A Lesson to Teach, A Lesson to Learn

Despite the darkness that surrounded the Wu Estate, one room was still brightly lit in the middle of the night. The man inside was lounging on his bed, reading papers while nibbling on the late-night snack that his maid provided for him before she retired for the night. If it was up to him, he’d also be tucked in bed and getting his much-needed beauty sleep, but being out of commission for a few weeks while prohibited from working sure made his workload pile up more than he liked.

Such was the annoyance of suffering an injury, he realizes for the first time.  

Abruptly, the candle flame began to violently flicker and dance, causing the shadows it casted on the walls to sway back and forth in an eerie manner. The figure on the bed wasn’t frightened, however, since it was a common enough occurrence in his household. 

Though it hadn’t occurred for a few weeks now, which is why the man was slightly surprised at the abrupt visitation. 

Wu Yingfei blinked at the figure standing silently in his doorway before a smile graced his lips. 

“To what do I owe the pleasure of having the infamous Jade Crow visit me like this?” 

The man enveloped in darkness did not answer him, instead he simply entered the bedroom, piercing light eyes glaring down at the figure on the bed, or more specifically, at a certain spot. 

Wu Yingfei stealthily lowered the parchment paper he was holding over his left arm to escape the intensity of the irritated glare directed at it. Out of sight, out of mind, after all.

“I must apologize though, I am currently not suitably dressed to entertain an audience at this moment. Please come back during open h-” Before he could finish his customer service lines, the other man interrupted him. 

“Get up. Fight me.”

“...”

“...”

“…Excuse me?”

And that is how Wu Yingfei found himself whisked away to their pavilion during the middle of the night against his will.

---

Yingfei blinked, trying to process what the heck just happened before a chill swept through his entire body. He shivered as he rubbed his arms. He didn’t even have time to get dressed, so all he had on his frame was his thin inner layer. 

“Perhaps we can use our words instead of resorting to such barbaric actions? We can have a peaceful conversation while we finish the snacks that Xiurong bought for me. Aren’t I so gracious for sharing my food with you?” Wu Yingfei flashed him a bright smile.

It had no effect on Jade Crow, who only raised his fists and positioned himself in a fighting stance. His face was blank, but one could tell how serious he was from his bright, keen eyes.

“Gongzi, perhaps you misheard me? I–”

“Is that really the stance you wanna take? I’ll give you three seconds.”

“Like I said, why must we resort to such absurd methods?”

“Three.”

“We haven’t seen each other in two, no, three weeks? We should take the time to share how our time apart was, don’t you think?”

“Two.”

“...Hey, stop the countdown. I’m not doing this with you.”

“One.”

“Enough, I am returning to my sleeping quarters.” 

“Zero.”

Wu Yingfei opened his mouth to speak, but before he could even get a syllable out, the figure standing in front of him disappeared immediately. 

With widened eyes, Wu Yingfei took a few steps back and immediately brought his arms to guard his front.

Although the two of them have never fought a single time, Wu Yingfei has seen the street urchin in action before, numerous times in fact. He was faster than Yingfei could trace with his eyes, but perhaps if he focused intently, and if Yingfei was the victim he was approaching, he’d be able to see even for a split sec-

The immense pressure of a fist striking his criss-crossed arms made him realize just how futile his efforts were as the collision pushed him back a few yards, unbalancing him and causing him to fall over. 

Yingfei scrunched his eyes shut as he braced himself for the impact with the cold, hard ground.

Briefly, he mourned the pristine and clean fabric of his clothes as his body fell backward. 

However, his back never hit the ground– instead, something gripped his lapels, preventing him from falling all the way.   

He couldn’t help but sigh as he forced his eyes open. With how intense he forced them shut, he had to blink a couple of times to clear his vision. The blurry figure eventually cleared up, and he found himself face to face with piercing olive eyes and a blank expression.

Not trusting the man to not drop him, Yingfei gripped the arm currently holding him up with both hands. 

“You must be satisfied after that punch right? Help me up.”

The intensity in his eyes never wavered, but the man did pull him up, albeit very roughly, before letting go completely.

Wu Yingfei frowned as he glanced down at his wrinkled lapels. He tried to straighten them out, but it was to no avail. 

He scowled. Truly, what a barbaric move. 

“And? What was this farce for?” 

“Starting round two.” 

“...? Excuse me?"

The man didn’t even bother giving him a countdown this time before he swept a leg at Yingfei’s calves, promptly unbalancing him and causing him to fall yet again. 

And just like last time, the other boy saves Yingfei just before he makes contact with the ground in a similar fashion to how a predator would play with its prey before devouring it. 

He wouldn’t say he was thankful for it, but he was at least relieved that his clothes weren’t as dirty as they could have been. Jade Crow had some conscience after all, huh. 

But… What was this nonsense then? Why play this game of cat and mouse when there are more efficient ways to get answers from him? Why resort to such petty one-sided battles? What was the purpose of all these?

Caught up in trying to analyze the situation, he didn’t realize the furrowing of brows and the narrowing of olive eyes. He only snapped out of it when the other man let go of his collar and unceremoniously dumped him onto the floor. 

The cold ground and the knowledge that the clothes he had managed to keep pristine for so long (though not thanks to his own efforts) finally became polluted was the straw that broke the camel’s back. 

“What the hell is wrong with y-“

“You,” the other man started, fingers finding their way to Wu Yingfei’s lapels once more, his hold on them the tightest it had been tonight. With a calm expression but eyes so intense that they practically glowed in the dark, he carefully enunciated his next words: “Need to start getting your shit together.” 

“What?”

He glanced over to Yingfei’s left arm. Yingfei looked down at it as well. Then he sighed. 

“I didn’t expect you to be so worried for me, though I wish you’d show it in a different way.” 

They both knew how ridiculous that comment was, and the mercenary could tell it was an out that Yingfei was offering– one that would allow them to continue like normal even after this night was over. All he had to do was act truthfully: sneer in disgust, return the absurd statement with a snide remark, and walk away. Their clockwork routine.

As if he’d let him get his way that easily. There was something else he needed to tell him, though recalling that made the memories of that night flood back.

False information. Multiple men and only one of him. Sharp knives, daggers, and swords. A shout, a push, the pungent smell of blood invading his nose from the close proximity, but not his own. Red polluting turquoise. A figure curled up at his feet. 

A heavy weight on his back. Haggard breathing beside his ear. Shouts– his to grab their attention, theirs to grab ahold of the rest. Unfamiliar, twisted expressions on faces that normally appeared peaceful. Desperate voices full of anguish. Trembling bodies. Tears that didn’t stop flowing for a long time. 

A happy, harmonious family that could have lost it all that night. A night that was supposed to be like the others. 

This annoying mug that showed no remorse or guilt for his stupid, reckless actions. 

Jade Crow gritted his teeth and pulled Yingfei up roughly, the momentum of the force almost knocking their foreheads against each other. 

“Don’t do something this stupid again when you’re too weak to back it up.”  

Wu Yingfei scowled in response, slapping Jade Crow’s fingers away from his clothes. He decided– he was just going to burn this entire outfit. Screw the dirt, screw the ruined lapels, and screw this ridiculous night. 

He huffed as he crossed his arms and stared Jade Crow down his nose. 

“I simply weighed the benefits and costs of both exchanges and chose the one that would result in less of a loss. I think it’s pretty obvious which one is more essential between an arm that can’t even function well on its own and an experienced fighter capable of many feats.” 

Jade Crow stayed silent for a long time before scoffing. 

“Wu Yingfei, it is not up to you to play savior, to choose who lives and who dies.” 

He did not avert his gaze and continued to stare Wu Yingfei down. 

“And you and I both know it was more than your stupid arm at stake that night. Don’t even bother trying to deny it. You saw the consequences of your own actions, after all." 

He admits that Wu Yingfei had a pretty nasty poker face, but it always cracked when it came to that one thing. His most important treasure in this world. The flash in his eyes was proof of that. 

That's what I thought, you punk.

He stabbed a finger at the other man's chest. "Stick to your disgusting schemes and stay out of the way next time if you can't even protect yourself.”

For once, Wu Yingfei remained silent as he left the pavilion. 

Good. Unlike him, Wu Yingfei had so much to lose. And while he never understood why people would love this freak, the reality was that people like that did exist actually in this world. People who deserved better than waking up in the middle of the night to see him bleeding out all over their front steps. 

For someone who claims to be so intelligent, he was one of the stupidest men that he knew.