Page 34 of The Wind Dancer
Since he had already found me, that meant his game was already set in motion, and I had to quickly decide how to respond.
Another teaching came to mind,“When hunted, do not run. Make the hunter enter a trap.”
I had to prepare a trap for him. But for that, I needed to learn more about Lian Rui.
The living had given me what they could; now it was time to see what the dead could provide.
I took a slow, deep breath, clearing my mind. Bending down, I began the inspection.
I looked at their clothes — wool soaked with sweat and cheap rice wine. I rummaged through the folds and pockets, finding a few copper coins. Money was always useful.
I moved on to the next part of the inspection. I carefully lifted sleeves, checked shoulders, behind ears, and on chests for any markings. Four of them were clean, just regular thugs, but the last man had a nasty surprise.
Just to the left of his heart was a lotus with eight petals. Each of the petals was sliced, and in the very center of the flower was a thin dagger, smoke curling around it.
I had to learn about every organization, even the less significant ones, and this one was on the list.
“The eight-petalled lotus.”
Shit.
A chill went through me. These bastards never worked alone. They hired others as cannon fodder and blended in with the crowd; you could never really tell how many of them were there. And when their prey was exhausted from fending off all the people they sent, they went in to finish off the job.
That meant others were waiting for me in the shadows.
I slowly straightened and licked my lips.
“Okay, you bastards,” I whispered, gripping the handles of my daggers. “Let’s see how many more of you are there.”
The mercenaries were just a symptom of the disease called Lian Rui.
And as much as I didn’t like it, I had to learn more about the dragonblood. My mentor had very wisely advised me to stay away from them, and I had followed it my whole life.
The only place I could think of that I could find out more about the dragonblood was the old bookstore called“Pavilion of Eternal Words”. Its owner was Uncle Sima, a hunched old man with a sharp mind and a perfect memory. He lived on the floor above his store. I didn’t think he’d mind a late visit. And he wouldn’t refuse to give me a little help, given that he and my mentor were friends.
I had to move quickly, and even more carefully. I couldn’t afford to leave any more tracks after the fight. I noted every turn I took, every step. There was a possibility that I was being followed, and even if I wasn’t, it was prudent to be careful.
I circled, checking the blind spots in reflections. A couple of stray dogs were fighting over leftovers at an inn, two drunks were yelling at each other, barely sitting straight on the steps of a brothel. No one paid any attention to me.
I stared at the shop’s sign as I stood hidden in the shadows at the end of the street. Paper lanterns cast a dim light on the fading characters of the sign. My mentor had told me that Sima was a cautious man, and that meant I had to be careful, so the front door was out of the question.
I slipped quietly into an alley and found the back door. The lock was old, but the mechanism had been recently oiled. I took that as a good sign that the owner was still alive. The lockpick barely turned before it clicked open. Sima wasn’t afraid of thieves.
It was dark inside. I closed the door behind me, pressing against the wall. The smell of books was heavy, filling the air like incense smoke. I took two steps... and froze. I heard a barely audible ringing echo through the stillness.
He was expecting guests, and I had just set off a trap.
The bluish light of a magic projectile lit up the darkness. It cast my shadow harshly on the shelves in front of me.
My blood ran cold. Only the elite units of the Sunset Empire used those. A civilian would be immediately sentenced to death just for touching it.
“Hands where I can see them, take off your hood, and turn around to face me. Make any sudden move, and I’ll be scraping you off the walls.”
CHAPTER 10
I had no choice but to obey. My heart was pounding, adrenaline rushing through my veins. As soon as I lowered my hood, I heard a chuckle, and suddenly the lights came on.
I blinked, momentarily blinded, and clenched my fists. When my vision cleared, Uncle Sima stood in front of me.
