How To Polish A Pearl

Chapter 36 - Safeguarding

Without hesitation, he shifts his gravity and uses his QingGong to rapidly move through the air, circling around the trail so as to not be seen. Luckily, the ambush is focused on their obvious target and not their flank. Idiots.

Touching down on the left hand side, his fan moving so swift neither of the men react before their throats are slit. With a quick glance to the right, he confirms that the group is still out of sight.

He shifts again and within seconds he has vaulted in behind the second group, touching down right as the guards moves around the bend rapidly approaching their location. With almost dance like movements, the second groups is incapacitated. All twenty assassins dead without making a single sound. From his hidden location and his fan dripping with blood, Wen Ke Xing watches Zhou Xu and the guards pass by as if nothing had happened.

Flicking his fan closed, he frowns at the blood that one of these insects had dare to spill on his robe before it died. Using the fan, he pokes and prods at the corpses for anything that might identify them. At first glance, they appear the same as the men from the platform a few weeks back, at least from what he could remember. Ah-Xiang had already disposed of the bodies before he had woken up so he had not been able to fully examine them.

Hunching down to pick up one of the bayonets, he sees a tattoo within the palm of the assassins hand. A heart...? Looking through the rest of the men, he confirms that they are all tattooed with a heart in their right palm and a crown in their left.

Standing up, still holding on to one of the bayonets, he sees that Zhou Xu and the guards have moved out of sight. Transferring his qi to his legs, he pushes off, soaring rapidly down the trail until the posse is within sight. He follows them for a few minutes, confirming that they are heading back towards Wu Ying, before he shifts again and circles around to move past them. Within minutes he has descended the peak and is back at Jingchan shortly thereafter.

Walking into the courtyard, Ah-Xiang is there waiting for him. "Zhuren, are you hurt? You have blood on your robe!" Her voice shrill and filled with worry, echoing around the courtyard.

"Ah-Xiang, lower your voice. It's not my blood.", he says with a cool expression and throws the bayonet towards her. "See what you can find out about this bayonet."

"Zhuren? Where did you get this?"

"Someone made a third attempt on my Ah-Xu's life."

"Zhuren! You were following him? I thought you were checking the earthquake damages?"

With irritation in his voice, he continues, "Just go find out what you can about who uses this bayonet. I have never seen this type of pommel before, see what you can find out about it." (1)

"Okay."

"See if you can compare it to the one that Ah-Xu has as well, but don't get caught. Do it tomorrow after he has left."

"Zhuren..."

"Oh, and they had a heart tattooed in their right palm and a crown in their left. Find out which of the devils uses this for their underlings."

"A heart and a crown?"

"Yes, I will make a sketch for you later. Do you remember if the other assassins had any tattoos?"

"Not that I can remember..."

"Hmmm. Well, see what you can find out. I need a bath and food. Ah-Xu will be back in an hour."

"Zhuren, are you going to see him today?"

"No."

"Zhuren... he is not going to come see you. Stop waiting for him."

"I just have to make sure that all rivers run to the sea." (2)

"... Zhuren, what sea? Our rivers flows to the lake."

Irritated, he slaps her on the head with his bloody fan, "... Ah-Xiang, don't stick your nose in things you don't understand."

"..."

"I will have the sketch ready for you when you bring me the food." Walking away, he leaves Ah-Xiang standing in the middle of the courtyard holding the bayonet.

Walking into his bed chamber he drops his outer robe on the bed, knowing that the maids will have it clean and ready by tomorrow. Picking up a fresh inner robe, he walks towards his bath chamber, picking up two bottles of wine on the way.

He hated admitting that Ah-Xiang was right. He was waiting for Zhou Xu to come see him. He also knows that he wouldn't come. He had never waited for a man his entire life. Usually men chased him, especially after sharing his bed (or whatever furniture was available at the time).

Not that he ever let any of them near him again after having tasted them. Having someone in his life wasn't part of the plan. The plan to wed was just a distraction to keep everyone occupied. Yet, it had turned out to distract him more than anyone else. He hadn't even enjoyed the company of his washers for weeks now. Nor made a trip out of the Ghost Valley for new flower beauties.

Taking off his robes, he hangs them over a screen. Descending down the steps, Wen Ke Xing walks towards the seating area, with both wine bottles in his hand. Within ten minutes, they are both empty, having barely taken the edge off his irritation. I need to snap out of this and focus on the end goal.

Suppressing any and all thoughts, he distracts himself by re-reading one of his favorite poetry books. Only putting it down to sketch the tattoos and have dinner. Halfway through the book, he falls asleep, still with his clothes on and the book resting on his chest.

Waking up a bit later than usual, the book long having fallen off the bed during the restless night, he has already forgotten about the promise to re-focus he had made to himself yesterday.

His eyes twitching a bit, he rolls out of bed and heads for the bath chamber. Thirty minutes later, he walks out feeling more like normal only to see Ah-Xiang waiting for him.

"What is it?"

"Zhuren, I just wanted to report that it is the same bayonet as the one Zhou Xu has."

"You already confirmed?"

"Yes, I went in earlier this morning right after they left Wu Ying."

"He already left? What time is it?"

"He left an hour ago..."

Before she has even finished the sentence, Wen Ke Xing is already throwing the newly cleaned grey robe and hurrying out the door.

..・ヾ(。＞＜)シ

Author's notes:

(1) A pommel is the top of the hilt. Hilt is the handle of a bayonet and consist of a (rain)guard, grip and pommel.

(2) 'All rivers run to the sea', Chinese proverb meaning something like 'We all shared a common destiny'. Wen Ke Xing is saying that he will make sure the two of them shares a destiny.