虎口拔牙 (Hǔ kǒu bá yá) - to extract a tooth from a tiger's mouth, i.e. taking a huge risk.

----------------------------------------

“Did I do such a bad job of disguising myself?” Zéyì sighed, rubbing her face.

“Not at all. You did a fantastic job. The best disguises are those where you can immerse yourself in a completely different character. It's just that Yuān Mù shī xiōng gave me a very detailed description of you. If he hadn't told me about the changes to your eyes, for example, I wouldn't have known. I've never heard of such a thing before. You must be somewhere in the Third Dantian realm, correct?”

“That's right.”

Zeng Guk Lung seemed about to say something else, but he glanced around and seemed to think better of it. “Let's return first. We probably shouldn't be talking out here like this. I just wanted to put you a little more at ease before you went any further. I was expecting you to stab me at any moment.”

“I thought about it.”

Zeng Guk Lung laughed wearily, and they both began a circuitous route back to the underground rooms where Zéyì had been hiding out. They were old abandoned storehouses once used by the Chūn royal family, and evidently they had been long-forgotten. Zeng Guk Lung seemed to already know exactly where they were going.

“I already met with shī xiōng there,” he explained. Zéyì quietly appraised him as he talked. He seemed to be in his late twenties or early thirties, with a bright, honest face and a somewhat loose-limbed way of moving. He didn't look like a martial artist, his arms thin and his shoulders a little stooped, as though he sat at a desk for hours on end, neck craned.

“You look tired. I appreciate you coming all this way to help, but don't you need some rest?”

“Rest, what's that? I've sort of been looking after a troublesome cat for the past few months, and keeping an eye on missing animal cases, and trying to stop certain elders from killing each other. This will make a nice change.”

“'A nice change'? You're a workaholic.”

“Ha...”

Zéyì took the next right turn that appeared, leaving Zeng Guk Lung to keep walking straight ahead. She entered an old stable, empty of animals but heaped with old straw and cobwebs, and pushed her way through a wooden wall that turned out to be a door. A giant, empty chest behind it turned out to be the entrance into the underground rooms, and she climbed down, choosing to float down the steps now that she was out of anyone's view.

Zeng Guk Lung was already taking to Yuān Mù in one of the rooms. The old man was clearly dressed and prepared to leave. He nodded to Zéyì as she entered.

“Good, you've already met... I can see why Zeng shi di said he would have had a hard time recognising you if he didn't know. That robe is painful to look at.”

“Which means it was the perfect thing to wear.” Zéyì rearranged her hair so that it was no longer slicked back. “Let's see what fish bite now that I've stirred the waters a little more.”

“That man was from the palace, for sure.”

“Which man?” Yuān Mù asked.

“There was a person seated in the Green Crane Pavilion who was paying a little too much attention to everything.” Zéyì explained. “I don't think he was after me specifically, he seemed a little too... unskilled for that.”

“He was probably just a generic set of eyes for the palace.” Zeng Guk Lung sat at the table with a sigh of relief. “Ah, that's better. They might send someone else out now that you've caused a little trouble. They'll be harder to spot.”

“Shi fu, are you leaving now?”

“I've been away from Jyun Mei for too long. You've got a good helper now, Zéyì.”

“Thank you, both of you.” Zéyì bowed. “Your assistance-”

“Is for the good of the Four Kingdoms, Your Highness,” Zeng Guk Lung interrupted. “Ah, I'm sorry I'm treating you so familiarly...”

“That's alright. I'm not anyone... yet. You must be used to talking with all kinds of people.” Zéyì began to pour out water for tea. “Sorry, it's cold.”

“No problem. Yes, well, it comes with the job, you know? As I was saying before, I've been running around recently dealing with lots of different people. The elders of Mount Hua are a difficult bunch, forever arguing. Somehow they've settled down a bit with Lady Eitsu wanting to spar with them every day. I guess martial artists just aren't happy unless they're fighting.”

“Eitsu? The divine cat Eitsu?”

“Oh, you know her?”

“We met, briefly, at Yuhai. So she's been at Mount Hua?”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“We thought it was safest. How much do you know about her situation?”

“Before you all get too deep in discussion,” Yuān Mù interjected, “I really do have to be going. I'm glad to see you're getting along. Zéyì, you may be more of a disciple to me than a junior sister, but please consider Zeng shi di as your shi di too.”

“Please.” Zeng Guk Lung bowed to her.

“I'm in your care, shi di.”

Yuān Mù made his farewells and left, and Zéyì and Zeng Guk Lung talked well into the morning hours.

“So the fox spirit who is following Lady Eitsu is apparently the same fox spirit who was once a guardian spirit in Zhu?”

“According to... Gong Lau Jan, yes.”

“Where is Lady Gong now?”

“I don't know... I assume she hasn't found Zyu Ji Sang yet, though.”

Zeng Guk Lung pinched the bridge of his nose. “Hm. This grows more and more complicated. One thing at a time, though. So your priority is to gain control of Chun.”

“Yes. Zeng shi di, may I ask...?”

“Yes, shi je?”

“Why are you assisting me?”

“In short, for regional stability. Regent Chun Yili is a concerning factor. She can be unpredictable, and quick to aggression. Are you aware of the fallout from your last incarceration here?”

“I... What happened then... Well...”

“You can't remember too much? Well, that's not surprising. I heard a little from shī xiōng about the state you were brought back in. In short, of the two dozen or so exorcists and demon hunters who were brought in to... deal with you, only one apparently left alive, although I can't say it was in one piece. He was apparently a very different man when he returned home. Of course, the regents of the other kingdoms are furious. The people who died may not have been first-rate, but they were still citizens of other countries. And it's not the first time that the Regent of Chun has done such a thing.”

“I suppose it would be easier to encourage a revolution than to take up arms and wage war.”

“Precisely. So you can use this to your advantage. But not too much – it's you who will be regent here, not the rulers of the other kingdoms.”

“Should you be saying that as a citizen of Zhang?”

“I might be a citizen of Zhang, but you're my shi je first.” Zeng Guk Lung grinned openly, then dropped his head on the table. “Ugh. I'm exhausted.”

“You've travelled far, thank you. There is a mattress in the room next door. It's basic, but very comfortable, I assure.”

“Then, I'll be imposing.”

“I may be doing my rounds when you wake up. I'll likely be near the central entertainment district. There's an interesting person living on the streets near there.”

“Making connections with the street people. Good.” Zeng Guk Lung nodded and yawned. “Just don't let down your guard.”

In fact, they later regathered at the food stall. Zéyì had just finished loading the last of the stale buns in her case when Zeng Guk Lung appeared.

“Ah Gui!” he called affectionately, pressing one of her hands between his. He seemed to have adopted the persona of a cheerful puppy.

The uncle who owned the food stall twitched. Unfortunately for him, the same customers who had been heckling him before were present once more.

“No wonder she rejected you!”

“See, I told you! You're too old!”

Smothering laughter, Zéyì and Zeng Guk Lung quickly headed off to do the rounds. They separated hands as soon as they were out of sight.

“Um, shi di, just to be certain...”

“It's okay, shi je, I'm not interested in you in that way. Relax.”

“Thank you.”

Hán Yā was only one street away from where Zéyì had seen him last. She handed him a somewhat dry pork bun with a smile.

“Master Hán Yā.”

“It's the missy with the food. And who's this, a boyfriend?”

Zéyì simply looked coy, making Hán Yā laugh. Zeng Guk Lung smiled, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close. He whispered into her ear, an intimate expression on his face.

“He's from the palace.”

Zéyì's expression didn't change. Her lips barely moved. “How?”

“Eunuch.”

Of course, that explained his voice. Zéyì picked up her box again.

“Hey, hey, hey! Not staying to talk this time? Is that how little you think of me?”

“But Master Hán Yā, there's lots of hungry people waiting for their dinner.”

“True... Come and talk to me again, okay? Ah, I nearly, nearly forgot. Got something for you.”

“For me?”

“Here. A friend of mine wanted you to have this. No idea why.” He rummaged in his filthy rags and drew out a stained paper packet. Zéyì took it dubiously.

“Are you going to open it?” Hán Yā asked, eyes glittering.

“Not while I'm working.” She slipped the packet in her sleeve and gave him a small bow. “Who is your friend? I should greet the person who gave me something.”

“Nah, nah, they're very shy. Let me know, okay? Let me know if you want to pass something on.”

They made their goodbyes and completed the round of deliveries. Zéyì tried to keep her expression light as she passed food to a group of filthy little children.

“Each week, it seems as though there are faces missing,” she said quietly to Zeng Guk Lung, after they had returned the empty carry case and were making their way back to the hideout.

“You're doing what you can, with what you have right now.”

Back in the underground rooms, Zéyì finally pulled out the paper package and opened it. Two things fell out – a sketch of some flowers, and a small length of bamboo.

"Lotuses and hollyhocks," Zeng Guk Lung observed. "You said your family gave you the nickname 'Lian', Lotus, correct? So I'm going to assume that this is someone from the palace who is aware of this fact. And hollyhocks... shǔ kuí... is the other person."

Chūn Zéyì turned the picture of the flowers over. There were more on the back, but where there had been lotuses on one side, these were now replaced with poplar catkins, tightly entwined with the hollyhocks.

"Poplar...Yáng Jìn? Surely not... the Head of Security?"

“Who?”

“Yáng Jìn, the Commander-in-Chief, responsible for the security of the city, but especially the palace. And hollyhocks again... What does this person have to do with Yáng Jìn?”

Zéyì turned the bamboo around and around. “There's a wax stopper hidden here. If I just...” She managed to prise the wax out with her rusty dagger, and out fell a lock of dark hair. Zeng Guk Lung plucked it from the table immediately.

“Soft, slightly scented... More likely to be a woman's hair. Desperate. Whoever this is, she's placing a great deal of trust in you, Your Highness. To risk giving you control over her with this hair... it's like she's saying 'I'm putting my life in your hands'.”

“Does Yáng Jìn have a lover?”

“I thought about that. If he does, it's not common knowledge. But this evidence all seems to point to … A woman, related to hollyhocks. A lover of Yáng Jìn, desperately seeking your help. She's related to the palace somehow, if an old palace eunuch is assisting her...” Zeng Guk Lung put the hair down and frowned deeply. “Not only that, she worked out who you were very quickly, and seems to be... Perhaps...”

“Who?”

“The... mysterious Head of Intelligence?”

"I need to talk to Hán Yā," Chūn Zéyì said immediately. "I will appear before the people tomorrow in the middle of the hour of the snake(1), in the Square of Osmanthus."