Under the moonlight, three figures—two tall and one short—emerged silently from the damp reed marshes, heading toward the scattered lights of the lakeshore not far away.
It wasn't until they were over a hundred paces from that withered willow that Qin Jiuye finally released the breath she had been holding in her chest.
She hurriedly took the young man’s hand, inspecting it from every angle before using a bamboo slat meant for sorting herbs to provide a simple splint.
Having finished this with practiced speed, she turned to look at Jiang Xin’er. That face, which usually looked so sour it seemed everyone owed her money, appeared exceptionally pleasant tonight—almost as merciful as a Bodhisattva in a temple.
It was fortunate that she was the one who had come. Had it been that old freak Chuiyun or the nun Hanzhu, the situation might have ended quite differently.
"Many thanks to Miss Jiang for coming to our rescue!"
Jiang Xin’er did not speak, remaining standing with her back to them.
Qin Jiuye fumbled around her person and produced a tattered paper packet from somewhere, pressing forward to offer it.
"I don’t have anything more precious on me. These are a few Zhi Pills. I personally formulated them after researching medical texts and reconstructing an ancient recipe. They are quite beneficial for those who practice martial arts..."
The woman with the blade tilted her head, revealing a cold, haughty profile.
"No need."
Before her words could even land, Qin Jiuye grabbed her hand and firmly pressed the ragged paper packet into her palm.
"Please, take them. Consider it a small token of my gratitude. Don't look down on the shabby packaging; in our line of work, the truly good stuff is always wrapped like this."
Jiang Xin’er stared at the crumpled paper packet in her hand, her arrogance now tinged with a hint of disdain. However, she did not throw the item away, offering only a stiff explanation.
"I acted just now because the Luosha Sect has an old grudge against the Qiu family; they are Young Master’s rivals. I simply find her unpleasant to look at. I wasn't trying to save you, so do not misunderstand."
Qin Jiuye nodded, completely unbothered by her phrasing.
"I see. Regardless, I must thank you for tonight. If you ever have need of Guoran Residence in the future, just come find me at Dingweng Village."
The young man, who had been silent for a long time, curled his lip into a cold smile.
"Why be so polite to her, Sister? We likely have Miss Jiang to thank for today’s events."
Jiang Xin’er’s frame stiffened. She immediately realized he remembered their encounter at the Lotus Market earlier that day and was implicitly accusing her of leaking his whereabouts. When she turned around, her expression had turned ugly.
"You were the one who was careless and provoked someone you shouldn't have. Someone kindly steps in to save you, and yet you try to pin the blame on them?"
"When dealing with someone like Zhu Fuxue, if you cannot kill her, you must stay as far away as possible," Li Qiao countered. "Your arrogant display just now will only draw her resentment. I’m already refraining from calling you a meddler; you should stop trying to paint yourself as a hero."
"I’m a meddler?!" Jiang Xin’er’s temper flared, her eyebrows nearly flying into her hairline. "You think I don't know Zhu Fuxue is trouble? If your 'sister' hadn't intentionally made a scene in front of me, I wouldn't have abandoned the task the Young Master gave me to make this trip!"
"I see. I almost forgot. With the Qiu family backing her, Miss Jiang naturally has no reason to fear the Luosha Sect. You can pretend you didn't hear anything I just said."
"You...!"
Qin Jiuye stood to the side with her mouth half-open, unable to get a word in. She couldn't understand why this usually well-behaved and sensible boy seemed to turn into a different person whenever he met Miss Jiang, bristling with thorns.
Seeing the two of them at each other's throats, unwilling to back down until a winner was declared, Qin Jiuye felt a wave of exhaustion.
She truly didn't want her newly calmed nerves to be rattled again. Putting on a smile, she forced herself between them, rubbing her hands together as she coaxed them.
"Great Heroes, please, stop fighting. Look, it’s already so late. How about... I treat you both to some cakes?"
The two who had been at daggers drawn seemed to reach a consensus in an instant. They turned around at the exact same time and spoke in perfect unison.
"I'm not eating!"
****** ****** ******
Two quarters of an hour later, at a ramshackle grass shed beside Mingde Avenue outside the Lixin Lake stone boat, the brisk proprietress personally set down plum wine chilled with well water and a steamer of sugar cakes on the small table. She spoke with a jubilant expression.
"Guests, the fresh cakes are out of the steamer!"
Qin Jiuye stared at the stack of steamers in front of her, which was already half the height of a person, feeling a phantom pain in the coin purse at her waist.
Jiang Xin’er ignored her expression entirely. She reached out, grabbed a soft, freshly steamed sugar cake, and stuffed it into her mouth. Then, she picked up a large sea-bowl of wine and drained it in one go. The moment she set the bowl down, she regained her cold, haughty demeanor. Wiping her mouth with her sleeve, she pointed at the stack of empty bowls beside her and critiqued.
"A small workshop in the marketplace really can't compare to the Young Master’s private kitchen. This is barely passable for a few bites."
Qin Jiuye’s chest tightened. Before she could say anything, the boy beside her spoke with a sneer.
"If your eyes were bigger than your stomach and you couldn't finish it, you should just admit it. Why bother making so many excuses?"
Jiang Xin’er could not handle such provocation. She slammed her palm onto the table. The stack of empty wine bowls jumped half an inch before falling back; a few stray drops of wine flew up and splashed across Qin Jiuye’s face.
"Another steamer!"
Qin Jiuye knew she couldn't let the situation escalate further. Trembling, she pressed down the hand that was waving for the proprietress.
"Didn't Miss Jiang say she had things to do? You've rested for quite a while now. Perhaps you should get back to your business; it wouldn't be good to be delayed..."
"I know my own business; you don't need to worry about it." Jiang Xin’er glanced at the woman’s frugal expression and questioned rudely, "Is Shopkeeper Qin feeling the sting? You were so adamant about repaying me for saving your life just now, so why are you fretting over the cost of a few cakes?"
*A few cakes? This is ten steamers of sugar cakes!* Though they weren't as good as the white sugar cakes from the old shop on Bobo Street, Qin Jiuye usually couldn't bring herself to eat more than a few pieces in an entire year.
Qin Jiuye endured and tried a roundabout persuasion.
"These sugar cakes are made from steamed glutinous rice flour. They look soft and light, but eating too many will cause indigestion. Miss Jiang has important matters to attend to; you wouldn't want to upset your stomach."
Jiang Xin’er was clearly someone who responded to soft words rather than hard ones. Hearing this, her expression softened slightly, though her tone remained stiff.
"It’s a small matter. No need to be so cautious."
As soon as she finished speaking, Li Qiao suddenly asked, "Why did you happen to be by the lake today? Did Xu Qiuchi have you doing something shameful in secret again? Perhaps he wanted you to follow us and spy..."
Jiang Xin’er’s newly calmed emotions were stirred up again. Her fists clenched, and her eyes looked ready to spit fire.
The boy before her was difficult to handle. This time, she decided to play a ruthless card.
Jiang Xin’er’s clenched fists relaxed. In the next moment, she turned to look at Qin Jiuye.
"Shopkeeper Qin, do you know why Zhu Fuxue made things so difficult for you two tonight?"
Qin Jiuye shook her head blankly.
Jiang Xin’er glanced at Li Qiao before speaking slowly.
"It’s because that boy in white by her side had seen your brother somewhere before. That display just now was merely a test. They certainly won't let this go in the future. You two had better be careful."
Hearing this, Qin Jiuye indeed turned to look at the boy beside her.
"Didn't you say you didn't know them?"
Li Qiao looked up, his gaze meeting Jiang Xin’er’s. The threat in his eyes was palpable.
"Miss Jiang must have remembered incorrectly. The people of the Luosha Sect have always acted this way. I saw that Yuxiao wasn't exactly polite to you either."
"Oh, is that so?" Jiang Xin’er sneered. She spoke one word at a time. "Then do you dare tell your sister where you were and what you were doing after noon today?"
Li Qiao fell silent.
The threat in his eyes instantly transformed into killing intent. Only because a third person was present did that taut, invisible string remain unbroken. However, this silent confrontation made the surrounding air feel heavy. The battered oil lamp on the table flickered and went out on its own, despite the lack of wind.
The night was deep. Inside Jiugao City, the lights were dimming, but on this wooded path by the wild lake outside the city, voices still echoed.
The air still held the residual heat of the daytime sun, mixed with the pungent smell of firewood and low-quality oil lamps—this was the true scent of the "Jianghu" known as life.
The small vendors who had finished their business during the day had set up temporary shelters by the lake. They were gathered along the main road now, spending a few copper coins on cheap wine and grain cakes to reward themselves while complaining to their peers about difficult clients. Everyone was busy toiling for their livelihoods; no one had the leisure to notice the table in the corner that had suddenly fallen silent.
After a long while, the thin woman caught in the middle of the confrontation finally moved.
She reached out, skillfully tipping the oil lamp to shake it. Then, using her fingertip moistened with a bit of saliva, she pinched the wick that had stuck to the bottom. Borrowing a flame from the next table, she relit the lamp.
"If you two are full, I shall pay the bill."
Qin Jiuye spoke without looking at their expressions. She pulled out her flat coin purse, which she kept close to her body, and began counting copper coins one by one by the light of the lamp.
In the next moment, a silver ingot landed on the table with a *thwack*.
Qin Jiuye looked up to see Jiang Xin’er’s profile, her face pointedly turned away.
"I was just talking earlier. I pay for what I eat. I don't need you sitting here looking miserable."
Qin Jiuye looked at the silver ingot, which was enough to buy a whole cart of sugar cakes. After a moment of silence, she still smiled and said, "I may be a bit stingy, but I keep my promises. These sugar cakes aren't particularly precious, just a small token of my heart. Miss Jiang, please don't refuse."
Only then did Jiang Xin’er turn her head. Seeing that Qin Jiuye’s face held no insincerity, she nodded and took back the silver ingot. Then, as she reached out to fiddle with the grease-stained, patched-up steamers, she said casually:
"True. Aside from being sweet, these sugar cakes are nothing special. I suppose poor families have nothing good to eat, so they treat these cakes like treasures."
When Qin Jiuye first heard the words "poor families," her heart felt a bit heavy. But when she looked up and saw the crumbs of cake Jiang Xin’er hadn't wiped from the corner of her mouth, that unpleasant feeling quickly dissipated.
This Miss Jiang, who was disdainful with her words but honest with her appetite, didn't actually have bad intentions; she was just a bit rough around the edges.
Qin Jiuye looked around and pointed randomly at the moving figures nearby.
"Don't you know, Miss Jiang? There isn't a single child raised in Jiugao City who doesn't crave these crispy biscuits and sugar cakes. Just catching a whiff of the scent or hearing someone mention them makes them pester their parents to buy some. Back then, my grandfather would only buy me half a piece when I was sick. I couldn't even bear to eat that half all at once; I’d break it into tiny pieces to make it last two or three days."
After she said this, the atmosphere at the table suddenly grew quiet again. But unlike the previous time, this silence was truly just silence.
Jiang Xin’er and Li Qiao looked up almost simultaneously toward a figure lingering in front of the grass shed. It was a couple who worked on the boats, carrying two children on their backs to buy biscuits. The mother, walking at the rear, seemed to hear her child crying incessantly. Eventually, her heart softened, and she pulled out a few warm copper coins to buy an extra sugar cake.
The proprietress guarding the steamers took the coins, cut the most perfectly square piece, and handed it to the mother. The mother turned and handed the cake to the child on her back. The child clutched the steaming cake and instantly stopped crying.
Jiang Xin’er and Li Qiao stared fixedly at that scene, then withdrew their gazes almost at the same time.
"I didn't have a grandfather, nor did I have parents. I didn't eat sugar cakes when I was little, so what?!" Jiang Xin’er stood up abruptly, grabbing her long blade from beside the table. "I’m done eating. I’m leaving."
She turned and walked away quickly, acting as if she were the one who had treated them to cakes today—having paid the silver, there was no need to linger, and the others could do as they pleased.
Qin Jiuye watched the vigorous figure depart, clicking her tongue after a while. She carefully placed the counted cake and wine money on the table.
"Are all you martial arts people like this—wiping your mouths and running? Even if I gave a child a piece of cake, he’d at least give me a smile."
Qin Jiuye finished her self-deprecating remark but received no response for a long time. Looking up, she saw the boy still sitting there, head bowed, seemingly staring at the empty wine bowl before him, or perhaps looking through the bowl into nothingness.
"If I told Sister that I am like Jiang Xin’er—not the kind of child who would be happy because of a sugar cake, and never will be—would Sister think I am a strange person?"
Qin Jiuye’s finger pressing on the copper coins paused. After a long moment, she slowly withdrew it. Picking at a splinter of wood on the corner of the table, she spoke leisurely.
"No." She paused, then continued, "If I hadn't had my grandfather, I might have been the same. But so what? One still has to live. If no one buys them for me, I’ll earn the silver to buy them myself. There are many ways to live a life, but no matter how you live, it’s never wrong to be a little better to yourself."
*Be a little better to yourself?*
But how does one do that? He only knew how to survive; he didn't understand what it meant to "be better to someone," much less the joy of a single sugar cake.
Li Qiao withdrew his gaze. He raised his uninjured left hand and gently pushed Qin Jiuye’s hand, which was still touching the copper coins, back toward her.
"I already paid for the cakes and wine earlier. Sister, put these away."
"Paid? When did you pay?" Qin Jiuye was stunned. She turned to look at the proprietress busy nearby, her voice dropping lower. "Did you calculate the bill carefully? I only ordered half a bowl for that last round of wine..."
The woman whispered her questions, and the boy responded to each one with steady, appropriate answers. Only then did she relax, emphasizing repeatedly that she would record this amount as part of his wages and wouldn't let him lose out. Finally, she took out half a sheet of oil paper from her person, wrapped the remaining half-piece of sugar cake on the table, and stuffed it into his hand. Lamenting the appetite of that Heroine Jiang, she left the stall. The boy followed silently behind her, their figures appearing exceptionally harmonious in the night.
The proprietress busy by the earthen stove caught a glimpse of this scene and whispered a few envious words to her husband.
They said big things were happening on the lake these days. Coming out here to do business meant earning the money of martial arts people, which was always a source of extra worry for honest folk. But seeing them today, it wasn't all bad. She reckoned that in this world, only martial arts people would be so generous over a few pieces of sugar cake and a few bowls of plum wine.
The proprietress thought happily to herself, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the slightly hard gold bean in her sleeve. Her fatigue vanished instantly, and she felt a new surge of energy for her work.
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
落砂门 | Luosha Sect | A martial arts sect, likely antagonistic.
枳丹 | Zhi Pills | Medicinal pills personally refined by Qin Jiuye.
果然居 | Guoran Residence | Qin Jiuye’s place of business/home.
璃心湖 | Lixin Lake | The setting of the current events.
铭德大道 | Mingde Avenue | A main road near the lake.
九皋城 | Jiugao City | The local city.
糖糕 | Sugar cakes | A traditional steamed rice cake.
金豆子 | Gold bean | A small piece of gold used as high-value currency.
