Noise

Chirps, squeals and calls of warnings from nocturnal animals nearby alerted Yinyue to the rustling noises in the nearby trees. The Black Mountains grew alive with activity again once darkness fell.

The two young inn attendants carried the large buckets of steaming water to fill the wooden bathtub in her room. She leaned on the door, holding it open while they carried the buckets into her room.

Her nose could still smell the faint burnt scent mixed with dried blood caught on her clothes. A good scrub in the tub and a change of clothes would soothe her jittery nerves.

Yinyue tried to control her expressions in front of everyone, even the attendants, to hide her true feelings. She needed to maintain morale. If she looked worried, her men would be anxious.

She could hear some of her men downstairs. Dull clatter of clay cups, a thud of the wine jar on the table with the smell of strong alcohol wafting. Four were drinking. At the far corner, two men and 02 discussed errands to run on their free day when they returned. That left three men on duty.

Another night in the Black Mountains away from her territory made her apprehensive and irritable. The sensation of being watched never left. A Grand Prince never lacked assassins or spies around them. They either worked for her or against her.

"Go left," a man whispered above. Yinyue looked above at the empty ceiling and beams. That's where the voice came from.

"Do you believe it was a mother bear in the forest?" Another man's voice whispered to another.

Yinyue knitted her eyebrows. Those were her men. Not just any men. Trained men who supposedly knew the principles of remaining hidden from sight. They should know better — any noise made will give away their position.

"Well, it looked huge. Nothing bigger than bears around that forest," another replied.

"Yeah, but you know…so many died there, including our men."

"Ghosts?"

The attendants stopped in front of her with their empty buckets, interrupting her eavesdropping.

"Sir," both said. "Your bath is ready. If you need anything else…"

She waved them aside, entered her room, and closed her door, ignoring their awkward bows. The flames on the large candleholder flickered. She dipped her hand into the bath. Still too hot to her liking.

The voices on the roof annoyed her. Those idiots were still conversing like vendors gossiping loudly in the markets. Fed up with the constant talking on the rooftop, she opened her window. The outside cold air rushed into the warm humid guest room of the inn.

She didn't care if her bath water went cold.

Enough was enough.

With a quick leap over the windowsill, she landed on the ledge outside. Her ears listened, keen to the most minute noise of the dried reeds weaved into the thatched roof. She scaled the pillar with ease and swung her body up, lying on top of the roof, careful not to make too much noise on the thatched roof.

The view of the thick clouds covered part of the half moon hanging low in the sky greeted her as she squatted on the roof. She could see the faint outlines of the surrounding pine trees under the scarce moonlight. Shadows of the pine branches moved as the wind blew. There were too many hiding places in the nearby cluster of trees.

She relied on her acute hearing more than sight to detect movement at night. Her ears listened, discerning between the sounds of movements and noises. She knew the patterns of her hidden bodyguards and the way they patrolled the area by heart. Horses in the nearby stable of the inn grunted with growing restlessness.

Something or someone lurked in trees, observing the inn. Her gut told her so, even though she could see and hear nothing suspicious.

Those damn trees were far enough from the inn to avoid her bodyguards and the Qisha syndicate's hidden guards. Near enough for someone to watch and hear some of those in the inn, if one had very good hearing and the special training to discern sounds.

"I'll move to the right."

Yinyue fumed. Those men received training on non-verbal signals. They are not supposed to speak in such situations. She closed her eyes and launched herself towards the voice.

She opened her eyes in perfect timing to grab the speaker's neck.

"Oh SHIT, INTRUD—"

The two men shut their mouth once they realised who she was under the moonlight, and dropped to their knees, in trembling prostration. Their failure to detect her presence on the roof already earned a severe punishment. What punishment they didn't know, but the worst would be death. Any pleading now will worsen their positions.

Under the moonlight, the image of her holding their companion by the throat with his back facing her struck fear in them. She struck too fast before they could react.

"All of you…," she spoke in a lowered tone, with her eyes sweeping the roof. "Make too much noise."

"What's going on?"

That was 02. He leaped onto the roof and shrunk back at her scowl.

"Your men. All the lot here. Too noisy to be hidden," she replied.

Her icy, monotonous voice sent shivers running down 02's spine.

02 glanced at them but didn't try to plea or say anything more. He got down on his knees and waited for instructions.

Yinyue tightened her grip on the hapless man's throat and he choked with his hands, clawing at her hand by instinct. She could kill him by snapping his neck.

"You could easily die if an enemy was around," she whispered into his ear and released her grip, pushing him forward onto his prostrating companions.

The man fell on them. The other two remained frozen in position. No one dared to move.

"I can kill him and the two for dereliction of duty," she said while 02 lowered his head. "02, get up."

He got up but kept his head lowered. Inside, 02 was busy cursing the three men for ruining his night.

"02, get the more experienced ones to patrol," she said.

"Yes, your highness. And them three?" 02 bowed and glanced at them.

Their life hung in the balance at her word. Those three belonged to the slave class, like him. Their lives didn't matter.

Unlike most masters, Yinyue requested little from them, except to perform their duties. She granted them an allowance and free days, with a promise to give them a free man's status after ten years.

02 wondered what gave the three the audacity to relax while on duty. Especially after what happened to 01 and ten of their men.

"They're not suited to this role. Reassign them to the military camp at Bian town when we return," she said, shaking her head with a sigh of resignation.

02 stared at the three men crawling to arrange themselves in the prostration. They got away with their lives.

"What should I tell them at the camp?" 02 asked, watching her turn her back.

She stopped without looking back. "Same conditions as the newcomers. I'm not blind to their merits, but they must still receive punishment."

Too much blood spilled on her hands today. She could kill them out of anger just because she can. But they only made a minor mistake this time. They helped to raze those ships to ashes without a mistake. The other men already felt the loss of ten compatriots, and if she killed three more for a minor mistake, she didn't know how they would feel.

Not everything was about position or status. Even slaves can betray or kill their masters. Loyalty had to be maintained through other methods. She has to look fair to gain their loyalty. If she lives, they live a better life than under other masters.

"Thank—"

"Shut up!" 02 whispered to them, cutting their thanks off. "You're still in the open, you idiots!"