West Market, Emerald Pavilion.
While trouble was brewing on Paulownia Street, Emerald Pavilion had shut its doors. The local bosses from several nearby neighborhoods had gathered under one roof to discuss a matter neither great nor small.
Last month, the Capital Prefecture had granted special approval to renovate and rebuild Dyeing Street, contracting the work out to the wealthy Pei Family of Skywater Bridge.
Dyeing Street covered a sizable area. Once redeveloped, it would have at least a hundred storefronts. From renovating the buildings and bringing in merchants to maintaining the street afterward, it all meant gleaming silver.
Second Master Cheng-Cheng Bao of West Market-held considerable seniority in Cloud Peace City. Today, he occupied the seat of honor, discussing the matter with several bosses he knew:
"There are plenty of streets and alleys in the Capital City with nobody calling the shots. But Skywater Bridge is just a mixed-goods and book market. With those paltry connections piled up with money, they've got some nerve talking that tough. Give them a little face, and they throw it away..."
Second Master Cheng was around fifty, with a bald head, a round face, and a somewhat thuggish air. His clothes, however, were quite formal, making him look like an assistant director.
The other five men seated there were dressed much the same, but one stood out.
Yang Guan of Jiangan Wharf had nearly been beaten to death by Ye Jingtang last month. He had learned his lesson and had been behaving himself lately.
But because he had clashed with the Pei Family, making him someone who had "dealt with" them, several bosses in the city had invited him over to serve as an adviser.
Yang Guan had taken two blade wounds to his arms, and the damage to his tendons and bones had