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Chapter 20: The Overlord
Her head was killing her.
As Li Xin slowly came to, the only she could sense was the world spinning uncontrollably around her as her vision blurred in and out. Her knees were cold and sore, and she felt like s.h.i.+t.
She stretched an arm out, feeling around until she came into contact with what appeared to be a couch right behind her head. Wonderful. She got up slowly, clutching her head, and sat down. It was soft, and incredibly warm.
"How bold of you." A hostile voice suddenly sounded in her ear. She rubbed a brow; she had definitely heard the voice somewhere before. She turned towards it, craning her head to see its source. She found herself peering into a stunning pair of blue-black eyes. An unmistakably sharp gleam radiated from them, marring the otherwise beautiful sight. They were framed by sharp brows; split by a tall, straight nose that led to a pair of thin, cold lips. What emanated from this remarkable face could not be considered maliciousness; neither was it sinister, or even placid. Rather, it was a kind of conceited arrogance — a maleficent ferociousness akin to that of Yama, the Hindu lord of death. The face was only inches from Li Xin's own, but the suddenness of its appearance failed to evoke any reaction from her. Her head was spinning and she was still recovering from whatever drug she'd inhaled. She observed her surroundings from her peripheral vision and found herself in the center of an enormous room. There was the couch she was on, and a desk. It looked more like an office of some kind instead of a room, and it was definitely not a jail cell. She rubbed her eyebrows again and wondered if perhaps prisons had upgraded their inmate accommodations. All of sudden, there came the sound of coughing — there was someone else in the room. Li Xin turned towards the sound to see someone standing next to the couch, gazing at her with raised eyebrows. They were scrutinizing her with a look that was both astonished and probing. The person coughed again, suggestively. She rubbed her eyes and upon taking a closer look, her eyes widened. "You're Red Falcon," she said, surprised. "I know you." The man just stared at her in silence. The second Li Xin realized who he was, she suddenly felt that all was not right. Red Falcon was part of the Qi Clan. His presence meant that this was likely the Qi estate. She better not have escaped one man to land in the hands of another. She swept her eyes over the elegantly-decorated room once again and felt her heart start beating faster. And then, probably because her mind had been jolted out of its haze by the sight of the Qi Clan member, when she s.h.i.+fted sideways with the intention of increasing the distance between them, she suddenly became aware of how peculiar the couch felt beneath her. She looked down and nearly jumped out of her skin. She was sitting on a pair of legs. Li Xin's mouth tightened. If Red Falcon was standing, and this mysterious person was sitting, then it wasn't too hard to figure out who they were. She turned and met the cold, indifferent face that had greeted her when she'd first woken up. "Sorry," she said, laughing uncomfortably, s.h.i.+mmying out of the couch and moving as far away as possible from it. She remembered now where she knew the voice from. It was the person who had spoken to her through the comms during the car race. It was the Qi Clan's head. The criminal overlord that was infamous for his rampant tyrannical rule over his clan; a man known for his impa.s.siveness and reserved nature. Stay quiet, stay quiet, Li Xin repeated to herself in her head. And she certainly would have liked to stay silent, but she found it hard to believe that silence was golden whilst being penetrated by a stony, horrifying glare. Which was why she ended up clearing her throat instead, and then raising her head to look at Red Falcon. "What is the meaning of this? You promised me last time that you guys would leave me alone after I helped you. So why was I forcibly abducted here? Don't tell me that Qi Clan people don't keep their word." If she was going to talk, she was going to avoid the larger issue — the stealing of their jade — as long as possible. She had to gain the upper hand. Red Falcon raised his eyebrows. This woman was unbelievable. He was just about to retort, but the Qi Clan overlord beat him to it: "Mu Lixin, how dare you touch what belongs to me?" Li Xin watched as he moved languidly, leaning his tall body against the back of the couch. He crossed his legs — a small movement, but she felt waves of menace coming off him; it was powerful enough to be oppressive. Her mouth twitched, but she forced her face to remain nonchalant. "I didn't take anything of yours," she responded. "Mr. Qi, I wouldn't dare steal anything from the Qi Clan… not even if I had b.a.l.l.s of steel. I was the first person to witness those thieves trying to rob you. Why would you accuse me instead of rewarding me?" Her face twisted comically as she adopted an aggrieved look. On the side, Red Falcon couldn't help quirking his lips up in an amused smile. Her acting was on point. Li Xin ignored him. She hadn't stolen anything after all, and they were not going to just accuse her of something she didn't do. Only someone who wanted to die would steal from them, and she'd certainly not lived long enough yet. The Qi Clan overlord continued watching her his cold stare. Reaching to his side, he pulled out a long, silk scarf. Her brows wrinkled in confusion. She had had a green scarf like that once, but it had blown away in the wind. "The Western Zhou jade from Yunnan was mine." The statement came in a quiet, threatening sort of way. Li Xin froze. She couldn't forget that job even if she wanted to; it was her last, and she had gone a little overboard. But no one had told her that what she was stealing belonged to the Qi Clan… she would have had to think it through before going through with it. After a moment of silence, she said, "While I get that you need to find your thief, Mr. Qi, you can't accuse innocent people." She thought back to the mission and concluded that she definitely hadn't left behind any implicating evidence. They wouldn't be able to accuse her so easily. The man on the couch grunted, but said nothing. Red Falcon answered her instead. "The thief didn't leave any concrete evidence at the exhibit, but they did unintentionally leave behind a unique fragrance," he said. "And coincidentally, the thief's green silk scarf landed in our hands. Mu Lixin… one of the thieving organization's most-skilled members. Your presence at yet another attempted robbery of our property confirmed your ident.i.ty for us." His unwavering, indifferent accusation made her grind her teeth in annoyance. What s.h.i.+t luck; she couldn't believe her scarf had to fly into their car of all people. Thinking back, the cold, detached stare she had felt back then must have been the Qi Clan overlord's stare. And f.u.c.k it, if she'd known earlier, she wouldn't have worn her favourite suns.h.i.+ne-scented perfume that day. She'd brought this all upon herself. Even now, the scent clung to her body, making it impossible for her to deny Red Falcon's accusation. Li Xin grimaced inwardly. She shouldn't have cared so much. Sui Xin was fine, but now she was screwed. Her former organization was a mantis, but the Qi overlord was a goldfinch.* It was comical, really — the thieves had overestimated themselves, thinking that they could use the Qi Clan's property to lure her to expose herself to them; when meanwhile, the Qi Clan overlord was using their own property to lure both the thieving organization and herself to show themselves. It was all a giant trap — a trap within a trap, with her at the very center of it all. She opened her mouth, about to defend herself, but then the Qi overlord suddenly got up from the couch and came towards her. Her eyes narrowed cautiously and she backed away, desperately searching her mind for ideas. The roughly 6'2 (190cm) man rapidly approaching her made her feel like the entire weight of Mount Tai was bearing down on her, his overpowering presence invading her personal s.p.a.ce. She continued moving backwards unconsciously, until suddenly, she felt her legs. .h.i.t the coffee table and found herself stumbling. Before she fell, however, she felt herself being pulled up by her throat by an exceedingly powerful grip. In an instant, she felt her lungs tightening and pain expand through her chest. "I don't like people who talk back to me. Remember that." The Qi overlord held her down with one hand, all the while staring down at her with cruel eyes. *this is referring to an idiom: 螳螂捕蝉，黄雀在后 lit. “a mantis stalks a cicada, unaware of the goldfinch stalking it from behind.” or to put it cra.s.sly: going after something thinking you’re on top of everything, unaware that you’re actually screwed. it’s from Zhuangzi a text that is one of the foundations of Daoism. as you know, Li Xin’s name is actually Mu Lixin, but I’m sticking with Li Xin because it’s what the original translator used and we’ve stuck with it all this time; also, she rarely uses her full name anyways.
"How bold of you." A hostile voice suddenly sounded in her ear. She rubbed a brow; she had definitely heard the voice somewhere before. She turned towards it, craning her head to see its source. She found herself peering into a stunning pair of blue-black eyes. An unmistakably sharp gleam radiated from them, marring the otherwise beautiful sight. They were framed by sharp brows; split by a tall, straight nose that led to a pair of thin, cold lips. What emanated from this remarkable face could not be considered maliciousness; neither was it sinister, or even placid. Rather, it was a kind of conceited arrogance — a maleficent ferociousness akin to that of Yama, the Hindu lord of death. The face was only inches from Li Xin's own, but the suddenness of its appearance failed to evoke any reaction from her. Her head was spinning and she was still recovering from whatever drug she'd inhaled. She observed her surroundings from her peripheral vision and found herself in the center of an enormous room. There was the couch she was on, and a desk. It looked more like an office of some kind instead of a room, and it was definitely not a jail cell. She rubbed her eyebrows again and wondered if perhaps prisons had upgraded their inmate accommodations. All of sudden, there came the sound of coughing — there was someone else in the room. Li Xin turned towards the sound to see someone standing next to the couch, gazing at her with raised eyebrows. They were scrutinizing her with a look that was both astonished and probing. The person coughed again, suggestively. She rubbed her eyes and upon taking a closer look, her eyes widened. "You're Red Falcon," she said, surprised. "I know you." The man just stared at her in silence. The second Li Xin realized who he was, she suddenly felt that all was not right. Red Falcon was part of the Qi Clan. His presence meant that this was likely the Qi estate. She better not have escaped one man to land in the hands of another. She swept her eyes over the elegantly-decorated room once again and felt her heart start beating faster. And then, probably because her mind had been jolted out of its haze by the sight of the Qi Clan member, when she s.h.i.+fted sideways with the intention of increasing the distance between them, she suddenly became aware of how peculiar the couch felt beneath her. She looked down and nearly jumped out of her skin. She was sitting on a pair of legs. Li Xin's mouth tightened. If Red Falcon was standing, and this mysterious person was sitting, then it wasn't too hard to figure out who they were. She turned and met the cold, indifferent face that had greeted her when she'd first woken up. "Sorry," she said, laughing uncomfortably, s.h.i.+mmying out of the couch and moving as far away as possible from it. She remembered now where she knew the voice from. It was the person who had spoken to her through the comms during the car race. It was the Qi Clan's head. The criminal overlord that was infamous for his rampant tyrannical rule over his clan; a man known for his impa.s.siveness and reserved nature. Stay quiet, stay quiet, Li Xin repeated to herself in her head. And she certainly would have liked to stay silent, but she found it hard to believe that silence was golden whilst being penetrated by a stony, horrifying glare. Which was why she ended up clearing her throat instead, and then raising her head to look at Red Falcon. "What is the meaning of this? You promised me last time that you guys would leave me alone after I helped you. So why was I forcibly abducted here? Don't tell me that Qi Clan people don't keep their word." If she was going to talk, she was going to avoid the larger issue — the stealing of their jade — as long as possible. She had to gain the upper hand. Red Falcon raised his eyebrows. This woman was unbelievable. He was just about to retort, but the Qi Clan overlord beat him to it: "Mu Lixin, how dare you touch what belongs to me?" Li Xin watched as he moved languidly, leaning his tall body against the back of the couch. He crossed his legs — a small movement, but she felt waves of menace coming off him; it was powerful enough to be oppressive. Her mouth twitched, but she forced her face to remain nonchalant. "I didn't take anything of yours," she responded. "Mr. Qi, I wouldn't dare steal anything from the Qi Clan… not even if I had b.a.l.l.s of steel. I was the first person to witness those thieves trying to rob you. Why would you accuse me instead of rewarding me?" Her face twisted comically as she adopted an aggrieved look. On the side, Red Falcon couldn't help quirking his lips up in an amused smile. Her acting was on point. Li Xin ignored him. She hadn't stolen anything after all, and they were not going to just accuse her of something she didn't do. Only someone who wanted to die would steal from them, and she'd certainly not lived long enough yet. The Qi Clan overlord continued watching her his cold stare. Reaching to his side, he pulled out a long, silk scarf. Her brows wrinkled in confusion. She had had a green scarf like that once, but it had blown away in the wind. "The Western Zhou jade from Yunnan was mine." The statement came in a quiet, threatening sort of way. Li Xin froze. She couldn't forget that job even if she wanted to; it was her last, and she had gone a little overboard. But no one had told her that what she was stealing belonged to the Qi Clan… she would have had to think it through before going through with it. After a moment of silence, she said, "While I get that you need to find your thief, Mr. Qi, you can't accuse innocent people." She thought back to the mission and concluded that she definitely hadn't left behind any implicating evidence. They wouldn't be able to accuse her so easily. The man on the couch grunted, but said nothing. Red Falcon answered her instead. "The thief didn't leave any concrete evidence at the exhibit, but they did unintentionally leave behind a unique fragrance," he said. "And coincidentally, the thief's green silk scarf landed in our hands. Mu Lixin… one of the thieving organization's most-skilled members. Your presence at yet another attempted robbery of our property confirmed your ident.i.ty for us." His unwavering, indifferent accusation made her grind her teeth in annoyance. What s.h.i.+t luck; she couldn't believe her scarf had to fly into their car of all people. Thinking back, the cold, detached stare she had felt back then must have been the Qi Clan overlord's stare. And f.u.c.k it, if she'd known earlier, she wouldn't have worn her favourite suns.h.i.+ne-scented perfume that day. She'd brought this all upon herself. Even now, the scent clung to her body, making it impossible for her to deny Red Falcon's accusation. Li Xin grimaced inwardly. She shouldn't have cared so much. Sui Xin was fine, but now she was screwed. Her former organization was a mantis, but the Qi overlord was a goldfinch.* It was comical, really — the thieves had overestimated themselves, thinking that they could use the Qi Clan's property to lure her to expose herself to them; when meanwhile, the Qi Clan overlord was using their own property to lure both the thieving organization and herself to show themselves. It was all a giant trap — a trap within a trap, with her at the very center of it all. She opened her mouth, about to defend herself, but then the Qi overlord suddenly got up from the couch and came towards her. Her eyes narrowed cautiously and she backed away, desperately searching her mind for ideas. The roughly 6'2 (190cm) man rapidly approaching her made her feel like the entire weight of Mount Tai was bearing down on her, his overpowering presence invading her personal s.p.a.ce. She continued moving backwards unconsciously, until suddenly, she felt her legs. .h.i.t the coffee table and found herself stumbling. Before she fell, however, she felt herself being pulled up by her throat by an exceedingly powerful grip. In an instant, she felt her lungs tightening and pain expand through her chest. "I don't like people who talk back to me. Remember that." The Qi overlord held her down with one hand, all the while staring down at her with cruel eyes. *this is referring to an idiom: 螳螂捕蝉，黄雀在后 lit. “a mantis stalks a cicada, unaware of the goldfinch stalking it from behind.” or to put it cra.s.sly: going after something thinking you’re on top of everything, unaware that you’re actually screwed. it’s from Zhuangzi a text that is one of the foundations of Daoism. as you know, Li Xin’s name is actually Mu Lixin, but I’m sticking with Li Xin because it’s what the original translator used and we’ve stuck with it all this time; also, she rarely uses her full name anyways.
