Authors: Jeannie Lin
Dao narrowed her eyes, but relented and came over to wait with Yan Ling in her room. They passed the time by setting up a
xiangqi
board, but Dao captured so many of her pieces so quickly that Yan Ling knew she wasn’t presenting much of a challenge.
* * *
Another hour passed and Yan Ling couldn’t sit still any more. ‘Something’s wrong,’ she insisted.
‘Nothing is wrong.’ But even Dao sounded a little uncertain.
‘We can ask Old Man Liang.’
‘No. He’s asleep by now.’
‘But he might know where Fei Long has gone.’
Dao gave her the eye, both for using Fei Long’s given name and for suggesting they disturb Liang with her trivial worries. The steward was the eldest member of the household and was afforded a special place of respect because of it.
Yan Ling won the argument, mainly because she rushed out of the room before Dao could stop her and Dao wasn’t undignified enough to wrestle her to the ground in the hallway. Old Man Liang had a private chamber in the back of the house and Yan Ling slowed to a tiptoe as they neared his door.
Dao crowded in behind her. ‘You’re being foolish,’ she reprimanded in a hushed voice.
Yan Ling tapped very lightly and respectfully on Old Man Liang’s door. It opened without pause. The steward was still fully dressed and a cascade of lantern light glowed from behind him. He had been awake as well.
She was no longer worried. She was outright afraid.
‘My lady.’ He stroked his beard fretfully.
‘Old Liang, do you know where Lord Chang could be?’
The wrinkles about his eyes deepened. ‘I can’t say.’
Her heart raced with growing panic. ‘Can’t say? What’s happened?’
Yan Ling didn’t know if he was worrying her, or if it was she who was agitating him, but the old man clasped his hands together. ‘Why would you think something has happened?’ he asked.
‘Liang,’ she began sharply, mustering enough authority to border on disrespect. ‘Tell me.’
‘Lord Chang wanted to be discreet, but he’s been gone for so long!’
The steward’s dilemma had frozen him into inaction. Fei Long wanted secrecy and Old Liang was loyal and tight-lipped above all else. In his eyes, the threat of losing face was worse than the threat of physical harm.
‘Where has he gone?’ Yan Ling asked.
‘Yes, tell us!’ Dao joined in as well.
‘He went to the lower canal district.’
She turned to Dao. ‘We’ll go look for him.’
Dao paled. ‘That’s a bad area, Yan. We can’t go there alone at night. The ward gates are closed.’
‘It’s likely nothing,’ Old Man Liang insisted. ‘Lord Chang must be late coming home, that’s all. He’s gone out for a night of leisure.’ He scratched at his beard nervously while he spoke.
It was obvious everyone was frightened, but no one seemed to know what to do or how to find Fei Long. It wasn’t the way of servants to question their master’s activities. Yan Ling considered the city guards, but they had no real cause to issue a report. It wasn’t late at all for the North Hamlet and the surrounding areas.
She told Dao to fetch Huibin while she coaxed an address from Old Man Liang.
By the time Dao met her back in her chamber, she knew exactly who could help.
‘Huibin is gone for the night,’ Dao replied, irritated. ‘Some new sweetheart.’
‘Perhaps it’s better if we go alone,’ Yan Ling said. ‘Less people to account for to the guardsmen.’
‘Guardsmen?’
The two of them hurried to Fei Long’s study. Dread had crept into her bones. Something awful had happened to keep Fei Long away, she was sure of it, but she had to stay calm.
‘You need to write a special pass,’ she told Dao.
Yan Ling set the lamp onto the desk and opened the drawers. Her hands shook as she rifled through the contents. The official seal had to be in here somewhere. She’d seen Fei Long use it countless times on documents and letters.
‘But it’s illegal to forge a pass,’ Dao protested.
‘The guards at the gate barely paid attention when I went through last time.’
Fei Long had been with her then and he had been the one to present the pass. The guards might be suspicious of two women travelling alone at night, but she couldn’t worry about that now. They would need to be convincing.
‘Write that we’re in urgent need of a physician,’ Yan Ling directed.
She encountered a stack of papers with some writing on it. There was something odd about the characters, but she didn’t have time to investigate. She swept them aside and found a small wooden case nestled at the bottom of the drawer.
Dao prepared the ink and started writing. She slid the paper over once she was done. ‘When have you been out at night?’
‘It was only once.’
She had never ended up telling Dao about the evening at the theatre. It was too precious a memory for idle gossip.
Yan Ling lifted the jade chop from its holder and pressed the carved end into the dish of red ink. She pressed it firmly on the bottom of the letter, leaving a red impression of the Chang family seal.
‘Does that look official enough?’
Dao frowned. ‘I suppose.’
‘Let’s go then.’
They took a lantern with them and headed out of the mansion. Yan Ling hoped she could remember the way. Her palms started sweating as the ward gate appeared before them. The arch towered ominously overhead. The sight of it made her heart thump.
She wiped her hands over her skirt. ‘Look natural,’ she told Dao.
The younger woman nodded silently. It was acceptable for them to be nervous. They were in a frantic search for a physician.
Yan Ling handed over the pass to the guard and kept her posture straight, meeting his eyes without wavering. She was a high-born lady. There was no reason for him to question her. After an interminable pause, during which he must have read the pass a hundred times, the guard finally returned the paper and waved them through.
She let out a great sigh once they were clear of the checkpoint. ‘We need to find the Pear Blossom Gardens.’
* * *
The North Hamlet was easy to locate as everyone seemed to be heading there. The two of them huddled close through the crowded avenue of taverns and gilded pavilions.
‘I never realized what scandalous outings you were having,’ Dao accused.
‘It was hardly scandalous. Lord Chang took me to see one of Li Bai Shen’s plays.’
Dao snorted. ‘Entirely scandalous.’ She sounded more than a little bit jealous.
There was no show at the gardens, but the park was full of people enjoying a night-time stroll or milling by the lake. Yan Ling cut through the wooded area to the entrance at the far end. Thankfully the alleyways at the back looked familiar to her. She found the gate marked with the theatre troupe’s plaque and pulled Dao into the courtyard, towards the room in the corner.
Bai Shen would know what to do. He was knowledgeable about these parts and the district Old Man Liang had mentioned was supposedly only a short distance from there. Not a week had passed since his dispute with Fei Long. Even if Bai Shen was still angry, the two men were good friends. He had to help them.
A light flickered through the paper windows. Yan Ling knocked loudly. When there was no answer, she pushed the door open to find Li Bai Shen face down on the square table at the centre of the room.
‘Heaven and earth, is he dead?’ Dao exclaimed.
Yan Ling glared at her for being so morbid. Fortunately, Bai Shen stirred and made a moaning noise that sounded like a set of wheezing pipes. What was he doing passed out so early?
Though dishevelled, he was dressed in the finest forest-green robe with gold accents along the collar and sleeves. His long black hair fell loose over his face. He tried to shake it away as he spoke.
‘Huh?’ he muttered thickly.
‘Wake up! Fei Long needs your help.’
He lifted his head gradually, as if it weighed a hundred
tan
. ‘Fei Long?’
Dao came around to the other side of the table to inspect the jugs of wine strewn there, turning them upside down to reveal not a drop left. ‘He’s been at this a while.’
‘Bring the wash basin,’ Yan Ling suggested.
She grabbed Bai Shen by the shoulders to help him into sitting position. He was a disaster.
He blinked up at her. ‘What’s wrong with Fei Long?’
At that moment, Dao rushed over with the basin and upended it over his head. Yan Ling yelped and jumped back as water splashed everywhere.
‘Fox demon!’ he boomed, shooting to his feet. ‘What in heaven is wrong with you, woman?’
‘I just meant for you to splash some onto his face,’ Yan Ling protested.
Dao sputtered, affronted. ‘I didn’t know!’
Bai Shen swiped the water out of his eyes. ‘What’s wrong with Fei Long?’ he repeated, a bit more lively this time.
‘He went out hours ago and hasn’t returned.’ Yan Ling showed him the address that Old Man Liang had given her. ‘I think he went to pay a debt.’
Bai Shen raked a hand through his damp hair and blew out a breath. ‘The gambling dens. This must be Boss Zōu’s place.’
She didn’t know who Boss Zōu was, but her stomach turned at the way he spoke the name. Her fears were further confirmed when Bai Shen grabbed a sword hooked onto the wall. He pulled his hair back into a topknot and pinned it.
‘Let’s go.’
It was the most serious expression she’d ever seen on the actor’s face.
Chapter Sixteen
A
ll evidence of his earlier stupor faded as Bai Shen walked the night streets. Yan Ling wondered whether this confidence was merely an act, but it didn’t matter. She and Dao crowded close to him, borrowing from his courage as he pushed on through darkened alleys and deserted lanes.
‘Fei Long didn’t tell me he was mixed up with the Bull,’ he said.
‘He didn’t tell anyone.’ Yan Ling looked over her shoulder. She kept on imagining something jumping out at them from the shadows. ‘Why are there no guard patrols in this area?’
‘They remain scarce on purpose so they can deny any knowledge of the gambling and the black markets. Good business for everyone.’
Dao clutched a lantern with one hand and held on to Yan Ling with the other. ‘It must be the elder Lord Chang’s debt. Everyone knew he couldn’t resist a wager.’
Fei Long had kept this burden to himself. Yan Ling hoped his father’s spirit wouldn’t be angry that they were speaking ill of him. They would need both the Goddess of Mercy and the Chang family ancestors to protect Fei Long.
‘You two better hide back here while I go up to the Bull’s headquarters,’ Bai Shen said.
‘Why?’
‘They say he likes to acquire pretty young concubines.’ The grave look he gave them made Yan Ling shudder. ‘We don’t want to give him any ideas about potential exchanges.’
She didn’t like the idea of hiding out in the alley, but she didn’t want to meet this crime lord either. ‘What if he’s killed Fei Long?’ she asked, her throat closing up. ‘What if he takes you, too?’
‘He wouldn’t do anything like that. Zōu is a businessman and it’s in his interest to keep the peace. Fei Long isn’t some drunken gambler Zōu can sink a knife into without anyone noticing.’
The blood drained from Yan Ling’s face at the harsh picture Bai Shen painted. Her fingers went to ice.
‘Damn that mouth of yours!’ Dao scolded.
‘We’ll find him,’ Bai Shen amended sheepishly.
They ducked into the side street to find a place to wait it out. As they turned the corner, a sudden movement between the buildings caught Yan Ling’s eye. Two men stood over a third who lay on the ground. The dull glint of metal in one man’s hand slammed her heart against her ribcage.
With a battle cry, Bai Shen unsheathed his sword and rushed forwards while the two of them were left scrambling after him. The men in the alleyway tensed and swung around just as Bai Shen broke into a screaming charge.
Suddenly he launched himself from the ground, twisted in mid-air to execute a flip and landed with the sure-footed grace of a cat. He braised his sword dramatically and the men scrambled away.
‘What was that?’ Yan Lin demanded, incredulous at his theatrics.
‘This is only a prop sword,’ Bai Shen replied, waving the blade.
She moved cautiously toward the man sprawled on the ground, then started running when she recognised the robe. Fei Long moved his head weakly as she came near. The side of his face was dark with bruises. All the breath rushed out of her as she fell to her knees beside him.
‘Fei Long.’ Yan Ling choked back her tears, afraid to touch or move him. All she could do was place her fingertips gently against the side of his cheek so he’d know he was no longer alone.
Bai Shen and Dao came up behind her. Bai Shen went to kneel opposite her.
‘The death of me,’ he muttered. ‘Fei Long, can you move?’
Bai Shen gently probed along his ribs. Fei Long winced, curling into himself in pain.
Looking at Fei Long’s battered body made Yan Ling sick to her soul. ‘Can we take him out of here?’
‘He’s not spitting blood, but I can’t tell if his ribs are broken.’
‘Fei Long.’ She leaned close and took hold of his hand. His fingers tightened weakly around hers. ‘We’re going to move you very slowly.’
With Bai Shen on one side and her on the other, they raised Fei Long gradually to a sitting position. He groaned with the effort. He was heavy, unable to help or resist. It was as if the man inside the body had been reduced to a pitiful mass of bone and flesh.
‘I found his sword.’ Dao came up to them with the weapon in her hands.
‘He gave them a good fight,’ Bai Shen said fiercely.
What did that matter? Fei Long was hurt, beaten and abandoned in these streets. But the anger seemed to vitalise Bai Shen. Anger was the only way to react and not fall into despair.
Fei Long’s lips worked silently and she had to lean in close.
‘Zōu,’ he said.
The wheeze in his breath frightened her. He was only able to open one eye to peer at them. The other one was swollen shut. Crying would not help. She would not cry.
‘We have to get him home,’ she said.
Bai Shen nodded, his expression tense. ‘Stand him up.’
She had to hook Fei Long’s arm over her shoulder to lift him. Bai Shen took his other arm and they raised him as carefully as they could. Fei Long sucked in a breath as she put her arm around his waist, but didn’t cry out. It was just like Fei Long to swallow his pain in silence, but there was no hiding what those animals had done to him.
Once Fei Long was on his feet, they started walking him slowly towards the street. Dao picked up the prop sword and they made their way back to the less seedy parts of the district. Fei Long’s chin dropped against his chest and his weight sagged against her. His feet dragged along at their urging. He would have collapsed the moment they let go.
As they entered the thoroughfare of the entertainment district, more than a few spectators stopped to stare at the odd procession.
‘Too much to drink,’ Bai Shen declared.
Fei Long appeared even worse in the light. His face was bleeding and he barely looked like the man she knew. His eyes were shut and she couldn’t tell if he’d passed out.
At the ward gate, Yan Ling scrambled to think of a story to tell the guard, but Bai Shen was ready. He fished a silver coin from his belt.
‘The lord would appreciate being returned to his bed as soon as possible,’ he said. ‘
And
if his wife didn’t find out.’
To his credit, the guardsman did check Fei Long to make sure he was breathing. Dao thoughtfully angled the lantern away during the inspection. The guard then looked over the quality of their clothes and seemed to accept the story. The coin was the most convincing part. It disappeared into his palm with a quick wink of silver.
* * *
When they reached the mansion, Dao ran ahead to open the gates while Yan Ling and Bai Shen led Fei Long inside. The walls enclosed them like the embrace of an old friend, but there was no relief yet. Fei Long still wasn’t moving.
‘Old Liang, we need a physician,’ she said when the steward met them in the hallway to Fei Long’s chamber. Then to Bai Shen, ‘Go with him, please.’
Bai Shen was wily and knew all the tricks. He took Fei Long the remaining distance to the bedchamber and laid him as gently as possible on the bed. Then he hurried off with the steward to fetch a physician.
‘I’ll bring some water,’ Dao volunteered, rushing away.
Yan Ling understood the sentiment. Everyone wanted something to do, even if it was something insignificant, to keep the overwhelming helplessness from sweeping in.
‘Yan…Ling.’ Each word came out in a laboured puff of breath.
Fei Long stirred as she rushed to his side. ‘You’re home.’ She brushed her fingers tenderly over his face, keeping her touch as light as possible. ‘Bai Shen is going to get a doctor. Do you need anything?’
It was important for her to keep on talking, though she didn’t know why. After a long pause, Fei Long opened his eyes. He swallowed with difficulty and his voice came out as a faint rasp. She leaned in to hear.
‘Your hands feel cool,’ he murmured before closing his eyes again.
The knot in her chest tugged loose and pain poured into her until she didn’t know if she could hurt any worse. Yan Ling laid her head down, her cheek against his. She was able to hold back her sob, but couldn’t keep the tears from spilling.
* * *
Bai Shen and Old Man Liang returned with the physician who they’d roused out of bed at this late hour. Everyone waited anxiously in the parlour during his examination and Dao made tea that sat in the pot, growing tepid. At one point, the physician called for assistance and Bai Shen went to his aid.
After an hour, the physician left with a promise to return in a few days. They surrounded Bai Shen once he emerged.
‘Broken ribs on his left side,’ he reported. ‘He needs to rest in bed for several weeks and move as little as possible. This will help the pain.’ He handed a small parcel wrapped in paper to Dao. ‘There’s enough for tonight. The physician said you can get more from the herbalist tomorrow.’ Then he gave a short bow to no one in particular. ‘The show is over. Li Bai Shen will take his leave now.’
Bai Shen looked worn through and through. His feeble attempt at good humour only highlighted the ordeal.
Yan Ling stopped him as he was about to step out into the courtyard. ‘Why don’t you stay? It’s so late and you can get some sleep here.’
He flashed her a half-smile. ‘You remember what Fei Long said.’
At first she was confused. Then she realised he was referring to when he’d kissed her to make Fei Long jealous. It seemed like a memory from a previous life.
‘That can hardly matter now,’ she insisted.
Bai Shen’s smile widened, but his eyes remained morose. A faint discolouring still showed on his jaw. ‘That man takes every word he says very seriously.’
‘Thank you,’ she said as he turned to go.
‘Fei Long is strong. He’ll be all right, my pretty lady.’ He added the last part to tell her to smile and she tried, but only out of obligation.
Bai Shen disappeared through the gate.
A little while later, Dao returned from the kitchen with
the medicinal brew. Yan Ling moved to take it, but Dao stopped her.
‘I’ll do it,’ Dao said, gently but firmly. She fixed a meaningful look on Yan Ling that was full of challenge.
As if a few moments alone in his chamber would make any difference. Yan Ling could rip out the seedlings of emotion that sprouted at the surface, but what she felt for Fei Long had taken root much deeper.
* * *
Every movement hurt. Breathing hurt. So Fei Long lay in bed and tried to move and breathe as little as possible, though he wanted nothing more than to grab his sword and storm into Zōu’s stronghold.
He knew exactly which strike had broken his ribs. Four men had surrounded him in the street and crowded him into the alleyway. His sword had been wrestled from his hands and his fists couldn’t hold them off for long. A blow to his face had staggered him to his knees. Then a kick to his left side knocked the wind from him. The fight drained away in a streak of black, radiating pain. After that, the blows had kept coming.
All this took on some form and structure as he laid there thinking and re-thinking through the last hours. At the time, there had been nothing but the rage of the attack and a haze of pain.
Someone came to spoon a bitter brew into his mouth. At first he thought it was Yan Ling, but it was only Dao. He tried to refuse. The thought of eating or drinking turned his stomach, but she was insistent. Eventually he was able to sleep as long as he remained flat on his back. Even the slightest shift brought back the pain in his side, like the stab of a dull knife.
* * *
He didn’t know what time it was when he woke enough to call for assistance. There was light seeping in from outside and he could hear faint sounds of activity from the other parts of the house. He had survived the night and morning had come.
His entire body throbbed and he couldn’t even sit up on his own. An attendant came quickly to help him up and he bit back the indignity of it.
‘Bring Miss Yan Ling here,’ he instructed.
He leaned against the alcove wall, curling his fists tight and counting the minutes. He tried to convince himself he could will back the pain and push it to the back of his mind, but it didn’t work.
‘You’re not supposed to be up,’ Yan Ling snapped the moment she set foot in the room.
She set aside the tray in her hands and spent the next agonising minutes lowering him back onto the bed. Fei Long gritted his teeth against the jagged, piercing sensation at his side. By the time he was lying down again, he was out of breath and gasping shallowly. All this for a few inches of effort.
Yan Ling propped his head up slightly with the padded head rest and lifted a small bowl from the tray. He recognised the acrid, earthen smell.
‘Drink,’ she ordered, putting a spoonful to his lips.
It tasted like dirt and tree bark. He forced the brew down, before trying to speak. ‘This isn’t why I asked you to come.’
‘Again,’ she demanded.
She was relentless, spooning him the rest of the herbal tea with no conversation in between. Her expression remained hard and determined when he would have killed for a kind look from her. And he would have died rather than ask for it.
‘And now the soup,’ she said.
‘Not now.’
‘You haven’t eaten. The kitchen made this for you.’
He shook his head vehemently despite the ache it caused.
Then she became coaxing. ‘Please try.’
‘No, Yan Ling.’
With a long sigh, she set the soup aside. ‘Later, then.’
She sat on the edge of his bed, hands folded in her lap. Her gaze became distant and he closed his eyes not to have to see what had been so starkly revealed.
Yan Ling cared for him.
She cared for him so much that she fought not to show it, because he’d told her it was unacceptable.
‘It’s not so bad,’ he said. Every word was an effort.
‘You’re lying,’ she pronounced.
The physician had wrapped and bound his torso to restrict the movement and aid the healing. It added to his feeling of helplessness. He had to collect his strength for the next request.
‘If you could go into my study and bring the ledger book…’ He paused, gathering and catching his breath. ‘And a leather satchel with important papers. You’ve seen me with it.’
Only when she had left did he open his eyes. When he’d lain beaten in that alleyway, he was certain that death was close. The attackers would come back to cut his throat and there was nothing he could do about it. The sound of Yan Ling’s voice had called him back from the abyss.