Page 50 of The Wind Dancer
“That is not your concern.”
“Really? I risked my life to get it. I saw what happened in that house.”
Fu Shang didn’t even blink.
“You only saw what you were allowed to see. You do not understand what you took. It isn’t just some pendant, it is a key. And it does not belong to you.”
I chuckled.
“So you knew who was going to be there? And you believe it belongs to them?”
“Of course, I knew who would be there. The games ended the moment you took the amulet.” His wide smile made him look even more like a snake.
“And you sent me there anyway?”
He shrugged nonchalantly.
“You decided that you were fit to be a master, and I gave you a task that only a master could complete.”
“You sent me to die in a place of monsters.”
“And you survived. So you’re good enough to be a master.”
I clenched my fingers, feeling my blood boil.
“And if I hadn’t survived?”
“I teach young souls through the trials I give them,” he said calmly. “I chose a special one for you. You would have learned a precious lesson, whether you survived or not. You are alive, Feng Lao. Should you not be grateful for keeping your life and learning a crucial lesson?”
This bastard believed he was blameless, and he was going to pay for it.
“So what do you say?” he asked. “You return the amulet, and we forgive all grudges. I could even help you raise your status.”
I stared at him, feeling air swirling around me. The wind was restless. It wanted the bastard dead just as much as I did.
“No.”
A short pause.
“No?”
“No,” I repeated.
Fu Shang nodded slowly, as if thinking about my answer.
“I understand,” he said at last. “You think you can beat me. You think you have some kind of ace up your sleeve. You truly are Feng Shen’s student. I respected him, you know? I hated him, but I respected him, and in honor of his memory, listen to me, boy.”
He leaned back, still smiling.
“I will tell you something, boy. You’re overestimating yourself. One person, even one as skilled as you, cannot go up against the entire guild. And by going against me, youaregoing against the guild. You have no allies, and the elders won’t start a war with me for you. Do not get your hopes up, you have nothing.”
I stayed silent, knowing how wrong he was.
“I’ll give you a choice today,” he continued. “Come to my house tomorrow and respectfully hand over the amulet. Show everyone that you obey my command. Or...”
He let the silence hang.
“Or?” I asked.
