Chapter Text
Shin had always moved like a shadow, even before he truly understood that this isn't just about movement. The forest of the Midnight Blades had been his home once- a place where every branch, every leaf and every crack beneath ones foot carried karma within. He had wandered there once, hunting, killing and trying to gather enough Karma to overcome the day. But the charm of the midnight blades had long since faded. He once joined them because they have barely any rules other than respect but now he's grown tired of all the endless reminders and pressure to meet daily karma quotas. Once the Master's commands felt thrilling but now they felt pressuring, boring.
It was during a bitterly cold dawn that Shin made the decision. He watched the purple fog swirl through the forest and golden streaks breaking through the dead branches. Another warning that he had received for not killing enough in the past week. Shin laughed, quietly, a low dark chuckle that seemed out of place in the quiet forest.
He had no intention of following orders that made him feel like a puppet. Not today, not again.
So he left.
The journey from the forest to Kaifeng was long, winding and boring, but Shin has never been one to give up on his goals.
by the time he arrived, the sprawling city with it's labyrinth of streets and muted chatter of merchants and commoners seemed almost strange to him. Yet, he felt eyes everywhere, hiding, watching intently from the shadows. He could feel them between the whispers that floated through the market alleys, the glances between merchants and in the sharp knowing smiles of those who have already tasted the secrets of commerce coins.
It was Niang Bei who found him first. A high-ranking member of the Seven Mortal Ways, She seemed to have sharp calculating eyes that seemed to pierce through every hidden intention someone might have. She had watched him for a while now, observing the subtle discipline in his movements and the way his amber eyes flickered from amusement to calculating in a few moments.
"You've been running for a long time." she said one evening, approaching him in a dimly lit house somewhere in the slums. Her voice was soft yet carried a hint of authority that could waver between jokes and seriousness too quickly.
Shin smirked, leaning casually against a stone pillar and raised his index finger like a teacher. "Maybe. Or maybe I just don't know where to run to." "The city is so strange. I could go anywhere from a literal hole in the ground to a gold covered palace."
Niang's lips curved upward approvingly. "i like that answer. you have potential, but raw skill isn't enough. Knowledge, strategy, a fast hand, and... connections. The Seven Mortal Ways can give you that. But only if you're willing to learn.
And learn he did. It wasn't a difficult decision after all. Money and fun? Who wouldn't want to have those things?
Niang guided him into the inner workings of the sect. She taught him how to navigate the labyrinthine politics, how to acquire wealth and influence through the complicated commerce system, and most importantly- how to mask ulterior motives with honesty. Shin had always been cunning, but under Niang's mentorship, his skills evolved. He could joke, charm, and trick in equal measure, never revealing any intentions he might have.
Years passed. Shin climbed the ranks up to Faction master. His reputation as a unpredictable force growing with each week. He became a master not only of coins and commerce but of people, understanding their desires, their weaknesses, and their fears.
Eventually he took in two disciples of his own. Two young members who had shown both promise and curiosity. He trained them the same way his former mentor Niang Bei thought him- with a mix of honesty, teasing and discipline that had become his hallmark. Teaching them, Shin thought, was almost as fun as the thrill of the chase itself.
Yet as he smiled and joked, a part of him never left the dead forest and the purple mist of the Midnight Blades. It lingered in his amber eyes and the precise movement when killing is necessary. He had gained a home and the respect of the Seven Mortal Ways, yet the red robes inside his closet always reminded him that he is right where he should be.
Shin's rise was complete in a sense, but somewhere in Kaifeng, a noodle buying presence was about to disturb the one way balance he had build.