A week passed, and Yun Zhen woke up with a headache.
Massaging his temples as he lay in his makeshift bed made of straw, he thought, "I can't keep this up."
As he slowly got up, he decided. Today was the day he would pull down the Commander from his post.
During the past week, he kept visiting, and would throw insults at him every time. The Madam tried to soothe him, but as soon as the next day came, he would return to his antics.
Yun Zhen thought it was better to fix the problem by uprooting its source, so he decided to sneak into the Guard's Headquarters in hopes of finding something compromising about the Commander. After that, he would cause a commotion and play the victim seeking justice in the middle of the town.
It was a simple, yet dangerous plan, but he had had enough. The other customers would all perk their ears during the Commander's visits and start gossiping as soon as he'd leave. The Madam paid no mind to this, but it bothered Yun Zhen.
After washing his face in an old copper pot, he left the hut and slowly made his way towards the back of the Guard's Barracks.
Along the way, he made sure to look as unassuming as possible. He even grabbed an old piece of cloth to cover his face from the storefront of an abandoned shop.
By the time he arrived, half a day had already passed.
The Barracks were situated on the other side of the town and were surrounded by short trees and a large bramble thicket, increasing his difficulty of sneaking in.
Taking a deep breath, he stared at the bushes full of sharp thorns. Gritting his teeth, he slowly approached and tried parting them.
A soft hissing sound escaped his lips as soon as his hands made contact, followed by thin lines of red trailing down his palms.
'This won't work,' he thought as he wiped his hands using the cloth wrapped around his head. The stinging sensation made him slightly nauseous, but he knew he had to push through.
Looking down at his hands, he thought about ripping his clothes and covering them up, but decided against it in the end. 'I'd suffer even more if I were to take off my shirt.'
He hated pain, but his goal was more important than some scratches.
As he looked down at his arms, he noticed there were not as many thorns at the base.
Crouching, he tilted his head and realized the bushes had narrow tunnels at the ground level.
'Hmm, perhaps some animal made them,' mused Yun Zhen as he lay on his stomach and slowly crawled.
The first few meters were the most difficult, and he almost gave up. His whole back was stinging, while his arms and legs were growing numb. Thankfully, the tunnels got wider as he advanced, and his body no longer brushed past as many thorns.
There were occasions when branches and trunks would block the way, forcing him to turn around and choose a different tunnel.
His surroundings were dark, the briar completely blocking out the sun.
At some point, he had no idea how much time had passed. Tear stains marred his cheeks, while his limbs felt weaker by the moment. His entire body felt sticky as it moved forward without command.
Just as he was about to completely give up, his hands bumped into something hard.
Raising his head with difficulty, he realized it was an old wall.
'Finally!' sighed Yun Zhen as he relaxed his body, the pain slowly creeping in with a higher intensity.
'I will faint if I stay here for too long. I need to get over this damned wall.'
As he mused on how to climb over, he heard a faint rustle from behind.
His heart began thumping as he tried to turn his head, but this sudden impulse led to him bumping into a nearby branch, leaving a deep gash in his left brow. Panicked, and now left blind in one eye due to blood trickling down, he mustered all his power and tried standing up.
His joints almost failed him, but the adrenaline helped numb the stiffness and the pain. He had a feeling that if he didn't hurry, he would remain here forever.
Biting his cheek to distract himself from the pain touching every part of his body, he grabbed a thicker branch and pulled himself up. His hands stung more than they ever had, and the feeling of thorns burying themselves in his palms made him almost go crazy.
With reddened eyes, he grabbed yet another branch and used the wall as a foothold, pressing his trembling foot against the cold stone. For a moment, he could only cling there, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
Then he heard it.
A growl.
Much closer this time.
Not daring to look back, he focused on his task. His arms burned as he hauled himself higher, his fingers desperately searching for something to hold. The thorns tore at his sleeves and scratched his skin, but he grew numb at this point.
Seconds later, one hand reached the top of the wall. Gripping its edge, he whispered, "Just a little more..."
Pulling with everything he had left, his chest struck the stone, and for a moment he nearly slipped.
His heart jumped into his throat as he felt his grip weaken.
At that moment, a big hound tore through the tunnel full of spines. It had a strong build and a scar running down its chest, saliva dripping down its mouth as it ran.
Snarling, it eyed the struggling Yun Zhen before rushing towards the wall.
Just as it was about to jump and bite his legs, he clenched his teeth and dragged himself over the edge. His stomach scraping against the rough stone before finally rolling onto the other side.
He lay there for a moment, barely breathing. The sound of flesh hitting stone resounded from the bottom, followed by a whimper.
Peering over the edge, he stared at it, still struggling to catch his breath.
Then he laughed.
A weak, breathless laugh.
"I... actually made it."
He tried to push himself to his feet, only for them to give in, trembling.
'Never mind.'
Turning away from the forest of thorns, he looked down at the lamplit barracks.
It was night.