Qin Jiuye waited until Tang Shenyan had closed the doors and seen off the last of the tea drinkers before finding an opportunity to slip into Listening Wind Hall through the small western side door, bringing Li Qiao with her.
It wasn't that she didn't want to use the main entrance; she simply didn't want to run head-first into Tang Shenyan.
Listening Wind Hall was open to the elements on all four sides. It had once been a derelict little shrine. Nowadays, few in Xiangliang still worshipped the old gods. The statue enshrined within had lost its head, and half of its arm had long since vanished. Only the lower half remained relatively intact, sitting cross-legged in the main hall, a serpent’s tail faintly visible beneath the folds of its stone robes.
Longshu was a city of water, and its people made their living from the great rivers and marshes. Naturally, the animal they detested most was the snake. Consequently, even though the shrine possessed a stone foundation as solid as the Prefect’s yamen, no one was willing to take over its upkeep. Even the local government refused to spend a single copper on it. Over time, it became a "no-man's-land," a landmark for those of the *jianghu* to use as a meeting point or a place to rest.
Old Tang had taken a liking to this very aspect, wagering his entire fortune to lease the grounds and open his tea house.
The stone shrine had halls on all four sides, which suited his ambition to gather information from every direction. In the center was a courtyard with a detached lightwell—a feature known in feng shui as "Receiving Heaven’s Dew," said to grant a glimpse into the secrets of fate. As for the statue, Old Tang figured that people of the *jianghu* carried enough killing intent to suppress half a broken stone block. In short, it was all a collection of mystical justifications.
However, for all his calculations, Old Tang had failed to account for his financial luck.
Listening Wind Hall had been open for six or seven years, barely scraping by. He hadn't even earned enough to replace a single roof tile. Tang Shenyan, the Hall Master, had grown bitter and resentful from the struggle, transforming from a scholar who ignored the price of rice and oil into a miser who lived and breathed for money.
Qin Jiuye was just as poor as Tang Shenyan, so no one understood his mindset better than she did.
There is fellowship among the poor, but such fellowship often buckles under the weight of reality. She had already taken advantage of Tang Shenyan before and had foisted Jinbao onto him for two days; this was nothing short of a torture test for their friendship.
"Sister, I'm hungry."
Turning to look at the person huddled in the corner with her, Qin Jiuye said heartlessly, "Endure it. We’ll go find Jinbao once it’s completely dark."
Li Qiao said nothing, but his stomach let out a loud growl.
The aroma of rice and chili oil mingled with hot steam, wafting out from a small window above their heads and insistently invading their nostrils.
They were currently crouched, by some stroke of ill luck, right behind the small kitchen of Listening Wind Hall. It was dinner time—true torture for two people who hadn't eaten since morning.
Qin Jiuye cursed Tang Shenyan for eating such rich food while living alone, while simultaneously wondering if Listening Wind Hall was actually raking in gold and was far more prosperous than it appeared.
Just as she was thinking this, the small window above was pushed open with a *thwack*, and Tang Shenyan poked half his head out.
"The night is clear, the moon is bright—a perfect time for scenery! Alas, there are always petty thieves lurking about, refusing to show themselves even when smoked out. I have no choice but to prepare a pot of boiling oil to perform an exorcism. If any innocents are harmed, I ask for your understanding!"
As his words fell, the sound of crackling, boiling oil rose from the window. In the next instant, two dark shadows bolted from beneath the sill, standing in the courtyard, still shaken.
"You malicious, wasteful hypocrite! Do you know the market price of vegetable oil? You’d actually burn it for an exorcism?!"
No sooner had Qin Jiuye finished her angry retort than she saw the "culprit" standing at the window holding a small bowl, looking at her with a fake smile. The sound she had heard was merely the sound of beans falling into the bowl.
"Ah, Shopkeeper Qin. I wonder how many pots of tea you plan to drink today, how many dates you intend to steal, and how much silver you mean to swindle from me?"
Seeing the crisis had passed, Qin Jiuye relaxed and hurriedly pulled the youth behind her into a bow.
"Brother Tang, you joke. It’s just that my Guoran Residence has a new member, and I thought I’d bring him to Listening Wind Hall first to broaden his horizons..."
The bowl of beans clattered onto the stove. Tang Shenyan stood with one hand on his hip, the other pointing angrily at the two in the courtyard.
"I figured I wouldn't settle scores over the information fees you cheated me out of, but your gluttonous worker has been sponging off me for two days. You should at least pay for his room and board, shouldn't you? Not only do you fail to mention that, but you bring another one? Is your Guoran Residence a pharmacy or a refugee camp? You’ve come to me to beg for food!"
Tang Shenyan was a bit stiff and scholarly, but he had spent years as a professional storyteller. If any other pharmacy owner heard this, they would likely be flushed with shame.
But the person he was facing was Qin Jiuye.
The shopkeeper of Guoran Residence used shamelessness as her armor; the skin on her face was thicker than anything else. If Li Qiao had tried to bite her face that night, he probably would have broken his teeth.
Facing Tang Shenyan’s insults, she merely picked at her ear. She brazenly gathered the few beans that had scattered near the window and rubbed her hands together, suggesting, "With our friendship, talking about money is so dull. How about this: next time I go into the mountains, I’ll pick some wild tea for you? You can mix it in with the good stuff; those boors won't be able to tell the difference..."
"Do you think I’m as black-hearted as you?! If a regular customer tasted it, how could my Listening Wind Hall keep its reputation? Besides, look at the season! The few wild tea plants in Mount Xizhu are so old even a donkey wouldn't chew them. You have the nerve to try and brush me off with that?!"
There were only a few wild tea trees on Mount Xizhu, and over the years, Guoran Residence and Listening Wind Hall had taken turns stripping them bare. They were looking increasingly bald.
It was just two iron roosters pecking at each other, yet Tang Shenyan had somehow developed a sense of superiority.
Qin Jiuye suppressed her anger, chanting the mantra of patience in her mind. One plan failed, another arose.
"Then how about this? My worker has been with me for years. He’s quite efficient and very honest. I’ll lend him to you for three days of labor. I guarantee he’ll work without complaint—one man doing the work of three."
As the saying goes, for every foot the priest climbs, the devil climbs ten. Tang Shenyan considered his "Miser’s Art" to be well-practiced, yet he was nearly driven to spit blood by this thin woman.
"He’s already stayed here for two days, and you want him to stay for three more?!"
Qin Jiuye grew bolder, refusing to let him off easily. She acted magnanimously. "Don't be angry; anger harms the body! Fine, if not him, then I, the shopkeeper, will work for you personally! I’ll give you three days of labor, and you stop your nagging."
Tang Shenyan was utterly defeated. He feared that if he didn't agree, she would write a multi-volume book on "Shamelessness" right there in his courtyard.
"Three days! Just three days! One day more and I’ll report you to the authorities for trespassing, refusing to leave, attempting to sponge off me, and threatening my life!"
Three days wasn't long, but it was enough. She needed to straighten out this mess and get back to Guoran Residence. Everything in the city was expensive; she didn't want to linger.
Qin Jiuye warmly pressed the beans back into his hand and patted it earnestly.
"Deal!"
****** ****** ******
As the sun dipped toward the west, the last ox-cart wobbled into the entrance of Liulidun.
This was the famous "Treasure Pit" of the southern city, a playground for the children of the poor.
Out of ten children from the southern districts, seven or eight knew of the great pit at Liulidun. If they had free time, they would run for an hour just to crouch and wait here. This was where the wealthy families of the city dumped their refuse. What the rich considered trash was treasure to the people of Liulidun.
Besides the older children, beggars and vagrants often gathered here. When the carts dropped their tattered bags, they would swarm forward like wild dogs scenting leftovers, tearing the bags open to see what they could find.
Sometimes it was old clothes, sometimes broken pots and spoons, sometimes insect-ridden grain. These things wouldn't fetch much at a second-hand market, so it was easier to dump them here. Some wealthy families even viewed this as an act of charity, visiting several times a month. Over time, the people of Liulidun learned to recognize the carriages of the rich; whenever a vehicle passed the street corner, they would all crane their necks to watch.
But today, everyone waiting at Liulidun was huddled in the corners. Even as the soot-stained hemp sacks piled up like a mountain, no one dared to step forward.
This was because a woman with a long blade in hand stood in the center of the pit. Whenever a sack was tossed down, she would swing her blade in mid-air, and the sack would land like a burst bun, its contents spilling everywhere.
The last sack was thrown from the ox-cart. The burly man unloading the goods clapped his hands and looked up, freezing when he saw the other person at the bottom of the pit.
It was a young master dressed in fine silks, his entire outfit extremely refined. The laborer was a simple man; though he didn't recognize the quality of the fabric, he could tell by the vibrant colors that this person belonged to a different world entirely.
What was such a person doing here? Was some young lord drunk and throwing a tantrum? Or had the government taken an interest in this land and sent someone to inspect it?
The laborer was stunned, and the people watching from the corners shared his gaze.
The subject of their attention seemed completely oblivious to the stares. He held up his hem, rolled up his sleeves, and wove through the filthy sacks, rummaging through them.
In the vast refuse pit, something smooth caught the light. A filthy older child, nose running, stepped out from a corner and headed straight for the bottom of the pit.
His eyes were focused; he couldn't hear his older brother’s anxious shouts behind him. His short legs moved quickly until he reached the spot, bent over, and picked up the reflective object.
It was half of a celadon bottle. The porcelain was delicate, but the body was shattered, leaving only half the base.
Before he could look closer, his hand was empty. The object had been taken by the silk-clad young master.
Children hate having their treasures stolen. His mouth puckered, his eyes reddened, and he began to wail at the top of his lungs.
"Bad man! Bully! Stealing my things..."
His brother, not much older than him, rushed over and pulled him behind his back. His gaze was wary yet fierce. Though his voice trembled, he shrieked at the wealthy man.
"You came in a carriage, yet you still steal from us? You won't even let a child be! Aren't you afraid of ghosts coming for you at night?!"
The young master straightened his back, a look of bewilderment on his face. Before he could say a word, a red figure suddenly stood before him.
Though the woman in red held a long blade and looked terrifying, she merely stood between them, never raising her hand.
The two sides stood in a standoff. After a moment, a hand holding a glass bead reached out from behind her, extending directly toward the child.
The child sniffed, unable to look away from the sparkling glass bead.
"Is this... for me?"
The young master poked half his head out and lowered his voice. "I’ll trade this for that. Do you want to trade? I’ll count to three. Three... two..."
The child looked at the translucent, purple-red bead, then at the dirty broken bottle in the man’s hand. After a long pause, he nodded with feigned reluctance.
"Fine, I'll trade!"
The trade was completed quickly. By the time Jiang Xin'er reacted, the child had been led away by his brother.
Only the two of them remained in the refuse pit. Xu Qiuchi held the soot-stained porcelain fragment and narrowed his eyes.
"Hard work pays off. Look, haven't we found something interesting?"
Jiang Xin'er leaned in to look and froze. "How could this be here? Does it mean the people from the Villa were involved in the Treasure Mirage Pavilion incident?"
"Not necessarily." Xu Qiuchi blew gently, clearing the soot from the porcelain to reveal small characters on the base. "According to your rules, how could a bottle be discarded after the medicine is taken? The bottle must be kept to exchange for the next month's dose. Unless the situation was incredibly dire, no one would throw it away. However... there is another possibility."
Jiang Xin'er noticed the characters on the base and finished his thought. "This person was once part of the Villa, but no longer is."
"Correct. As for this bottle, it likely wasn't theirs to begin with. They probably snatched it from someone else to use for 'crossing the tribulation' during a crisis." Having said this, the man pulled out a handkerchief to wrap the fragment. "To have broken out of the cage back then and be willing to risk their life now... this person has some skill."
Jiang Xin'er watched him, falling into silence.
If the so-called cage could be easily escaped, why would anyone sell their life to be driven by a devil? The price of freedom was often heavy. As far as she knew, almost no one who fled the Villa lived past three months. They either died a violent death or succumbed to the withdrawal of the Clear Breeze Powder...
Others might not understand what "risking one's life" meant, but she knew all too well.
If only one path to survival remained, even the most treacherous road was worth a try.
Jiang Xin'er looked up at Xu Qiuchi. "So, the item in that chest is now in this person's hands?"
Xu Qiuchi gazed at the sinking sun in the west, his thoughts unreadable. "Perhaps. The path through Qingping Road is completely severed now. We must keep a close eye on the other routes."
Jiang Xin'er hesitated but spoke her mind. "Anyone who would go to such lengths and take such risks to seize that item must be driven to a dead end. As long as he is still in Jiugao City, he will surely stir up more trouble. Regarding the Su Residence..."
Before she could finish, the rapid sound of hoofbeats approached, stopping at the edge of the pit.
"Second Young Master!"
The servant who arrived on horseback practically tumbled off his mount. He rushed to Xu Qiuchi, not bothering to catch his breath before leaning in to report in a low voice.
The young master’s face darkened for a moment, as if the clear moonlight had suddenly been obscured. After a moment, he returned to normal and waved the servant away.
"Go back and tell Aunt Huaiyu that I will be there shortly."
The servant sighed in relief, nodded, bowed, and rode away.
Jiang Xin'er looked at the silent figure standing amidst the ruins and suddenly regretted her words. "Did the General again..."
Xu Qiuchi finally moved. When he turned around, he had returned to his usual self.
"Looking at the sky just now, I felt the night was coming early. It seems the time has indeed come. Let us return to the mansion."
As he spoke, he picked up his hem and walked unsteadily through the trash.
Under the setting sun, the jade crown on his head looked slightly off. One of the glass beads originally set on either side was missing, leaving a conspicuous gap.
Jiang Xin'er followed behind him. After a few glances, she couldn't help but speak. "If you felt pity, Young Master, you could have just given them silver. That jade crown is a precious item you love. If Manager Liu asks later..."
Not far ahead, Xu Qiuchi had scrambled out of the pit and was patting his sleeves by the carriage.
"Don't worry. If she asks, I certainly won't say it was because of your poor protection."
Jiang Xin'er was stunned, her voice tightening. "Xin'er didn't mean that..."
"I was just joking, don't take it seriously." The man was indeed teasing, but his expression turned lonely afterward. "I didn't do it out of pity. I just envied him. He has kin willing to stand in front of him; I do not. Heaven is fair, in a way. A colored glass bead and a broken bottle with no bottom are essentially the same."
Jiang Xin'er didn't fully understand the depth of his words. But after years together, she could always sense when his mood was low.
She stood still for a moment, then suddenly said, "Young Master still has Xin'er. No matter when, I am willing to stand before you."
The man by the carriage paused. He smiled at her, said nothing more, and climbed inside.
Jiang Xin'er pursed her lips and was about to follow when he poked his head out from behind the curtain to remind her.
"Shake the dust off yourself before you get in."
Jiang Xin'er’s hand tightened on her scabbard, a flash of helplessness on her face.
Over the years, she had accompanied him to many filthy places. Unlike other noble sons, he had never complained or criticized her over such small matters. Over time, she had forgotten these rules. Hearing him mention it now, she felt a strange pang of hurt.
Collecting herself, she apologized before the carriage. "It was Xin'er’s oversight. I nearly soiled your carriage, Young Master."
"Who said I was afraid of you soiling the carriage?" Xu Qiuchi looked at her in surprise, then chuckled softly. "I remember when you first arrived, you once got so angry you chased me. You thought I’d fallen into that mud pit by the East Gate and jumped in without a second thought. You wouldn't come out when called. After Manager Liu fished you out, didn't you squeeze into the carriage with me to go back? When have I ever looked down on you?"
It would have been better if he hadn't mentioned it. The memory made Jiang Xin'er unable to lift her head. She stammered, "The situation was urgent then; I didn't think much."
Seeing her embarrassment, Xu Qiuchi finally turned serious and explained softly, "Qiu Ling suffered a setback with Fan Tong today. He will surely be on high alert these next few days. We must not give him anything to nitpick, and more importantly, we must not draw his attention. Do you understand?"
Jiang Xin'er finally recovered, nodding after a moment of thought. "The Protector’s mind should be entirely on the case. Since he is troubled, he shouldn't notice us for the time being."
Xu Qiuchi sighed. "You don't know my brother well. He’s the type who grows stronger with every setback, a 'good dog' who can dig three feet deep if he catches the slightest scent. The Pingnan General’s Mansion sent him to Jiugao because they likely sensed something. Though we call each other brothers, he won't tell me the whole truth."
Everyone said the Qiu family of Jiugao was a line of loyal martyrs with great military merit, but few knew of the internal strife behind those doors. Everyone knew the eldest young master of the Qiu family had endured humiliation to return in glory, but few knew there was a second young master who existed only in the mocking rumors of the streets, someone few truly cared about.
The curtain fell, and silence returned to the carriage.
After a long while, that lazy voice spoke again.
"What are you lingering for? I'm hungry. I wonder what Aunt Huaiyu is cooking today."
Jiang Xin'er quickly composed herself and leaped onto the carriage. With a flick of the reins, the two large grey horses began to move.
"I heard we are having fish."
As the carriage wobbled away from Liulidun, the man’s sigh, tinged with both sorrow and resentment, could faintly be heard.
"Yes, it is indeed time to eat fish. If we don't, the pond in the courtyard will be overflowing..."
***
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