A mysterious figure

Standing in the middle of the street, swaying from side to side, was the same drunk man who had looked at Ryu and Nura when they were jumping on the roofs looking for a highvale gang member to attack. That encounter left both Ryu and Nura suspicious as they were not sure if the man had, in fact, discovered their position and was looking for them or if he just got a lucky glimpse out of his peripheral vision.

If the first encounter was already enough to trigger caution, this second one did not lose in suspense to the first one, by the simple fact that again Ryu and Nura did not know if this encounter was something that happened out of coincidence or if the man had been actually following them this whole time.

As soon as the two young cultivators saw the drunk man, they immediately halted their running, waiting for something to happen. However, as the drunk man just stood there looking at them without saying a single word, they began to walk ahead.

Every step was taken with extreme caution, none of the boys dared to take their eyes off the drunk, so they walked, prepared to jump even at the slightest move the drunk made. Eventually, the only three people on the main street came within a mere three paces of each other, Ryu arranging himself to pass to one side while Nura moved to the other, strategically positioning themselves for a fight.

At such close distance, Ryu was able to discern the facial features of the drunk man, which did not help him to lower his guard as the man had a sinister smile with just the corner of his mouth while looking straight at him. One more step, and the man stood there as if it were just part of the city's decor, at which point Ryu began to feel that this meeting was merely a coincidence, that by sheer chance he and Nura had simply fled onto a path that matched with this man destination.

"Hello, my friend." when Ryu started to think that he would pass without any trouble, the man spoke with him at the same time that he moved toward Ryu.

But Ryu barely reacted to the man's approach, who though he had a drunken unpredictability, still possessed an unnatural sense of firmness and precision. For some strange reason, the man came within centimeters of Ryu, put his hand on his shoulder, and Ryu didn't react, almost as if he were in a trance.

Seeing that Ryu was in danger, Nura took a firm step toward the drunk man, ready to take his club to enter in combat. But he stopped when Ryu raised his hand, signaling for him to wait.

"Excuse me, senior, but do we know each other already?" Ryu asked in his most polite tone.

"Hmmm, now that you say, I don't remember your name. So why don't we celebrate our recent friendship drinking? There is a bar close to here that has the best wine in the whole city." the drunk man said, pointing ahead of the street.

When Ryu opened his mouth to speak, Nura cut through him, "Drink seems like a good idea. Take us to this bar you speak. Today drink is on me."

"This young master truly knows how to enjoy life, come on, come on, this way." drunk mam said in a happy tone, leaving Ryu and going to Nura, taping his back.

Nura's agreement to drink with an unknown weird man while they were busy fleeing was a shock to Ryu, but since his friend had agreed with it, it could only mean that he had some plan. After all, Nura has given much evidence of his remarkable intelligence before, so Ryu wouldn't hesitate to believe his friend's decision.

But this did not mean that they lowered their guard against this man, so Ryu and Nura followed the slow man for two streets until they arrived before a small building with a sign indicating that the place was a bar. Even though it was late, the bar still had its lights on inside, showing it was still working, so they entered the building, but only after taking a last look at the street to see if anyone was chasing them, or if it was a trap.

Since there was no one on the street, Ryu and Nura entered the bar after their new drunk friend, and there wasn't a trap inside either. At least not a trap in the literal sense of the word because the bar itself was a trap since the place was dirty and smelly, and to complete the pitiful scene, the only customers were all utterly drunk to the point of sleeping on the tables.

As soon as they passed through the door, "I told you not to come back here without money." the bartender yelled, pointing towards them with a knife.

"I'm here with my friends with lots of money to drink the whole night. Bring me your wine quickly, you petty bald man." Ryu's new friend yelled back.

"Do you expect me to believe that? Show me the money first." the barman, who had the top of his head missing hair, yelled again, this time even angrier than before.

Before things escalated further, Nura stepped further and placed fifty coins in front of the barman and said, "Is this enough to buy some wine?".

When the barman saw the coins in his front, his attitude took a twist, and he said, "Yes, of course. I'm sorry to yell at you guys. Please take a seat. I will arrange some snacks for you."

"I want wine. Who cares about snacks." the drunk man said. So the barman sighed and said, "Okay, I will get your wine. You can have your seat."

So, Ryu and Nura went to the end of the bar while the drunk man kept waiting for his wine, standing at the counter. When only the two were alone, Ryu turned to Nura and whispered, "Why are we here?".

"We needed someplace to hide, and this looked like a good opportunity." explained Nura.

"Are you not worried that this can be a trap? That man looks extremely suspicious to me." Ryu asked.

"He surely is suspicious, but you saw how did he approach you at the street? If he really meant harm, you would probably be dead by now." said Nura.

"So, you are saying that if this is a trap, we already fall for it, back at the street?" Ryu asked.

"Basically, yes." said Nura dryly and directly, and after a brief pause, he added, "But I don't think he wants to cause us any problem. Maybe he wants to investigate us."

"I got. But for now, it looks like he just wishes to get even more drunk." commented Ryu.

Before Nura and Ryu could continue their speculation privately, the man arrived at the table, so they stopped talking about their concern. The man picked a seat in front of Ryu and Nura and placed not only one jug of wine but three jugs on the table.

"Isn't this a little too much?" asked Ryu in surprise.

"No, no, no. I will teach you how to appreciate wine properly. By the way, I still did not ask for your names." the man said.