狗急跳墙 (Gǒu jí tiaò qiáng) - A cornered dog will leap over a wall; Extreme circumstances require extreme measures.

---

By the time that the hour of the snake had begun, the Square of Osmanthus was heaving with people. Nervous and curious citizens, travellers, street people, disguised guards and hidden assassins milled about, everyone suspicious of everyone else.

Yáng Jìn calmly sipped tea under a little awning. He knew Shǔ Kuí was somewhere nearby, but he didn't look for her. He hadn't disguised himself; it was necessary to show some official sign of the palace.

A beggar sidled up to him, and he furrowed his strong eyebrows. Shǔ Kuí suspected that people on the street were assisting Chūn Zéyì (or her imposter), but had not found any definitive evidence. He said nothing as the beggar came closer. They grubbed about on the floor as if looking for scraps of food.

"Shǔ kuí?"

It took all of Yáng Jìn's willpower not to respond to the sudden low voice that invaded his head. It was a refined woman's voice, projected directly into his thoughts. Third Dantian Adept, he thought. She's the real thing. And yet, apparently she didn't know who he was.

"You received the note then and... the hair?" he murmured, almost imperceptibly.

"Very risky of you. I could have done all kinds of things with that hair. Speak, though, we don't have much time."

"Safety. A peaceful life. We'll help you take the throne in return."

Silence.

"Red Peony Lane. Start of the hour of the pig¹9 - 11 pm.."

Yáng Jìn held out a coin, and the beggar raised their face to take it. Although their head was somewhat wrapped up, he caught a flash of marbled eyes and scarred, pale skin. Then Chūn Zéyì dropped her head meekly, and blended back into the crowd. Moments later, someone called out in shock.

"THERE! OVER THERE!"

The crowd had been expecting the Divine Lotus to appear on the raised platform that stood along one side of the square. Instead, Chūn Zéyì had summoned her lotus and burst suddenly into the air at the complete opposite end, taking everyone by surprise. There was a scramble for weapons amongst the hidden guards, and an almost instinctive preparation for resistance by many of the citizens, but Zéyì did not give either side a chance to fight. Her beggar's disguise thrown aside, in the simple white and yellow robes of a Senior Disciple of the Yuan Wei School, she called out to them all, a smile of great happiness on her face. A single lotus dangled at her ear, and a pearl shone at the other.

"I've come home, everyone! I'll be arriving back at the palace soon!”

And before anyone could gather their wits sufficiently, she was gone.

---

"Your Majesty, I... if anyone had attacked her at that time... the backlash-"

CRACK!

Yáng Jìn gritted his teeth and pressed his forehead to the floor, his ears filled with rushing blood. Shǔ Kuí knelt upright beside him, as she had for the past shi, her eyes closed and her mouth filled with blood. Chūn Yīlì stalked around them, an ornate chain whip²九節鞭 (jiǔjiébiān) - a 'nine-section whip' specifically, a whip made of linked metal rods lightly held in one hand.

"Again," she said coldly, as she had several times that shi. "Tell me again why no one did anything."

Shǔ Kuí breathed unevenly, swaying as she fought to stay conscious. "B... because-"

This time, the Regent didn't even wait for the start of the excuse. The segmented whip slashed across Shǔ Kuí's face, slicing it open even further, before it found Yáng Jìn's bent back. Blood splattered the ground around the pair.

Chūn Yīlì sighed and dropped the whip. "Clean this place up. With your tongues."

"Yes, Your Majesty," a pair of voices managed to gasp out. Shǔ Kuí had joined Yáng Jìn in pressing her forehead to the floor. They listened as the Regent's footsteps faded away. When at last, the room was silent, they simultaneously reached out for each others' wounds.

"Your back..."

"Your face... You have to go tonight. Get out of here."

"You'll be executed! I can't-"

"No I won't. Shǔ Shǔ, you know you must..."

Shǔ Kuí's expression flinched as her wounds gaped and stung with tears and sweat. "... yes."

They hugged briefly, taking care not to open each others' wounds any further.

"Take the third shadow route. It will get you within a few streets of Red Peony Lane."

Shǔ Kuí tightened her jaw and nodded, wrapping her face with her hood and mask. "... I'll see you soon."

"Yes... you will."

In moments, she was gone too. Yáng Jìn lay painfully on the floor momentarily, controlling his breathing. Someone would come and check that they were doing their punishment, he knew, so he gathered his strength, retrieved some decorative spears from the wall of the room, and used them to barricade the door. He needed to give Shǔ Kuí as much time as he could.

---

“It seems that Yáng Jìn does have something to do with the person who sent the note.” Zeng Guk Lung lay flat on the roof beside Zéyì, as the hour of the pig crept closer.

“Why are we on the roof of this house? Isn't this really strange? Who hangs out on the roof of a building?” Zéyì asked, her eyes emanating a strange black glow as she followed the flow of qi through the city with the vision arts of her practice.

Zeng Guk Lung watched, fascinated. “How long have you been able to use the Eyes of the Heart?”

“Since I reached the level of the Third Dantian.”

“I guess it's true then. The Acting Masters of the Clear Sight and Gales of Battle Schools of Mount Hua are also Third Dantian practitioners, and they can use their sight arts to some extent. Seems like the breakthrough to the upper level activates the sight arts.”

“What is Mount Hua like?”

“Full of idiots who just want to fight.”

“Sounds like you really love the place.”

“Of course.”

“... Someone is coming.”

“Not Commander Yáng Jìn?”

“No. This is a woman. Her qi flow is powerful, but different. And...”

The woman came into view, stumbling down Red Peony Lane. Her breath was harsh.

“It could be a trap.”

“Could be.” Even saying so, Zéyì leapt lightly down before the struggling woman. “You must be... the hollyhock.”

The woman removed her hood and mask with violently shaking hands. Dried blood caked her face and hands. “Please... Your Highness, please... Yáng Jìn. Save Yáng Jìn!”

Zeng Guk Lung awkwardly made his way down from the roof, hanging from the eaves for a moment before daring to let go and land. He had drawn a scarf around his face so that only his eyes showed. “Why does the Commander-in-Chief need saving?”

“The Regent... punished us for not... capturing Lady Divine Lotus... I escaped but... he's still...”

“Are you pregnant, Lady?” Zéyì asked quietly.

Shǔ Kuí was too exhausted to hide her shock.

“Your qi flow is very strong around your womb. You're protecting a child there, aren't you? Is Yáng Jìn the father?”

“... Please...” Shǔ Kuí had no dignity left. She wept openly, the wounds on her face stinging with her tears and her nose dripping. She clutched her stomach. “I will do anything for you, Your Highness. Please just save him.”

“Anything? Even if I told you to die? Even if I told you to torture and murder innocent people? Lady...” Zéyì gripped Shǔ Kuí's wrists. “... I know you're tired, but you can't rest just yet. If you can stay strong a little longer...”

“Your Highness, are you telling me to be wary of you?”

“Why not? I'm wary of you.”

Shǔ Kuí freed her wrists, and bowed carefully. “Your Highness. I am called Shǔ Kuí. I serve as Chun's Head of Intelligence. I request for you to take the throne of Chun.”

“Why?”

“To save everyone in the palace from the current Regent. The things... Today, Yáng Jìn and I were lashed for a shi with a nine-section whip. Do you remember what she did to those exorcists who failed to... deal with you?”

Zéyì opened her mouth to answer, but before she even began to speak, her head swivelled suddenly, her glowing black eyes narrowed. “Someone's coming. I suspect they're looking for you.”

“Yáng Jìn...” Shǔ Kuí's face was drained of blood.

“We'll move elsewhere first. Can you stand?

“I... I've got to go back,” Shǔ Kuí said faintly.

“And do what, die?” Zéyì said sharply, a flash of white cutting through black of her eyes. “That's easy, and useless! Is that what your lover would want? For you to stupidly – Sorry, I'm so sorry, Lady Shǔ Kuí.” She gritted her neck and exhaled harshly. “Here, take my hand. I'll carry you.”

Zéyì lifted Shǔ Kuí easily on her back. “Zeng shi di, you-”

“I'll be fine. Hurry, shi je.”

Without waiting a second longer, Zéyì ran, her steps light and rapid. She skimmed through the streets, heading for one of the entrances to the abandoned storehouses. Shǔ Kuí clung to her tightly.

Zeng Guk Lung slipped down a nearby street, bracing his nose as he scooped up a little mud from the filthy ground in preparation to daub on his face. The back of his neck prickled.

“Master Hán Yā? What are you doing here?”

“What do you mean, what am I doing here? I live here! Ha ha, stupid boy!” Hán Yā winked cheerily at him from where he crouched in the dark street.

“It doesn't seem like the best place to be though, sir. There's no good food here, not many people passing by who will give you coins.”

“You're right, very right. Maybe I'm the stupid one.” The man's beady eyes blinked, despite his stare continuing to pass directly through Zeng Guk Lung.

“It seems like a harsh job, Master Hán Yā.”

“Job? What job?”

“Disguising yourself as a homeless person to spy for the Regent.”

“What disguise are you talking about, boy?”

“Oh, so you really are homeless. Then that's even more harsh. How could the palace treat such a valuable informant this way?”

Hán Yā's tone dropped into an ugly whine. “You have no idea. You really are a stupid boy.”

“I guess I must be. I let you talk to me for so long, I can't even run away now.” For Zeng Guk Lung could see the people advancing towards him from both ends of the street, cutting off escape. He had a dagger in his robes, but it wouldn't do much good. No doubt these people were highly trained, and there would be little that a scholar with a small knife could do. It was most likely that they would capture him and bring him to the palace for information. Hopefully he could learn some things and find a way to escape before he was horribly tortured or killed.

“You're very calm, stupid boy.”

“What's the point in panicking?”

“Point? It's not about the point, kid. You'll have no choice.”

Zeng Guk Lung lifted his hands to show they were empty and announced to the approaching figures, “I'm not going to fight.”

“Ha ha, do you think that will change anything? Maybe you're thinking you'll find a way to escape.” Hán Yā laughed. “Once you're in the palace, there's no way out. Even if you cooperate, you'll be tortured. If you say yes, you'll be tortured. If you say no, you'll be torture. The screams... the screams...”

Zeng Guk Lung tried to shut out the man's rambles and screwed his eyes shut. He felt hands grab his wrists and pull them behind his back.

“You'll die, die, die!” Hán Yā sang.

One of Zeng Guk Lung's captors kicked the beggar in the face unemotionally. Hán Yā just laughed and mumbled.

“Move,” Zeng Guk Lung was ordered. He stumbled forwards under the force of whoever was holding him captive.

A figure flew past them. Not of their own volition; someone had kicked them flying.

“Let him go, and I'll spare you,” Zéyì said coldly.