Chapter 4

Chapter 4

A pall of silence descended upon the pawnshop.

The shopkeeper pivoted his whole body, propping a hand heavily onto the counter as he stared at Chen Shu in undisguised surprise. Perhaps still searching for words, he refrained from speaking. Yun Shen, standing half a step farther away by the shop door, likewise remained silent.

When Chen Shu looked at him, he was backlit, his facial features darkened as if melting, becoming blurred and rough, making it impossible to discern his expression.

In the cramped and cluttered little shop, only dust motes drifted lazily in the dim twilight. Chen Shu blinked, standing rooted to the spot. She lifted her hand and repeated her words, as if afraid the pair hadn’t heard her clearly: “I wove this sword tassel myself and tied it onto my own sword with my own hands during the Sword Awakening ritual.”

“The tassel remains, but where is the sword?” Yun Shen finally spoke, unhurriedly crossing his arms. “Did you not find your sword in the backyard?”

“No.” Chen Shook her head vehemently, then suddenly paused as if realizing something. “Ah, that’s right! I should go look in the backyard again!” As soon as she finished speaking, she lifted her foot to head back to the small courtyard.

Seeing her actually turn to leave, the shopkeeper hastily straightened up, reaching out a hand to stop her. “Great Hero, no need to look! Good heavens, the person who pawned this sword tassel didn’t tell me it belonged to anyone! He didn’t pawn the sword, only the tassel! Whatever sword you’re looking for, you won’t find it in this humble shop’s backyard.”

Chen Shu stopped in her tracks, looking somewhat baffled. “He didn’t pawn the sword? Why pawn the tassel all by itself, then?”

Before the shopkeeper could answer, she thought for a moment and added, “Don’t worry, shopkeeper. I’m only looking for my sword, not seeking vengeance. My sword vanished… flew away… all by itself. If someone found it and pawned the tassel, or even the whole sword, that’s only reasonable. I won’t cause you any trouble.”

“Ah, this Great Hero, my little shop here has been open for a good ten or twenty years. Why would I fear being troubled by… a lady… a Great Hero like y—” The shopkeeper clasped his hands together, rubbing them nervously while bowing slightly in an apologetic smile. “I’ll tell you the truth, Great Hero. An ordinary tassel would never catch my eye! And besides, I remember that customer distinctly. He only pawned that one tiny sword tassel. I recognized the weaver’s craftsmanship was exquisite and the raw silk used was top quality. The color and finish were excellent too; I suspected it might be some treasure leaked out from a noble household. Just giving him the benefit of the doubt on that ‘favor,’ I accepted it.”

“You still remember that person?” Yun Shen spoke up suddenly, breaking his silence.

Chen Shu seemed shaken awake by his question, immediately chiming in: “That’s right! Since you remember him, do you recall when he came to pawn it? What did he look like?”

The shopkeeper’s face scrunched into an expression of difficulty. He stopped rubbing his hands. “This… setting aside whether this humble one remembers or not, this is a pawnshop. There are industry rules, after all. It wouldn’t do to blabber out customers’ business willy-nilly.”

“Aiyo!” Chen Shu stepped forward, then halted, stomping her foot in frustration. “I… I really am not here for revenge!”

Perhaps seeing her verge on babbling again, Yun Shen placed one hand on a long chest near the doorway and gently responded.

“Good shopkeeper, you heard her yourself earlier. Her sword was misplaced by accident, not stolen. Therefore, there’s no conflict or bad blood. This young lady is only trying to find the person to locate her sword; she bears no malice. Moreover, the person has already pawned the tassel, perhaps indicating he’s not a sword wielder himself at all. He might even be waiting for the owner to come looking.”

Faced with this double act — one urgent and fiery, the other smooth and calming — even a practiced wheeler like this shopkeeper found himself overwhelmed. He turned back towards Yun Shen:

“You must understand, this isn’t a matter of willingness. The rules of this trade are not mine to set or break lightly. They are agreed conventions, established for good reasons. Those who patronize pawnshops… don’t they all have hardships, urgent needs, those unspeakable troubles? Today, you say you bear no malice. Tomorrow, another claims he only seeks to find a person. If this goes back and forth, and one day something goes wrong, trouble arises… apologies and compensation are minor affairs. It all comes down to whether my shop can even stay open anymore! Wouldn’t you sa—”

As he spoke, he raised his head to meet Yun Shen’s gaze, but his words hitched abruptly. The trailing syllables died unuttered in his throat.

The two men faced each other across the wooden counter cluttered with junk and account books. Yun Shen’s expression remained unchanged. His right hand, resting on the counter, slid inwards and his knuckles tapped contemplatively against the wood, twice. He finally picked up where the shopkeeper had left off: “Your words hold merit, Master Shopkeeper. However, this is indeed a special case. If she weren’t the sword’s owner, how could she immediately recognize this tassel? If you remain uneasy… you surely understand the jade’s value. How about this? Let the jade serve as security. If anyone gives you grief over this, you may hold onto jade pledged to you. I believe this young lady would gladly agree.”

From the other side of the tiny shop, still rooted near the back door, Chen Shu was listening intensely to Yun Shen. She nodded vigorously, repeatedly voicing her agreement. “Yes! I agree!”

“I… uh…” The shopkeeper finally averted his eyes, visibly flustered under Yun Shen’s scrutiny. “I really might be… uh… not quite remembering…”

“No matter. So long as you’re willing, that’s enough,” Yun Shen said smoothly, a small smile playing on his lips. “There are several ledgers here on the counter. I noticed you were writing in one earlier, presumably keeping books. Does every transaction get recorded within?” He paused meaningfully, his knuckles absently tapping the counter again. “If so, surely a glance through yesterday’s register, even if you don’t recall the address, ought to reveal who it was? Remember if he was tall or short, thin or stout? Agreed?”

Another subtle rap of knuckles landed on the counter.

The shopkeeper remained silent for a beat, then pulled out a specific ledger from the stacked pile. It was noticeably newer than the others, barely containing a dozen filled pages. With a quick flick and a rustle of pages, he found the entry.

“Let me see… yesterday’s record is…” he said slowly, glancing up to gauge Yun Shen’s reaction as he spoke. “…Here it is, recorded. Came in to pawn yesterday afternoon… pawned one sword tassel… right here… got some bits of silver in exchange… entered the shop during the You hour—”

“Exactly after I lost my sword!” Chen Shu gasped. “I lost it around late yesterday afternoon! Do you have his name?”

“No… no name,” the shopkeeper answered shortly.

“What about his appearance? Can you remember anything?”

“This person…” The shopkeeper closed the ledger with deliberate slowness and hesitated. “Seems he wore a face covering… came alone… didn’t carry any sword that I remember…”

Seeing the promising thread of a clue unravel like fragile paper, Chen Shu’s mouth drooped unconsciously. But as if catching herself, she lowered her head instead. She stared intently at the tassel clutched in her hand, puffing her cheeks out briefly in self-reassurance. When she finally lifted her gaze, her voice regained a spark of hopeful insistence: “But you must at least remember if it was a man or a woman!”

The shopkeeper’s eyes darted helplessly towards Yun Shen once more, searching his impassively smiling face for any clue.

“This…” he stammered, “A man… woman… A… Good heavens! If I could tell, wouldn’t I have said so earlier?!”

“Well, yes,” Chen Shu conceded, refusing to give up completely. “If he was masked, maybe he was wrapped too thoroughly. Makes sense you couldn’t tell. But you must have heard their voice? Could you tell?”

“I couldn’t tell. Ah, the voice was hoarse, as if deliberately disguised.”

“But even if the voice revealed neither gender nor age, this person must have conversed with the shopkeeper, right?” Yun Shen interjected. “If he wasn’t from Zhanglin Village, he should still have an origin and destination. Did he mention any places or directions in his speech?”

“Well, there was…” The innkeeper’s tone grew even less certain. “He asked about current lively events in the Central Plains… inquired about exceptional talents. I mentioned that Diancang Pass ought to be hosting the grand competition for several sects as per tradition.”

Chen Shu immediately committed those three words to memory, repeating them: “Diancang Pass?”

It was said that Diancang Pass lay on the west bank of the Yushui River. Though remote in terrain, the Yushui itself spanned all directions. The officials at Diancang Pass, being shrewd, had sat down with several major sects to discuss holding a grand competition every five years. The tournament grew increasingly popular, so Diancang Pass gradually became a customary stop mentioned among martial artists. By now, it was long more than just a small mountain pass.

That this person asked the innkeeper in such a manner naturally indicated an intention to go to Diancang Pass.

Overjoyed, Chen Shu thanked the innkeeper. One foot had already stepped out of the pawnshop when the afterglow gave way to boundless night. Faintly discernible were a few more wheel ruts etched onto the dim village path. The evening wind still tirelessly lifted the shop sign overhead.

Yun Shen had gone ahead first. Watching from not far away, he sighed and smiled faintly as her steps faltered.

“What else do you want to say?”

“…My sword knot! It was on a separate ledger—it must be forfeited! I need to buy it back!”

A customer returning, and even willing to buy something else? The innkeeper couldn’t have been more pleased, showing no resistance. After a brief exchange, he reverently presented the sword knot and ushered Chen Shu properly out the door. Yun Shen was still waiting for her in the same spot, nodding at her. Unable to resist, she waved the sword knot triumphantly in his direction.

“Finding the sword knot marks another joyful occasion,” Yun Shen remarked lightly.

Chen Shu declared, “Good thing you were here. How are you so skilled at arguing?”

“Ha! You flatter me, Miss. I’m but a mere commoner in plain robes, earning my keep with brush and ink. I merely possess a little skill with words, that’s all.”

Chen Shu found nothing unusual in this, nodding agreement. “True. You are a mortal without the strength to truss a chicken. But then again, didn’t you find that person rather strange earlier?”

They walked forward together, stepping over faint shadows. Neither mentioned where they were headed.

“…What was strange about that shop owner? I’m eager to hear the details,” Yun Shen said, looking at her.

“I wasn’t referring to the innkeeper. Though he seems a bit dim-witted, that innkeeper is an honest man,” Chen Shu spoke expansively. “I meant the person who pawned the sword knot. Didn’t you find him incredibly strange?”

Yun Shen couldn’t suppress a chuckle. Then he lowered his head, containing his smile.

“Miss, your vision is sharp. I, on the other hand, noticed nothing amiss.”

“It’s not that my vision is sharp,” Chen Shu demurred with self-satisfied modesty. Then, peacocking, she took two quick steps ahead before turning back to face Yun Shen. Walking backwards, she elaborated with exuberant gestures, “Think about it! That person wore a mask, was bundled up tightly, even disguised their voice—such a tall figure utterly fooling that innkeeper. Yet then, within their conversation, they clearly conveyed their intended destination! Zhanglin Village may have few people, but these streets are hardly deserted. If they truly didn’t want to be recognized, they could simply have stepped outside to change their disguise and asked someone else.”

Yun Shen gave her a deep look, clasping his hands behind his back. “Indeed peculiar. What is your reasoning, Miss?”

“I reckon, I reckon—” Chen Shu raised a single index finger grandly, declaring, “He must want to return my sword to me! He’s waiting for me to seek him out! That’s why he asked that on purpose!”