A dozen seasoned guards formed a seamless ring around Jared and Flaxseed, spears, sabers, and halberds overlapping like woven thorns.
“Bold, aren’t you?” the man growled, each word bitten off. “In broad daylight you dare commit murder inside my tower. What do you take Whispers Tower for?”
The earlier fury drained from Flaxseed, leaving a flicker of unease, yet his tongue remained sharp. “She had it coming,” snapped. “Sell false leads, refuse repayment, you call that honest trade?”
The man’s lips curved into a chilling smile as his gaze drifted from the corpse back to Jared. “Whispers Tower conducts fair business, prices displayed for all to see. Swindling is beneath us.”
“You people drew blades the moment a word displeased you. Unless I get a satisfactory explanation, none of you will leave Whispers Tower tonight alive or otherwise!”
“An explanation? Certainly. We spent one million celestial gems here for directions to the Malevolent Path Hall’s branch. Your attendant pointed us to Darkwind Gorge and swore the lead was airtight!”
“In truth, the gorge belongs to the blood demons, not the Malevolent Path at all. We almost died beneath their blades. When we returned and asked for a refund, your handmaid denied everything, grew arrogant, and tried talking circles around us. Tell me, how is any of that our fault?!”
Though his voice never rose, the calm indictment rippled across the marble hall, reaching every onlooker. Murmurs spread as cultivators cast sidelong, questioning glances at the middle-aged manager.
“Utter nonsense!” the man barked. “Every scrap of information Whispers Tower sells is verified. You must have misread the map, blundered into Darkwind Gorge, and now wish to shift the blame, after murdering one of our staff. Preposterous!”
“Misread?” Jared’s gaze sharpened, cold as forged steel. “Your clerk guaranteed a full refund if the lead proved false. Now you refuse the refund and even deny the promise. Is that really how Whispers Tower does business?”
“Enough!” the man’s voice cracked like a whip. “Take a life, pay with a life, law of heaven and earth! I don’t care who you are. Name your sect. Surely your elders taught you not to raise chaos inside my tower.”
Jared folded his hands behind his back. “Jared Chance, disciple of the Sword Sect.”
Hearing this, the man’s brow twitched. Sword Sect held some weight in Swordmaster City, just not enough to cow him.
He sniffed. “And a Sword Sect badge is supposed to frighten me? In this city, your sect doesn’t set the rules.”
Flaxseed blurted, “You haven’t a clue! Jared isn’t some run-of-the-mill disciple…”
The man ignored him, eyes fixed on Jared. “You’re this arrogant just because you’re from the Sword Sect? Perhaps I should teach you a lesson!”
Jared sighed inwardly. So much for the prestige of the Sword Sect, clearly, their name held no weight here. He didn’t want to make an enemy of Whispers Tower either. Then, another face flickered across his mind, that arrogant youth he’d crossed paths with at the city gates.
