Xuelei did not go back home immediately like he was supposed to. He made a detour to one of his secret hiding places. He was so tired. He would take a day or two to rest just in case they sent him out again upon his return and maybe, if he was lucky, he would meet her. Things were getting weird at home.

He made his way to some rocky mountains and went into a narrow cave careful that he was not followed or seen. One could not be too careful in this line of business. A natural rough passageway led to a fork and into a dark maze in the mountain. The place was riddled with small holes, passages and dead ends.

The youth stopped in the middle of the tunnel and hoisted himself up onto a ledge. He squeezed through a small hole which widened into a small cave he had found by accident. The opening was not noticeable in the dark cave.

Finally hidden and safe, Xuelei relaxed letting down his guard. He did not need light in the familiar space. He felt around, hands searching for his emergency rations. He munched on a dry biscuit washing it down with some crystal clear river water he had with him. Finally, he stretched out his tired body on the hard uneven rock and went to sleep. He ignored the harmless bugs that crawled over and around him.

Xuelei woke up some hours later feeling much better. His whole body was aching, he was positive he was covered in bruises, no thanks to the rough treatment he had endured at the Tian mansion. He was glad to be away from that place.

It was almost evening. Enough time for a quick wash in the cold swift flowing stream. After his bath, he felt invigorated. Then he picked some juicy fruits for dinner. Clean and fed, he sat down with his back to a tree. Xuelei took in a deep breath of the cool fresh air and opened his eyes to natures’ glorious sunset.

The beautiful colours soothed him. The bright white, orange and rosy pinks were slowly darkening to deeper shades. Burgundy and grey crept into the mix. Shadows lengthened as the sun descended gracefully giving way to night.

This was his little piece of heaven. Surrounded by nature, away from noisy people, he enjoyed and treasured his solidarity. Once home, he would not have the luxury of privacy. Everyone was watched there, every action, every word. One had to be careful in order to survive, even in one’s own family.

Trust no one, even those seemingly close to you.

This last assignment was a puzzle. He wondered why they hadn’t given him a week of rest. Usually, time was given to recover and recuperate before the next assignment. Having to go out again immediately was tiring, both physically and mentally. He had to recover from the last situation and adapt to the new one.

The Mistress too was acting weird around him. He had noticed subtle changes in her attitude towards him since he had turned sixteen. Since then, they had assigned him the most undesirable and awkward missions. They were pushing his limits and ingenuity on completing assigned tasks. The straight forward ones went to his brothers. He had somehow managed and survived. It was like they wanted him to fail but was glad when he didn’t. It made no sense.

However, he did not complain, not outwardly at least. Think positive. Take it as a challenge and training. If they assigned him difficult missions, that meant he was getting better, right? Right. He convinced himself. Any other conclusion was not desirable.

The last assignment had been very risky. He could have easily been caught if not for circumstances and careful preparation. Having to leave evidence of the murder and letting people actually see him was almost like a death warrant.

It was understood that if he had been caught, he would have been on his own. The Master and Mistress would not have acknowledged him and neither would his brothers. It was forbidden to get involved in another’s mission.

Xuelei closed his eyes in resignation. There were many things the brothers were not privileged to know. What went behind on the scenes was the Master’s and Mistress’s job. His life and theirs were to do what they want, that had been instilled into him since they took him in. He would follow orders.

The only thing he wanted was to live in peace and to find out the mystery surrounding his parents’ death.

Xuelei only knew that his father had been a prominent swordsman. Someone had betrayed and poisoned him. His mother had died protecting him. The Mistress had found him some time later and had pried him away from his dead mother’s body. He had been covered in his mother’s blood and was crying.

The Mistress had given him a name, Xuelei, meaning tears of blood or extreme suffering. She said it reflected the state he was in when she had found him.

He didn’t even know his real name.