A Rainy Night Calls for Fists

By the time Bai Jin returned to Suotuo City, night had fallen completely, and rain poured down in sheets.

Raindrops hammered the eaves in a dense drumbeat, as though the whole world lay beneath a clamorous curtain of rain. The damp scent of earth filled the air, mingling with faint tavern noise from distant streets. At night, the modest city felt unusually loud and strangely lonely.

The lights of Shrek Academy were still on, their yellow glow warm against the rainy night. Bai Jin did not hurry inside. He stood at the gate and quietly watched the figure on the training ground.

Tang San stood alone in the downpour, soaked through. Blue Silver Grass spread silently from his palm like nimble tentacles, twisting gently in the rain before withdrawing one strand at a time. He repeated the motion slowly, with an almost stubborn focus. Rain ran down his forehead, but his eyes stayed wide, as though he meant to commit every tiny change to memory.

Bai Jin stood at the gate for a while without disturbing him.

Tang San soon sensed his presence. He turned and bowed, his voice calm and clear through the rain.

"Senior."

"Still training this late?" Bai Jin walked closer, his voice carrying its usual lazy drawl.

"Couldn't sleep."

"Where's Xiao Wu?"

"She's asleep."

Bai Jin nodded. Without another word, he stepped into the rain. Strangely, when the dense drops came within three inches of him, they seemed to strike an invisible barrier. They slowed, veered around his body, and fell. Small puddles soon gathered on the ground, but not a single drop dampened his clothes.

Tang San watched in silence. This was not the first time he had seen Bai Jin wield power beyond common sense, but each time, he could not help thinking: This really made no sense. A Seven-Ring Soul Sage's strength was already beyond what children like them could easily fathom. Bai Jin's Soul Ring Configuration and fighting style made him more unfathomable still.

They stood in the rain without speaking. Its steady roar filled the silence, a natural barrier that shut out the clamor beyond.

"What do you want to ask?" Bai Jin said at last, as casually as if they were chatting at home.

Tang San was quiet for a moment, seeming to choose his words. "Why are you teaching us, Senior?"

"Sect Master Ning is paying me." Bai Jin answered at once.

Tang San raised his head and looked straight at him. His eyes were strikingly clear in the rainy night. He neither looked away nor tried to hide his doubt.

Bai Jin smiled under his gaze. "Don't believe me?"

"Not entirely."

"Then you're smart." Bai Jin seemed pleased with the answer, and his smile deepened.

Rain continued to beat down. Bai Jin took a piece of candy from his clothes but did not unwrap it, turning it between his fingers instead. Its wrapper caught a faint glimmer of light.

"Someone wants to kill you," he said suddenly, as matter-of-factly as if he were discussing the weather.

Tang San's gaze sharpened at once. His body tensed slightly, but he neither cried out nor panicked. He merely turned by instinct toward the dormitory. Its windows were shut. Xiao Wu should already be fast asleep.

Bai Jin caught the tiny movement, and something stirred in him.

"Don't worry. It isn't her turn yet," Bai Jin offered, though it was hardly reassuring.

"Who is it?" Tang San asked quietly.

"Don't know yet." Bai Jin shook his head. "Why do they want you dead? Maybe because of your father. Maybe because of your Martial Soul. Or maybe some people just like to nip trouble in the bud before it has a chance to grow. The world doesn't always give you a reason."

Tang San did not press him. He knew Bai Jin was telling the truth. In this world, not every mystery could be solved at once. Some answers only time could reveal.

"Are you afraid?" Bai Jin asked suddenly.

Tang San looked up at him. "I am."

The blunt answer surprised Bai Jin. He had expected this child, who was always far too composed, to put on a brave face or offer some empty words.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to protect Xiao Wu," Tang San continued, his voice low but firm through the rain. "Afraid I'll drag Teacher Flender into it. Afraid I'm not strong enough yet... I'm afraid of a lot of things."

He paused as rain slid from his chin. "But being afraid won't help."

Bai Jin laughed, more genuinely this time.

"That sounds like something an adult would say."

Tang San did not smile. He gazed into the darkness, his eyes holding far more than someone his age should have carried.

"I just know I can't back down when danger comes."

An image rose unbidden in his mind: Tang Hao's back as he left Holy Soul Village. Tang San had been young then, but he had already begun to understand that when someone turned and left, it did not always mean they no longer wanted you. Sometimes there was a road they had no choice but to face. He still had no wish to taste the pain of being left behind a second time.

That was why he wanted Xiao Wu, his teachers, and his companions to face danger alone even less. Even if he was nowhere near strong enough yet.

"Wrong," Bai Jin said suddenly.

Tang San froze.

"If you can retreat, retreat. If you can run, run. Stay alive, and you'll have another chance. But sometimes there are people behind you who can't retreat. Then don't." Bai Jin unwrapped the candy and held it out. "Here. Have one."

Tang San did not take it.

Bai Jin raised an eyebrow. "Afraid it's poisoned?"

"I'm not used to sweets." Tang San shook his head.

"Did you even have a childhood?" Bai Jin teased, then popped the candy into his own mouth.

Just then, a faint whistle cut through the air in the distance, almost completely drowned out by the rain.

Tang San's pupils contracted. He dodged sideways almost by instinct, while Blue Silver Grass whipped from his palm like a living thing toward Bai Jin's side.

A pitch-black iron needle pierced the curtain of rain with a sharp whine, only to stop dead three inches from Bai Jin's brow. It hung there as though an invisible hand had seized it, unable to advance another fraction.

Bai Jin looked down at the needle. Dark red poison coated its tip, looking particularly sinister in the rain.

"How considerate. They even used poison." His tone was light.

Tang San's expression darkened completely. He knew this method of assassination well: hiding in the rain and using its noise for cover. He appeared to be the target, but the attack seemed more like a test of Bai Jin's reactions and limits.

Beyond the courtyard wall, a blurred figure appeared, turned, and fled. The figure moved so quickly that it was about to vanish into the night in the blink of an eye.

Bai Jin did not move. He merely turned to Tang San.

"Go."

Tang San stared. "Me?"

"Yes."

"You're not going, Senior?"

"If I went, he wouldn't even get the chance to run." Bai Jin's voice was calm, but it left no room for argument. "This is your lesson."

Tang San understood. This was no simple pursuit. It was a real combat lesson. He drew a deep breath. Though the cold damp air filled his lungs, he forced himself to stay calm, pushed off hard, and plunged into the vast curtain of rain.

At some point, Xiao Wu had opened her dormitory window. Rain struck her face as she prepared to jump out after him, but Bai Jin raised a hand to stop her.

"You stay."

"Why should I?" Xiao Wu demanded, anxiety plain in her voice.

"Because tonight's lesson is his." Bai Jin still sounded relaxed, but he would not negotiate.

Xiao Wu gritted her teeth. "What if he gets hurt?"

Bai Jin looked at her. Rain ran down his eyepatch, but his voice was gentle. "Do you think he wants you to protect him forever?"

Xiao Wu stood frozen, one hand still gripping the window frame. For a moment, she could find no words.

In the distance, Tang San had chased the assassin into a narrow alley.

Rain streamed from the tiled eaves. There were no lights in the alley, and darkness filled it. Only the rain and the occasional splash broke the silence. The assassin moved fast, skimming along the walls in an uncanny way, like a black snake gliding through the dark. He changed direction several times, trying to shake his pursuer.

Tang San did not use Hidden Weapons at once. First, he sent out Blue Silver Grass to silently seal the alley entrance. At the same time, he calculated where the assassin would land, trying to drive him into a dead end.

The assassin gave a cold laugh. His short blade flashed, neatly severing several strands of Blue Silver Grass, and he flicked three poisoned needles back at Tang San. They traced fine paths through the rain, aimed straight at his vital points.

Tang San dodged sideways, his gaze turning icy.

This was no ordinary assassin. At the very least, he knew something about Blue Silver Grass and how to force Tang San to reveal more of his hand.

For an instant, the rain seemed to stand still.

It had not stopped. Bai Jin had appeared silently at the mouth of the alley.

He did not intervene. He simply stood there and spoke.

"Tang San."

Tang San did not look back. His attention remained fixed on the assassin.

"Stop trying to win beautifully."

A chill shot through the assassin at those words. Instinctively, he tried to flee faster.

Tang San's hand was already raised. Several ordinary little stones flew from his fingers. No dazzling Soul Skill empowered them, only the simplest throwing technique. Yet their angles were vicious, cutting off the assassin's three main escape routes.

Blue Silver Grass followed, winding around him.

The assassin struggled desperately. His short blade severed one strand, but a second bound his wrist tight. The instant his movement faltered, Tang San lunged forward and drove a plain, hard punch into his stomach.

Thud!

The dull impact rang through the rainy night. The assassin's knees buckled. He dropped to the ground, vomited a mouthful of sour fluid, and curled up in pain.

Behind him, Bai Jin clapped softly.

"Good."

Only then did Tang San turn to him, rain blurring his vision. "Didn't you say not to win beautifully, Senior?"

"That's why I told you to use your fist." Bai Jin came over and crouched, pulling a blood-red badge from the assassin's sleeve. A blurred, savage ghost face was engraved on it.

Luo Wenshan arrived from farther down the alley, his expression grim.

"The Ghost Face Society."

"An Evil Soul Master organization?" Tang San asked.

"Yes. They've been active around the border these past few years, targeting young Soul Masters. Their methods are brutal." Luo Wenshan took the badge, his voice low.

Bai Jin tossed the badge to him. "Find out everything."

"Yes."

Tang San looked at the assassin still struggling on the ground. Rain had soaked his own hair and clothes, leaving him somewhat bedraggled, but there was a real toughness about him now.

Bai Jin suddenly reached out and patted his shoulder. The touch was light, but it carried encouragement.

"You did well just now."

Tang San pressed his lips together. "I still have a long way to go."

"If you know that, there's hope for you yet." Bai Jin smiled and turned back the way they had come. "Extra training tomorrow."

Tang San: "..."

Outside the alley, Xiao Wu stood in the rain beneath an umbrella. The moment she saw Tang San return safely, she rushed over and held it above his head.

"Are you all right? Are you hurt?" Worry rang clear in her voice as her hands searched him haphazardly for injuries.

"I'm fine," Tang San reassured her softly, gently taking her hand.

A short distance away, Bai Jin watched them, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

These kids were still young, after all. They got scared. They worried. They charged into rainy nights for other people without a second thought. Young people like them might end up battered and bleeding, but that was precisely why their possibilities were endless.

The rain kept falling, but somehow, the night no longer felt so cold.