Chapter 6: The Perilous Temple Fair

The Xiao family’s business as assassins was unlike others of their kind. The people they killed were already drenched in blood themselves, and the Xiao family did not believe in eradicating roots with every mission. Their responsibility ended with the elimination of their target.

Beyond the assassin trade, the Xiao family also took on jobs such as finding missing people or objects, or escorting valuable goods. They had established their own intelligence network, which naturally extended into commerce. Before any task, they collected all relevant information, which was then classified by difficulty and type by the intelligence division. The most suitable assignments would be selected and submitted to the family’s higher-ups for review, and only after approval would they be released for the members to carry out.

Thus, Xiao family missions rarely resulted in casualties, nor did internal strife arise. The task Ye Min had taken this time was to track down and destroy a gang of vicious criminals. According to the intelligence gathered, they had slaughtered more than a few villages. What truly compelled Ye Min, however, was that the massacre of his birth village years ago had been one of their crimes. Through them, Ye Min hoped to uncover the truth of that tragedy.

Ye Min had never spoken much about his origins or his past; he simply wished to understand the cause and course of that fateful event. After all, his masters had perished because of it—because of him.

They rode hard to a small border town, but even so, they arrived a step too late. Following the clues the gang had left behind, Ye Min tracked them to an old temple in a neighboring town, only for the trail to go cold again.

The temple was remote and desolate, lingering at the edge of the village, clearly abandoned for some time. Ye Min instructed his group to wait outside while he went in alone to investigate. The eaves were missing tiles, no shelter even from the rain, and though there was an offering table, there was no statue of any deity. On the table sat half a blackened bun. But with no sign of life here, how could there be food? Sensing something amiss, Ye Min flipped the tattered cloth on the table without hesitation.

He was met with a row of yellow teeth grinning up at him. In a harsh voice, Ye Min commanded, "Show yourself!"

A filthy child with wild hair, dressed in ragged cloth, his face smeared with grime of unknown origin, cackled and hobbled forward on a bamboo stick half his height. One leg shook ceaselessly as he circled Ye Min with curious wonder. Suddenly, the boy flailed his arms and, as if gripped by madness, cried out, "Star of Calamity! Doom and blood! All those around you will leave you! They will all leave you! Ha ha ha! Leave you, leave you!"

Ye Min said nothing, unmoved by the child’s words. Instead, he coolly considered the peculiarity of a beggar appearing in such a remote, deserted place. His gaze darkened, and with a swift movement, the beggar’s voice ceased and he collapsed to the ground.

Finding no further clues, Ye Min picked up the child and walked out. "Keep a strict watch on this one," he ordered. "Do not let him escape."

The others acknowledged his command, and Ye Min led them back home. The beggar boy, who should have been unconscious, cracked open his eyes just a sliver as they traveled, fixing a strange smile on Ye Min’s figure atop his horse. At last, he had been found.

Back at the Xiao residence, Xiao Jiu lay sprawled on a table, his face full of gloom. For the hundred and first time, he turned to the attendant beside him and asked, "When is Ah Ye coming home?"

The servant wiped away the anxious sweat at his brow and forced a grin. "Very soon, very soon. He’ll be back any moment!" Heaven help him—when would the beautiful Ye return? He was at his wit’s end.

Xiao Jiu scowled, spinning around in annoyance. "That’s what you said yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that! You’re lying!"

More sweat beaded on the servant’s forehead. "This time it’s true—he really will be back soon..."

With a humph, Xiao Jiu turned his gaze back to the entrance, inwardly cursing, Stupid Ah Ye, wicked Ah Ye, making me wait so long.

His stomach began to rumble noisily. "Bring me something to eat!" he shouted.

The servant was about to comply when Ye Min, fresh from his bath, entered and stopped him. The servant, momentarily stunned by Ye Min’s appearance, swallowed hard and quickly excused himself, shutting the door behind him—thank the heavens, the beautiful Ye had finally returned. At last, he could rest.

Noticing the silence behind him, Xiao Jiu slammed a hand on the table and spun around. "I told you to bring me—" But before he could finish, he looked up and exclaimed with delight, "Ah Ye, you’re back!"

Ye Min raised an eyebrow. "What were you going to say?"

Xiao Jiu hopped off his chair, ran forward, and tugged at Ye Min’s sleeve, blinking his eyes. "Ah Ye, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have lost my temper."

Ye Min sighed softly, then smiled and scooped Xiao Jiu up with one arm, producing a parcel of pastries he’d bought in town with the other. "Little Jiu, you’ll inherit the entire Xiao family one day. Don’t make enemies over trivial matters."

But all Xiao Jiu’s attention was on the pastries. He nodded vigorously, unconcerned with Ye Min’s words. "Got it, got it! Ah Ye is the best!"

Ye Min couldn’t help but laugh at his exasperation. After all, Xiao Jiu was only five—what else could he do? He ruffled Xiao Jiu’s nose with a finger.

Lounging on a recliner, Ye Min held Xiao Jiu in his arms as the boy munched messily, crumbs scattering onto Ye Min’s clothes, who didn’t mind in the least. Xiao Jiu’s cheeks were stuffed, his face radiating happiness. Still eating, he mumbled, "Ah Ye, when will you take me to the temple fair? Today’s the last day!"

Ye Min picked up a lock of Xiao Jiu’s hair and toyed with it, nearly braiding it. "Tonight, I’ll take you out. How about that?"

Xiao Jiu spun around, sprang up, and planted a kiss on Ye Min’s cheek. "Ah Ye, you’re the best!"

Ye Min stiffened briefly, then wiped the crumbs from Xiao Jiu’s mouth—and his own—with a handkerchief. A faint blush crept up his face as he wondered what Xiao Jiu had been learning from others in his absence.

Little did he know, this trick had been taught by Lady Xiao herself. When Xiao Jiu once asked how he could repay Ah Ye’s kindness, Lady Xiao had laughed behind her hand and whispered, "Just kiss Ah Ye next time!"

Xiao Jiu had remembered and done just as she said—much to Ye Min’s “surprise.”

After returning, Ye Min had ordered the beggar boy locked in the innermost cell and guarded tightly. The men of the group, having delivered the boy to his cell, checked on him periodically. The cell was surrounded by walls on all sides, with only a single iron door through which the guards could peer.

Their inspections were frequent, but the beggar remained “unconscious,” even his posture against the wall unchanged.

That evening, Ye Min took Xiao Jiu out, accompanied by no one else. When Xiao Jiu grew tired, Ye Min carried him, and with a burst of lightness, they covered the last distance to the temple fair.

On the fair’s final night, the crowd was bigger than ever. The streets were packed, bustling with people. Ye Min held Xiao Jiu tightly in his arms, while the boy was completely absorbed by the sights and sounds—the food stalls, the trinkets, the novelties.

Eager and impatient, Xiao Jiu tugged Ye Min’s sleeve. "Ah Ye, let me down! I want to go look over there!" He pointed to a mask vendor.

Ye Min carried him over and set him down. Xiao Jiu was dazzled by the array of masks, but his eyes quickly landed on one shaped like the Monkey King. He pointed excitedly and asked the vendor for it. He put it on and turned to Ye Min. "Do I look like the Handsome Monkey King?"

Ye Min chuckled and held a pig mask to Xiao Jiu’s face. "This one suits you better!"

Through the Monkey King mask, Xiao Jiu couldn’t see well but agreed trustingly, "Whatever you say, Ah Ye. I’ll take whichever you think suits me!"

He swapped for the pig mask, and both the vendor and Ye Min burst out laughing. "Very well, we’ll buy this one," Ye Min said.

After paying, Ye Min picked Xiao Jiu up and continued through the throng. Despite the noise and chaos, Ye Min’s instincts told him something was off—someone seemed to be following them, always at just the right distance.

When Ye Min turned, the gaze vanished. Xiao Jiu, puzzled by the sudden stop, asked, "What’s wrong, Ah Ye?"

"Nothing," Ye Min replied softly. "Let’s keep walking. But promise me, don’t play too long. We should head back early."

Xiao Jiu waved a dismissive hand. "I know, I know. Oh, look, Ah Ye! Sugar sculptures! Take me to see!"

He hopped down and grabbed a sugar figurine, refusing to let go. Ye Min apologized to the vendor and paid, but in the brief moment he turned his head, Xiao Jiu—who should have been right behind him—had vanished.

Ye Min’s expression darkened. He questioned the vendor, "Did you see the little boy with me just now?"

"I didn’t see anyone," the vendor replied. "What boy?"

Without a word, Ye Min plunged into the crowd, searching. But everywhere he looked, children Xiao Jiu’s age wore identical pig masks. At once, Ye Min realized they’d fallen into someone’s trap.

He doubled back to the sugar vendor and found Xiao Jiu standing there, dazed. Ye Min hurried over. "Where did you go just now?"

"I’ve been with you the whole time, Ah Ye! Didn’t you say you had something to do and to wait for you here?"

The vendor, too, looked confused. "That’s right, I can vouch for it. You left for a moment and came right back with him."

Listening to them, Ye Min’s heart sank. "It’s time to go home."

Seeing Ye Min’s grim face, Xiao Jiu didn’t protest, though he wished he could play a bit longer. He nodded obediently and let Ye Min lift him up.

Meanwhile, in a shadowy alley, a figure emerged from the gloom—bearing a perfect likeness to Ye Min. With a low chuckle, the figure peeled a layer of human-skin mask from his face, revealing one side of striking beauty, the other marred by a long, hideous scar. Clutching his disfigured cheek, he sneered, "If my life is so miserable, how can you possibly live so well?"