The Yanyun central command was set up in the county office, heavily guarded. The entire town had become a military zone. Patrols marched through the streets, the glint of their blades a chilling sight.
"Halt."
Xue Liulan and Murong Jin stopped. He moved to shield her.
"What is it, officer?" he asked, bowing his head with a subservient smile.
The guard strode over, sizing him up. Coarse robes, straw sandals, a face smeared with dirt. Not much to get out of this one. But the woman behind him… even under the grime, he could see she was a beauty.
"Where are you from?"
"We're merchants, sir. From Sushen. We were caught in the fighting, lost everything. Barely escaped with our lives." Xue Liulan poured out his story, but he could see the guard's eyes were fixed on Murong Jin.
"A merchant, eh?" the guard said absently, walking over to her. "A beauty like you, must be hard, following a man like him."
Murong Jin looked up, glanced at Xue Liulan, then answered in a soft, demure voice. "A woman must follow her husband. What choice do I have?"
"A choice? Of course you have one." The guard's face lit up. She was interested.
"Oh?" Murong Jin raised an eyebrow and gave him a small smile that could melt winter snow. The man's bones practically dissolved.
"Come with me. I'll make sure you live a life of luxury."
"But… won't the officer have to go into battle?" she asked timidly, her eyes darting to Xue Liulan's unhappy face.
"Battle? Not me. We're the leader's personal guard. Fighting is for the common grunts."
Personal guard, she thought with a silent laugh. She feigned a shy look. "But… what about my husband?"
"You don't need to worry about him." This was his lucky day.
And so, Xue Liulan was hauled off to the conscript camp. As he was dragged away, he shot one last look at Murong Jin—a look of warning, and of worry.
"Little lady," the guard said, his hand landing on her shoulder with a lecherous grin.
She glanced at his hand. "Is there a place I can change? I wouldn't want to appear before the officer looking like this."
"Of course." Overjoyed, the guard handed his spear to another man and took her hand. "Come."
He led her through a maze of alleys to a large residence and into a room, closing the door behind him.
"This was the young lady of the Wang family's room. What do you think?"
She looked around. The courtyard was secluded. The room itself was bare, save for an empty bookshelf, a desk, an embroidered bed, and a vanity.
"It's very nice," she said, sitting on the edge of the bed with a small smile, her fingers toying with a lock of her hair. Every move calculated. He would see what kind of prey she really was.
The guard ripped off his armor and strode toward her, arms outstretched.
Her hand shot out, catching his wrist. He heard the sharp crack of bone.
"Ah!" A cry of pain escaped him.
Before he could finish, she had pulled him forward, kicked his shin, and sent him sprawling onto the bed.
"You—" he snarled, struggling to get up.
Slap. She stood over him, a cruel smile on her lips.
"Another word, and I'll cut out your tongue," she hissed, pulling a short blade from his boot and tracing a line on his cheek. "You will answer my questions. Understand?"
"Yes, yes! Mercy, my queen, mercy!" The man was soaked in a cold sweat.
"You're one of Sayatu's personal guards?"
"Yes! But I've only ever guarded the central command! I've never killed any of your dynasty's men!"
"Shut up. I didn't ask." She slapped his face with the flat of the blade. He yelped, then his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
"Hey." She slapped him again. Nothing. With a sigh, she stabbed the blade into the mattress beside his head.
The door creaked open. A figure slipped inside.
"What took you so long?" she asked. Xue Liulan walked in, his hands behind his back, a cold fury on his face.
He didn't answer. She stood and gestured to the unconscious man. "He fainted."
"What did I tell you?" he asked, his eyes locked on hers. "Wasn't I supposed to be the one in front?"
She smiled. "Are you jealous?"
He rubbed his nose and looked away. "Such a demure little wife. You don't show me any of that."
"Ahem." She stifled a laugh and took his sleeve. "Don't be like that."
"Hm?" He met her smiling eyes, and couldn't help but smile himself. "So this is you, cheating on me."
"Hey, if you had stepped in sooner, I wouldn't have had the chance. If I'm the adulteress, you're the accomplice." She playfully clung to his arm.
He pulled her closer. "You're no adulteress. You're a rose that remembers it has thorns."
When the guard came to, he was tied to a chair. Xue Liulan sat across from him, toying with the blade.
He looked up and smiled. "A fine blade."
The man's face went slack. The woman was bad enough. This man, with his handsome face and the cold way he handled the blade… Lust is a knife at your throat.
"Mercy, my king, mercy!"
"Answer a few questions, and I'll let you go," Xue Liulan said.
"Anything!"
"Is Sayatu in the county office?"
"Yes."
"Your patrol routes?"
The man hesitated.
Xue Liulan just smiled. "No one will know. But if you don't talk… I'll have to give this back to you."
He flicked his wrist. The blade flew and embedded itself in the chair, half an inch from the man's leg.
A puddle formed at the base of the chair. Xue Liulan pulled the blade free. "Well?"
"Y-yes. I'll talk." The man stammered out the schedule. Twelve men to a team, a new rotation every quarter-hour.
Xue Liulan turned to the door. "In the room to the left, you'll find a brush and paper."
A moment later, Murong Jin entered. "They're looking for someone outside," she said in a low voice.
Xue Liulan glanced at the man. "Since they're looking for you, I won't waste your time. Draw the routes, and I'll let you go."
"But… if the leader finds out…"
"He dies—or you do."
"Alright, alright! I'll draw!"
When he was finished, Xue Liulan knocked him unconscious. Murong Jin shot the man a look of pure hatred.
"Not time to kill him yet," Xue Liulan said, taking the map. He took her hand. "After tonight, I'll let you have your revenge."
She shook her head. "I don't want his life. But if you want to give me justice, make sure he can never harm another person again."
He understood. He struck a pressure point on the man's back, then delivered a sharp blow, severing his yang channel. He would live. But he would never be a man again.