Due to having to take care of more logistic work for the Qifeng organization, Bai Anjing returned to his room only at night. The moment he spotted Xie Rong sitting on the bed, he strode up to him and bent down to wordlessly ask for his lover’s lips. Xie Rong smiled and obliged, and they shared a sweet and brief kiss before parting.

After that, the pair lay down to sleep on the bed. When Bai Anjing curled an arm around Xie Rong and brought him closer, Xie Rong merely blushed and let him. His compliance delighted Bai Anjing, eliciting a warm smile.

“Ah-Rong, tell me a story from your childhood,” Bai Anjing asked. “I know so little about you.”

Xie Rong snuggled into the other man’s warmth and sighed contentedly. “Alright. Wait for a moment and let me think about one.”

Bai Anjing patiently waited. A few moments of silence later, Xie Rong finally began, “There was this one time during my teen years when I, my now-husband, and a few other boys were out drinking some wine that one of us had stolen from their parents. I had frail health, so I didn’t drink any, but the others were completely plastered. We were sitting by a stream and the boys were drunkenly talking about mermaids.

“Apparently, one of them had recently chanced upon some book that told stories of how beautiful mermaids roamed the seas and anyone who caught one would be chosen by her to be her lover. Under the influence of wine, the boys started wondering whether they would be able to catch a mermaid in the muddy stream flowing beside us. Someone soon managed to get some fishing rods to give it a try. They were too drunk to string together any semblance of logic to understand why that wouldn’t work. I didn’t try to convince them either and left them to what I was sure would be a completely fruitless attempt at catching mermaids. But surprisingly enough, one of us, a boy called Ning Shu who could be said to be my husband’s closest friend out of my family, managed to actually get something caught on his hook that seemed as heavy as a person.

“Everyone very excitedly went over to help Ning Shu with drunken exuberance, all the while saying how lucky he was to have caught a mermaid and that she was sure to be lovely and choose him as her husband. It was mostly intoxicated ramblings. After a few minutes of huffing and puffing, the group finally managed to haul up whatever the hook had caught. Do you know what it was?”

Bai Anjing shook his head, a small, unconscious smile stretching his lips.

Xie Rong went on, “What Ning Shu had caught was another boy called Ning Ge, his own older brother.”

Bai Anjing’s brows flew up, his lips twitching with suppressed amusement.

“It seemed that Ning Ge had walked upstream with a jar of wine, gotten drunk out of his gourd and fell into the stream, then washed down to where we had been fishing and got caught in his younger brother’s hook. When Ning Shu and the others reeled him in, he was sputtering and shivering, just about on the verge of drowning, and still dazedly clutching onto his wine jar. When Ning Shu first realized that it was his brother that he’d caught, his mind still filled with mermaids, he slurred out drunkenly, ‘Brother, how come you never told me that you were a mermaid!’”

Bai Anjing burst into laughter.

Xie Rong grinned as well and continued, “After Ning Ge recovered from his intoxication and almost drowning, it is said that he chased Ning Shu through plains and hills just to give him a beating for that comment.”

Bai Anjing’s laughter increased, sounding out loud and unrestrained. Xie Rong looked at him with a wide smile and gentle eyes as if reveling in his joy.

The pair chatted in this way, laughing and reminiscing about the amusing things that they remembered happening in their lives until they grew tired. Xie Rong was the first to drop off into sleep, his expression relaxed and mouth still curved in a smile.

Bai Anjing raised a hand and carefully brushed away the errant locks of hair covering Xie Rong’s face, his expression complex. After tonight, he might never have the chance to chat so carefreely and laugh with his Ah-Rong again.

With a heart filled with nervous dread and tentative hope, Bai Anjing held his lover closer and drifted into sleep as well.

∘━✧━∘

The next morning ushered in the beginning of the third day since Xie Rong had stepped foot in the hideout of the Qifeng organization.

When Xie Rong woke up, his mind dazed and eyes still bleary, he noted with surprise that Bai Anjing had managed to silently slip away from bed without him noticing. The space beside him was empty and cold. Sighing, Xie Rong slumped back down and drew up the quilt. It was not like he had any pressing issue to attend to early in the morning.

Just then, two crisp knocks sounded on the door to the bedroom.

Xie Rong grimaced and sat up. Rubbing his face to wipe away his sleepiness, he pushed aside the quilt and got up from the bed. He smoothed down his hair and hurriedly draped an outer robe over his inner clothes and tied a sash to keep it closed before striding over to the door and opening it.

A young man blinked up at him and said, “The leader wants you to come to his study as soon as you are ready. I’ll wait here and lead you there.”

Xie Rong gave a brusque nod and closed the door again. He freely rummaged in Bai Anjing’s closet to find a fresh set of clothes and quickly changed into it before brushing his hair and making himself presentable. Within minutes, he was following the young man down the long corridors as he led him towards Bai Anjing’s study.

Opening the door to the study and motioning for Xie Rong to enter, the young man left. Xie Rong walked into the room and shut the door behind him. As Bai Anjing watched him silently from behind his desk, Xie Rong took his time assessing the room.

Despite being the study of the leader of the influential Qifeng organization, the room was comparatively small and cozy. A wide window was situated to the left, with beautifully embroidered curtains fluttering on either side. The floor was covered in a soft and luxurious carpet decorated in the same exotic style. Xie Rong noticed a birdcage sitting in a corner beside the window, a single white feather within, and narrowed his eyes. He quickly schooled his expression again before surveying the rest of the room.

Sitting by the wall directly opposite to the door, the desk was ornately carved and decorated with gold motifs. Xie Rong would be unsurprised if it had a wealth of hidden drawers and compartments that only Bai Anjing knew the locations of. The chair Bai Anjing was sitting on behind the desk resembled it in design and looked extremely plush and comfortable. Two chests of drawers and a tall bookshelf stood against the right wall, made in a simple style that helped alleviate the ornate, busy detail in the rest of the room. The room was neat and tidy, yet tinged with the warmth reminiscent of a place used often by its owner.

“It’s a nice room. It suits you much better than your name,” Xie Rong commented after taking a look around. He strolled towards the desk and motioned to the chair in front of it. “May I?”

Bai Anjing nodded while leaning back on his chair, his hands resting on the armrests and his unreadable gaze fixed on the young man.

Xie Rong didn’t mind him and sat down on the other side of the desk. Settling himself comfortably and leaning forward with his elbows on the table, he looked at Bai Anjing and asked, “So? What exactly do you want to discuss with me that made you call me here?”

Bai Anjing tapped a finger against the armrest and said calmly, “Did you know that I had one of my subordinates follow you around all this while to track your movements?”

Xie Rong’s lips twitched. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “No, but I should have expected that. I really should have expected that.” Lowering his hand and peering cautiously into Bai Anjing’s eyes, he asked, “So I’m guessing that you know of my conversation with that man called Zhang Shuang?”

Giving a short nod, Bai Anjing affirmed, “Yes, I know every word you both exchanged.”

Xie Rong sighed again. “Is that why you called me here? To discuss what I have planned?”

Bai Anjing showed a small, sharp smile. “Yes.” Leaning forward deliberately, his eyes staying fixed on Xie Rong, he spoke, “I want to know if the reason you let yourself be brought here is to betray me and the Qifeng organization to your husband, Li Nianzhen, the captain of the imperial secret guards.”

Xie Rong’s eyes widened with startlement. “What? No! Betraying you never crossed my mind!”

Bai Anjing’s expression darkened. “Ah-Rong, don’t lie to me. I have already been notified about the Herald—your brother and the precursor to that Li Nianzhen’s arrival—making camp nearby. It will only be a matter of time until Li Nianzhen appears. For them to turn up here so soon after we got ahold of you can only mean that it is tied to you. Do you still deny it?”

Xie Rong couldn’t help feeling a twinge of guilt this time. It seemed that Lian Ru, the attendant he had been with when he was captured, had not been able to forestall news of him going with the people from the Qifeng organization after all. She must have spilled everything to his brother, which resulted in this.

Meanwhile, Bai Anjing looked at the way Xie Rong had averted his eyes with suppressed guilt, his fingers twisting the hem of his sleeve nervously, and understood that he had been right. Something inside his chest squeezed with pain, but he showed nothing of it on the outside. Giving a bark of humorless laughter, he said bitterly, “I have to say, Ah-Rong, I really feel special that the great and illustrious captain of the imperial secret guards himself is leading the charge against my organization and willing to grace a lowly ruffian like me with his eminent presence, while his husband is here, being courted by me.”

It felt like a serrated dagger was digging into Bai Anjing’s heart, twisting and twisting to send out waves of unbearable pain. Yet his expression only grew sharp and savage in response. “Tell me, Ah-Rong. If I kill that bastard husband of yours when he comes for me, will you consider choosing me over him?”

A surge of anger shot through Xie Rong. He slammed his hands on the table and stood up while yelling, “Don’t say that!” His chair clattered onto the floor.

Bai Anjing’s expression tightened. With this defense of his husband, the answer was clear to him. He was not the one Xie Rong had decided on. Bai Anjing felt something wrenching deep inside him. He’d known this person for barely three days, so why did his betrayal hurt him so much?

In a quiet voice, Bai Anjing said, “So in the end, you choose him after all.”

Even though the other man’s face was expressionless, Xie Rong could still sense his heartbreak. Dammit! Unable to bear hurting this person, he desperately cried out, “No, that’s not it! Listen to me―”

The door banged open suddenly and a man heaving rapid breaths forced out a shout, “Leader! I-It’s…the Herald! He’s here now and plowing through our people! I think he’s trying to get to you!”

Bai Anjing’s expression snapped into a focused mask, no signs of vulnerability to be found. He stood up and barked a query, “How many people does he have with him?”

The man panted and answered in an incredulous tone, “None. He is alone except for a white bird.”

Surprise flashed through Bai Anjing’s face.

Xie Rong shook his head and muttered under his breath, “Why is he here so early…” He trailed away and looked up to see Bai Anjing’s face darkening further. Realizing what he let slip, Xie Rong froze. “N-No, that’s not what… It’s not what you think!”

But looking unconvinced, Bai Anjing turned away from him with a grim expression. He bent to fiddle with something under the desk and Xie Rong heard the sound of a click as a secret compartment opened. Sliding aside the covering, Bai Anjing retrieved a sword from within the desk and attached it to his belt with practiced motions. Xie Rong glanced at the sword with complex emotions twisting within him.

“Where is he now?” Bai Anjing asked the man who had brought the news of the Herald’s arrival.

Gulping at his leader’s thunderous look, the man stepped aside and informed, “He was heading towards the eastern hall up ahead the last time I heard.”

Bai Anjing nodded and strode out the door. Turning to pin Xie Rong with his gaze, he said, “We’ll discuss the rest of this issue later. For now, stay here and keep away from the fighting.” With that, he closed and locked the door before walking away.

Xie Rong looked at the shut door with a blank face. This man…he dared!? Fury turned his face red and his fists trembled with rage as he snarled to the empty room, “You stupid, stubborn, rude man! Why do I even put up with all this for you, hmph!”

Marching to the door, Xie Rong lifted a leg and landed a few hard kicks beside the lock. Wood splintered and the door was forced to open. Throwing Bai Anjing’s ridiculous words out of his mind, Xie Rong quickly stormed off in the direction of the hall.

∘━✧━∘

The building the Qifeng organization used as a hideout had an eastern and western wing connected together by a long main building in the middle running perpendicular to them both. Bai Anjing’s study was situated at the end of the eastern wing and reaching it required one to pass through the long eastern hall. Understanding that the Herald would approach the hall from the direction of the main building, Bai Anjing entered it through the opposite archway that led towards his study and looked around.

People milled in the hall, some already equipped while others were in the midst of pulling down weapons from the wall and preparing for battle. Bai Anjing noted that many of the members, including the people loyal to him, were missing from the crowd. They were presumably already busy with defending the hideout and facing the Herald. Low and nervous chatter vibrated the air as tensed faces peered around anxiously in the hall.

Bai Anjing frowned and commanded loudly, “The Herald is only one man. I can take care of him alone, so stop blocking the way and do something more useful. Double back and transport the ones already injured to Cang Yu for him to take care of. Has the shipment for the fresh batch of poultices and herbs arrived yet?”

Someone answered, “Yes, Leader. They arrived yesterday evening.”

“Then break it open for Cang Yu’s use. Now get going and clear the hall. Many people fighting against one will only mean that you’ll be getting in each other’s way,” Bai Anjing ordered.

The members who had been uneasily mulling around as if unwillingly waiting for death quickly moved, flooding out of the hall to follow their leader’s commands. They knew that this man who they’d seen fight like a demon and hold onto his power till now was the best chance they had of getting rid of this new threat. And if he declined their help in going against that human battering ram called the Herald and wanted to face him alone, then who were they to deny him? The ones most loyal to Bai Anjing were already at the forefront getting beaten by the Herald, so there would be no one trying to get them to sacrifice themselves for their leader anyway. They had no reason to stay.

The room quickly cleared, and within moments, Bai Anjing was the only one left in the hall, looking down its empty length to the other side with a grim expression.

Seconds dripped by, slow and thick. Muffled shouts, thudding footsteps, and the clashing of blades sounded from outside for a bit more before slowly tapering out as Bai Anjing’s orders to withdraw spread. Silence descended, reverberating ominously. The light spilling from the wall of windows to Bai Anjing’s right drew long patterns of shadows on the floor filled with overlapping carpets, like fingers reaching over the textured fabric. The hall that once echoed with lively sounds and clamoring crowds now stood eerily still like the setting to a nightmare, a silent caricature of the place it had been just moments before.

With a hand on the hilt of his sword, Bai Anjing patiently waited, his face showing nothing.

Moments later, the measured thud of footsteps sounded. A man slowly emerged through the shadowed archway on the opposite side of the hall.

The Herald was a solidly built and stone-faced man wearing dark colored clothing and a posture that conveyed unbending strength. Though his strides were unhurried and steady, his momentum seemed unstoppable like that of a charging mountain. A white crow silently perched on his shoulder, squinting in Bai Anjing’s direction with apparent recognition. The ghost-like bird only increased the Herald’s imposing presence, making him seem as if he was the god of underworld himself striding forward with grim determination, ready to harvest the lives of whoever dared to stand in his way.

He held a bloodied halberd in a hand, with more blades hanging from his belt, as of yet unused. Splotches, trails, and sprays of crimson liquid darkened his clothing and marked his skin, but he seemed utterly uncaring as if what painted him was mere water. His black eyes burned under his heavy brows as they fixed on the lone person manning this hall. Skewered by that penetrating gaze, Bai Anjing felt like prey that had come under the aim of an archer’s arrow. His heart pumped faster and his blood heated with the promise of a challenging fight. This could prove interesting.

The Herald’s gaze pinned Bai Anjing, making him feel the weight of all the other man’s attention gathering onto him. Thoughts charged with intensity churned in those dark eyes. Opening his mouth, the Herald spoke in his deep and quiet voice, “Found you.”

Bai Anjing’s eyes just about spit fire. Since this was his Ah-Rong’s elder brother, he would hold himself back from killing or permanently maiming him, but no more. But just as Bai Anjing prepared to draw his sword and walk forward to begin exchanging blows, the sound of hurried footsteps pattered behind him. He gritted his teeth and turned around. It couldn’t be…

Sure enough, Xie Rong marched towards him with quick steps, looking past Bai Anjing and straight at the Herald. Stopping beside Bai Anjing, he continued glaring at the Herald and said, “Brother, you’re too early.”

Spotting its master, the white crow hitching a ride on the Herald’s shoulder fluttered its wings and happily flew to perch on Xie Rong’s shoulder instead. Xie Rong absently stroked its head with gentle fingers while continuing to glare at his elder brother.

The Herald’s quietly raging momentum fizzled like a candle under a bucket of water when faced with his younger brother’s reproach. He halted his steps and looked at Xie Rong with befuddlement. “Xiao Rong, didn’t you have a couple of days already?”

Bai Anjing frowned, a storm gathering in his face. But Xie Rong completely ignored him as he sighed and continued talking with the Herald, “Brother, do you really think if I barged in as a stranger and told him something that sounds so farfetched, he’d believe me immediately? I needed time to gain his trust, dammit!”

Bai Anjing’s mood only descended lower as he heard these two people, one of whom he was growing to love, talking about hoodwinking him while still in his presence. Anger boiled and burst out of him. His hand moved and his sword was unsheathed with a quiet shing. Before anyone could react, the tip of the blade rested precisely at the center of the Herald’s throat, the unspoken warning clear.

Xie Rong looked at Bai Anjing with wide eyes. “What are you doing?” Even the bird on his shoulder looked at Bai Anjing with startled disapproval.

The Herald merely lifted a brow as if feeling no threat at all.

Parting his clenched jaws, Bai Anjing spoke in a deceptively calm tone, “Enough. Herald, where is your captain, Li Nianzhen? Either bring him in front of me or take me to him so that I can duel him and rip a hole through his torso. We’ll see if he still has the guts to send his dogs against me or take Ah-Rong for granted after that.”

Despite the drastic turn the situation had taken, Xie Rong felt his heart beat faster. Even when he thought he had betrayed him, this man was so considerate!

Meanwhile, the few members of the Qifeng organization who were peeking in through the window while watching this confrontation and snacking on sunflower seeds all wanted to cheer at their leader’s valiant attitude. Look, he wasn’t backing down from a fight with even that fearsome captain of the imperial secret guards, Li Nianzhen! As expected of the person who’d taken control of their group through overwhelming force! Their hearts were definitely moved! But their feet moved even faster as they made their way away from there. Who knew if that Li Nianzhen was lurking around just waiting to make his appearance. They surely didn’t want to get caught in even the corner of his field of vision and risk getting on his to-kill list!

In the meantime, the atmosphere between the three in the hall had turned awkward. The only thing heard in the stretching silence was the dry rustle of the crow’s feathers as it resettled its wings.

The Herald looked at Bai Anjing with a confused expression and asked, “You…want to fight the captain, Li Nianzhen? What are you talking about? Junior Brother, you are the captain of the imperial secret guards, Li Nianzhen. Haven’t you realized yet?”

Shock slapped Bai Anjing and the world seemed to spin around him.

What the fuck?!

crimson_carnation

Congrats to those who guessed it already! ٩(*⁀▽⁀*)۶ The next chapter will explain everything~