Phoenix in the Moonlight

He lunged at them one after the other, using the eunuch as his first line of attack. The eunuch shot at the assassins with the poisoned needles, incapacitating them before Wang Yifeng got to them. He stabbed their jugular first, smiling when the blood splattered. Then he would go for the heart, the stomach and finally, slit the throat. It was not enough to kill them, but it would leave them bleeding to death. In the battlefield, such measures were frowned upon, but this was private.

Wang Yifeng had never followed rules or given his opponent the chance to attack. If they didn't want him alive, he didn't have to feel sorry for killing them.

Each kill did not last for more than a few seconds, and soon the black clothed men lay strewn across the tent.

The eunuch inspected the scene and felt the hair at the back of his neck rise. When he saw the prince, covered in the blood of the assassins, his eyes shining with delight, he felt horror rush through him. It was not his first time seeing the man kill, but he never got used to it.

"Take care of the mess, I will go take a bath." He walked out of the tent. Not a soul was awake, the guards were unharmed and he was left laughing under his breath. He walked towards the river from where the servants had refilled their water supplies.

He sat on a rock on the riverbank and gazed at the night sky, littered with stars. Eventually, he felt dissatisfied and took off his outer robe. He waded into the water, dipping his head below and emerging after a few seconds. He scrubbed his face and body, ridding himself of the rust-like smell.

With water dripping from his body and still clad in the clothes he had worn to slaughter those men, he returned to the tent. It was as if nothing had happened. The eunuch stood in silence, waiting for his order.

Wang Yifeng changed into new robes. Lying back on his bed, he fell into peaceful sleep.

- - -

It had been a week since he arrived in Lijiang. Time had been spent meeting all the officials and understanding the severity of the situation. For the first time, he had some time to himself and none of the royal guards followed him.

He walked through the city in plain clothes and soaked in the unfettered noise of the crowd. For a moment, he forgot that this city hosted one of the most prolific terrorist groups terrorizing the country. The dissenters? He knew some of them, had shared schooling and playgrounds with them when he was younger.

It took him a couple of hours before he could shake off the guards from his trail. He found himself entering the 'Youth Hall,' a common place for young masters to come to entertain themselves. The courtesans greeted him but he ignored them and moved past towards where the offices were.

The courtesans looked beautiful and the drinks flowed. Money was thrown and people drowned in pleasure. Despite his virtuous reputation, he enjoyed coming to the pleasure houses and looking at elegant women showing off their skills.

Li Jie must have gotten news of his arrival as he walked down the stairs and greeted him.

"Come, come, old friend. Welcome to my little business."

"I am not sure why you opened this place, but it seems like a good place to be." Wang Yifeng gave a sly smile and followed his friend up to the private rooms.

"You look too tense, Qinwang," Li Jie told him over the music with a clap on his shoulder. "Would you like to entertain yourself and take the edge off?" Wang Yifeng found himself nodding. Then he sighed. It had been some time since he had visited a pleasure house, he had almost forgotten. "All right. Let's go. I have a new courtesan you might enjoy." Li Jie grinned widely and jerked his chin towards the direction of the stage. "I will send some of them to you later. We could all use some time off."

For the next hour, they talked business.