3seed

Fate's Attendant 1.44

Added 2025-10-20 19:00:41 +0000 UTC

Bravery is strange, Hong Fei thought, walking back to his courtyard with Auntie Ling. Passing through a garden along the way, he spotted Li Chun tending to the plants. Another servant—the one whose left hand trembled; it took a moment for Hong Fei to remember that people called her Soft Seven—was placing a cup of tea next to the gardener, so that Li Chun would have something to drink while he worked.

While some fretted and whispered and planned their departures, these two ignored the turmoil and stuck to their duties. Whether that was admirable or foolish, Hong Fei couldn’t honestly say. Perhaps people like them simply didn’t have anywhere else to go.

Li Chun was former infantry, Soft Seven a scout. Both had fought for the duke. Nearly everyone at the estate had served under Yu Wu in one way or another.

A bell rang in the distance, tolling the news that a person of import had died. The news was late in its proclamation. Yu Wu had passed in the winter, the duchess had said. She’d lied to Hong Fei when originally describing the family’s situation.

Hong Fei and Auntie Ling had been relieved of watching over Yu Yong once the youth was determined to be out from under the dream blossom wine’s influence. It would be up to the steward and the Yu family’s members to explain to him what he’d done.

What would happen afterward was uncertain. There were important decisions to be made, decisions that could only be made by the family directly—the three of them remaining.

Should he stay? Hong Fei wondered. The duchess hadn’t been truthful, and her motives were selfish, but she’d given him a place and a usefulness that seemed to suit him. The techniques and strategies he’d learned fighting the Askalousans were given purpose here.

There were some things that Hong Fei knew he must do, but what about his own afterward? He had decisions to make, too, affecting not only himself but also his people.

Hong Fei sighed, and he placed a hand on Auntie Ling’s shoulder. It wasn’t like when he’d been injured and needed the support. It was comforting, all the same.

###

Approaching his courtyard, Hong Fei heard Sun Han’s voice: “We don’t have time to train you in a martial system, so focus on learning one move—only one—until it becomes as practiced as breathing. You won’t know when danger will come to you, but when it does, you must strike without hesitation. Commit to it. Surprise is your ally. Stab unflinchingly, then run.”

“Like this?” Hong Fei heard Little Ruyun ask.

“Don’t tense,” Sun Han replied. “The motion should feel and appear natural. You’re only reaching for a pin that’s become uncomfortable… Yes, that’s it.”

Arriving at the door, Hong Fei watched as Kang Lian and Little Ruyun practiced. A long pin was hidden in their robes, which they drew and stabbed at…

“Focus on the neck and heart,” Sun Han explained. “Those are your targets, at least from the front. The neck will usually be more vulnerable and easier to strike. For the heart, you’ll need to learn where to slide the pin between the enemy’s ribs.” He paused to adjust their arms to indicate where to aim. “I’ll see if I can locate a corpse for us to dissect together. It’ll help your understanding of the body’s weaknesses.”

Kang Lian blanched, yet she nodded and continued to practice.

Little Ruyun, on the other hand, looked eager, and her stabs became more enthusiastic.

The sight of them like this was so… so wholesome, and Hong Fei was reminded of his childhood—of his brothers and sisters and him in the family’s training yard.

A sudden possessiveness swept through Hong Fei. These people were his, he thought. They were the ones to whom he owed his loyalty.

###

The rest of the estate left their courtyard alone. It seemed insulated from the buzzing worry shaking the Yu family’s foundations elsewhere. News did come and go over the course of the afternoon, however, mostly by way of Kang Lian’s excursions. The chores didn’t stop needing to be done despite the crisis.

Chen Zhengyi was apparently under house arrest until a proper punishment was decided upon. A handful of soldiers had already tendered their resignations, but there was no one to accept them, because the Yu’s and their steward had locked themselves away, no doubt discussing the family’s future. Supposedly, visitors were also starting to stop by the estate, but they were being turned away for the same reason.

Hong Fei held himself ready, in case he was summoned. Yet, as the sun approached the horizon and the shadows on the walls grew long, no messages arrived for him.

When the fifth bell rang, Hong Fei invited his people into the salon, so that they could all eat together.

Kang Lian wasn’t sure of the propriety, but the seriousness of Hong Fei’s expression told her that it was important to him, and the others didn’t seem to mind, even her daughter. She’d take a moment afterward to instruct Little Ruyun that such things were exceptional. Others wouldn’t understand their courtyard’s informality.

Later, once the dishes were clean, the courtyard set to rights, and its residents gone to their beds, Kang Lian quietly let herself into the salon. She paused to listen at Hong Fei’s door, but didn’t hear anything from the interior. Peeking inside, she saw he was missing.

###

Chen Zhengyi emerged from his residence dressed in black from head to toe. With a flagrant use of qi, he jumped to the roof and made his way to the estate’s perimeter.

Hong Fei hung back to make sure he hadn’t been seen, then carefully followed after. From the estate’s outer wall, he saw Chen Zhengyi skulking toward the nearest alley. The youth turned once to make sure he hadn’t been spotted by the estate’s patrols before entering.

Hong Fei dropped down and ran to catch up. He held himself at the alley’s entrance briefly to peek around the corner, but Chen Zhengyi must’ve thought himself in the clear, because the young man strode through the alley as if he owned it.

This area of the high city consisted almost entirely of courtyards belonging to the families of prominent government officials and wealthy merchants. Chen Zhengyi slipped between them, following the alleys downward toward where businesses began to appear. They mostly specialized in textiles, furnishings, and medicines. There were also a pair of small markets opposite each other that sold rare produce and meats.

There, behind the butcher’s shop, Chen Zhengyi paused to turn his long coat inside out to reveal a colorful interior. Putting the coat back on, he now appeared to be a fashionable young man—perhaps one who’d enjoyed a lively night and was late in returning home rather than someone up to no good.

Hong Fei would rather have waited until Chen Zhengyi was farther from the estate. The unfortunate news of Duke Yu’s death meant an increase in the number of people visiting each other, and there was still traffic on the streets. The longer Hong Fei delayed, the likelier he would be spotted either by his quarry or some witness.

Sun Han’s buff thrummed through Hong Fei’s meridians. The qi filled him with the feeling of boundless potential. He wove it into a spell called The Fox Eyes the Hens, and the world around him became quiet. His breathing, his steps, and even the wind brushing against his clothes were all silenced.

Hong Fei emerged from his hiding place and closed the distance. Without fear of sound giving him away, he rushed at Chen Zhengyi. The young man was facing the street, in the process of straightening the cuffs of his long coat.

The rock knife felt heavy in Hong Fei’s hands. He did not let the weight of it hold him back. He stabbed Chen Zhengyi in the kidney, then twice more in quick order.

The young man gasped and arched his back. The strikes had surprised him; the qi in his lower cauldron had sat idle until the pain hit him. He mobilized it now, but the timing was too late. Hong Fei reached around to block Chen Zhengyi’s eyes, then swept the young man’s legs out from under him. Once the youth was on the ground, Hong Fei stabbed him knife once more, this time through the side of the neck, as if bleeding him like he a pig. The youth struggled, but with Sun Han’s buff, Hong Fei matched qi to qi until the bucking diminished. Soon, there was only a lifeless body under him.

With a sigh that went unheard, Hong Fei rose and pulled the body deeper into the alley. Thinking dark thoughts, he dragged it toward the back of the butcher’s shop and left it there like a delivery.

Hong Fei checked his surroundings, and they’d remained clear. The assassination had gone unwitnessed. All that remained was to drop the knife into the river and wait for the news of Chen Zhengyi’s death to arrive at the Yu estate.

###

The door to the bedroom opened, framing Hong Fei in the light of the brazier behind him.

Kang Lian shifted under the covers, turning to see him better. “You’re back,” she whispered.

“I am,” he replied, his voice hoarse.

“Come to bed, then. It’s been a difficult day.”

“I don’t know that I should,” he said. “Things are getting complicated.”

“When have they not ever been complicated?” she asked. Then when she heard him sigh, she added, “Please, I don’t want to be alone. And I don’t believe you want to be either.”

Hong Fei lingered in the doorway a moment longer, then moved into the room and closed the door behind him. The room went dark. Kang Lian couldn’t see him nor feel his presence, but she heard him undress. The bed moved as he joined her in it.

She yelped when she hugged him. His body felt ice cold.

“Sorry,” he said. “I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s all right. You just surprised me.” Kang Lian replied as she wrapped herself around Hong Fei. “Here, let me warm you up.”

-----

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