When the evening of the day turned into a night the storm has passed this location and only a small rain was everything that was left of it. A hooded figure stood before a local tavern of the valley of peace and looked at it.

After a few moments the person went in and saw what it seemed to expect of a tavern. Music, ominous creatures, a bar, hundreds of drinks and of course some kind of event at the middle of the tavern. Thin light glimmered trough lanterns into a red shine across this big room, the high amount of submerged and spilled drinks covered the air with a taste of many beverages, their aroma mixed with each other.

Despite being just the start of the night this tavern was already well visited. There was no free table from all approximately twenty, though they were very hard to count, to sit at.

The visitors were mostly rough animals who looked very strong each. Tiny ones like rabbits or sheeps were rare and mainly employees of this place.

A loud shout of cheers let assume one person just won a bet against someone else.

When the person went in, some curious eyes went to it.

Unsure the person looked around a bit, not interacting with anyone or looking at anyone's eyes and went aside. Quickly it went out of attention and the people started to turn back to their business.

Tigress, the hooded figure, leaned against the bar, looked at the action and mantled her face when she thought someone looked at her. She didn't want to be recognized by this folks.

She looked around and kept an eye especially on smaller guests in this place while she was looking for one specific. The person Viper described her.

"What am I looking for in this tavern?" she asked Viper, back at the Jade-Palace, she remembered while looking at the middle where the winner of the bet yelled: "Drinks on me!", followed with a huge jubilate from many people around.

When Tigress ordered a normal water she thought about Vipers answer: "It's easy or nearly impossible to spot. Should be either in some kind of spotlight or the darkest edge you can find."

She took the water and still watched the winner, who, awkwardly caught her view. She didn't look aside.

"The person you're looking for", Viper said to her a few hours ago: "Is a female red fox."

The red fox came directly towards Tigress after nobody seemingly paid attention at her.

"So..." the red fox came to Tigress and leaned at the bar next to her: "Water, huh? Nothing too conspicuously for a cloaked figure in a tavern," she said in a more quiet tone.

"I'm looking for you," Tigress answered as quiet, still looking at the filled tavern. When she made a proper look to the visitors, approximately everyone in here seemed to have some kind of weapon with them. From a knife, hidden in the cloths to a giant hammer open for all the world to see. The three musicians were exceptions. They looked as innocent as the employees. A good reason to not drop her hood. She was not in the mood of having a fight in a tavern.

The red fox grinned: "I thought as much the moment I saw you. That's why you were paying so much attention to me, huh?"

Tigress drunk a bit of her water. Since they got the a new water supply system the water got better but even the beverage on the Jade-Palace had more taste than this. This water smelled like something swam in it right before it got delivered. At least it was free. And she was quite surprised how quick she got spotted by the fox. She might even know who she is.

"I'm not used to covert operations. You looked quite trough me, didn't you?"

"A bit. As the only hooded figure just starring at me it went obvious you wanted something. But yet I don't even recognise you to be honest. So…. Who sent you?" she asked right away: "If it is who I think it is; I have the money I owe your boss, don't worry. He doesn't need his guards again."

Tigress didn't want to imagine what she meant but she was glad the fox appropriately didn't notice who she was.

"That's not my businesses," she simply explained without digging further.

Now the red fox looked at her and grinned slightly: "Is that so? What else could you want me for? Hm… I can't recall making myself a merc again or something… I don't make services…"

Tigress looked at her and took another nip of the water. "Let's just say… a friend needs your help."

The foxes grin went even bigger. "Oh, a friend?" I like having friends. But more the ones who aren't up for your possessions, money or… what ever." Tigress emptied her cup of water and roughly put it back to the bar again while she laughed slightly.

"You are messing with me, aren't you? I can't imagine such a young woman like you being already that deep in this underground world."

The red fox just waved away. "Nah. I'm out of that, you know. Just some minor business here, some open bills there… Nothing huge. My current jobs aren't dragging me down again where everyone who wants can find me. Once I'm done, I might vanish somewhere else. Maybe where people do not know me."

Tigress nodded. "Smart and clever."

"Now, speaking of business..." she turned at Tigress: "Who is this friend you are talking about?"

Tigress looked around to be sure nobody is listening to them.

"Potentially dangerous name in the underground… but…" she went close to her: "I guess you recall the name… Shiren?"

The red fox deeply at Tigress' eyes and starred at her for a moment. Her face went irritated and she was clearly thinking. That name told her something.

"I haven't heard this name for a long… long time now… hm… but, you know, I do not want to talk about that on a place like this. If someone like you are willing to ask with me, I'm willing to come to your place. Just tell your guards or whatever is there to let me in, in case I'm still on someone's list. With someone like you finding me, they definitely know me from somewhere. Then everything should be fine. But, I can tell you that right from the get go: Don't have too much expectations on me. Maybe I don't know the answers you are looking for.

Of course, she thought."Alright. Then I guess I'll go home and await you there."

"I don't think I will take long. Just get the rest of my money here and then I'm good to go."

"Thanks, Yong."

The fox raised an eyebrow and made a slight nod. "Ma'am."

"As for your destination: Let's just say you sought of conquering it but turned to defending it. Given the context I would suggest you'll find the rest out by yourself," Tigress said and stayed up again, up to leave.

"Alright then, got ya, chief," the fox said while Tigress was leaving the tavern back to the little rain, going back to the Jade-Palace with hopes for some answers.

She wasn't sure if what they did was actually worth it. Maybe it would have been better to just call any master near by and bring him to some kind of hospital. She had too much trouble as she could have put in so much effort into this but at this moment she already started, and if nothing will come out of Viper's contact, then she will definitely call some master of this region to handle him. Hospital, prison… would both be suitable at this point on the second thought.

On the Jade-Palace, a huge complex of minor structures across multiple pikes of a mountain, Tigress returned and immediately went into Viper, who told her: "Don't judge me now but I should mention, the students I was supposed to talk to are on their free day, Tirgess."

Tigress wondered: "Everything alright? Since we returned from the forest you seem to be a bit angry about something."

"Am I? Oh, don't mind that. I'm fine," Viper simply answered with a very salty tone. It was calmer but still a bit out of character.

"Viper, I know you now a very long time and I trust you with everything. Don't I deserve to know? I know you are more kind than everyone of us together. If something messes you up, it must be very deep, isn't it?" Tigress asked calmly while moving onward to avoid the light rain.

Viper sighed and said:"N-no. That's something I settle on my own, but thank you, Tigress. I'll come back to this when I think I need to."

"It's about what Shiren did? It reminds me of Fu-Xi. The people started hating you just because he was around and… did things. Until you stopped him."

"I said I'll come back to this when I think I need to, okay, Tigress?" Viper repeated herself.

Tigress immediately nodded, looking trustfully on her friend. "Do so. Now, how does our patient doing?"

Viper looked at the students barracks. "Mantis stabilized him as good as he could. He just need to rest, he said, and should be good to go again soon. And we all know what will happen next…"

"Don't worry. If what we are planning isn't working, I'll call the next prison for crazy people. I invited the contact you were suggesting to me. She should be here in no time."

Viper nodded: "Yeah, I recognized her when she entered this valley few time ago. Seems to have fun messing with some rowdies here and there, though the people fear her, even if she is polite."

Tigress thought back for a moment. After all she found Yong winning against someone in some kind of battle, or at least something where she messed with him. In some way it reminder her on Po. In the middle of the action, winning a contested challenge and having a great time with what they are doing.

"I really didn't know about her at all. Well… to be honest, when do I ever go into the valley and have time to look around, huh? Oh how times changed from two days… but I'm sure I am getting used to it. But when I talked to her, part of my memories awoken again. She was one of the five students that came on the last day to us and offered their help, back in the war. And then, after the battle, they disappeared. I never figured it out but to be honest, I never sought for doing it actually."

The conversation stopped with this moment and under a shelter they started watching the rain.

"Sorry I took so long." Yong came up the stairs, after a few amount of minutes with Monkey on her company and greeted the two masters.

"I've found her on her way up here," Monkey explained, felt a bit unsure during it: "She said she was invited but…"

"It's okay, thank you, Monkey. She came on my personal invitation," Tigress calmed him down.

He looked a bit surprised, not upset or anything, just accepting Tigress' okay. "Oh, okay then."

Tigress used the moment of Monkey's presence to ask: "How is Po doing?"

Monkey shrugged and looked to the stairs. "He went down to the valley to get some ingredients for the palace's rations. He told me he came on this idea when he was on the last stair upwards," he explained.

"Oh, he went all the way down again?" Viper asked a bit baffled. He rarely voluntarily goes all this stairs twice a day.

"Well, the way down is always faster. And he got Mantis with him, to carry the stuff up. Crane in the meantime went to the sick bay for the keep-an-eye-mission. He said the outlaws retreated one by one to their own business. Didn't seem like they were interested on working together any more any time soon. This dork nearly stumbled over all of my traps I've laid down there when he entered…"

"Oh," Yong guessed: "You mean him?" as she looked at Tigress.

Tigress nodded.

Than Yong grinned and said: "Oh, Monkey, you need more than just few traps to stop Shiren. As far as I remember him, he is very sneaky and creative if he wants to."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he gets trough. I just don't know good traps for his kind since I make barely traps for Viper so…"

"Why though?" Viper asked: "I don't feel challenged."

Monkey told her and pointed towards the training hall: "If the fire-ground is just a warming up for you, what do you expect me to-."

"Hey, you two," Tigress said to calm both down and went to her guest: "Can you discuss this maybe not in front of our guests?" then she turned to Yong: "Yong, I've invited you for a reason."

She nodded. "Indeed. Shall we go inside while you're telling me why he is here? On the… sick bay and… why you fear his awakening and stuff…?"

A few minutes later Tigress, Viper, Monkey and Yong sat on a table with some tea and Tigress just finished the story. "And that's why we brought him here temporarily. So…" she said: "Now it's your part. What in the world happened to him? I don't think he was that angry last time I saw him."

Yong sat still for a moment and just starred on her tea. "It…" she started: "went complicated back then."

Viper said: "The only thing we heard was Po saving the day. We never heard about you. What happened there back in the mansion?"

"It… I think the critical stuff happened way earlier. You see, during the war it became a hard time very quick. One day before our infiltration, makes two days before the attack, he lost someone very important."

"Oh, we didn't know," Tigress said, a bit sad.

"After a few hours he pretended it never happened and wanted to continue. Later it turned out, he wasn't as tough as he pretended to be. The next interesting thing was in fact… in the mansion. I don't know any details but I know Junjie jaded us all. Except for Shiren that is. He fought and freed us but he went that far he was up to literally kill him. Junjie had… I'm not quite sure what he exactly did or what he said. But it made him very mad. He was out of control until we stopped him."

"So only Junjie knows, huh?" Tigress asked.

"Well… I can guess it was something to do with the death of his aunt. Of his family. You know, the ones he lost. I guess Junjie must have said something wrong…"

Tigress sighed and slowly folded her paws on the table."Sounds like him… and I guess you have something more you want to tell us? Like, the fight? Some more details?"

"… Why are you so curious? Why are you that interested in him?" Yong asked.

"Because we can't force him to stay but everything else will kill him. Maybe you have an idea how to help than the next prison?"

"… I wish I could… But the battle… well, he fought with us, more or less. But the Shiren there… actually was a bit wild already but I thought he was just mad. Sorry, that's all I know."

"What about the others? I recall you were a few people."

"Well… that's the other issue. I have no clue. After we got banned, Shiren left and Jil went home we… well, didn't know what to do and with time our paths drifted apart. Xing and Ku Zhan went together somewhere to the south but I do not know where of if they even would still be there if I would know. Lao could be home, that would be most like him but again, I'm really not sure. Everything went really quiet."

"Do you think this Lao could help us in some way?"

"I don't know. But before I try this, I would maybe try to speak to Shiren if you wouldn't mind. I know I'm the worst person trying this but considering the options leaves us with no choice, right? Alright, I'll try it. If it doesn't work… you… or I… can go search for Lao."

Tigress nodded. "Alright. Thanks."

"Under one condition: You leaving us alone. He hates being contained and watched."

"Once he is awake that is," Monkey said: "And he might be dangerous. We don't know how he would react when he realising what happened."

Yong looked comfortable at him when she responded: "Ah, I'm the last person you need to be worried about. I know how to handle this sneaky boy."