Chapter 23 Decision

Zhan Peng had walked for a few li before realising his blunder, but when he got back to the spot he left Yuxi at, she was gone.
He knew he had to be captured, because no ordinary person, be it a layman or an expert, could undo the immobilisation he had performed on Yuxi. That person would need to excel over his level. And such a master couldn’t have appeared in such a short time.
He reflected on what had happened earlier in the forest. It was extraordinary how Yuxi’s pulse was gone, as if her soul had left her body. The magic jade pendant belonging to Yang Tian had proved to work wonders, when placing it on her chest had brought her back to life. But she still seemed in a daze, and unable to respond to him, so he had cuddled her close and called out her name repeatedly.
Fortunately, she responded.
It dawned upon him he was jealous. He was displeased with how Yuxi had placed so much importance on getting to Yang Tian that she neglected her own injuries. While he was just her toy, someone to relieve her of her sexual needs. He was just no more than her toy stick. She didn’t care about his feelings nor love him back.
Right - he had fallen deeply in love with her, just in a short period of time. While she felt nothing for him other than lust. She didn’t even want him after he had made love with her that night. It angered him and caused him to feel used.
But if she was to come to danger because of his folly, he could not bring himself to forgive himself.
He used his art to hasten his steps and reach the bandits’ base faster. Once he was at the gate, he hid carefully and watched as Qian Yuxi marched into the tent stupidly. The sight of her acting rashly again ticked him off. And when she failed, he was at his wits’ end.
Despite the distance, he could guess what had happened. She was about to be thrown into prison with Yang Tian. As long as she was safe in that prison, it could buy him some time to get ready with his next course of action.
He thought rationally, and rather than march into the camp with the ransom money, he would calmly work out a plan that could save both. After all, what was that amount of money to powerful bandits like them? After having sight of the camp, he realised that there was more than what meets the eye. That small amount of money was peanuts to them.
If his deduction was true, then both Yuxi and Yang Tian’s lives were at stake. But he trusted that Booyeong would not award them a quick death.
Tossing a pebble near the gate, he distracted the two patrolling guards so that they lost their focus, then immobilised them on their acupoints with two more pebbles. It was a quick job, and he stole their clothes, trading his clothes with the guard’s lightmail chest armour.
It slowed him down a bit with its weight, but there wasn’t any better armour than the rich bandits. He had gained something nice, but he still needed to be wary. From the conversation between the guards, he learned the guard’s name was Mei Fan, and that was what he was going to go with for now while infiltrating the camp.
The guards wouldn’t be able to get themselves free until an hour and a half later. He needed to use that time as wisely as possible to get his brother and lover free. He could find his way straight to the prison, but that move would arouse suspicion. He decided to scout around the camp for a bit on the pretext of delivering the ransom money.
He paused outside the tent that Yuxi had entered earlier, and a man came up to him.
“Mei Fan, are you out of your mind?”
The guard’s thick helmet masked his features from view, making it believable by the others that he was Mei Fan.
He answered gruffly, “I wish to hand some money to Sir Booyeong. A man is waiting outside, and he gave me the money saying it's to free his friend.”
In the note, it had not mentioned much, but it had referred to Yang Tian as that woman’s beloved. Which was another factor that made him dubious of Yuxi’s claim of rejecting Yang Tian. Jealousy had misled him.
“Why didn’t you say that earlier?” The man took the bag from him, grinning deliriously. Under the moonlight, the emblem on the man’s sleeves and back of his black robe was clear. A closer look allowed Zhan Peng to realise he was the bearded man who was entrusted with delivering the note.
“He has my comrade in his hands. If we do not release his friend, I fear…” He acted out the strangling of his neck to indicate what would happen.
“That man has suffered his share of torture. The master has ordered for him to be released after receiving the ransom money.”
Torture on Yang Tian? He felt a prick in his chest followed by heaviness overcome him. It was something he didn’t wish to know the details of. But maintaining his deception, he remained indifferent, bottling up his worries from being recognised by the bearded man.
“My comrade.. I’m concerned…”
“Fret not. I’ll go release that chap now.” The bearded man finished counting the money. “After all, the master already has what he needs. That feisty woman, she just slapped me across the face. And I rewarded her with a few whippings on her back. If I had time to have fun with her, she would have made a nice bed-warmer.”
Zhan Peng clenched his fist behind his back, and pretended to not know who the man was talking about.
“Who is this woman you are talking about, Sir?” he inquired courteously.
The man smiled deviously. “The master’s bane, Qian Yuxi. Did you think the kidnap was just about money?”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Soon, she’ll be dead. They’ll throw her down the ravine.”
“Enlighten me about this all. I want to know so in future, I’ll handle future cases like this better.”
“You don’t need to know, you’re just a guard.”
Zhan Peng smiled falsely, part of his lips visible through the exposed gaps of the helmet.
“Kind sir, I’ll treat you to the finest wine.”
“Now, that’s what I call a good deal!” He ushered Zhan Peng to the side. Zhan Peng observed his surroundings clearly.
He whispered, “It's their power. They conflict with each other. So one of them has to die. Of course, we can’t let our master die, can we? With her in the picture, he can’t get more powerful day by day. Their powers clash. So he devised a plan, with the help of The Unknown, to abduct her lover and send a message to their other companion. This way, she would be worried sick and have no choice but to come.”
“What has he done to her so far?” Zhan Peng feigned curiosity.
“He can’t have anything too physical with her. At most, a bit of touching, but any intimacy would prove fatal for him. He said I could do what I wanted with her, but seeing how feisty she is, it isn’t worth my energy. But her body under those layers is so irresistible, I wanted to peel off her belly binder and see what she is hiding there. Sadly, she didn’t appreciate it and slapped me instead.”
The harrowing news struck him, leaving a stinging sensation in his chest. He clenched his fist to prevent himself from striking the man. Slapping the jerk was just so typical of Yuxi, he considered.
“Then, what happened next?”
“I whipped her back. She fainted from the bursts of electricity, but she’s fine. By the first watch, they will throw her down the ravine to get rid of her for good.”
He knew he had to get to Yuxi before anything bad happened, but how could he rescue his friend? Even if the bearded man stuck to his promise to release him, how could he make his way out of the forest maze, especially after being tortured?
He had to make a choice between them, or risk Yuxi’s life. One was his sworn brother, another was the woman he loved.
How could he even decide?