Chapter 695

The martial world had always been a place of rules.

In some ways, its traditions were even stricter than those of scholars, despite scholars building their lives around etiquette and law.

The reason was simple.

A scholar could publish a book and spread its contents across the world. Anyone willing to study could learn from it. A genuinely secret text, hidden away from everyone else, was often treated with suspicion instead.

Martial artists were different.

Their livelihood rested on what they could do with their own hands. In many cases, their lives did too. A secret technique could determine whether a fighter lived or died.

So of course they took inheritance seriously.

Some schools passed their arts only to family members. Some favored sons over daughters. Others insisted that senior disciples inherit before juniors.

Yet martial artists were also notoriously loyal to their friends and family.

A brother might swallow his pride and beg you to teach him a technique.

A master’s descendants might prove incapable of learning the art themselves, leaving an ancestral secret on the verge of disappearing forever.

At that point, what could they do?

They had to pass it on.

But breaking centuries-old rules was another matter.

The solution was simple: a formal teacher-disciple ceremony.

Once the ceremony was completed, the tradition remained intact. The new student became part of the lineage. The master remained the master. The technique was passed on, and the student carried it forward, preserving the school’s honor.

Everyone understood, however, that such a relationship wasn’t necessarily the same as one formed between a master and a disciple raised under the master’s roof from childhood.

It was often more ceremony than family.

A formal bond. A name. A piece of tradition.

But it still mattered.

The student would remember the master during festivals and important occasions. The relationship might not be as deep as that between a true lifelong disciple and teacher, but the connection remained.

And that was exactly the kind of connection Evenson wanted.

Lily had performed the ceremony because she wanted to learn from him.

She just hadn’t noticed the exchange of glances between Evenson and Claire as she bowed.

The two of them were smiling.

Not innocent smiles, either.

The sort of smiles that would have looked downright criminal if they had been any wider.

Because this hadn’t happened by accident.

Evenson and Claire had planned it the night before.

It had started after Lily accepted the way out Evenson had offered her.

Claire had dragged him back to their room, clearly irritated.

"What are you doing?"

"I finally get to see Senior Sister again, and we barely got started before you smoothed everything over. We hadn’t even finished arguing!"

Evenson had looked at her with profound disbelief.

"Are you here to deal with something important, or are you here to have fun arguing with your senior sister?"

"Something important?"

Claire had finally explained the real purpose of the trip before leaving Kamar-Taj. She wanted Evenson to help her evaluate potential allies and identify people she could rely on in the future.

"You think Senior Sister is suitable?"

"Very."

Evenson had nodded.

"I haven’t studied everyone at the Hong Kong Sanctum in detail, but I’ve seen enough. They respect you."

Claire nodded.

"But I’m not sure they respect you."

She looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"It’s your seniority."

Evenson leaned back.

"They respect the position you occupy and the traditions surrounding it. When things become difficult, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll obey you."

Claire fell silent.

She already knew he was right.

The people of the Hong Kong Sanctum treated her with courtesy, but there had always been a certain distance between them.

"Of course," Evenson continued, "none of that matters while the Ancient One is still around."

Claire’s brows drew together.

"In fact, if the Ancient One is still here, whether these people listen to you isn’t particularly important."

Evenson turned to face her fully.

"You aren’t exactly going to become the next Sorcerer Supreme while she’s still alive."

Claire’s eyes widened.

"You mean..."

"You really hadn’t thought of this?"

Evenson gave her an incredulous look.

"If the Ancient One is alive, every student she’s trained and every talented mage she’s cultivated is still competing for second place."

He spread his hands.

"As long as she’s there, who else could possibly take that position?"

His tone became more serious.

"Your future as her successor only exists in the world where she’s no longer here."

Claire’s face had gone pale.

"That... that can’t be..."

"It can."

Evenson softened his voice.

"Don’t panic. The Ancient One may simply be preparing for every possibility."

He paused.

"But if she’s preparing, then we’d better make sure the groundwork is solid. She should be able to leave this world knowing everything is in capable hands."

Leave this world.

Claire stared at him.

For some reason, the way he phrased it sounded suspiciously close to "rest in peace."

Evenson continued.

"Let’s say, purely hypothetically, that the Ancient One dies first."

Claire winced.

"You and the next Sorcerer Supreme would probably work together, each supporting the other where necessary."

"But the Hong Kong Sanctum will ultimately recognize whoever holds the position. That’s where tradition gives the new Sorcerer Supreme the advantage."

"Your senior sister is different."

"She’s part of Kamar-Taj, technically, but most of her strength comes from her own family’s martial tradition. From everything you’ve told me, she’s spent years maintaining an arm’s-length relationship with the Sanctum."

"That means she probably doesn’t care much about these rules."

Evenson smiled.

"But she does care about you."

Claire made a quiet sound somewhere between agreement and reluctance.

She neither confirmed nor denied it.

"Exactly."

Evenson nodded.

"She’s outspoken, independent, and clearly someone who values loyalty."

"People like that don’t betray the people they care about."

"So if we make the right approach, we can bring her to your side."

He wasn’t finished.

"And judging by what I saw today, she’s probably one of the strongest fighters in the entire Hong Kong Sanctum."

"Even the Sanctum’s leader, Victor Sterling, seems to give her plenty of room."

"More importantly, the Sanctum depends heavily on the businesses her family controls."

Evenson smiled.

"She’s holding their financial lifeline."

"If she chooses to stand with you, there’s a good chance quite a few people at the Sanctum will follow."

Claire remembered that all too well.

There had been one year when she and Lily had fallen out with the Sanctum.

For the first month, the people at the Hong Kong Sanctum had apparently been reduced to eating vegetables because they could no longer afford meat.

By the second half of the year, even the vegetables had disappeared.

They’d survived on plain rice.

Their faces had practically turned green from hunger.

Claire shuddered.

"You’re frighteningly good at recruiting from the other side."

She gave Evenson an approving look.

"You found our first opening almost immediately."

"Nothing special."

Evenson waved it off modestly.

"Warlocks are professionals when it comes to this sort of thing."

Then his expression turned thoughtful.

"Of course, if your senior sister has some particular weakness, it would make things much easier."

Claire’s eyes shifted.

Then she smiled.

"Funny you should mention that."

She leaned closer.

"She has one lifelong obsession."

"I don’t know whether you can help with it."

That conversation was why Lily was now kneeling before Evenson.

The ceremony completed, Evenson accepted the wine Lily offered him and drained the cup.

Then he took her arm with an easy familiarity.

"Good. That’s settled."

"I’ll teach you everything I know."

"How much you can actually retain, though, will depend on your talent."

Lily remained composed.

"The master shows you through the door. The rest is up to the student."

"As long as you teach me everything, what I manage to master is my responsibility."

She stood.

She didn’t bother reclaiming the seat at the head of the table.

Instead, she shoved Claire aside and dropped herself into the chair.

"Everyone knows what this ceremony actually means."

She gave Claire a warning look.

"Don’t expect me to start calling you Mistress."

Claire covered her mouth and laughed.

"Oh, Senior Sister, surely you don’t need to worry about that."

"Respecting one’s master is your own choice. I’d never force you."

Her shoulders shook with barely contained amusement.

But before the exchange could continue, the door suddenly burst open.

Eddie stumbled inside from the restaurant across the street.

"Boss!"

His expression was frantic.

"This is bad!"

"There are a lot of people outside. They’ve surrounded the place."

He swallowed.

"It looks like they’re here for you."

Lily slammed her palm onto the table and sprang to her feet.

"Those bastards."

"Someone thinks they can surround the Tigress of Kowloon?"

Her eyes flashed.

"Sound the call. Get everyone here."

"We’ll cut them down."

Eddie’s face twisted with embarrassment.

"Boss..."

He pulled out an old brick-shaped cell phone.

"There’s a problem."

"They’ve got some kind of signal jammer."

"Our phones aren’t working."

...