An illegal fighting ring was no place for a young gentleman. It suited his giant companion fine. In fact, his companion seemed to swim through the underworld crowd like a fish, albeit, an Elephant Koi-sized one. His companion radiated an aura of casual violence that made him fit right in. But for the Young Gentleman? If not for the threatening presence of his companion, he would have attracted many more unwelcoming glances.
Technically, he was a guest of honor. No thanks to him; it was another favor of his giant companion's underworld background. But the Young Gentleman was not stupid. He could tell from the furtive glances and whispering as he passed through the seats of the ring that he was not welcome here.
"Gao!" (1) exclaimed a short, pot-bellied man pushing the end of middle age. He greeted the Young Gentleman's companion affably.
"Sir Liu." His companion bowed respectfully, albeit stiffly, in response. Despite the deepness of his bow, this 'Sir Liu' wouldn't have been able to reach his chin if he stood on his tiptoes.
"Aiya (2), you don't need to greet me in such a formal way. We've known each other for such a long time. Call me Elder Brother Liu!" (3)
The Young Gentleman watched as the two older men engaged in polite small talk. But from the casual way Sir Liu had greeted Gao and the formal way he had been greeted back, it was obvious that a power disparity existed between the two men.
The Young Gentleman had done his research before coming here. He knew who his companion had brought him to meet. Pot-Bellied Liu, the man with an iron grip on every fighting ring in the Siuma (4) district of Ba Sing Se's Lower Ring, as well as the one with the best contacts in the neighborhood's bending schools and security agencies. The perfect man for what he was looking for. But he was a stranger. He would have to wait until he was introduced.
"And who is this young man you have accompanying you, eh?" Sir Liu suddenly asked, breaking away from his small talk to get to the main reason they were meeting tonight.
"Ah. This is my nephew, Yan." Gao introduced him, patting him reassuringly on the back. That was the cue they had agreed on for when it would be appropriate for him to speak.
The Young Gentleman bowed respectfully, taking care to follow the example of his companion. "Greetings, Sir Liu. My humble name is Yan (5). Uncle Gao has told me many stories of the times when you generously aided him in the past."
"Ha! Many stories eh?" Sir Liu gave an uproarious laugh, "I suppose I did, didn't I? Well, you're a bit on the uptight side, but any young man that's a nephew of Brother Gao is one I approve of. Call me your Uncle Liu. If you need any help in this neighborhood, Uncle Liu will help you out. Ahahaha!"
"Many thanks then, Uncle Liu." Yan knew the offer was just a formality. You didn't achieve any level of power in life by handing out favors to every young man you met. But all the same, he nodded and smiled obligingly in response to Sir Liu's empty words.
"I was meaning to ask. Gao, what exactly is your relation to young Yan? Your Elder Brother knows he isn't really your nephew. So what is he? Partner? Son of a friend? … Your own bastard son? Ahahaha!"
Gao scratched the back of his head. "Well, y'see, Yan is … my boss."
"Boss?" For a second, Sir Liu was caught off-guard. But just as suddenly, a predatory grin sprouted over his face. Eyes glinting, he scanned Yan as if weighing how much gold he could squeeze out of him. "So he's the client you were talking about? He looks nothing like the silkpants (6) you made him sound like … Ah, but Sir Yan, you look so distinguished, so very distinguished …"
Perhaps another gentleman of good moral character would have been disgusted by the way Sir Liu flipped from a facade of familial warmth to mercantile flattery. But Yan couldn't help but smile slightly in amusement. Who did Sir Liu think he was fooling?
"Well, I hope I'm distinguished enough to be worthy of your help Uncle Liu," Yan offhandedly flattered back. Except his flattery sounded much more genuine.
"I'll help any friend of Brother Gao," Sir Liu reassured Yan. "But what am I doing? This is nowhere to be talking business. Come, come! Sit with me in the box!"
Sir Liu's box was nothing more than an alcove cut into the crude stairs that served as seats to the underground ring. In this alcove were several battered wooden chairs that may as well have been ornate thrones compared to what the average spectator was using. An awning from a market stall served as a grand canopy.
"Sit! Sit! Don't hold back!" Sir Liu urged them, graciously showing Yan to a chair. Now that Yan was a customer to him, he was shown every courtesy.
"You elbow leeches! Can't you see we have guests? Bring some damn refreshments" Sir Liu loudly swore at a scarred man attending him who had a dao (7) hanging from his belt. Here in the underworld, even the attendants were armed.
"It would be hard to discuss important matters without tea," Yan remarked casually, before being handed a small, ceramic cup. He glanced at the clear liquid in the cup. "This is some tea ..."
"Indeed," Gao guffawed, downing his cup of "tea" in one gulp. "Brother Liu only serves the best wine (8) at gatherings."
Yan sipped tentatively at the warm (9) liquid in his cup before nearly coughing it right back up. It was a rough and crude drink. He could almost taste the grains from the stale barley or millet that the drink had almost certainly been brewed from.
If Sir Liu saw Yan's unappreciative expression, he gave no sign of it. "So … Brother Gao told me a little about what you're looking for. You're looking to find some help, aren't you?"
"I wish to hire a man. Similar to a retainer, but only for a limited term."
"Hired muscle," Sir Liu offered.
"Precisely," Yan agreed.
"Many clients come to me for similar reasons." Sir Liu boasted, his chest puffing up with pride, "I'm the whole Siuma district's Uncle, and the Brother of the heads of every bending school and security agency (10) in the neighborhood! I make the introductions, you pay me!"
"Uncle Gao told me as much," Yan nodded.
The roar of the crowd briefly drew their attention as four fighters stepped onto the Leitai below.
"If you're looking for hired muscle, then you're in luck!" Sir Liu shouted over the din of the crowd. "We're having an exhibition match tonight with some of the best benders in the district."
Yan looked down into the ring. The four contestants seemed to correspond to the four elements: a waterbender who wielded a fluid, snakelike whip; an earthbender around whom orbited a swarm of earthen projectiles; a firebender who spewed flames with every crisp punch and kick; and … a nonbender?
Despite not displaying any bending abilities, she danced amongst the other fighters with so much grace that Yan almost mistook her for an airbender. She was tiny. Even the shortest of her opponents, the waterbender, seemed to tower over her. She would have been indistinguishable from any other pretty farm girl around the Earth Kingdom. That is, if not for her incredible aggression. Yan watched as she weaved and dodged through the firebender's flurry of attacks to launch a single precise light jab that left her opponent's arm limp.
"Chi blocking," Yan exclaimed in astonishment. He had heard of such techniques before, although he had never seen them in action.
"Hey, that girl's pretty good!" Gao remarked admiringly.
"Little Shirshu Jinyi?" Sir Liu asked. "She's built quite a reputation as a bounty hunter. I've heard she was a master chi blocker, but still … I was surprised when she actually approached me to compete against the best benders in the district, let alone three at the same time."
"It's her ..." Yan murmured, his eyes locked on the woman in the Leitai far below him. His eyes filled with certainty. "It has to be her!"
"What's that?" Gao leaned over.
"That girl, Little Shirshu Jinyi, she's the one I want to hire."
Gao glanced over at Sir Liu.
Sir Liu sighed. "Unfortunately, Little Shirshu is a drifter and a newcomer to Siuma District. She's not a member of any bending school or security agency I'm on good terms with either. I wouldn't be able to introduce you. However, the coming match will feature some master benders I know personally, should you wait …"
"I'm sorry, but I've already made up my mind," Yan declared. "That woman has all the skills I am looking for."
Gao gave an apologetic look to Sir Liu.
"Fine," Sir Liu grumbled, abandoning any cordiality with the loss of a chance to do business. "But you're still giving me the advance you promised!"
1. Gao, 高, literally means "tall".
2. 哎呀 An ubiquitous interjection. Depending on context, it can express pain, surprise, disappointment, excitement, or other emotions.
3. In Asian cultures, addressing someone as family is a sign of familiarity, albeit not affection, or even necessarily that you regard them as family. One is just as likely to call the barber they frequent "Brother" or "Uncle" as their own brother or uncle.
4. 燒馬 literally means burned horse, or barbecued horse. One must be in dire straits to consider eating such a valuable animal.
5. Yan, 岩, literally means "rock"
6. A term referring to spoiled, rich kids
7. 刀 A very simple character with many different translations. Saber, broadsword, machete, knife. The only thing constant among them is that they have only a single sharpened edge. In this usage, the one hanging at the attendant's side is a saber. Such sabers were considered lower-class weapons since they required less training to use properly.
8. 酒 is usually translated as wine, but really refers to any alcoholic beverage. The wine that is served to Gao and Yan is 黄酒, or "yellow wine". An undistilled grain alcohol, as well as the most common one historically, "yellow wine" came in a large number of varieties with varying levels of quality.
9. In East Asian cultures, alcohol is traditionally served warm.
10. Security agencies or biaoju are a common trope in wuxia fiction. These professional guardsmen are often hired to protect shipments of money or precious cargo from robbers.