3seed

Fate's Attendant 1.35

Added 2025-09-29 23:04:01 +0000 UTC

Hong Fei strode toward his courtyard with Kang Lian. At first, she’d tried to fall in behind him as was proper, but he had no time for that nonsense. There was planning to be done.

“There will be chaos in the house,” he said, his mind running ahead. “Soldiers pulled from their regular patrols to go searching for the Young Master. There might be some who might take advantage, so keep your wits about you. Lock the courtyard down if necessary.” He considered the usefulness of his people, then decided: “Sun Han will stay. If I’m going to go out into the wilds, then Auntie Ling will be more helpful.”

Kang Lian nodded, keeping pace with him now. “How long will you be?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “I expect the house to mobilize fully—Yu Yong is the family’s heir should anything happen to the duke—so for me to be of use, I’ll need to focus my efforts in ways masses of soldiers can’t.”

Kang Lian grabbed his arm to stop his striding. “You can’t help anyone if you’re dead.”

His mind paused along with his body. “I know,” he replied softly, seeing the anxiousness on her face. “You’ll need to be careful, too.” He paused; his head tilted in thought. “It’d be best if Sun Han showed you how to use that knife of yours. And Little Ruyun. Tell him I said so.”

“Are we in that much danger?” she asked.

“We’re always in danger,” Hong Fei answered. “That’s the nature of the world we live in.”

Kang Lian took a breath, thinking of how to fit into his plans. She pulled him toward the main storerooms. “If you’re going outside the walls, then you’ll need the right supplies.

###

Zhang Dehua wasn’t in his office, so Hong Fei left Kang Lian in the nearby garden to check on the duchess. He met her glare as soon as walked through the door. Kneeling on the floor in front of her was the steward, blood leaking from his nose.

Yu Hui glared at Hong Fei as she yelled, “What are you doing here? Get out! Get out there and find him!”

Hong Fei quickly saluted. “Yes, my lady.” Then he left even faster than he’d arrived.

###

By the time Hong Fei and Kang Lian returned to their courtyard, word had spread through the whole estate that Yu Yong had gone missing. Something so sensitive should’ve been kept secret, Hong Fei thought, and an attempt had been made. Yet, the effort had failed after only a single night.

Hong Fei’s prying at the front gate wouldn’t have led to an information leak this severe. The chain of command elsewhere must’ve broken down. Either that, or there was a person intentionally causing mischief. Or persons, Hong Fei reminded himself. Spies and enemy agents didn’t always work alone.

Sun Han had noticed the commotion and had stood in the intersection connecting to their courtyard to find out what was going on. Hong Fei pulled the man into his wake, so that he only needed to brief his people once.

He lined them up under the cherry tree to explain the situation. His plan was to spend at least three days in the field with Auntie Ling. If Yu Yong wasn’t found by then—by either the house’s search parties or Hong Fei’s own efforts—then he’d return for resupply and to collect any new information.

All that was left to do after that was to retrieve the cultivator’s shoes and Fortune’s Favor from their hiding places. The first because they were comfortable, the second because of the aura of the emperor’s favor. Then he asked Sun Han to give Auntie Ling his “buff.”

The English word felt strange in Hong Fei’s mouth, but perhaps that was to be expected when speaking in magical languages.

The giant badger’s eyes lit up when the extra qi flooded into her. She gave Sun Han an approving nod before following Hong Fei out.

###

Chen Wenbin was likely to focus his search efforts on the places where Yu Yong underwent his survival training, so for Hong Fei’s own efforts to be helpful, he would need to check the unexpected directions the Young Master might’ve gone. That required fresh intelligence on what the youth was thinking.

Who was the best source for that information? Hong Fei went looking for Mei Hua.

###

A handful of servants stood in her courtyard, wringing their hands and gazing anxiously at the salon doors. From inside came the voices of two young people arguing. Then there was the sound of a ringing slap, and the door slammed open to reveal Chen Zhengyi.

His face was set in a mulish expression. He stomped out and would’ve barreled through the servants, except they were quick to get out of his way. The youth’s thoughts occupied him fully; he barely saw Hong Fei standing to the side, observing.

Hong Fei walked past servants before they could announce him. He arrived at the salon doors to see Mei Hua throwing pillows. Though she was angry, she took care that nothing fragile was thrown or hit.

Growls came from her throat like a caged animal. There were curses, too: “That fool! An idiot! The stupidity!” Finishing with a plaintive: “What if he ends up killing himself?”

Mei Hua spotted Hong Fei, and it was if a curtain fell to hide her anger. She closed her eyes to steady herself, then opened them to show him her indignation.

“Dūtóu,” she said, acknowledging his presence. “It’s not proper for a man to suddenly appear at a maiden’s door.”

“I heard the yelling and was concerned,” he replied.

“Oh. That. Merely a disagreement between cousins.” Mei Hua put down the pillow in her hands and ignored the others strewn on the floor. She straightened her robes before sitting primly on a couch.

Now that Hong Fei was looking, he saw that the salon’s furnishings were finer than his own. The table and chairs were all of a set, engraved with images of the sea. Shelves covered the walls. They contained vases of jade, some with flowers in them. The rug was thick and looked comfortable to stand upon. Images of songbirds were woven into its borders.

He remained at the door, not having passed across the threshold. If asked later, he would note that he hadn’t actually entered the salon. A fine point to be sure, but one that could be backed by the servants watching from the courtyard.

“The family is already under stress,” Hong Fei said, turning his attention to Mei Hua. “Hopefully, the disagreement was slight.”

“I was…” she began. “I was chastising my cousin for encouraging Yi Yong to foolishness.”

That was a potential lead to learn more about what had triggered the Young Master’s sudden departure, Hong Fei thought, but it was one that both Chen Wenbin and Zhang Dehua would pursue.

Moments of chaos and urgency were opportunities to learn about what people truly believed and what they valued, so Hong Fei asked a different question instead: “Does that happen often?”

Mei Hua didn’t come from a prominent family. Her father had been a soldier like any other, and when he’d showed up at the duke’s gate with his young daughter, he’d been given a position among the servants. That was what happened to the Dustborn. Only those with cultivation could join the ranks of the house’s soldiers.

The father had eventually died—stabbed in a drunken brawl in the middle city—and young Mei Hua had been adopted into the Chen family. Her early ability to sense essence had marked her as being talented. Her intelligence and bright personality had ensured she would be given a place as Yu Ning’s companion.

“I’m loathe to argue with anyone,” Mei Hua replied. “It’s so tiresome when there are other, more pressing pursuits.”

“So, it must’ve been necessary,” Hong Fei offered.

She frowned, her mouth tightening in displeasure. “Yes.” Just that—the one word alone.

Hong Fei waited through the next few breaths, but the youth didn’t feel pressured to add to it. “What happened with Yu Yong?” he asked, changing tacks.

“He went looking for a spirit beast to tame,” she replied, raising a delicate brow at him. “You’ve done such fine work setting an example with your stories and your heroic deeds. He wanted that power for himself.” Her hands clenched. “He believes he can save this house; that it’s a way to defend it without having to risk destroying himself in the climb to a higher realm, and my cousin helped by encouraging the fantasy.” Mei Hua eyed him. “Everyone thinks they’re so clever. They don’t understand how quickly things can go wrong.”

“I do,” Hong Fei said.

She shook her head. “You only believe so. You don’t know what it’s truly like to have nothing. To be nothing.”

“And you do?” he asked.

Mei Hua’s hands unclenched. She eyed him as she said, “The road to the duke’s door was a long one.” She took a long breath and stood up as if to take action. “I worry for Yong Yu—he doesn’t understand the world outside this estate. He’s an innocent lost in the wilderness. Will you help find him?”

“That was my aim,” Hong Fei replied.

“I’m needed here,” Mei Hua said. “Earlier, I caught Yu Ning trying to sneak out to find her brother, and I’m to stay with her until he’s found. I only came back to get some things when I had my… conversation with Zhengyi.” She picked up an embroidered bag that had fallen to the floor. The design was of flowers and clouds. “You can go after Yu Yong in my place.”

“Do you know where he went?” Hong Fei asked, taking a step back to clear the door.

“Yu Yong is impulsive but not a fool,” she replied. “He won’t risk the dangerous parts of the forest, so he’ll go where he believes he can safely accomplish his goal. If I were you…” Mei Hua paused as she came alongside Hong Fei; she looked up at him. “If were you, I’d think as he must’ve done—riding through the storm, searching for a set of emergency stairs to the top of the gorge for when the river flooded. He’d look for shelter for the night, then go hunting the next morning.”

“That’s well envisioned,” Hong Fei said.

Mei Hua nodded, acknowledging the compliment. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I’m already late in attending to Ningning.”

She left behind the dūtóu who remained standing a while longer, thinking of the game pieces shifting across lines on the board.

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