Unknown Enemy

The figure walked out the room and entered another room. Inside the room, were various bottles and jars arranged randomly in each corner. In the middle was a rectangular table with many small bottles arrange at the side while in the middle was a thing similar to the brewing stand and the bottle above on it was slowly boiling. The room was filled of powdery and stinky smells but the figure was not bothered by it.

The figure took a small drops of the boiling black liquid and mixed it with the red liquid inside the small bottle then sealed it. The figure put the small bottle inside the small metal box. After wrapping the box by a black piece of silk, he opened the wooden cabinet at the right corner. Inside the cabinet was a big earthen jar. The figure opened the jar and pulled out something. A handful of maggots was put in porcelain bowl and the figure put the bowl in the available space above the table.

From the shadow of the figure, another shadow slowly separated and formed into a raven and flew up. It landed on the table and immediately eat the maggots. After the raven had its meal, it transformed into a black smoke and enveloped the wrapped box. The black smoke slowly dissipated along with the wrapped box.

When the black smoke disappeared, the figure step out from the hidden room. The dead man and the blood that spilled on the floor was already cleaned.

The waiting person standing outside the door immediately assisted the person and pushed the stone door and the staircase came into view. As the person step on the stair, each step of the stair raise up to the last step and leveled the floor and the golden carpet rolled back to its place. The person then opened the door of the room and left.

.....

In a particular luxurious room, a small amount of black smoke appeared. It slowly turned bigger and bigger and transformed into a shape of a black bird.

A person who was already waiting inside the room, hurriedly stood up and paid respect to the black bird. The bird opened its beak and a voice of an old man was heard.

"The spy in the Southern City was caught. I've done my part. It's yours to do the rest. And as promise, here is the thing that you have asked."

The bird dissipated as the voice slowly disappeared and the wrapped piece of black silk fell into the place where the black bird was.

The person inside the room hurriedly took the black silk and unwrapped it. When the metallic small box appeared, the person paused for a while and took a deep breath before the person opened the small box.

"Hahahahaha! Hahahahaha! Hahahahaha! " The sounds of laughter echoed that room for a quite while...making the servants outside creep out.

The black bird under the tree flew up after the laughter stop and the servants let out a big sighed of relief.