Chapter 84

“…This is an Innkeeper I met at Mijiang Slope. His surname is Zhong.”

“That’s right, yes—I am surnamed Zhong. Family name Zhong, given name Xiao. Originally from Mijiang Slope. A few days ago, I popped back to see my hometown and ran into this young master Yun. We clicked right away. He told me all sorts of martial tales, you see, and I was quite envious—so I remembered every word.”

Zhong Xiao smiled once more, a fleeting sharpness crossing his honest face before vanishing. Now, he had draped that headscarf back over his shoulder. Nearing noon, the sun grew strong, its light striking the window lattice and streaming into the inn, illuminating Zhong Xiao’s features. All that could be seen was his still dependable face, the sun-tanned skin glistening with sweat in the light, making him look increasingly solid and harmless.

“And I happened to be returning to Mengcheng, so I joined this innkeeper back to Fangcheng and shamelessly stayed a few nights at Brother Zhong’s inn,” Yun Shen said.

In two sentences, he laid out the entire story. Neither Chen Shu nor Ying Wei paid much attention, but He Yu and Xuan Qin listened carefully. Throughout all this, Xuan Qin quietly observed, while only He Yu stood up at the end, cupping his hands towards Yun Shen.

He spoke first, his smile taking up Yun Shen’s words. “Who would have thought we’d meet again here after days apart? Fate truly comes calling, and you just can’t stop it. When do you plan to depart for home? How about we all sit down together for a meal and discuss further?”

“Yes, yes! Food first! Whatever has to be said can be discussed over the meal!” Chen Shu chimed in.

“I was waiting for you to suggest just that,” Yun Shen responded with a smile, letting Chen Shu pull him to the table where he grabbed a chair and placed it right beside Chen Shu’s.

The table was a small square one meant for four people. With five sitting now, it felt a bit cramped, though still workable. Once seated, Yun Shen suddenly seemed to realize he’d overlooked something. He looked up, his movement deliberate enough that the other four naturally followed his gaze, raising their heads to look—

There stood the innkeeper behind them, slightly bent at the waist, wearing an eager expression. He was still right there, in the same spot.

He simply smiled, watching this group, his gaze fixed on the chair Yun Shen now sat in. It seemed as if he was waiting for something; he didn’t budge. The smile remained on his face, yet it also carried an indistinct, unsettling quality that made one’s hairs subtly stand on end.

“What are you still waiting for?” Ying Wei asked, completely oblivious. “Just go tell the kitchen?”

Under the table, Xuan Qin surreptitiously kicked Ying Wei’s leg.

“Ow!” Ying Wei promptly cried out dramatically, shooting Xuan Qin a glare. Only when he saw Xuan Qin silently tip his chin towards the silver pieces in Ying Wei’s own hand did understanding dawn. Scratching his head with some annoyance, he said, “Oh, just didn’t give you the silver yet— Here! Should be enough for the whole table!” Saying this, he got up again, scooped up the silver by his hand, added some broken bits, and thrust it towards Zhong Xiao’s palm.

Unexpectedly, far from easing Zhong Xiao’s expression, the gesture made his smile turn even stiffer, bordering on a grimace. He froze in place, hand held out but refusing to take it, leaving the scene hanging in an unnerving pause.

—Cheerful atmosphere at the table, the innkeeper standing beside it inexplicably…

Fortunately, He Yu spoke up. “How can we let you host? Since fate has graciously reunited us, I’ll gladly do the honors. Little Shu here gave me plenty of silver, and I still have over half left unspent.” As he spoke, he offered Zhong Xiao a warm smile, clearly trying to smooth things over.

Zhong Xiao, however, didn’t seem to grasp the conciliatory intent, or perhaps ignored it. He merely pasted the smile back on his face and opened his mouth as if to speak, only to be swiftly cut off by Yun Shen’s sharp timing.

“Oh, Brother Zhong here is ever curious about martial world tales and wishes to acquaint himself with martial world figures. He’s mentioned it often these past days. He’s also a bit clumsy with words, too shy to speak directly. My fault, I forgot to introduce Brother Zhong properly to you all,” Yun Shen said.

While the others didn’t know why this “Zhong Xiao” stayed silent, Yun Shen certainly knew. Having already sat down, he rose once more and meticulously introduced each person’s identity and origin to “Zhong Xiao”. Only then did harmony return to the table.

After the pleasantries, a hint of genuine warmth finally crept into “Zhong Xiao’s” smile as he flattered the group. Picking up Yun Shen’s statement, he said, “Meeting you esteemed heroes today is Zhong Xiao… Zhong’s great fortune. How about this? This meal is Zhong’s treat, a token of gratitude from this little establishment. Please eat, drink and stay comfortably.”

Hearing this, and already unaware of the earlier awkwardness, Ying Wei was overjoyed that he didn’t have to pay. He agreed instantly as if afraid Zhong Xiao would recind the offer. “Great! You’re a generous host! I’ll remember you! From now on, if you find yourself operating afar, just mention the name Qin Xin—”

Xuan Qin kicked him under the table again. This time, even Chen Shu found his boasting excessive. Seizing the moment while Ying Wei glared at Xuan Qin, she interjected.

“Thank you, Brother Zhong! We appreciate it.”

Encouraged by these words, Zhong Xiao’s expression brightened notably. His gaze lingered on Chen Shu, flicked to Yun Shen beside her, then settled firmly on the space between their two chairs—placed extremely close, almost touching. He grinned at her, ignoring the still bickering Ying Wei altogether, and turned away seemingly well pleased. Yet he had only taken a couple of steps when he seemed to remember something with an exaggerated gasp, turning back.

“Forgot to mention something important to your esteemed selves. You see, Fangcheng doesn’t get many visitors passing through, so this humble inn is quite small with only a handful of rooms… and they’re all unfortunately occupied,” as he said this, he swivelled his head, and the few patrons seated elsewhere in the inn obligingly tilted theirs up in confirmation, “…leaving just three rooms available—”

“What about adding bedding inside existing rooms?” He Yu inquired.

Zhong Xiao paused, seeming to have expected the suggestion. He smiled. “They’re all small rooms, I’m afraid adding bedding wouldn’t be possible…”

“It’s alright.” Chen Shu, pouring tea, offered a saving remedy. “Brother Zhong, bring out the food first. We’ll figure things out after we’re full. If worse comes to worst, I can grab a quilt and sleep in the courtyard. It’s perfectly manageable.”

Rather than relief, her interruption seemed to deepen the tension visibly back on Zhong Xiao’s face. He looked torn, seemingly wanting to push his point. But Chen Shu, handing Xuan Qin the teacup, was already occupied. Only when Yun Shen patted her hand did she look up at him, then turn to see Zhong Xiao’s unchanged, waiting stance. An “Oh” escaped her, and she stopped her actions.

“We certainly cannot stay in comfortable rooms while leaving you sleeping alone in the courtyard,” Yun Shen finally stated quietly.

“Exactly, exactly! This little inn could never be so rude to honoured guests!” chimed in Zhong Xiao, deliberately pondering for effect before exclaiming in false realization, “Wait— but there is a solution! Just the other day, when I returned to Fangcheng with this fine gentleman,” he gestured towards Yun Shen, “the place wasn’t nearly so full. We opened a suite then, a truly spacious room indeed— easily accommodating even three beddings! I wonder if those of you gentlemen and ladies—”

His gaze, as he spoke finally, settled solely on Chen Shu, whose face was all innocent bafflement as she looked back at him. It was as though there was no one else in his eyes but her. He waited, almost visibly expecting Chen Shu herself to agree to share a room with Yun Shen—this “serendipitous boon” he offered.

Yun Shen’s eye twitched, grasping Zhong Xiao’s implication well before the man had finished speaking. He pursed his lips, silent and unreadable; approval or displeasure masked behind a carefully controlled hint of a smile. His gaze was fixed, like Zhong Xiao’s, wholly on Chen Shu.

However, regardless of how clearly the implied meaning within Zhong Xiao’s words was conveyed to the whole table, so long as nothing was explicitly stated, Chen Shu remained utterly oblivious. She let out a soft “oh,” turned her head, and declared: “So that settles it! There’ll be four beds then!”

If that were all, it might have passed. But that fellow seemed intent on pressing further, when someone at the table, exquisitely tactful, abruptly intervened.

“I’ll share with him. In fact, I have something to discuss with him,” He Yu said, smiling. “Trouble you, Innkeeper, to arrange it for us.”

“…Alright.”

With him saying so, how could “Zhong Xiao” reasonably object? He whipped the coarse towel from his shoulder as if venting frustration and, right in front of them all, briskly wiped down the side table twice before turning on his heel and disappearing through the curtain into the back kitchen.

“That innkeeper is interesting,” Chen Shu remarked, poking Yun Shen only after the man vanished behind the inner curtain. “How did you even get acquainted with him? This little innkeeper going out of his way to treat us?”

Everyone at the table naturally turned to look at Yun Shen — and not just their table. Chen Shu’s loud, unguarded question rang out unusually clear in the quiet main hall. Likely because of this, even the diners seated at the other tables shot glances in their direction.

“It’s nothing really. He’s just a kind-hearted elder brother, genuinely curious about news from the martial world,” Yun Shen replied smoothly, unperturbed under the mix of curious and appraising gazes. “He asked quite a few questions on the walk here.”

“Could he be hoping to latch on as a disciple?” Ying Wei mused, feigning thought. “Not surprising, I suppose. Our Qin Xin Bluff’s fame extends far and wide; surely everyone in Fangcheng has heard of it.”

Chen Shu, however, vividly recalled their initial disastrous meeting. She snorted lightly, took the tea bowl He Yu handed her, and thumped it down forcefully in front of Ying Wei as she poured his tea. “Stop boasting! Last time you caused a huge fuss for me. This time he’s just treating us to a meal, and you jump to thinking it’s some initiation test? Besides,” she added pointedly, “Yun Shen clearly told him plenty about me! If anyone’s to be a master here, it should be me he seeks out!”

“What’s wrong with speaking plainly! You know martial arts, so you wouldn’t understand the sentiments of ordinary folk. Look at Zhong Xiao’s stance — he staggered unsteadily, lacks any foundational stability, and he’s well past that crucial age to start training now. Awakening his potential would be difficult,” Ying Wei stated self-righteously. “Civilians without martial skills, in this Fangcheng ruled by Vicious Bandits, must suffer untold oppression!”

His voice hadn’t even faded when a sharp cough abruptly erupted from a corner table.

The five of them looked over together. An elderly man, hunched in stature, seemed to be choking on his water. He Yu hurriedly moved to pat his back, blocking most of their view. Instantly, the inn’s atmosphere plunged back into the eerie tension from before. It was palpable now that because of that cough, and their own sudden hush, the other patrons seemed to have been watching them all along, their own movements distinctly slowing.

Silence descended. They could no longer hear of the passage of time.

Even Xuan Qin sensed something amiss now, brow furrowing, his hand tightening unconsciously on his tea bowl.

Only Yun Shen remained composed. He took his bowl back from He Yu and took another deliberate, unhurried sip.

The audible gulp of tea breaking the silence finally sent faint ripples through the heavy stillness.

“I did indeed tell him a little about you,” Yun Shen said, drawing their attention back. His expression remained mild; he casually blew on the tea and paused. “Which brings me to why I stayed here to begin with. His family has run this inn for generations. Built… let’s say, certain connections within the city over the years. While I know not why… Little Shu has come to Fangcheng, I learned something from snippets of unguarded talk in my time here.”

He paused, his gaze shifting from Chen Shu to He Yu, seeming to wait for one or the other to speak. Chen Shu’s eyes indeed lit up, her mouth opening to do so, only to be preempted by another, even more impatient voice.

“Could it be about that legendary sword?!” Ying Wei slammed his hand on the table, practically leaning his entire torso onto it in his excitement. “The one the villains from the Valley of Villains picked up! Said to weigh a thousand jun! Impossibly broad, as tall as Mount Mu! Gives off a chill light! Wails with an eerie moan in the dead of night!”

Yun Shen was silent for several moments.

“That… is quite… vividly descriptive, I must admit,” he finally managed, the words seeming forced out. “How did you come by such details?”

“—How did we come by them? Why, the whole Central Plains knows!”