Damian was a changed man; there was such a hardness to him that Yin felt it coming from him.

"What happened?" She then asked him, and he blinked.

"Nothing too bad." He said, and she shook her head.

"I don't believe that. Mafia? Damian, you might love your deals and cutthroat business, but you always tried to stay legal. You would never have joined the Mafia if not for something terrible happening. I am asking you because Gale is the Lord of understatements."

He sighed and then walked past her, retrieving two more chairs —one for him and one for Jiang.

Settling down on it.

"Yin focus while listening. I need to figure out if those fingers move how they should when you do it." Gale said next to her, and she turned to him.

"Sorry, yes, right arm, moving." She focused again, and the hand slowly started moving.

"Make a fist," Gale ordered. She did as he said. The hand moved slowly, very slowly, but it moved. "Mhh, Open up and then use more spirit energy. Ramp it up to level 30."

"Alright." She said and did as he asked; her arm moved faster, but it wasn't easy, and it was through spirit power.

"Mhh, it's moving, but too slow. Raise it over your head and then bend it into a ninety-degree angle approximately." He ordered, and she followed his orders; it was the same now as earlier. She needed a lot of focus, and it was slow.

"I think it needs more spirit power." She said. "Also, while I could get used to the focus, there is a hesitation in the move that I don't think is good."

"Mhh, I am seeing. Just a second." He took it off her again and then hummed as he walked to his workbench in the back. "I'll be back in five."

"More like in an hour," Damian grumbled. "He has been brooding over similar problems for an eternity now. But meanwhile, I think I can answer your question about what happened."

"Yes, please." She turned to a sighing Damian.

"Well, you remember my Dad was a pretty big deal in the business world." He asked, and she nodded.

"Sure, you never said who, but yeah, I noticed." She said, and he leaned back.

"Well, he died. Not going into the details here, but basically, it was inheritance wars with my brother afterward. I want to point out, though, that I wanted nothing of that inheritance. Still, he, or rather my stepmother, decided my claim was enough to make her restless. She tried to have me killed. Since it was pretty well known at that point that I had a relation to Gale and a handful of spirit masters, she didn't hire just anyone. We asked the nuns for help, since surviving on our own was not long-term feasible. Honestly, you, Yu Hua, and the others have bigger things to attend to than settling my inheritance wars. I dealt with them. Deal with the Nuns was, I would handle the Mafia Clans and unify them here in Vast Sea city,  help legalize the old families, and in exchange, they would leave me to do whatever I wanted with them and protect me and Gale against assassins."

"Why...you could have asked for help," Yin said, objecting, but he shook his head.

"No, not for that. You don't understand, spirit Masters don't involve themselves in non-spirit master matters if they aren't clan matters. It's a law, unwritten but still in effect. If I had gone and asked any of you for help, I would have only made things worse for you and for me, and especially for Gale."

"But why?"

"I think I can answer that," Jiang said and then looked at Damian. "I guess it is because of respect. Had you received help from spirit masters, no matter how well-meaning it is, it would have damaged and influenced everything you do...cost you because everyone would have thought that you are only where you are for spirit master connection. That, and the underground has its own rules, I strongly assume."

"Yeah." Damian made a grim expression. "That is one reason, and I really didn't want to drag the others into my business. It was too late for Gale, but not for the others, and I am good at taking care of myself. The clans are almost legal now, too. No more Mafia from next year on if I have any say in it."

"But why?" Yin asked him, confused. "I don't see how they would have gotten much of an advantage out of promoting you. I mean, why you, and not someone born into it?"

"Who said I was not born into it?" Damian huffed. "My entire father's side of the family is basically Mafia, only whitewashed. Spirit Masters might still not truly see it, but I tell you something. You have seen all those soldiers and mercenaries in the streets. War is coming, Yin, and it is coming hard. The old nuns knew it years ago, and they needed someone to be their shield. I was just a good option, and that they liked Gale and want his skills is a nice bonus."

Jiang patted Damian's back. "You did well surviving."

"We two are nothing if not hard to kill. But Yin, I dare you to tell that Yu Hua, really keep it to yourself also when talking to the others. Hell will freeze over before we drag Hua into this with his boutique and all. Ning Feng is cozy with the future clan leader of Seven Treasures; her relation to me will only cause trouble for her, Jiang, Xiao Wu, and San. Holy heavens, you are basically guaranteed to be a future Douluo. None of you should be too deep in cahoots with us. "

"Damian." Yin interrupted him. "That doesn't matter to me, at least. I am not even registered at Spirit Hall. There is no reputation you could have ruined in the first place.  Neither do I think the others will care. But I promise I won't tell anyone. Next time something like that happens, you will tell me, please. Even if not out in the open, I want to help. You are my friend."

"I made sure there is no next time, Yin." He said his voice was stern and had an edge to it that she had not heard from him before; she almost flinched back. He saw and looked away. "I am sorry. I shouldn't have had that tone."

"Well, screw you," Yin growled and then rose from her chair. Even if Damian had changed, he was still her friend, the one who got the best price at the markets for her stuff, the one who made sure that documents were settled, and who played tricks on the Grandmaster just to get a rise out of the stoic teacher."I am your friend. I don't care about a reputation I don't have in the first place. You tell me who I need to rip a new one and threaten in the following days, got it."

"I doubt you are even able to rip someone a new one, Yin. You are nice, not as much of a hardass as you pretend to be most of the time."

"Screw you." She grumbled. "I have Jiang and...you know I am pretty scary now, at least in terms of spirit power."

"Hey!" Jiang protested.

"What?" She said back and then fluttered her eyes at him. "I am not physically imposing; you are far better at that, and handsome on top of that."

"More flattery and I think about it." Jiang rumbled and leaned back into the chair, casting a look at the door. "You think Gale will be done anytime soon, because if not, I would get us some food. I am hungry."