D (Dai), Full of Drive: Part One

"Hey, you two. Mind if I join you?"

After taking something from Jodio's hand, Dai Mubai walked over with a smile. He pulled out a chair and sat down without ceremony, facing Tang San and Xiao Wu.

"Are you paying?" Xiao Wu's eyes lit up, but just as she was about to agree, Tang San held out an arm to stop her. The newcomer meant trouble—or at least, that was how Tang San felt. The blond boy's soul power was far stronger than his own, and he wasn't even the strongest person there. The other blond boy, the one with the strange hairstyle, was on another level entirely. The pressure of his soul power alone made Tang San's heart tighten.

"I'm sorry, but my sister and I prefer some peace and quiet. We're not very good with crowds," Tang San replied evenly.

"Oh? Three people make a crowd? You know, if my older brother hadn't spoken up, you two wouldn't even have gotten a meal." Dai Mubai smiled, resting an elbow on the table.

"My name is Dai Mubai. I'm an officer of Passione." His smile vanished. Tang San jolted and exchanged a glance with Xiao Wu. She almost stood to summon her martial soul on instinct, but Tang San stopped her again, forcing her to stay put.

"Passione? I think I've heard of it," Tang San said calmly.

"Hmph. Say, you wouldn't happen to have seen a Soul Master who attacked one of our members, would you?" Dai Mubai planted both feet on the table and rocked back in his chair as he asked. He was curious about these two kids. How were they so strong at their age? Were they from some noble family? And how had they dared offend Passione? Even the City Lord had to work with the organization on friendly terms.

"As everyone knows, Passione is extremely hospitable. We welcome visitors the way a gambler desperate for gold welcomes a moneylender—or the way someone rescued after seven days starving in the mountains lunges for sandwiches and sausages. Suotuo City needs plenty of visitors if it's going to do business with the outside world," Dai Mubai said at length.

"But while Passione welcomes guests and is willing to maintain order so they can enjoy themselves, we don't welcome badly behaved guests. We don't welcome Soul Masters who beat people up in the street." Dai Mubai stood.

"Friend, what's your name?" he asked.

"Tang San. Tang as in the Tang family, San as in the number three." Tang San kept his guard up and answered as evenly as he could. The sleeve arrow on his wrist was ready to fire. If this guy attacked, Tang San was certain the fight would be decided within three moves.

"Suppose someone stood in front of you and insulted you in the most degrading terms imaginable. Would you kill him?" Dai Mubai asked with a smile, raising a finger as he sat on the table.

"Isn't it obvious? I'd make sure he understood the price," Tang San answered, looking up.

"Excellent! Now, what if his soul power was a higher rank than yours? Would you back down, or would you bravely defend your dignity?" Dai Mubai asked.

"Hey! You've been going on and on since you got here! We're trying to eat!" Xiao Wu slapped the table and stood up to back Tang San. She could tell this was someone looking for them, but to avoid giving themselves away, she decided to play along and pretend she knew nothing.

"Ah, sorry. But there are some things I have to clear up." Dai Mubai studied Tang San.

"I'd defend my dignity, of course. Bamboo may burn, but its joints remain. Jade may burn, but its purity remains." Tang San looked Dai Mubai in the eye as he answered.

"That's great! You're almost moving me to tears." Dai Mubai chuckled.

Huh? Whoosh!

"Then one last question! Have you two seen the person who did it or not?"

Dai Mubai's face suddenly came close, almost touching Tang San's. He stared hard at Tang San, searching for some sign. Tang San seemed calm, though. He merely returned an impassive look, then raised a hand to call for the food.

"Not a single drop of sweat," Dai Mubai said with interest.

"All right, I believe you. In any case, if you find a lead, please contact Passione. Thank you both for your cooperation, lovebirds." Dai Mubai stood, patted Tang San on the shoulder, and smiled.

"Let's go." Jodio rose at just the right moment and left, seemingly unconcerned by any of it. Dai Mubai followed with a grin. Tang San finally relaxed and gave Xiao Wu a helpless shrug. She stuck out her tongue and made a face as though she'd been frightened too.

"We'll have to watch what we say and do, Xiao Wu. We can't get into another conflict with their people," Tang San warned her seriously.

"Got it, brother. But what if they come after us?" Xiao Wu asked, stretching. She showed no sign of realizing she had been the main cause of the conflict.

"No one touches my sister. If they do, they'll be asking for death. I, Tang San, swear I'll fight them to the bitter end," he said, his voice cold and resolute.

A faint, pulsing heartbeat came from nearby, interrupting their tender moment. Tang San instinctively looked around, but saw only himself and Xiao Wu. Everyone else was some distance away. Where was that heartbeat coming from? Why did it sound so close?

Tang San listened carefully. His expression changed at once, and he opened a pocket of his backpack slowly and gently, as if he were slipping a ring onto a woman's finger.

Thump, thump, thump, thump!

A heart! It was a heart, still beating!

Tang San's face drained of color. His usual composure shattered, and his hands trembled so badly that he dropped the beating heart onto the floor. Xiao Wu's eyes went wide. She sprang upright in an instant, her Martial Soul Possession already complete.

"A heart?! When?" Tang San blurted out, cold sweat breaking over him.

"Just now. I slipped it into your backpack~ It's Rain's heart. He hasn't got long to live anyway, so I took it~ Hee-hee."

Dai Mubai had somehow appeared behind Tang San again. He gripped Tang San's shoulder with one hand, leaned close, and licked a few beads of sweat from his cheek. Then, before Xiao Wu's kick could reach him, he darted back to the restaurant entrance.

"That taste! It's the taste of a lie! Tang San-no Banana!"

"Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my."

"I said the questions were over, but now it looks like you lied." Dai Mubai's face turned cold.