Newsprint #23, Psychedelic Purple #28: Chasing the Bat - Part 2 (Lin Moniao Series)

[ilthit]

Name: Chasing the Bat - Part 2
Story: Lin Moniao Series (AO3 link)
Colors: Newsprint #23 (What a shock when they tell you it won't hurt and you almost turn inside-out when they begin.), Psychedelic Purple #28 (beneath this mask I am wearing a frown)
Supplies and Styles: gesso, novelty beads (“No matter how much you change, please don’t forget there are people who care for you.” - Sailor Moon); interactive art, life drawing, mural, silhouette
Word Count: 28K
Rating: mature
Warnings: Betrayal, graphic violence, reference to rape, reference to child abuse, self-harm ideation, messy polyamory, gender feels, mind games.
Summary: Having discovered the location of the Obsidian Bat, Lin Moniao and his allies make a plan to recover it.
Note: Co-written with minutia_r . Also available on AO3 here, with some more notes and art - and the full text. I had to split this in two because it is over Dreamwidth's single-post character allowance.

-

Shi Jia

If Master Wu was in the house, there would be training at si. If they were at the Qilin Villa, it would be at chen. The Immortal Sword Manor's disciples would have finished by then and be starting on the day's chores. As it is, Lin Moniao is free to wake when he wishes. Huang Tianlin has been gone since dawn, and Shen Shanwei is copying medical manuals in the back room by the library, with the doors open to a pleasant late summer morning in the inner courtyard. The kitchen is fragrant with cooking, and will be until xi, now that Qi Lian has more than two mouths to cook for.

Lin Moniao is happy to sleep in, but there's a limit to how long he can, when he got to bed at a respectable hour the night before. Even once he's washed, dressed, and breakfasted, there's still time before he's due to meet Shi Jia, so he joins Shen Shanwei in the back room. He also has writing to do.

If only he hadn't been stupid back in Lu'an! Then he could have waited until everything was resolved one way or another before writing a report, or even better, waited to report in person and decided what to say and how to say it based on Master Wu's reactions at the time. However, there's no help for it: Mu Liqiang will certainly tell Master Wu what happened in Lu'an, and since he seems to have formed some strange notion that he was in some way at fault, Lin Moniao cannot let his version of events be the only one Master Wu hears. And it would look strange if he reported on what happened in Lu'an, and nothing of anything that happened afterwards.

So: in addition to the dull minutiae of their travel, he does write that they have discovered that Liu Xiuling has most likely obtained the Obsidian Bat, and that they are looking into the possibility of retrieving it from her. He does not go into detail about his suspicions of Huang Tianlin, or what he discovered picking his pockets, or how he arranged his meeting with Shi Jia.

As for the meeting itself, he will have to decide what to report of it after it happens.

Shen Shanwei shoots curious looks at all of Lin Moniao's scribbling and the expressions that flit across his face, but he does not actually peek at his writing; it would be difficult to, anyway, with the way their desks are arranged. Eventually, he sighs and admits, "I am curious, but I don't want to know anything. I am anxious, but spend my days in quiet complacence. This shidi will have to meditate arduously to stop himself falling into some other forbidden temptation. There must be a limit to human restraint." He rests his chin on his fist with a scowl and doodles something unmedical in his copy.

"Oh, well, if you want suggestions for alternative forbidden temptations, you only have to ask." Lin Moniao sets down his brush and leans in towards him, beaming. How is he supposed to not, when Shen Shanwei is sitting there being adorable, and handing him an opening like that? "Would it help to know that shijie threatened to break every bone in my body if I did? In terms of the temptation being forbidden, I mean."

Shen Shanwei's scowl breaks into a smile. "I miss her so much." He glances at Lin Moniao from the side of his eye, then draws himself up with a sigh and reblots his paper. "You have a meeting."

"Well, true. I suppose it would be unkind to make you hurry, or to make him wait. Though he did once say he'd keep a lantern burning for me all night." Lin Moniao smiles fondly, a faraway look in his eye.

"Make me hurry!" Shen Shanwei chokes in indignation. "Go, you beast. Clearly you're not short of people to tempt!"

"Yes, but I like you. All right, I'm going." Lin Moniao blots his mostly-completed report, folds it up, and tucks it into a pocket. "I will ask you not to read this once I leave Kaifeng, but I know very well I can't stop you if you choose to."

"Lin-shixiong, wait." Shen Shanwei looks ashamed. "I'm sorry I said that. You're not a beast."

"Shen-shidi, you can call me a beast all you like, I don't mind." Lin Moniao perches on the edge of his desk. "Should I apologize for teasing you? I was teasing, I suppose, but I meant it also."

"I have a thin face and a temper. That's my own fault." He wipes his fingers, splotched with ink, and once he is done he folds his hands and looks up at Lin Moniao, calm again. "I just don't think we should. You know. And you're making it difficult. So stop making it difficult by saying sweet things and looking so... just stop. Be more of the annoying smug bastard, please. Even if it makes me yell at you."

Lin Moniao bites his lip and doesn't tell Shen Shanwei how much he likes his face, because that's exactly the sort of thing Shen Shanwei has just asked him not to do.

"I am smug and a bastard," he says with a shrug, "so it shouldn't be difficult. Shall I--I won't give you the report just yet, because I will have to add to it before I leave, but I can give you the other thing I want you to pass on to Master Wu, only I won't tell you anything about it, because you don't want to know."

"Huh. Alright. Do you have it on you now?" He holds out his hand.

"Ah, no, it's back in my room. This is not me trying to seduce you, really!"

He laughs. "I believe you. But you're not leaving yet, are you? You can give it to me later."

"I could. I just thought it might be a distraction that wasn't... you know. Or secrets. But I will let you get back to work, if you like."

"Well, now I have to see it." He balls up the last paper he worked on and tidies the table up and stands to follow.

Once they're in Lin Moniao's room, he takes Li Nin's sword out of the wrappings he's been keeping it in his bag in, and offers it to Shen Shanwei, one hand on the sheath and the other on the hilt. "You may tell him it's an apology. He'll understand."

Shen Shanwei takes it, looks at it, turns it around, pulls the sword partway out, resheathes it and sighs in frustration. "Now you're just making other things difficult! But I suppose I did ask. And asked not to be told. I'll remember. And congratulations for only doing one wrong thing, whatever it was."

"I didn't say that," Lin Moniao laughs. "And for your information, I have never done anything wrong in my life. But now I really ought to go."

Shen Shanwei gives him a wry smile, locks Li Nin's sword in the cabinet alongside the other presents, and lets him go to his meeting.

--

Yang Yu's restaurant at night was a wonderful affair. In daylight, it is less crowded and more orderly, with somber-looking lower bureaucrats and merchants clustered around tables for their midday escape dominating the clientele. The upper floors are closed, and the selection is limited, but Yang Yu's is still Yang Yu's.

Of course, Shi Jia is already waiting, at a small table on the first landing's balcony, around a corner from a table of bureaucrats. He is easy to spot, with his hat and blue robe and, as always, the bag of books. He has one book open on his knee and his own pot of tea, and when he sees Lin Moniao, he waves, pops the book back in his bag and stands up to greet him with a smile.

Lin Moniao pulls him into a tight hug. "Why did A-Jia have to choose such a public place for our meeting?" he complains. "Oh well, maybe it will keep our minds on business. We really do have a lot to discuss."

"As usual, A-Niao is quite right." He squeezes him back and lets go reluctantly, his eyes sparkling. "He is handsomer than this Shi Jia remembered, and just as clever, and were we in private, it would have quite driven any thought of business out of this one's poor mind. How on earth did you find Tan Hanying?" He shakes his head, laughing, and sits down. "On second thought, better keep that for when we do have privacy." He pours tea for both of them. "Really, this one should admonish his friend for leaving so soon after arriving in Kaifeng, without a word, when we had agreed to spend some time together. But circumstances, I assume, were pressing."

"Don't remind me," Lin Moniao groans. "Believe me, I would not have chosen the method and time of my departure, if it had been up to me. I hear you've been keeping busy in my absence. Specifically, I hear you've been asking around about a certain item, and I also hear that the lady who asked us to obtain it for her is now in possession of it. Now, of course, one cannot believe everything one hears, but I wonder if these facts are related?"

A faint color is rising on Shi Jia's cheeks. "How well-informed! Tan-qianbei did not give up those details, I'm sure. You are correct, and I do wish you'll fill me in on how you know, but I was not the one who returned the item. It was in the Handan chief's possession, and after he died and his family learned the full story, they chose to return it. But you know me--I wanted to know all of it, so I kept asking around.

"Also, as you recall, the lady wanted to locate her friend..." He takes a sip. "That turned out to be a delicate business that I did not wish to involve myself in too deeply. I left word with... the Nanjing manor... and sent a more polite version of the resident's reply back. The mistress of the manor herself was not in Nanjing at the time, so it was only her handmaiden who was there to answer my questions. If our illustrious friend chooses to think this Shi Jia is just lazy and stupid and did not pursue the matter further, then that is likely the best possible outcome for me. One should not get involved with those on high unless the stakes are worth it. Don't you think?"

"How fortunate for Shi Jia that our friend doesn't know him as well as I do," Lin Moniao says, smiling at him over the edge of his cup. "I entirely agree, about getting involved. I myself intended to let the matter rest where we left it, and yet, here we are, involved. Therefore, the stakes must be worth it. I wonder what Shi Jia hopes to gain?"

Shi Jia lets out a slow puff of breath. "The answer is complicated. I'm not entirely sure yet myself. It may be nothing, now. It might have been a valuable favor, if I had managed to be more useful. Oh! I have been remiss. My condolences for your sect's recent loss."

"Thank you. It's been a difficult time." Lin Moniao keeps his eyes sadly downcast for a few seconds before going on. "Well, if you will not tell me the reason for your interest in the item in question, I will tell you mine. Don't say I never gave you anything nice. When I told you before it was nothing to do with my sect, that was true, it simply isn't current. The fact is that the lady in Nanjing has asked us to get it for her. It being in our mutual friend's possession makes that something of an awkward proposition, however."

Shi Jia sits back, suddenly serious in a way Lin Moniao has rarely seen him. "That would be getting involved. My advice would be not to."

"Noted." Lin Moniao nods. "I'm not saying I will, I'm only exploring my options. But that was one reason I particularly wanted to talk to you about it, because if you had your own plans concerning our mutual friend, I would not like to interfere with them. I'd rather work with you--I think we work quite well together--but it would be enough to know that I wasn't getting in your way."

Shi Jia starts to speak, changes his mind, takes a drink, thinking. "I think now we should go somewhere private. For less pleasant reasons than I had planned." He gives him an apologetic look. "I have my rooms here, but A-Niao can choose."

"Surely it's not too much to hope for pleasant reasons afterwards?" Lin Moniao asks, plaintive and wide-eyed. "Well, either way. I think your rooms would be best."

"This one would be fully at your service afterwards," Shi Jia says quietly, with a flirtatious glance over the rim of his cup. "Alas, I have lost my appetite even for Yang Yu's offerings. Let's go."

Shi Jia's rooms are a few blocks from the palace, in an inn in the finer part of town, and must cost a fortune to live in in the long term. Even so nobody looks twice at the well-worn scholar's robe as he lets himself in through the side entrance. The rooms themselves are on the second floor, and include wide windows to let in the sunlight but no access to the balcony. Gauzy silk hangs over the windows the ensure privacy.

"Come on in, sit anywhere." There are signs of being lived here. Apart from the books and well-used writing desk, Shi Jia's left out a collection of padlocks and scribbled notes. 'Anywhere' includes seating pillows, the bed, and a narrow bench by the window. "I can order food here, if you like. From Yang Yu's, even."

Lin Moniao drapes himself over the bench by the window. "It's not necessary. I actually ate breakfast fairly recently. I only hope we haven't offended Yang Yu, my mother will skin me alive."

"Your poor skin! A-Niao has enough to worry about. If she is offended, I will let her know it was entirely my decision, and you lamented it with great sorrow. But, to our problem."

He puts down his bag and doffs his hat. Then he sucks in his lower lip, resting his hands on his hips. "You want the Bat. It will be in the Immortal Sword Manor, in its heart, likely in the main residence, guarded by a hundred skilled swordsmen, and particularly prized by the Sword Goddess herself.

"Beyond the obvious difficulties, this is not only a treasure. This is a question of two hearts, one loving, one indifferent. Can you guess, or have you found out, why the Sword Goddess chose the Obsidian Bat? Perhaps you have, since you know Xie Lijuan wants it."

"I have guessed as much. I've seen Xie Lijuan. But if the whole business at Handan was designed to tempt her to take the bat then, it doesn't seem to have worked. The question--well, a question--is how unwilling is she? Is she proud enough that she will die first?"

Shi Jia shakes his head. "She didn't take the bait because she never heard about the affair at all. I spoke with Xie Lijuan's handmaiden at the manor, as mentioned, and I told her almost everything. Once she stopped laughing, she explained that though they were once close, her mistress would now rather watch paint dry than listen to Liu Xiuling simper at her. In so many words. She also didn't believe the Bat was real, since she knew where the real thing was, and then she closed the door on my face."

He steeples his fingers over his mouth. "Which was interesting, so I asked around a little more, and found out about Xie Lijuan's mysterious illness, and where Liu Xiuling had obtained the Bat. It is real, by the way. The one left behind in Handan was.

"That's where I would have let the matter lie. It isn't my business to solve the romantic or medical problems of frankly monstrous people. Except now it is, apparently. Tell me about it, if you can. Where is she, how is she? Who is she with? I only heard she travels with some of her people and her doctors, and never stays in one place for long, looking for a cure."

"A-Jia, is it your business to solve my problems, then? You will make me ashamed of having them." Lin Moniao folds his arms beneath his head and turns to smile at him, but he really feels a little uneasy. Maybe he ought to listen to Shi Jia's advice and forget about it. What is he actually chasing here? But then, it's not as if he's asking Shi Jia to put himself in danger; he's only asking for information, and he's giving as good as he's getting.

To that point, he describes the meeting with the Heartless Dagger in Chizhou--he doesn't talk about Master Wu's private meeting with her, of which he doesn't know many details anyway, but he can't help relating his own excursion into her room. There was nobody to see it at the time, so he might as well take what audience he can get after the fact. "Last I heard, she was a little ahead of me on the road--it could really be that she's accepted Liu Xiuling's invitation after all."

As Lin Moniao talks, Shi Jia wanders closer, and eventually sits on the floor beside the bench and rests his head on Lin Moniao's belly. "You really saw her. You could have... did you think about it? Becoming the man who kills the Heartless Dagger? Dishonorable or not, dangerous or not, it would have made your name."

Lin Moniao runs his fingers along Shi Jia's hairline and down his neck, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought. "I thought about it. Afterwards," he admits, without explaining what had prompted those thoughts. "But to kill like that--and for no other reason than because I could--that's not the name I want. She is... well, you're right. She's monstrous. But she's also incredible. I would rather save her."

Shi Jia smiles up at him, eyes soft. "I knew it would occur to A-Niao. I also knew A-Niao wouldn't do it." He closes his eyes and sighs, still smiling. "If they've met, then it's all over. I can find that out. But if not, and we take it, it will be Xie Manor, Immortal Sword Manor and the Society of the Solitary Temple all after what we have. How does that sound?"

"It sounds exciting." Lin Moniao grins. "We, really, A-Jia? You'd come along?"

"If Shi Jia wanted to steal a jewel from the headpiece of a thousand year old dragon, Lin Moniao would want to come with him to the dragon's palace. Not just because he likes Shi Jia, but because that's who he is." He rubs his head fondly against Lin Moniao's hand. "Mm. Do that again?"

Obligingly, Lin Moniao starts petting Shi Jia again, scratching softly at the base of his neck. "Let me know when you find one, and I will be entirely at your service."

"Ah. Weren't those my words?" He picks up a loose end of Lin Moniao's belt and plays with it. "Would this count as 'afterwards'?"

"I think," says Lin Moniao, pushing himself up on his elbows so he can lay a kiss on Shi Jia's temple, "that we have shown commendable restraint discussing business until now, even though we have had privacy, and we deserve to be rewarded for it."

"Agreed." Shi Jia surges up to kiss his mouth, and tugs that belt loose.

--

Back at Master Wu's house, Shen Shanwei, his eyes tired and his wrist starting to hurt, is just putting away his inks and papers when his own words come back to him, like the refrain of a song. He stops, stares blearily at the wall for a moment, and then covers his face with his hand. "I called him a bastard! When his mother... Oh, no."

--

Huang Tianlin is practicing with his whip in the inner courtyard of Master Wu's house. He is focused, precise, and the whip strikes its targets with deadly accuracy. The wooden practice dummy rattles on its stand, the wood chipping at the savage lashes.

With his outer and inner robes discarded for the practice--after all, it is a hot day, this is a private residence, and Beggar Huang has not been a dandy for a long time--both the wiry muscles and the scars on his back and arms are on display; and he has washed, so the difference between his chest and his face is not so striking. Had he shaved, he could almost pass for a gentleman. Shen Shanwei's set up his desk in the backroom so he can watch the savage display while working on a flower arrangement. Sure, he could also be training, but he isn't about to showcase his own pitiful skills while this is going on.

Very well satisfied for someone who didn't eat at Yang Yu's restaurant at all, Lin Moniao returns to Master Wu's house and, after a little bit of searching, finds Huang Tianlin and Shen Shanwei. He has news, and so presumably does Huang Tianlin, but it's not urgent, and so he settles against a pillar in the courtyard to watch. He can recognize the forms from the manual he found among Huang Tianlin's possessions, but it's quite another thing to see it in motion.

Shen Shanwei waves at him, but doesn't leave his arrangements; if Lin-shixiong had anything to say, he would say it, and after all, Shen Shanwei is not supposed to know anything.

A moment's watching proves that Huang Tianlin is in fact switching between two styles--one grabbing, the other slashing. He glances in Lin Moniao's direction but does not stop until he has done decimating one poor practice dummy almost beyond repair, at which point he rolls up his whip, picks up his robe and pulls it on. He comes up to Lin Moniao, eyes still sparking with something dark, which he tries to push aside as he grins at him. "Productive outing, little bird?"

"I learned one or two things. I hope you did too." Lin Moniao flicks a regretful glance at Shen Shanwei. "Maybe we ought to go elsewhere to discuss them."

Shen Shanwei catches the look and waves a dismissive hand, and Huang Tianlin claps him on the arm. "I know just the place." Perhaps his exercise has left him in the mood for more, because he takes hold of one of the pillars of the narrow porch surrounding the inner courtyard and hauls himself up along the wall and onto the roof.

Not to be outdone, Lin Moniao climbs up to the roof as well and lays back against the roof tiles. "Shi Jia confirms that the Obsidian Bat is at Immortal Sword Manor, although he says he's not the one who brought it there. He also advised me not to try for it, but..." Lin Moniao shrugs. "He says he can find out if Xie Lijuan and Liu Xiuling have met already, and if not, he may be able to provide more assistance."

"What a useful friend. And wise. But one gets nowhere being cautious." The uncommon ferocity is still with Huang Tianlin, but he parks his butt on the roof tiles and digs a small bottle of something strong and vile out of his robe, which he proceeds to drink down without sharing. "This unfortunate one failed to find anything out about the Sword Goddess, apart from that she is at home. My friends have taken note of which household is leaving out meals for ghosts and which doorsteps are empty--it's as good as an imperial census. I also heard a little more about the affair your Mu-shidi is running into, but... never mind that now, it's nothing he can't handle. So, we're going head-to-toe with the Sword Goddess, hopefully? I bet I could go a round or two with her."

"I'm sure you could, if that display was anything to go by," Lin Moniao tells him, "but let's try to avoid that, eh? We're after her treasure at the moment, not her head, and if we can do it quietly, so much the better."

He lets out a low groan of disappointment and slumps back a little. "I suppose there are also all those disciples to worry about. Right, we need a way in, then--if we're going. What are you thinking? Bribe a disciple to let us in through the back?"

Lin Moniao hums thoughtfully. "Getting a confederate on the inside would be helpful, through bribery or otherwise. I don't suppose you know anyone who might be susceptible?"

Another groan. "Ah, hm, might do. Used to. Used to spend quite a bit of time at the Manor, actually. I went down there to teach sometimes, when I was younger. Lost touch in recent years, as you can imagine. Bribery's not likely to work, though, not when getting caught would cost you a limb. Threats, however..." He scratches his chin. "Let me get back to you on that. I'll have to go through my--memories."

"We both have preparations to make, then. If Liu Xiuling hasn't made it up with the Heartless Dagger yet, she might at any moment; we ought to move quickly. We won't be able to wait for Mu-shidi--not unless he's just a day or two away. What have you heard of him? I'm sure you're right that he can handle it. Still, I'd like to know."

"Right." He mulls for a moment. "Hm, yes, yes. The information's a couple of days old, by necessity. I've heard nothing of him, but the house is not only empty, they say it's cursed. That's the real reason the old lord has been giving all his treasures away, trying to find out where the curse is coming from and appease the gods with good works. Just the sort of thing for a young hero with a head on his shoulders to sort out. I wish him luck. What will you do? "

"Oh, I have one or two things to buy," says Lin Moniao. "Some weapons, some poisons. And my mother always says how important it is to have the right clothing for every occasion."

–

Shi Jia welcomes Lin Moniao back to his rooms the following day, tea already on the table. His eyes look tired, but he smiles brightly and pulls him in, kisses him lightly, and says, "They haven't met. Liu Xiuling doesn't even know Xie Lijuan is on her way back to Nanjing. If she's kept her road, she arrived yesterday, which should give us five days at minimum."

"A-Jia has been working hard." Lin Moniao strokes his face for a few seconds before breaking apart and sitting by the table. "I have laid some groundwork myself, and I'd like to move as quickly as we can, but... well. I told you yesterday I'm not freelancing on this one, which is good, because it gives us more resources, but it also has complications." He turns his teacup on the table, considering. He doesn't like to give out Huang Tianlin's secrets, but there are things Shi Jia will have to know. "I have been traveling with a man named Beggar Huang. Have you heard of him?"

Shi Jia glows at the strokes like a cat, and it still lingers when he settles beside the table. "Yes. He's quite a hero with people in need, so long as you don't anger him--that is the reputation, anyway. I know--" He looks a little embarrassed. "I know he arrived here recently and that he's staying at Master Wu's house with you."

Lin Moniao shrugs. "Well, we were hardly sneaking around. I asked if he'd prefer to make his own arrangements, but he didn't, so I suppose he doesn't mind being known as a friend of the Qilin Villa. And the last time you and I worked together--I said I would refrain from mentioning certain things that I might be expected to mention, and I have, but I couldn't avoid naming you altogether. He knows I'm consulting with you on the matter now, and I may have, ah... spoken a little more warmly of you than was wise. But beyond that, all he knows of you at the moment is--I won't repeat it."

Shi Jia laughs. "A-Niao could be suggesting one of two things, but I suppose he means the exams. Ah! You can say it. Being disreputable--one gets used to it." He taps the side of his cup. "Speaking of impressions, there is something that might come in useful, if we want to muddy your involvement in the affair. If you don't show your face too much, we can argue that you were not in Kaifeng at all during this time. After all, you were in Ningbo just a week ago, on your way south, accompanying your mother." He raises both eyebrows innocently. "And in Lu'an a few days later. Anybody looking into Lin Moniao's movements in particular would think he must have grown a pair of wings."

Lin Moniao flushes. "The affair in Lu'an was--I can explain it, if you like. I cannot explain being seen in Ningbo, however. My mother was traveling down that way, and one of my sect brothers went with her, but I hope I cannot be accused of undue vanity when I say that no one is likely to mistake Dong Yuan for me."

"Who would not have heard of Lin Moniao's legendary beauty?" He leans his chin on his hand and smiles. "About Lu'an, what is there to explain? The Unraveled Sword got a fair trade, I would say."

"That's what I said! Just for that, you may have another one, free of charge." He leans over the table and kisses Shi Jia with considerably more heat and enthusiasm than he kissed Li Nin, breathing a little hard by the time he sits back down. "Apologies. I shouldn't get carried away. Where were we? Ningbo? I don't understand it, but not all rumors are equally credible, and if as you say we can use it to our advantage, then... good."

Shi Jia crawls around the table and sits next to Lin Moniao, leaning on his shoulder. "Someone is impersonating you. Your mother is allowing it. She must have a good reason. But, so--if anyone asks, Lin Moniao is away on a sea voyage, and Shi Jia is having an affair with a completely different beauty. So, tell me the plan? How does Huang Tianlin feature? "

"My mother--but why--" Lin Moniao leans his head against Shi Jia's and tries to focus on the matter at hand. His mother is many days' journey away, and there's nothing he can do about it, whatever it is. "It's Huang Tianlin's mission, officially. I am only helping him. Naturally he expects to come along--I have gotten the impression that he's spoiling for a fight with Immortal Sword Manor--and he's a formidable fighter; if it comes to that, we will be much better off with him at our side. The trouble is that he's also very clever, and he has a suspicious mind. If he spends any time with Shi Jia, he is sure to discover things he didn't know before. Though he is a friend of Qilin Villa, he may not pass on what he learns to the masters and the sect leader, but he will certainly use it for his own purposes. And I'm not entirely sure what those are. I know he has a grudge against the Palace."

"A grudge against the Palace and a grudge against Immortal Sword Manor are not two very different things, considering their links. Liu Xiuling may do as she likes most of the time, but she comes from an influential noble family that has never wavered in its loyalty to the Dragon Throne." Of course, so does Shi Jia. He waves a hand; that's not important.

"Well, yes. And if you understand the likely consequences of working with Huang Tianlin and are prepared to accept them, then there's no more to be said about that. Shi Jia knows his own affairs best. But there's also--I have a shidi who is currently staying at Master Wu's house. We haven't told him anything of this affair yet, but he could be helpful. He's been indispensable to me in the past. Moreover, he will keep his mouth shut about certain things if I ask him to. It's only that..." Reluctantly, Lin Moniao sits back from Shi Jia, so he can watch his face closely. "Recently, on an investigation of his own, he met a man calling himself Xiu Xinyi."

Shi Jia nods along at the mention of a shidi, his gaze wandering a little as he makes calculations about how this might work as a four-man operation; at the mention of Xiu Xinyi, his eyes turn sharply to Lin Moniao and he sits up, facing him, a serious look on his face. "Is he alright?"

"He wasn't hurt. I don't think he was hurt. Shi Jia--do you know who Xiu Xinyi is?"

He hesitates, looking at the ceiling, then the table, scoots back, and crosses his arms over his chest. "Yes. He is one of the top officials working in the imperial treasury. He is my father's brother. And he's--terrible. Lin Moniao and his shidi must stay away from him. But what does that have to do with Immortal Sword Manor?"

"Only that it may not be possible for my shidi to stay away from him. He had with him at the time a man named Zhang Chuanli. And my shidi could not lie to him. Not effectively. And they said they would be in touch with him, and so..." Lin Moniao scoots closer to Shi Jia and puts an arm around him. "I have not even dared to breathe the name of Shi Jia in front of him. I know he would not ever... intentionally... but if Huang Tianlin learns things about Shi Jia, then he learns them. If those people do--they won't. Whatever we have to do, they won't."

Shi Jia blinks. "I... don't know who Zhang Chuanli is." He shakes his head. "I don't talk to my uncle, and he doesn't talk to me, and he has not been welcome in my family's home for a long time. I can guess that if Father did pay my way through the exams, he would have involved my uncle, but other than that, what does he have to do with me now? You sound like I should know. What kind of trouble did your shidi get into with him?"

"Zhang Chuanli is the head of Bureau Four. So I have been told. And so it seems that it's not simply a personal interest that Xiu Xinyi has been taking in the Qilin Villa. My shidi was pretending to be a traitor to the sect, for reasons that--" Lin Moniao shrugs. "I will explain everything if you ask me to, but I would rather not. It's sensitive. But if Xiu Xinyi no longer sees Shi Jia, good. If he thinks Shi Jia is a person of no particular significance, good; let's keep it that way. As for your father... some of what I know about Xiu Xinyi came from a... record that somebody had made of the misdeeds of highly placed people, that I had an opportunity to briefly look through. Your father is mentioned in it only as your uncle's brother. It was written before his alleged crime, and in any case it doesn't really mean anything, but at least ten years ago, the writer of that record thought your father was clean. I thought you might like to know."

"Yes. Father is a law-abiding man. Just... he worries. If he breaks the rules, it will be for one of his own." Shi Jia finally lets his arms out of the protective lock across his chest and sighs. "My supervisors must know, and chose not to say anything. Understandable."

He presses his fists to his temples. "Alright, alright... I don't know what interest Bureau Four would have in something like the Bat. They must be after something else. My supervisors would be more interested, and even then they might just throw it back to the sects to see what happens. A-Niao, Bureau Eight has had an eye on your sect for a while. It's because of--some old history involving Sect Leader Niu. Bureau Four could have the same concern."

"Involving Sect Leader Niu?" Lin Moniao frowns; he has no idea what Shi Jia means. It is a fact that, in placing the God above the Son of Heaven, every member of the Qilin Villa is technically a traitor, but he generally prefers not to think about that. And then, there was the way Huang Tianlin had shaken his head when Shen Shanwei gave his report. "I bet Huang-qianbei knows, and is just not saying. Well, if you can tell me, I'd be obliged; if not, I understand." His frown deepens, and he adds, "And if your superiors imagine that knowing any of this would change Shi Jia's loyalties, or his principles, they are the ones who don't understand anything."

"My superiors may be somewhat misled about my priorities." He steeples his fingers over his mouth and presses the tips on his lips. "Niu Liling's father was murdered by someone too high up to be brought to justice. When her sect was smaller, it wasn't a concern. Now, especially with the Mid-Autumn Festival coming up, there is some worry that she might still hold a grudge and use her sect as a bludgeoning tool. It is only a suspicion, though, or they would have acted on it."

"I have heard many things, both facts and rumors, but I haven't heard anything about that. So either she isn't, or she's keeping it very well under wraps. I don't suppose you know the person's name?" Lin Moniao asks lightly.

Shi Jia hesitates, but he's said this much already. "Zhao Fei."

At the crown prince's name, Lin Moniao is struck silent. When he recovers, what he says is, "I see. How that would be a concern, yes."

Shi Jia shrugs. "But you never know. Maybe she got over it. The sect has paid its taxes and sent many tributes. It isn't the behavior of a traitor."

"Hm," says Lin Moniao, the traitor. "Well, in any case, about my shidi--the best thing, obviously, would be to kill both your uncle and Zhang Chuanli, but that doesn't seem practical. Yet. In the meantime, if we don't want them getting wind of your activities, we could leave him out of it altogether. Or we could try to give him a part that doesn't require him to know of your involvement..." For a moment, Lin Moniao is distracted as he tries to think of what such a part might be. "Of course, as you say, it may be that this particular adventure is unlikely to be of much interest to them. Still, it's not a chance I like to take. What do you think?"

"It ought to be fine so long as he doesn't learn the details until the last minute, and we move the Bat fast once we have it. There would be no time for Bureau Four to react even if they heard about it. If Beggar Huang agrees, you can simply introduce me by a different name. Or we kill Uncle Minhua first."

Lin Moniao leans over and nuzzles Shi Jia's cheek. "A-Jia, you have no idea how attractive you are when you say things like that. You will have to stop, or we will never get any planning done."

"So bloodthirsty." Shi Jia puffs out a breath of air and smiles, runs a soothing hand down Lin Moniao's thigh. "We'll get there."

-

Thieves in the Night

 

Note: Contains a trans slur (renyao), sexual harassment, violent death.

It has been a dry few days, so dust is high on the road. It's settling now, as the last of the day's visitors and tradesmen are leaving the gates of Immortal Sword Manor and the sun is hanging low in the sky. The bells are ready to ring to signal the end of the day and the closing of the gate.

"Aw, who does that guy think he is?" One of the disciples manning the gate-house, hanging half off the door-frame, points down the road. "We're closing up." The manor is high on a packed-earth hill, the ground sloping down around it in a natural open area until the treeline a good arrow's-flight away, so it isn't difficult to spot the figure riding up, dodging a supplier's empty cart going the other way.

"Maybe it's a messenger," says another disciple.

The young man on horseback does not look like a messenger. He jumps down from the back of his black mare, takes her reins, and levels an imperious look at the guards. "I have information that Liu Xiuling will want to hear."

"Then give it," says the first disciple.

"It must be given in person."

"Try again tomorrow, friend."

"It's about Xie Lijuan."

The guards look around at one another.

The young man taps his foot. "Should I leave?"

"Wait, we'll ask her. What's your name?"

"Qiu Huan."

One of the disciples leaves. He hasn't been gone for long before the Bells of Immortality begin to ring. It's time to close the gates. One of the guards makes the decision and opens the door wide. "Come on in. You can wait in the gate-house."

"Thank you," says Shen Shanwei, ties up his horse outside next to a patch of green grass that's escaped the sun, and steps inside just as lanterns begin to be lit around the manor against the falling dark.

--

The grass is crinkly and dry underfoot, even under the canopy of the trees. The manor up ahead is bathed in orange and pink at first, then quickly turns blue and grey as the light fades, the bells ring out, and yellow lantern light begins to dot the upper floor windows, lining the walls.

"They're getting down," says Shi Jia, pointing. A rocking lantern is climbing down three of the four watchtowers, leaving only the northwestern one lit. Shi Jia has thrown a dark grey cloak over his robes, which are the bright blue and gold of an Immortal Sword disciple.

Huang Tianlin nods. As they watch, a pair of patrolling disciples rounds a corner at the foot of the packed-earth hill.

"Good luck, friends," says Fei Mao, a ragged, plump thirteen-year-old with legs stiff with scars, one of the two friends Huang Tianlin had brought to help out. "Better you than me." Another friend, an old man going by Mou Mou, is stationed with an emergency signal lantern on the other side of the manor. With a signal from Mou Mou, Fei Mao will bring up their horses for a fast get-away.

"Maybe when you're older," Lin Moniao says with a grin. "Until then, keep a sharp eye on the horses, little sister." He takes a deep breath, tucks a lock of hair out of the way beneath his dark hood, and looks from Huang Tianlin to Shi Jia. "Well. Shall we?"

Huang Tianlin has been counting time from when the last patrols have come around. Now he makes a sharp motion with his hand--move now. Shi Jia grabs his arm and pulls it back. "No, not yet!"

Huang Tianlin yanks his arm back. "Listen to your elders! We are losing time."

"No, there's a second patrol--"

"They already passed, you idiot! Let's go NOW!"

Shi Jia looks around, but Huang Tianlin was right the first time--they are wasting time. He wraps the cloak closer around him and the three of them leave the safety of the treeline, running. The dark has fallen completely now save for a faint glow on the horizon. Speed is of more essence than stealth.

They scramble up the steep packed-earth hill and make it to the watchtower without any alarm raised. "Go, go!" Huang Tianlin whispers, pushing Lin Moniao ahead.

The tower is smooth rock all the way up, save for a raised ledge where each new story begins on the other side of the wall, and a small windows on the second and third floors, just wide enough to aim an arrow through. With Huang Tianlin's hands pushing him from behind, Lin Moniao starts climbing, feeling for the smallest irregularities in the surface to help him along his way. He's almost to the third floor when a loose stone turns beneath his foot. He swallows curses--not that there's much point, because the sound of the stone tearing free, and the crash it makes against the lower stretch of the tower and as it hits the ground, are louder than any curses he could have said.

Scrabbling to keep his grip, he scrapes his palms and doesn't manage to catch himself until his feet find the ledge of the second floor. He wastes a few precious seconds catching his breath and listening to his blood pound in his ears before he starts climbing again.

As he climbs, now moving soundlessly, he can hear low voices. "Did you hear something?" says one.

"Someone on the stairs," says another.

Lin Moniao is nearly at the top, when the pointy face of a young man looks over the side of the watchtower and directly at him. The guard exclaims and reaches behind him. "Watch out--!" As he does, there's the sound of scuffling and struggle behind him, and the softest bong as someone nudges against the heavy bell.

Supporting himself on the ledge with his left elbow, Lin Moniao draws a needle coated with knockout poison and jabs it towards the pointy-faced man's neck, but the man ducks back inside at the same moment and the attack doesn't connect. Why can't anything go right?

Lin Moniao swings himself up and into the room, with a quick glance over his shoulder for Huang Tianlin and Shi Jia. Both of them are climbing up skillfully, Shi Jia slightly ahead, but the ground is three floors down, and Lin Moniao is on his own for the moment.

Or is he? Inside the watchtower, a mature woman in a uniform of more gold than blue charges at a second guard, a fierce look on her scarred face and a knife in her hand. She goes to slice at the guard's arm. Perhaps it's her hesitation--she could have gone for the chest or neck--but the guard dodges and the blade slips harmlessly past him. The pointy-faced young man curses, looks between the two attackers, and makes his choice. He launches at the woman's legs and knocks her back; she falls against one of the open sides of the watchtower, her head banging against the wood with a low but solid thud. She falters, disoriented, and the second guard tries to hold her down, but she twists out of his arms with an angry grunt.

There's no more time to try for subtlety--Lin Moniao moves between the guards and the bell, throwing his Beauty Dagger at the one trying to hold the woman down. It strikes him right at the base of the neck.

The man jerks back as the dagger hits its mark, drawing blood. His friend gasps and whips around. Instead of struggling to get up, the woman slashes again with her knife, but the blow from her position is ineffective.

The unharmed guard swipes his leg out from his low position, trying to take the intruder's legs out from under him, but in the confined space, he cannot get the momentum. Lin Moniao only needs to step aside to avoid the kick.

At last, like an avenging spirit, Huang Tianlin hauls himself up, a shadow against the moonlit sky. The whip is already in his hand, and he lashes it out before he's even fully landed on the floor. It wraps around the pointy-faced youth's torso and throat, tying his arms down and strangling red welts into his neck. Huang Tianlin grunts and yanks at the whip end, making the man choke, and a second time--and there's a sickening crunch as the man's head lolls to the side at an unnatural angle and his eyes go blank.

In the sudden silence, Lin Moniao drops into a crouch by the woman, her eyes still a bit dazed from the blow she took to the head. "Huo Yimu, I presume," he says, drawing a poison-coated needle. "How sad that when you rushed to your friends' aid, you were overpowered as well. Don't you think? I don't think either of them is likely to contradict you later."

She stares at him with some venom in her eyes, but nods, and turns her head to expose her neck, pulling her collar to the side for him. Lin Moniao sinks the needle into the woman's neck, catching her as she falls back, then going to the other disciple.

Shi Jia has landed as well, and he takes in the scene quickly. One disciple is dead, one sitting confused and quietly weeping, holding the back of his neck as Lin Moniao kneels at his side with a needle. Shi Jia unwraps an extra stretch of fabric from around his waist and goes to muffle the bell's tongue. That should buy them some time if anyone comes up here to investigate and tries to ring the bell.

Huang Tianlin takes back his whip, letting the young guard slump to the ground at Shi Jia's feet. Shi Jia steps back to avoid the body and stares at it for a moment expressionlessly. "Huang-qianbei, was that really necessary?"

Beggar Huang shrugs, but there is no remorse on his set features.

Shakily, Lin Moniao gets to his feet, removing the dark cloak to expose the Immortal Sword Manor uniform underneath. "We had better move quickly, if we want to avoid any more of that." He moves towards the stairs, avoiding his companions' eyes.

It wasn't supposed to go like this. But they're in, and the bell hasn't rung.

Shi Jia follows suit and drops his cloak over the dead man, an impromptu shroud and perhaps an apology.

The doorway down leads to a staircase winding around the walls of the square tower. Here more small windows overlook the inner courtyard, and Huang Tianlin and Shi Jia both crowd in to one. From here, they can see the temple, and beyond it, a corner of the main residence. To get there, they would have to cross the courtyard, and just as they look, a patrol is passing by.

The area here is much smaller; the timing is far more precarious, if they want to cross without being seen. Beggar Huang looks up where they came from and smacks his lips thoughtfully. "Could go back up, climb down to the wall and cross over the rooftops."

"Begging Huang-qianbei's pardon," Shi Jia says, "it would be much more difficult to explain our presence if we are caught, and our shadows might be visible against the sky."

The patrol has passed. The thing is to be on the other side of the courtyard when the next one arrives, and so while Shi Jia is still speaking, Lin Moniao is already pelting down the stairs. They don't have time for more arguments. Somebody is already dead because of it.

The footsteps of the others follow. Lin Moniao is about to burst through the door to the courtyard, Huang Tianlin at his heel, when they both get yanked back. Shi Jia has each of them by the collar, and shushes them quietly. As they watch through the open doorway--they in the shadow of the tower, the courtyard in moonlight, spotted with pools of lantern light--another patrol rounds the corner, the guards chatting to each other, relaxed.

There are two patrols in the north side of the Immortal Sword Manor. They had nearly run into the second one.

Lin Moniao throws a grateful smile over his shoulder at Shi Jia, and, once the patrol is out of sight, they all dash across the courtyard and into the temple.

It's dark and silent in here, the air heavy with the scent of incense and flowers. The towering statue of the bodhisattva Guanyin is barely visible as a blacker shadow against the darkness. Lin Moniao digs in the pockets of his forged Immortal Sword Manor robe and comes up with a few coins, and the last of the paper flowers that the girls of Anqing had thrown at him, carried with him until now for luck. Softly, he drops them--approximately--at the goddess's feet.

Shi Jia does not copy his donation, but pats him on the arm approvingly. His eyes are on the main residence, the largest house on the manor hill, apart from the temple itself.

They are looking at the back of the house, on its north side, but there's a door here on the ground floor, though it's closed, and a light shines through the decorative grille carved into it. It is flanked on each side by a dark window, and up on the second floor, there's a balcony with three windowed doors, symmetrical with the door and windows below.

The house is occupied.

"One by one?" Shi Jia whispers. "The first one in can confirm the upstairs rooms are empty, and the others will follow to help with the search."

They can only hope that the light below means that Shen Shanwei is keeping the Sword Goddess and her Twin Divinities busy. Even so, robbing a house while it is occupied is risky.

"Let's give him time," Beggar Huang suggests. "Wait for a signal."

"How long can we wait?" Lin Moniao wonders. "Soon someone will find what we left in the watchtower, and if things are difficult now, they will be twice as bad then."

Still, shaken by his slip on the tower and how he almost ran into the patrol just now, he follows Huang Tianlin's advice and stays back. If it should happen again, while Shen Shanwei is in the Sword Goddess's presence--if he is lucky, she will only cut off his legs.

--

A little earlier:

"Take him in, but search him first."

Shen Shanwei hands over his bag and lifts his arms obediently as the Immortal Sword disciples pat him down. "We'll be taking this," says one, pulling the dagger from his waist--a regular, straight-bladed dagger, nothing at all curved or beautiful about it.

"As long as I get it back," Shen Shanwei replies calmly. "Good blades don't grow on trees."

"And what's this?" says another, pulling a bottle of wine, a paper bag, and a box out of the bag. He rattles the box. He opens it, looks in, and gives Shen Shanwei a suspicious look.

"A present for the Sect Leader. Do you think I would come calling uninvited and not bring a present?"

The disciple closes the box and stuffs it back into the bag, then opens the paper bag and pulls out a dragon's beard candy. "This for her too?"

"Of course."

"Eat one, then."

"Gladly." Shen Shanwei picks the treat delicately and pops it in his mouth.

The disciple considers the wine, but the bottle is sealed. After a moment's internal struggle, he packs both the sweets and the bottle back in the bag as well and hands it to Shen Shanwei. "Go on, then."

Two disciples accompany him from the gate-house into the southern courtyard. Shen Shanwei takes in the patrol, the towers, the lights on the walls, and swallows quietly as he is led around the central pagoda and towards the main residence.

One disciple goes in, and they wait. After a moment, the door is opened wide. "Bow low," one guard advises, and gives him a little nudge inside.

Inside it is shadowed and dark. He can see the high walls and moonlight shining through the latticework of the windows and doors, one on each side of this reception hall. The space is grand but functional, not built for comfort but for business, with a throne on a raised dais in the middle of the room. The sparse light comes from lamps that are lit on each end of the dais. The far corners of the room are still dark, though he can see patch of thicker darkness where a doorway leads up into a staircase.

Leaning one arm on the dais is a tall woman, her oval face framed by shadow, her robe a splendid gleaming thing of gold and silver. Her other hand rests casually on the hilt of a sheathed jian.

Shen Shanwei drops to his knees, pressing his forehead on the floor. Someone titters off to the side, in the shadows.

Liu Xiuling takes two steps towards him and says, "Stand up."

As he climbs on his feet, two more figures step into the circle of light--two young women, armed, identical, both in Immortal Sword colors. The Twin Divinities.

They are too skilled for any of us to fight, Xia Yang had said, except maybe Huang-qianbei. Do not try.

Shen Shanwei puts his hands together for another bow. One can never show too much respect, can one? His heart is racing. "Sect Leader Liu. Thank you for agreeing to meet me at such an hour. Please." He takes out the sweets and the wine and offers them with both hands.

The Sword Goddess gestures for him to set them on a table set before the dais, and he hurries to do so.

She finally speaks again, her voice harsh and clipped. "Are you wasting my time? Who is Qiu Huan? Come closer."

He steps closer to the lamplight. She takes his chin roughly and turns his head side to side. "I thought perhaps you would be a certain someone else, giving a false name, but I don't think I've ever seen you before."

"No, Sect Leader. This one has not had the honor before. This one is only a tradesman, but heard that the Sect Leader Liu was seeking Sect Leader Xie, and would offer a reward for information."

Her voice grows a fraction cooler still. "Speak, then." She lets his face go.

He puts his hands together again and stays bowed. "I swear to you my information is good. A colleague of mine passed by Kaifeng and told me he had passed Xie Lijuan on the road, heading back to Nanjing. She has been traveling the world with her uncle, but could already be back at Xie Manor now."

Liu Xiuling paces down the space between the lamps. "Could she be... how long has she been traveling?"

"Weeks, maybe months. She has a retinue of people with her."

"Hm. Are you free, tradesman?" She stops pacing and twirls towards him. "Would you ride to Xie Manor and fetch her for me? If you bring her, you will have your reward."

Still bowed, Shen Shanwei chokes a little. Bring Xie Lijuan, as if he could collar her and lead her where he wanted! "Sect Leader Liu... I am not of the martial world, how could I be worthy to fetch such a high person? Shouldn't you send one of your own?"

"Not of the martial world? Liar."

Shen Shanwei stays frozen on the spot, licking suddenly dry lips.

"I can tell that you have training, so don't insult me. You don't look like army to me. Which sect do you belong to? Who sent you?"

Somehow, his voice does not tremble. "I have training, it is true, but I am not of any sect. My father was a soldier. He trained me, but I took up a trade instead."

"What is your trade?" When he does not immediately answer, her hand goes to rest lightly on the hilt of her sword. "You hesitate."

"Esteemed Sect Leader, I am a weaver."

She laughs.

"It's true." He stands up and adjusts his pose, relaxing his straight spine and bringing his hands together in front of him. "Forgive me. I find that when visiting great ladies, one does better presenting oneself as a man, but this unfortunate one is a renyao. A hopeless case since childhood, so my mother trained me in her trade. My father's training was an effort to counteract her lenience."

"Show me your weaving?"

"S-sect Leader?"

"If you are a weaver, show me how it works."

He hesitates, then begins to mime the picking of silk worms, the boiling of the cocoons, the spinning of the thread, and finally the setting of the thread on a loom. Although the Sword Goddess has likely never weaved a single strand of silk, after a moment she holds her hand up for him to stop. "Fine, you're a weaver. But you can fight and you can ride. Get me Xie Lijuan and I will reward you."

He stands and bows again, more fluidly this time. "Sect Leader Liu, this humble one would lose days of work. I will gladly do this for you, but without funds, I cannot get by."

She mulls it over. "As much as I like a gamble, I don't intend on being cheated again by young people who promise things they have no intention of delivering. I think I will take your advice and send one of my own. In the meanwhile, you can stay at Immortal Sword Manor as my guest. If you were telling the truth, you will be rewarded. If it turns out you tried to trick me, I will take your feet."

"Sect leader does me great honor."

"I have some sympathy for your condition." She smiles and studies him curiously. "Jinzhu, Yinzhu, dismissed."

The two slim figures slip back into the shadows. Whether they leave the room--that is impossible to tell.

Liu Xiuling seems satisfied, however, and slinks closer. Right beside Shen Shanwei, she stands slightly above his height. "It's unfair to have a specific role pushed on one when another fits so much better. I was supposed to marry. Isn't what I have so much better than being a wife? Do you like your life?"

"Better than being a soldier."

She laughs. "To each her own." She reaches up to brush an imaginary strand of hair from his forehead. "Huan is such a dull name. What do you like to be called?"

Shen Shanwei drops his eyes, his heart and stomach making loops. "Xiao--Xiaohua."

"How sweet." She puts an arm around his shoulder. "Xiaohua should share some wine with me, since she so kindly brought some."

"Sect Leader," he breathes. He does not have to draw on the skills his aunts taught him to act shy and demure now, with the nearness of this formidable woman making his skin crawl and his breath hitch. "Here?"

"Upstairs."

He glances into the shadows. "Won't they--hear us?"

"Darling." She laughs, then calls out, "Girls! Get lost. Perimeter guard until, mm. Give us a few hours, at least."

Shen Shanwei can't believe his luck. Having those two on the perimeter guard when they still need to get out isn't great, but... that will be a problem for the future. They hadn't had a plan for them, other than unleashing Huang-qianbei and wishing for the best.

He does not look at the window, it would be a tell, so he can't see if the shadows of his friends are moving outside. He's heard nothing. But that's as it should be, shouldn't it? He looks up at the Sword Goddess instead and smiles.

--

The light downstairs moves, flickers, dims. After a moment, it reappears in the middle room upstairs. Shi Jia grabs Lin Moniao's sleeve, holding him back before he can even begin moving.

A few more moments pass, time crawling slowly, and then the door to the balcony opens. They shrink back into the shadows, but the figure that appears against the light is a familiar one. Shen Shanwei is leaning heavily on the door frame, but he makes a beckoning gesture blindly into the night, before retreating back, leaving the balcony door open.

Lin Moniao sprints across the courtyard. It's happening, it's now, and whatever happens afterwards, at least Shen Shanwei won't be alone and helpless for it. With the window frame and the balcony, the climb isn't difficult. Once he hauls himself up, he can see the room beyond lit by a single lamp set on a low table between two divider screens, and shelving faintly visible in the shadows. It's a wide room, but by the length of the house, there are two more rooms on either side.

At the table, there is a familiar opened bottle, two bowls, and the Sword Goddess slumped in a heap. Right at Lin Moniao's feet, left of the door on the inside, Shen Shanwei is leaning against the wall on his knees, barely holding himself upright. "Go, go," he says. "I'll just..." He doesn't finish the sentence, but rests his cheek sleepily against the wall.

Shi Jia and Huang Tianlin are right behind Lin Moniao, clambering into the room before another patrol can pass by outside. Huang Tianlin closes and latches the balcony door behind them.

"Shen-shidi, come on." Lin Moniao holds out a pill and tries to shake Shen Shanwei into enough awareness to take it. "Huang-qianbei has enough to do without having to carry you."

Shen Shanwei is just awake enough to swallow the pill when Shi Jia crouches next to him and offers him a drink from his water-flask, holding it up to his mouth. Then he slouches forward, resting his hand on his knees with a groan while Shi Jia pats his back lightly to help him stay awake.

Huang Tianlin folds up the dividers, and the light spills into the rest of the room. The treasure shelves here hold mostly weapons--all kinds of weapons. There are different kinds of daggers, a very fine chicken sickle, a saber, even throwing stars. Here and there, there is also a treasure--a wonderful porcelain bowl, a small golden statue of a god or a bodhisattva, a decorated wooden box. On the wall hang more objects: a silk painting of a busy manor, a jade bi disc, and a fine jian mounted between two holders, its scabbard old and shabby, though once fine.

There are also open doorways on either wall, leading to more rooms. Through the eastern door, they can glimpse a quiet room with sparse furnishing and a bamboo mat on the floor. Through the western door, a well-appointed bedroom with a box bed and a writing-desk by the window.

Lin Moniao's eyes grow wider as he takes all this in. As tempting as the thought of clearing the Sword Goddess out is, none of it is what they came for, and there's no way they can carry it all. "Where are the guards?" he whispers to Shen Shanwei.

"Perimeter." Shen Shanwei picks himself up, though he is still holding on to the wall. Lin Moniao hands him his Curved Beauty Dagger, which they've brought along for him, though he's a little apprehensive about giving Shen Shanwei a weapon in this state. "She sent them out to the perimeter guard. When we go, we need to run fast. But we have time now."

Huang Tianlin is going through the treasures and weapons, lifting some up and examining them and shoving them either in his pockets or shoddily back on the shelf. Shi Jia ducks into the bedroom, and a moment later calls out softly, "Found it."

"Ah!" With a backwards glance at Shen Shanwei, Lin Moniao dashes to join Shi Jia. Remembering his last mission with Huang Tianlin, he says, "Be careful before you move it, in case it's rigged to a trap or alarm."

“Or coated in poison," Shi Jia says.

The only light in the bedroom comes in through the window until Huang Tianlin follows them with the lamp and shines it on a shelf at the end of the box bed, where moonlight only just falls. There, just above where the Sword Goddess lies down at night, sits a squat, ugly cast-iron incense burner in the shape of a bat.

"It's unlikely to be poison if she's practically sleeping with it," says Huang Tianlin, voice dripping with satisfaction. "Poke it." He hands over a folded painted fan that recently rested on Liu Xiuling's shelf. Shi Jia takes it with a sideways glance--why don't you poke it?--but extends it towards the thing to shove it lightly.

Nothing happens, so he lifts the top with the end of the fan. This Bat is not locked, like the fake one they had handled before had been, and the lid moves up without resistance, puffing out a faint smell of incense.

Shi Jia opens his bag and sets it on the bed below the Bat. "Stand back," he says. Huang Tianlin already has. Then Shi Jia uses the fan to tip the Obsidian Bat into the bag.

Nothing. He grabs the bag and pulls it up to himself. "Right." He looks around at the other two, and at Shen Shanwei leaning on the doorway, a distant look in his eyes.

Lin Moniao lets out his breath. "Right, let's go," he says, but before he leaves the bedroom, he grabs the top book from a stack on a low shelf by the desk, and, back in the other room, he takes the painting of the manor down from the wall and rolls it up, tucking both items into a pocket.

Shi Jia sets the lamp on the bedroom window--the better to blind anyone looking their way.

"All alone in the house, and she sent the Twin Divinities out on perimeter guard, eh?" Lin Moniao says to Shen Shanwei, grinning, as they descend the stairs. "And here I thought that I hadn't rubbed off on you that much. Well done."

Shen Shanwei makes an affronted noise. "You don't need to shred my face for it." He gives Lin Moniao a half-hearted kick.

Lin Moniao peers out the door, into the darkness, and lowers his voice again. "We could climb over the wall here, between the guesthouses. It's less ground to cover than if we go back to the watchtower. Shen-shidi, do you think you could cross the courtyard first, and signal us from the wall if the coast is clear? If you get caught, after all, it's poor Qiu Huan, the sect leader got him drunk and had her way with him and then tossed him out. Hopefully they'll leave you alone."

Shen Shanwei makes another face, but nods in agreement. He unlatches and opens the back door carefully. He makes it a few steps towards the wall before practically running into a pair of Immortal Sword disciples.

"Hey, what are you doing running around here?"

This is where Shen Shanwei should begin putting up an act, but instead he takes a step back, startled and tongue-tied. In one beat, it is already too late. "Fuck." He turns and runs back towards the main residence.

There is no more need for stealth, so Beggar Huang bursts out of the shadows of the door, whip in hand, and with another couple of running steps he sends it furling out through the air. The whip wraps itself around one of the startled Immortal Sword disciples. Beggar Huang yanks his whip, and the youth crashes into the wall of the house, smashing his head into it. He cries out in pain and alarm as his friend reaches for his sword.

Shen Shanwei whips around and pulls his recently retrieved Curved Beauty Dagger from his belt, throwing it directly at the second disciple, but it's a tricky shot from where he's standing, and the dagger whistles harmlessly past the man's neck.

"Just run!" Lin Moniao hisses, sprinting towards the wall himself. There's no need to get bogged down in a fight with these people, not when they already have what they came for. As he runs, he flings his Beauty Dagger, but it goes wide, landing somewhere on the ground. Damn! He really doesn't want to leave that here, even if it wouldn't identify the sect to the Sword Goddess.

Having the same thought, Shi Jia bolts forward, towards the wall, past the disciples. As he goes, he bends low and snatches the two daggers where they ended up, and turns just at the base of the wall. Armed like this with two curved blades, he looks almost ferocious, if you don't pay attention to how poor his stance is.

The second disciple has finally got his sword out of its sheath and spins around. His sword slashes around in a wide circle, its glare reaching beyond even the blade--this is the special technique of his sect, the Life-Chasing Sword. Shi Jia slams back against the wall, his faked uniform slashed open near the top and a shallow gash opening across his chest. Shen Shanwei and Huang Tianlin also get in the way of the strike. Beggar Huang merely grunts at the blood dripping down his arm, and raises his whip again. But the injury must have had some effect, because the disciple dodges the whiplash easily.

Taking his own advice, Lin Moniao scrambles up behind them, though he can't help looking back with concern at his injured friends. It's all right; don't they have a miraculous healing treasure now? They just have to get away so they can use it. Just let them get away.

Shen Shanwei runs too, cursing as he goes. He grabs Shi Jia's arm and pulls him along, and the two start up the wall.

Huang Tianlin has dropped into a low and steady position, his whip raised, and snarls at the disciple still standing just as his injured friend struggles back on his feet. "Hey! You fight me!" The disciple whips around and aims his sword at his murderous look. Meanwhile, half-way up the wall, Shi Jia nearly falls, but he grabs Shen Shanwei's arm and is hauled up to the top. Both of them clear the wall, landing on their feet on the other side.

Inside the wall, the frightened disciple's slash goes wide, but instead of attacking, Beggar Huang turns to follow his friends. He jumps up to grab the handhold, but it slips as a jolt of pain flashes through his injured arm, and falls back on the ground.

"Stop right there!" Another slash goes just short of Huang Tianlin's flesh, and he whirls around to see both guards on their feet, and another two come running up.

Shi Jia looks up, conflicted, but there really is no more time. He pushes at Shen Shanwei's shoulder. "Go, go."

With one last look back, they run.

When Lin Moniao reaches the top of the wall, he sees Huang Tianlin bleeding, struggling to climb. Hearing Shi Jia and Shen Shanwei's footsteps receding, he curses, holds his position, and throws down a rope. Huang Tianlin hauls himself up just in time to get out of the reach of the disciples converging on him, swords drawn.

The night is black, especially coming from the lights of the manor, but it is easy enough to orient themselves by the tower. They all pelt towards where Fei Mao is waiting with the horses.

Behind them, there are shouted orders, and then the guard who drew blood clears the wall as well, a newcomer behind him, swords out. There is a shout somewhere to the south--the perimeter guard has spotted them.

The newcomer stops at the base of the wall outside. "But aren't those two already catching up to them--"

"Idiot! Those are intruders too! Fake uniforms! GET THEM."

The new guard gets the message, but the confusion costs them precious time. Even Shi Jia, who is lagging behind, gets to the horses well in time. Fei Mao throws them the reins and disappears into the underbrush; Huang Tianlin, already mounted, holds out a hand and hoists Shi Jia on the back of his horse, and they all turn the animals around just in time before the disciples can reach them.

There is a path just wide enough to ride single file until they burst out from the trees on the other side and on to the road. Even if the Immortal Sword disciples managed to saddle up within seconds, they'd have too much of a headstart to be caught now, and in the night, their lookouts won't even be able to see which direction they're going.

"We made it!" Shi Jia states the obvious, peering behind them from under Beggar Huang's arm. They are bloodied and running for their lives, but they've done it.

-

Tree Frog Gao

Lin Moniao laughs, reveling in their victory and the narrowness of their escape, the speed of galloping, the cool night air on his skin. But after a moment he sobers again. "How badly are you all hurt?" he calls, keeping his voice pitched low, but loud enough to carry to his companions. "Should we find a place to stop and use the Bat?"

Shi Jia is dabbing at his bleeding chest. "No, no--it doesn't work like that. A-Niao, did you bring extra cloaks? We're a little eye-catching like this."

"I may die," Shen Shanwei complains. Huang Tianlin has been fairly quiet throughout the whole operation, and he continues to be silent, but perhaps now it's because of his injury. Suffice it to say none of them are about to keel over.

"Spare clothes are in the saddlebags. You're right, it will raise questions if we show up at the inn like this. Especially with the blood," says Lin Moniao. "So--we ought to find a place to clean up and change, even if we don't have time to use the Bat."

The trees continue to line the road, and a little way off Huang Tianlin leads them to a trail ending up in a clearing with a pond. The pond is fed by a spring, rivulets running from it into the forest; the water is almost luminously clear under the moonlight. The horses rest, drink and graze while the three injured adventurers strip off their bloodied clothes and inspect the wounds.

The cut on Huang Tianlin's arm has bitten deep into the flesh; it's no surprise he was having trouble climbing with it. Lin Moniao binds it up as best he can with the supplies they have, while Shi Jia tends to Shen Shanwei. Without sufficient light, and still a bit shaky from their adventure, it's not the best job Lin Moniao has ever done. Hopefully it will stay hidden and not seep through Huang Tianlin's robes, at least until they have their rooms.

Huang Tianlin grunts, then sighs, tugging a coat over his arm. It is the first new cloak Lin Moniao has seen on him. "Thank you, lad. Don't worry about it." He smiles and pats Lin Moniao's shoulder. It seems the dark cloud he was under has finally lifted. "Good work out there. You really kept up."

"I'm sorry," Shi Jia says to Shen Shanwei, looking at his own rather clumsy work.

"It's fine," Shen Shanwei says, though the bandage is in parts cutting into his slender waist and hanging almost loose elsewhere. "It'll hold until we get to the inn."

They continue on, and the bandages do hold. The road they are on bypasses Kaifeng and goes directly southeast towards Nanjing.

It's late, but the inn they'd booked earlier is still lit, the sound of laughter rolling from the downstairs hall. It's a small inn, surrounded by a fence and built by the side of the road along with a few other simple buildings, but the room they reserved should be big enough for all four of them. Economical, for a group of late night travelers. A servant comes up with a light to greet them and guide them up. "Shall I send up dinner and drinks, or will you be coming down to eat?"

"Upstairs," Shen Shanwei hurries to say. He's trying not to lean towards his wounded side.

Up the stairs and in the room, he tears off his robes and presses his hand on the wound, hissing. It's seeping through a little.

"I really am sorry," Shi Jia says again, fussing at Shen Shanwei's bandages. His own wound has been much more expertly bound by Beggar Huang, who is calmly untying his own bandage now to check on the bleeding.

"Xia-ge, why don't you set up the Bat? You're the one who researched how it works, after all." Lin Moniao tries to unobtrusively tuck himself under Shen Shanwei's arm on the uninjured side, for support. "All right there, shidi?"

Shen Shanwei glances from Shi Jia to Huang-qianbei and doesn't have the face to complain. "It's fine. We got the prize, didn't we?" He's a little wan, but he smiles at Lin Moniao with grim satisfaction and holds a hand up to be clasped.

Lin Moniao clasps it, grinning. "We did. And I got you something else, too." Changing into his current nondescript robes, he'd transferred the book and the painting into their pockets, and he takes them out now. "I didn't pay twenty copper coins for this book, and really it was acquired due to your efforts, but I hope you'll count it anyway. And that it's to your taste--I haven't had a chance to look at it. As for the painting, I said you should take someone who knows with you when you go shopping for shifu, didn't I? It's quite good. How publicly he chooses to display it--will depend on the message he wants to send, I suppose."

Shen Shanwei takes both and looks from one to the other. "I--I figure they'll do! How were you thinking about that in the middle of--" He blows out a breath to cut himself off mid-rant. "Lin Moniao, you are so strange. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Lin Moniao flushes with pleasure and grins even wider. "Next time don't ask me for something if you don't want it. We were there to steal things, after all, and I like you better than I like Xie Lijuan."

"I will keep that in mind." Shen Shanwei glances at Shi Jia, clears his throat, and turns to the bag he'd dropped on the floor a moment ago. "I'll just--put these away."

Huang Tianlin reties his own bandage and settles down on one of the beds with a grunt. Shi Jia is fussing with the Obsidian Bat. No contact poison, apparently, and no traps, because he opens it easily and peers inside carefully before bringing out the incense. Smoke starts to billow from the openings in the burner, sweet and a little resiny. There is something different about it, immediately discernible--like a fresh breeze.

The dinner that is brought up a moment later is greasy and a little too spicy, but it fills the stomach. Despite the sweetness of the incense, Huang Tianlin complains about the air spoiling his meal, and insists on eating by an open window. He remains lulling there sleepily until Shi Jia gently admonishes him for letting all the healing smoke escape, and he closes the window.

Shen Shanwei is nodding off before the dinner is even all put away, and soon crawls into one of the beds still mostly dressed, kicks off his boots, and is asleep within moments. Shi Jia on the other hand seems wired and chatty, and even Huang Tianlin goes to bed before him, turning towards the wall. That leaves him alone with Lin Moniao.

"Is A-Niao tired?" Shi Jia asks quietly. "Does he have everything he needs?" He scoots a little closer and touches his hand, and looks at Huang Tianlin's turned back.

"I'm all right. You should rest, you were hurt." Lin Moniao strokes the inside of Shi Jia's wrist with a thumb, meets his eyes and looks back at Huang Tianlin, and nods.

Shi Jia leans over and kisses him lightly; that at least isn't anything secret. "Good night, then." He heads over to where Shen Shanwei is sleeping in, to get ready for bed.

"Good night, Xia-ge," Lin Moniao says softly. There's probably no need to use Shi Jia's alias--Shen Shanwei, anyway, doesn't seem like he's faking sleep--but better safe.

Huang Tianlin does not stir. Shen Shanwei shifts but keeps snoring lightly as Shi Jia climbs into bed with him.

Time passes. After a while tossing restlessly, Shi Jia lies still and his breathing evens out.

Huang Tianlin rolls to his back and looks straight at Lin Moniao across the darkened room still swirling with incense smoke. No more pretending.

"I ought to thank Huang-qianbei. You saved me again." Lin Moniao sighs and leans his head back against the wall, remembering how that one Immortal Sword Manor disciple had rushed at him, and suddenly Huang Tianlin had been there between them--"Maybe Huang-qianbei was right. A thing like this will always invite killers, wherever it is. And tonight we were the killers."

"I am aware of the irony." Huang Tianlin says quietly. "So, you've probably figured out I'm going to take it. You can't stop me, you know."

"Direct," says Lin Moniao with a short puff of laughter. "I saw you in action earlier. I know. Nevertheless, I have to try. That's my duty and my place in the world. What will you do with it? Where will you invite death next? You must admit, at least inviting death to Xie Manor is like inviting an already stuffed man to a banquet."

Beggar Huang laughs, a muffled, rasping chuckle. "They won't find it. They won't know where to look. Look, I am sorry for putting you all in a difficult position, but there comes a time when a man has to weigh one option against another, and take the one he likes best. So here we are. I am curious to hear how you're intend to talk me out of it, though."

"Won't they find it? You're not the only clever person in the world. And it seems to me that if one is looking for a miraculous healing treasure, one must only look for miraculous cures. Either that or it's not being used, and wasn't that your objection to the Society of the Solitary Temple having it in the first place?" Lin Moniao shrugs. "Huang-qianbei, I like you very much. You're my friend--now. And I am a useful sort of friend to have. Haven't I always helped you? Work with me on this, and I will work with you on--whatever it is you wish to get done."

"I've thought of all of that. But there are people who have no medicine, no clean bandages or warm, safe places to sleep. The greats won't come looking among them and even if they did, they could keep the Bat moving. It won't be in the same place for long." But there is a note of doubt here. Is he trying to convince himself?

"When they know who took it, they will know the sort of people he would give it to. And the more people it moves between, the more people will be in danger because they might have it. You are inviting death among the people least able to defend themselves from it, and you cannot be everywhere to protect them. Huang-qianbei, you don't need me to tell you any of this. You already told it to me yourself."

Huang Tianlin lets out a long, frustrated sigh and stares at the roof of the bed for a moment. "You are... not incorrect. But it's not just this old man you have to convince." He sits up and pulls his boots on. "Come on, lad, let's go meet her."

"I--yes." Lin Moniao scrambles to his feet. He had really thought Huang Tianlin was working on his own on this, but he had also described the tree frog token he'd seen among Huang Tianlin's things to Shi Jia, and Shi Jia had known who it represented: a woman called Tree Frog Gao, also known as the Beggar Queen. Lin Moniao reaches up to try to fix his hair, sighing, "If only I had known I was going to meet a lady, I would certainly have tried to make myself more presentable."

That elicits another muffled laugh. "I do like you." Huang Tianlin stands and claps a hand on Lin Moniao's shoulder. "Just a hint, she's not very fond of the Qilin Villa. Best not lean on that."

He leads the way down the stairs. As they round up to the back of the inn, beyond a chicken coop and into the shadows, the darkness becomes suddenly crowded.

Among the trees, in the trees and behind them, there are people. Young and old and in between, all in shabby clothes, some clutching makeshift weapons, and in the middle, waiting, is a little old lady in a dusty robe, leaning on a broomstick.

Voices quiet down as eyes turn towards them, then whispers erupt.

The woman draws herself up and steps towards them. Her spiritual qi is unmasked to Lin Moniao's senses, and it is impressive. "What's this? Huang Tianlin, you signaled to wait until morning. And you've brought one of them along."

Huang Tianlin bows. "Hear him out, please, Master."

Lin Moniao makes a low bow, his mind racing. He had at least been fairly confident that Huang Tianlin would rather not hurt him. With this woman--she must be Tree Frog Gao--he's not so sure. She seems as formidable as the Sword Goddess, and no stranger to killing, and she isn't looking at Lin Moniao as if she likes him. "Madame, this one apologizes for intruding on your business. I had only been speaking with Huang-qianbei about how your goals might be best accomplished. It seems to me that there are unavoidable difficulties with your current plan, which may lead to, sadly, the opposite results of what you intend."

"Oh my oh my," Tree Frog Gao croaks, "is the Cult of the Parrot God threatening this poor little old lady?"

There are titters among the gathered beggars, and also a soft gasp from up on the tree branches, and a rustle as someone leans in closer.

"How could this one hope to threaten Madame? It's the treasure that you seek that poses the threat. Madame must know that there are many who consider it their rightful property, and many others who would go to any lengths to gain it. How many have already been killed in the pursuit of it? It's a dangerous thing, to give to vulnerable people."

"Young master must think our lot live coddled lives indeed." More laughter. She gestures to the gathered people. "Ooh, if the magistrates and fancy ladies in their great manors only knew how we let this one go, they'd not kick us and whip us and cut off our hands anymore! Get off it, you little twit. Where's the Obsidian Bat?"

The beggars stir, buoyed by her harshness, and some weapons are raised.

"Hang on," a voice calls out from the tree. "He's not a young master, he's--"

There's a rustle, and a young woman in loose trousers and a dark green tunic swings out of the tree, landing on her feet with the steadiness of an athlete a few steps from Lin Moniao. She grins at him as she straightens up; the nasty scar running from her lip to her temple makes the smile lopsided. "So it worked, didn't it, Magpie? It's Lin Moniao, isn't it?" She grabs his elbows. "You really made it!"

When the young woman grins at him, Lin Moniao's face arranges itself automatically in a polite smile. He's used to people recognizing him who he doesn't remember at all, but that's no reason to be rude. But when he hears his old nickname, he loses control of his expression entirely in astonishment. "Peony?"

He grasps her elbows in return, then lets go to pull her into a hug that lifts her off her feet. It's harder than it used to be--there's solid muscle now beneath the deliciously squishy curves. He breathes deeply with his face in the crook of her neck, but she even smells different. She must not douse herself in the same cheap perfume anymore. When Lin Moniao was barely out of boyhood, he couldn't imagine anything smelling better. She squeals and laughs and hugs him tight. "Peony, who did this to you?"

"Don't mind the face, it's ancient history. Look at you." She pulls back to admire him, eyes soft, hands seeking out the contours of his face. "Where have you been? Kaifeng, I'm guessing, but--"

"Wanxue," Tree Frog Gao interrupts sharply. Heng Wanxue steps back, but keeps hold of Lin Moniao's arm. "You're forgetting yourself," the Queen of Beggars continues. "Get back into position."

Heng Wanxue steps closer to Lin Moniao instead, putting herself between him and Tree Frog Gao. "No."

"He's a friend," Huang Tianlin says loudly into the ensuing tension. "We may have conflicting interests at present, but Master is not talking to Qilin Villa now. Master is talking to Lin Moniao. Isn't that right, lad?"

"Of course," says Lin Moniao, somewhat at random. For a moment it's hard to remember where he is, or when. It doesn't seem right to hide behind Heng Wanxue. If it comes to that--well, it had better not. "Qilin Villa doesn't need to enter into it at all. I know how to keep my mouth shut."

Heng Wanxue is nodding enthusiastically. Huang Tianlin sighs and continues. "Listen, I brought him here because just now, he not only figured out what I was about to do, but threw my own words back at me. The argument he's making is one I made before. Ownership of this cursed thing draws too much attention. You're spoiling for a fight with at least two sects. They'll never use it right, they don't deserve it, all that is true. But I killed a man for it tonight. Could've been more. I don't want the Sword Goddess sending her disciples out to wipe out every beggar in Kaifeng if she figures it's us. Or Heaven forbid, the other one."

"It weren't us, though, was it?" Tree Frog Gao says with an almost coy look from under her brows. "It was the Parrot Cult. That is, if he really can shut up. Otherwise, our options are let them go and gain nothing, or kill him and take the healing vessel."

Heng Wanxue scowls, holding her position.

"Should we put it to a vote?" Tree Frog Gao looks around.

"I wouldn't say that you gain nothing," says Lin Moniao. "Huang-qianbei took quite a few nice things from Immortal Sword Manor tonight, didn't you? And if it was the Qilin Villa that did it, then, as you say, you can keep them or dispose of them without fear of being blamed--but only if the Qilin Villa continues to act as if it did it. In other words, if we deliver the Bat to Xie Lijuan as arranged. The sects can continue to tear each other apart over it, and you can slide out ahead unnoticed. Trust me, you don't want it. I don't want it, I only want the glory of saying I did it, and the favor of Xie Lijuan, and that's something we can easily share, if you like. Or if you don't want a favor from her, or from--anyone else who might be inclined to give you a favor--then, at the very least, I will owe you a favor."

Tree Frog Gao stays silent, her eyes growing distant as she considers. "All right, how about this." There are some mumblings from the gathered beggars, but she ignores them and continues. "Nevermind who stole the thing. Xie Lijuan gets it, so Xie Lijuan must have ordered the theft. Let those two sort it out between themselves. Qilin Villa is beholden to Tree Frog Gao. Qilin Villa will pay her proper tribute. One way or another. One of you can get us something valuable from those famous treasure vaults, or a favor worth the Obsidian Bat, if you can think of one. You'll have a year, and if a satisfactory tribute isn't paid..." She sniffs, wipes her nose, and spits on to the ground. "Qilin Villa will pay some other way."

Lin Moniao breathes a sigh of relief and bows again. "Madame, I will arrange it." After all, as Hua Haoyu says, the Villa has been sending treasures to many sects lately. What's one more?

Tree Frog Gao nods. She doesn't bow, but she inclines her head, and then snaps her fingers. "Alright, good enough for a night's work. Let's go home."

A couple more beggars drop from the trees and gather around her as she starts to go, broomstick over her shoulder. Huang Tianlin pats Lin Moniao's shoulder one more time and moves to follow.

Heng Wanxue does not--she takes Lin Moniao's hand and laces her fingers with his.

"Peony, there really are a lot of people chasing us," says Lin Moniao. But he doesn't let go of her hand.

She shrugs and smiles. "We're going to Nanjing? I know a place there that sells great stewed eel.'

"I will buy you all the stewed eel you like. I can afford it now." He turns towards her and drapes his arms over her shoulders, pressing their foreheads together. "Ah, it's been a long time. How have you been?"

"Oh, getting by. I've been doing just fine." But then she always said that same thing whenever Lin Moniao worried about her in the past, no matter what was actually going on. She smiles wide. "Mr Qilin Villa. Maybe we'll have duck instead, if your pockets are so heavy." She holds up his Curved Beauty Dagger, which he could swear was safely in its sheath a moment ago. "Look at this! Fancy."

Lin Moniao isn't looking, but out on the edge of the clearing, Huang Tianlin turns back for one more glance. Then he shakes his head and follows his master into the shadows.

Lin Moniao laughs and presses closer to whisper in Heng Wanxue's ear. "You haven't changed much! Shall I show you what other nice things I have, clever fingers?"

"I haven't changed at all!"

He steps away with a sigh. "But we should get back. I left my companions sleeping, and it would just be embarrassing if someone made off with our treasure now."

She takes his hand again. "Lead the way. Since Master doesn't want the thing anymore, we're all friends now, right?"

"Of course." Lin Moniao squeezes her hand firmly and heads back towards the inn. "But, ah--who shall I say you are? I told your master I could keep my mouth shut, but how do you think she expects me to explain why Huang-qianbei is gone and you're here? I don't suppose we can pass it off as a very dramatic qi deviation."

She giggles. "Not unless Huang Tianlin really liked you, 'cause I'm not letting go of you again. Master would expect you to think of something. Wanxue is game, whatever it is, so long as you don't tell them I'm your sister!"

"I can think of things!" says Lin Moniao, stung. "I only meant--I wouldn't like your master to think I was breaking our agreement. And I wouldn't want to assign you a role you don't like, so sister is out." He wraps an arm around her waist. "You can be one of Huang-qianbei's friends, then. A few of them have helped us already, and if he were urgently called away on other business, he might leave one behind to help us complete this mission. Oh--maybe we've worked together before, if we need to explain why we're so familiar. Though neither of my friends will be surprised if I became familiar with a charming young lady rather quickly."

"The best lie is no lie, Lin Moniao. We're old sweethearts, and I'm Huang-qianbei's friend, and he did get called away, so there you are."

"Isn't that what I said? I believe that's what I said." He leads her upstairs, softening his steps as they get close to the room, and pushes the door open gently.

The room is dark, the incense smoke still swirling in the air, but as the door opens and moonlight falls on their faces, Shi Jia sits up in bed. He must have been lying awake. He hesitates just a moment, and then crawls out and adjusts his robe in place and comes to meet them. "Is everything alright?" he whispers. "Where is Huang-qianbei?"

"Some of his friends showed up. He was called away on urgent business, and Heng Wanxue stayed behind," Lin Moniao answers in the same low tone. He doesn't add the part about them being old sweethearts, but maybe Shi Jia will I understand that from the grip he has on Heng Wanxue's waist.

Honestly, he's not sure what Shi Jia will understand from what he said. Maybe it's enough that he understands that Lin Moniao will explain later. "It's all right, though. Truly. Will you stay up now, Xia-ge? I could use some sleep, but have you slept enough?"

"I don't think I could sleep just now. It's quite all right." He puts his hands together and bows to Wanxue a little stiffly. "Xia Yang. Please, I apologize for the simplicity of the accommodations. Heng Wanxue is one of Huang Tianlin's friends, then, and knows our mission. Thank you for offering assistance."

She bows back prettily. "I know less than Xia Yang assumes, but I'm happy to help. Pleased to meet you."

"This Xia Yang will take the watch. Please feel free to get some rest."

"Don't mind if I do." She turns to Lin Moniao and bumps him with an elbow. "Coming to bed, Magpie?"

Shi Jia lowers his eyes. The way his hackles go up is only readable if you know him very well, but he shoots Lin Moniao a questioning look.

"In a moment, Peony." Lin Moniao kisses the crown of her head and turns back to Shi Jia and squeezes his arms. "We know each other from way back."

He's only confirming what Shi Jia already knows. Lin Moniao had told him about her when they were students together, only he might have made her sound like some young mistress--because he hated to sound like some young master talking about his favorite courtesan when that wasn't what their relationship had been at all--and now Shi Jia can see that she isn't. He doesn't know what conclusions Shi Jia is drawing, and it doesn't really matter. Back then he had been cautious. Now he trusts Shi Jia with his secrets, if he happens to find them out. But if Shi Jia isn't ready to trust his own to a woman Lin Moniao hasn't seen for years--that's fair.

It's been years since Lin Moniao has seen Wanxue, and he doesn't particularly trust Tree Frog Gao. But it's been years since Wanxue saw him, and she stepped between him and her master without hesitation. Besides--it's Peony.

"Fortuitous coincidence. I will take A-Niao's lead on this." Shi Jia makes a move toward him, hesitates, changes his mind, and goes to sit by the table, in the moonlight, the Obsidian Bat within arm's reach. Wanxue smiles and slips off toward the unoccupied bed.

Lin Moniao pads over to Shi Jia, and, with a quick glance over at Shen Shanwei, drops his voice, leans in close, and whispers, "I really think she's all right, A-Jia." Then he gives him a quick kiss before heading to bed with Wanxue.

"Did I get you in trouble there?" Wanxue whispers as she scoots and pulls back the covers. "We have a lot to catch up on."

"What? No. Xia Yang isn't--He doesn't--no."

But as Lin Moniao climbs in and wraps himself around her--she is such a warm, soft armful--he wonders if he's telling the truth. Could that be why Shi Jia seemed upset when he realized who she was? Lin Moniao has never known him to be jealous before. Then he has another thought. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Be a bit presumptuous of me, wouldn't it, after all this time? But it's awkward for him, don't you think, Magpie? Be nice." She twists to kiss his cheek. "Tomorrow. Sleep now."

"I'm always nice," Lin Moniao protests, but he doesn't have the energy for an argument, or for hearing all her news, no matter how curious he is. It's been a long day, and he's very comfortable now, and he's asleep before he knows it.

-

Friends and Sweethearts

“Strangled to death with a whip,” Jinzhu reports. She was always the braver of the twins, and in Liu Xiuling’s current frame of mind, she is the only disciple brave enough to give her the bad news. “Two more pricked with a knockout needle. One with broken bones.”

“At least someone was willing to protect the sect with their lives.” The words come out in a snarl. Liu Xiuling is sitting on her throne, holding a bandage of cool water to her forehead.

Jinzhu, probably wisely, only stands bowed, waiting for instructions.

Her master takes a moment to decide. “Get the constables involved,” Liu Xiuling says at last. “Write down what anyone still remembers of any techniques used, the appearance of the intruders, anything. Write a full description of that damn horse to pass around. Someone owns it! Go to Kang’s tailor shop, find out who has been buying our uniforms recently. Inventory the fucking tokens!”

“Yes, Master.”

“And above all else," she says with dangerous calm, "find Qiu Huan."

--

Shen Shanwei's sleep had almost been penetrated by voices in the night, but exhaustion had pulled him back into darkness through confused images of the Sword Goddess and running feet. He wakes up just before first light, however, conscious of the approach of morning.

Before he even opens his eyes, he remembers he is supposed to be in pain. He rolls on his back and touches his side, and though he can feel the wound even through the cloth of his robe and the bandages as he runs his fingertips along it, it doesn't hurt like it did in the night. Like it should.

Curious, he sits up and blinks bleary eyes at the half-lit room. He's alone in bed, but he recognizes Xia Yang's shape where the young man is sitting by the table, next to the Obsidian Bat, which is still emitting smoke, though it's only a small trickle now. The room smells of incense, and he can guess there is smoke still swirling near the ceiling.

Xia Yang turns to him, and as Shen Shanwei's eyes adjust, he can tell he is smiling.

Shen Shanwei slips a hand inside his own robes and feels the bandages. Xia Yang stands and shuffles quietly to the bed. "I already took mine off," he whispers. "Let me help."

Shen Shanwei strips down to his waist and together they unwind the bandages and wipe up the dried blood. The light is growing now, and Shen Shanwei can see a raised dark line on his abdomen, but the skin has knitted together. It looks like a week old-wound, not a fresh one. It almost seems like the cut had also been just a part of a dream.

"I'm sorry I slept all through the night."

"If this Xia Yang minded, he would have woken Shen Shanwei. Um."

Shen Shanwei watches Xia Yang hesitate. "What is it?"

"Huang Tianlin tried to take the Bat. Lin Moniao talked him out of it, and he left empty-handed." Xia Yang turns slightly and gestures towards the other bed. "Don't be alarmed, but Lin Moniao came back with a different friend."

On the other bed, Lin Moniao is entwined with another sleeping body, one with a generous curve of hip. Shen Shanwei lets out an indignant puff of air. "Really?"

"They are old sweethearts," Xia Yang hurries to explain quietly. "He trusts her, so I trust her. We should give them time to reconnect."

Shen Shanwei looks at the little man with pity. Xia Yang's eyes are lowered and his expression serene. Shen Shanwei realizes he must have had plenty of time to compose his thoughts in the night.

He leans in a little closer, to speak even more softly. "I would have kicked them both out and told him he could forget about trying to climb into my bed ever again."

Xia Yang shrinks a little into himself and brings his hands to his mouth; after a moment, Shen Shanwei realizes he is suppressing a laugh.

"I'm serious! He's terrible! Right in front of you!"

"He's just being true to who he is."

"At least that makes one person he can be true to."

"Shen Shanwei, please stop, I will laugh out loud and wake them."

"Alright, fine." Shen Shanwei pulls his robes back on with sharp motions and ties his belt. He glances at Xia Yang, who still sits on the bed, his hands in his lap, looking over at the other bed. He can't tell what he is thinking, but he cannot help but sympathize. He knows how charming Lin Moniao can be. What a terrible fate to actually love him.

He leans in close again. "Want to fool around to make him jealous?"

They look at each other, Shen Shanwei taking in Xia Yang's ordinary features, the intelligence hidden behind his mild expression. "It wouldn't work," they both say in unison, and then Xia Yang does break out in a peal of laughter.

At the sound, Lin Moniao groans and flings an arm across his face. He's sore (and not in the fun way) and tired. Still, he doesn't feel as awful as he might, on waking. Maybe it's because of Wanxue in the bed beside him. Maybe it's the healing smoke. Maybe it's the sound of Shi Jia's laughter.

"Is it morning?" he says, lowering his arm. Shen Shanwei is already dressed, leaning towards Shi Jia and whispering something. Appallingly cheerful in the morning, both of them. A fond smile spreads across Lin Moniao's face.

"No," Shi Jia calls out. "It's not. Go back to sleep."

"You heard the man," Wanxue mutters sleepily and snuggles closer, locking Lin Moniao in place with a leg thrown over his.

"You don't have to tell me twice," he says, tucking his face into the crook of her shoulder and closing his eyes again.

He gets another opportunity to wake up when the window is thrown open and the last of the incense smoke escapes out into the bright morning, replaced by the smell of breakfast. The scene is almost domestic, with Shen Shanwei setting down the tray, sitting and pulling his sleeves back to set up bowls and dishes onto the table--almost as if they hadn't just robbed the Sword Goddess blind the previous night. Shi Jia leans over Lin Moniao's bed and says softly, "Now it is morning."

Heng Wanxue raises herself up on her elbows and yawns, running a hand through her messy hair, and nudges Lin Moniao to get up first.

Lin Moniao mirrors her yawn and nuzzles her cheek. When he sits up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed, Shi Jia is still within kissing range, so he does, putting a hand on the back of his neck to hold him there for another moment. Shi Jia doesn't shy away from the kiss, but neither does he respond with his usual enthusiasm, and ducks away quickly to bust himself with wafting the smoke out the window.

Lin Moniao gets up, pulls on his robes, and sits by the table. "Ah, Shen-shidi, I could get used to this," he says.

Shen Shanwei gives Lin Moniao a sour look and then pointedly turns his nose up.

"That smells amazing." Wanxue climbs up and smiles all around.

Breakfast, like the dinner the night before, is a little greasy, but filling. Shen Shanwei thaws a little, if only because it is difficult to keep up indignation over other people's business when the other people in question are being perfectly calm and polite about it. He still pours the tea for Shi Jia and Wanxue but leaves Lin Moniao to fend for himself.

Shi Jia and Heng Wanxue chat carefully around the topic of Huang Tianlin.

"I wasn't very involved," Wanxue says at last. "I was just asked to come along and stand by as backup, in case there was trouble. Master doesn't really keep me on a short leash like she used to, but I owe her a lot, so of course I showed up. Look, if you guys want to leave Wanxue behind when you go do your thing, I understand. But I'll do the same for you, if needed. I'm not Huang-qianbei, but I'm not completely useless."

Shi Jia lets out a breathy little laugh.

"Xia Yang is very useful," Lin Moniao says firmly. "But, ah, not necessarily in a fight. I believe we got away clean--no one came bursting in here last night--so I hope we'll be able to stay ahead of trouble until we deliver our cargo. But in case we can't--you would be a big help, Wanxue."

Shen Shanwei clears his throat. "I'll be going back, then. There's no reason to leave the house to Qi Lian. And there is my--situation."

"Ah--yes. And we certainly don't want the Sword Goddess catching up with you. We'll miss you, but--I see the sense in it." Lin Moniao looks at him with concern. "You'll be careful? And your injury is better? It looked bad last night."

"I meant the-- but that too." He shudders. "I'm fine. We have the real thing, shixiong. Xia Yang could tell you that too." Shi Jia nods and pulls his collar aside low enough to show a scar that looks more like a welt than a wound.

Wanxue leans in curiously. "My! That Bat is really something. What a pity. Oh well, swings and roundabouts. Will Xia Yang come to Nanjing, then?"

"If permitted," Shi Jia says. "This is really A-Niao's operation."

"If permitted!" Lin Moniao says indignantly. "Xia-ge, if it were not for you, Huang-qianbei and I would likely be in Handan right now, and nowhere near the Bat."

It's a slight exaggeration--they did get one tip from Huang Tianlin's friends that didn't involve Shi Jia at all--but still.

Shi Jia smiles with pleasure and puts his hands together.

There's no reason to hang around any longer, and they really should move the loot as soon as possible, so after stacking the empty plates, they get ready to go. Shi Jia stows the Bat away in his bag, wrapped up in a piece of cloth. The stables are busy with customers about to continue on their way, but no one is paying attention to the three of them. Shen Shanwei tugs at Lin Moniao's arm and draws him away just as Shi Jia goes to saddle up. Wanxue notices, but leans on a stall and waits.

"Shixiong." He gathers his words for a moment. "It's stupid to say thank you to someone for getting you stabbed, but I am saying it anyway. I felt useless, cooped up in that house doing nothing. So thank you."

"Shall I tell you how useful you are? You hardly needed the rest of us last night; I really think you might have pulled it off by yourself. But, ah... I'm afraid you have set yourself up for a lot of being cooped up in the house in the near future." Lin Moniao hooks his thumbs into his sash and breathes deeply. "We will figure something out, shidi. I promise."

Shen Shanwei shakes his head. "If I had taken it, they would have searched me on the way out and that would have been it. Shixiong shouldn't worry about me. When this is over, I'll just go back to--to be with shijie. And then--well, we'll see then." He squeezes Lin Moniao's elbows, but doesn't quite smile as he goes to saddle up his pick of the horses they have left.

"One more thing, Shen-shidi. I am saying this as your shixiong, so you have to listen to me." Lin Moniao draws himself up to his full height (still rather shorter than Shen Shanwei) as Shen Shanwei turns towards his horse. "When you see Mu-shidi--be nice to him."

Shen Shanwei looks puzzled, but draws himself up in an unconscious mirror of Lin Moniao, puts his hands together, and makes a small bow.

They part outside the inn, and so far at least can see no Immortal Sword disciples lurking about or rustling up the locals. The day is cloudy, threatening a drizzle, but warm. Shen Shanwei waves at them and rides back towards Kaifeng. Wanxue climbs up behind Lin Moniao, and they set off towards Nanjing.

If there is any advantage in losing Huang Tianlin, it's that the three of them together don't match the description of the band of brigands that raided the manor. Nanjing is days away, however, and every moment gives Liu Xiuling more time to figure out where they're going.

--

The drizzle fails to manifest, and the clouds even clear a little as they ride on to empty land. The road is wide and there is traffic up ahead and behind, but those distances grow longer. It is almost peaceful, and they stop looking behind their backs. "So, Magpie, you didn't tell me yet how you ended up with the one sect my master's got such a beef with. I thought you were going to try for the exams?"

"I was! I did! I just didn't pass. It's not my fault, no one passes that young." He looks over at Shi Jia. "Well, almost no one."

"Indeed, Prince Kai did," Shi Jia redirects mildly. "He is exceptional, of course."

"You're exceptional," Lin Moniao retorts, and Shi Jia wilts with embarrassment at the compliment. "Anyway! Afterwards, I was invited to a dinner where influential people were looking for promising young men to sponsor, and Master Wu was there, and I impressed him." He tosses his head with a smile. "So he asked if I would be interested in joining his sect, and I said alright, but you have to find a position for my mother as well. And here we are. I will try for the exams again one day, I'm sure. Of course, it's difficult now that our sect is short a classics master."

Wanxue laughs. "Naturally, a master takes one look at Lin Moniao and offers him a ticket to riches, and the opportunity to negotiate his terms, too," she teases. "I wonder if you needed to train at all or if it all came to you naturally. Wanxue finds herself in truly exceptional company. Peanuts?" She holds out an opened paper bag.

"I am very impressive," Lin Moniao admits, keeping the reins in one hand while he half-turns to help himself to some peanuts. "Why does your master have such a beef with us?"

"Master didn't like your sect poaching her favorite disciple, and then she heard about the wonderful treasure vault they say you have in your distant lake Villa, and that really ticked her off."

"You don't happen to know how Huang-qianbei became a friend of the Qilin Villa, do you? I had never heard of him before my first mission, when he showed up flashing a parrot token at me, but lately everyone at the Villa seemed to know him."

She shakes her head. "Master had a lot to say about your Master Wu, but I think it's just because he's settled on her turf in Kaifeng. You should ask your own people." She offers some peanuts to Shi Jia as well, who accepts with thanks.

"Her turf!" Lin Moniao exclaims. "Ah, well, we had better not start with that. Let it be her turf, if she likes. There are several questions I should have asked before I left, but it can't be helped now. Do you think... she'll be keeping Huang-qianbei on a short leash from now on? Will he return to the Qilin Villa?"

Wanxue smiles her lopsided smile. "I think he made his choice."

Lin Moniao sighs. "And his friends? He gave out several tokens; I'm guessing they won't be recognized anymore, once word gets around. I only wonder... I saw when I was traveling with him, he really does care for his people. Does she?"

She hugs him a little tighter and takes a moment to reply. "She's an angry person, but she's angry for the right reasons, mostly. Everybody owes her more than she ever collects. You know? She's good for us."

"Alright." He squeezes her hand where it rests on his waist. "I don't suppose it's my business, anyway. And I can't blame her for being angry we stole Huang-qianbei from under her nose; he's worth more than this thing we're carrying around."

"Aw. Kaifeng is full of classics masters, though, isn't it? You'll find another."

"Ah. Hmm." Shi Jia hums. "You could try to find Ling Xingcheng. Even the recent bad fortune of Qilin Villa masters shouldn't scare that one away, after what happened at the Palace."

"Who?" says Lin Moniao.

"Did A-Niao hear about it? He was not yet thirty, and he not only passed the exams, he came in first and was disqualified on a technicality."

"Well, I don't care, whoever he is, he's not Huang-qianbei."

"Sounds like you liked Huang Tianlin," Wanxue says with some sympathy. "I'm sorry."

They haven't been riding as hard as Gao Chengyi did when he was running from Kaifeng to Nanjing, but they are on the same road and had a good start, so as the traveling day is drawing to a close, Lin Moniao recognizes a familiar glitter of lake beyond forest, and a small walled village built by the river that feeds it. There is a very fine inn there, as he well knows, perhaps too fine; they could go on and find another place.

"We'd better keep riding. If anyone is on the lookout for Qilin Villa, they might well look there. Master Gao--my Master Gao--used to stop there frequently, and I was there not long ago myself. They might not welcome me back, for that matter. They have a rule against fighting in the courtyard." Lin Moniao looks at the village with a regretful sigh. "It's a shame. They serve a delicious crayfish soup."

"Aw." Wanxue looks back at the village with regret; she always did like seafood. But they ride on, and the road is busy, after all. The next likely place stands at a crossroads, along with an open-air restaurant opposite. The complex includes a decorative garden and a stone shrine at the back. Though not as nice as the previous inn, it isn't cheap either. But then, they have Shi Jia to pay for things.

"Shall we stop here?" Lin Moniao asks his companions. "I doubt we'll find anything better before nightfall." The sun is already dipping towards the horizon; much further and they'll be riding through the dark again.

His companions agree. Now that Lin Moniao looks at him, Shi Jia seems to be drooping a little with exhaustion. He is a resilient rider, but he didn't get much sleep. He smiles in relief as they slide off their horses and walk them to the stables.

"Fortune favors your company," says the servant who welcomes them inside, a very round elderly man with a long thin white beard. "Our best rooms are still available."

"Two rooms, please," says Shi Jia. "I think we will like to eat at the restaurant today. Do you have any seafood?"

"We do, and the crayfish is particularly fresh." It is not surprising--they would be fishing in the same waters as the people in the village. The servant bows and indicates the staircase leading up to the rooms. "Please."

"You're keeping an eye out?" Wanxue asks him as they climb up.

"I'd like to listen to the conversations. I don't think we are at risk of being recognized. Although--" He gives Lin Moniao an evaluating look. "Perhaps you two are a little more memorable than is advisable. If A-Niao and Heng Wanxue would like to retire early, then this Shi Jia will seek local company and see what he can find out."

"That's true, but..." Lin Moniao looks at Shi Jia uneasily. "A-Jia, I'm sorry, but you remember what happened in Anyang."

"It hasn't happened since," Shi Jia says softly.

"What happened in Anyang?" Wanxue asks.

Down in the restaurant, someone has struck up a tune on an erhu. The musician is talented, and soon a plaintive female voice joins in. Shi Jia starts at the sound, clutches both their sleeves and pushes them up the stairs. "I'm sure A-Niao is right, let's eat in our rooms."

"Oh, I like this song!" Wanxue complains.

"I only meant--maybe Wanxue and I ought to be somewhere we can see you, just in case--" But Shi Jia looks so alarmed that Lin Moniao drops his voice to a whisper and asks, "What's wrong? Have you seen something?"

"No, nothing like that. It's just embarrassing." He half pushes the two of them up the stairs and the song fades behind them. Their rooms are next to each other, facing back towards the shrine.

Once the door is closed, he explains, ears pink. "You summoned fate by mentioning Anyang. That ballad is about, um. Us."

Wanxue breaks out laughing. "Oh, Magpie!"

Shi Jia looks like he wants to sink through the floorboards and disappear.

"They wrote a ballad about us?" Lin Moniao laughs, delighted. "Wang-er did say it was very romantic... oh, I want to hear it." But, seeing how miserable Shi Jia looks, Lin Moniao puts an arm around his shoulders and adds, "But I will never listen to it if you don't like it. I would go downstairs and make them stop singing it right now, only as you say, we shouldn't draw attention to ourselves."

Shi Jia covers his face with his hands. "They don't use our names. It's fine. The next ballad about Lin Moniao will be much better; more heroic, and not featuring any brothels or Shi Jias." He brushes down his robes, trying to gain control of his expression. "Apologies. That was childish. A-Niao is right."

Lin Moniao squeezes Shi Jia's shoulder, pulling him closer. "The next one certainly will feature Shi Jia, if they write it about this incident. If you wish to keep coming on adventures with me--and I hope that you do--" He brushes a kiss to the side of Shi Jia's mouth-- "you will simply have to accept the consequences."

Shi Jia shies away. "A-Niao, stop doing that. Your Peony is right there. You're embarrassing both of us."

Wanxue crosses her arms. "Peony can speak for herself."

"Shi Jia is your friend, not your sweetheart. Act accordingly. I will go away now." He escapes into the hallway.

"A-Jia!" Lin Moniao exclaims, too stunned to even try to stop him. His kisses have never been unwelcome to Shi Jia before. He turns to Wanxue plaintively. "Was I not nice?"

She looks at him with mixed pity and exasperation. "I don't think that's the problem. Maybe you should do as he says and be more..." she waves a hand in a circle, "discreet? You don't kiss proper young gentlemen in public. I'm public. More ways than one." She bites her lip to stop herself from laughing at both her own joke and his expression.

"You're not!" says Lin Moniao indignantly. "It doesn't matter what you do for a living--or did. If Shi Jia is my friend, then you're my friend also. I suppose I'd better go apologize. Before the Bat King shows up and kidnaps him again."

"The Bat King? Boy, we have catching up to do!" She puts a hand on his shoulder and tugs. "No, stay. He'll be fine. Either he's playing coy, in which case that's not very nice, or he really wants to be alone. Doesn't he get a say in that at all?"

"He can be alone when the Sword Goddess isn't chasing us! Peony, he really cannot fight." Lin Moniao sits down heavily on the bed and drops his head into his hands. "I ought to listen to you. You've been right about everything so far. I am in trouble."

She comes to kneel in front of him, puts her arms around his shoulders and nuzzles her smooth cheek against his. "All this time I've been wondering where you've got to and if you're well, and look at how well you are. You made it good, and yet here you are worrying that someone might not like you. Well, you shouldn't worry." She pulls back to look him in the eyes. "He definitely likes you!"

"I am embarrassing him. He ran away from me because I was pestering him and he didn't like it," Lin Moniao points out reasonably. He sighs and leans back on his hands, looking into the middle distance. "I'm sorry if I worried you. I never imagined--" He reaches out towards her, then stops, hesitating. "Does it hurt? Do you not like it to be touched? Your--your face?"

"It doesn't hurt. You can touch it." She smiles, then sucks her upper lip in self-consciously. "I don't really like kissing anymore, though. I still like all the other stuff."

He runs his hands gently down her face, the damaged and the undamaged side, brushing her lower lip with his thumb. "Who did it, Peony? Did you kill them? Or do we still have to kill them?"

"It was just some customer. Why bother hashing out old stuff? I couldn't fight back back then, but I could now. And really, if he hadn't done it, I'd probably still be working on my back. It's fine. It's especially fine now I found you again." She lays her head on his chest.

He strokes her back and buries his face in her hair. "Alright, I'll let it alone, since you ask me to." He doesn't want to let it alone, but if she won't tell him, there's nothing else he can do, at least not now. "How is your family? Are you still taking care of them?"

She makes a happy sound. "Dage and erge got apprenticed to a carpenter after you left. Meimei is married, can you believe it? Baba is... alright... Mama is still selling toys at the market, but it's mostly erge who makes them now. I send them something every now and then. But if anything ever happens, we've got friends now. So we're fine. How is your mother? I bet she has real gold and jewels now."

"Does she ever! She has had a proposal of marriage from an official in the treasury, can you believe it?" Then his voice grows more serious and his hands grow still, holding her. "Of course, he doesn't know. And she doesn't want to marry him without telling him, so... she's still deciding."

"She should take his money and run." Wanxue yawns. "Do you think they really have fresh crayfish?"

"One way to find out," says Lin Moniao. "Of course, sometimes one finds out later rather than sooner... I don't suppose the part where most of us got sick as dogs made it into the ballad? Ah, but I should stop embarrassing Shi Jia."

"So you won't ask them to play again? Who knows when you'll get another opportunity?" She climbs up and gives Lin Moniao her hand. "Come on, Magpie. Let's go show them our memorable faces."

Lin Moniao takes Heng Wanxue's hand. "I suppose Shi Jia is down there collecting gossip as we speak. I won't bother him! I'd only like to keep an eye on him. He's the one with the treasure, after all."

--

In the other room, Shi Jia rests his back against the door and waits for his heartbeat to slow down. The walls are too thin; he had heard A-Niao exclaim and Heng Wanxue soothe him. He can almost hear voices now, though they are speaking more quietly.

He has written rather pretty essays on consummate conduct, while believing perhaps less than half of what he was putting down. A rule that he has found more instructive came from his father--one of the few pieces of his father's advice that he has retained. Shi Minshan is rather fond of instructing, so long as he does not need to do any follow-up.

But he had told his youngest son: Weigh your choices based on what information you have at the moment, and you never need to regret your actions, whatever the consequences. Has Shi Jia neglected that precaution? From an objective point of view, he has acted very foolishly with Lin Moniao. Falling for him in the first place, that he cannot fault himself for. Gods can decree these things, but not mortals. Should he have resisted? Would he have tried to talk Lin Moniao out of this dangerous scheme, if he had liked him less? Or would he be somewhere else now, looking for the truth instead of running around getting involved with treasures?

But--it has always seemed worth it, based on what choices he had at the time. So, he has nothing to regret, and only his current conduct to worry about.

And isn't he really only thinking about this now because he's jealous and embarrassed?

He takes and lets out a long breath. He's doing fine. He sets about settling into his room.

--

Downstairs, the restaurant side is busy and loud, and the musicians have struck up another ballad, this one a tale of heroic conquests and battling wicked demons. "Mmm, something smells good!" Heng Wanxue sighs. "I hope we can eat and drink while we keep an eye on Xia Yang."

But Shi Jia is nowhere to be seen. Even as they scan the crowd, and when Wanxue sticks her head out to check the back. "Did he go to the shrine? What's he going to find there?"

"He may have... gone to his room?" Lin Moniao says, swallowing down fear. "He got two rooms. Why did I let him get two rooms?"

Wanxue sighs and rubs the bridge of her nose. "Tell you what, you check up there. I'll 'listen to conversations'. If I find him, I'll bring him right back up, okay?" She touches his sleeve reassuringly.

Lin Moniao hugs her one-armed around the waist. "Thank you. You are splendid and dependable and you ought to have a chance to enjoy your crayfish, anyway. If you are attacked, you can hold them off until I get here, can't you?"

"I know. And I can." She gives him a smile and a quick nuzzle and pushes him on.

Lin Moniao rushes back upstairs. There's no sign anybody's been here, anyway. Surely he would have seen something or heard something if they had? He knocks on Shi Jia's door and says, "This one would like to apologize. Will A-Jia hear him out?"

It only takes a moment before Shi Jia answers, shame-faced. "This Shi Jia should be the one to apologize. Come in." Once Lin Moniao is in and the door closed, he says in a more quiet voice. "The Bat should be with you two, of course. I rushed out foolishly and forgot I had it."

All of the apologies that Lin Moniao has been mentally composing as he climbed the stairs fall out of his head. "The Bat King knew that I cared more for Shi Jia than I do for that thing," he hisses. "I suspect Liu Xiuling knows it too. Shi Jia knows everything. How is it that he doesn't know that?"

"Calm down. I--I know you do. But nobody is riding here coming after Shi Jia specifically." He turns as if to go to his bag, which is sitting on the floor beside the table, but ends up swiveling between the table and Lin Moniao, and instead takes Lin Moniao's hand in between two of his.

Lin Moniao grabs on, but restrains himself from pulling Shi Jia closer and showering him with apologetic kisses, which wouldn't help. Instead, he bows his head and tucks his other hand behind his back. "I came here to apologize, and I'm only making it worse. I'm sorry I offended Shi Jia. I will try not to embarrass him anymore, or--or--or trouble him with unwanted attentions."

Shi Jia sets his jaw. "A-Niao shouldn't make love to someone in front of another lover. Or in front of anybody, but especially a lover. It's rude and Shi Jia hates being rude. One at a time. We will have other opportunities."

"As if you were not crawling all over me in front of Wang Xiaonan!" Lin Moniao bursts out, but then he presses his hand to his forehead, takes a deep breath, and says, "Sorry. Alright. I will keep my hands to myself, and my lips, and all other relevant parts. Personally I think two at a time is even more fun, I have not yet had a chance to try three at a time, but! I will be good."

Shi Jia blinks. "Was she your lover? I'm sorry, I didn't think..." His ears grow pink again. "At least I waited until the door was closed!"

"No, no," Lin Moniao laughs. "I don't believe she was interested. Very well, A-Jia has always been a model of proper conduct, and this A-Niao is a beast. May I kiss you now?"

"...Yes."

Lin Moniao throws his arms around Shi Jia and kisses him soundly, but draws back before he really would prefer to. "I'm afraid that will have to be the last one until we deliver this wretched thing," he sighs. "That was the other thing I meant to say, A-Jia--you can come down to the restaurant or we can have food brought up, but you shouldn't be alone. None of us should."

"Second to last one," Shi Jia counters and kisses him one more time. "You're right, of course. Three watches. Let's go back to Heng Wanxue."

"Yes, let's," Lin Moniao agrees happily. What a bother to have Shi Jia and Heng Wanxue here and not to be allowed to touch either of them! But it's better than Shi Jia being angry with him.

Shi Jia reaches for the door, but just then there is a knock on the window. He rushes to open it instead. Heng Wanxue is hanging upside down outside, feet and hands hooked on to the roof, her long braid swinging down. "Sorry to disturb, boys," she says, "but we gotta run now."

-

The River and the Road

Shi Jia grabs his bag. Lin Moniao stuffs the Obsidian Bat inside his robes, runs to take Shi Jia's place at the window and peers out, looking from the darkness below to Heng Wanxue, still dangling from the roof. "Up or down?"

There's are footholds enough for a skilled martial artist to climb all the way down, and the back of the inn is abandoned. To go down means to run. To go up means to hide and wait for a better opportunity. "Down," she says.

Lin Moniao swings himself out the window and climbs to the ground, looking back up at his companions, then around for danger. There are a few things left behind in the other room--a change of clothes, a medical kit, nothing identifying. Heng Wangxue drops on the ground and dusts off her knees. Shi Jia is a beat behind.

"Can we risk going for the horses?" Lin Moniao whispers to Heng Wanxue. "What have you gotten into? Did you at least get your crayfish?"

"Can you ride without a saddle?" she asks instead of answering. But even as she speaks, there's a clamor and light spills out as a back door is opened. There is the road, with a carriage with horses parked outside; the ground slopes down on the other side all the way to the river, where a few rowboats are tied to a pier; and then, there are the few other buildings.

"Check the stables!" a shout comes up from the lit door. "Don't let her get away!"

Heng Wanxue doesn't wait any longer but sprints off towards the road. They haven't been spotted yet.

Lin Moniao, a few steps behind, catches her by the arm and points to the carriage. It isn't the Imperial constables, but there's something about how the men with the carriage hold themselves that he can see even from here. Besides, who else would be parked on the road after dark? "Guards on the road," he whispers.

"Shit!" She skids to a stop.

"We should--" The forest is thick and dark, easy to lose potential pursuers in. Also easy to lose themselves in, to leave a trail and to make noise. And then there's the river. "Let's steal a boat."

Heng Wanxue turns and runs even faster towards the river. Guards are the last thing she wants to deal with. Shi Jia is already ahead.

They have a clear way down, and in the dark no one will even see them from up the hill, especially when the inn is lit up and the path down is not. Lin Moniao dashes onto the pier and jumps into the first likely-looking rowboat, Heng Wanxue close behind. Despite his head-start, Shi Jia is the last aboard, stopping to kick the ropes of the other two rowboats off the dock posts.The starry sky reflects off the water as they cast off, and their shadows are now clearly visible, but if they're lucky, they'll be long gone by the time anyone thinks to look at the river. And if not--their pursuers, if they spot them, will have to swim.

Lin Moniao takes the oars. "The benefits of having trained by a lake," he says, breathing hard but grinning. The current is in their favor, so he does almost more steering than rowing, but they slip behind a bend and the lights of the inn blink out of sight. Shi Jia still perches at the back, scanning for signs of pursuit.

Wanxue drops herself to the bottom of the boat and moves her bag to her lap, leaning on one of the seats. "Huh! That was close. You two can really run when you need to. Good quality in a thief."

"You taught me everything I know," says Lin Moniao, preening a bit nonetheless. "What happened back there?"

"I'm not actually that dependable," she admits without shame. "I was listening, but their fat pockets and unattended bags were right there. It was too easy, except I fumbled the third one and couldn’t talk my way out of it, so... here we are." She picks up the bag and holds it up. "Before you get mad, hear me out. Look at what I got."

"I'm not mad," Lin Moniao sighs, though it would have been nice to rest for the night at an inn, not to mention eat something more substantial than peanuts. Poor Shi Jia is probably about to fall over. Without breaking the rhythm of his rowing, he turns his head to look.

Shi Jia leaves off looking behind them and takes a seat at the bow. He looks tired but very awake. "What did you hear?"

"Xie Lijuan is on the road. She's on her way to to Kaifeng! One of the men there was an official delivering a summons, and he was riding a fast horse. He says Xie Lijuan's retinue had taken an inn down the road, and no one else dared to room in it at the same time. Isn't that something? It is only a day's ride away."

"If we had horses," Lin Moniao can't help pointing out. "No, I apologize, that's very good. Good to know. And who knows how much distance we'll make on the river? One more day. Give or take."

"We can get horses," she mutters, and she's probably not thinking of buying or renting. "I also got his bag. Good luck trying to get anyone to follow him to court without the right papers. The token could come in handy, too." She fishes a bureau token from the bag.

"Ah! Useful," says Lin Moniao. Shi Jia has one of those too, but if he uses it, his superiors will know where he's been and who he's been with. Lin Moniao has been keeping it in mind for dire emergencies only. Paradoxically, the stolen one will be safer to use. "Who was he summoning? It's not about us, is it? Any other interesting dispatches in there?"

"He was saying it was a fraudulent bookkeeper. It will be in the papers, when we have enough light to read. Do you think it might be useful? If we warn the bookkeeper, he'll owe us, anyway."

"Hm. I doubt we'll have time after we take care of the current business before they send another summons. Still, you never know." He smiles at Shi Jia and adds, "Some of us are inveterate collectors of tidbits like that." He is rewarded with a tired smile for his attention. "Why don't you try to nap, in the meantime?"

Shi Jia doesn't need to be told twice. He curls up in the bow like a cat, putting his bag under his head as a pillow, and begins to purposefully control his breathing to soothe himself to sleep. It does not take long, as exhaustion catches up with him.

Wanxue stays up a little longer, throwing her head back to look at the river of stars above. She doesn't bother offering another apology over the horses, however, and after a while she too says her goodnights and settles down on the bottom of the boat.

The land is black, the river a glittering road in both directions, and the sky like a second river above. The river runs smoothly towards the sea, rippled by wind. There is a small rushing bend which requires Lin Moniao to maneuver, but the others don't even wake up before they are past the rocks and moving steadily again. It's too dark to pick a good spot to stop. In the end, Lin Moniao draws up between a rising cliff and a low beach. The road may be close or far, but at least there is no dock, so they are not setting up on private land.

Shi Jia wakes up groggy from deep sleep and keeps yawning as they climb out and set up camp.

"At least it's summer, eh, Magpie?" Wanxue slept lightly, but she looks tired too--even if she didn't just spend half a night rowing.

"Yes, how unfortunate if we were forced to all sleep closely to keep warm... I'm being good!" Lin Moniao looks defensively at Shi Jia. "I'm too tired to be bad."

Shi Jia pats him soothingly and yawns again.

"We might still want to," Wanxue says. "Didn't bring a blanket." She at least knows what she's doing, and makes a bed of dry leaves in the eave of a fallen tree. Shi Jia distributes dry rations, washed down with river water. It's an uncomfortable few hours, but at least they get rest.

--

There are no shutters or curtains to protect Lin Moniao from the sun when it rises. He raises his arms to cover his eyes, and they painfully remind him just how much rowing he did the night before. "Heaven, I'm hungry," he complains. "Does anyone have any food left?"

"I'm not having any more dry rations," Wanxue declares, picking leaves out of her hair as she climbs up. "I see some berry bushes down that way, and there's sure to be fish in the river. Let's make breakfast."

Shi Jia looks up from the sheaf of stolen documents he's reading and pats a wooden box by his side. "I took this from the boat. I think it has fishing things in it."

When Lin Moniao goes to see, he finds compartments with fishing lines, hooks, and dried bait, and he sets his line and settles on the bank of the river to wait while Heng Wanxue goes to gather berries, and Shi Jia to do a little reconnaissance and hopefully find the road. Eels and catfish lurk in the muddy shallows, while silver carp dart through the clear water, and Lin Moniao spends an idle half hour trying to tempt them before a catfish chomps down on the bait and starts swimming off with it. A big fellow; it's a struggle to get him to shore, but when Lin Moniao does, there's enough of him to feed all three of them.

Heng Wanxue returns soon afterwards with a satchelful of berries, and gets a fire started while Lin Moniao cleans and guts the fish. Just as the skin is starting to crisp up in the flames, Shi Jia reports that they're not far from the road. Lin Moniao's nighttime assessment was correct: they did not stop right on top of a village or private property. The road stretches in both directions, isolated and peaceful.

It's mid-morning already by the time they finish eating breakfast. On foot, disheveled, and stiff from sleeping outside, Lin Moniao's heart lightens once they're on the road again. He's with good friends, and they're almost there.

Wanxue has a suggestion. "Why don't we stake out a quiet bend of the road. When a likely traveler passes by, drop out of the trees, take them out, get the horses."

"Or we could pay them," Shi Jia says, looking a little uncomfortable with the idea of turning full brigand.

"Or we could keep walking," Lin Moniao says peaceably, "and see what happens."

"I suppose she is heading our way, so we can't miss her." Shi Jia seems relieved. Wanxue shrugs.

The day is pleasantly clear, and though it starts off cool, after a night sleeping rough, exercise and the growing sunlight work to warm and limber them up. Wanxue starts humming a song.

"Please," Shi Jia begs her.

"Aw, but it's in my head now. If you don't want me to sing it, why don't you sing it yourself? He's bound to hear it eventually."

Shi Jia shakes his head. "Why don't we come up with one for Peony and Magpie?"

"Do you write ballads, A-Jia?" Lin Moniao grins. "You're a man of many talents. I don't think you can be trying to embarrass me in turn, because you know it won't work."

"Never." Shi Jia laughs. "I remember A-Niao being something of a poet, too, but I suppose it would be unseemly to pen your own ballad."

"But we haven't done anything very interesting," Wanxue protests. "That won't get you arrested," she adds after a moment's thought.

"We can't get arrested if we don't put in our names," Lin Moniao points out. Well, Shi Jia could arrest them. It would be a novel method of eliciting a confession. Especially coming from a man who has just robbed Immortal Sword Manor.

Wanxue takes a few dancing steps down the road and sings to the tune of a song that children sing, "A bird flew into a cupboard and ate a whole pie, a flower saw it happen and didn't tell the cook, who got scolded? Who got kicked? Only the poor dog."

Just as she finishes, there is the trundle of a carriage coming up behind them, from the direction of Kaifeng. Lin Moniao looks over his shoulder, only to see, in the distance but approaching quickly, the gold and blue uniform of the driver gleaming in the sun.

"Oh damn, it's the Immortal Sword Manor," he breathes. The side of the road is lined with trees, and they've been walking beneath them; they won't have been spotted yet. "Peony, are you up for a round of they-went-thataway? If it fails, we'll have to fall back on your horse bandits plan after all, but I hope it won't come to that."

"Gotcha."

"Your whip." Shi Jia holds his hand out to Wanxue and, though puzzled, she hands him the whip hanging on her belt. It may be an overabundance of caution, but Immortal Sword Manor was robbed by a whip-wielding bandit, even if he didn't match Heng Wanxue's description. Then the two men disappear into the trees, and Heng Wanxue turns to gesture wildly at the carriage to stop.

"Immortal Sword warriors! Stop!"

The carriage slows and stops, and a beefy young man on the driver's seat leans over. "Heaven, you're ugly. What do you want?"

"I am walking alone on the roadside because a group of brigands stole my mule! They dropped right out of the trees and attacked me, just like that!"

"Ugly girl, we don't have time to worry about your mule! What did they look like?"

"Terrible, just awful. One was very pretty but very cruel. Another was an older man who wielded the whip like a devil. There were another two younger men, one wore his hair loose at the back. It happened just over there." She points back the way the Immortal Sword carriage came. "Down this road, and to east. I think they must be heading for the coast."

The Immortal Sword disciples look at each other. "How long ago?" asks the other one.

"Late last night." She sniffles a little. "You better hurry. If they get to the coast, they could board a pirate ship, and then you'll never catch them."

Both disciples look alarmed. "She's right!"

"We're on the trail! Turn around, turn around!"

The carriage maneuvers around, always something of an achievement on a narrow road, but with some crashing and cursing they manage it and trundle back the way they came.

As soon as they're out of earshot, Wanxue covers her mouth with a hand and laughs. "Are they all this stupid?" she calls into the trees.

"I don't believe a healthy skepticism is a priority for Liu Xiuling when recruiting, no." Lin Moniao looks around cautiously for a moment before coming out of the trees, but then he runs up to Wanxue, grabs her hands, pulls her to him, and--doesn't kiss her, on the mouth or otherwise. "You were splendid! My shameless liar. I will buy you an entire duck when this is over, two if you can eat them."

"I'll give it a go!" She giggles and squeezes him. "Now there's no one between us and the world's greatest killer. I bet you're excited."

"I am." He lets her go but keeps holding her hand, swinging it as they start down the road again. "Very pretty and very cruel, am I? You gave me the best part. Did you know one of Huang-qianbei's friends called me a seductive yao? It has a good sound, doesn't it--Lin Moniao, the Seductive Yao. Ah, well, A-Jia is right. It's unseemly to spread these things oneself, one must let them happen naturally."

"I had to make you sound fearsome, didn’t I? I figured they'd remember that face."

Shi Jia catches up. "I must thank you for giving me no description whatsoever. Probably for the best."

It's soon past midday, but there are still berries, rations and water, and so they eat while they walk. Travelers pass them in each direction, but none bear the markings of Xie Manor. They stop to inquire and stock up at the next inn, but it is obvious that Xie Lijuan is not here either. It isn't until the day is starting to turn to evening and all three of them are tired and dusty that, down the slope of a hill, they spot a carriage in the colors of black and silver rolling leisurely up the road.

A palanquin is strapped to the back, but not in use. Four disciples flank the carriage on horseback, and another two sit on the driver's seat. There is a second carriage following the first, driven by a single man.

"That's it?" Wanxue exclaims. "Is that it? I expected something more impressive."

Shi Jia puffs out a nervous breath, but runs out into the road to wave the carriage down. One of the riders, a small pretty woman, peels off and gallops ahead of the slow procession. "If you're looking for a ride, friend, you'll want to ask the next carriage." Kind of her, really.

Shi Jia looks at Lin Moniao.

Lin Moniao puts his hands together. "How fortunate that I'm not looking for a ride, then. My master promised your master a certain item, and I'm here to deliver it. If she's with you, please let her know that Lin Moniao of the Illustrious Qilin Villa requests the favor of an audience."

"Token." She demands authoritatively. The carriages are catching up.

Lin Moniao produces his parrot token. "I was never given one of yours, but this should identify me, I hope."

"Wait here." She turns back to the carriage and gestures for it to stop, and it does. She rides up to the window of the first carriage, knocks, waits for an answer.

After a moment, she gestures for Lin Moniao to come up. "Just you."

Lin Moniao looks back at his companions, tucks a stray lock of hair back into place, and lifts his chin. "Alright."

Shi Jia's mouth is a tight line. He looks like he wants to come up to him and pull him back; his foot even moves forward, but he holds himself back. Wanxue takes his arm, and the two stand together, watching him go.

The disciple dismounts and leads her horse and Lin Moniao both to the carriage, as its side-door swings open. The light inside is filtered through thin curtains pulled over the windows. Two people sit within, on opposite sides of a weiqi board. One of the women is in her middle years and wearing simple clothes, sitting pale and stiff, her breath coming fast. The other is Xie Lijuan.

The Heartless Dagger had been beautiful sick in bed and asleep, but it is clear that he reputation for unparalleled looks comes from her eyes. They were dark and deep, almond-shaped, and their spell was now directed at him. "Thank you, Qing Yun," she says to her disciple without looking at her; her voice is rich, inviting. Qing Yun puts her hands together and moves to the other carriage, to speak through the window to the masters within.

Xie Lijuan smiles and gestures for Lin Moniao to step inside.

Lin Moniao's breath catches, and for a moment he can't move a step. Somehow the memory of this had faded, the thick feeling of death that surrounds her, and her smile, quick and deadly as a dagger--

He takes a deep breath. Finds his center. Steps into the carriage, bows as low as the cramped space will allow, and places the Obsidian Bat in front of her.

She reaches out to touch it with one hand, tracing the contours of its ugly bat snout. "I'm impressed. How did you get it? Liu Xiuling swore she had the real thing." She ignores the other woman as if she was furniture.

"She did," says Lin Moniao, "but now she doesn't."

Xie Lijuan sighs. "You'll have saved me an awkward encounter. I will remember that. Assuming Master Wu is not stupid enough to send me a fake. You don't happen to have any incense on you, do you, Lin Moniao?"

There are voices from outside, arguing. Her eyes swivel in that direction, but only briefly.

"I did, before I had to leave most of my things behind..." He makes a quick inventory of his pockets and comes up with a small cone of incense. "Ah. Here."

"Wonderful." She clicks the Bat open and loads it, lights it, and sets it aside. Immediately the sweet and refreshing smoke begins to fill the carriage.

She pulls a small black dagger out from its sheath on her side and reaches for the woman's hand. "Come on, don't fight me," she tells her gently, and the woman leans over. Xie Lijuan turns her palm up, pushes up her sleeve, and with her dagger, slices a deep vertical cut into it.

The woman whimpers in pain and terror as her blood starts to gush out.

"That will probably kill her anyway," Xie Lijuan tells Lin Moniao, "but we'll see how the Obsidian Bat performs. You'll ride with us to Kaifeng, of course. I might see Lingling after all, now she has nothing to bargain with." She leans back and smiles as her crumpled-up victim sobs. The blood is trickling down the floor and slipping through the door, splattering droplets on the ground.

"Stay back!" Qing Yun's clear voice rings from outside. "Do you want to die too?"

"A-Niao!"

"You have friends?" Xie Lijuan asks, displeased.

Lin Moniao, paralyzed by horror, at first can only nod. She could have done that to him as easily as to one of her own people--or whoever the woman is. Why hadn't she?

The trouble is that Shi Jia seems to think she has, and if Lin Moniao doesn't do something to reassure him, he and Heng Wanxue are likely to do something stupid. "I have," he says, finding his voice, but it's not enough, barely above a whisper. He swallows, tries again for something loud enough to be heard outside the carriage, "The bravest, cleverest friends."

"Hm." She draws back the curtain and calls out, "Pack them up, they're coming with us. Let's go."

She looks at the woman ineffectively trying to stem the flow of her own blood, satisfaction in her eyes. The carriage rocks, and the horses back up and step forward, getting ready to go. There are a few shouted orders from outside. "Looks like we'll have some time to pass. Tell me all about how you got this, Lin Moniao. I hope you left Lingling alive for me, at least."

"We--we did." Once or twice, over the last couple of days, Lin Moniao has wondered if perhaps they shouldn't have--particularly watching Heng Wanxue flag down the Immortal Sword Manor carriage and worrying that Liu Xiuling herself was inside it--but now he's very glad they did. He tries to skip over as many of his friends' secrets as he can, going back to when he and Huang Tianlin first set out in search of the Bat and up to the present moment. After all, most of the secrets aren't even relevant to the story. But in the end, he's not sure what he tells. He understands now why Master Wu said it was impossible to hide anything from this woman.

At least--one small consolation--he didn't let Shen Shanwei tell him anything else.

“You’re very concerned about that young man,” she says idly, and Lin Moniao looks up, startled. What has he been saying? Xie Lijuan goes on, as if she hasn’t noticed his reaction, “Is it a young man? Are you sure? I don’t think Lingling would have been taken in like that by a man. What is he to you?”

“He’s--” Remembering Shen Shanwei dancing a woman’s part in the White Cloud Bathhouse--was that how he fascinated the Sword Goddess?--Lin Moniao shakes his head, trying to clear it. “He’s indispensable.”

Xie Lijuan looks out the window, her long, elegant fingers resting on the frame. “In what way?”

“He killed Gao Chengyi.” The words tumble out of Lin Moniao. “I convinced him to. I set things up so he would see it was necessary, he never would have otherwise, he had no notion of it at all--but I needed him, so I took him.”

“Took him. Who from?”

“Yuwen Duyi.” Lin Moniao whispers the name. Xie Lijuan’s eyes are on him, dark and fathomless, and he knows, somehow, for some unknown reason, that this is what she’s been fishing for. And now she has it. She draws out the rest as lightly as Hua Houyu drawing a perch from the lake. “She had two people in the whole world she cared for, and I took them both from her in a single night. She may deserve death, but what I did to her was worse, and it wasn’t even about her. I just wanted to complete my mission. I always--” His eye falls on the Obsidian Bat, sitting between them, sweet-smelling smoke pouring from it. He remembers the pointy-faced young Immortal Sword Manor disciple looking at him with surprise over the edge of the watchtower, the sound of his neck breaking, and Huang Tianlin disappearing into the dark forest. “I always complete my mission.”

The stars are coming out again by the time they stop for the night, invisible beyond the lantern-light of the inn they alight at. Between the healing smoke of the Obsidian Bat and the care of He Peng the physician, Xie Lijuan's victim is still breathing, shallow and pale, heartbeat like a frightened rabbit's.

"Do stay with us," Xie Lijuan suggests to Lin Moniao as they step out of the carriage. Her pretty disciple is by them in an instant, her hand on her dagger. "The journey is so much more entertaining with company. I hate being alone."

There does not seem to be any way to refuse.

Almost as soon as his feet hit on the ground, Lin Moniao's two friends drop off the back of the second carriage and tackle him. Shi Jia and Heng Wanxue squeeze him tight into a three-person hug, and Wanxue bursts into shameless tears. "Don't scare me like that, Magpie."

"I thought--” Shi Jia’s voice trembles, “I thought I'd made a terrible mistake."

For just a moment, Lin Moniao flinches away from their touch. What he's done, what he is--they shouldn't like him. They wouldn't, if they knew. Hasn't he done the same to them? Used them, because he could, because he had a mission to complete?

But if they've come all this way out of love for him--what can he do but pay them back in kind? He holds them close, and his own voice is unsteady when he says, "It's alright. I'm alright, I truly am."

- end of part 2 -

Comments

[bookblather]

I really love the air of just. Menace, that you invoke around Huang and the Tree Frog and the Sword Goddess and now this lady. It's genuinely frightening to read.

[ilthit]

That's a great compliment, thank you! And also apologies.