Page 25 of The Wind Dancer
I saw Jing Lei’s eyes flash with rage. He knew perfectly well that with this list, I’d have leverage over him. He asked for something I wouldn’t give, so I asked the same of him.
“You dare...” his voice turned into a growl.
“I dare,” I interrupted him, keeping my cool. “You want the information? I named the price. I may not be a master Shadow, but there isn’t a single guild rule that says that a member must share every secret. I paid my dues for the job. The Venerable Daymaster can confirm.”
Lian Shu nodded gravely. He seemed amused by our conversation. Yes, I was pushing my luck, but if I let them just bend me to their will, then I wouldn’t get the title of master.
“The elders gave me a job, and I completed it. How I did it is my business. What matters is that it is done.”
There was a tense silence. Fu Shang narrowed his eyes and then shifted his gaze to Yun.
The old woman suddenly laughed, shaking her head.
“You’re a smart kid,” her voice was raspy but cheery. “You’re within your rights. The jobwas done.”
She looked at Jing Lei and grinned.
“Stop the threats, Metal. He’s playing by our rules, and you know it. He’s got nerves of steel. When I look at him, I see the spitting image of his mentor. He truly put everything into training you.”
I bowed respectfully and replied, “Parents give us life, but it is the one who teaches us who makes us who we are.”
The old woman loved quotes from great writers of past dynasties, and in response to them, she smiled softly.
Jing Lei, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to rip my head off.
Lian Shu put the rosary on the table.
“Then tell me... Tell us what you saw inside.”
I took a deep breath and began, choosing my words carefully.
“A massacre. The whole house was bathed in blood. The victims... weren’t just killed. Some were skinned, others had chunks of flesh missing, as if torn apart by bare hands or worse. I saw guards, servants, women, and even children. Everyone inside was dead.”
The words hung in the air.
No one interrupted, but I saw Lian Shu tense up. Even Tang Fei stopped grinning. Fu Shang leaned in a bit, his eyes lit up with a malicious curiosity.
He had sent me there, but he didn’t know what I’d find?
And then everyone looked at old Yun.
She squinted, cocking her head to the side, then she nodded slowly.
“He’s telling the truth,” she said. Her eyes flashed as she added, “Go on.”
I swallowed and continued, trying even harder to say only what I had to.
“I found one survivor. The dragonblood. He was badly injured and bleeding profusely. He had been tortured and was still alive only because of regeneration. He managed to say he didn’t want to endure the torture again.”
I paused, then added, “He knew he was going to die. And he asked for peace.”
Yun tilted her head, her eyes sparkling.
“And you did as he asked?”
Her voice was almost gentle. As gentle as a loose noose.
I didn’t answer right away. I looked at her for a moment.
