Predictable

"What the hell do you want?" Zheng Guo said again as he looked at the youth. Though he knew he was being placed in a difficult position, he knew he didn't have a choice but to bring this child to his side. He looked over at his warrior ranked guard for any support. The man nodded back to him, apparently ready in case anything went awry. For a disciple ranked cultivator to go up against a warrior rank cultivator, it was like swatting a fly. It was significantly easier when going up against a student ranked cultivator.

Hong Zhao chuckled lightly as he got to his feet and walked to the door of his cell. "For starters, I'll take any information you gathered about last night." He said this with a light smile on his face, yet Zheng Guo's face paled slightly.

"You knew that I would gather information the moment I found out about the bodies." He clenched a fist as he stared at the child. Could this boy anticipate his reaction so easily?"

"Relax." The boy said in a soothing tone. "I could only anticipate a reaction I myself would have made were I in your position. It was of course the right move. How could you know if things were done sloppily if you did not investigate the result yourself, right?"

"I will go grab the information right now then." The city lord turned to leave when he heard the boy clear his throat.

"I wouldn't patronize me if I were you." His tone was now nothing like the youthful tone of a child. Instead, it was cold and calculating. "You went through the memory stones one by one when you placed them on your desk. After each stone was viewed, you put them in your storage ring there on your left finger." Hong Zhao pointed at the ring. "Right after viewing the stones, you walked down to the dungeon to see little old me." His voice brightened once more at the last few words.

"Who are you working with?" Zheng Guo said hysterically. "You are having someone watch me, are you?" His hands went to the bars as he yelled.

"Not at all." Hong Zhao said with a grin on his face. "You are just that predictable, that's all." His voice filled with condescension as he stared at the uncomfortable host.

Zheng Guo fidgeted with his ring for a moment. This brat was making him look as if he were a child being caught in the act of stealing candies before dinner. Never had he felt such humiliation, to be seen through so easily by a child no less. Hesitating only a moment longer, Zheng Guo took the handful of memory stones from his ring and threw them into the cell.

Hong Zhao collected each of the scattered memory stones coolly and sat in the center of his cell, putting one after another to his forehead. After ten of them, he was suddenly filled with excitement. When he looked at Zheng Guo, it was the first time his expression matched one of a child. "I will need a bath, and then I'm going out for a while." It was only then that Zheng Guo noticed the blood that was covering the boy's face and hands. It wasn't hard to believe that he had bathed in his cellmate's blood when he looked at him. The metallic scent was almost enough to make Zheng Guo nauseous.

Without saying another word, Hong Zhao flipped his hand, and a key appeared in it. He reached out of the bars of the door only inches away from Zheng Guo and fit the key in the lock. After he unlocked the door, he handed the key to a dumbfounded city lord.

"When did you steal this from the guard?" He looked at Hong Zhao accusingly. If nothing more, he should be mad at his own guard for their negligence. As he shifted his glare to the guard, he could see the man shifting uncomfortably, but he was holding out his own key in confusion.

"It wasn't me sir." The guard said with certainty. "He would never have been able to get my key. I keep it in my storage ring at all times. I'm not sure where he got that one." He looked at the key with a confused glance. "I don't think that one is any key we've ever owned."

"I like the shadow panther, don't you?" Hong Zhao said with a raised eyebrow before ascending the stairs. "Now who do I have to kill to get a bath around here? I'm covered in blood!" His cheery tone echoed up the stairs as he began to whistle.

"Shadow panther?" Zheng Guo mumbled as he watched the boy leave. When he couldn't hear him any longer, he looked down at the key. At the top of it, there was a shadow panther made of iron. It's eyes were wide, and teeth were out as if it were ready to pounce. For some reason, the key itself seemed to be a final warning. "He could pounce at any time." He said with shaky words.

He then handed the key to the guard. "Go catch up to that boy and see to it that he gets to the suite I prepared for him." The guard bowed deeply before racing up the stairs to catch Hong Zhao. "I set up that suite as a way to ensure that I have a pawn in the future," He looked down at the cell where the memory stones glistened in the torch light. "Little did I know the pawn would be giving him the suite instead." He clenched his teeth as he made his way up the stairs.