The scroll in his hand felt like it was burning. This was no longer a simple game of intrigue to topple a local tyrant. This was a matter of state. The lives of thousands of soldiers, the fate of the Empire, it all rested on this fragile piece of paper.
The Tiger's fury was a white fire in his mind. Enough games! He is there, rooms away, laughing and drinking while he sells his homeland. Go out there and cut his throat. It is the only answer to treason.
Li Jin fought the impulse. Killing Xiao here and now would be easy. Gratifying. But it would only make him an assassin. The letter would be found on his corpse and dismissed as a forgery, a desperate attempt to justify his crime. No. The proof had to get out of this manor. It had to reach loyal hands.
He tucked the real ledger AND the letter of treason under his tunic. His heart hammered against his ribs. His already near-impossible mission had just become infinitely more complex. Getting out was no longer an option. It was an absolute imperative.
He moved to the door, pressing his ear against the wood. He could hear the two guards, back at their posts. He couldn't go out the way he came in.
He crossed the study silently and opened one of the tall windows, which led to a private balcony. The rain was still falling, fine and cold. The balcony overlooked an inner courtyard, a drop of two stories. It was a dangerous jump, but it was his only way out.
He swung a leg over the railing, his bare feet finding purchase on the wet stone. He could feel the guards in the courtyard below. There were fewer of them here, assuming the walls were protection enough.
He didn't jump. He lowered himself, clinging to the texture of the masonry. His fingers were numb with cold, but his focus was absolute. He was both the Tiger, every muscle taut and ready, and the water, flowing silently down the wall.
He reached the ground without a sound. He was back in the gardens. He froze in the shadow of a bush, letting his eyes adjust to the dark. He had to cross the gardens again and get to the drainage grate.
That's when everything went wrong.
A guard dog, a massive black mastiff he hadn't anticipated, came around a corner of the garden. It hadn't seen him. It had smelled him. The beast didn't bark. It growled, a low, menacing sound, and charged.
There was no time to think. The Tiger's instinct took over. Instead of fleeing, Li Jin lunged toward the dog. He didn't strike it. He ducked under it, grabbing the beast by its collar and using its own momentum to roll it onto its back. He pressed a specific point on the dog's throat, just enough to make it pass out, not to injure it.
But the growl and the sound of the scuffle had been enough.
"Who goes there?" a voice shouted. A torch flared to life, its dancing light sweeping across the courtyard.
Li Jin was exposed.
He didn't wait. He bolted, sprinting across the garden. He was no longer a shadow. He was a target.
"Intruder! Alert the master!" the guard screamed. Shrill whistles echoed throughout the manor. Doors burst open. Torches appeared from all sides. The quiet of the night was shattered.
Li Jin ran as he had never run before. He was no longer silent. He was pure speed. He vaulted over hedges, dodged trees, his only goal the grate beneath the wall.
He reached it. He heaved the heavy iron grate open. The sound of metal scraping on stone was deafening.
He squeezed into the dark, damp tunnel just as the first guards reached the courtyard. An arrow hissed past and buried itself in the earth where he had been a second before.
He crawled through the narrow pipe, cold, filthy water up to his waist. He could hear the shouts of the guards behind him. They wouldn't hesitate to follow.
He emerged on the other side of the wall, in a dark alley. He was free, but the entire city was now a mousetrap.
He didn't go back to his room. That would be the first place they'd look. Nor did he head for the teahouse. He couldn't endanger the Plum Blossom Society. He was alone.
He ran, choosing the darkest, most winding passages. Behind him, he could hear the horns and bells of the city watch. Xiao must have raised the alarm, claiming a thief, an assassin.
He had to find a place to hide. To think. He thought of Lin Mei. Did she have a safe house? He didn't know.
As he was crossing a small bridge over a canal, a figure dropped from a roof in front of him, blocking his path.
It was Lin Mei. She was dressed for a fight, her twin blades in her hands.
"I knew you'd find trouble," she said, her voice urgent. "The entire city watch is after you. Xiao is claiming an assassin tried to kill him."
"He's lying," Li Jin panted. "It's worse. He's betraying the Empire." He showed her the scroll.
She scanned it quickly. Her already pale face went white. "By the ancestors..."
"I have to get this to the garrison commander," Li Jin said. "General Wang An. He's said to be a loyal man."
Lin Mei shook her head. "You'll never reach him. The general's manor is a fortress. And Xiao has men everywhere. They'll find you before dawn." She made a decision. "Follow me. I know a place. But we have to be fast."
She led him through a maze of passages he would never have found on his own. They moved over rooftops, then through sewers, then back to the streets. She knew the city like the back of her hand.
They finally arrived at an old, abandoned pagoda in a derelict quarter.
"We'll be safe here for a few hours," she said. "No one ever comes here."
They climbed to the top floor. From there, they could see the torches crisscrossing the city like a fiery spiderweb.
"Did you switch the books?" she asked.
"Yes. The censor must have found the fake ledger by now. Xiao is probably already trying to explain himself."
"Then he's trapped twice over," she murmured. "Accused of a plot by the censor, and about to be exposed as a traitor. He'll get desperate. And a desperate animal is the most dangerous."
She looked at Li Jin. He was soaked and filthy, but his eyes burned with an unyielding determination. "You've started a storm, disciple."
"It's the Breath of the World," he replied. "Sometimes, it must become a storm to clear the air."
They stood in silence, watching the hunt unfold below.
You have the proof, the Tiger said. The mission is done. Now, you must survive. Flee the city, return to the mountain. The Grand Master will know what to do with the letter.
It was the logical choice. The prudent choice.
But Li Jin thought of Chen Jian, of Zhang Shu, of the apothecary. He thought of the people of Lin'an. If he fled, Xiao's fury would fall upon them all. He couldn't leave. He had to finish what he had started.
"I'm not running," he said aloud.
Lin Mei looked at him, surprised. "Then what will you do? Wait for them to find you?"
"No," Li Jin said. "I'm going to surrender."
Lin Mei stared at him as if he'd gone mad. "They'll kill you!"
"Not if I surrender to the right person. I can't get to General Wang An. But maybe I can make him come to me." He turned to her. "I need your help."
He explained his plan. It was an insane gamble. A plan that relied on the courage of one man and the honor of another. A plan that, if it failed, would lead to certain death.
Lin Mei listened, her face unreadable. When he had finished, she was silent for a long time, looking out at the city lights.
"You are either the bravest or the most foolish man I have ever met," she said finally.
"Probably a little of both," Li Jin admitted.
She gave a rare, faint smile. "That must be why you're still alive. Very well. I'll do it. But if you die, I will personally loot Xiao's manor in your honor."
He entrusted her with the real ledger and the letter of treason. It was the ultimate act of trust.
"Hide these," he told her. "Only show them to the general if my plan works. If it fails, get them out of the city. Give them to the Grand Master on Mount Jingwei."
She nodded, her eyes suddenly grave. She understood the weight of the responsibility he was giving her.
At dawn, as the rain finally stopped, Li Jin left the pagoda. He walked in broad daylight, through the middle of the streets, toward the central market square. He was no longer hiding.
The guards saw him. Shouts went up. Within minutes, he was surrounded by dozens of soldiers, the points of their spears and swords aimed at him.
Lord Xiao arrived soon after, his face bloated with rage and lack of sleep. He was flanked by his personal guards.
"So, the assassin finally shows himself," he spat. "I am going to take great pleasure in carving you up, slowly."
Li Jin looked at him, unafraid. "I am no assassin. I am a disciple of the School of the Jade Tiger. And I accuse you, Lord Xiao, of theft, extortion, and high treason against the Song Empire."
His voice was clear and strong. It carried across the entire square, drawing hundreds of onlookers.
Xiao burst into incredulous laughter. "Bold accusations for a man about to die. Seize him!"
"Wait!"
Another voice rang out, powerful and commanding. The crowd parted to let a man in full armor pass, followed by an escort of elite soldiers from the imperial garrison. It was General Wang An.
Li Jin's plan had worked. Lin Mei had gotten the message through.
The general stopped, his gaze sweeping the scene: Li Jin, alone and unarmed, surrounded; Lord Xiao, whose face had just lost all its color.
"Lord Xiao," the general said, his voice like ice. "A disciple of the Jade Tiger makes a very serious accusation. As commander of this garrison, it is my duty to investigate." He turned to Li Jin. "Do you have proof for your words, disciple? Or just wind?"
This was the moment of truth. Li Jin looked the general straight in the eye.
"I have no proof on my person, General," he said. "But the truth cannot be hidden."