Legend of Fei

34. All Part of The Plan

I have re-written this chapter more than I can count but it always feels anti-climatic. This is the best one so far.

Xie Yun woke up in an unfamiliar place. The ceiling was too high for a normal dwelling and too opulent for an inn. It was his assigned residence but another room. He moved parts of his body and felt fine. Gears in his head started clicking immediately.

Master Wen and his sister, he had counted on them and his masters to slow down Feng Feihui but what is Feng Feihui had come earlier than calculated. This could only mean that the man hadn't gone all the way to the island or he wouldn't have made it back. Who had died in Feng Feihui's place? An imposter, someone in the clan who knew the man well enough and would die for him. 

Something else bugged him. He had the nagging suspicion that A'Fei knew something more than he did. She could have sensed something while fighting imposter Feng Feihui. The enthusiasm with which she responded to his love and affection was unusual for her but even she hadn't suspected someone to walk in on them so.

"Yang Jin," a word escaped from his mouth. "Yang Jin," he called out louder than usual, forcing as much qi as he could into the sound. Yang Jin did not train his senses but he was a martial artist and would be able to pick up his voice even if he was a great distance.

The sound of running and jingling could be heard in the distance. Sobbing accompanied it. A'Yan. A little relief flooded through him. The family was safe. The door swung open soon enough, and the worried faces of his family relaxed a bit.

"We couldn't stop him." Yang Jin was bloodied and cut gruesomely in many places. But his breathing was not hard.

"Yang Jin."

"HeCong treated my wounds. Brother Xie. Zhou Fei. Come. We have to hurry."

"The man that came for the prize money! What did he look like?" he asked and raised his hand to HeCong.

"Get me a paper and ink please."

"If this is your place, why is there no servants?" he called out while running away.

"No one knows we are here. We can't get the royal family involved in the dangers of the martial arts world."

"Brother Xie. He touched a few people on his way. They turned to dust. A'Fei. Will she? What?" Xie Yun realized that A'Yan was holding back the sob.

"A'Fei is smart. She knew what she was doing. She knows that the one she killed wasn't real Feng Feihui. She must have been prepared," or so he hoped. What worried him most was the lack of marble with her. He'd rather they come after him. He had two raging Qi, he could totally spare one.

"Who was he then?"

HeCong came in running and he started to draw according to Yang Jin's description. He drew two portraits. 

"This is the man that came here. I never said where they can collect the money. If someone came here, means we were followed. It has been a few days since the first arrival. We need to collect the bat gang, White Tiger men will be in the city everywhere. This is the man I will go looking for, you look for this one. Dead or alive."

"Who is this? I suspect someone who gave their life as Feng Feng imposter."

"Who is Feng Feng?"

"You idiots." A'Yan hit both the guys and pushed them out.

"How will we find this other man?" Yang Jin asked resisting.

"His lackeys are pretty stupid. You just have to follow them to know," he called after them as A'Yan used more force. HeCong pulled away from the couple.