Chapter 3

Yin set 9 coins on the counter, watching them glisten in the dim candlelight. The storeowner narrowed her eyes and brushed away some of the half empty glass bottles and jagged pieces of metal parts that cluttered up the table. She counted every gold piece on the dampened oak then looked back up at Yin briefly before scurrying to a nearby shelf and retrieving three bottles.

"I'm missing one."

"9 gold for three bottles of arsenic." The storeowner sniffed.

"Won't you give me a friendly discount Auntie Liu?" Yin smiled sweetly, "After all, we've known each other for so long."

"I have a business to run. No discounts." Auntie Liu glared back at her as she shoved the coins into her pocket.

"Not even for your favorite noble?"

"I have no favorite noble." She retorted gruffly, folding her arms. "I hate you all equally."

The basement candlelight had highlighted the wrinkles on Auntie Liu's face, sinking into the contours of her cheekbones and browbones, illuminating her white hairs and the faint brown sunspots.

The ceiling creaked with the muffled sounds of conversation above. The basement was right under the fruit stand Auntie Liu managed. Of course, the stand was a cover for a more secret store and information guild. A few stores on the street did the same, comprising a restricted web of markets in the capital.

After a long pause, Yin decided that it was no use. The old woman had seemed tired enough for the day. With the Li kingdom visit coming up, Yin was sure that Auntie Liu had an abundance of appointments with concerned nobles. She set 2 more coins on the counter, hearing the jingling sound they made on the table, hesitating only slightly before setting down a third.

"Should've done that before arguing with me." Auntie Liu narrowed her eyes, fetching another bottle and pushing it into her hands. "Don't squander it, poison is getting more expensive to come by these days."

"Oh don't worry, I'll put this to very good use." Yin smiled as she took the bottle in hand and placed all four of them in her leather bag.

"What's it for?" The old woman said while taking a nearby broomstick in hand. "Did an aristocrat get on your nerves again?"

"Of course not." Yin smirked, "I'm not that petty to use this on pesty nobles."

"Your track record begs to differ." Auntie Liu said dryly.

"It's simply a precaution this coming week."

"So it's for the Li."

"More or less." Yin replied, tying her purse strings. It was more of a precaution of course. Li assassins were known to be highly skilled and thick skinned. If her guards wanted to have any chance of killing one of them, poison arrows were a must. After all, poison was a Jiang specialty, something that not even thick skinned southerners could survive should they encounter one.

"And how will you use it?"

"I'm not telling you." She frowned. "You'll sell what I say to some baron."

The corners of Auntie Liu's mouth turned upward, neither confirming nor denying the accusation. The movement was slight and subtle, but Yin knew her well enough to notice.

A sharp knock sounded at the basement entrance. Yin brushed away layers of hanging cloth as she started towards the separate exit. It was a small door in the back of towers of storage boxes, built to keep confidentiality between clients.

"Perfect timing." She smirked. "You can tell your next client it's preferable that these bottles remain unopened for the time being."

XXX

Stalls and colorful tents lined branched off streets and dotted the horizon.

Yin held up her arm, inspecting the rings on her hand. The metals coiled around her fingers, each with different gemstones anchored in gold.

"I like the third one better." Hui said enthusiastically. The others that had accompanied her nodded in agreement. The four person cohort consisted of her friends from the emperor's personal guard. It was difficult for them to all get out of the palace leisurely, but the Empress Dowager had allowed it considering how busy the visit would make them for the next few weeks.

"Give it to your future wife." Yin took off the third ring and handed it to him. "Consider it an early wedding gift."

"I don't see why you're so obsessed with jewelry." Shen interjected sarcastically. "Pretty things won't be able to cover up that personality of yours."

Shen had met her after she ran away from the palace at age nine. He, who was working as a merchant with his father at the time, was a stranger she had gotten into a fight with after accidentally crashing into his stall at the market.

Even the palace guards had trouble locating and taking her back, but ten year old Shen managed to drag her kicking and screaming back to the palace, demanding to the Empress Dowager that she compensate for the damage. Empress Dowager, impressed that he had bested her, offered him a position among them on the spot.

They had bickered and fought often as children. As they got older, they grew more adjusted to each other's personalities. However, even time could not change the sharp-tongued nature of their friendship.

He was not as tall as Hui, but had the bulkiest build out of all of them. Per his personality, he specialized in rough, close combat. If Hui was a silent assassin, Shen was an explosive brute.

"Oh do stop talking," Yin retorted. "I'll buy you seafood after this."

"Crawfish?" Shen perked up. If he had any physical weakness at all, it was his love for seafood–especially crustaceans.

"The best kind," She replied, "Rei kingdom merchants just dropped off a shipment at your favorite restaurant."

"Well," Shen crossed his arms, frowning as he looked at the jewelry laid out on the table. "I suppose you should focus on your jewelry then."

Yin smirked before turning to the shyer one of the group who had been hiding behind Hui's shoulder.

"AnNing," The girl looked up at her, "Pick anything and I'll have it all sent to your chambers."

AnNing smiled shyly, hesitantly reaching for one of the nearby hairpins. It was made of a shiny, slightly marbled white jade. She paused, before switching to the smaller accessory beside it. However it was too late, both Yin and Shen had noticed her initial preference.

"What are you hesitating for?" Shen nodded towards the hairpin. "Try it on."

"It's too beautiful. This is something nobles wear." AnNing said, fidgeting with the corners of her dress. "I'll take something smaller."

Before Yin could vehemently disagree, Shen beat her to it.

"What nonsense are you spewing?" He picked up the hairpin, pushing it into her hands. "It suits you, you should wear it."

AnNing looked over meekly at Yin, who nodded in approval.

Yin smiled as the AnNing pushed it into her hair, noticing the slight flush on Shen's face as she turned to him.

Even if she had a very docile personality, her archery made her sharp and deadly–a perfect sniper.

An unfortunate childhood event had very nearly rendered her mute, but after being doted on by the rest of the guards as the youngest, her sentences slowly grew in length. Her improvement brought all of them immense pride.

"How does it look?" AnNing asked.

"I told you." Shen touched his neck awkwardly, as if he had forgotten how to speak. "It suits you."

The store owner looked back at Yin, eyes wide with anticipation and she took out a bag of coins.

"Go back to the carriage first." She said to the others. "I'll handle the payment and be right there."

Hui and AnNing nodded and made their way back along the paved road.

Shen stood silently, watching until they were halfway to the carriage before handing Yin a bag of coins.

"This is for the hairpin." He said quietly, "You better not tell her that I did this."

"Of course not." She smirked, knowing his intentions all too well. Shen had always been abrasive. Yet when it came to AnNing, he transformed into an awkward, bumbling schoolboy. Anyone could tell that he had feelings for her, even as he fervently denied all allegations.

He narrowed his eyes at her and nodded before also taking his leave.

"I'll take the ones from here," Yin turned back to the store owner, pointing at the first row of jewelry, following down to the third row. "...to here."

Yin paused, contemplating whether to buy one more. "I'll also take..."

But just as she finished adding more items to her transaction, screams erupted from the other side of the road.

A loose carriage had come barrelling down the road. The driver had fallen to the side, grasping at air as he lost control of his reigns, allowing the panicked horses to sprint down the street frantically.

Yin started towards her own carriage. She was in no apparent danger, as the carriage wasn't approaching her direction. Besides, it was best that she didn't draw attention at the market, lest she create needless gossip in the capital.

A figure in front of her caught her eye just as she was about to leave. A hooded man was walking down the alleyway as nothing had happened, while being perfectly in line with the carriage's path.

Perplexed, she ran towards the stranger, abruptly grabbing onto his wrist and pulling them backwards.

Yin's head faintly throbbed as she hit the concrete–the stranger catching himself just before he could land on top of her.

She looked at the man in front of her, her hands firmly on his sleeves. He was dressed in all black, but not in fabrics Yin was familiar with. Jiang fabrics were not nearly as coarse as what was beneath her palms.

A layer of fabric masked the lower half of his face, leaving only two sharp, confused eyes for her to see. With the build of a mercenary but the eyes of a noble, he was too unfamiliar.

He cleared his throat and stood up, offering her his hand. Yin blew stray strands of hair that had come undone and took it, propping herself up and dusting off her skirt. She looked him up and down, frowning when she realized how much taller than her he was.

The more she thought about it, the more it seemed like he wasn't from North Jiang, or any part of the kingdom for that matter, at all.

"It seems you are as stupid as you are handsome." She remarked.

Without saying anything, the stranger bowed his head and walked away, quickly disappearing into the bustling market scene behind her. Yin glared at his back, annoyed. She could make the effort to weave in and out of the crowds and chase him down. However, a rude stranger was not enough for her to keep her friends waiting.

'What a shame'. She thought to herself. 'He seems like fun.'