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Fate's Attendant 1.22

Added 2025-09-03 20:25:40 +0000 UTC

Kang Lian and Little Ruyun arrived at the courtyard in the company of the xiàowèi, Chen Wenbin. The murmur of his voice carried down the corridor ahead of them—a steady rhythm of his assurances.

He promised that no one would bully the mother and daughter. If anything untoward should happen, the two of them need only report it. The estate didn’t tolerate irregularities. Just the other day, a number of soldiers had been punished at Hong Fei’s instigation…

The conversation quieted at their arrival at the courtyard doors.

By then, Hong Fei had cleaned himself up and sat on the bench under the cherry tree, while Auntie Ling practiced a series of swipes with her claws. The unlikely trio at the door stood rooted as they watched her—alarm on the faces of the Kang family, thoughtfulness on the xiàowèi’s.

Chen Wenbin’s lips narrowed when he smiled at Hong Fei. “So this is the spirit beast, then. A fine creature and well-muscled. The steward shared the story of your contract, and I must admire your luck.”

Hong Fei nodded, the gesture an acknowledgement rather than agreement.

Chen Wenbin cleared his throat and gestured toward Kang Lian. “Surely the dūtóu doesn’t mind… I encountered these servants and thought to escort them myself the rest of the way. The others I sent back to their important responsibilities for the estate. It’s not proper for those duties to remain neglected.”

“I thank the xiàowèi for his service,” Hong Fei replied. “I’ll remember it with the kindness with which it was intended.”

Chen Wenbin took a breath as if to respond harshly, then stopped himself. The thoughtfulness in his eyes deepened. He let them linger on the dūtóu before departing.

“A Qi Blossoming warrior, he’s stronger than the both of us combined,” Hong Fei said softly to Auntie Ling. “It’s no wonder he barely glanced at you.”

The giant badger paused her practice to huff in reply.

“Still, we’ve disturbed his stance,” he continued, “and we’ll see what openings that creates for us. It’ll have to do for now.”

“Sir?” Kang Lian called from the door. “Is it safe to enter?”

Hong Fei eyed the deathly white number 1 hovering over Little Ruyun’s head. “Safer here than elsewhere, I imagine.” He stood to welcome the Kang family at the door and show them inside.

###

At the noon bell, a line of servants delivered pots, pans, linens, mops, brooms, and a pile of sundries worthy of an expedition into enemy territory. When Hong Fei stared at the goods stacked upon each other, Kang Lian nodded to him.

“A goodwife of the mid-city knows how to barter,” she said.

Hong Fei promptly fled when she then announced her intention to scrub the courtyard and every building attached to it clean.

###

Zhang Dehua wasn’t in his office, so Hong Fei headed toward the pavilion where the family frequently took their meals. Sometimes the steward sat there in order to enjoy the garden while he worked. What the dūtóu found instead were four youths with their heads on the table. Each was as limp as new recruit after a twenty-li run. They smelled strongly of sweat and dirt and horses.

Intrigued, Hong Fei approached. “And so here are my truant students. What does the xiàowèi have you doing that keeps you so busy you don’t visit my courtyard?”

Yu Ning turned her head to face him.

Mei Hua fought to raise her hand. “Reporting to the dūtóu, we intend to visit after we bathe. The news of the spirit beast reached us.”

“We’ve been training in the wilderness,” Chen Zhengyi declared. Even when supported by the table, he found a way to puff his chest out.

“While constantly surrounded by guards,” Yu Yong added, disappointment in his voice.

“What kind of training?” Hong Fei asked.

“How to be soldiers,” Chen Zhengyi replied.

Hong Fei’s brows rose. “Truly? Pitching tents, sleeping in the frigid cold, running in the heat, digging latrines and earthworks—”

“Heavens forbid!” Mei Hua objected. “None of that if you please.”

“Though we did run,” Yu Ning pointed out.

“And that was bad enough,” Mei Hua replied.

Chen Zhengyi pushed away from the table to raise his head. “We were taught how to survive in the wilderness.”

“Because someone heard a story about children surviving in the woods and wanted to do it for themselves.” Mei Hua turned to glare at Yu Yong.

The back of the young man’s neck flushed pink in embarrassment. “It doesn’t matter what any of us wanted; we didn’t get it, did we? There was hardly any danger at all.”

“You heard the xiàowèi,” Chen Zhengyi objected. “If the camp came under attack, we would be the second line of defense.”

“With every guard around us part of the first!” Yu Yong spit out.

“Peace, peace,” Mei Hua said. “I’m too tired to argue.”

Hong Fei rather enjoyed seeing the youths so spent. Nostalgia welled within him, and he smiled beneficently at them. The work they put in now would help to ward away tears later. That was a truth warriors understood about their training.

“And you?” he asked Yu Ning, “what do you think about this exercise in the wilderness?”

The young woman closed her eyes to consider the question in earnest. “We learned how to find clean water, how to build a simple shelter, and what plants to avoid. We rode in unfamiliar terrain. The rest… wasn’t much different than what we do already, just in a different place and for longer periods of time.”

Chen Zhengyi scowled. “How can you say that? The xiàowèi showed us…” Then he stopped speaking, his eyes darting to Hong Fei.

Yu Ning, however, didn’t seem inhibited by the dūtóu’s presence. “Mmm… we learned some interesting attacks and defenses, but the question was about training in the wilderness. The xiàowèi’s techniques could’ve been taught here at the estate just as easily.”

“Oh-ho.” Hong Fei’s smile became mischievous. “Chen Wenbin introduced you to some of his family arts, did he?”

“It was because of my brother’s complaints,” Yu Ning explained.

The young man’s neck turned a brighter red. His hands under the table clenched.

Chen Zhengyi glanced between the siblings but was at a loss for what to say. The training exercise had been exhausting, and they’d not gained as much as they’d hoped.

“The mosquitos were the worst,” Mei Hua said, putting a final touch on the experience.

###

Where the restaurants and food stalls of the low-city tended toward rice porridge and steamed rice cakes, the residents in the mid and upper sections more typically chose noodles and dumplings made from wheat. They also preferred beef over pork, though most people did eat pork, and chicken too. They were easier to raise than cattle on the island, which meant they were cheaper.

At a restaurant in the mid-city, Ma Mo enjoyed the smallest bowl of beef noddle soup the place had to offer. He handled each bite delicately to make sure none of the contents slipped or spilled.

The man ate at a lone table at the back. Hong Fei had had to position himself carefully across the street to keep an eye on him. He, in turn, was watched by a nervous shopkeeper.

The store specialized in hand fans, and the spot where Hong Fei lingered was where the silk ones were displayed. At his side was the sword he’d looted from Yang Jian. Fortune’s Favor remained at the estate under the watchful eye of Auntie Ling.

The merchant winced when Hong Fei placed a hand on a fan illustrated with butterflies. The swordsman didn’t notice the fine lines with which they were drawn—his eyes were locked onto a man with a gray number 1 who’d approached Ma Mo’s table.

The two of them talked for a short while, then Ma Mo picked up his bowl to quickly gulp down the remainder of his soup. He shoveled in the last of the beef and noodles as he did so.

The two men then left the restaurant in a hurry, and Hong Fei followed them as they crossed from one street to the next. They continued to walk until they left the area where the duke’s businesses tended to operate to another that was less wealthy.

Still in the mid-city, the path they took seemed familiar to them—they didn’t hesitate at any of the turns and kept walking until they reached a two-story residence of a quality one step above the others nearby: the marble was whiter and less clouded; the lanterns mounted at the gate were made from brass and well-polished; and a guard stood outside, though he didn’t wear a uniform. At his hip was a long club made of stone.

Ma Mo went inside, while Hong Fei continued on to walk past. This wasn’t a shop or merchant’s house he could simply enter, and the guard outside was alert. Those lingering would be immediately marked for attention.

Hong Fei paused at the end of the street. Glancing back, he noticed a guard patrolling the rooftop, though there was an alley nearby from which he might observe the building unnoticed.

The swordsman moved in that direction and saw a pair of slumped bodies huddled next to each other. An empty jar lay between them. Hong Fei hesitated, his eyes flicking to the area deeper in. A hand on his sword, he carefully padded closer until he saw one of the bodies stir. A moment later, the spicy scent of dream blossom wine wafted toward him.

Addicted, he thought. They couldn’t wait to get home first.

Hong Fei was about to turn around—this place wouldn’t work for observation while it was occupied—when he spotted a flicker of yellow farther down the alley. It had moved unusually, not like anything cloth or painted or even furred.

The gate to the Rock Knives’ residence was firmly shut. Ma Mo would likely be a while inside.

Thinking he had some time then, Hong Fei approached the other end of the alley, and he saw a boy of about twelve years sorting through a jumble of discarded wooden crates.

The boy was short and thin, with threadbare clothes and hair that looked like it been chopped off in sections. He had the sense of malnourishment about him. A yellow number 1 hung above his head.

The crates themselves were empty; the boy was prying loose the wood and collecting the most intact pieces. When he was satisfied with his collection, he sat down beside it to start whittling.

The tool was more of a sharpened spike than a proper knife, but it looked well-maintained. Hong Fei could tell it wasn’t tarnished, even at a distance. When he moved closer, the boy glanced up to see who it was, then back down to his work. Threads of wood fell from where he scratched into it. A quite-good representation of the goddess Sanzu was slowly emerging

Behind the boy were a few completed pieces. Almost all were either images of ruby swifts or the goddess. The one exception was a figurine in the shape of a ferret-badger. It was about the length of one’s finger, and the pose was more life-like than one would expect from a back alley.

“Why did you make that one?” Hong Fei asked, gesturing.

“The goddess came to me in a dream,” the boy replied. “She told me to carve the figurine from the finest wood. That it was meant for someone special, and it would provide that person with good fortune for the rest of his days.” He wiped the sweat from his forehead, then resumed carving. “It’s ten bronze coins if you want to buy it.”

“The finest wood, is it?” Hong Fei asked.

The boy nodded. The goddess continued to take shape under his ministrations.

“What kind of wood is it then?”

“Teak,” the boy replied instantly.

Hong Fei was no expert, but even he could tell the wood wasn’t teak. He scratched at his beard, puzzled by the boy and the number above him. “Did you really dream of the goddess?” he asked.

“On your honor, I did,” came the immediate reply.

“On my honor?” Hong Fei’s brows rose in surprise.

“Yes,” the boy answered. “Because I have none of my own.” He stopped carving to look up, his expression worn and his eyes flat. “Do you want to buy it or not?”

“The people in the alley—” Hong Fei gestured. “Are they your parents?”

The boy tilted his head. “You ask a lot of questions. If you’re not going to buy, then leave me alone. I have work to do.” Which he promptly restarted.

“What if I told you that I worked for Duke Yu?” Hong Fei asked.

“And I told you the wood is teak,” the boy replied.

“No one’s bothering you?” Hong Fei pressed. “You’re not in danger?”

The boy stopped in frustration and shook his head. “Life’s bothering me. The only danger is of being pestered and starving to death because I didn’t earn enough money.”

“Truly?” Hong Fei asked, his voice softening. “It’s that close?”

The boy’s hands tightened. For the first time, his eyes revealed his desperation. “Close enough.”

Hong Fei looked around the area. No one seemed to care about what was happening, and there weren’t any clues to why the boy had a number over him.

“I’ll buy the figurine,” Hong Fei said and took the coins from his pouch.

“For ten bronzes?” the boy asked, surprised by the lack of bartering.

The swordman nodded. “I’ve been told that my courtyard is need of decorations. What’s your name? Where can I find you if I want purchase more?”

For the first time, a look of wariness came over the boy.

“You don’t understand,” Hong Fei explained. “I’ve recently hired a new servant who’s a tyrant. She’s absolutely relentless when it comes to the state of my house, and I need to find ways to appease her.” He brought out his embarrassed smile and gestured with the figurine he’d just purchased. “This is a good start. If she likes it, I’ll need more from you so that I can buy her favor when I’m in trouble.”

The boy blinked in surprise. “She sounds like a demon.”

Hong Fei nodded seriously. “Aptly put.”

The boy hesitated, looking away in thought, then grudgingly said, “People call me Little River Stick. I live down below, but I’m here most days.” He gestured to the crates left in the alley.

“Thank you,” Hong Fei said. “If fate favors us, we’ll meet again.” He left the boy to his work and examined the figurine as he walked away. It was quite a good likeness, and he tucked it into his sleeve. Perhaps Kang Lian could find a place for it in his courtyard.

###

Hong Fei wandered the area outside the view of the Rock Knives’ residence and by luck caught sight of Ma Mo’s departure. The man went straight to work afterward, however. Back to the shop managed by the Yu family where he was a guard. The boss yelled at him for being late returning from his lunch.

The swordsman lingered near the shop, but nothing else of note happened.

###

Later still, Hong Fei found his courtyard pristine. He also tried Kang Lian’s fish stew for the first time. She breathed a sigh of relief when he enjoyed the flavor and tucked in.

Auntie Ling lifted her head from her bowl to nod and express her approval, as well.

###

In the depths of the evening, Hong Fei watched as Auntie Ling gave up in frustration when she couldn’t convey the meaning behind the yellow-colored numbers. The closest he’d come to understanding was thinking it involved the number two, which he knew was wrong from the way she glared at him.

She’d also resumed her attempts to translate the symbols that looked like “Soul.” Unfortunately, he couldn’t seem to get away from thinking it was related to one’s breath.

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