At the collapsed entrance of Baoshen Pavilion, Prefect Fan’s subordinates were loitering about listlessly.
They were merely ordinary yamen bailiffs, earning a pittance of a salary and spending their days catering to Prefect Fan’s perpetually sour face. Now, they were expected to level these ruins—which looked more like a burial mound—before nightfall.
The men exchanged glances and, by unspoken agreement, leaned on their shovels and began to daze off.
Adjutant Lu Zican hurried past them, clutching the stack of calling cards. He spared them only a glance before shaking his head inwardly, his impression of the Longshu Prefect stationed here in Jiugao City souring further.
Lax discipline over subordinates, deception toward superiors, and a singular focus on personal comfort—how had such a man remained Prefect for over a decade? It wasn't just a problem with one individual; it was a problem with the region itself. Jiugao City was by no means as impregnable as it appeared. The high walls built with such painstaking effort would, sooner or later, be hollowed out and toppled by the vermin living within them.
The sky darkened further. He quickened his pace, hoping to return the items to the Governor’s Estate before the curfew patrols began. Fortunately, Qiongwei Alley was true to its name—a narrow backstreet with numerous branching paths. If one way was blocked, he could simply take a detour.
Emerging from the mouth of the alley, he let out a sharp whistle. A small white horse adorned with colorful bells trotted over happily. He patted the horse’s head and was about to mount when a young officer hurriedly pulled at his sleeve.
"Adjutant Lu!"
Lu Zican stopped. He fussily repeated the orders the Governor had just given, finally waving the items in his hand.
"Setting the case aside, just investigating these names will be enough work. Why are you dawdling? If the Governor finds out, there will be hell to pay."
The young officer looked troubled, hesitating for a moment before pointing behind him.
"Reporting to Adjutant Lu, this person has been here for a while. I find him suspicious, but I can't get a word out of him. What should I do?"
Lu Zican turned around and saw a young man dressed in flamboyant, multi-colored silks hiding in the shadows of the alley. He held a bone-ribbed waist fan and leaned lazily against a small, embroidered palanquin, looking every bit the profligate dandy.
As Lu looked over, the man looked back.
The stranger seemed to have been waiting for a long time. He straightened up from his silken cushions, but before he could speak, the bearded Adjutant glared at him with a terrifying intensity.
"Who are you? The Governor is conducting official business. Idle personnel, clear out immediately!"
The silk-clad young master didn't seem to take him seriously at all. He merely crooked a finger, beckoning Lu to come closer.
Lu Zican figured this was some young lordling who had drunk too much and hadn't slept it off yet. His disdain grew, and he stepped forward with an imposing air.
However, as the fan-wielding dandy whispered into his ear for a moment, the man who had just been bristling with authority instantly wilted. When he spoke again, his voice was much thinner.
"What exactly does the Second Young Master want? I am acting under orders; military commands are as immovable as mountains. Please, do not make things difficult for me..."
Xu Qiuchi laughed, appearing to be in high spirits.
"It’s nothing. I just wanted to see what exactly your Governor has tasked you with."
Lu Zican grew even more nervous, nearly crushing the stack of papers in his palm.
But the more nervous he became, the more malicious the other man’s intent seemed. The dandy’s gaze shifted, landing precisely on his hand.
"These must be the calling cards from Baoshen Pavilion today? These people of the jianghu are truly interesting. I wonder if Brother Lu would be willing to let me have a look? Just a look; it won't delay your business."
He spoke casually, as if it were the most trivial matter. If Lu refused, he would seem entirely unreasonable, as if he were deliberately picking a fight.
Lu Zican’s beard twitched. His small eyes darted around for a long while before he muttered, "These cards are very disorganized. If the Second Young Master must see them, allow me to organize them first, and then I will send someone to your estate..."
The silk-clad young master waved his fan, seemingly deciding to let him off the hook.
"You see, I only mentioned it, and you took it so seriously. Since it’s such a hassle, then forget it."
Lu Zican breathed a long sigh of relief. He was about to leave in haste when the voice suddenly rang out again.
"Wait."
The stack of papers in his hand suddenly felt lighter. From among the countless cards—some gilded with gold or silver, others painted with flowers or scented with perfume—the other man had accurately plucked a single sheet of yellowish, rough-edged paper.
"I’ll keep this one as a souvenir."
Lu Zican never expected that he, a trained martial artist, would be successfully blindsided by a dandy who spent his days in brothels and taverns. By the time he reacted, it was too late.
He watched the calling card fall into the other man’s hand, his expression looking worse than if he were crying.
"The Governor personally ordered these to be investigated. Not a single one can be missing. If something goes wrong, I won't be able to bear the responsibility!"
Xu Qiuchi moved with lightning speed, folding the paper and tucking it into his sleeve.
"Don't be nervous. If your Governor asks, just tell him the truth. If anything goes wrong, tell him to come and ask me personally."
With that, the silk-clad young master flicked his sleeves and swaggered away.
The young officer who had witnessed the entire exchange stared incredulously at the flamboyant retreating figure. After a long pause, he said blankly, "You... you’re just letting him go?"
Lu Zican was looking down, counting the remaining cards. Confirming that only one had been taken, he said without looking up, "What else? Do you want to go chase him?"
The young officer instinctively shook his head, but his eyes remained full of confusion.
"Adjutant Lu, are you... a bit off today?"
"I'm off? He's the one who's off!" The bearded Adjutant hurriedly mounted his horse, then warned earnestly, "You saw him today. In the future, remember to stay far away when you see him. If we can't afford to provoke him, can't we at least afford to hide?!"
Having said his piece, he looked toward the figure disappearing into the twilight and let out a long sigh. Then, he spurred his horse and galloped off in the opposite direction.
****** ****** ******
The sun had already dropped below the corner tower in the west of the city. In less than half an hour, the city gates would close.
Qin Jiuye stood motionless on the line where light met shadow on Bobo Street, standing until her body was half-submerged in the darkness.
Li Qiao’s figure still hadn't appeared at the entrance of the sugar cake shop. There were only two or three elderly women standing there, chatting idly.
The hurried walk from earlier still left her somewhat breathless. She raised a hand to wipe the sweat from her brow, suddenly realizing what the growing premonition in her heart had been all along.
He was gone.
He had come into the city to handle business in the first place. Once the business was done, he would naturally leave.
No goodbye, no explanation. He had simply told her a location and then walked away in the opposite direction without looking back.
Perhaps it was because he had acted so submissive before, or perhaps because they had spent so much time together at Guoran Residence, but the moment they parted at Baoshen Pavilion, she had somehow forgotten that he was a wanderer of the jianghu—a man whose life hung by a thread and whose comings and goings were not for others to dictate.
In truth, the jianghu martial artists she had saved in the past were all like this. Once their wounds healed, they would vanish beyond the brushwood gate of Guoran Residence in the early morning or at dusk. They never said much to her before leaving.
Perhaps beyond that gate lay the world of vendettas and righteous debts that she didn't understand. They were all in a hurry to keep their own appointments and truly had no leisure to exchange pleasantries with a rustic village doctor who sold medicine.
Perhaps all people of the jianghu were like this.
Just like earlier... even when passing right by her, the man on horseback hadn't recognized her.
People always liked to choose dawn or dusk for partings because those were the times suited for setting out.
But Qin Jiuye felt it was because the light was dim at dawn and dusk. For those who left without a word, nothing was more fitting than vanishing into the morning light or the twilight. The blurred, receding figures in her memory were mostly shrouded in that layer of grey mist; they didn't need much time to wash away before they quickly faded.
She stared unblinkingly at the shop sign with white characters on a black background, her heart feeling hollow.
She attributed this empty feeling to an empty stomach. Thus, she did something unprecedented: she fished out a few copper coins left over from her purchases and walked to the shop counter.
The last steamer of sugar cakes had just finished. The nimble-handed worker lifted the lid, and a sweet fragrance drifted through the air with the steam.
Qin Jiuye licked her lips and handed over the copper coins that were sweaty from being gripped in her palm.
"Boss, give me three taels..."
She didn't have time to put the coins down because, in the next moment, a hand reached over her shoulder and gently pressed down on hers.
"I've already paid. Do you want to pay again?"
The shop worker, busy separating the plump white cakes, looked back and smiled.
"You're back, young man? Your sugar cakes are already wrapped; they're right there."
A familiar, warm breath was behind her. Qin Jiuye slowly turned her head and saw Li Qiao’s light brown eyes looking at her quietly.
The twilight light wrapped his entire body in a silhouette. His features and form seemed to melt into that orange-red glow like a sweet, sugar-glazed persimmon.
Qin Jiuye opened her mouth. "Where did you go?"
He pointed to the wrapped package of sugar cakes.
"It was a bit dull waiting, so I walked around nearby. I almost lost track of time."
"Oh."
She lowered her head, then stepped around him and walked away without a word.
Li Qiao picked up the package of sugar cakes, smiled at the worker, and followed her.
The sky grew darker and darker. Near Xifeng Gate, pedestrians entering and leaving the city were walking briskly.
The gates were about to close; the curfew was about to begin.
Qin Jiuye walked toward the gate step by step. Two or three paces behind her, the youth followed silently with the basket on his back.
Lately, the city had indeed been somewhat unsettled. In the past, the soldiers checking permits at the gate mostly turned a blind eye, and many familiar faces weren't questioned. Now, not only were they checking everyone entering, but they were also conducting a check on those leaving. If they had been any later, they might truly have been stranded in the city.
After waiting in line for a while, they finally reached the gate. Qin Jiuye suddenly remembered something and stopped, snapping her head up.
"Where did you get the money to buy sugar cakes?"
He stood behind her with one hand behind his back, still looking as submissive as before, but the words that came out were a different story.
"It was the change left over from your shopping earlier."
Qin Jiuye felt the blood in her body rush backward; even her fingertips began to tremble.
"You... you dared to use my silver to satisfy your sweet tooth?!"
"I'm not eating them; these are for you. You haven't eaten properly all day." He reached out his right hand and gently gathered her trembling fingertips into his palm. His soft eyes looked at her unblinkingly, appearing both pleading and teasing. "A-jie can deduct it from my wages. Just consider it my treat to you, alright?"
Previously, he had called her "Shopkeeper Qin" at every turn, but now he had switched the address back himself.
He was too good at pleasing people; everything was just right, making it impossible to feel even a hint of awkwardness.
The air around them seemed to freeze for a moment before it began to flow again.
Qin Jiuye felt an inexplicable tremor in her heart. she couldn't say what kind of emotion it was, but she felt she should continue to be angry.
Thus, she still refused to look at him. She quickly took her permit back from the guard, shouldered her medicine basket, and stomped out of the city in a huff.
"How much are your monthly wages anyway? I doubt it's even enough for me to deduct..."
Behind her, Li Qiao lowered the hand that had been holding the sugar cakes. His left hand, which had been hidden behind his back, unconsciously rubbed his fingers together.
If anyone had looked closely at that moment, they would have noticed that the spaces between his fingers were stained a dark red.
It was the color of blood after it had congealed.
From his upturned cuff, half of a blood-stained handkerchief peeked out before being quickly tucked back in.
The gate guards turned their gaze to the next pedestrian leaving the city. The youth had already returned to his usual appearance, following the woman’s thin silhouette into the twilight as they walked out of Xifeng Gate.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 陆子参 | Lu Zican | Adjutant/General under Qiu Ling. |
| 参将 | Adjutant | A military rank, often a high-ranking assistant to a general or governor. |
| 许秋迟 | Xu Qiuchi | The "Second Young Master," a flamboyant dandy. |
| 钵钵街 | Bobo Street | A street in Jiugao City near the gate. |
| 西葑门 | Xifeng Gate | The western gate of Jiugao City. |
| 符引 | Travel permit | An official document or tally required to pass through city gates. |
| 阿姊 | A-jie | "Elder Sister," an affectionate or respectful term for an older female. |
