Everyday Matters at the Fon Estate

"Yexing-san, you've been informed of the assessment requirements as well. Training will officially begin tomorrow. You may walk freely around the Fon estate this afternoon. I have some clan matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave."

Fon Shaoling let Hu wander around the Fon Residence while she went to the study to attend to the Fon Clan's everyday affairs.

When she entered the study this time, a thick stack of documents had already been placed on the desk, just as before.

Fon Shaoling sat down and began working through the documents, recalling the Naming Ceremony that morning and Yexing Hu's subsequent assessment report:

Six members of the Onmitsukidō from the Fon Clan's branch families, each with a century of experience, plus me, a captain, leading the ceremony, and the natural Reishi of District Three in West Rukongai—the setup was about the best we could manage, yet it still took nearly two and a half hours to succeed.

His Reishi was so aggressive that even a single unit of it could injure an Onmitsukidō analyst. And...

Fon Shaoling recalled the wound on the analyst once again.

That wound resembled a sword cut, but somehow it felt different from an ordinary one... What exactly was different?

Fon Shaoling began imagining how such a wound could have been inflicted, recalling the cuts she had seen, suffered, and even dealt in the past. A downward slash? No... An upward slash? That's not it either... The way the severed flesh was displaced doesn't match at all. The depth of the wound...!? The depth—that's it! An ordinary sword cut generally goes from shallow to deep, with an arc to its depth. And because of the angle of entry and other factors, the flesh is bound to deform somewhat along the blade's path. Rather than being hacked or sliced open, it was more like it had been sheared straight down by a guillotine...

Just like an execution...

At that thought, the corners of Fon Shaoling's mouth suddenly curled up.

That does fit the image of the Onmitsukidō rather well. Yexing Hu, it seems you're quite compatible with my Onmitsukidō. I'm very curious to see what expression you'll make when you learn the truth about "Soi Fon" and "Fon Shaoling"...

Fon Shaoling's mood brightened considerably, and she worked through the documents a little faster.

Meanwhile, on Hu's side,

Hu sat on the steps beside the courtyard, the warmth of the afternoon sun making his whole body feel pleasantly warm.

"The weather's really nice today..."

The Fon Clan's attendants had very little presence. Having been trained by the clan, most of them were quiet and spoke little. As a result, no one responded to Hu. What was more, after the ceremony that morning, Hu hadn't heard his Zanpakuto's voice at all, and he was a little unsure what to do... He subconsciously patted the side of his thigh and his waist, only to realize that cell phones didn't exist here.

With nothing to do, Hu wandered around the Fon Residence. Though it was large, with many separate courtyards and training grounds, and Hu had originally wanted to go in and look around, whenever he heard swords clashing or saw a display of colorful lights, he recalled the words the cute girl had spoken at noon—words that were hardly a laughing matter. In the end, he gave up and quietly went around those places that were clearly meant for training...

Hu didn't know how long he had wandered around the Fon Residence before he came to a place that looked like a library. Attendants and guards were coming and going, and a few of them were attendants Hu had seen going off duty earlier. Hu asked the attendant on duty at the entrance,

"What place is this?"

"This is the library. It has reading materials and current periodicals that the Fon Clan ordered at the attendants' request. It's part of the rest area the Fon Clan opened for its subordinates."

"I see. Unlike what I'd imagined, the Fon Clan is pretty considerate of its people," Hu muttered.

The attendant on duty heard him and immediately took offense. "What are you saying? The Fon Clan are benefactors to everyone on Bamboo Creek Plain. Even if you're a guest invited by Princess Shaoling, saying that is far too rude."

Hu felt the awkwardness of someone caught bad-mouthing another person behind their back.

The guard continued, "I don't know about the other nobles, but Bamboo Creek Plain only truly began to prosper after the Fon Clan established itself here. Everyone here can live so well because of the Fon Clan..."

"Shimizu! How many times have I told you not to chat while on duty?" Just as the attendant Shimizu was about to continue, another attendant with a slightly stern expression walked over to relieve him. "The Fon Clan's character has never been something to be proven with words." After reprimanding Shimizu, the newly arrived attendant said to Hu, "Lord Ye Xing, I'm terribly sorry. He only arrived a year ago and is still in training. Please forgive him."

"It's all right, it's all right. Speaking of which, I've only been here a day, and you all already know me?"

"As attendants of the Fon Clan, we naturally commit its guests to memory." The attendant indicated that this was simply basic procedure, then took over Shimizu's shift. Shimizu went off duty and headed straight into the library.

Hu watched Shimizu leave, somewhat intrigued by what he had said:

It seems Bamboo Creek Plain, part of District Two, wasn't very peaceful before the Fon Clan settled here.

But Hu glanced at the stiff, proper attendant standing at the entrance.

He doesn't seem like he'd be willing to tell me much.

"Um, can I go inside? The library, I mean..." Hu asked.

The attendant replied, "If you wish to, Lord Ye Xing, then of course you may."

With the attendant's permission, Hu entered the library.