Gathering Information

After our meeting on the rooftop, Feng Mian, Qing Yue, Yu An Xue, and I decided that the first thing we have to do is gather information.

This was no surprise - we barely had any intelligence on our target, and our goal is to find out his identity first. This was Phase 1 of Operation: Unshackled. And yes, Feng Mian was the one that came up with that name. I had just suggested full-on assault once again (after we found out our target's identity, of course), but she was full-on against naming our plan that.

Anyway, we were currently heading to the Yu family manor, led by Yu An Xue. Why? Well - what's a better place to get information than the crime scene itself? We were hoping to ask one of the elders or perhaps any servants that might've remembered something distinctive about the man. Though this was highly unlikely, given how careful he was. Regardless, it was worth a try.

The Yu family manor was in the central part of the city, near the Coastal Metropolis. I'm not surprised - the other 3 Great Families of Shenzhen have their mansions in the area as well.

We crossed the same slums I had rescued Feng Mian from weeks ago. That seemed so far away...well, I guess a lot of things have happened lately. No gangsters or hooligans tried to stop us since Yu An Xue was with us. And besides, they couldn't beat us in a fight anyway.

Before long, we arrived at the Yu family manor. We were welcomed inside warmly by the guards, probably having been informed beforehand. I'm pretty sure Yu An Xue already told her parents that she was bringing us over, though I didn't know what excuse she used. There's no way she could tell them the truth, after all - since if she did so, she would have to also tell her parents that she had found her long-lost sister...

- A Couple Minutes Later -

...Not.

"So these are the friends you mentioned, yes?" Yu An Xue's father - the current Yu family patriarch, Yu Ao - said, inspecting Feng Mian, Qing Yue, and me in particular carefully.

Yu An Xue nodded. "They are going to help me with the investigation."

Her mother then appeared from behind her father, and traces of tears were evident. "Yu'er...you have grown so much. I'm so proud of you. You are even strong enough to get revenge for your sister now."

...Yeah. She had told them the truth, but avoided telling them the COMPLETE truth somehow. I have to admit, I'm impressed. Apparently, she had just said she was going to track down the culprit that captured her sister, and her parents didn't even ask what made her do so. They just thought she had held it in her heart all this time (which wasn't wrong, per se) and she felt she was strong enough to take on whoever that man was now.

But with this, we were free to ask questions around without using a secretive, roundabout way. I'm going to have to thank Yu An Xue for this later. But just as I was about to proceed with the plan...

"Boy...your name is Xuan Kai, correct?" Yu Ao said with a look that bordered a glare. "The one...without any magic?"

I clenched my fists. I've had enough with people looking down on me. "...Do you have a problem with that?" I said coldly, returning him a far harsher glare than his own.

Yu Ao seemed surprised at the killing intent behind my look, and averted his gaze quickly. "Hmph," he snorted, but left it at that.

Yu An Xue, sensing the tension, quickly thought up a way to disperse it. "A-Ahem...well. We'll be going, then - to the elders' hall."

"Alright. I will ensure they do everything they can to assist you...your sister is also my daughter, after all," Yu Ao replied while his wife cried uncontrollably behind him.

----------------------

"S-Sorry about earlier..." Yu An Xue stammered, clearly embarrassed for her father.

She had sent Qing Yue to grab some sweets from the cooks so the two of us could be alone, and being the smart girl Qing Yue is, she dragged along Feng Mian as well.

"...Whatever," I replied indifferently. I don't care who he is, if he looks down on me for not having magic, then he has to die. But...he isn't exactly a bad person. Just an ignorant one. And besides, I don't want to hurt my...friends? Can I call Yu An Xue my friend? I don't know. We are alike in more ways than one, it seems. The definition of friend...I'm just as confused about that as she is.

"M-My father, he...he hasn't seen your duel, most likely."

I perked up. "So you did?"

She nodded. "I was...undercover, but yes."

"I've always wondered this...but what made you pay so much attention to a nobody like me?"

"I-I wasn't paying attention to you particularly...just...we have a lot in common," she averted her gaze and spoke quietly.

Well, I mean, that was true. We were both lonely deep down, and distant to people. Others tried to get close to her, but she rejected them. As for me, no one wanted to get close to me in the first place.

"...I see. Now that I think about it, we really do, huh?" I replied.

But it was at that moment that Feng Mian and Qing Yue returned from getting their food, and so we began heading to the elders' hall.

As we walked through the Yu family's property, I couldn't help but muse at just how big their residency was. While the Xuan family's was bigger, I normally never went to explore it to avoid attracting attention and trouble to both myself and my parents. So this is the first time I was actually walking through a vicinity this big.

The pathways were all lined with walls made of green bushes, and converged at a beautiful fountain in the middle of it all. If you looked at the entire system from above, it would probably be considered a maze, though nothing too complicated.

Flowers were everywhere. This looked almost like a royal palace garden. If I had to guess, it would be that Yu An Xue's mother really loves flowers. All sorts of different species were planted around, from roses to daisies. Yu An Xue, having lived in this royal palace all her life, showed no signs of being impressed at all or even proud at how well-managed her home is. Feng Mian, Qing Yue, and I, however, all gawked at the majestic scenery painted around us.

Before long, we arrived at a massive white building that closely resembled the Administrative Campus of our school. We knew this was the place, since there was a large sign saying 'Elders' Hall' plastered above the doorway, in a neatly decorated fashion.

Yu An Xue pushed open the door and the four of us all went inside. What was waiting for us was a polished atmosphere that was just as grand as I expected, considering how the exterior looked. It was in no way inferior to the principal's office at Shenzhen Magic High School. A servant girl soon greeted us and led us upstairs, where another double door was waiting. The girl retreated as soon as she had done her job, and Yu An Xue knocked on the door.

"Come in," an old yet haughty voice said in response.

Having being granted permission to enter, we pushed open the door and headed in. Inside was a large elliptic white table, along with twelve elders sitting around it. 4 seats were placed opposite to what looked like the head elder, wearing the grandest clothes and had an aura of superiority. No doubt, he was the one that had answered our knocking.

"Take a seat," the head elder said, motioning at the 4 seats opposite from him.

The four of us complied, and the moment we sat down, Yu An Xue cut to the chase.

"Greetings, head elder," she began politely, despite this being the same man who had agreed to give her away years ago - even if it was to save the family. "I trust you know why we are here today."

The head elder sighed and rubbed his forehead as if relieving a headache. "Yes...to uncover the incident regarding your sister, correct?"

Yu An Xue nodded in return. The rest of us stayed silent, as we were in someone else's backyard right now. Saying anything out of turn wouldn't do us any good. "Then that makes things easier. Let's begin."

But just as she was about to begin asking questions-

"Just hold on a minute..." the head elder interrupted in an clearly irritated tone, not trying to hide his annoyance with us at all. Yu An Xue and I picked up on this detail and narrowed our eyes in suspicion as the other two piqued in curiosity. After a short pause, he continued.

"...Just what do you hope to achieve, by digging up matters of the past?"