own domain.
One night he found a grey man in a grey robe leaning in one of his corners.
‘Old man,’ he called out.
‘Young boy.’ The street lanterns revealed a twist of a smile on the old man’s face.
He took no offence even though he was no longer a boy. Pride could be deadly in these streets.
‘I am looking for the one they call Tao.’
‘That is me.’
The old man’s eyes gleamed with enjoyment. The oddness of it made Tao slip his knife into his hand while he hung back in the shadows.
‘Just Tao? Not Tao the Knife or Tao the Tiger?’
The grey man shook with laughter, utterly at ease in the back streets, which meant he was drunk or mad or dangerous.
‘Who are you?’ Tao demanded.
‘You had it right from the start. They call me “Lao Sou”.’ Old Man.
‘I have never heard of you.’
‘No one has.’
Tao stepped back and his gaze darted to the rooftops, to the far end of the alley. He saw nothing, heard nothing, but he knew the grey man was not here alone.
‘I have a job for you, Tao the Silent.’
‘Tonight?’
The Old Man chuckled. ‘No, no. Not until you’re ready. Put away your knife and walk with me.’
She knew the sound of water, even from a distance. The ebb and flow of it grew louder as they rode. They must be nearing the banks of the Jin. They veered into the thick of the forest, dismounting to continue on foot.
‘You’re not going to cover my eyes?’ she asked.
Zheng snorted. ‘An Ying is everywhere. We can disappear like the blowing wind.’
‘How poetic,’ she remarked blandly.
He shoved her forwards. The forest gave way to a stone path, encroached and overgrown with roots. The broken tiles led to a sudden part in the trees to reveal the face of a once-grand temple. The cracked paint lent it a hint of antiquity, a venerable sheen.
Zheng clamped a hand on to her shoulder. She shook him free and stepped forwards of her own volition, searching among the pillars and alcoves. There had been sliver of movement among the shadows, she was certain of it. Jun’s hand slipped to the knife in his belt.
‘You’ve never seen Lao Sou, have you?’ she asked.
‘Few have,’ Jun replied.
‘Yet you serve him above the people who cared for you.’
‘Don’t let her bewitch you, boy,’ Badger drawled from behind them.
She slid him a look over her shoulder and Badger flashed a crooked smile. An Ying was an odd collection of characters.
They stepped around the broken incense urn in the yard. A set of weathered steps led to the open doors. Zheng took hold of her again as they crossed the threshold. She peered through the dimly lit interior to the man seated where the altar once stood. The effect of it was akin to an emperor on his throne.
‘Fine work, young Jun,’ he said.
Li Tao had told her that Lao Sou preferred to wear drab clothing and disappear unnoticed in a crowd, but the man before her was dressed like a nobleman, his robe richly embroidered and of the finest silk. His face remained shadowed.
‘The notorious Ling Guifei honours us with her presence.’
‘Lao Sou,’ she greeted. ‘Your servant has his hand on me. I beseech you to have him remove it.’
‘Zheng, show respect for our guest.’
His hand tightened momentarily, anger vibrating through his fingertips. Then, without a word, he let her go. And just like that rank was established. She met Lao Sou’s gaze with a look that said, We are equals, you and I. Even though he held all the power.
He beckoned her with a wrinkled hand. ‘Come closer.’
She stepped on to the raised platform, noting how he was alone in the chamber. No, not alone. Once again, she caught a ripple of movement in the niche of the altar. Lao Sou didn’t want to appear as if he needed protection, but there was no way to tell how many guarded him.
‘Closer, closer. I am not the demon Li Tao described.’
He remained seated, his head tilted as if gauging each step. His eyes remained unfocused and blank. Blind. Li Tao had not told her that. How did a blind man command the respect of this horde of murderers and spies?
‘Li Tao never spoke of you as a demon.’
He raised a thick grey eyebrow. ‘No? What did he say?’
‘That you would come for him some day.’
He nodded, seemingly pleased, and a wave of powerlessness swept over her, weakening her resolve. It was as Li Tao had said. They were