by JC Kang
Old Zeng didn’t look the least surprised by the question. “He’s better than any of his predecessors. The locals might not like the Rotuvi refugees, but he’s ensured they aren’t treated badly.”
“I’m surprised a Triad would even care,” Jie said.
“Most don’t. There was a time about two years ago when Faceless Chang would disappear for days on end, and the Red Dragons acted more like the Fangs in terrorizing the residents of their turf.”
“Where did he go?” Tian tapped his chin.
“He was going into the city to spend time in the Floating World.” Old Zeng opened his mouth, but then closed it.
Yuna had still been training at the temple, and hadn’t been living in the Floating World back then. She looked to Jie and signed, Wouldn’t we know if a small man with a scarred face was frequenting the Houses?
Jie gave a subtle nod of agreement.
“Setting up Yue Heaven?” Tian asked.
Yuna chewed on her inner cheek. The web of connections was too convoluted: Yue Heaven had been the den selling a highly-addictive variant of yue. The partnership between Lord Ting—whom Lilian, Jie’s lover, had assassinated—and the Red Dragons, had led to the revelation that one of the Steel Orchids had survived the Floating World fire decades before.
“Maybe.” Jie prodded Old Zeng. “Go on, you were going to add something.”
“One of his lieutenants, Du, had introduced him to an alluring Blossom. I thought Du was trying to take over the Tang while Faceless Chang dallied in the Floating World.” Rubbing his hands, Old Zeng leaned in and grinned. “Rumor has it that Du got to his position by being Faceless Chang’s Peach Bottom.”
Tian’s forehead crinkled up. He hadn’t shown signs of knowing the dance between men and women, which meant he probably had no idea about men who enjoyed each other’s’ company. Yuna, on the other hand, shared a nod with Jie. There was a House in the Floating World that catered to that type of entertainment, and its boys were quite charming.
“Regardless of salacious rumors,” Old Zeng said, “Faceless Chang knows that less conflict is good for business. City folk looking for cheap opium and prostitutes are more likely to visit this side of the Trench than the Fang’s side. Same with farmers selling leftover produce. When he came back for good, things were right again.”
Yuna turned to Jie and signed, If we kill him, the locals will suffer.
Jie shook her head. Clan anonymity comes first.
If only there were a way to remove Faceless Chang without throwing the Trench into turmoil.
Chapter 10
With little Mikayla weighing her down, Yuna stood in the shadows of the closest hovel. Tian hunched over, hands on his knees, tired from having carried the kid for a block, and Jie was busy scanning the row of two-story rowhouses that served as the Tang for the Red Dragons. Yuna followed the half-elf’s lead and studied the buildings.
Made of brick with pitched tile roofs, the structure didn’t look much like unfinished city walls. How had Tian noticed that detail before? As Old Zeng had described, the first-floor shutters had boards nailed across them, but the second-floor windows were all open. An eight-foot diagonal bamboo grid fenced in the rowhouses, forming something of a compound. Guards patrolled the perimeter.
Red lanterns, whose script revealed they’d been salvaged or stolen from the Floating World, hung from posts on either side of the gateway. They shined on men filing in, all better dressed than the denizens of the Trench, but certainly far below the affluent patrons of the Floating World’s elite Houses. Young women and girls stood by the doors, all wearing clothes that revealed more than they hid, beckoning towards potential clients.
Some weren’t much older than Yuna. Stomach twisting, she swung her cousin around and patted her on the back to keep her from crying. Jie had agreed: if the little girl were truly an Empath—or at least had the potential to become one—she was almost too valuable to bring here. It’d been tempting to tell Tian to remain with the child at the magistrate’s office and stay out of the way, but as Yuna pointed out, Feng Rumei’s little sister was the easiest way for one of them to get in.
Jie turned to her. “You take Mikayla to Black Hand Jing, and see if he’ll introduce you to Faceless Chang. We are going to go around back, and I’ll climb to the second floor and see if I can locate Faceless Chang myself.”
Yuna nodded. It was the plan Tian had outlined, and they’d filled in. “When one of us can get into a position for the kill, first come to any of the second-floor back windows and signal Tian.”
“And then I’ll make a loud sound.” Tian tapped his chin. “What kind of sound?”
Jie patted him on the head. “Screech like a peacock. If you see anything out of the ordinary, caw like a crow.”
“I can’t make those sounds. And what counts as anything out of the ordinary?”
Yuna chuckled. He was almost cute in his uselessness.
“Use your best judgement,” Jie said.
Which up to now hadn’t necessarily been reliable. Still, taking him into the compound was a liability, and he was observant. Yuna gave him a pat which was probably too fond, since they’d only known each other for less than a week.
“Once we hear Tian’s peacock screech, whoever isn’t close to Faceless Chang will draw guards away. The other will wait a few minutes and move in for the kill.”
Drawing a circle with her finger, Jie led Tian toward the back. Hefting Mikayla higher on her back, Yuna set off toward the line of men. As she passed them on the way to the front, several whistled and heckled.
“I’ll take that new one.” A somewhat nicely-dressed man pointed at her.
His companion smacked him on the head. “I’ll pay double, if she’s a virgin.”
“Of course she is!”
“You never know in the Trench.”
Yuna kept her head down. The Floating World Hummingbirds might ogle her, but none would be so blatantly rude as these dredges. They might’ve worn nicer clothes than the locals, but their souls were dirty.
Out of the corner of her eye, she found the prostitutes near the entrance. Behind their seductive smiles and suggestive body language hid fear and desperation.
Her gut roiled. By the time she reached the front of the queue, a sour taste stuck to the back of her throat. Despite the years of clan training, her stomach heaved, and she had to bend over and cover her mouth. The line quieted. Several of the waiting patrons jumped back, looks of horror on their face.
Good. If they were disgusted, they were less likely to harass her. She looked up and met the glare of a stocky Triad gatekeeper.
He poked her. “Handouts are in the morning…wait. Big Brother Du.” He beckoned a wiry, dour-looking comrade from inside the fence.
Yuna held her breath. Could this be the same Du who’d tried to take control of the Tang from Faceless Chang two years ago? And had been his Peach Bottom, if Old Zeng was right?
“What is it?” Big Brother Du approached, hand on a broadsword.
“I don’t recognize this one. Do you?”
Du’s eyes fell on her, and his hand left his sword. He held up a lantern to her face and leaned in. With her stomach already in rebellion, the smell of sausage and garlic on his breath when he spoke nearly made her vomit. “She’s not from this side of the Trench.”
Yuna bowed her head. “Kind sirs, Black Face Jing told me to bring this child to him.”
“What’s so special about it?” The second shifted the light over to Mikayla, who shielded her eyes and burst into tears. His sleeve sank into the crook of his elbow, revealing a lean forearm with a tattooed dragon coiling around it.
“She is the sister of Feng Rumei.”
“Rumei?” Du stepped back. “The Rumei?”
“Who’s that?” The first cocked his head.
“You’re too young to remember. Real beauty, that one. Such a shame Faceless Chang made an example of her.” He leaned in closer. “But if this girl is her sister…”
&n
bsp; Exposing Mikayla to these goons had been a horrible idea. Yuna pulled the girl closer to her. “Blackface Jing—”
“That bastard wants the credit for dredging the kid up himself!” Du looked to the girl first, then reached for Yuna. “Come with me.”
Yuna shrank back. This would get her close to Faceless Chang, but if she failed, it would condemn Little Mikayla to a life of being a Triad plaything. “But Blackface Jing—”
The second’s hand clamped down on her shoulder, but she twisted a fraction, leaving him with a handful of her dress. She could break free, but to what end? Several of the clientele had crowded in behind her, making escape all the more difficult, and she needed to either locate Faceless Chang or create a diversion, anyway. She relaxed, and let the Triad guide her in through the front door.
The din of people chattering, clattering tiles, and clinking coins greeted her. Smoke hung around the ceilings, filtering the light from bauble lamps and cloying the air with the heady smell of yue. Men, some with scantily clad women on their laps, sat at tables, gambling at Cover Coins or Mahjong. More half-naked women roved around, some carrying spicy-smelling alcohol, others looking for a client for a quick tumble. Archways to either side led out of the room to equally loud spaces.
Visitors looked upon Du with fearful eyes and made way as he pulled her through the crowds to the west side arch. It felt different from the locals earlier in the day, who treated the Triads with respectful awe. As they got closer to the exit, a pack of boys in red tunics marched through, ranging in age from six to ten. They all bowed their heads and saluted Du with fists in their palms.
Du stopped. “Have any of you seen Black Hand Jing?”
“He’s managing the fucking rooms.” One of the younger boys gestured to the opposite arch.
Such vulgar language for kids so young. Yuna looked from him to the handsome boy beside him. They looked so similar, not so much like cherry pairs, but more like a snap pea pod and snow pea pod. They had to be brothers. Had to be…twins. She couldn’t help but stare. They looked like her, too.
“What are you looking at, whore?” the thinner one said.
The other boys laughed. It made her feel so small and dirty, despite the fact that she really was training to be a courtesan.
“Shut up, Feng Qi.” Du clapped him on the head and turned to her. “This is our honored guest. Right…what’s your name?”
Yuna was never at a loss for words, but now she could only gawk. Feng Qi was indeed her younger brother. Which meant the other was Feng Tan. And they were involved with the Red Dragons at the tender age of six.
“What, can’t find your tongue?” Du slapped her in the shoulder and laughed.
Did Mama ever tell them about her? There was one sure way to find out. “Feng Yuna,” she said, studying their reactions.
She could’ve said Zhang Li, the most common girl’s name in the Empire, for all the interest they showed. Maybe Mama had never told them about an older sister? Maybe she had just never told them her name?
Why did her knees feel like gelatin? It’s not like Mama had ever cared for her, beyond the four coppers she’d made. The clan did care, though. Gritting her teeth, Yuna turned to Du. “Boys are gross. Can we continue?”
“You better get used to them. Come along.” Du laughed and led her toward the next room.
The boys dispersed behind her, and she resolved not to look back at her twin brothers ever again.
“Out of my way!” A woman’s shrill voice rose from the entrance, above the din.
That voice! A shiver ran up Yuna’s spine. She kept her eyes forward.
“Feng Qi, Feng Tan! What did I tell you about coming here?”
Against her better judgment, Yuna looked over her shoulder toward the door.
The burly doorman was holding a woman back, though he was surprisingly gentle. Many of the gamblers had paused to watch. Feng Qi and Feng Tan were now ducking behind larger patrons.
“I see you, you little good-for-nothings!” Mama jabbed a finger in their direction. She’d filled out, no longer a fresh-faced seventeen-year-old, but worn by another six years living in the Trench.
Yuna froze in place. To think, Mama had been only fifteen when Yuna was born. Younger than some of the clan sisters who had yet to flower with Heaven’s Dew.
“Never mind that crusty bucket.” Du gave Yuna a tug. “Doesn’t know what’s good for her.”
It was true. She didn’t. With a nod, Yuna took a decisive step toward the next room. A step away from a miserable past and toward—
“Had I known you shits would turn into little thugs, I would’ve never given up your sister!”
Chapter 11
Jie watched Yuna head toward the Red Dragon Tang before readying herself for the more challenging insertion. Sending Mikayla, a potential future asset, into possible danger wasn’t the brightest idea, but it would certainly provide a distraction.
With one last emphatic nod to freeze Tian in place, she tied her skirts into a knot between her knees, and worked her way to the back of the compound. She dashed to the fence, placing herself in the dark gap between the patrols’ light bauble lamps. Sneaking along in the same direction they circled, she evaluated the fencing. Lashed together with cord, the bamboo posts were enough to support her weight, and the space in between wide enough for her to pass through. Clearly, it was meant to keep adult male intruders out. She jumped through—
Her hair snagged in the joint between two bamboo posts, dislodging one of her bladed hairpins. It fell into the dirt on the other side, the crunch in the dirt loud in her elf ears. The next guard was so close, maybe he’d heard it too. With the light approaching, there wasn’t any time to get it, and he probably wouldn’t see it on the other side, anyway. She ran over to the boarded window of the closest building.
The muffled sounds of rolling dice, clinking coins, and laughing men proved Old Zeng’s description correct: the first floor served as a gambling den. No matter what purpose these buildings had served in the past, they were likely connected through interior passages—either in their original design, or through Triad renovations later.
The next patch of light shifted across the wall toward her as a guard followed his path along the wall. Running on tiptoes to stay ahead of it, Jie leaped and grabbed one of the horizontal boards nailed across the shutters of the next window. She swung, caught the top of the shutters and pulled herself up, then reached to the sill of the lit second-floor window. She raised her body into a horizontal position—
The light passed over the lower half of her body and paused.
Had the guard seen? Fingers aching from holding herself up, she gritted her teeth and looked. Dressed in the same red tunic as his fellow goons, he tilted his head left and right, gaze raking across her current position. Her body was out of the light now, but if he came closer and raised it—
He started toward the building.
Feet first, she arched herself up and in.
“Intruder!” the man yelled.
Now inside, the windows on the opposite side provided a view of the city walls. With a quick scan revealing sturdy wood doors on either side, the west one unbarred with a key in the lock, Jie ascertained this spacious room was some kind of antechamber to the one on the east. The finely-carved bloodwood chairs and low table all showed signs of repair. They sat on a thick wool carpet, which was made from sewn-together scraps of differing designs. Along with the patched brush paintings and decorative bauble lamps, the contents of this room alone, even repaired and refurbished, would’ve been worth more than the rest of the Trench combined.
Based on Old Zeng’s layout, this room would be close to Faceless Chang’s office and bedchambers. Why would it be empty? She tilted her head to listen to the door to the east. A woman’s muted moans barely made it through, but left little doubt what was going on. She turned to listen to the opposite door.
“Intruder! Second floor!” the man’s voice came from outside, almost directly below.
Heavy footsteps stuttered over creaky floors on the other side of the door to the west. Jie dashed over to its side, just as it burst open. She put her hands out to slow it to a stop, to prevent the brackets for the bar from impaling her, and also using it as cover from the newcomer.
If the guard warned Faceless Chang of an intruder, all hope of catching him unawares would dry up like a drop of rain in the desert. Jie withdrew her knife and peeked around the door that was hiding her.
Across the room, a burly Triad held his ear to the door.
She eased her door shut. Tiptoeing over, Jie worked her way towards his back.
The man started to knock.
She flung the knife. It whirled through the air and lodged in his nape. He let out a squelch as he clawed at the back of his neck, then started to collapse toward the door.
Bounding over, Jie eased him to the ground before he crashed. Knee to his chest, covering his mouth with a hand, she put her ear to the door and listened. The moaning continued, so the amorous couple either hadn’t heard the guard’s death cry, or just didn’t care. She applied pressure, but when the door didn’t budge, she inspected the locking mechanism. Dwarf-made; it wouldn’t be too hard to pick, but Faceless Chang might detect the snick.
Several sets of footsteps rattled up a flight of wooden steps to the west, in the same direction the guard had come from. She dashed back across the room, and closed the door. After turning the key, she lowered the bar onto the brackets. Still, it wouldn’t be long before the reinforcements raised a ruckus as they tried to barge through.
With all this running, maybe she should take the safer job as clan courier. Though that might involve horses. She hurried over to the window closest to Faceless Chang’s office and looked out.
The window to the office was too far away to reach with a jump, and would probably make too much noise. Instead, she climbed through the window, then went up onto her tiptoes and reached up to test the roof tiles. They felt sturdy and well-attached, so she pulled herself up to the roof. With little time before the reinforcements arrived, she shimmied stomach-down along the edge of the eaves. The sharp slope made it a challenge, but when she made it to the spot above the first window, she kicked off one shoe and caught it, and then used her bare toes to pull off the second shoe. She reached back and grabbed it, then stuffed both into her sash.