Sou Yuet smiled back politely. "Honourable Lí..."

"Please, Lí Shī gē is fine."

The monk did not even blink an eye at this request to use a more familiar form of address. "Thank you. Lí Shī gē, I hope we can work well together. I am Yuān Yì Fēng of the Yuān Wěi School."

"Nice to meet you, Yuān Shī dì."

After the dance of courtesies was out of the way and Security Shī jiě had left, the pair turned to the investigation.

"The facts are - a month ago, the three shī zi - male, female and cub - disappeared from their cave during the night. There were apparently no witnesses to see them vanish. This is strange because, firstly, they are large creatures and therefore highly noticeable. Secondly, there are regular patrols throughout the night all around the Sanctuary. Thirdly, with the number of powerful cultivators here, yet no one sensed anything amiss..." Lí sighed and cupped his chin thoughtfully. "There is no sign of a disturbance in the cave. No tracks, no scents, blood, signs of a fight, anything."

"So either they left of their own volition, or they were taken by someone they knew or trusted."

Lí's eye drifted over the monk. "Why so?"

"Of course because there are no traces of violence. They would not fight someone they trusted, and why would there be disturbance if they were leaving by themselves?" Sou Yuet looked bemused. "Shouldn't that be clear enough?"

"Ha. A smart man. Yes, true enough. In addition, unfortunately the overzealous disciples here arrived in the morning, thought the shī zi had left for the day, and swept the place, replacing all the leaves and such. Those who did it swear that they saw nothing out of the ordinary." Lí sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"No scents either? Are you certain? Who checked?"

"Someone reliable."

"Yourself?"

They stared at each other momentarily. Sou Yuet's black eyes held Lí's lazy light brown one.

"Yuān Shī dì, forgive me for asking, but you don't seem to trust me?"

"I could say the same of you, Lí Shī gē. But I understand. We are still strangers and who knows what our real motives are." Sou Yuet paused thoughtfully. "Although I would have thought another legendary animal would have been on the shī zi's side. Am I correct in saying you are a hú li jīng, a fox spirit?"

"Indeed." Lí let out a low laugh. "You've interpreted my name correctly. Most people assume it to be 'plum tree'."

"An easy mistake to make. But it would make sense for a being such as yourself to be investigating this matter. So you did not smell anything strange?"

"Not at all. Only the scent of the shī zi and the human disciples was present here." He sighed again and ran a hand through his hair, although he took care not to disturb the long fringe that fell across his left eye. He caught Sou Yuet's questioning look.

"Curious?"

"I must confess, Honourable Lí, I am a very nosy person."

"Ah, you needn't call me 'Honourable', really. Lí Shī gē is fine. As for my strange hairstyle..." He ran a hand again over the short back and sides of his hair, and then pressed that hand to his fringe. "I was in an accident several years ago. It left me with scars all over my body, and unfortunately unhealthy hair that breaks easy. As shameful as it is, I keep trimmed short for this reason."

Sou Yuet bowed apologetically. "I have pried into something personal. Please accept my apologies, Honourable Lí." Their eyes took in Lí's appearance in more detail – an undershirt that covered much of his neck, covers over the backs of his hands, sleeves to his wrists, long scholar-like robes.

"Enough of this, Yì Fēng Shī dì. May I call you that? Let's give this place another good look over."

They dispersed, carefully combing the cave. Sou Yuet was minutely examining the leaves on the ground when Lí spoke.

"There's no point in looking at those. After that first morning, the disciples have replaced the leaves every week, hoping for the shī zi to return. There won't be any remaining from that day."

"Ah, I see. Well, would it perhaps be possible to talk to those disciples who cleaned up the first day?"

"Yes? I've already grilled them multiple times though. What do you want to ask? I may already know the answer."

"This." Sou Yuet held out their hand. In the centre of their slender palm sat a single, tiny seed, oval in shape and sporting ridges along its length.

"A seed?"

"It's bā jiǎo, star anise. Do you know the effect it has on dogs?"

Lí looked at Sou Yuet in a new light. "Yì Fēng Shī dì, where did you say you were from again?"

"The Yuān Wěi School of Healing."

"With a name like that... perchance, do you have a good grasp of herbalism?"

"I will humbly admit that I am the head disciple."

Something seemed to spark in Lí's eye. He stepped in close to Sou Yuet, bending so that their eyes were at the same level. Their faces were barely a hands-breadth apart.

"I knew I liked you," Lí said softly, his handsome face suddenly creasing into a gentle smile. He cupped a hand under Sou Yuet's chin, studying them carefully. "On closer inspection, you're as delicate as a girl. Was I wrong? Are you actually Yì Fēng Shī mèi? I apologise."

"No need. I have no interest in such things," Sou Yuet replied politely, with an expression of pleasant confusion, as if they were not sure why Lí had brought their faces so close.

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"I see, how lovely."

Their noses were almost touching. Lí stroked Sou Yuet's lower lip with his thumb.

"Won't you come with me, lovely little monk? We could use your smart brain. And..." His thumb exerted a slight pressure on the lip, pushing it down slightly.

Sou Yuet genially but firmly moved the hand away. "I'm afraid I cannot. I have another job, you see. And a friend who is waiting for me."

Lí caught the hand that had pushed him away. "A friend?" He sniffed at Sou Yuet's hand, suddenly becoming rigid. "What is this? Who is this?"

"I think I have obtained all the information I need, Honourable Lí." Sou Jut slipped their hand expertly from Lí's grasp. "Please forgive me for not staying longer."

A different smile cracked Lí's face. He was no less handsome, but this new expression was terrifying. "But what if I insist you stay, little one?"

From the thin air, a sword materialised hilt first, above his outstretched hand. It was a simple straight sword, the only decoration a golden pommel shaped like a rounded crown, but a fearsome aura radiated from it.

"Forgive me, I don't think I can let you go, you're too lovely. And I did try to persuade you gently, but since you've rejected me, I have no choice but to be a bit forceful. Not to worry, I know how to cut a few tendons while causing little visible damage. I just need you to stay still."

Sou Yuet waved their hand gently. "Of course, of course. And you must forgive me too. I'm afraid we were going to end up at this point no matter what. You see..." They bowed apologetically. "... you're not my type."

Lí laughed. "Ah, that's hard to hear, as a hú li jīng. We're famous for our skills of seduction, you know. That hurts my pride."

"As long as it is only your pride," Sou Yuet countered, folding their hands in their sleeves. "If you would permit me to leave now, that is."

A second later the sword, propelled by an unseen force, zipped by their face, narrowly missing. Sou Yuet had leaned slightly to one side at the last moment to avoid it.

"You have some skills, little monk. Please change your mind." Lí leapt forwards, his nails transforming into sharp claws that raked at Sou Yuet's face but met only air. The monk dodged back, using their leg to continue Lí's momentum. But the fox merely snatched up his sword and flipped back with unnerving agility, striking down at Sou Yuet's face again.

The monk swept the sword aside with a circular movement of their palm along the flat of the blade, then struck low with their foot at Lí's ankle. The hú li jīng leapt upwards lightly to avoid the kick, landing behind the monk. As Sou Yuet turned, he thrust his sword at their nose.

The monk dropped flat to the floor and rolled lithely, skipping across air to make space between them. "Is there some reason you keep going for my face, Honourable Lí? I thought you were proud of how you could incapacitate me with little visible damage."

"I was hoping without your pretty eyes, your lover would leave you and you would have to come with me after all. Don't worry, little one, I'll love you and look after you no matter how you look."

Sou Yuet smiled in comprehension. "Ah, thank you, Honourable Lí. But my friend will surely not mind whether I am pretty or no." They paused contemplatively. "Although they might be upset if you injured me in any way."

They dodged the sword that spun through the air towards them and closed the gap in a second, flinging a flurry of fists at the fox's nose, throat, solar plexus and stomach. Lí blocked each blow and called the sword back to his hand. They disengaged once more.

"Is that so? Are they themselves ugly then?"

"My friend may not be as handsome as you, and some may find them scary, but I think their face is very pleasing to look at."

"Gods, you're in deep. Perhaps I should be aiming at your friend then, not you?"

"You can try. They would not be easily defeated."

Lí sighed dramatically. "Such a hard life. I've been rejected by a pretty monk, and their lover is a scary person who would be hard to beat. What am I to do?"

"Let me go."

"Not an option, unfortunately."

"It was worth a try."

They clashed again, Sou Yuet striking at Lí's sword hand, the fox slicing without hesitation at the monk's head. Neither of them seemed to be able to make a clean hit on the other.

"Now come on, be reasonable," Lí said with a little laugh. He twirled his sword. "If you know anything about hú li jīng, you know what we are capable of."

"I thought I did, but I have yet to see anything of interest."

"I can show you," Lí offered, running his thumb contemplatively over his own lips. "Your friend. Given that I can't smell them right now and how fresh their scent is on your hands, they must be outside the town, nearby. I wonder, does your friend have nightmares?"

"Everyone has nightmares." Sou Yuet shrugged.

"Ah, but that smell... that person knows death, don't they? Knows death intimately." Lí spun his sword idly, as if thinking out loud. "A person like that, what kind of nightmares might they have? They can't be simple ones. How delicious."

He licked his lips and glanced at the monk. Finally, Sou Yuet was no longer smiling. They seemed lost in thought.

Lí appeared in front of them, caressing their chin once more. "So? Changed your mind?"

Sou Yuet's eyelashes quivered. "...Yes."

Lí smiled and nipped the end of Sou Yuet's nose with his teeth. The faint scent of pine curled around the monk. "Good, good child."

Sou Yuet raised their hands and cupped the fox demon's handsome face. They could feel knots of skin under their right hand where Lí was hiding the damage to his face under his fringe.

"What a shame."

"Hm?"

"Your handsome face, damaged like this. Let me heal it for you." Sou Yuet pressed their right hand more firmly to the damaged skin. "Tsaak liu."

By the time Lí had reeled back, the skin on his face had truly begun to heal, but it had also crept across his eye, creating a gruesome opaque barrier. The scarred, red skin stretched piecemeal across the eye socket.

With a rueful laugh, Lí disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sou Yuet caught a glimpse of nine glistening white tails as he raced from the cave and vanished.

Sou Yuet stared at their hand for a moment. Then, with a deep sigh, they too left the cave.

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

"What the feck happened to yer face?"

"My face?"

Sou Yuet had barely left Yīng Bì-hù-suǒ when they were practically body-tackled by the necromancer. The witch's big hands pulled the monk's face upwards as he scrutinised every bit.

Sou Yuet coughed. "Could you be a little more gentle, Pang Yau? I'm not so tall..."

The necromancer let go and knelt down instead, searching the monk's face from below. "Monk! What happened? Who did ye run into?"

"A fox spirit named Lí."

"Fox?" The necromancer looked dubious. "Then why are there traces of a death power all over yer face? And why only yer face? Yer lips?"

"He realised I'd caught him out, so he tried to seduce me."

"..."

Sou Yuet was interested to see that they could practically see enormous storm-clouds gathering behind the necromancer's head.

"But it didn't work, so he tried to threaten me with force instead."

The storm-clouds were joined by claps of thunder.

"Pang Yau..."

"Wait... the feck... Start from the beginning, dammit."

Sou Yuet led the way to a nearby stream, explaining as they went. The necromancer insisted on cleaning the monk's face himself with the water that they had extracted and purified.

"Ye can't see it yerself, after all," he argued. "So ye think this guy has something to do with the disappearance? Why the hell is he still hanging around there then?"

"They do say that criminals return to the scene of the crime," Sou Yuet murmured as their lips were scrubbed vigorously. "But he... seemed to be looking for something."

"That fecker... I'm going to find him."

"Pang Yau..."

The necromancer stopped scrubbing. For the first time, he noticed how pale Sou Yuet looked. "Are ye okay... Sou Yuet?"

"He was very strong. I was lucky that he wasn't being serious and I was able to catch him off guard, but I might not have that opportunity next time. His spiritual power was... he is a far older being than me."

"How old are ye?"

"Hm, a little over one hundred years old?"

The necromancer nearly spat blood. "WHAT?"

"Why, how old are you?"

"Thirty!"

"Ah, a mere child."

"YOU-"

"So don't go chasing after that fox. He had nine tails, you know, that means he's over a thousand years old."

"... shite."

The monk patted their companion's shoulder. "Let's find an inn in town. We can bathe and actually sleep in a bed then."

They blinked in surprise as the necromancer crouched before them. "Get on me back."

"Ah, that's not necessary."

"Get the feck on before I throw ye over me shoulder, granny."

"If you insist, little baby."

The necromancer's jaw cracked ominously but he said nothing, just began the descent back into town.