Outside Qishi Town, Yi sat in the crook of a tree, chewing on a twig. He was high enough to see half the forest.
It was deep winter. The world was white, save for the stubborn green of the pine trees.
Hoofbeats. A white stallion galloped into the woods. The silver saddle was empty, the stirrups swinging.
Yi's eyes narrowed. He launched himself from the branch, a black arrow shot from a bow.
He landed squarely in the saddle.
The horse didn't buck. It stopped, turned, and galloped back the way it had come.
Old horses know the way, he thought with a grin. Let's see where you take me. A dragon's pool or a tiger's den? It doesn't matter.
The horse carried him to a ruined village near the town. The houses were broken shells, the people long gone. Only crows and wild dogs remained.
He reined in the horse and dismounted before a house that was still mostly intact. Through the broken fence, he saw a man in white robes standing in the courtyard, his cloak fluttering in the wind. He looked like an immortal descended to earth, surveying the ruins of the mortal world.
"You're on time." The Seventh Prince, Xue Feiyan, turned.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Yi smiled.
Xue Feiyan studied him. Young, dressed in silver-white, with silver-bound bracers. His eyes were slanted, his expression playful but sharp with a hidden intensity. His boots were spotless, despite the snow.
"Are you one of my fifth brother's men?" he asked. Night Blade had no record of such a master in Xue Liulan's service.
He asked. Yi felt a grudging respect for Xue Liulan.
"If he asks," the prince had said, "tell him you belong to Murong Jin."
Yi crossed his arms. "No."
Xue Feiyan's brow twitched. His hand tightened behind his back. If this man was an enemy… with lightness skill like that, even he would be at a disadvantage.
"Then why are you here?" he asked, his voice calm.
Yi's dark eyes gleamed. "By order of General Murong of Wuchuan, to retrieve something from the Seventh Prince."
A Murong man. Xue Feiyan relaxed. Murong Jin might be married to Xue Liulan, but her family was loyal to the dynasty, not necessarily to her husband.
He took a scroll from his sleeve and tossed it to Yi. "The item is hidden here. Whether you can retrieve it and report back to General Murong depends on your own skill."
"Oh?" Yi caught it. "So I don't get the prize, just the map? Interesting."
He untied the red string and unrolled the map. It detailed the defenses of Qishi Town's center. The command token he needed was in the heart of the county office, surrounded by layers of guards.
He memorized it in a glance, rolled it up, and tossed it back.
"Since you stole it from their archives, you'd better put it back before morning. We don't want to alert the snake."
"Of course." Xue Feiyan smiled. "One more thing."
"Speak."
"Tomorrow is the peace ceremony. I don't want the Yanyun using any… unexpected incidents… as an excuse to raise their price."
Yi understood. If I fail, I die. Silence is the best policy.
"Thinking of defeat before the battle has even begun? Seventh Prince, it's a miracle you've survived on the battlefield this long." Yi laughed, the sound wild and arrogant in the empty village.
Xue Feiyan didn't take offense. "I'll wait for your good news."
"Farewell." Yi gave a careless salute and vanished into the snow.
A true master of stealth, Xue Feiyan thought. Invisible in a crowd, a part of nature in the wild.
"Ling Yan."
She stepped out from the ruined house. "My lord."
"Have someone follow him."
"Yes." She hesitated. "With his skill… it will be difficult to do so without being detected."
"Just do it." He knew Yi wouldn't harm his men unless they interfered.
Night fell over Qishi Town. The sky was heavy with unshed snow. The howl of wolves echoed from outside the walls.
Yi crouched on the roof of an abandoned tavern, three streets away from the county office.
A patrol passed. He didn't move, breathing shallowly, a statue in the darkness. When the next patrol passed, he opened his eyes.
Half an hour between patrols. Not too frequent. But this was just the perimeter.
He dropped from the roof, his knees bending to absorb the impact, and was gone, a blur of motion on the stone street.
He flitted across rooftops, stopping under the eaves opposite the county office. Here, the patrols were more frequent. Luckily, there was no moon.
He timed them again by his heartbeat. Every quarter-hour.
The map had shown the layout, but not the timing. The wall opposite was lined with thirty archers. To jump it would be suicide.
He scanned the area. His eyes landed on the plaque above the main gate. He smiled.
He dropped to the ground, skimmed past the fire brazier by the stone lion, kicked off the gate post, and flipped behind the plaque.
Behind him, the flames in the brazier flickered, just once.
Murong Jin had described the Yanyun defenses to him. He knew what to expect. No trees for cover meant he had to wait.
The guards at the gate shifted their gaze every few minutes. It was a small window, but enough.
He timed it, then leaped from behind the plaque, flipping over the gate and into the courtyard.
He landed silently.
"Who goes there?" a voice roared.
He froze, pressing himself into the shadows of the wall. Torches flared. Soldiers ran past him, toward the gate.
A man in black was surrounded. He held a gleaming short blade.
Yi recognized him. The tail Xue Feiyan had sent. He had known the man was there but had let him follow. And now, he was proving useful.
Yi gave a silent bow to the man fighting for his life outside, then turned and slipped deeper into the compound.