Foxes Among Wolves - Chapter 11 Escape

The night was too peaceful. That was the first sign of trouble. Disung was lazing on the roof of Joaolong’s residence when this thought struck him. There was no blissful breeze or odd noises to distract him and his ears slowly listened towards the imperial residence. He planned to stay as he was, close by his friend, until he heard a commotion.

“This is a pain,” he groaned to himself but truthfully, was buzzing. For many nights under the watchful eye of the moon, he waited for the assassin to reappear. Dreams of his father’s death haunted him and his mother’s tears brought a fierce determination to avenge his family. He could still hear the screams of his village fall into destruction all because of the Fox.

It was pure coincidence he ran into his nemesis as soon as he leapt of the roof and approached the emperor’s domain. The Fox emerged from the imperial building and froze in their tracks. The mask sent a cold sweat down Disung’s back and he shivered. It was time to act.

“We meet again, Fox.” Disung swiftly blocked any space the assassin could escape through, broadening his body in the door frame. “Leaving so soon?”

The Fox attacked. They readjusted themselves to a strong stance and lashed out with a twisted, sharp punch to Disung’s face. When Disung raised his arms to block this, the Fox swung a right hook and it made contact with his ear.

“I just wanted to talk in peace but I see you disagree,” Disung said, trying to keep his voice nonchalant despite the pain echoing in his head.

Disung lunged forward and the Fox backed up, relying on agility and quick thinking rather than brute strength. Their defensive stance was confusing, both unstable and ever-changing which seemed impractical in combat. Nevertheless, Disung didn’t stop, attempting to hit the assassin with the palm and ridges of his hand on the sternum. The Fox dodged this and used the man as leverage, stepping on him to jump to the roof. Disung delayed the escape, grabbing the dangling foot and tripping the Fox as they tried to balance on the tiles.

“After all these years, you have not changed at all,” Disung spat as he joined his opponent high above and landed a heavy strike on the Fox’s ribs. “Do you not remember? You made a family into a widow and father-less son! You destroyed a village full of innocent people!”

Finally, he felt it. The trigger for that familiar tingling was always an emotion, such as rage or desperation. It ate away at his conscious and left him nothing more than a beast, removing the carefree smile from his face and only leaving a bloodthirsty glare. Everything slowed and like a habit, he was more focused on reading an opponent’s movements and actions. After, he would copy and use the same style to defeat them into humiliation. It was this unusual talent that gave him the ability to ascend ranks in the army after only training three years.

However, the Fox’s style was unique and strayed far from traditional fighting of Shanhe. It took longer to process the fighting pattern. The Fox was far more light-footed than most soldiers, using multiple, small jabs aimed at pressure points or joints to harm the enemy. The most difficult part was the balance. Unlike all other fighting stances, this one was primarily fluid, not strong, changing constantly and heavily incorporating balance. A foot or hand was used to jump absurdly around like a performance. This single core element alone would have taken years to master.

Too focused on this analysation while blocking the swift attacks, Disung was hit at a vital point just above his knee. He buckled over, losing full function of his leg and struggling against a sudden pain in his lower abdomen. During this neutralisation, the Fox fled and the chance to kill him was lost.

Disung took several steady breaths to calm his fury and focus on getting back up. It took more effort to move but he pushed through, jumping from the roof and joining the guards patrolling the outside area. I let him get away, Disung thought angrily himself, gripping his blade handle tighter. Father, I vow to avenge you. I won’t let this murderer escape me.

Later that night, Disung spotted the empress leaving the imperial residence through the back door. She had retired for bed, her hair swaying on her silken robes and the painted symbol on her head smeared off. Jiang followed behind, an unreadable expression on her harshly featured face. Strangely, she didn’t wear her usual maid uniform and instead, had a lovely, turquoise gown. The other maid with them was someone unfamiliar and wore a semi-sheer teal material to cover her face. There was something suspicion about their ill-fitting clothing and how close she stood near Jiang. Disung couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

“Empress,” Disung greeted and dropped to his knee. “It is not safe to be outside.”

“I heard the Fox was inside the building and panicked. To stay inside would mean I trap myself. It is fortunate that I ran into you, Liu Disung.” The empress smiled kindly, her voice gentle. It was rare to hear him addressed by anything other than nsh.

“I will summon a guard for your protection immediately,” Disung replied and stood.

Unease burdened him about the maid accompanying the empress. It was common Jiang was by the empress’ side but no one else. Maybe Disung was too focused on Joaolong’s safety and lifestyle that he was becoming ignorant of others around him.

“That is not necessary. My concern is Wang Joaolong. Please return to his side, as is your duty. I fear the worst if the Fox attacks him when he was just recovered.”

“I understand. Excuse me, empress.” Disung turned his back unwillingly and prepared to leave. Too late, he realised he should have trusted his gut instinct.

The strange maid was ready to run in an instant, their legs twitching to go into the night. They flew out of the ill-fitting disguise and put their mask back on as they ran into the darkness of Lady Gaze. The man was resourceful; how clever he was to dress up as a woman. It made Disung drown in shame for not seeing the truth. For the second time that night, he had lost the Fox.