked—knew that a thunderstorm was perfect cover for revenge killings and highway robbery. As a traveling merchant, Tong Bei understood that well. The deal had been pleasant 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 outside was packing up in a rush. Most vendors were heading home and closing their stalls. No, wait. Why were even the vendors with large sun umbrellas leaving?

A terrible premonition struck Tong Bei. He suddenly remembered visiting the Spirit Hall branch shortly after arriving in Suotuo City. What had the Soul Grandmaster who received him said?

"Half of Suotuo City belongs to Suotuo. The other half belongs to Jo."

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 again and again. They did not look friendly.

"Why did it have to rain now?" Tong Bei muttered, his face twisting.

"I'd like to see what a mere Soul Elder can do to me."

To be continued.