The Dragon Amulet

Following the release and roar of the Dragon, Shen Nu covered his body in azure scales, he smiled at the attendant and said" I would like my entry ticket now, I can't wait until I can enter the clan grounds tomorrow, it will be the first time since the clan threw me out 10 years ago on my 7th birthday."

Shen Nu displayed no emotion as he spoke however the Dragon projection above him got angrier and angrier as the words left his mouth.

By the time Shen Nu had collected his ticket and left towards the location of an inn in the slums, the Dragon looked as if it was ready to swallow the Shen Clan whole.

The walk towards the inn was less eventful than signing up for the tournament, Shen Nu contemplated what he would do after the tournament.

Part of him wanted to return to the Shen clan and reform it while another part wanted to form his own clan outside of the capital city and politics. Unsure of what to do, he decided he would consult the one woman who had any sway over him at all, Lily.

As the two trained together, for what was the best part of four and a half years, the bond between the two of them had grown significantly. Shen Nu valued Lily's opinion but more than that he began to understand, for the first time ever, the significance of spending time with someone else.

During the training their relationship had gone past that of normal friends however Shen Nu never defined it as anything more than that. However like earlier when he bought her the Dragon earrings, he found himself thinking about her more and more.

It was different to what he felt about Shen Mei as he was only grateful to her for keeping an eye on him, he was grateful to Lily for a lot more than that however he felt as if it went deeper than that. Shen Nu knew he would have to think more clearly on the subject however he decided to put it on hold until the tournament was over.

Shen Nu causally walked into the inn in the slums he used to work in before his disappearance a year and a half ago. He walked towards the young woman who inherited the inn from her recently deceased father, he died 2 years prior to Shen Nu's return.

The young woman was surrounded by a group of men who were drinking quite heavily, one of them put his arm around the waist of the young woman and despite her objections, he refused to let go.

Shen Nu walked to the reception and turned to the woman and said" Could I get a room for the next 2 weeks please?"

The man holding the woman answered instead of her, saying " Can't you see she is busy, come back later, once we gave had our fun."

Shen Nu ignored the man and looked again at the woman before he could leave, Lily spoke in his ear " It was her father that helped the Shen Clan beat you, it was nothing to do with her and you know it. I demand that you help her"

Shen Nu smiled and said aloud, to the confusion of the people in the inn" As the Empress demands."

He closed the distance between himself and the man instantly and before the man could react, Shen Nu was holding him by the throat.

Shen Nu smiled at tte man and said" Why don't you have your fun somewhere else or better yet, go home and relax before someone teaches you a lesson."

The man tried to struggle free from Shen Nu's claw like grip and when he couldn't budge, he clicked his fingers and rhe rest of the nen in the inn got up and approached Shen Nu menacingly.

With his free hand, Shen Nu began to manipulate the Qi in the air, he channelled Fire Qi from his sea of consciousness, before any of the men near him could react, they were struck by small fireballs that singed their clothes and burnt tbeir skin.

He then struck the man he was holding in the c.h.e.s.t, breaking two of his ribs. Believe it or not, this was Shen Nu holding back as much power as he could.

Shen Nu then gathered the men up and threw them out of the inn one by one. With the thugs dealt with, Shen Nu turned to the woman and asked" About that room?"