He didn’t wait for the man’s answer. Instead he stepped backward into a shadow that should not have existed in the room. The shackles around the man’s wrists disappeared along with Wang Jun. Then the man, finding himself alone in his study, picked up the piece of paper and frowned.
Will he bite or not bite? Wang Jun wondered, drumming his fingers on the table as Wang Bing spoke. The tapping attracted a rare rebuke from Elder Bai, but the conversation continued regardless. He took a sip of his tea, savoring the harsh mouthful from the foreign leaves. Bad men and real evidence are easy to anticipate. But righteous, innocent men? It’s all a gamble.
Wang Jun didn’t place much hope on Inquisitor Deng. What he’d done, he’d done for training more than anything else, a gamble that might pay off. If it didn’t, the inspector would reveal this troubling new ability of the Spirit Temple, increasing the Golden Kingdom’s vigilance toward them. It would also help frame the relationship between the Spirit Temple and the Wang family as unfriendly.
Then again, I suppose he could do both, Wang Jun thought, taking another sip. He could share the experience but accede to my suspicious request. In a way, that would be better than the inspector taking covert action.
“Young master, you seem distracted,” Elder Bai said, drawing Wang Jun’s attention back to the conversation. “Perhaps a short rest is in order?”
“I’m fine,” Wang Jun said. “Continue with your conversation. I’ll insert myself where appropriate.”
The older man nodded hesitantly and continued their discussion. Apparently, the older man and Wang Bing were cooperating on a project. They were planning something not unlike the Wang family’s arrangement: multi-family housing for employees of a large manufacturing company. Those working for the company would be treated like “family,” with the company taking an active hand in the family’s welfare and culture. The “family” would in turn feel more loyal to the company and better cooperate with their fellow “family members.” The concept was intriguing and had Wang Jun’s full support.
Wang Jun’s mind wandered to Inspector Deng once again. He’d gone through great effort to plant the fake evidence. It didn’t point out fraud so much as a breach in another country’s tax and accounting laws by trying to abuse certain loopholes. True North Country, the other jurisdiction in question, had an agreement with the Golden Kingdom, which stated that any wrongdoings detected by the Golden Kingdom’s authorities would need to be both reported to True North Country and prosecuted by the Golden Kingdom. Extradition, though possible, was hardly practical. This was a healthy middle ground that allowed for the host country to save face by administering justice. It was the grayness of the situation that made it tenable. Assuming, of course, that the documents themselves weren’t assumed to be forgeries.
“Then it’s settled,” Wang Bing said, holding out her hand. Elder Bai took it. They shook firmly, then accepted cups of tea that Wang Jun had already poured. “Seriously, what’s wrong with you?” Wang Bing asked. “You’re pale and brooding. Are you ill?”
“Don’t worry,” Wang Jun said, brushing her off. “An illness of the soul is hardly contagious.”
She frowned but didn’t pursue the matter. As Elder Bai moved to further question Wang Jun, however, a hard knock on the door sounded.
“Come in!” Wang Jun shouted.
A sweaty man opened it and bowed. The short blond man was dressed in standard green robes, though instead of wide cuffs on his sleeves, his shirt was tight and sleeveless. He wore a black silk satchel at his waist, both a useful container and a mark of his identity. The man was a runner, and judging by the three bands of gold on the black wrappings on his wrists, he was of the highest rank. “Young Master Wang, your presence is requested before the elders. Please follow me back.”
“What’s so urgent?” Wang Jun asked. “I might report to Patriarch Wuling, but I won’t dance around at his beck and call for no good reason.”
Everyone in the household knew of their intensifying antagonism. What had previously been meek obeisance to the aging patriarch had now been replaced with the competitive arrogance suited to someone successful.
The runner winced, but instead of giving the usual awkward reply, he took out a small scroll from his satchel and handed it to Wang Jun, who took it. He accepted the knife that Elder Bai handed to him and cut through the green seal the Patriarch himself had affixed to the paper.
“Wang Jun,” Wang Jun said, reading from it, “as a potential successor of the family, and the family’s chief auditor, you are required to report to the elder council before accepting an urgent duty. The Golden Kingdom has dispatched the honorable Inquisitor Deng for a surprise audit on our accounts. Your assistance in this matter, and your unfailing loyalty to the family, is greatly appreciated.” Feigning surprise, Wang Jun handed the scroll to Elder Bai for inspection.
“That,” Elder Bai said, “is a very politely worded letter. I wonder what they’re investigating?”
Wang Jun grinned. “Even the most ruthless of villains become meek as a lamb when they want or need something. I take it you two will get along well without me? Although it’s not my first time participating in an audit, we haven’t had a surprise one in decades. I’d hate to miss out.”
“Don’t worry about us, Young Master,” Wang Bing said. “We can find someone else to make and serve tea for us while you’re gone.”
“Though we shall suffer greatly for their incompetence,” Elder Bai added.
“Good,” Wang Jun said. He stepped outside the room and gestured to the runner. “Lead the way.”
The man ran, and Wang Jun ran with him, his steps leaving not a sound behind.
Chapter 15: Bastion
“Bastion City, fortress of the South,” Cha Ming muttered as he flew toward the massive city in the distance. The soil here was different than the soil
