The incident at the Lotus Pond was not reported outside of the Academy.

 

Before Feiyan could even ask what had happened after she fell into the water, Lord Mu abruptly left for Keungang, only leaving her with the instruction that she was not to seek out either Pul or Li Molan. Her skin still throbbed when she thought about how those four had bullied her, and yet she hadn’t been able to fight back. Constrained by her duty and her loyalty to Bi, she had held back, and the unresolved feelings roiled like a knot of snakes in her belly.

 

As she didn’t return to the Academy, it was only much later that she discovered Liwen Yi had used a memory wiping spell on the four culprits. However, the Headmaster had not dared to do it on the page of the Shoban Prince.

 

Pul’s minor injuries had been treated by Teacher Tu and he had been given clean robes to allow him to leave for the rest of the day. Although Liwen Yi had asked him not to speak of the incident, he had reported it to his brother who listened with a shuttered expression on his face. Still, Pul hadn’t been surprised when Seiren simply told him to brush the incident off as hazing.

 

Although Seiren felt a pang about the incident, he had been expecting something similar to happen. However, that the young Moutan Prince, or rather the little kunoichi who looked like the Prince, had step in to protect Pul…he wondered if there was a hidden Moutan agenda that he was missing. Seiren chafed to reveal what he had seen that day in the royal hunting ground, but he felt like that would lead to a conversation on things that Pul was not quite ready to hear. If Seiren had known then what was to come, he might have actually regretted keeping quiet about it.

 

Regardless, both of them would soon be leaving to return to Shobu, so Seiren decided it would be better to act as if he didn’t know…it did not suit his plans to stir things up in Moutan. There was too much at stake. In order to carry out his plan, he’d been deliberately lying low these last few months while his people and his mother worked in the shadows, undermining his father and Sakurako. He could not let his heart be shaken at a time like this: he had to return to Shobu as soon as possible and begin pulling in the threads that he had set down, one by one, in the fight against his Father. If he could just bear with it, they would leave in less than a month.

 

If Pul thought it strange that his classes carried on as if nothing had happened, he made no mention of it, instead choosing to sink himself into his studies. Liwen Yi was happy enough with his progress that she adopted him as one of her personal students, though Pul thought that this was just as likely a protective measure as a reward for academic excellence. As a result, he was not required to attend in the general class as often and soon the other students became bored and moved their attention on to other targets.

 

Since the real Prince Iseulbi had recovered from his illness, Feiyan’s presence was no longer required at the Academy, so the Prince himself attended classes. Feiyan spent her days in her Father’s manor recovering, and when she had, she returned to her training.

 

If there were rumors or questions about Pul at the academy, the Prince merely made noncommittal comments, and because they did not meet very often, it seemed that the two boys were only distantly polite to each other. Wearing the same calm, bland face that he normally had, the other students eventually stopped asking the Prince about the Shoban page.

 

Feiyan, on the other hand, stymied by her unresolved hatred, took her frustration out on the straw dummies in the training ground.

 

“Xiao Yan is definitely getting more proficient with the sword,” remarked Xing, standing off to the side with his arms crossed. “She may reach be able to reach Sword Saint one day.”

 

“Hmmmn,” muttered Haruka, sounding half-hearted.

 

She watched as Feiyan dashed towards the dummy at top speed, eyes narrowing critically as the nine-year old leaped into the air and delivered three slashing blows in the blink of an eye. As Feiyan passed it and skidded to a stop, the dummy, which had still been whole, burst in a puff of air, causing straw and dirt to fly in every direction as the dummy exploded.

 

“You don’t think so?” Xing asked, seeing Haruka’s grim expression.

 

“A person with an unsettled heart is the most likely to experience a deviation in their cultivation. Feiyan has always progressed quickly, but today her focus is a mess. Anyone can see that she’s harboring resentment.”

 

Xing sighed.

 

“Are you speaking as her shijie* or as the Vice-Captain of Lord Mu’s Shadow guard?” asked Xing. “And be more kind. She’s nine, and still a child, though we forget because she tries so hard to hide it.”

 

The disgusted look that Haruka gave him made Xing flinch, but he also grinned, willing to face the tigress in her own den.

 

Haruka softened.

 

“Of course I know that...and I’m speaking both as her shijie and Vice-Captain. Lord Mu loves her deeply, but he has to be careful about how much affection he shows her. She’s grown up without a mother, so I want to be her family, but I can’t stay silent when she does something that will affect her training. With her being nine, it’s time she had companions amongst the Shadows…I don’t know why Lord Mu has waited this long to assign her a triad…Gen and Xia are also still unassigned.”

 

“Gen would be fine, but Xia…Lord Mu made him the responsibility of Captain Moon…” Xing observed, looking thoughtful. “Did Captain say anything about it?”

 

Haruka shook her head.  

 

“Moon doesn’t talk about these things, nor does he ever question Lord Mu’s decisions. Come to think of it…Lord Mu’s been gone almost half a month now. Xiao Yan must be lonely even if she doesn’t say so. Come, let’s go keep her company instead of wasting time here.”

 

“How can you say that talking to me is a waste of time!” Xing protest, hurt.

 

Haruka only grinned at him, causing him to blush.

 

Wiping at her sweat, Feiyan noticeably brightened when she saw Xing and Haruka approaching from the side of the training yard. She waved a gloved hand.

 

Haruka sighed internally. Just a moment before, Feiyan’s eyes had been dark and seething, but just like that, the child had simply smothered her feelings, presenting a cheerful countenance to her seniors.

 

It makes me feel uneasy that she won’t allow herself to show her true feelings even to us, thought Haruka.

 

“Haruka! Xing!” Feiyan greeted.

 

“A’Yan’s sword movement is improving,” said Haruka, patting her on the shoulder.

 

“Thanks!” the child grinned.

 

“Don’t force yourself though. You’ve practiced from the pre-dawn all the way to now. Aren’t you tired?”

 

Feiyan shook her head, looking at the ground.

 

“Hmmmn,” said Haruka disapprovingly. “Get some rest. Your wounds have only just healed.”

 

“I’ll listen to Shijie,” Feiyan muttered.

 

“That’s good,” said Xing, chuckling. “Don’t make us too worried, ok?”

 

“Mmmmn,” she agreed, as Xing patted her head, affectionately smoothing back her silky dark hair.

 

The three of them turned as there was a clatter from the entrance.

 

“My Lord! Captain!” Xing greeted, as Lord Mu came striding in along with Captain Moon, who appeared to be carrying a large cloth bag in his arms.

 

As they came closer, Feiyan realized that it was not a bag, but a battered dark-haired child that had been wrapped in coarse brown cloth. The child, who was male, looked frail and pitiful, and it was clear that he was flushed with fever.

 

“I’ll get the servants, my Lord,” said Haruka, grabbing Xing’s wrist and dragging him with her.

 

“Father…?” asked Feiyan with creased eyebrows.

 

Lord Mu shook his head to indicate that he would explain later. Taking his daughter’s hand, he guided her towards the house.

 

Captain Moon, who was stoic as always, saw no need to change the atmosphere with speaking. He doggedly carried his feverish burden and at the direction of the Lord took the boy into one of the guest rooms as servants rushed back and forth, following Lord Mu’s curt instructions.

 

Although they looked anxious, Haruka and Xing only stayed long enough to ensure that everything was under control before they reluctantly left, chased out by a grunt from their Captain.

 

As the servants stripped the dirty rags off the boy, Feiyan, who’d followed into the room after her father, saw that he was terribly thin, ribs showing sharply through his chest. He was also covered in bruises and scrapes, some of them half-healed while others were fresh and still bleeding.

 

Lord Mu and the Captain had moved to the corner of the room, quietly talking amongst themselves, but they occasionally glanced at the two children. They seemed to be in a heated discussion which was especially unusual as Moon rarely argued with Lord Mu.

 

Curiosity piqued, Feiyan finally interrupted them to ask:

 

“Who is he, Father? And what happened to him?”

 

While she waited for his answer, she took a small basin from one of the maids and set it down next to the bed. She wrung out a wet cloth as she murmured reassuringly, patting down the boy’s overheated forehead and his body, wiping dirt and dried blood away. She noticed that even his hair was caked with dirt. As she cleaned, she was saddened to see more and more scars.

 

He’s so malnourished…it’s hard to know how old he is…she thought.

 

“Yan’er, this boy is called Hajoon. He is eleven and he is from the kingdom of Keungang. He doesn’t know the Moutan language very well yet, but I’ve decided to make him part of your triad along with Gen. He has suffered quite a bit before coming to Moutan, so he’s your responsibility until he gets better. Since he’s your partner, you must help him get stronger, ok?”

 

Feiyan thought about it for a moment and then she smiled softly, nodding her agreement. Despite the boy’s current state, her Father had obviously seen hidden potential in him. To make him part of her fighting triad would not have been a decision made lightly. Since Father had entrusted this job to her, she would do it well.

 

“Hajoon-Ge*,” she said experimentally, trying the name on her tongue.

 

As his name was called, the boy opened his bleary eyes, looking up into the face of the girl next to him. He tried to push himself up on his arms, but because he was so weak, he couldn’t. He only blinked up at her, sagging back down immediately.

 

Purple eyes!

 

“Father, could he be…?” Feiyan jerked her eyes to her father’s face, feeling both astonishment and fear.

 

Father! What were you thinking?!

 

Lord Mu nodded, confirming her suspicions.

 

“Yes, it’s exactly what you are thinking, but let’s not talk about it now. He needs rest.”

 

Argh! This boy has the purple eyes of Keungang’s Royal family…If that’s true, then his wounds are from capitvity or from trying to escape assassination, or both…Father, what a mess!

 

Feiyan tried not to groan.

 

The boy jerked under her grip and she realized that she had unwittingly squeezed his wrist in her agitation. Immediately remorseful, Feiyan patted his shoulder and he relaxed again, realizing that she meant him no harm.   While she’d been lost in thought, the servants had somehow managed to clean the rest of his body and clothe him in white undergarments, taking the bowl of dirty water away from their young Mistress who now sat staring at him with a blank expression on her face.

 

The boy mumbled something at her, but it was so quiet that Feiyan couldn’t tell what he was saying.

 

“Tell the servants if you need anything,” Lord Mu said to her, jerking his chin for Moon to follow him, and thus leaving the boy in her care. Once in the hallway he gave further instructions to the maids.

 

Inside, one of the maids handed Feiyan the fever pills. Holding it carefully, she tried to push one against Hajoon’s lips, but he was so weak, he didn’t have the energy to open his mouth.

 

“He’s barely conscious. This won’t do…” she muttered.

 

Without a thought, she took the pill and some water into her mouth and leaned over him.

 

“Wait, Young Mistress--!” shrieked the maid, as Feiyan bent her head down and pushed her tongue into the boy’s mouth, forcefully his lips open to accept the medicine. He tried to struggle, making a muffled noise, but she ignored it.

 

Shoving the pill in with her tongue, she then carefully released the water as the boy’s purple eyes bulged and his face flashed a bright shade of red. Unable to do anything else, he swallowed the pill and the water.

 

Although he looked dazed, he finally realized what she had been trying to do, and even though he looked humiliated, he didn’t look as angry as he had a moment before.

 

“Sorry…it couldn’t be helped,” she apologized, trying to emphasize with her voice and expression that she hadn’t been trying to do something weird to him. “I have to go now…” she said, patting his hand. “I’ll come back, Hajoon.”

 

“Dal…da*,” he whispered, a flicker of a smile going across his face even as he fell into a deep sleep. Puzzled she turned to the maid who was hovering at her shoulder with a disapproving look. Feiyan’s fingers touched her lips where they had touched the boy’s, her cheeks still dusted pink from the contact.

 

“Young Mistress, you should not be so forward with a stranger…” scolded the maid.

 

“Father won’t blame me. It’ll be alright. Yali…I don’t speak the language of Keungang very well…what did he say just now?”

 

“He said he was tired,” said the maid, avoiding her glance.

 

“Ah…I see,” said Feiyan, skeptically.

 

Liar…

 

 

 

 

___________________________________________

* Elder Martial sister.

* 哥 – Older Brother, but it can also be used to address familiar, but non-blood related older males. Hajoon is Feiyan’s oppa. 😊

* Dalda – 달다 – it’s explained in the next chapter, so I won’t spoil. 😊