The Fox in Chains

When the sack was finally untied,
it took a while before my eyes adjusted to the sudden flood of light.

I tried to stretch, only to feel cold iron biting into my wrists.
Chains. Shackles.
I froze.

That damned Gu Yi!

The moment my expression darkened, Shishu—who had been hiding behind a pillar—visibly trembled.
When he saw my eyes flick toward him, he began shaking even harder, like a leaf in a storm.

I snapped, “We’re in Yingzhong now, aren’t we?”

He nodded, voice small. “Yes.”

“What month is it?”

“March.”

I fell silent for a moment.
March already.
So long since I’d left the forests of Mei Mountain.

Shishu, still trembling, cautiously poured a cup of tea and held it out.
Since my hands and feet were bound, I tilted my head back and let him feed me like a helpless animal.
When the cup was empty, I puffed my cheeks and spat the entire mouthful of tea straight into his face.

For a long moment, Shishu just stood there, stunned.
Then he blinked rapidly, eyes glistening.
“You… you’re really unreasonable!”

I gave him a cold look. “With a spy like you, why should I be reasonable?”

His eyes turned red, lower lip trembling as if he might burst into tears.

Truth be told, I’d suffered plenty these past days—and much of it was thanks to Shishu.

I still remembered that night when I’d tried to escape.
I’d barely galloped a few strides before a sharp whoosh sliced through the air.
An arrow struck my horse’s foreleg; the animal buckled with a pitiful cry.
A second arrow followed, burying itself deep into its neck.
The horse collapsed, throwing me into a snowbank headfirst.

When I managed to lift my head, Gu Yi was already there, brushing snow from his sleeves.

“Well, well,” he said, reaching down to haul me upright. “Where were you planning to go?”

I stammered, pointing toward a small grove ahead. “Th-the air’s better over there. I was just… going to take a breath.”

“Is that so?” He crouched beside me, brushing the snow off my hair.
“I’m afraid that if you go there, you might lose your breath altogether.”

I closed my eyes and sighed in defeat.

His fingers brushed along my cheek, then moved to the broken ends of my chain.
“Not bad,” he murmured. “Quite the bite you’ve got.”

A shiver ran through me.

Then his hand returned—this time pressing lightly against my lips.
“If that’s the case,” he said softly, “perhaps I should just pull a few teeth out. And maybe break your hands and feet while I’m at it. What do you think?”

I burst into tears instantly, throwing my arms around his leg.
“I won’t run again! I swear I won’t! Kill me if I do!”

He sighed, as though genuinely disappointed. “You really are hard to tame.”

Then, without warning, Gu Yi straightened and began to unfasten his belt.
One layer after another—cloak, fur robe—fell into the snow.

I blinked, alarmed.
In the dim light, with the wilderness around us utterly silent, the scene looked far too suggestive for my liking.

Surely he wasn’t…

Surely this beast wasn’t planning to ravish me right here?!

The memory of that night—when he’d sleepwalked into my arms and then awoken mortified—flashed through my mind.
His face then had been one of pure disappointment.

I swallowed hard.
“G-Gu Yi… doing this out here… isn’t really appropriate, is it?”

He paused mid-motion, glancing over his shoulder. “Oh? Why not?”

I pointed weakly toward the distant campfires. “Your men are still waiting for you. If you really must perform… uh, spiritual duality training, shouldn’t you at least pick a more private spot?”

He tilted his head, thoughtful. “Hmm. You have a point.”

I exhaled in relief—
only for him to suddenly crouch down, face inches from mine.

“But,” he whispered, “this has nothing to do with how many people are watching.”

“Huh?”

Before I could move, I felt cold metal clasp around my wrist.
Looking down, I saw a thin, jet-black shackle snapping into place.

Gu Yi rose, adjusting his clothes piece by piece.
By the time his cloak was fastened again, I realized what had happened—
that sleek “belt ornament” of his had just become my new set of chains.

“This little trinket can hold me?” I scoffed.

As if reading my mind, Gu Yi smiled.
“It’s forged from Darksteel, the hardest metal in the world. If you can break it, then there’s nothing left on this earth that could restrain you.”

I’d thought he was bluffing. Later, I’d learn otherwise.
The damned thing couldn’t be cut, burned, or even scratched.

And so, from pampered “pet,” I was officially downgraded to prisoner—locked in a rolling cage whenever we traveled.

Shishu returned to serving as Gu Yi’s personal attendant—preparing his meals, washing his clothes, tending to every whim.
He was kind by nature, though, and when Gu Yi wasn’t looking, he’d sneak me bits of food or water.
Over time, perhaps out of shared misery, we became unlikely allies in suffering.

Often, he would grumble about his master’s cruelty:

“His Lordship made me wash his robe three times! Not a single wrinkle, not a single loose thread! I swear, if there’s even a speck of lint, he’ll whip me!”

Or, “The food can’t be too salty, too bland, too bitter, or too spicy. If it’s not perfect, he flips the table!”

I listened, alternately horrified and sympathetic, and when words of comfort failed me, I simply joined him in cursing Gu Yi to the lowest pits of hell.

After a while, Shishu stopped crying altogether and just stared at me, slack-jawed.
Maybe he didn’t expect a “pet” to curse so creatively.

Then, one day, inspiration struck me.

“Shishu,” I whispered, eyes gleaming. “You handle all of Gu Yi’s daily needs, yes?”

He nodded nervously.

“And you help him dress?”

Another nod.

“Perfect!” I grabbed his hand. “Then you’ve got access to the key to this Darksteel chain!”

This time his nod was much slower.

“Listen,” I said excitedly. “Tonight, after he’s asleep, sneak the key out. Once I’m free, I’ll head back to Mei Mountain, gather an army, and when Gu Yi dares to pass through again—”
I slammed my fist against the bars—
“I’ll chop off his head myself!”

I leaned closer, whispering viciously,
“I’ll strip off his fancy clothes and see what that pretty boy really is! If he’s a woman, I’ll let her go. But if he’s a man—”
Another slam. “I’ll make sure he’ll never be one again!”

Shishu swallowed hard. “Th-that’s… that’s horrible… maybe not a good idea?”

“What’s not good about it? Think about how he’s treated us! You want to suffer under him forever?”

“But… His Lordship feeds us well,” Shishu mumbled, fidgeting. “There’s always food… and blankets…”

I stared at him with genuine pity.
“Child, you’re too broken to realize you’re broken.”

He didn’t reply—but at last, he agreed to help me.

The next morning was bright and warm.
I lounged in my cage, half-asleep, waiting for Shishu to bring the key.

Instead, it was Gu Yi who appeared.

He stood before my prison, gazing down with that lazy half-smile.
“So,” he said lightly, “I hear someone’s planning to return to Mei Mountain.”

“Ha?”

“I hear someone’s raising an army to ambush me.”

“Heh… you jest, my lord. How could that be?”

“I hear,” he continued, tone sweet as poison, “that she intends to use my severed head as a spittoon.”

“… ”

“And that she questions my gender—intending to strip me naked and have a dozen burly men confirm the truth.”

I groaned, covering my face.

“Oh, and my favorite part,” Gu Yi added cheerfully. “She swore she’d make me ‘neither man nor woman.’”

I wanted to die.
“I didn’t mean it! I was only joking—really!”

“Joking?” He crouched, eyes gleaming. “You seemed very sincere to me.”

Then he reached through the bars, ruffling my hair—before abruptly pinching my nose.
“The first few I’ll forgive,” he said, voice silky. “But since you’re so curious about my gender, shall I strip right now and let you see for yourself?”

I froze, eyes wide.

So it had all been a trap.
He’d baited Shishu, listened to every word, and now here I was—caught and humiliated.

What followed was a thorough beating.
It was then I learned the truth: Gu Yi hated being called effeminate.

He’d been cursed with that delicate face all his life—mocked as a “lady-boy,” mistaken for a woman more times than he could count.
And Shishu, that traitorous little snake, had repeated every single word I’d said—
including the bit about wanting to “verify his gender.”

From that day on, Shishu avoided me entirely.
But the grudge between me and Gu Yi was sealed in blood.

Now, sitting in the guest room with my throat parched, I rasped,
“Bring me another cup of tea.”

Shishu hesitated but eventually complied.
As he set the cup before me, he mumbled weakly,
“Your Majesty the Black-Faced King… about what happened before—it really wasn’t my fault. His Lordship ordered me to. I couldn’t disobey…”

I drained the cup in one gulp and exhaled deeply.
Then, wagging a finger at him, I said sweetly,
“Come here. Do me a favor, and I’ll forgive you.”

His face brightened. He leaned in eagerly. “What is it?”

I lunged forward, ramming my head straight into his stomach.

He staggered backward with a yelp—
crashing into the cabinet behind him.

A porcelain vase wobbled, tipped, and fell.

It landed squarely on Shishu’s head.

With a dull thunk, his eyes rolled back,
and down he went, out cold on the floor.