windows. Yan Ling knocked loudly. When there was no answer, she pushed the door open to find Li Bai Shen face down on the square table at the centre of the room.
‘Heaven and earth, is he dead?’ Dao exclaimed.
Yan Ling glared at her for being so morbid. Fortunately, Bai Shen stirred and made a moaning noise that sounded like a set of wheezing pipes. What was he doing passed out so early?
Though dishevelled, he was dressed in the finest forest-green robe with gold accents along the collar and sleeves. His long black hair fell loose over his face. He tried to shake it away as he spoke.
‘Huh?’ he muttered thickly.
‘Wake up! Fei Long needs your help.’
He lifted his head gradually, as if it weighed a hundred tan. ‘Fei Long?’
Dao came around to the other side of the table to inspect the jugs of wine strewn there, turning them upside down to reveal not a drop left. ‘He’s been at this a while.’
‘Bring the wash basin,’ Yan Ling suggested.
She grabbed Bai Shen by the shoulders to help him into sitting position. He was a disaster.
He blinked up at her. ‘What’s wrong with Fei Long?’
At that moment, Dao rushed over with the basin and upended it over his head. Yan Ling yelped and jumped back as water splashed everywhere.
‘Fox demon!’ he boomed, shooting to his feet. ‘What in heaven is wrong with you, woman?’
‘I just meant for you to splash some onto his face,’ Yan Ling protested.
Dao sputtered, affronted. ‘I didn’t know!’
Bai Shen swiped the water out of his eyes. ‘What’s wrong with Fei Long?’ he repeated, a bit more lively this time.
‘He went out hours ago and hasn’t returned.’ Yan Ling showed him the address that Old Man Liang had given her. ‘I think he went to pay a debt.’
Bai Shen raked a hand through his damp hair and blew out a breath. ‘The gambling dens. This must be Boss Zōu’s place.’
She didn’t know who Boss Zōu was, but her stomach turned at the way he spoke the name. Her fears were further confirmed when Bai Shen grabbed a sword hooked onto the wall. He pulled his hair back into a topknot and pinned it.
‘Let’s go.’
It was the most serious expression she’d ever seen on the actor’s face.
Chapter Sixteen
All evidence of his earlier stupor faded as Bai Shen walked the night streets. Yan Ling wondered whether this confidence was merely an act, but it didn’t matter. She and Dao crowded close to him, borrowing from his courage as he pushed on through darkened alleys and deserted lanes.
‘Fei Long didn’t tell me he was mixed up with the Bull,’ he said.
‘He didn’t tell anyone.’ Yan Ling looked over her shoulder. She kept on imagining something jumping out at them from the shadows. ‘Why are there no guard patrols in this area?’
‘They remain scarce on purpose so they can deny any knowledge of the gambling and the black markets. Good business for everyone.’
Dao clutched a lantern with one hand and held on to Yan Ling with the other. ‘It must be the elder Lord Chang’s debt. Everyone knew he couldn’t resist a wager.’
Fei Long had kept this burden to himself. Yan Ling hoped his father’s spirit wouldn’t be angry that they were speaking ill of him. They would need both the Goddess of Mercy and the Chang family ancestors to protect Fei Long.
‘You two better hide back here while I go up to the Bull’s headquarters,’ Bai Shen said.
‘Why?’
‘They say he likes to acquire pretty young concubines.’ The grave look he gave them made Yan Ling shudder. ‘We don’t want to give him any ideas about potential exchanges.’
She didn’t like the idea of hiding out in the alley, but she didn’t want to meet this crime lord either. ‘What if he’s killed Fei Long?’ she asked, her throat closing up. ‘What if he takes you, too?’
‘He wouldn’t do anything like that. Zōu is a businessman and it’s in his interest to keep the peace. Fei Long isn’t some drunken gambler Zōu can sink a knife into without anyone noticing.’
The blood drained from Yan Ling’s face at the harsh picture Bai Shen painted. Her fingers went to ice.
‘Damn that mouth of yours!’ Dao scolded.
‘We’ll find him,’ Bai Shen amended sheepishly.
They ducked into the side street to find a place to wait it out. As they turned the corner, a sudden movement between the buildings caught Yan Ling’s eye. Two men stood over a third who lay on the ground. The dull glint of metal