爭風吃醋
Zhēng fēng chī cù
Fight the wind and eat vinegar.
Contend for the affections of a man or woman.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Among mu'ren there is one absolute: strength is admired above all else.

There were those who argued against this. Some said that wisdom, or age, should decide who led, who was esteemed and respected in our world.

I had found that the mu'ren who held to this tenet were usually smaller and weaker than me.

When I had first been made human, I had despaired at the weakness of my frail human body. I had wondered how I would survive, when most humans around me were larger and stronger, men and women both.

Soon though, I had realized that thanks to the advantage a weapon provided, size and strength did not matter as much with humans as it did with mu'ren. A small man with a sharp sword could slit your neck just as well as a large one.

In the end what did matter was speed, and agility, and the skills to use such weapons.

Most mu'ren outside the Inner Empire disdained from using human weapons. Conflict was settled in mu'ren form. Weapons were toys used by humans.

But I had never thought like most mu'ren.

And so even before I had been trapped in human form, I had trained in human arms. I had trained in the sword, and the spear. The ax, both the large battle ax, and the smaller throwing variety. Daggers, knives. Projectiles in particular were of great advantage. With a bow and arrow, it did not matter who your opponent was. The only thing that mattered was your own accuracy.

I became skilled in just about every weapon, until in both my forms, human and dalong, I was a master of violence.

After being forced into human form, I had trained more, with renewed fervour. I had found in my new form I prefered pole weapons, because of the elongated reach they gave you. Also, if you manipulated the weight and speed of the weapons just right, you could make up for strength you lacked using the weapon's own momentum.

Never having a formal instructor or master, I had learned where I could. As I watched Sanli and Zhangyu duel, I recognized the Copper Prince's fighting style, from a brief period where I had disguised myself as a boy and served in the Black Lord's army. The men of the north were famous for their skill with spears, and I had learned by watching the soldiers drill and train.

It had been many years now, but still I remembered the movements well.

As I watched the rather one-sided fight between the two princes, I realized it was not so much that Sanli lacked skill. On the contrary, the Third Prince was very talented. While his footwork was rather sloppy, his movements were trained and controlled, and more than adequate to defend. Unfortunately, his attempts to launch his own attacks were feeble, and easily repulsed.

He lacks the will to hurt, I realized.

Zhangyu on the contrary, lacked no will to hurt. And while Sanli was skilled, Zhangyu was gifted, to the point where I found it hard to believe he was human, and had had only had a limited number of years to learn

He must practice relentlessly, I thought. As the Second Prince leaned back to launch a low swing at Sanli, his shirt rode up and I caught sight of a row of tightly knit muscles across his abdomen. I smirked. And it shows.

As I watched the fight, I could not help getting more and more excited. A warmth stirred in me, and a desire to do something foolish. To challenge the second prince.

You should not let them see how skilled you are, my wiser self thought.

Over the past couple of months, I had been careful to keep my skills from Sanli and the other's knowledge. Part of me did it because I wanted to play the damsel, and enjoyed having the men wait on me.

The other part of me knew that the greatest advantage one had was surprise. If ever my partnership with Sanli was to end, and we were to become enemies, it would be best if he and his men knew as little as possible about me. If they just thought me a weak woman, who had once been a god.

I was not what I once was, but I was not weak.

Challenge him, a voice hissed.

The fight ended, Sanli forced from the ring. I started down the steps toward the two men.

"Good job brother!" Ermi cheered behind me.

Sanli stood to one side, breathing heavily. Zhangyu wiped sweat from his brow then straightened up as he saw me approach.

"You are very talented, my prince," I said, stepping slowly around Zhangyu. The second prince looked at me warily. "Where did you learn?"

"Kageyama Sensei taught me the sword, and some of the spear. The rest I learned from northmen," Zhangyu replied. He flexed his hand, letting his pole rest on the ground.

"Hmm," I said. Don't be a fool, you have no reason to do this, a voice said. But another voice, louder, urged me on.

After all, there was nothing quite like beating a handsome man at his own game.

"My dear Prince Zhangyu..." I said as pleasantly as I could. "Won't you give me a match?"

Zhangyu frowned. "You have knowledge of weapons, Lady Yunyou?"

"A little," I lied, going to stand beside Sanli. I put out my hand for the pole Sanli held, and the third prince passed it to me reluctantly. "Shall I avenge you?" I asked Sanli with a smile.

Sanli grunted and stepped back. "I think that might just make me feel more embarrassed. But go ahead."

I laughed, and swung the pole over my shoulder. Then I went to stand in the ring, across from Zhangyu.

"Lady Yunyou... do you really intend to fight me like that?" said Zhangyu with skepticism, eyeing my ornate robes and shoes.

"You are right," I said. "These shoes are ridiculous." I kicked the thick wooden clogs off, out of the ring, and then turned once more to face the prince, long red robes dragging through the dust of the courtyard behind me.

"Woohoo! Go get him, Ao-jie!" yelled Ermi from the terrace.

"Your robes are still too long. I worry about you injuring yourself... perhaps instead of sparring, I could show you some movements," said Zhangyu, disbelief coloring his tone.

"Show'im, Ao!" called Zakhar from one side. Beside the bearded man, the two mu'ren watched, Liang'yi with vague amusement, Kageyama with narrowed eyes.

I spread my feet. Across from me, Zhangyu, realizing I would not relent, did the same.

"Fine," said Zhangyu with reluctance. "Say when."

"When!" I shouted, mirroring Sanli's surprise attack from a moment before, I leapt forward at the second prince, long red robes slowing me down.

Prince Zhangu dodged my attack easily and swung into one of his own. I was ready for him.

The second prince attempted to drive me back with several, wide, long strokes, his pole swinging through the air. I ducked under the first swing, then caught the next with my pole

He wanted to end this quickly I realized, because he was uncomfortable fighting me.

We traded a few more blows, and it was I who was on the attack, despite my disadvantage in size and strength, and my hindering clothing. The Second Prince's blows were weaker and slower than when he had fought Sanli, and the eagerness to attack that he had had earlier was gone.

He was being gentle with me. There was nothing I hated more.

I slowed my movements, and dropped my guard. I let two of the Second Prince's attacks land, one on my upper arm, one on my upper thigh. I grunted in pain as the wooden pole thwacked against my skin, stinging even with the thick layer of my robes between.

Zhangyu immediately dropped his pole to his side. "I apologise, I did not mean--"

I used the opening created to land a glancing blow across his shoulder with all my might.

"Argh!" Zhangyu clutched his shoulder, stepping out of my reach.

That would leave a bruise.

"Do not insult me. Where is the spirit you fought with earlier?" I goaded. "Do not hold back, or you will regret it Copper Prince. Or are you afraid to fight me honestly and lose?"

Zhangyu glared at me, still clutching his shoulder. "Fine," his voice was like grating metal.

When he came, it was like an army at full force.

The sound of our poles clashing was a rapid rhythm. Blows to my left, my right, so fast I could not block them all. I had to let several through my guard, wincing as they landed. I heard Zakhar shout angrily from the side, and Ermi gasp.

"Watch out Noodles!" Liang'yi called.

I stepped out of reach, closer to the edge of the ring. It looked like I would have bruises of my own tonight.

Zhangyu smirked at my retreat. He took a deep breath, and another, steadying his breathing as he took up a defensive stance. But instead of attacking, I doubled over and gasped for breath like a fish on land.

Zhangyu, sensing weakness, came out of a defensive stance with a sharp twist of the pole and walked swiftly toward me, a finality in his gaze. He sought to end this.

I smiled.

Before Zhangyu could reach me, I spun, my long red sleeves and robe that had been a hindrance now an aid as they blocked the second prince's vision. Then I launched an assault on the second prince as fierce as his own had been.

Relentless, I struck and stabbed, searching for entries, weakness. An arm raised too slow in defense, leaving a shoulder exposed, a finger too close to my blow that could be hit.

Ruthless, unceasing, I attacked, taking advantage of Zhangyu's greater height to try and find low openings in his guard. Many of my blows landed, causing the prince to grunt in pain.

Just like Zhangyu, I did not lack the will to hurt.

The second prince attempted to counter my relentless assault. With his strength, he managed to force me several steps back, but I soon regained them using a few quick twists and well placed swings.

Finally, panting, we both separated. I spun my pole expertely, around my shoulders and back to my front again. An unnecessary, showy movement, but I didn't care. I was enjoying myself.

Zhangyu looked at me, sweat running down his face. "A 'little' knowledge of weapons, Lady Yunyou?" he asked me critically, raising one eyebrow. But a smile was on his face.

He was enjoying himself as well.

I saw the prince tense, and I did the same. It would end with this.

My bare feet gripped at the dust of the courtyard as I dodged low and thrust a stab upwards, through his guard.

But the second prince had anticipated me.

He turned, surprisingly fast, and launched a low swing at me, with all his force behind it.

In an instant, I realized I could not block it. Zhangyu's strength was far greater than mine, and if I did, I would be forced from the ring. I was already less than a step away.

I dropped my pole and fell to the ground, hearing the prince's swing whistle passed my ear.

Now weaponless, I twisted on my hands, using one of my legs to sweep Zhangyu's own out from under him.

Even as the second prince fell, I rolled and stood, sweeping my pole up off the ground and into my outstretched hand with a flick of my foot.

I twisted, and brough my pole to rest at the base of Zhangyu's throat.

"My win, prince," I said. Zhangyu blinked up at me from the dirt of the courtyard, stunned. Then a slow smile spread across his face.

"Look at your feet," he said.

I looked down. My left foot rested outside the white painted ring.

"You lose," said Zhangyu, smirking up at me.

"YOU lose," I said, pushing the pole against his throat. "If this was a real spear, you would be dead."

Zhangyu shrugged. "Perhaps we should call it a draw." He was making me angry, and he knew it.

I pushed my pole harder against his throat, causing Zhangyu to cough. "Concede," I said angrily.

"Enough," said a voice. I felt a weight on my pole. I turned. Kageyama had stepped up behind me, and was tugging the pole from my grasp.

Reluctantly, I let him take it. Zhangyu stood, brushing brown dirt from his black uniform pants and the back of his shirt.

My own silk robe was ruined, but I cared not.

"I have training grounds in my courtyard," said Zhangyu, as he rolled his sleeves down once more, covering up swiftly appearing bruises on his forearms. "My soldiers and I train there, and we have much more equipment on offer. You are welcome there any time, Lady Yunyou. Or any other part of my residence."

I raised an eyebrow, wondering if I imagined the invitation implied in his last sentence. Zhangyu's smirk told me I had not.

The second prince turned away, moving to gather his jacket and speak to his sister on the terrace.

"Enjoy the rest of your morning, Lady Yunyou," he said over one shoulder.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Thanks to my fight with Zhangyu, I managed to escape play practice with Ermi for the rest of the day.

"I am rather sore," I said, indicating the places where the training pole had caught me. "I wish to rest and treat my injuries."

In truth, I knew my bruises would be gone by the next day. I simply wanted to bathe away my sweat and the dust of the courtyard that had collected on my skin and hair during the fight.

Ermi sighed. "Fine. I suppose we can practice another time. But you have to teach me how to fight like that! I want to beat my brother!" her eyes burned with determination.

I laughed, and I promised the princess I would teach her what I could.

I slipped on my too high shoes and left Ermi's courtyard, intending to return to Wo You Nai on my own.

I had just started back on the mossy walk between the trees and ferns when I heard soft foot falls behind me.

I turned and saw Sanli running to catch up.

"Come to nurse my wounds, little Prince?" I asked as he stopped beside me.

"I was hoping you would nurse mine, actually," said Sanli, rolling up a sleeve to show off a darkening bruise. "And my pride."

I laughed. "Your nephew is quite relentless, isn't he?"

Sanli frowned. "You say that as if it's a good thing."

I smiled mischievously. "Sometimes, it is." Sanli's frown deepened.

We returned to Wo You Nai, and I swiftly bathed before finding Sanli in his rooms.

His wet hair told me he had also bathed. He sat perched on his desk, slathering a green salve from a small pot onto a bruise on his knuckles.

He looked up when he saw me and immediately reached to the hem of his shirt and drew it off.

"Would you help me with my chest? Zhangyu nearly broke my damn ribs."

I looked at the spot on Sanli's ribs that he indicated. It was red, slowly seeping to purple. It would bruise badly.

"You can reach there well enough," I said. "Why do you need me?"

"It'll feel better if you do it," said Sanli, with a smirk that was not unlike his nephew's.

I sighed and took the pot of salve, digging my fingertips into the green gloop. Then I smeared it over Sanli's ribs. The prince winced as I did, quickly shooing my hands away.

"You're not much of a nurse are you?" He said. He took up a strip of linen and wrapped it around his chest to keep the salve from rubbing off.

"I prefer making the injuries to treating them," I said with a laugh. I perched on his desk beside him.

Sanli finished wrapping his ribs and pulled his shirt on. Then he turned to me.

He started pulling up one of the sleeves of the loose robe I had donned after bathing to see the bruises there. I stopped him.

"There is no need. With Yan's seal, I'll be healed by tomorrow."

"But it'll still hurt today," Sanli argued. "Let me at least do this. So that I feel less useless and embarrassed."

I sighed, and let the prince gently ease the sleeve of my robe up.

His brow furrowed, seeing the amount of purple bruises already peppering my skin.

"Just do the ones on my back. They hurt the worst," I said. I let my robe slide from my shoulders, leaving my upper body bare.

Sanli raised his eyebrows at my boldness. "What?" I asked. "You've seen it all before. When you looked at my seals."

Sanli didn't answer, instead moved to my back and began spreading the sweet smelling salve across my skin.

His fingers were gentle, the salve cooling on the hot sting of my bruises, and I found myself regretting I had told him to only do my back. "You may do my arms as well."

Obediently, Sanli moved onto my arms. We sat in silence, no sound except for the slick of salve across my skin and our breathing.

"Your ancestor would always patch me up after I got into fights," I said, breaking the silence.

Even as I said it, I regretted it. A stupid, sentimental thing to say.

Luckily, Sanli did not comment on my words. I glanced at him. His cheeks were faintly pink. "You have no reason to be embarrassed you know. You are quite skilled. It is just that your nephew is more so. He's very talented."

"He is, isn't he? Everyone says so so often, it's like a mantra," Sanli replied, jaw tight.

My eyes narrowed. The bitterness in his voice was so strong. The more I saw of Zhangyu and Sanli's rivalry, the less I understood.

I wondered what had happened between the two men to create such bitter hatred.

"You have no need to be jealous, either," I said to the prince, trying to smooth the lines between his brows with my words. "You have talents of your own. Your memory for one. I could not imagine what it would be like, to recall everything of my long life. What knowledge I could accumulate."

"There are some things we are better off not recalling," said Sanli grimly.

His face looked so sad, his words so painful, I reached out to him.

"What things, little prince?" I said softly, drawing my fingers along his jaw. "The kind of things that wake you in the night?"

"Yes."

Sanli had finished. He looked down at me, sat half naked before him. Then he bent his head and kissed me.

It was warm, tender. Just a soft pressing of lips. It lacked the heat of our last kiss, beneath the fireworks at Guang Han's mansion.

It was gentle, just like his hands.

When he drew away it was my turn to raise my eyebrows at his boldness. "I thought we would remain as friends, little prince?"

"Friends kiss, don't they?" He asked with a smile, replacing the lid on the jar of salve. "Do you want bandages?"

I shook my head and laughed, standing and pushing his chest away with both hands. I pulled my robe back on.

"Unfortunately, I am not a blushing maiden, satisfied with just a kiss." After the fight that morning, my blood was racing, and the warmth in my belly was growing. "What was it you said? Several handsome stable hands to tempt me?"

Sanli smiled bemusedly. "Yes. In Lady Lu's courtyard. Try the stables there. Or the east kitchens. I think you'll find what you want."

I kissed him on the cheek as I left. "Thank you, my prince."

*~*~*~*~*~*

I dressed once more, and went in search of a man.

The truth was, it was not only the fight that morning that had set my blood to racing, my belly to burning. A hunger had been growing over the past couple of weeks. Had I been on my own, and still wandering from place to place, I would have found a desirable partner and satisfied the hunger long before. But being with the little prince and his companions had made me more circumspect in my actions.

It was not that Kageyama's disapproving stares and Zakhar's barely veiled jealousy deterred me. I had learned long before not to make my desires too obvious. I did not feel shame at my appetite, but I understood that there were rules in the human world, expectations to follow.

I could not understand why humans put such restrictions on something that felt so good, but they did, and, human as I appeared, I was expected to conform.

So I had learned over the years to be discreet.

I found one of the stable hands that Sanli had no doubt been referring to. He stood out, amid all the bent back old men, his shoulders broad and sloping from a thick neck, his chest tapering to a lean waist. The muscles of his thighs were visible even through his loose green pants, livery of the servants here.

I watched from behind a stable door, myself also dressed in a green servant's uniform. I had taken to wearing it around the valley on my rambles, realizing I stood out too much in my normal dress for some of my ventures. This was one such venture where I did not want to attract attention, as it was Lady Lu's stable hand I planned to seduce.

I watched the man shovel hay for a few moments more, then decided he would do.

The hay shifted beneath my feet as I made my way toward the man's broad back. I briefly contemplated staging a slip, and faking an injury to get his attention, but decided a straightforward approach was better to get what I wanted.

"Oh my, you are working hard," I said, brushing against the man's arm as I passed. I turned to face him. "Why don't you take a rest, sir, and talk with—"

I froze mid sentence. The man had looked up from the forkful of hay he was shoveling. His bright green eyes met mine.

It took me a moment to realize what that meant. I blinked.

The man looked me over frowning. "Yer not one of the dowager's maids. Ya from another courtyard?" He asked, his dialect plain.

"You get your green eyes from your father, I assume?" I asked.

The green eyes narrowed. "I don't know what yer implyin, but you best get back to work. The dowager don't abide slack bodies."

I turned and quickly left the stables.

There was one more place I thought to visit. I found my way to the east kitchens, connected to the great hall where we had dined for Zhangyu's celebratory return banquet.

I slipped in a servants entrance and made my way carefully through the halls, keeping my gaze forward and walking with purpose, like I had a reason for being there beside satisfying my own curiosity.

I found Wong in the kitchens, teaching some of the junior chefs how to make leaf pastry.

"Ah, Lady Ao. Come for almond pudding?"

"Yes. I mean no. I mean yes, I will have some of that pudding. But I would like to talk to you for a moment about something else."

Wong excused himself, leaving instructions for the younger chefs to practice in his absence.

I followed Wong. He grabbed a spoon and a small bowl off a shelf and led me down to the cooling rooms where we had talked before.

This time we turned into one of the larger cooling rooms. Wong led me along the shelves until we reached a great tureen of pudding.

"You're just in time. I was about to throw it out." He spooned a small amount into the bowl and then handed it to me.

I stuck the ceramic spoon into the soft white substance and spooned it into my mouth. "Divine, as always Wong." A few spoonfuls later I held out my bowl for more.

Wong chuckled and served me more, using a ladle he took from his apron pocket. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Do any of the kitchen servants have green eyes?" I asked, between spoonfuls.

"Hmmm, there is one lad, and an older woman, who works in the scullery. And I know there are more at other courtyards."

I held out my bowl to Wong, and he spooned more pudding into my bowl. "Are they the late Lord Lu's bastards?"

"Most likely," Wong confirmed. "What are you thinking, Lady Ao?"

I was quiet for a moment, as I savored a mouthful of pudding. "Why was the Third Prince the only one officially adopted into the family? If the old man had so many bastards, why not legitimize more of them? What's special about the Third Prince?"

Wong looked uncomfortable. "I'm not sure... I wasn't here when that all happened. But I've heard some of the other staff mention his mother... and not kindly. Apparently she thought she was above her station. Tried to force her way into being an official concubine. But Lady Lu would have none of it."

"I see," I said, Savoring another mouthful of pudding.

"Lady Ao?" Wong said, looking more and more uncomfortable. "I should let you know, the kitsune, Lord Kageyama, came around asking about you, after the banquet."

"Oh? And what did he ask about?"

"He wanted to know about your relationship with the other Five, and what happened to get you... stuck as you are now."

I resented the word stuck. True, I was trapped against my wishes, but I did not like others to pity me because of it. "And what did you tell him?"

"The truth. That I didn't know much. All I knew was you were quite close with Lord Lu and Lord Jinyan. But that something happened to cause you all to break apart."

That was true. We would leave it with that.

"That's fine, Wong." Let Kageyama ask. He would find nothing.

"You know, Lady Ao, the last time I saw Lord Jinyan, he was in a bad way. I think he feels badly, about what stands between you. Perhaps, if you went to the capital and talked to him—"

"You are a kind man, Wong Peng," I interrupted him. He took my hint, and said no more.

I liked Wong, so I did not want to tell him that the only reason his former master, the Golden Dragon, still had his head attached to his body was because I now I lacked the strength to rip it off.

Lu was gone, and he was the only person who might have been able to convince me to forgive Yan.

"You said you would throw this away?" I questioned, pointing to the tureen of pudding. Wong nodded.

"Wrap it. I'll take it back to the Third Prince's courtyard with me."

*~*~*~*~*~*

Author's note HERE!