Chapter 10: Wolves Den
It was a shame the peace couldn't last. The days only got colder so Lu Qinyi had ended up requesting his room to be heated to keep Fei Li from shivering. He also provided the other with smooth warming stones the size of a palm. This sort of thing was often used by Southerners that could afford them to warm their hands in winter. These stones were more pure then the ones the teacups were carved from, their warming property more intense. Fei Li had also been given his own winter cloak, one similar to Lu Qinyi's but with a fur lined hood instead. Despite possessing both of these, Fei Li still didn't like facing the cold and so after he stepped into Lu Qinyi's room in the morning, he would refuse to leave until bedtime.
Even worse was that whenever there were things to be discussed, Zhao Mei and Yang Xun would insist on talking in Lu Qinyi's nice warm room. And so the four of them sat in his room. Zhao Mei, Yang Xun and Fei Li exchanged the usual unpleasantries throughout the discussion, giving each other glares. Despite this, the atmosphere was quite relaxed. The three friends exchanged the usual banter, with even Zhao Mei letting out a quiet laugh. Fei Li as a habit held a warm drink between his hands, a warming stone tucked into his robes, feeling rather at ease despite the presence of the unpleasant duo.
"The snow is starting to build up now. I'd say it isn't long until the Northern army have to retreat back a bit before their toes freeze off. Maybe we can relax then and take the troops out to build snowmen." Yang Xun joked but Lu Qinyi frowned.
"That just means we have to remind the men not to pee in the snow. There's an incident with that every year." Lu Qinyi's nose scrunched in disgust at the very thought.
Zhao Mei let out a light sigh. "I keep telling you we should recruit more women. Perhaps we can even rotate the men out during winter."
Lu Qinyi seemed to be considering it for a moment before finally shaking his head. "There is still too much deep rooted bias and prejudice against women in the military to attract enough for that. One day we might be able to manage it but not any time soon."
"Oh right, while we're talking about the Northern Army, they're making demands to see that one again," Yang Xun said, nodding toward the silently staring Fei Li. Fei Li could hold conversations now and no longer spoke so slowly but since he didn't like Zhao Mei and Yang Xun, he didn't say much. They didn't like him either so they didn't make efforts to include him, often talking like he wasn't there.
"Let them make demands. There's nothing they can do. While ever they aren't sure whether he is dead or alive, they will hesitate. Since winter has begun, they're even less likely to make a move since they're at a disadvantage." Lu Qinyi said without concern, waving his hand dismissively.
"After winter passes, you'll need to prove to them he is alive or else they're likely to assume he is dead and we're only using empty threats." Zhao Mei stated, rolling a marble between her fingers. Only Yang Xun and Lu Qinyi knew that marble was given to her by her son and she carried it everywhere, fiddling with it when she was alone or felt comfortable enough.
"Mm. That sounds about right. Who is that one who you said is always spitting blood about returning General Fei? We'll invite him to come visit." Lu Qinyi said breezily, glancing at Yang Xun for the name.
Yang Xun paused to think. "Ah... That would be Xi... Xi Ming. He's one of General Fei's subordinates I think. He doesn't seem to hold any rank however."
Upon hearing that name, Fei Li's pupils shrank. Thoughts flooded his head with terrifying clarity and everything seemed to click all at once. He was the general of the Northern Army, which had somewhat recently gone to war with the South. Xi Ming was one of his most loyal subordinates who he frequently relied on. Yang and Zhao were the surnames of two most notable lieutenants of the Southern Army. They both served under General Lu.
He had stood up abruptly without realizing, the cup in his hand had fallen and hit the ground, shattering. The heads of the other three people in the room all snapped toward the sound. Lu Qinyi was quick to his feet, reaching out a hand to support Fei Li as the other had gone awfully pale and seemed like he might fall over at any moment. "General Fei, are you alright?" Fei Li was shaking slightly with the sudden realization he sat in a room of his most fearsome enemies. He slowly looked up to see Lu Qinyi's worried gaze. What once would have given him comfort now filled him with disgust. He took a few hurried steps backward before Lu Qinyi could touch him.
General Lu was new to the scene and was only just starting to make a name for himself. But he was already proving to be a formidable enemy, giving Fei Li all sorts of trouble in the skirmishes they had been fighting for about a year until now. General Lu made him uneasy, the man was too clever, too capable and too unpredictable. In each of their skirmishes, Fei Li had won a few and for the others there had been no clear victor. But it seemed General Lu was steadily getting craftier and more difficult to handle as time went on. He now realized from his observations during his time here that it wasn't just General Lu. It seemed that the general and his lieutenants had near flawless synergy and teamwork. They each played a role, Yang Xun understood the hearts of their own men and could guess at those of their enemies, ontop of being skilled in leading troops and fighting. Zhao Mei could both strategize and manage their capabilities and resources. Her harsh hand kept everything running smoothly and efficiently. She was also a capable fighter even though she didn't grace the battlefield much. Lu Qinyi was their direction, able to quickly form a clear view of the bigger picture and come up with a plan to guide fate to do his bidding. He was fast building a reputation for being eccentric and difficult to handle.
Fei Li felt dizzy from the adrenaline rushing through his veins. The sense that he was in a very dangerous situation urged him to run but his mind just as quickly rationalized. All three people before him, who wore the signature blue of the Southern army, were excellent fighters. Even if he made it past them, guards were stationed in the courtyard. Beyond them were soldiers. He had no chance of getting out of here by force. He glanced past Lu Qinyi to Zhao Mei and Yang Xun, both of whom watched him cautiously. It was like they were waiting for him to misstep so they could force Lu Qinyi out of his nonchalance. Fei Li slowed his breathing, forcing himself into a state of calm. He then looked to Lu Qinyi, who stood hesitantly before him, thinking for a moment before answering with a controlled voice. "I'm fine." Lu Qinyi frowned slightly but backed away.
"Oh good. If you're feeling unwell, maybe you should go rest?"
Fei Li nodded slightly, he would love nothing more than to leave this room of wolves. He pulled the cloak further around himself, not meeting any of the gazes on him as he left the room to return to his own.
He let out a sigh of relief once he was alone in his room. He lowered himself at the table, one arm across the table, the other pressing two fingers against his temple as he sorted his thoughts. His head ached but he could think clearly, no longer bound by that haziness. He had been carrying out a mission by the border. One of his spies had called him out to a desolate location to give an urgent report, warning him to travel light as there were Southern Army patrols nearby. He only had a few of his men with him. It was a trap. His spy had been compromised. His men had been killed. He was cornered, chased by men who were fairly skilled martially. He had been injured trying to run from them. That's when he came across that crack in the ground. If he could make it to the otherside, he stood a chance of losing his pursuers. He used a nearby tree to swing across but as he gripped onto the edge of the otherside, the rocks beneath his feet gave way. He tumbled down. There was a sharp pain at the back of his head. Then nothing.
He must have been captured, brought back alive to use to keep the Northern Army in check. But the men who cornered him seemed to have wanted to kill him, never once showing the intent of capturing him alive... Fei Li's brow furrowed as he thought. Regardless, he was alive and they currently had no wish to harm him. He decided it was best to continue as he had been these past months. Since they hadn't realized he had recovered, they would keep their guard down as it currently was. But that would mean... He frowned, pressing further at his temple as his headache seemed to worsen.
---~~~---
As evening fell, Fei Li felt uneasy, acutely aware of what was to come. Still, he did his best to relax his shoulders to seem at ease. He schooled his expression into the blank one he usually wore, grateful that even when he hadn't recovered his mind, he had still somewhat been himself and hadn't been very expressive. He tried his best to meet Lu Qinyi's gaze as the latter entered the room, followed by the often quiet Lin Jiao. But Fei Li found it hard to look directly at Lu Qinyi. It would be hard to argue Lu Qinyi had no part in his ambush and injury and yet this man dared to nurse him back to health with his own hand and with that gentle look in his eyes. Fei Li felt all kinds of uncomfortable but he wouldn't let it show.
Lu Qinyi was as normal as always as he asked, "Feeling better?" Fei Li gave a small nod. "Good, good. You should thank Lin An when she serves you next, she ended up cutting her finger while cleaning up the cup you dropped. Next time you have a dizzy spell, try not to take the cup with you," he teased warmly but Fei Li only felt a cold settle within him. He fixed his gaze somewhere to the side. Thankfully, this seemed like a normal response to Lu Qinyi, he thought nothing of it as he picked up his chopsticks and the bowl of food that Lin Jiao laid out. He ate a bite before placing the bowl in front of Fei Li.
Fei Li stared down at this bowl someone else had eaten out of, feeling his stomach turn. Lu Qinyi sat back in his seat, fiddling with the chopsticks in his hand. Sometimes Lu Qinyi would eat at the same time as Fei Li but other times he would have eaten beforehand and would merely help Fei Li with his meal. It seemed this meal was the latter. Fei Li slowly picked up the bowl and ate.
"You missed the best part when you went to rest. Mei Mei and Yang Ye got into another argument. Yang Ye threatened to tell Mei Mei's husband that she keeps all of the letters he sends in a box under her bed. Mei Mei was furious! She said if he didn't keep his mouth shut, she would tell that girl he fancies about the first time he had to kill a dog. He wouldn't stop crying. I had to hold him for a whole hour before he calmed down, my robes were soaked with tears and snot. Definitely not the kind of story you tell someone you're trying to impress."
Even Lu Qinyi's usual blabberings seemed to be drilling into Fei Li, his head throbbing. And hearing him refer to Lieutenant Zhao, who already had a reputation for being merciless and an omen of death when her name arose, so casually as "Mei Mei" really set him on edge. He hadn't even known Zhao Mei was a woman, the Northern Army having the view that women shouldn't be on a battlefield. But he knew plenty about what she was capable of.
But Lu Qinyi wasn't done talking so he could only keep listening while miserably eating his food. "Yang Ye really does understand people and he knows how thin a face Mei Mei has. But he should also know he's not a match for Mei Mei. She is one of the best strategists there is. And he has such an obvious weakness! Yang Ye was beyond annoyed with me for having told her that story so he's giving me the cold shoulder now," he chuckled, not the slightest bit remorseful.
Fei Li felt if they weren't enemies in such a situation, he would feel pity for Yang Xun with a friend like Lu Qinyi. But he didn't have time to pity others as dread fell over him. Lu Qinyi had nudged over a plate with a bitten cake on it. Fei Li felt sick to his stomach. He normally would be quite happy to be offered something sweet but he felt no joy this time. He swallowed hard as he picked up that little cake, pausing just as he had it at his lips. After a moment he forced himself to open his mouth, swallowing it down in one go, not giving himself the chance to spit it back out. It felt painful going down his throat, he almost thought he was going to choke on it. Worse yet was the feeling of disgust that spread over him. He quickly reached for the cup of tea but stopped dead before taking a drink from it.
Lu Qinyi was looking at him curiously, the chopsticks he had been playing with pausing in his hand. That's right... This cup hadn't been sipped from yet. He held in his despair as he held the cup out to Lu Qinyi, feeling he really had dropped his pride all over the floor. Lu Qinyi quirked an eyebrow but took the cup from him, taking a sip before returning it. Fei Li picked up whatever pride he could, comforting himself that sharing the same cup of tea with your enemy is worth the bigger picture. He sipped at that sweetened tea but it only tasted bitter on his tongue.
Fei Li had been busy wallowing in his own misery when he noticed Lu Qinyi stand up and walk over. He had to tighten the grip on the cup in his hand to steady himself and stop from tensing up, trying to look unconcerned as he closely followed Lu Qinyi with his eyes. The other casually reached out to pull his hair out of the way. The wound on the back of Fei Li's head no longer needed to be treated and bandaged but Lu Qinyi would still check it before bed to ensure it was healing fine and hadn't torn open again. But Fei Li felt a chill spread down his spine. He dodged the hand, hurriedly murmuring that it was fine, he didn't need to keep checking it. Lu Qinyi blinked in surprise, letting his hand fall back down. "Ah... alright then. Good night then General Fei."
Lin Jiao gathered the empty dishes, bowing her head to bid Fei Li good night then walked out beside Lu Qinyi, who promptly started chatting to her on the way out. "When you visit Yang Ye's room in the morning, bring him some tofu pudding. That should stop him from sulking all day."
"Yes Master Lu. Should I prepare enough for everyone's breakfast?" He heard Lin Jiao ask from outside of the room.
"Sure, why not." He only just made out Lu Qinyi's reply, their voices drifting into the distance.
Fei Li sunk into the bed once he was certain they had gone, letting out a weary sigh.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
mehasacupcake
mehasacupcake General Fei is online! Pray for his poor soul.
This chapter and the next were so difficult to work with. They consist of different scenes too small to split up so I'm using the seperators again.
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