by J C Kang
And a sesame-ginger marinade.
Her chest constricted tighter the stronger the scent grew. The henchmen Lilian had hired to help her with the hit on Lord Ting frequented the vendor who used that sauce. In a few moments, the stall came into view. Chicken crackled on the grill, its smoke curling in the dim red lights.
Like on the day of the assassination, the same two men in guards’ robes now sat on the stools outside the stall. Only this time, instead of chatting and laughing, they muttered among themselves. Their heads were turned toward Yue Heaven.
Jie followed their gaze.
Between two burly gatekeepers, Tian was disappearing into the front door of the sprawling, single-story compound.
Smart. The Peony Garden guards would never think to look for him there.
Jie headed over, passing the stall.
“It’s a disgrace,” one of the patron’s whispered.
The other nodded. “A child that young has no business smoking yue. Hope Big Brother Xi turns him away.”
“Nah, he’d get his grandma hooked if it could make him money. Takes after Faceless Chang.”
“I wouldn’t have even let him in,” the second said.
“Too bad for the kid your shift won’t start for another half-hour, and Yang and Li are on duty.”
Jie’s head spun. Only the Triads used Big Brother as a form of address for an elder, and Faceless Chang was the mysterious head of the Red Dragons. They usually kept to the seedy neighborhoods outside the wall. Were they using Yue Heaven as a foothold in the Floating World?
And these two worked as guards at Yue Heaven. Jie had never seen them before; but then again, when she’d been apprenticing at the Chrysanthemum Pavilion, she would’ve never come out at this hour. She brushed up against one, shifting his hanging sleeve enough to see the red swirls of a dragon tattoo on his forearm. The telltale mark of Triads.
The man swung around. “Watch where you’re going!”
“Excuse me, kind sir.” She bowed low, and looked up the sleeve of the other. He, too had Triad tattoos.
“Oh,” the second said. “You’re the half-elf from the Chrysanthemum Pavilion.”
“Formerly.” She bowed again, feigning demureness.
“What House do you belong to now?” asked the first.
“I don’t.”
“Just a streetwalker then.” The first shook his head. “Such a waste of your beauty.”
“Be careful,” the second said. “If you don’t belong to a House and try to proposition clients, the House Enforcers will break your leg.”
Let one try. Jie feigned a shudder. “That’s why I’m going to Yue Heaven. I hear a girl can use their back rooms for a cut of the profit.”
The first’s leer left an icky feeling that might take hours to wash off. “Well, come on, let me introduce you to Big Brother Xi.”
“Big Brother?” For show, Jie cocked her head.
“Sorry, the manager.”
Jie bowed again. “Please, take me to the manager.”
The first hopped off the stool and beckoned. “Come with me.” He looked up from her to the second man and grinned.
The second loomed behind her, his presence sending the hairs on the back of her neck standing. As they walked toward Yue Heaven, she cast a quick glance back. He, too, was smirking.
When they reached the gates, the first made a quick tilt of his head toward her, and the guard’s eyes roved over her. With knowing smiles, they stepped aside. Whatever they thought was going to happen, they were sorely mistaken.
The heady aroma of yue sap hung in the air, growing more distinct as they crossed the small courtyard and came to a set of double doors. Just a couple years ago, this had been a tea house where scholars came to debate philosophy, while beauties served them tea. Now, instead of scholars, three silk-robed merchants with heavy-lidded eyes lounged on the veranda.
The first guard hustled her through the entrance into a large room. In Yue Heaven’s two months of operation, she’d never been on the inside—Floating World girls had some level of independence, but they’d never risk their reputation in a yue den, especially if no one of importance ever visited. Nonetheless, it looked similar to the opium dens: the low light from mostly-shuttered lamps shone on bare wood.
There were no decorations. Twelve men lounged on rows of red cushioned chaises, puffing on imported glass pipes. A young woman dressed in what looked to be little more than ribbons was guiding a luridly-smiling man toward a back hall. Moans and grunts emanated from the doorway, leaving no doubt as to what was happening there.
Tian was nowhere to be seen, though his scent was stronger here than anywhere else in the last hour.
With the first guard taking the lead, the second prodded Jie in the same direction Ribbon Woman had gone. She might’ve resisted, except Tian’s scent trail grew stronger that way. To keep the men at ease, she feigned naiveté. “Where are we going?”
Never breaking stride, the first looked over his shoulder. “Like I said, to meet Big Brother Xi.”
This Xi might have an office in this back hallway, but with a burly guard standing by the exit to a side hall, a betting half-elf would guess a more direct route to the administrative offices lay that way. Still, she followed the man into the back so as to find Tian.
At the first open door, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a small, windowless room. Reeking of sour man sweat, it was just big enough for the creaky wooden bed and thin futon. It was nothing like the elegantly-decorated Blossom rooms in the great houses of the Floating World; it was just a dingy room for a man to rut and find his release. That must’ve been the first guard’s plans as he closed the door behind him, leaving his comrade outside.
It was too easy, especially since she only had to face one at a time. To make him think he had complete control of the situation, she spoke with a tremulous voice. “Where’s the manager?”
His eyes undressed her. “Before I introduce you to him, I have to test the wares. To see if you’re worth the investment.”
No surprise. Keeping up the act, Jie recoiled.
“Oh, I like that. Trained in the Great Houses to feign innocence, no matter how many men you’ve taken.”
Which was only one, a mistake which had forfeited her record virgin price.
“Please, don’t.” Gaze averted, she crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head, even as she gauged position and distance.
“What’s stopping me?” Leering, he closed the distance in a single stride.
She took a step back. “In the Floating World—”
“You’re no longer a Blossom of the Floating World. You’re just a filthy whore. The House Enforcers won’t protect you. They’ll maim you for daring to seek customers here.” He reached for her.
Jie jabbed a series of phoenix eye fists into vital points on his arms and chest. His body went limp and he collapsed onto the bed. Removing a vial of yinghua toxin from an inner pocket, she uncorked the vial and dabbed some of the fluid on his neck.
His lips formed a stupid smile. “What are we going to do?”
She patted him on the cheek. “You’re going to sleep. When you wake up tomorrow, you will only have a vague recollection of tonight. You might even believe we slept together. I am going to leave someone to warm your sheets, though.”
His eyes fluttered a few times, and then his head lolled.
Satisfied he wasn’t a threat, Jie went to the door and listened.
The second guard stood just outside, the quickening sound of his breathing indicating his back was to the door.
It was too easy. She opened the door.
“Done so soon?” He started to turn around.
Jie stepped into the back of his knee, then hooked her arms around his neck and pulled him into the room. Feet scuttling to find purchase, he clawed at her arms for a moment before his body went inert. His mass weighed on her arms, and she lowered him to the bed.
She wiped some of the toxin on his neck and stepp
ed back to survey her handiwork. Goons like this, preying on vulnerable girls, deserved castration. It would raise too many questions, however, and the toxin would give them at least a vague recollection of her.
Instead, she pulled off their pants, rolled the second on top of the other, and arranged their faces and hands in compromising positions. With a last look at her handiwork, she crept out of the room and closed the door behind her.
From down the hall, wood cracked and a woman shrieked.
Chapter 9
Tian sat on a dirty bed, studying the cloth Naya had wrapped around his bleeding elbows as he waited for her to come back with boys’ clothes. Besides Wen, no one had been as nice to him as Naya since he’d left the imperial palace.
He sighed. The Floating World might be where men’s dreams took flight, but it seemed like they were using women as wings. Wen and Naya spent their nights holding hands with men, maybe even kissing them. Yuna would eventually grow into that life, and the cruel half-elf had apparently escaped it.
Naya’s scream rent the air, muffled only slightly by the closed door.
Tian bolted to his feet. Dressed in a girl’s dress or not, he had to do something. He opened the door and dashed out into the hall…
And would’ve careened into Jie if she hadn’t pulled up short.
“There you are,” she said. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
Tian shook his head. “My friend is in trouble. I need to help her.”
Another shriek rang out, clearer this time, along with a loud thump.
Jie’s eyes searched his. “All right. You stay behind me.”
She clasped his hand and jogged down the hall, passing four doors to either side. Naya’s sobbing, as well as a male yelling Grown Up Words, intensified as they turned a corner.
At the far end of this new hall, two big men with scraggly beards and dressed in red vests flanked an open door. The shouting and screams came from within.
“After I took you in,” a gruff, male voice said. “After all I’ve done for you, you worthless whore, you stole what belongs to me.”
“Please, stop!” Naya pleaded.
Head forward, Tian lengthened his stride.
Jie barred his way with an outstretched arm. “Stay here until I take care of the guards.”
The men had to be twice her size, if not three, and they held clubs in their hands. What could she possibly—
Jie darted toward them, and they stared at her, wide-eyed. By the time they registered what was happening, she was among them, each motion fast, efficient, and decidedly unfair. In two seconds, both lay groaning on the floor. She gestured for him, then went into the room.
Tian hurried as fast as the tight dress would allow, and picked his way between the prone guards. By the time he came to the doorway to a spacious room, Jie was pinning a groaning man face-down to a rosewood desk. Entangling his arms in her legs like twisted dough, she held a knife to his neck. She’d also positioned herself away from a window, whose lattice shutters provided a view of an alley. On one wall, a hanging scroll tilted at an angle that begged to be righted.
“That whore tried to steal my son’s clothes,” the man said.
Naya huddled in a corner, between a table and a chair, sobbing.
“Are you all right?” Tian ran over to her.
She blinked away her tears. “Tian, you came for me.”
“You’re welcome,” Jie muttered.
Naya looked at the half-elf. “I never knew you were so…”
“Talented?” Jie shrugged. “Yes, there are many things the House sisters didn’t know about me.”
Tian looked from the half-elf to his new friend. They apparently knew each other. Helping Naya up, he shifted his gaze to the man. “Why did he hurt you?”
Face twisted in pain and rage, the man snarled. “The whore stole some clothes.”
Naya sniffled. “I just wanted to get Tian some boy’s clothes.”
“You beat her, for that?” Jie twisted her hips, bending his arm into an awkward angle.
He bellowed. “Bitch! If I ever get my hands on you—”
Jie cranked more as she leaned in. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you over your screams. Now, I’m more interested in your ledgers here. Right, kid?”
Kid? Tian frowned and crossed his arms.
Jie’s eyes shifted from him to the desk, her clashing brows leaving no doubt that she wanted him there, now.
He looked to Naya. “Are you all right for now?”
With a hesitant nod, she took Tian’s hand and guided him to the desk.
The man snarled, and Tian flinched. He was safe though, since Jie had him well under control.
Tearing his gaze away, Tian looked down at the ledgers. Unlike facial expressions and body language, numbers made sense. Given the cost of yue, and the huge sums coming in and out of Yue Heaven, they were selling far more than their court-approved ration. Most of the transactions were with… “It looks like this place is a front of Jinjing Lumber.”
Jie leaned over, eliciting a grunt from the boss. Her eyes zigzagged over the numbers. “How can you tell?”
It was so obvious, and yet no one else would ever understand. “It just is. See the repeating pattern of monies in and out between Yue Heaven, Jinjing Lumber, and Heavenly Yue?”
The half-elf gave a slow nod. “That’s an astronomical amount.”
Whatever astronomical meant. “More than yue is worth. And I overheard a customer. They are selling it cheaper than market prices.”
Jie gave him a quizzical look. “Maybe they bought excess from other distributors.”
“The ledgers don’t suggest that.” Tian swept a finger over the entries before looking at the mean man. “You’re getting extra yue straight from Jinjing County, aren’t you?”
The man’s lips pursed and he turned his head to the side.
“Well?” Jie cranked his arm.
“Yes!” the man screamed.
“What is Heavenly Yue?” Jie let off some of the pressure.
Naya cleared her throat. “It’s a Yue den run by the Red Dragons in the Trench.”
All the same pack of bad men. Tian tapped his chin. “Where’s your supply?”
The man went silent again, and though he yelped when Jie twisted his arm again, his lips remained sealed. “You’re going to kill me, anyway.”
“So why worry? There are many ways to die.” Jie jerked his pinkie to an unnatural angle
He bellowed. “Filthy Cunt! Faceless Chang will kill my entire family if he finds out I betrayed him.”
Jie grabbed the next finger. “See, Big Brother Xi? We will find out one way or another, and your dead body will ensure your family’s safety.”
“Can’t you use that perfume?” Tian asked.
Jie shook her head. “I only have two male doses left, and I’d rather save it for the two guards instead of this scum who profits from others’ misery. And he’d still have to explain to Faceless Chang why his inventory went missing.”
“I will show you where they keep the supply,” Naya said.
“Worthless whore!” Xi said. “You better hope I don’t escape—”
“You won’t.” A knife flashed in Jie’s hand. She pulled his head back and slashed his throat.
Naya’s hands shot up to her mouth, but it did little to stifle her scream.
Blood poured out of the wound as the man’s eyes went wide.
Bile rose in Tian’s throat. He turned and emptied his stomach into a decorative planter beside the desk. It was one thing to learn about dealing death with a blade, and something else altogether seeing it done. Maybe one day, he’d have to do it himself.
Hold the dragonfly with care, Kaiya’s voice resonated in his memories, quoting from one of her favorite songs about Dragon Singers. For even their tiny lives have value.
What was the value of a criminal’s life? Or his death? Tian cleared the remaining vomit from his throat and mouth. “Why did you have to kill him?”
“Wouldn’t it be better for them if he were still alive?”
“Maybe he is a bad father.” Jie shrugged. “In any case, all the men I fought were witnesses. If I can’t make them forget with the toxin, then I have to silence them in other ways.”
Naya’s hand shot to her mouth again. “What… What about me?”
Jie’s expression softened. “I have a female-targeted toxin. You’ll wake up somewhere in the Floating World with whatever money we can find here.” She walked over to a wall and pulled a scroll painting down. It revealed a sixteen-inch by eight-inch safe door with a hanging padlock.
“How did you know that was there?” Tian gaped.
“It was hanging at an angle, and the scrapes on the wall line up with the scroll’s anchor.”
Fascinating! That’s why it had looked wrong. Heart fluttering with excitement, Tian studied the scratches.
Jie hip-bumped him to the side and withdrew some wires from a strap on her thigh, and inserted them into the keyhole. With a few deft movements, the lock snicked. She tossed it to him. “We’ll teach you how to pick locks.”
Excitement tingled up and down his spine. If he’d known how to pick a lock, he might never have been banished.
She opened the door, revealing stacked silver ingots.
Naya gasped. “This is mine?”
“As much as you can carry,” Jie said. “Now, where do they store their yue?”
“The dispensary is one door before this one. It has a cut-out to the smoking room.”
Tian had noticed that on the way in. “There was a man handing out yue balls there. Please don’t kill him.”
“I won’t, if I don’t have to.” Jie yanked the boss’ shirt off and handed it to Tian. “Wrap that around your face.”
Tian did as she instructed, winding it around his head so that only his eyes were exposed, just like the stories of the Black Fists. It smelled like sweat and wood.
“You’ve read too many fairy tales, if you think that’s what we really look like.” Jie snorted and adjusted the wrapping. “Keep it loose around your nose and mouth so you can breathe.”