THIS PARTICULAR KISHI of Kami no Ha was thin and tall. His suit seemed inky black—blacker than black—but his hair was almost a duller version of the same color, like it had been left in the sun for too long. He sat in his chair like it was a throne rather than the bench of a bar’s private room, his glass held in one hand, his eyes lazily looking Xingyu and Weiran up and down. Surrounding them were about half a dozen men in black suits and, standing at this Kishi’s side was an equally imposing man in an all-red suit that somehow seemed to pull in just as much light as the black suits.

“You said you were from the List?” The Kishi’s voice was smooth and soft.

Xingyu cleared his throat. He had expected men like Liu Baiyan—older, distinguished men who seemed powerful enough to make you want to fall to your knees and beg for mercy. The latter part was still true, but the former? These two men in front of Xingyu were only his age, maybe a few years older. Definitely not as old as his father or Chen Jun or Bai Xue. How in the world had these people gained so much power at such young ages? “Not exactly,” he said. “My father was Liu Baiyan.”

The man next to the Kishi blinked slowly. He reminded Xingyu of a big, dangerous cat. “Is that name supposed to mean something to me?” asked the Kishi, and shock reverberated through Xingyu’s back. If he’d been a leader of Kami no Ha for any amount of time, there was no way he didn’t know who Liu Baiyan was.

“He…is one of the most prominent figures of the List. Was. He controlled many of the deals in the List.”

“Hm.” The Kishi took a delicate sip of his drink. “Is he dead now, or something?”

The cat-like man standing next to the Kishi bent and said something into his ear. The Kishi blew some air out of his nose—a laugh?

“Oh, I suppose he is dead. And you did that?”

“He was an evil man,” said Xingyu as answer.

“Well, I can’t really fault you for that. I fantasized about killing my own father quite a few times. Unfortunately, the bastard beat me to it.” He set his drink down now, and with his free hand he reached up toward the cat-like man. Their fingers connected, intertwined, stayed together. Xingyu let his gaze linger there for a little too long before he was able to tear himself away. “So, son of Liu Baiyan. Is there something I can do for you?”

“I—I’m sorry, but are you really a leader of Kami no Ha?”