Chapter 25

In the end, those three never got their wine.

It wasn’t because He Yu was unwilling. Chen Shu’s ruckus, her big, round eyes pleading – anyone she set those eyes on would be cheered up and couldn’t possibly refuse! He Yu readily agreed. The trouble was, all three lacked experience. Arriving at the restaurant, they stared dumbfounded – forget wine, even getting a table meant waiting half an hour.

Overwhelmed restaurants weren’t exclusive to this one spot. Riding the wave of the Sword Discussion Tournament, almost every eatery along the street, throughout the entire Diancang Pass, was packed to the rafters at this hour. They trudged from place to place seeking entry, only to be turned away each time, belatedly realizing –

No wonder the people below the Sword Discussion Platforms were holding meat pies, walking and gnawing away! Diancang Pass this huge truly held no space allowing anyone to sit down and eat!

After several fruitless inquiries, even He Yu’s patience wore thin. He sighed, staring helplessly at the enticing shop signs and the long queues snaking down the street. Yun Shen, seeing this, gently tapped the back of Chen Shu’s head. She turned around to look at him, sniffling pathetically, before sidling up to He Yu.

“Maybe… maybe we should just go back and get those meals provided by the courtyard…”

Hearing this, He Yu chuckled. The setting sun glinted on his eye patch, shrouding it in a grey-tinged golden light, almost like a coat of lacquer, making him seem unexpectedly harmless.

“It’s not just me who got lucky today, drawing the bye! Our Little Shu here also won her first match – a quick victory! And– how should I put this– subduing the enemy without fighting! We absolutely must find a way to celebrate properly!” He said. A fleeting impulse to pat Chen Shu’s head seemed to surface, but he resisted. Instead, his gaze shifted past her, seeking Yun Shen’s agreement.

His reasoning was impeccable. By the end, even Chen Shu felt bolstered, nodding vigorously. “I did win today! Yeah… exactly!” She too turned her gaze expectantly towards Yun Shen.

Under the dual scrutiny of these two, Yun Shen relented. Giving Chen Shu a meaningful look, he shook his head slightly with a wry smile. “No point dwelling on it. The inns are full. Barging in now would require emptying our purses. The prize money from the third round, however much it may be, is still some way off. Unless you two plan to spend every last coin you have today?”

“You definitely have a solution!” Chen Shu declared stubbornly. “Don’t you dare hold back!”

“What solution could I possibly have?” Yun Shen tilted his head down towards her, arching an eyebrow as if to tease. But seeing her puff out her cheeks and plant her hands on her hips, his expression softened again. He lowered his voice. “It’s nothing earth-shattering – just that since there are no seats, we might as well buy a few meal boxes and take them back to eat in our own courtyard. Sitting in a restaurant might be beyond our means this evening, but paying for a boxed meal or two should be manageable.”

“Great idea!” He Yu exclaimed, clapping his hands. “I remember moonlight falls in our courtyard at night! Grab a couple of little stools – how peaceful and carefree! Perfect, perfect! Settled then!”

True to his word, He Yu stepped into one of the bustling restaurants to inquire.

The moment they agreed to pay extra for takeaway containers, several kitchens happily obliged, sending out steaming dishes. Soon, He Yu and Yun Shen each carried several elegant food boxes. Only Chen Shu was empty-handed. Shifting from foot to foot, looking left and right, she felt distinctly awkward.

Eager to help, she approached He Yu and reached for a second box. He Yu, smiling, started to hand it over, but Yun Shen intercepted it with a single hand.

“What are you having her carry food for?” Yun Shen stated bluntly. “If her hands are full of that, who’s going to manage lugging the large jar of wine later?”

Both men let the matter drop at that. He Yu lifted the food box again, half-amused, seemingly just indulging the girl. Chen Shu, however, took it seriously. Her expression turned resolute, as if entrusted with a vital mission, and she gave Yun Shen a solemn nod.

“You make a good point.”

Yet this time, Yun Shen was mistaken.

Obtaining prepared food had been possible because the kitchens, despite being overwhelmed, were happy to cook extra servings for takeout – fetching a high price and garnering goodwill. Wine, however, was another matter entirely. Good wine cannot be conjured instantly. Even a small jar, especially of decent quality, requires at least seven or eight years to mature. No restaurant had any to spare on a whim tonight.

The trio pressed on, inquiring at two more establishments, but still found nothing.

Just as worry began to gnaw at them, someone tapped He Yu from behind.

He Yu had sensed something and turned, but only caught a flurry of passersby in the distance, each going their own way. He saw nothing amiss, yet Chen Shu had been watching opposite him and witnessed it all clearly. Without a word, she hurried forward and grabbed the man—

“What are you doing!”

The thief, under cover of He Yu’s turned head, slipped behind He Yu, darted around to his front, and reached for the pouch hanging at his waist. His fingers were poised on the pouch’s drawstring when Chen Shu seized him firmly, preventing him from moving any closer.

“Well, well, impressive reflexes, lass. Picked up such a rare talent—seems Cold Pine Glen has stumbled upon incredible luck this time?” Instead of anger, the thief laughed merrily, caught in the act.

Only then did He Yu realize what had happened. He turned back and, recognizing the man Chen Shu held fast, smiled calmly. “This lady isn’t one of us from Cold Pine Glen. You’ve misunderstood, Yan Ji.”

“Fair enough. I suppose you lot of blockheads couldn’t coax such a wily little macaque out of her tree.” The man, Yan Ji, winked nonchalantly at Chen Shu, then nudged his chin upward. The instant she reluctantly loosened her grip, he withdrew his hand like a flash and shook it dramatically. “Heard about it—first day and she already sent that painted-face old crone running with her tail tucked. A real pity I didn’t see the show.”

After glancing at Chen Shu and then Yun Shen, he waited expectantly, as though wholly untroubled by any need to explain his theft. At last, He Yu sighed and chuckled helplessly. “This is Yan Ji from Linbo Prefecture, an old acquaintance. He was only teasing me.”

“After five years, you still haven’t learned to dodge.” Yan Ji slung an arm over He Yu’s shoulders, familiar and easy. “Can’t say it was just teasing, though. Woke up past sundown to find nowhere to wet my whistle. Thought I’d squeeze you, my freshly enriched friend here!”

“Where am I rich?” Chen Shu retorted. “That third-round win hasn’t put a coin in my pocket! All I’ve got are a few coppers—worth stealing?”

Yan Ji, leaning against He Yu half a man deep, bared his teeth at her cheerfully, unruffled. “Surprised you’re serious! Tell you what—I don’t steal blank-handed. Brought good mare’s milk. Bound to spoil otherwise. Heard you were hunting for a drink yourselves? Come back to Linbo Prefecture’s yard, haul it away, and I’ll stand guard!”

It was only then a spark of interest seemed to light in Yun Shen. He looked up, quietly surveying Yan Ji. “Alcohol?”

“Hardly.” He Yu chuckled, explaining. “In the martial world, their prefecture’s saddled with the title ‘horse peddlers.’ Their yearly claim is their prized mare’s milk, barely sold outside. Strange that he’s offering it tonight—willing to sell?”

“Did I say sell?” Yan Ji tilted his head. “Thought I was clear—I’ll guard the lookout for you!”

—

The Linbo Prefecture courtyard lay diagonally opposite the Cold Pine Glen, bordering it yet entirely separate, no path bridging them.

Chen Shu followed Yan Ji, skirting Biyang Valley’s yard before cutting across the eaves back into Linbo Prefecture’s quarters.

Indeed, the courtyard was vacant. Everyone, it seemed, was out watching the bouts, not a sentry left guarding. Several jars sat clustered in a corner, soaking in the dusk. Chen Shu landed noisily—racking the jars in her path as she paused to pick one. Settling on a little jar, she hefted it carefully, anxiously tucked a few silver pieces beneath a brick beside it, then leaped back onto the eaves—only to find Yan Ji perched on the tiles, chewing on a straw as if he hadn’t a care in the world.

“Looking for something down there? Took ages.”

“Left the payment, of course! Unlike you. Not paying puts me ill at ease!” She huffed. “There, we’ve got one jar. That’s enough! Another trip and I’ll feel like an actual house thief—and you hovering over me!”

“I did stand guard.” He pointed toward the nearby Biyang Valley yard. “See, Li Chou that tightfisted gull was inside his room, noticed nothing. Besides, leaving silver leaves me the payment—just give it here next time.”

Chen Shu watched him long and hard, plainly mystified. “Still doesn’t track. Asking me to haul your own stuff—what sort of ‘guard’ is yours?”

“Ah, you wouldn’t get it. Fun’s in the sneak.” He shifted the straw from one end of his mouth to the other and finally rose, dusting his robes. “Let it be—taste it. You’ll know. Nothing better than something hard-earned.”

“Call that hard-earned? I saw you doing all the lifting!”

Still, despite her complaints, the mare’s milk—a praised delicacy—lived up to its fame. The aroma rushed out richly the moment He Yu unstoppered the jar, ensnaring Chen Shu completely. Squatting beside him on a stool, she fixed her eyes unmovingly on him as he began pouring it into bowls.

“Never tasted anything like this!” She urged impatiently, licking her lips. “Pour plenty for me! Plenty!”

“Quick with flatteries, isn’t she?” Yan Ji chuckled heartily. He drained a bowl in a single pull, then dove into the food they’d packed back. “My master wanted me to ship this over to that Master of the Right Supervisor right before I left—smooch her some favor. ‘Officials and merchants unite’ he preached—to get a slice off some official horse trading deal. Seemed a waste, thought I, rather like feeding the stuff straight to her pet tiger.”

“With Right Supervisor Shen’s character,” He Yu responded as he passed Yun Shen the fourth bowl, “gifts are likely refused even if sent.”

“That’s exactly why. Spoils anyway—rather feed it to you lot. Then say thieves got it. At worst, a whipping.” Yan Ji set his own bowl down beside him, snorted darkly. “That girl you’ve tagged onto—hardly the fool. Looks a guileless lamb, yet I sweet-talked her half an hour on the rooftops and still only dragged back this scrap. Didn’t bargain on that.”

Yun Shen took his bowl, sipped quietly, and said: “Miss once, miss again. What isn’t taken by Shen may find another taker—it doesn’t solve the trouble. Better to deliver it to Right Supervisor Shen. Her jurisdiction oversees official misconduct—graft included. No need to bargain. To you, only words—stinging words, perhaps.”

Among the four at the table, only Chen Shu failed to grasp any of it. She imitated Yan Ji, downing a whole bowl in one fierce gulp—never pausing to breathe. Halfway through the meal she managed a few silent scoops of her rice.

Yun Shen’s gaze swept lazily to her and halted.

Cradled in sunset’s dying flame, her face glowed vividly; her cheeks puffed out plumply, crimson blooming all the way to her ears. One hand, mid-grasp of chopsticks, froze in place, as though she drifted empty-headed.

“Chen Shu?” Yun Shen suddenly asked.

“Huh?” Chen Shu responded, slowly turning her head to look at him. “What is it, Brother He?”

“… What did you call me?”