She rose at his arrival and bowed to welcome him home, then paused at seeing someone she hadn’t expected. “There are refreshments in the salon.”
“This is Ugly Dog,” Hong Fei said, gesturing. “She’s joining us as a guard. If you will, arrange a room for her in the servant’s quarters.”
“Of course… sir.” Kang Lian picked up her kit, then turned to lead the way to the salon. “Are you injured?”
“Just sore,” he replied. “It was a raid, and there was a staff wielder who knew what she was doing. My arms and legs took a beating.”
Kang Lian looked behind at him. “I have a salve that should help.” She went into the salon first.
Hong Fei followed and immediately smelled the chicken ginger soup waiting for him. A small piece of charcoal burned under the pot to keep it warm. He moved with an eagerness at odds with how tired he felt.
Just then, a giant badger came out of the bedroom yawning, and he heard two simultaneous gasps.
Oh, I should’ve warned Ugly Dog about Auntie Ling, Hong Fei thought. Then, he realized that the other gasp had come from Kang Lian. She’d recognized Ugly Dog when the guard had stepped into the light.
“A spirit beast!”
“You work at the Dreaming Ox!”
The first to react was Auntie Ling who looked behind her. Seeing that there was no one there, she understood that it was her being addressed, so she waved at Ugly Dog in greeting.
Hong Fei was next. He raised his hands in the universal sign of one looking to appease another. “A former employee of the Dreaming Ox,” he explained. “She’s with us now and for good reason. There’s something I need to talk to you about. Please join us at the table.”
To Ugly Dog, he added, “That’s Auntie Ling, my contracted spirit beast and companion. Consider her your superior in the courtyard’s hierarchy.”
The former Rock Knife gaped. “What is this world I’m in?” she asked herself, then muttered, “Is everyone above me?”
“Yes,” was Hong Fei’s reply. “Now, sit. You’re part of this conversation, too.”
Warily, both Kang Lian and Ugly Dog took seats. Auntie Ling, not to be left out, made her way to the settee to also make herself comfortable at the table.
Three pairs of eyes turned toward Hong Fei. He cleared his throat, not certain why, then bought some time by serving himself a bowl of soup. He took a sip and sighed. “That’s delicious.”
Kang Lian nodded in acknowledgement, but didn’t say anything.
Seeing her glare at Ugly Dog, Hong Fei said, “We raided the Dreaming Ox earlier tonight.”
Surprised, Kang Lian turned toward him.
He nodded to make sure she knew she’d heard him correctly. “We killed both Big and Little Ox. They’re dead and won’t trouble you anymore.”
Kang Lian’s hands covered her mouth, the surprise overtaking her.
“I couldn’t tell you earlier because the senior staff are worried about spies. Not that you’re suspected, but it’s protocol. Only the duchess and those going knew about it.”
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Kang Lian put her hands on the table. She leaned in to ask, “Is Sun Han all right?”
“Yes, but Xiàowèi Chen was wounded in the fighting,” Hong Fei replied. “Our scholar was asked to help look at the injury.”
“The xiàowèi was… wounded?” Kang Lian asked, her expression turning to worry.
Hong Fei sighed and rubbed his face. “Yes.”
“What does that mean for us?” she asked.
“The enemy has once again taken away a piece of our foundation,” Hong Fei replied grimly. “I expect Xiàowèi Chen to continue in his role, and he’ll fight when needed, but there’s no denying he’ll be at a disadvantage. The enemy has already shown that they have more than Qi Gatherers and Body Forged in their ranks.”
“That leaves Steward Zhang as our remaining, healthy Qi Blossoming warrior,” Kang Lian observed.
“It does, and martial arts are a secondary concern to him.” Hong Fei had another taste of the soup, but this one wasn’t as delicious. He set the spoon down.
“Should we flee?” Kang Lian asked.
The question startled Ugly Dog. Not Hong Fei, however. It wasn’t the first time she’d asked him about it. In fact, when he’d first met Kang Lian and Little Ruyun, the daughter had tried to talk the mother into fleeing Ruby Swift City, going south to hide among the barbarian tribes living at the southern end of the island. It seemed that argument had taken root deeper than expected.
“No,” Hong Fei replied. “My answer is the same as before. We have a duty to the house. They took us in when we would have otherwise been lost.”
And yet, he remembered the lesson taught by his family: When facing an enemy too difficult to overcome, find a way around them. Only a fool challenged that kind of strength head on. Better to find another path to victory based on one’s own strength. A strategic retreat may eventually be required—a way to honor the duty owed to both the duchess and the people of his courtyard.
He licked his lips. “That said, we should be prepared in case it ever becomes necessary. I’ll trust you to see to it.”
Kang Lian gazed at Hong Fei, and he felt himself weighed. She asked, “For six?”
He shook his head. “For eight. We go nowhere without the duchess and her brother.” He smiled ruefully. “Hopefully, this will be a plan that never becomes necessary.”
Kang Lian took a long breath. He could see from her eyes that she was already thinking about the logistics. She cleared her throat. “I’ll look into it.”
“Please do,” Hong Fei said. Glancing aside to Ugly Dog, he added, “Unfortunately, there’s more. It’s why our new guard is here. We found a list at the Dreaming Ox that included your daughters’ names.”
Kang Lian expression became stormy, her voice threatening. “The bastards.”
“It’s worse than you realize,” Hong Fei said. “The other names on the list are people mostly dead or missing.”
Her brow furrowed, anger turned into confusion. “What did the Rock Knives do to them?”
“We’re not sure—not yet,” Hong Fei said. “Ugly Dog here is helping us to investigate. The house’s seniors will meet soon to discuss how to proceed.”
That earned the former gang member a second look from Kang Lian, one more considering than the first. “I see. Then it seems I must be grateful.” She took a breath and nodded in gratitude.
“I’m only a dog who bit off more than she could chew,” the newest member of the courtyard replied. “I’m just glad to have survived it.” She rubbed her jaw where she’d been punched earlier.
Kang Lian frowned at the bruise that had formed there, and she reached for her kit. “Let me see that.”
Hong Fei thought about his own arms and legs turning black and blue, then disregarded them. Now, that he was in the Qi Gathering realm, they’d heal quickly on their own. So, he took a sip of the soup and found that the flavor had returned. He smiled and ate from it more heartily.
Across the table, Auntie Ling shook her head at him.
He raised an eyebrow in return. What? I thought I handled that well.
The badger understood his meaning, yet her expression turned pitying.
Enough silliness, he thought and surreptitiously raised four fingers for the Fate Points he’d earned in the raid.
Auntie Ling’s eyes narrowed. The side of her mouth turned up in anticipation.
Hong Fei touched his ear to signal that he wanted her advice, then tapped his temple to say that they’d wait for Sun Han to join them.
The magic of the cards made sure his summons could always understand him and each other. Hong Fei was constantly testing the limits of that magic, finding some amusement in it.
A moment later, the table grew quiet, and he noticed that the two women were staring at him. Hong Fei cleared his throat in embarrassment, then resumed eating his soup.
###
Kang Lian had left the salon after treating both Ugly Dog’s and Hong Fei’s injuries. She’d gone to prepare a room for the newest recruit, with Auntie Ling following after to oversee the operation.
That left Ugly Dog alone with Hong Fei, the two of them thinking their own thoughts as they ate from the soup.
“You told me there’s hope,” she said into the silence.
“And there is,” he replied.
“But you’re planning to run away,” she observed.
“In case it’s necessary,” Hong Fei clarified. “Hope can betray us, as much as any man or woman can. It’s why I asked for what I did.”
Ugly Dog looked toward the cherry tree, then. Facing away from Hong Fei, she added, “This is the nicest place I’ve ever been. I hope I… we don’t have to leave it.”
“Me too, which is why we’ll fight to hold onto it.”
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Auntie Ling, a summons
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Scholar Sun Han, a summons
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Big Ox & Little Ox, bosses in the Rock Knife gang
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Chen Wenbin, the xiàowèi of the Yu's soldiers
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Kang Lian, Little Ruyun's mother
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Little Ruyun, Kang Lian's daughter
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Yellow's Ugly Dog, a former Rock Knife guard with a Red 3 above her head
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Zhang Dehua, the Yu's steward