Let Go of that Eunuch! [Fantasy/Humor | COMPLETED]

26. The Meaning of Everything

The street stalls were already full of peddlers selling hot food, fruit, vegetables, jewelry and all sorts of wares. I make my way over to where a group of people were gathered around one of the city's main bulletin boards. The thin white parchment had been hastily stuck to the board and drawn on with bold ink strokes. The criminal was wearing a white Qiu Fu (prison clothes) and even though the picture made him look more gaunt and villainous than in real life, I recognized him immediately as Lan Shen Yu. Under the drawing was a list of his alleged crimes and punishment to be served. "私用宫银，诛九族", "欺君之罪，罪当斩首"...

I point a quivering finger at the unfamiliar words, asking a civilian standing next to me, "W-what does it say?"

She slips the hood off her head, her smile as sweet as ever.

"Hello, little eunuch."

The girl seemed to be in a particularly good mood. For someone who had tried to turn me into a charcoal chicken, she appeared unsurprised that I was still alive. Even her pet spider was perched happily on her shoulder, staring at me curiously with its multiple eyes.

I take a step back, trying to think of how I could escape this time. She giggles like an excited child on Christmas morning.

"There's no need to act like I'm the Yama (King of Hell). I'm not here to kill you today~" Skipping around me, she laughs. "After all, I've already got what I wanted."

"What do you mean?

Her large eyes widen, and she puts a hand over her mouth. "Oh, you don't know?"

"Know what?"

She throws her head back, laughing as though my question was the funniest thing she'd ever heard. "To think that the Director would come to this," she giggles, wiping a tear of laughter from the corner of her eye. Her fragile shoulders shake so hard that her entire cape almost slips off. "Although dying alone would be a fitting end to a vile criminal like him."

She reaches her hand toward me, but her arm is batted away by Wan's sheathed sword. Sometime during our conversation, Wan had wedged himself solidly between us, narrowing his eyes at girl. She backs away, the tiny spiders that were about to crawl onto her palm scurrying back into her sleeve.

"Tch, no fun!" She pouts before spinning on her heel and darting away.

"Come with me," Wan growls back at me. "The Director wishes to see you."

My eyes widen as I realize what that means.

"You're one of the Director's guards?"

Wan nods curtly.

I struggle out of his hold angrily.

"Just who does Lan Shen Yu think he is? Telling me to get lost and then ordering me to go back and be at his beck and call?"