Shú struggled against her restraints, the Lúse family guards had locked her up in a damp cell where she had been waiting for a few minutes before she heard the door creak open.

The young man in the wheelchair and the burly guard walked in.

“Baek, please undo her mouth restraints” the young man said.

The guard hesitated, he was covered in bites and scratches, even though they had captured her, Shú didn't go down without a fight. Nevertheless, the guard obeyed and cautiously undid her mouth gag.

What followed was a string of obscenities that would have made even the Buddha blush, after five minutes of cursing Shú finally calmed down.

“Well that was impressive” the young man said with a faint smile on his face “Nice to meet you, my name is Lúse Lán, this here is Chief Guard Baek”

The dread that had been building up inside Shú, filled her body, this man was the heir of the Lúse family, and she had tried to steal for him. She knew that her life was over, she either rotted away in this very room or got executed for her crimes. 

Tears began to fill Shú’s eyes as she closed her mouth tight in frustration. Lán seemed to quickly pick up on this and pulled himself closer to her.

“There is no need to worry, you're not in trouble” Lán said in a soft voice “I have a job for you, one that requires your unique skillset”

Shú was surprised, she definitely did not expect this.

“What do you want!” Shú said aggressively.

“I need you to help me gather information on the Jinzí Merchant Union and the West Wind Taoist sect” Lán seemed unbothered by the girl's aggressive tone. “Ill give you a silver coin for each piece of relevant information you bring me.”

“A silver coin!” Shú thought excitedly, that was enough for three full meals a day, and maybe even a roof to sleep under.

Shú pretended to think about it for a moment before finally responding “Fine! I'll do what you want, just let me go” Lán nodded and Baek undid Shú’s restraints. 

“Before you go” Lán said “I also need you to spread the news around to the other beggars and children of the city, I will pay them the same rate as you if they bring the Lúse family any relevant information”

“Here take this, consider it a down payment” Lán continued as he gave her a jade medallion and a silver coin. “If you are ever in trouble, show the jade medallion to any Lúse family guard and they will get you to safety” 

Shú had run out of words, she couldn't understand how a stranger could be so trusting of her. “I’m Shú, nice to meet you too” she managed to whisper before scurrying out of the cell.

“Young Master, are you sure we can trust her?” “The girl seems barely older than fifteen” Baek asked.

“I'm sure” Lán replied “When the shopkeepers of the market initially told me about her they said she only stole as a last resort and only seemed to steal from people that were well off” 

“When I asked around I only heard good things about her” Lán explained “Recently Shú has become a sort of protector of the other beggars in Húchéng, keeping them out of trouble and helping them settle disputes” 

Baek crossed his arms and exhaled deeply. Their first encounter had not been pleasant but he could admit that the girl seemed honest. Baek grabbed the handles on Lán's chair and began to push him out of the dungeons towards the Lúse family estate.

It was a pleasant evening in Húchéng, the air began to fill with delicious smells and pleasant sounds coming from stands and restaurants as the many merchants and travelers settled in for the night. The cool air and faint torch light gave the city a picturesque look, while it had recovered, scars still lingered from the attack three years ago. The rubble of burnt and rundown buildings lingered near the street and beggars huddled for warmth in dark and damp alleyways.

“Many people were left homeless after the attack” Lán thought aloud “While I don't know Shú’s exact story I can hazard a guess” “After the fire destroyed many homes, the Jinzí Merchant Union swooped in disguised as saviors, they bought the family’s plot for cheap, promising to sell it back eventually” Baek nodded in response, following along the young master’s words.

“Then they reneged on their promise, in their grief the families had not read the contract they signed” Lán sighed “The Jinzí Merchant Union used their new monopoly to jack up the prices on everything and displaced even more people”

“Once we regain control over Húchéng we have to help everyone and finally heal the damage from three years ago” Lán said, this time directly to Baek. He nodded in agreement as he looked fondly at the young man, in such a short time he had grown into a fine hero.