Legend of Fei

18. Did You See The Yellow Bat?

I read the seven chapters of Bandit novel (the novel Legend of Fei was adopted from), available online (eng. translation) before writing this chapter. Even though I have read the raw translation, it was nothing compared to a good English translation. I hope the full novel gets translated one day. I would like to read it very much.

------

Xie Yun put his sword against his chest, defending against the fatal blow.

"What is the meaning of this?" Xie Yun looked at the calm calculated look on Feng Feng, the slit of his eyes mean and the sharp jaw radiating menace. He looked like he had aged several years. He didn't look like a young man, but almost as old as himself, not just a boy in his late teen years. The nose had become more pointed along with the chin and there was a grave look in the eyes, a calculating movement as Feng Feng followed each of Xie Yun's moves with his eyes, dodging blow after blow infused with qi.

Xie Yun knew what was happening and it was fine with him. He had no Poxue skills and he did not use his qi unless necessary. He only side-stepped all the next blows from Young Master Feng, much thank his expert Qing Dong and his study of martial arts. Irritated and enraged, Feng Feng swung the sword in a wide circle, cutting through the wood of his own room door without resistance. Xie Yun jumped in the air and landed on the rail, eventually planning to jump down but that wasn't needed. Feng Feng paused, breathing heavily.

"You need to practice more. You have poor stamina."

"Fight me and we will see about stamina." Feng Feng retorted, pausing after each word to heave. Xie Yun couldn't see a single source of the young man's earlier friendliness, brightness or wonder. Only one lone irritated look and exhaustion. He was leaning on the hilt of his sword like a cane with both hands, panting heavily and sweating from every point on his face. They hadn't even sparred for long enough for him to be so tired. What was going on? This boy's Qi was unstable.

The boy finally looked up and a smirk graced his face, all exhaustion was gone and he swung the sword catching Xie Yun by surprise who stepped back instead of jumping back and tumbled to the floor, his body sideways. His hand shot out to balance and save himself. Muscle memory took over his body and with the lightness of a feather, his body twisted so as to look up while falling, legs bent back to touch the floor before his body did. He pushed off of the tip of his shoes and stood straight.

"Xie Meimei." A'Fei had just entered, standing right before him. He smiled at his wife. Something was inside her new purse as she returned, for it looked full. The night outside was lit as a few more stalls had popped up right outside the inn, across the street.

"What did you buy?" Xie Yun walked to her and looked at her purse, keeping his breathing steady. He could sense her looking at him intently. He waited for her to ask but she opened her purse instead, walking in, sitting on the nearest table and spilt the contents on the table.

There were two items, five tiny plums and a jade token, a yellow bat, "Did you go out to buy plums?"

She shook her head, "The stall closed by the time I went back."

"What did you want to buy?"

"Nothing much." she waved him off and he didn't pursue the topic further, instead, picked a black plum.

"What happened?" she finally looked up to the rail, "Feng Feng."

That was answer enough. A'Fei didn't ask more. He asked instead, "Did you see the yellow bat?"

She only smiled, eyes going into slits like she did when the answer was obvious but she wasn't going to say anything. It was a sweet thing to watch. He leaned forward to kiss her but she pushed him away, eyes wide again.

He laughed, "should have asked me along, I have another task for them."

Before A'Fei could say anything, a waiter arrived, his eyes on the yellow jade piece, "Master and Miss, can I have your order?"

"Find out everything about the person that came in with us this morning. His name is Feng Feng." The man nodded. Whipping their table, he spoke to A'Fei, "We found a person that could be who you are you looking for..."

A'Fei slid a coin on the table for the waiter, "I found out already," she jerked her head outside and stuffed the jade back into her purse. The waiter picked up the plums, motioned for someone who brought over a plate for the plums before they left the couple alone.

"Who are you looking for?" Xie Yun had held himself until the peddler was gone. He leaned forward now, chewing on a juicy plum. A'Fei smiled at him again but said nothing and popped a plum into her mouth. 

"Is it someone important?" she still left him unanswered, only tilted her head sideways with a smile.

"Do I know them?"

"I am not sure," her answer did not betray anything.

"You are getting more and more mischievous everyday." 

"I am learning." she teased and he couldn't help laugh a little.

That's how they spent dinner. 

Finally, when the couple settled into their room and Xie Yun unpacked the sweets from earlier, A'Fei moved to a more serious topic.

"What happened with Feng Feng?" he was long ready with the answer.

"Feng Feng tried testing my abilities. He came at me too strong, using most of his qi." A'Fei's eyes widened and she turned him around, checking him up and down, her hands roamed his body. Xie Yun caught her wrists before the situation could get beyond goosebumps.

He kissed her wrist lightly, reassuringly, "I am okay. I am an expert in dodging and defending, you know."

"What's so good about knowing only the backfoot?" Xie Yun smiled at her taunt. Those words used to sadden him before but now he knew she was just teasing him, as she went on her tiptoes to kiss him. He too went on his tips and A'Fei couldn't reach him. She narrowed her eyes and before he could react, he hunched as A'Fei jammed her heal onto his foot. He was kissed on the cheek. Despite the pain, he laughed. As A'Fei began to walk away, he pulled her back, wrapped his arm around her shoulder and settled down with her on his legs

"What do you think of Feng Feng?" Xie Yun asked A'Fei who slid down to sit beside him, instead of on him.

"He has a lot of secrets. He has many years of martial arts practice. His qi is confusing, sometimes it is extraordinary, at other times it is unstable. At first I thought it is related to his disguise technique but his disguise is impeccable."

"About his character?"

"Playful. Persistent. Much like you when we first met." Xie Yun didn't like that description but he also realized that she wasn't wrong. Hasn't that attitude helped him win A'Fei? Would that happen with Feng Feng?

That was unsettling thought to him, he chose not to dwell on it. A'Fei shifted his focus with her question, "What do you think of him?"

"Playful. Persistent," he repeated while remembering what happened just before, and added, "but I think everything he does is pretense. We need to be careful."

"Also, back at the inn, outside Nanping, the whole attack didn't make sense."

"Why?" He knew as straightforward as A'Fei was, she wouldn't notice what he did.

"It looked dis-organized but it was carefully organized. Moreover Feng Feng never left the place. If he was so intent on hiding and running as he portrayed on the road, he should be gone from the place. The people that came for him handled him with care. Not a single scratch or harsh movement, even though he behaves like his life is in danger."

She added, "Mostly the stooges leave once they know they cannot win but none of them left the place until the very end."

Xie Yun nodded his acknowledgement. "Either he is liked by the sect members, or he is feared by them. Either way, his ranking is higher than anyone we have met yet from the White Tiger's sect. And if he is ranked high, his skills should be extraordinary which doesn't make sense from what we have seen."

"Meaning?" A'Fei was confused and this time Xie Yun was too.

"Don't know. We will find out."