The smell of sizzling garlic and ginger usually meant his mother was making her famous steamed fish. This morning, it felt more like an executioner's breakfast. Yuhon crept into the kitchen, every muscle aching from the previous night's exertions and the lingering fear from his mother's cryptic words.
His parents were already at the table. Aoqi was calmly sipping tea, while Zerkon was methodically working his way through a mountain of scrambled eggs. The atmosphere was… normal. Too normal.
"Sit, Yuhon," Aoqi said, her voice pleasant. It was not a suggestion.
Yuhon slid into his chair, his heart hammering a frantic rhythm against his ribs. He reached for the teapot, but his hand trembled slightly, making the porcelain clatter.
Zerkon paused, a forkful of eggs halfway to his mouth. "Rough night?" he asked, his tone deceptively casual.
"I… I didn't sleep well," Yuhon mumbled, staring fixedly at his empty plate.
"I'm not surprised," Aoqi said, setting her cup down with a soft click. "Vigilante work is so terribly draining. Especially when one has to improvise a new physique and then set their own costume on fire. It lacks a certain… elegance, don't you think?"
The world tilted. Yuhon's head snapped up. His parents were both looking at him, their expressions a mixture of amusement and… pride?
"I… I don't know what you're…" he stammered, the denial dying in his throat under their gentle, knowing gazes.
"The martial arts were the first clue, son," Zerkon said, resuming his eating. "Clean form. Efficient. My form. You left my signature all over those Black Pigeon boys."
"And then, of course, the Blue Flame," Aoqi added, shaking her head with a faint sigh. "So distinctive. A lovely cerulean shade. Quite unique in this part of the world. And the Silver Frost on that A-rank fellow's jaw? A bit obvious, dear."
Yuhon felt the blood drain from his face. They knew. They'd known everything. "You… you're not mad?"
"Mad?" Zerkon boomed a laugh. "Why would we be mad? You took out the trash. A bit messily, but the job got done."
"We are, however, concerned about your methodology," Aoqi interjected, her elegant features turning serious. "Holding back against an A-rank threat is how you get killed. Using a cheap cotton hoodie against an electrical conduit is just poor planning."
Yuhon could only blink, his mind struggling to catch up. This wasn't the reaction he'd braced for. There was no yelling, no grounding for life, no being shipped off to a remote monastery.
"You… you're okay with it? With me being the Grinning Fox?"
"We'd prefer you didn't get a swelled head about the name," Zerkon grunted. "It's a bit theatrical."
"But the intent?" Aoqi continued. "Protecting your community? Redistributing ill-gotten gains? It's… commendable. In a uniquely reckless, teenage way."
Zerkon pointed his fork at Yuhon, his expression turning stern, but the warmth in his eyes remained. "Here are the new rules. One: no more holding back. If you're in a fight, you end it. Use everything we've taught you. Your fire, your lightning, your frost. All of it. Understood?"
Yuhon nodded, stunned. "Understood."
"Two," Aoqi said, holding up a second finger. "You will be careful. You will not pick fights with S-ranks on a whim. You will assess, you will plan, and you will have an exit strategy. This is not a game. The moment it becomes too dangerous, you disengage and you come to us. Is that clear?"
"Crystal clear," Yuhon breathed, a massive, incredulous grin spreading across his face. He felt like a chain he hadn't even known was there had been shattered. He was being given permission to fly.
"Good," Zerkon said, standing and clapping a massive hand on Yuhon's shoulder, nearly driving him into the table. "Now eat your breakfast. Your mother made fish. And tonight, we'll work on your projection. That muscle tension trick is a good start, but you're still holding your elbows too tight. It makes you look stiff, not powerful."
---
School felt like a different planet. He walked through the gates not as Yuhon the farm boy, but as Yuhon the sanctioned vigilante, a secret agent with his parents' blessing. The weight of his secret was now a shared, exhilarating burden.
The buzz about the Grinning Fox's second appearance was even louder. The fact that he'd taken down A-rank hunters had catapulted him from local curiosity to genuine legend.
He found Mei and Jin at their usual spot. Mei was quiet, paler than usual, but her eyes were sharp and clear. She looked up as he approached.
"Yuhon. Hey."
"Mei. Jin," he nodded, sitting down. "You okay? I heard about… what happened last night. That's insane."
"Insane doesn't even cover it," Jin said, his voice hushed with awe. "Mei got kidnapped by actual A-rank criminals! And the Grinning Fox saved her! He was all… fwoosh! With the fire! And the muscles! Did you see the muscles, Mei?"
Mei elbowed him sharply. "Jin! shut up." She turned back to Yuhon, studying him again, but this time the suspicion was gone, replaced by a thoughtful curiosity. "Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks. It was… terrifying. But he was… incredible. Not at all what I expected."
Yuhon felt a surge of relief so potent it was dizzying. His plan had worked. "What did the Guild say? They must be all over this."
"They are," Mei said, a wry smile touching her lips. "My grandmother is… furious."
Yuhon blinked. "Your grandmother?"
Jin couldn't contain himself any longer. He leaned in, whispering conspiratorially, "Dude! Mei's grandma is, like, the biggest deal ever! She's Guild Master Sarah Xin! Of the Crimson Phoenix!"
Yuhon's brain short-circuited. The pieces snapped into place with an almost audible click. The analytical mind. The lack of fear. The way the A-rankers had called her a "snitch" for reporting to the Guild tip-line.
Sarah Xin. Guild Master of the Crimson Phoenix. One of the nineteen S-rank guilds in all of China. A living legend whose power was said to rival natural disasters. And Mei was her granddaughter.
"You're… you're kidding," he breathed, staring at Mei.
She shrugged, looking slightly embarrassed. "I don't really advertise it. I wanted to go to a normal school. Live a normal life. You know, before I inevitably have to join the family business." Her tone was light, but there was a hint of resignation in it.
"But now…" Jin continued, his eyes wide, "Her grandma is super-pissed that A-ranks dared to touch her granddaughter! She's launched a full-scale investigation! They're tearing through the underworld! She's even put out a statement!"
Mei pulled out her phone and pulled up a news site. The headline blared: CRIMSON PHOENIX GUILD MASTER VOWS RETRIBUTION. There was a picture of a severe-looking woman with sharp eyes and silver hair pulled into a tight bun. She looked like she could stare down a volcano.
"She says," Mei read, a hint of dryness in her voice, "'An attack on my blood is an attack on the Crimson Phoenix. Those responsible will be found and will learn the meaning of true fire.' She's also…" Mei trailed off, blushing slightly.
"She's also what?" Yuhon asked, fascinated.
"She's also issued a formal commendation and an offer of affiliation to the 'Grinning Fox,'" Jin blurted out, practically vibrating with excitement. "She wants to recruit him! An S-rank guild wants to recruit the Fox!"
Yuhon's jaw dropped. The world was moving too fast. He'd gone from being grounded-in-theory to receiving a job offer from an S-rank guild in the span of a morning.
"It's a terrible idea," Mei said firmly, snapping her phone shut. "The last thing a lone vigilante needs is the attention of an S-rank guild. They'll either try to absorb him, control him, or if he refuses, see him as a rival. My grandmother's 'protection' can feel a lot like a gilded cage."
She looked directly at Yuhon, and for a heart-stopping moment, he felt like she was talking about more than just the Fox. "He works best alone. On his own terms. Don't you think?"
Yuhon managed a nod, his throat dry. "Yeah. Yeah, I think you're right. The Fox probably likes his freedom."
"Exactly," Mei said, a genuine smile finally breaking through. "Besides, I owe him. I'm not going to be the reason he gets locked up in a guild hall." She stood up, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. "Come on, Jin. We've got history. See you later, Yuhon."
As they walked away, Jin was already chattering. "—do you think he'll show up again? What if he joins? Would he wear a Crimson Phoenix jacket over his mask? That would be so cool—"
Yuhon sat alone under the tree, the noise of the school fading around him. His parents had unshackled him. Mei's suspicion was gone, replaced by a debt of gratitude that somehow felt more dangerous. And now one of the most powerful women in the country had him in her sights.
He wasn't just Yuhon Kalmas, farm boy, or even the Grinning Fox, local vigilante. He was now a piece on a chessboard he hadn't even known existed. And the game had just begun. A slow grin spread across his face. This was going to be so much more interesting than weeding carrots.