Page 37 of The Wind Dancer
That left Mei Lin or Tang Fei, both members of the Secret Chancellery.
The outline of a plan began to form in my head. Bold, daring, and probably deadly, but it could get rid of Lian Rui’s attention and also loosen the Chancellery’s leash.
I stopped in the shadow of a roof, looking around the street. It was all clear, but my paranoia wouldn’t let me relax.
Yes, I could use the Secret Chancellery. If Lian Rui had awakened as a dragonblood and was following the path of Ascension, then he was obligated to serve the Empire. Since he was ignoring that duty, his elimination became a matter of imperial importance, especially considering his connection to the cult and the torture of Li Yanjin.
The authorities frowned upon houses waging war, even in the shadows, but as long as it didn’t affect ordinary people,they let it slide. Massacres, torture, and dealings with cultists, however, could not be ignored.
I couldn’t fight him on my own. But if the Secret Chancellery found him, they would consider it their duty to act, especially if they had more details.
The question was how to push them in that direction. I wasn’t foolish enough to think they would just take my word for it, and I didn’t have any proof.
I’d have to cross that bridge when I got to it. For now, I was hoping to find some help in my mentor’s hideout.
The old man liked to use symbols and codes, and he made me learn many systems. They buzzed in my head, from the color language of the nobles of the capital to the flag signals of the naval fleets of the Zhou Principality.
He was unmatched in the art of covering his tracks. He hid them in plain sight, but if you knew what to look for, they formed a pattern. He placed great importance on numbers and their symbolism, and the number five was always part of his system. I knew the path to the entrance of his hideout would follow that pattern.
I moved through the narrow streets of the Middle City. The wind swayed old lanterns, somewhere in the distance a merchant swore, and I searched for the signs.
The first was a torn lamp at an intersection. Read in another script, its markings meant“the sleeping dragon.”The lantern hadn’t been repaired for at least three years. People paid more attention to what still shone than to what lay broken. The damaged lantern bore the character for west, along with three lines. The next sign lay three intersections away.
The second sign was a bone bead tied to a healer’s office door. It was easy to miss, but I recognized it. I remembered my mentor holding such beads. He would leave them where he thought they would catch the eye of those in the know. Bones belong to the earth, which meant the third sign had to be close to the ground, somewhere nearby.
I had to try hard, even though I understood how to follow his signs. It took a bit, but I did it. Barely noticeable symbols, easily mistaken for scratches, were on the cornerstone of one of the houses.“Shadow in shadow.”
The fourth sign should be near the foundation. I felt it before I spotted it. A paving stone sat ever so slightly misaligned with the rest. I lifted it with the blade of my dagger, revealing a small hiding place with a few scattered stones inside. Random to anyone but me.
The number of stones and their position gave me the direction and the specific house. An ordinary door on one of the old houses. The fact that it was incredibly ordinary and inconspicuous was another sign. The wood had darkened with age, and the paint was peeling, but the gap on the threshold told me what I needed to know.
I glanced over my shoulder. The shadows on the street didn’t stir, but I couldn’t relax, not yet. I slipped inside and closed the door behind me.
The dark interior was utterly silent. The smell of dust, old scrolls, and something metallic hung in the air. I thought about how the place had to have security measures in place.
The first trap would stop the impatient and arrogant. So I halted and looked around. I couldn’t light a candle or lanternin case the trap was light-sensitive, so I turned to my potions. It burned my eyes, as always, but after a few calming breaths, I’d be able to see in the dark.
After a few more deep breaths, my lips curled into a grin. I could spot the trap now. A thin, almost invisible string was stretched at knee height. One touch and poison darts would shoot straight into my chest.
Crouching, I moved to a corner and ran my dagger along the wall, triggering the trap. The darts flew, striking the door. Judging by the sound, they would have pierced armor.
Taking a deep breath, I began to move slowly, carefully choosing my path. The floorboards in the center of the room looked wrong. I’d bet there was a pit trap right beneath them.
Given how careful my mentor was, it was no surprise I had to deactivate several traps on the way to his office.
The office was in complete disarray. There were a couple of false hiding places with nothing of value inside. Piles of scrolls were stacked everywhere, filled with information I couldn’t decipher. I was sure my old man would have left a specific trail for me to follow.
As I sat in his chair, I wondered where he could have hidden the truly important things.
My gaze settled on a heavy door decorated with a symbol of the unity of man, dragons, and Heaven. It was too massive for such an office. It looked more like something meant to withstand a siege. My lips stretched into a smile.
With a few practiced movements, I found the mechanism. The secret panel on the door gently slid open, revealing the real hiding place. Inside was something truly priceless — mymentor’s journal. Next to it was a small tube and a stack of rice paper sheets covered in his neat handwriting.
I picked up the journal. Its cover was made of soft, durable leather, darkened over time. Running my fingers over the spine, I felt the embossed pattern — ancient symbols he often used in his notes. I carefully opened it, and a smirk tugged at the corner of my lips. A cipher, of course. This would have been absolute nonsense to anyone else, but to me it was a familiar challenge.
This cipher was his invention, his pride. It was impossible to crack without a key — a special method he had taught me since childhood, presenting it as riddles and exercises, turning learning into a game. I ran my finger along the first line, trying to feel the rhythm of his writing, to imagine how fast he had written. In my mind, his voice echoed playfully.“If you’re reading this, that means you’re ready for the next step.”
I took a deep breath and put the journal in my pocket, deciding not to waste time deciphering it here. Instead, I picked up the tube and carefully opened it. There was a map inside. I unrolled it on the floor, smoothing the edges to make it lie flat. It showed a diagram of Cloud City’s underground networks. Tunnels, sewers, and secret passages were all marked and drawn with the precision of someone who knew the city like the back of their hand.
