Chapter 23

Throughout the whole conversation, Levy didn't make a single noise. He simply sat there, staring at the wall opposite of him. He was clearly listening but he glued his eyes to the wall. It was a smart move because one look at my face, and he'd know that he was a dead man if he made a single wrong move. I was counting on my patience that was running thin by the second. The conversation both men were in was too vague for me to understand anything. What does this man want from Mr. Huang and what does Levy has to do with any of it? If he was a man sent here by Dom, I will maul Dom dead. Not Lev. I'll probably try drowning Lev but Dom? No. Fuck Dom. I've had enough of that guy flipping my life upside down over and over again. I never thought I could be sick of anyone but Dom just surpassed every line I've drawn for the worst person alive. If Lev was one of the man he sent to spy on me, I don't think I could trust anyone anymore. And I'm aware that that's going to make things even harder than they already are. Everyone in this world should know better than to walk down this road on their own. Mr. Huang didn't answer the last question thrown by the strange man and that's when I couldn't bite my tongue hard enough anymore. 'What is he talking about?" I asked Mr. Huang. But of course, he was temporarily deaf just for that 3 seconds. However, Klovski or whatever his name was heard every word I said clearly and didn't seem to want to miss that chance to have a conversation with me. 'Oh to set up a duel for you, of course. It's tradition." His smirk grated my nerves. 'And who will I need to fight against?" 'Me." I turned to look at Levy who looked away after deciding to join the conversation. Well look at the bright side, this sounds like it has nothing to do with Dom. I won't need to worry about Levy being an associate of Dom's. That's a huge relief. Now to think about fighting him. He's twice my size and a friend. I can't injure him fatally but I'll lose up on stamina pretty quickly if I try to take him down without hurting him. I wouldn't be able to use any other techniques that I used on my other opponents unless I want to injure Levy in a horrid way. But before I could take them up on that duel, a question popped into my head. 'If that's all you wanted, why didn't you just knock like normal people and have a chat about it instead of breaking in and do God knows what to Mr. Huang?" They exchanged a look at my question. 'Just untie us and let's have that chat, alright?" 'That's enough!" Mr. Huang's yell made my heart skip a beat from shock. 'I will not agree to this. Where is your pride? You've tried this before and you've lost countless of times against my apprentices. When will you admit that you've lost?" He almost sounded desperate but everyone could hear his frustration in the last question. I could tell that he didn't like whatever Klovski is suggesting but why? 'You've never been so defensive, old man. What's with this little girl that makes her different from all the other apprentices? What are you so scared of? Aren't you confident in your own teaching skills?" A vein bulged in Mr. Huang's neck and I could see his jaw muscle tick. After a while of silence and fighting a wave of hesitation, I finally gathered enough courage to speak up and take up the challenge. I walked up to Mr. Huang's side and laid a hand onto his shoulder. 'It's alright, Shi Fu. I'll fight him in your name and I'll win." 'On one condition," I added, turning around to face Klovski. 'I will be the last. No more stupid traditions. You will leave Mr. Huang alone in peace." After five seconds of silence, Klovski nodded and squirmed a bit to remind us of the bonds that tied him down. I rolled my eyes but walked to their side after Mr. Huang gave me the permission to untie them. 'We'll be back at noon tomorrow. Be ready." It was all Klovski said before stepping outside the cabin and leaving with Lev trailing behind him. 'Listen, Case. I know that the man is your friend, but you cannot trust him. I've only known Klovski's apprentices to be a part of the gang he's in. I know you don't want to believe this but it is more likely than not that your friend is part of the gang that Klovski is in. Be careful." My eyebrows came knitted together. Levy? It can't be what I think it is, right? Could it be Quentin's gang? Has Levy been keeping an eye on me for Quentin? Before I could ask Mr. Huang any questions, Mr. Huang shook his head. 'Let's save the question for tomorrow. Tonight, you need to rest. Tomorrow will not be a walk in the park." With that, I watched as my teacher walk away. My chest burning with unanswered questions that kept me up late at night until I finally drifted to sleep.