Under the cherry tree

Chapter 6: Prince's jewels (1)

The gateway of Prince's jewels looms over the disciples' heads, jade colored wood twisting in tall spirals with yellow carved dragons guarding the entrance, standing tall and mighty before a criminal den crawling with men who see no value in staying faithful to their wives and even to their own honor, for nothing more than drugs and carnal pleasure that they deem far more important and fulfilling. The lazy sun slowly descends beyond the horizon, the last rays playing on the red-tainted glass encased in the beasts' eyes. It's time.

Let us proceed with Phase One.

I'm perched up on the brothel's green rooftop, straight above the secluded room on the third floor where Jo Gul is supposed to coax Gao Shan into giving away compromising information. The margins of the building are perched up, forming a half-arch wide enough to conceal my body along the fast-approaching night.

My clothes are black and loose, with plenty of room to keep my sachet and crescent daggers accessible at all times. The tunic that covers my chest is made of light steel, unlike the leather one I wore the other day. A piece of thin yet opaque fabric covers most of my face along with a similar cloak, leaving only my eyes visible. No distinctive traits, no weak spots. I look more like a thief now than I did in over a month. Ever since Zevo sent me after the Divine Dragon, I couldn't help but dress like an unsuspecting civilian so as not to draw attention to myself. Though that failed miserably when we came face to face at the inn after my lousy attempt to escape the man who was chasing me. That is not to say he saw my daggers. I'm surprised he hasn't pestered me about them again. It's common sense that such weapons are never used by people who fight fairly. They're blades specifically crafted for murder, for secret executions.

To summarize, I'm a pretty damn dangerous person that ought to be avoided at all costs.

I watched Jo Gul, who was dressed like a true merchant in fine brownish robes threaded with silver depicting trees and villages and rivers, demand entry with the attitude of a spoiled noble. His red hair was now thoroughly combed and tied in a perfect tiny ponytail at his nape. The Viper had no sword tied to his waist, but he was flanked by 3 guards wearing the same colors, hands hovering on the black hilt of their swords, the disciples. We painted the handle so that the plum blossom symbol remains hidden, to Cheongmyeong's protest. The boy thrashed and kicked and bit the ones who tried to take away his dear weapon. He is rather... attached to it. Only then did I understand why they occasionally called him 'rabid dog'. We made a compromise and just tied a dark cloth to his sword, covering up the only thing that could reveal their identities.

Just when the brothel's servants opened the door for the fake Viper to enter, I noticed someone's missing. Where is the 4th guy??? There's no way they were left behind on the way to Prince's jewels. Baek Cheon made sure all of them came together as a group. He even made a fuss about getting here 10 minutes early.

Oh God, I think I'm getting dizzy. Jo Gul hasn't even met Gao Shan yet, and something's already going wrong. And the ones who are down there aren't even suspecting it.

I made to get up hurriedly to warn them about the current situation when someone tapped my shoulder from behind. It made my body jolt in surprise, and I nearly fell over the edge of the roof. A sturdy arm kept me in place. I stifled a yelp.

He started whispering. "Keep it down! Are you trying to blow our cover?"

This unnervingly familiar voice.

You gotta be kidding me.

"Are you trying to blow our cover? What are you doing up here?! You're supposed to be with Jo Gul! The others—"

Cheongmyeong lifted his hands from my body and crossed his legs to sit. This ignorant gesture only made my blood boil more. "Relax, I told Yunjong I was changing stations for the time being. It's no big deal." The guts of this boy are incredulous.

"What do you mean 'it's no big deal'?! You completely ignored the plan! What are you going to do if things get messy and they need your help?"

He smirked. "I'll jump inside through the window, obviously." I frowned in frustration. "Don't make that face, you know I couldn't leave you here all alone."

"And why is that, if I may ask?"

"I don't trust you that much."

"Then you meant you couldn't leave me unsupervised. That's entirely different."

Cheongmyeong shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much."

I watched as he adjusted his ponytail, tying it more tightly. "Why don't you trust me?"

At that, the Divine Dragon turned to look straight into my eyes. His pink eyes gleamed almost blood red in the setting sun. "Because you aren't honest with us, Lou. You're hiding many things from us, I'm sure of it. At first I thought you to be just a clumsy little girl from Henan who happened to be knowledgeable enough to be of help to our cause. That is, assuming you're even living in this city. And all the 'chasing after the cat of the wife of the blah, blah, blah' is a ridiculous story. No fool would risk injuring themselves for a cat that can, mind you, land on its feet from any height without so much as a scratch. But you 'happened' to do just that."

"I was trying to help the poor woman! Her basement is infested with rats."

His face contorted in anger. "Stop lying already! I caught you. You might have tricked those morons, but that type of shit doesn't work on me."

"It's not—"

"Yes, it is. Who would carry daggers at any waking hour in a place where anything dangerous hardly ever happens? Who would be able to procure ledgers straight from the most notorious merchant around without so much as breaking a sweat? The Viper's letters, the plan—" Cheongmyeong reached his hand under my cloak so fast that I had no time to react. He had my sachet in his left hand. "—and this? What are you hiding in here??"

Panic flooded my mind in a moment. No!

I shouted "Give that back!" while clawing for the bag. Thankfully, it was too noisy in the brothel and on the street for anyone other than him to hear me.

The Divine Dragon got up in one swift motion and raised the sachet high in the air. He pointed his sword right below my left clavicle with the other hand. "Nuh-uh~! Make one more step forward and you're in for a fight. And I guarantee you I won't be on the losing side. Be thankful I'm still being nice." You're anything but nice. I gritted my teeth and retreated slowly as Cheongmyeong emptied the contents on the green tiles.

My doom inched closer along with the shock that now twisted his entire face. There was no hint of playfulness remaining.

"You, YOU— how dare you?! How long have you had this damn BRANCH on you?!?"

Aaaand that was the moment I knew I screwed up thoroughly.