Efficiently flipping over the walls of the Eastern Palace, Su Rong landed, looking back at Zhou Gu.
Since Zhou Gu was injured, his actions weren’t as swift as Su Rong’s. After landing, seeing Su Rong looking at him, he immediately reassured her in a low voice, "I won’t hold you back."
Su Rong nodded, "Let’s go! You lead the way."
Zhou Gu agreed.
In the harsh winter, groups of patrolling soldiers passed by, muttering complaints. Some said, "This weather is so damn cold. The first snowfall has been falling for three days now and it doesn’t seem to stop. We hope it does not cause a snow disaster just at the beginning of winter." Others complained about not receiving the monthly salary and not having money to buy wine, "On such a cold day, if only we could have a bowl of burning wine, to warm us from the inside out." Some even speculated that this harsh winter is a warning sign from heaven itself.
Avoiding groups of patrolling soldiers, Su Rong and Zhou Gu arrived at Feng Si’s residence in South City. The hutong was very narrow, and the houses were closely knit. It would indeed be hard for Su Rong to find the place in this heavy snowfall and pitch-black night.
At the wall outside, Zhou Gu said in a low voice: "This is the place."
Su Rong nodded. Both snuck over the wall and into the small courtyard with three tile-roofed rooms. To her surprise, a light was still on in the easternmost house, the one Feng Si used to inhabit. A small figure was sitting near the window, seemingly immersed in reading.
In a hushed voice Zhou Gu said, "That’s Feng Si’s younger brother, Feng Yu."
He asked Su Rong, "Should we wait for him to fall asleep or should we go in now?"
"Let’s go in now!" After carefully listening, Su Rong was convinced no one else was inside. At least, she couldn’t hear anybody breathing in the other two rooms.
Zhou Gu continued, "Not long after Feng Si was killed, their mother choked during a coughing fit and passed away. Now only Feng Yu is left."
Su Rong nodded. And so, Zhou Gu knocked directly on the door.
"Who’s there?" Feng Yu’s voice was somewhat startled yet masked with forced calm.
"It’s me, Zhou Gu," Zhou Gu answered.
"Lord Thursday?" Feng Yu immediately got up, opened the door, and looked at Zhou Gu in surprise.
Zhou Gu told him, "We’ve come to find something related to your brother’s case."
By now, Feng Yu also saw Su Rong. He nodded silently and stepped aside to let them in, perplexed. "My house has already been searched thoroughly, what else could be found?"
Su Rong immediately walked over to a large black cupboard in the house. She pushed it aside to reveal the ground underneath. Extracting a dagger, she was about to bend over to carve into the brick floor when she sensed something. Suddenly, she flicked her wrist and the dagger flew towards the window. Simultaneously, a man crashed through the window, sword in hand, and was pierced by the dagger right in the chest. He rolled around on the floor.
Feng Yu screamed.
Seeing the intruder incapacitated, Su Rong swiftly retrieved her dagger and wiped it on the man’s cloak. She then returned to her task of prying the bricks from the ground, while outside the clash of swords rang out.
This was the first time Zhou Gu had witnessed Su Rong kill a man, and the first time she had done so in his presence. He was briefly taken aback by her ruthlessness, but quickly unsheathed his sword to protect both Feng Yu and himself while shielding Su Rong from the oncoming assailants.
The fighting outside grew more intense, splattering droplets of blood onto the windowpane.
Frightened, Feng Yu watched the fight outside, his small face as white as a sheet. He was shaking uncontrollably.
With a swift movement, Su Rong pried open three bricks, revealing a rolled-up parchment. She swiftly stashed it inside her robe and then stood up, glancing at the severely frightened Feng Yu – only him, now, his hand set on Zhou Gu’s shoulder to calm him.
Still in shock, Feng Yu clasped Zhou Gu’s hand desperately, his face ghostly pale, his eyes revealing unparalleled terror.
Looking like he wanted to cover Feng Yu’s eyes, Zhou Gu hesitated before deciding against it.
Patting his head, Su Rong smiled, "Little brother, there’s nothing to be afraid of! When I was seven, I learned to use fire to stop those who wanted to kill me."
Focusing, Feng Yu saw Su Rong’s smiling face.
She pulled him over from Zhou Gu’s side, held his arm and said, "Let’s go out and take a look. You can’t be scared in this world. Your brother and mother are gone, you’re all alone. If you want to survive, you cannot be afraid of blood, darkness, or people dying in front of you."
Zhou Gu looked like he wanted to stop Su Rong, but after hearing her words, he closed his mouth without saying anything.
After Feng Si’s death, Zhou Gu suggested moving Feng Yu and his mother to the Zhuangzi of the Duke Residence, but was refused. He then left them some silver taels and asked a doctor to see to their health. To his surprise, Feng Yu’s mother died from choking on her phlegm in her sleep a few days later. All that was left was Feng Yu. By that time, Zhou Gu was injured severely and was not aware of Feng Yu’s mother’s death. When he found out, he sent someone to take Feng Yu, intending to house him, but Feng Yu refused. He said he would stay at his mother’s and brother’s house and wouldn’t leave. Zhou Gu then asked the neighbors to look after him. But today he and Su Rong came secretly only to end up attracting a group of assassins.
Su Rong pulled Feng Yu outside. A fierce battle was going on, with several black-clothed figures’ bodies sprawled on the ground. The small courtyard, the rooftops, the walls, even the area outside the house, were filled with clashing swords.
Half-embracing the boy, Su Rong said, "See, it’s not that scary. As long as you have enough strength to protect yourself, even a swarm of demons can’t harm you and can’t get close to you."
Feng Yu’s face turned paper-white, his mouth drawn into a thin line.
"This world," Su Rong said, "is just like that. Some people pretend to be humans during the day, and others pretend to be ghosts at night. The former prey on people, the latter kill them. There’s really no difference. You’ll get used to it."
She gently lifted her hand, holding a few golden needles, and dangled them in front of Feng Yu. "Watch closely."
Feng Yu’s gaze instantly locked onto the golden gleam of the needles in Su Rong’s hand.
Once Feng Yu got a clear view, Su Rong flipped her wrist, and the needles flew out of her hand. A flash of cold light shot in different directions, and in an instant, four or five men fighting outside suddenly collapsed onto the ground silently. Their weapons dropped with a ’clang’.
Feng Yu’s eyes widened. For a moment, he even forgot to be scared. Quickly, he turned to look at Su Rong.
In Feng Yu’s terrified eyes, Su Rong saw admiration. She patted his shoulder, "Little brother, I am Su Rong. Call me Sister Su in the future. You can’t be too scared if you want to do big things. I might not like to read, but I respect those who do. I’m truly sorry for the mess we’ve made of your home. In return, I promise you one thing. Just ask, as long as it’s something I can promise, I won’t refuse."
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