Phoenix in the Moonlight

Chapter 23: Start a New Life

"What do you think you are doing?" The young man behind the counter was about to shout for help, but she was already at his side. She calmly placed a hand on his mouth and pushed a knife to his throat. The young man tried to move away to no avail.

"Where is the Boss?" She raised her brow at the clerk. The young man looked confused, probably too frightened to think clearly, she realized. She put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed until she heard the crunch of bones. The young man's expression changed into one of pain and he screamed into her hand. She let him go and saw him crumple to the ground.

"Where is the Boss?" She spoke slowly, knowing that the young man was traumatized.

"He is not in. He usually comes in on Saturday when most of the customers come," he cried. She could tell that he was being truthful.

"Bai'er, search the premise." She returned her gaze to the young man who lay squirming on the ground. She bared her teeth and reached for the young man, who had backed himself into a corner. She gripped his neck with one hand, lifting him from the ground. She pulled him close and used her armed hand to sink the knife into his throat. The blood geisered, running down her hands and dripping off her sleeve. She dug in deeper, her eyes glittering.

She was so focused that she didn't notice that little Bai was back. It was as if the world didn't exist, as if it was only her and the blood; everything else was trivial. She savored the moment.

Slowly, she came down from her high and began to feel light. She retreated the knife from the young man's throat and let him drop to the floor with a thump.

"Miss, why did you kill him?" Bai'er asked.

"He was the one who took advantage of your sister Sisi." She didn't know why she had to explain. She could have just done it because she was bored. And what better way than to expose the place by wreaking havoc? They couldn't take care of such a mess.

Outside, they heard banging on the door. Someone wanted to come in.

She looked at Bai'er and let him lead the way. They traversed through the throng of people congregated in the hidden rooms and made their way to where they knew the girls would be kept.

She took care to unbind every girl, there were five of them, and reassured them that they could come out when the guards arrived.

"You will be free to go back to where you came from or start a new life." Were her final words.

She didn't care much for how they survived after the ordeal. She just knew that the gambling house would be exposed and probed into until the whole truth came out.

Bai'er lingered around the gambling house for hours until the people from the department of justice came. He saw through the whole matter as he could need to report back to the Miss.

Xin, on the other hand, walked back to the house. She didn't change her clothes, choosing to watch him in his courtyard. Having awoken late at night, he sat under the shade and sleeplessly sighed.

There was a rawness to the way he made his way as if the world was at his feet and he could gain anything that he lay his eyes on. His hair cascaded down his back as he sat there, but the summer heat must have got to him. He wretched his hair into a pile and put it up in a loose bun, knowing no one was watching.

He still wore the clothes she had helped him change into, only his chest was bare and visible in the lights of the lantern littering his courtyard. There were no guards near his courtyard, which was odd, considering he seemed to be someone of importance. Maybe he liked the solace.

She watched silently, for the first time, noticing the scars marking his arms. His sleeves had been pulled back to his shoulder as he fanned his face. This posture really piqued her curiosity.

He put the small cup to his lips, taking a small sip and then pressing his lips together in dissatisfaction. He stood up suddenly, moving towards the back of the courtyard which was open to the woods behind. He caressed the cup in his hands and leaned on his elbows on the railing.

It was a good thing that she was watching him from the darkness of the words. She didn't know how long it had been and his actions were both frustrating and enrapturing.

Yifeng, the name rolled off her tongue. She listened as the sound floated away, the whisper finally swallowed by the woods surrounding her.

She thought of her own name a name she had not uttered in years. She had long ago given up on the need for names, what were they but identities? And people like her, they had no identities. She occasionally used one to get information, but never her real one. She had spent years wandering the nation's roads, going on with her missions, and following every whim of her mastermind father. She would only live in one place for weeks at a time before moving on. She had come to think of the world as her playground, a vast space she could roam and be happy in. This had been installed in her since her childhood and she had no choice but to follow this teaching religiously. The need for a name only arose when she needed to charm people for her mission. But she would leave as soon as she had taken what she needed.

But this. This man. Young Master Yifeng, he had thrown her for a loop.