I woke with a start, momentarily disoriented by the unfamiliar surroundings. Gone were the silk sheets and ornate canopy of my imperial bed. There was definitely no sign of any servants waiting with warmed towels and freshly brewed tea. Instead I was surrounded by rough wooden walls scented with the earthy tang of mildew in the cramped closet I now called a bedroom.

  It was all strangely exhilarating. This new life in Shuilin Haven was a complete contrast to where I had come from. For too long everything had come easily to me, there had been no challenges for me to overcome. That feeling of stagnation and the hunger for struggle was what had led to my decision to ascend.

  Having said that, the novelty of poverty would soon wear thin. While some may disagree, I was no pampered fop, but I did require a minimum standard of food, warmth and shelter. With what I had made from The Broken Mast I would fix that later today.

  I ran my fingers through my hair, wincing as they caught on tangles. My body ached from my efforts yesterday, but there was a satisfaction in the pain. Each twinge marked a tangible step towards returning to what I once was. The path ahead would be paved with more than just twinges though, and I welcomed it.

  I dressed in the new clothes I had bought yesterday. Simple cotton, nothing like the fine silks and enchanted fabrics I once wore, but clean and without patches and tears. A small pleasure, but one I savored nonetheless.

  Was I maybe a little vain about my appearance? Possibly. Appreciating fashion isn't a crime.

  Finally I strapped my new dagger around my waist and immediately felt better at being armed. I would need to find time to train to get this body to a state where it could use that dagger properly, but at least I had it.

  When I emerged from my closet, Sarei looked up from the table. Her eyes widened, and she did a double take.

  "What happened to your eye?" she demanded, rising halfway from her seat.

  I touched my face, feeling the bruises from Wen and Ghost Fist. In all honesty I had almost forgotten about them. For a brief moment I considered telling Sarei that I had got them from a pair of bouts in an illegal fighting den. Then I realized that I wasn't a total idiot. The truth wouldn't be helpful right now.

  "Fell over on the way home last night," I said with a dismissive shrug. "It's nothing."

  Her eyes narrowed, skepticism written plainly across her features, but she didn't press the issue.

  "Eat." She gestured to the table. "We don't have long if we're going to get to work on time.""

  Kaelen joined us and, together, we broke our fast with the provisions I had brought home the day before. It was just fresh bread, fruit, and a small wheel of cheese. Simple fare, but it was leagues better than the stale crusts and dried fish we had eaten for breakfast yesterday.

  Kaelen bit into a peach, juice running down his chin. His eyes widened with pleasure.

  "Never had one of these before," he said between bites.

  I watched them eat, accosted by an unexpected warmth in my chest. How long had it been since I had shared a meal with family? Real family, not courtiers and sycophants. My descendants numbered in the hundreds, perhaps thousands, but after the first few generations they had become names and resources to be traded for power and alliances. Duty and politics, not love.

  I shook my head. There was a simple pleasure in breaking bread with those who shared your life, and your home, without an agenda beyond filling your belly. It was a pleasure I had forgotten. These two weren't mine by blood, but the connection through this body was genuine in a way I hadn't experienced in centuries.

  Breakfast was soon over and Sarei and I arrived at Qin's Fresh Catch before sunrise, joining the workers who were shuffling in with bleary eyes and slumped shoulders. The bruises on my face drew curious glances, but no one asked questions. In this part of town, a man with bruises was hardly remarkable.

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  With fresh eyes I looked again at the employees at Qin's warehouse as they went about their work. Old Xu's operation was a tangled mess of inefficiency. Fish were sorted haphazardly, with workers crossing paths unnecessarily. The gutting stations were positioned too far from both the sorting and packing areas, which led to a constant stream of wasted movement and people getting in each others way. And the delivery routes...I shook my head. I still couldn't quite believe there were individual trips for each order.

  No wonder Old Xu gambled so heavily. He was bleeding money through sheer incompetence. Right now though, his ineptitude wasn't terrible for my plans for this place.

  Lian appeared at my side and looked me up and down with a hint of amusement on her face. "You spent some of your winnings on new clothes. Good to see that you took your own advice and kept things modest."

  "Lian," I said, as we joined the delivery queue. "I need a favor."

  She raised an eyebrow. "I would say that I'm not that kind of girl, but we both know that's not true."

  "What?"

  "Never mind. Is it related to last night?"

  I shook my head. "No. This is something else. Can you keep your ears open about businesses looking for fish suppliers. New taverns, restaurants, or existing ones unhappy with their current arrangements."

  She raised an eyebrow. "Is someone planning to start their own operation? Bit ambitious for someone who just started yesterday."

  "Just gathering information for now."

  "Information. Right." She drew out the last word and studied me with narrowed eyes. "There's more to you than meets the eye, Shen Taros."

  "And you say that like it's a surprise after last night?"

  She laughed. "Fair enough. I'll, discretely, talk to a few people when I'm out doing deliveries."

  With that, we reached the front of the queue, and there was no more time to talk.

  Now that I knew what I was doing, I completed my deliveries far more efficiently than yesterday, using the opportunity to strengthen my legs and back by taking stairs two at a time and volunteering to take the heavier loads. My newly opened meridians hummed with activity, channeling ki to support and strengthen my muscles.

  Ultimately that physical growth, combined with gaining a better sense of the different areas of the city, was the only reason I was sticking with this job. It certainly wasn't because of the money any more.

  It was early afternoon again by the time my deliveries were done for the day. When Master Wei counted out nine copper petals I felt an absurd pride. The sum was laughable compared to my winnings at The Broken Mast, but I had earned it honestly, through my own sweat.

  I placed the coins in Sarei's palm before I left again.

  "Nine today," I said simply.

  Her eyes widened slightly. "More than yesterday."

  "I found better routes."

  Sarei's fingers closed around the coins, her expression softening. "You've changed."

  If only she knew. "Just trying to pull my weight."

  My shift over, I decided I couldn't spend another night in that leaking shack we called home. With silver weighing down my pocket from last night's winnings, I had options now.

  I headed towards the Dockside District, it was a working-class neighborhood where fishermen and artisans lived. Still simple, but unlike the slum that was my current home, the buildings had actual foundations and roofs that didn't leak with every passing cloud. Children could even play in the streets without fear of stepping on broken glass or worse.

  I turned a corner halfway to the Dockside District and stopped short.

  Two of Jin Duyi's pirates from our encounter yesterday sat outside a tavern, nursing drinks in the afternoon sun. The woman had her boots propped on a crate, her knife balanced on her knee while the man gestured wildly, telling some exaggerated story that made her laugh.

  My eyes scanned the street. No sign of Duyi himself, thank the gods. Facing him again would be problematic at best. I would just need to backtrack and take a parallel road to avoid these two.

  My relief lasted all of three heartbeats.

  When I glanced back, the drinks sat abandoned on the table and the two pirates were already halfway down the road. The glare in their eyes as they stalked towards me left me in no doubt that I had been recognized.

  I weighed my options rapidly. Obviously my first instinct was to crush them, but, despite what I had done against Ghost Fist at the Broken Mast, this body wasn't ready. At least with Ghost Fist the worst that would happen was that I would get injured. These two were seasoned pirates who had likely killed more people than this body had had hot meals.

  Flight it was, and I turned and ran.

  I wasn't at all surprised to hear shouts erupt behind me and the sound of boots pounding on cobblestone.

  I channeled ki into my Sea Gate Meridian, and my legs responded with newfound strength as I pushed them beyond normal limits. If this became a marathon I would lose. I needed to get away fast.

  The unfamiliar streets blurred past. I didn't know this part of town, so I just ran, taking corners at random, hoping to lose them in the warren of alleys.

  That went about as well as you would expect. I skidded into a narrow passage between two buildings and my stomach dropped as I faced a dead end filled with trash.

  I spun back towards the entrance and saw the two pirates turn into the alley behind me.

  They stopped, chests heaving. Then identical nasty smiles spread across their faces as they both drew their swords.