Qi (pronounced Ki), by simple definition is circulating lifeforce. While everyone has it, not everyone has the ability to store, use, and train with it. Qi is central to the martial arts world, and the ability to make use of Qi is the most basic requirement for joining the martial arts world.

  Han Lee, MinJun followed his three friends through the narrow streets. His hands brushed against the fabric of his scribe’s clothes. They did nothing to disguise his sleek frame, but between their worn state and his straw hat, few would realize that he was the same man that had left the imperial palace earlier that day.

  Min smiled as his friends joked among themselves. He was almost thankful to the assassins that had paved the way to him meeting them. Had he and his mother not needed to leave the palace and stayed with her family, he’d have never met Heo, DoYun. Which in turn would have meant that he’d never have met the Byun twins, HaJoon and YeJun.

  “You only outrank us because Min needs you for your administrative and scribe skills.” YeJun said.

  “You wouldn’t know what to do with yourself if his lordship handed you a single one of the papers I deal with.” DeYun countered.

  “And you aren’t half as useful in a fight.” YeJun countered. Not that it was much of one. But Min didn’t prize YeJun for his intellect.

  “I'm good enough not to be a burden.” DoYun said. He was smiling sardonically at their fellow childhood friend.

  “YeJun…” his twin, HaJoon warned. “You’re not going to win an argument against DoYun.”

  “I would if you’d help.” YeJun complained.

  “I’ve pulled your sorry ass out of enough pits thank you.” HaJoon replied.

  “We’re both far superior fighters than DoYun, it doesn’t make sense that he outranks us.” YeJun insisted.

  “And who was it who assigned those ranks?” Min asked.

  “You.” YeJun replied dejectedly.

  “And what did I say when you first complained about it?” Min asked. He held his face in a calm mask, he didn’t want to hurt YeJun’s feelings by letting him know how stupid he was being, and how amusing Min found him.

  “That if we had a problem with it we could beat you in a sparring match.” DoYun stated.

  “But that’s hardly fair!” YeJun complained again. “How in the blazing hells are we supposed to defeat you in a sparring match?”

  “Exactly.” Min told him.

  YeJun grumbled to himself for a while before getting distracted by something he saw on the street and pointing it out to his twin. He may seem the fool at times, but he was one of the very few that Min would trust to have his back. He was a bit muscle headed, and occasionally simple minded, but he was loyal and true. Something Min had never dreamed of finding outside of his older brother.

  One of the perks of being a prince was getting first choice for your own staff. Min had assigned the three of them to be his retainers the moment he’d returned to the palace. It definitely made outings far simpler when your friends were your assistant and guards.

  It also made it far easier for the lot of them to drag him from his office. Not that he blamed them. He’d been cooped up in there for months now. Five years had passed since his brother had taken the throne and there was still a mountain of things to solve.

  Even DoYun had joined the twins in pestering him to join them tonight. Their destination was a restaurant they’d been trying to get him to go to for nearly a year. Min had finally given in. He was more than a little amused at the fact that the restaurant in question was literally right outside the gate to the red-light district.

  Min had to do a double take when they arrived at the restaurant, Hwan’s Dragon. The wooden building was much bigger than he’d expected considering where it was situated. The doors were also much larger than he’d expected. They were more than two heads taller than Min, and Min was noticeably taller than the average man.There was at least another head of height from the door frame to the ceiling. Min quietly followed his friends inside, now very intrigued with the location they’d taken him to.

  Min scanned the restaurant as his friends led him to a table. There were over a dozen tables, most set to seat four people, two on each side, the ends left open, Min assumed this was to make things easier on the servers. His friends led him to a corner table, and gave him the seat in the corner. While there was a window next to him that was large enough for a man to easily crawl through, Min would not be in direct line of sight. He appreciated the fact that his friends had chosen somewhere positioned so he could view both the door they’d entered from, and the door to what he assumed was the kitchen. There were no other visible exits.

  The distance between their table and the kitchen was more noticeable now that he was seated. There were five tables against this wall. He found the L shape of the room interesting, but appreciated how it allowed him to see everything except the kitchen. It didn’t take long for a server to tend to them. Min let his friends order for him as he was more interested in watching the other patrons and knew nothing of the menu here. He very clearly remembered what his friends had told him before they left the palace.

  “Hwan’s Dragon has some peculiar rules that need to be followed.” DoYun had told him. Min had raised his eyebrow at this. He’d heard some stories of the place already. It had been running for four years now, and had quickly become known for it’s quality despite it’s location.

  “First and foremost, do not anger the owner, he’s also the cook, that man is a beast.” HaJoon said.

  “Second, do not cause a commotion, friendly arguments are allowed, but nothing that would injure anyone or break the furniture. No drunken brawls.” Ye-Jun added.

  “Third, do not harass the staff. The owner is very protective of his workers.” HaJoon continued.

  “And finally, do not, under any circumstances, bother the female patrons. You get only one warning from the staff. If that isn’t heeded, you are at the mercy of the owner’s wrath.” DoYun finished.

  “Some people had an issue with this after facing his anger and tried to get the city guard involved. Turns out the owner had a special license that allows him to deal with troublemakers and criminals as he sees fit.” HaJoon added.

  “Not surprising considering the area it’s in.” Min replied.

  While Min had no intention of causing problems for anyone during his visit, he privately hoped someone else would. He was intrigued by this fearsome owner, who managed to keep even the local officials in check. It seemed the gods had decided to grant his wish.

  “Sir, she said no. You can either go back to your own seat, or leave.” One of the staff, a male server of medium height and build, said rather loudly to a large pig-like man. The man was standing half leaning on the table where some women sat by themselves. They were situated almost directly in front of Min’s table and against the wall near a window. The man stood in the space between their two tables in the wall space between windows.

  “A peasant like you should know your place.” the man sneered, straightening up to face the server. The server jumped to the side, and the man began to grin. No more than a second later there was the sound of metal cutting through the air. Min’s eyes widened as a very large cooking knife embedded itself in the wall no more than a finger’s width from the pig-like man’s ear. The metal vibrated with the force with which it had been thrown.

  Min turned in the direction the knife had come from to see a man far taller and bigger than any he’d ever seen before. Min would look like a child next to this monster of a man. The apron and kitchen knife in his left hand told Min that this bear of a man was the owner. His long hair was tied up behind his head, he had grown out his facial hair in a trim neat beard that covered half his face.

  The man strode across the room, his long legs quickly eating up the distance between the kitchen and the offending patron. As he got closer Min noticed that the tall bearded man’s sleeves were rolled up as if he’d been washing dishes just now, and the muscles and scars on his arms were not the kind one gained from a life of kitchen work. Min knew to a less keen eye this wouldn’t be clear as many cooks were tough men and had scars from kitchen mishaps. But Min had spent years dealing with men who killed for a living, and this man had the muscles and scars of a killer.

  The man Min assumed was Hwan, steadily approached the offending pigman. He did not wait for the offender to respond to the obvious threat. Once close enough he pulled the knife from the wall with ease, as if it had been stuck in butter and not solid thick wood. The owner then put the point of the knife under the offender’s chin.

  “You have two choices. Leave on your own two feet, or be thrown out. You come back here for any reason and you’ll be treated like a trespasser.” The man growled. “Now, I’m going to step to the side, if you aren’t out of here in five seconds I will throw you out myself.”

  The giant man did just as he said he would. He stepped to the side, lowering the knife. The pig-like-man didn’t waste any time, he scrambled out of the building so fast he stumbled on his own feet several times. The owner watched the man flee. Once the man was gone he handed the knives to the server who scurried off to the kitchen with them.

  “You alright Bora?” the owner asked the woman who had been the subject of the pigman’s harassment.

  “I am now, thank you Hwan.” the woman, Bora, replied.

  So he’d been right, the owner’s name was Hwan.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you ladies to walk yourselves home tonight.” Hwan said.

  “Probably not.” another woman at the table replied. “Would you send a runner for us to let the house mother know what happened? I’m sure she’ll send someone once she knows.”

  Hwan gestured to one of the staff and the young man handed the dishes he held to a fellow staff member before hurrying out the door.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “Done.” Hwan replied. “If he notices trouble he’ll let me know, if it sounds like it’ll be too much for whoever is sent to handle on their own I’ll walk you ladies home myself.”

  “Thank you Hwan.” Bora replied with a smile.

  “This is why your place is so popular for us.” the second woman added. She then very suggestively looked Hwan up and down. “I’m sure you would be too if you ever made a visit. House mother would happily give you a discount.”

  Hwan smiled. With his smile the man’s whole face lit up, making those grey eyes shine like silver. Min swallowed on reflex. That smile turned what he’d assumed was a gruff man into the most handsome man he’d ever seen. Min knew a smile could transform a person’s face, but he’d never seen it do so quite so drastically before.

  “I appreciate the compliment, but I’m only interested in making sure my patrons stay safe.” Hwan replied. Neatly turning down what any other man would have considered a golden offer. The women were beauties.

  Hwan made his way back to the kitchen, but not before he glanced around the rest of the restaurant. As he did so he locked eyes with Min who had been watching the entire exchange. Min gave a small nod of respect and Hwan continued on his way. Min’s eyes followed him until Hwan was out of sight.

  “Looks like we dragged you here for an eventful first night.” Ha-Joon laughed.

  The server arrived with their drinks and food. Min noticed that it was the young woman who had taken the dishes from the youngman who’d run off on the errand. Her hair was a faded brown colour, but her eyes were dark and bright. As she hurried away to the kitchen Min couldn’t help but wonder if she was checking on the owner and cook. All other thoughts left his mind as he took his first bite. The food was even better than he’d heard. His mind became fully absorbed with the taste and texture of his dish. It was cooked to absolute perfection. Their drinks paired well with the food and Min let himself relax and joke with his friends for the first time in months.

  The calm, friendly atmosphere of the restaurant had returned. The man the women had sent for arrived some time later. Hwan emerged from the kitchen again shortly afterwards and saw them off, but did not follow them from the restaurant. Min assumed that the server boy hadn’t noticed any trouble then.

  Min couldn’t help but watch the tall, grey eyed man every time he came out from the kitchen. The man was both owner and cook, and seemed to enjoy interacting with his patrons. Min wasn’t sure if he should hope that Hwan would visit their table as well or not. The fickle gods had their way again. Just as he was feeling they should probably return to the palace soon, Hwan approached their table.

  “I see you convinced your friend to join you this time.” Hwan said. The comment was directed at Min’s friends, but Hwan was looking right at Min, a smile playing on his lips. Min had enough wine in his system to easily return the smile. He watched with satisfaction as it had a clear effect on the tall man.

  “They did indeed. I must say, I should have listened to them months ago. Your place exceeds its reputation.” Min told him. Though he was tempted to trace his eyes up and down that very muscular body, he resisted the urge. Not all men took well to a fellow man checking them out that way, and Min had decided, for whatever reason, he wanted Hwan to like him.

  “I’m glad everything was to your liking. Your friends have been some of my best patrons and have spoken very highly of you.” Hwan said. He then turned to DoYun. “It appears I’ve lost the bet, don’t worry about the tab, dinner and drinks tonight are on the house.”

  Hwan turned to Min again, still smiling.

  “What bet?” Min asked. He’d meant to ask Doyun, but couldn’t take his eyes from Hwan’s.

  “Maybe your friends will tell you on the way home. Be careful on the way, these streets are dangerous at night, and I’d prefer you all be able to come again.” Hwan replied before turning and walking back into the kitchen.

  Min turned to his friends. All three were smirking, which clearly told him this bet wasn’t just about them dragging him here. “What bet?” he asked again, this time his tone wasn’t so gentle.

  “We’re not telling you that while we’re still here.” HaJoon replied. “Hwan is right, we need to head out.”

  Min followed his friends from the restaurant. A pair of grey eyes lurking in his mind’s eye.

  ***

  Tae bolted the door to the restaurant, resisting the urge to watch the four men as they walked towards the center of the city. He put his back to the door, turning to face the restaurant. He gathered the few remaining dishes and shooed his staff out. It was definitely time for them to head home. Tae put out the lanterns, locking the shutters tight as he passed them. Once back in the kitchen Tae worked on cleaning the remaining dishes, his mind wandering as his hands worked.

  Tae threw the knife knowing full well it would hit exactly where he’d intended it to. His staff all knew to get out of the way immediately should a customer prove difficult. As he stalked towards the poor excuse of a man who’d been giving Bora trouble, Tae noticed an unfamiliar face at the next table over. Sleek, slender, and taller than average with thick, rich black hair, that’s all Tae’s mind had time for before he was in front of the piece of shit that had decided to break Tae’s rules.

  He pulled the knife out of the wall with a little more flare than he’d normally have used, knowing he had an attentive audience. Tae felt the eyes of the newcomer on him keenly. Something about the way they felt hinted that his story of just being a country cook wouldn’t cut it. Tae placed the knife under the rather ugly paunchy man’s chin, making his intention and message clear. Something about the ugly little man was decidedly pig-like. His clearly balding head did not help matters.

  “You have two choices. Leave on your own two feet, or be thrown out. You come back here for any reason and you’ll be treated like a trespasser.” Tae growled at the man. “Now, I’m going to step to the side, if you aren’t out of here in five seconds I will throw you out myself.”

  Tae stepped to the side, lowering the knife. The pig-like-man didn’t waste any time, he scrambled out of the building so fast he stumbled on his own feet several times. Tae resisted the urge to laugh at the pitiful display. Once the man was gone he turned to the women who’d had to deal with the harassment.

  “You alright Bora?” Tae asked.

  “I am now, thank you Hwan.” Bora replied. Tae could tell she was stressed, but not really shaken by the incident.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you ladies to walk yourselves home tonight.” Tae said. The little pig was likely to cause trouble for them after getting so publicly humiliated.

  “Probably not.” Hanna replied. She was seated across from Bora. “Would you send a runner for us to let the house mother know what happened? I’m sure she’ll send someone once she knows.”

  Tae gestured to the nearest male member of his staff and the young man handed the dishes he held to Rin before rushing off to complete the newly assigned task.

  “Done.” Tae replied. “If he notices trouble he’ll let me know, if it sounds like it’ll be too much for whoever is sent to handle on their own I’ll walk you ladies home myself.”

  “Thank you Hwan.” Bora replied with a smile.

  “This is why your place is so popular for us.” Hanna replied. She then very suggestively looked Tae up and down, her eyes lingering on his crotch both times they passed it. “I’m sure you would be too if you ever made a visit. House mother would happily give you a discount.”

  “I appreciate the compliment, but I’m only interested in making sure my patrons stay safe.” Tae replied with a smile to soften the rejection. All of the women at the table were beautiful, but Tae wasn’t interested. Better to cleanly but kindly tell them no, than to have them thinking just a little more effort would get him to say yes. Hanna sighed in disappointment but didn’t make another attempt.

  Tae made his way back to the kitchen, but not before he glanced around the rest of the restaurant. As he did so he locked eyes with the new face that had been watching everything, likely from even before Tae had thrown the knife. Only his twenty some years of training kept him from stumbling. The man was absolutely stunning. Tae quickly took in who else was sitting with this ridiculously unfairly attractive man. The three familiar faces of HaJoon, Ye-Jun, and DoYun helped ground him enough to make it back to the kitchen.

  Once safely back in the kitchen Tae gripped the counter hard enough the iron wood complained. He’d felt like those burning amber eyes would have stared into his soul if he’d given them half a chance. Tae grabbed the piece of paper with the next order and noticed it was for the table he couldn’t get his mind off of. He decided to put his preoccupation to good use and poured every ounce of effort into their meal.

  Those three bastards had known exactly what they were doing when they’d made that bet with him. There was no use even pretending he hadn’t lost. Tae lost track of time as he tried to focus on cooking and not the honey like amber eyes. Rin came to check in on him and Tae must have mumbled something coherent because she quickly left again.

  “I think you must have spooked him good boss, streets are clear.” Jin’s voice interrupted Tae’s tangle of thoughts. Tae looked up and nodded. He followed Jin out of the kitchen. Madame had sent Chul, a strong steady man. Unless they were ambushed by a group that actually knew how to fight, Chul could get them home safely. Tae walked the women to the door, deciding to at least see them out. They deserved to be treated with common decency no matter their profession.

  Tae felt eyes on him every time he exited the kitchen. He took care to never look directly at the table where those amber eyes sat, but he couldn’t keep himself from finding excuses to leave the kitchen. While he did normally make the rounds with the patrons, he was wandering from the kitchen more than usual and both Rin and Jin had noticed. Tae ignored their questioning looks as he headed back to the kitchen for the seventh time that evening.

  He’d visited the table of every set of regulars except one. He couldn’t put it off much longer, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to either. Those entrancing eyes had watched his every movement, and Tae decided it was time to give the man a taste of his own medicine. Tae watched the man as he approached his table.

  If it weren’t for the clothing which marked the man as a male scribe, Tae would have thought he was female. He had a face that probably made women weep, in jealousy, frustration, or broken heartedness if not all three. The man’s appearance was shockingly feminine in its beauty. If the man dressed differently and used the makeup arts he’d be able to trick most people into thinking he was a woman.

  The deceptively delicate looking body did not help matters. Nor did the hands that to the untrained eye would look like the frail hands of a musician. If Tae had not been trained from childhood to spot the little details that would give away just how strong and skilled someone was, he’d never have noticed the hidden muscles in the hands, the hint of calluses and light scars, that were only obtainable through use of weapons. The way the man held himself wasn’t quite right for a common scribe either, nor the fact that he kept the company of two palace guards and a palace official. The way the three subtly deferred to the man told Tae more than clothing or words ever would.

  “I see you convinced your friend to join you this time.” Tae said. The comment was directed at the three familiar patrons, but Tae was looking right at the newcomer, a smile playing on Tae’s lips at the reaction the man gave. Amber eyes met his own grey eyes boldly, and the young man smiled playfully. Tae bit his lip to keep what would have been a very pleasant shutter from running through him. He was immensely grateful to the height of the tables and his own apron hiding the rest of his body’s response. The gleam in the youngman’s eyes made Tae worried he hadn’t hidden it all that well.

  “They did indeed. I must say, I should have listened to them months ago. Your place exceeds its reputation.” Amber eyes told him. Tae fought a smirk as the man clearly struggled to not check him out as Hanna had earlier. The man’s accent confirmed Tae’s suspicions, this man was no mere scribe. He was definitely nobly born. Though many of Tae’s patrons were and they all tended to make minor attempts at concealing that fact due to the area his restaurant was situated in.

  “I’m glad everything was to your liking. Your friends have been some of my best patrons and have spoken very highly of you.” Tae said. He then turned to Do-Yun, needing to break eye contact. “It appears I’ve lost the bet, don’t worry about the tab, dinner and drinks tonight are on the house.”

  Tae turned to Amber eyes again, still smiling, eager to see if the friends had told the youngman anything before coming. They clearly had not. Tae let his smile turn into a little bit of a smirk.

  “What bet?” the youngman asked. He’d clearly meant to ask Doyun, but didn’t take his eyes from Tae’s. Tae met his gaze far more calmly now that he clearly had the upper hand here.

  “Maybe your friends will tell you on the way home. Be careful on the way, these streets are dangerous at night, and I’d prefer you all be able to come again.” Tae teased before turning and walking back into the kitchen.

  Tae sighed, he’d been an idiot to take the bet. Those three had bet that Tae would find their friend attractive enough that if their friend approached Tae the way the courtesans tended to, Tae would either say yes or have a hard time saying no. The man was so devastatingly attractive that Tae knew that he’d have struggled even with all of his self-control, to say no had the man flirted with him.

  If Tae had won he’d have gotten HaJoon’s dagger, it was a beautiful weapon. If he lost, dinner was on him that night. He’d so clearly lost. Tae regretted drinking with those three now. He’d let his preferences slip one night and they’d jumped on the chance it seemed. Tae debated soothing himself by polishing the various weapons in his collection, he decided against it and simply put out the lights when he’d finished the dishes and went up the stairs hidden in the corner of the kitchen to his bedroom.