Not far north along the Huan River, beside the Gantang Stone Bridge, three of the Su family’s cargo ships lay moored side-by-side at Lotus Wharf. The crew had been escorted off one by one, and the cargo was being carefully unloaded and re-cataloged under the supervision of Lin Fang, the Chief of Waterways.
From the south of the city to the north, from ship to shore, the registration of the three vessels was finally complete. Taking advantage of a brief lull, Lin Fang lifted the hem of his official robes and hurried to the side of the young man standing at the bridge’s head, cupping his hands in a respectful salute.
"Greetings, Second Young Master. There were outsiders present just now, making it inconvenient to pay my respects. I hope you can overlook it."
Xu Qiuchi lightly brushed the dust from his sleeves and returned the gesture with a smile. "Lord Lin, there is no need for such formality. Thank you for your help today. I shall treat you to wine another day."
"Think nothing of it, Second Young Master. It was merely a routine inquiry. Since it was all a misunderstanding, how could I possibly detain your people for no reason?" Lin Fang offered a squinting smile, revealing a hint of a fox-like nature. "As for the wine... please be sure to pick a fine establishment when the time comes, so our spirits aren't dampened by unwanted company."
Xu Qiuchi’s eyes flickered, his peripheral vision sweeping over the bustling streets flanking the wharf. When he spoke again, his voice was lower.
"Rest easy, Lord Lin. I am but a man of leisure in this city, with no urgent matters to attend to. We shall see if the 'guest' intends to share a cup with us. As for the rest... we need only watch and wait."
He exchanged a knowing look with Lin Fang, and neither said another word.
Before long, Jiang Xin’er arrived with the carriage. Xu Qiuchi fanned himself with his waist fan and walked down from the bridge. Seeing this, Lin Fang followed closely, his legs moving briskly beneath his robes as he escorted the young man all the way to the carriage.
On the wharf, the various clerks and runners under the Chief of Waterways finished their work while stealing glances at their master’s eager, retreating back. They couldn't help but shake their heads and sigh.
This Lord Lin was young and a capable administrator, but his mind was perhaps a bit too flexible, and he was far too fond of the bottle. He was meant to pilot a ship in the great river; one could only hope he wouldn't be led into a ditch by that Qiu family playboy.
The high sun was gradually obscured by gathering clouds, yet the heat rising from the dust of Lotus Wharf continued to simmer beneath everyone's feet.
Amidst the passing horses and carts, an inconspicuous, small-statured man led a horse out from a hidden spot. He watched the carriage speed away in the distance before turning back toward the wharf.
Inside the carriage, Xu Qiuchi hooked a finger on the curtain, watching the window until the vehicle turned a corner and the wharf vanished from sight. Only then did he let the curtain fall.
"Drive a bit slower. After a night of this, my bones feel like they’re going to shatter." He paused, and as if sensing Jiang Xin’er’s thoughts, added, "General Gao did not follow us."
Outside, Jiang Xin’er remained silent for a moment. Only after confirming several times that Gao Quan had indeed not followed did she slacken the pace.
"It seems the Protector has grown suspicious of you. It’s fortunate we ran into Lord Lin today."
"Indeed. It’s lucky Lin Fang was the one who came. Had it been one of those old fogies, we would have been stuck there until dark."
Hearing this, Jiang Xin’er spoke with a hint of displeasure. "If that quack doctor hadn't interfered and alerted the enemy, you would have succeeded today, Young Master. We wouldn't be in such a pathetic state."
Xu Qiuchi let out a soft, disagreeing chuckle. He pressed his fan against his forehead, the exhaustion between his brows difficult to hide.
"You should be thanking her instead. If she hadn't caused that scene, we would have been truly played for fools, coming away with nothing in the end."
"You mean... that Xin Yu arranged it on purpose to escape in the chaos?" Jiang Xin’er was stunned for a moment, then continued indignantly, "You shouldn't have believed her words that day and let her go. No one from that Mountain Villa can be trusted. They are all used to underhanded tricks and will do anything to survive..."
Xu Qiuchi curled his lips into a smirk. Through the swaying carriage curtain, he looked toward the woman who was speaking such harsh words with a tone of loathing.
"How can one know the result without trying? Besides, there is dross everywhere, just as there is gold that shines everywhere. You, of all people, should understand this best, Xin’er."
Jiang Xin’er’s voice faltered. When she spoke again, she was much calmer.
"What do we do now? We can't just let her go. The Protector will eventually come looking for her. If he gets to her first, you’ll have a hard time explaining yourself."
"There is no need to worry about my brother. It will take some time to wrap up the Su family’s affairs; he may not be able to pull himself away." Xu Qiuchi’s phoenix eyes closed slightly, his voice deep. "It is true the Su family wanted to smuggle the Old Madam out of the city, but that shipment of goods might not have been a mere decoy. If that’s the case, Xin Yu won't go far. Whether she is driven by the person behind the scenes or her own selfish motives, she will surely reappear once the heat dies down to reclaim those goods. We only need to guard the waterways within a hundred-mile radius and wait for her to lead the way."
Jiang Xin’er gave a low grunt of affirmation. "I will speak to Manager Liu shortly and have her contact the officials at the Bureau of Waterways. The gifts you sent them previously cannot go to waste."
Xu Qiuchi seemed to remember something and suddenly opened his eyes. "No rush. I just recalled something."
The moving carriage came to an abrupt halt.
After a long while, the woman in red jumped down from the carriage with a dark expression and returned to the wharf alone.
About the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, she returned, hauling a cowering figure. Upon reaching the carriage, she shoved the person into the cabin without a word, seemingly afraid that staying a moment longer would bring her public shame.
A muffled cry of surprise was stifled within the cabin as the carriage slowly moved forward again.
After a long time, the person shoved into the carriage finally looked up tremulously. With tattered clothes, disheveled hair, and a dazed expression, it was none other than Old Dog Du.
Old Dog Du’s gaze focused on Xu Qiuchi. He froze for a second, then lowered his head, finding a corner of the carriage to bury himself in, pressing against the incense-scented silk cushions.
Xu Qiuchi’s gaze fell upon him without reservation, scanning him from head to toe and back again.
Old Dog Du scratched his hair and finally couldn't help but speak. "Do you have no manners? Staring at someone like this is incredibly rude."
This Old Dog Du had been hiding on the Su family’s cargo ship, refusing to come out. If Xu Qiuchi hadn't remembered him halfway and sent someone to fish him out, the man would have likely been caught as a thief and spent a few days as a guest in Lord Fan’s dungeon. An ordinary person in such a situation would be overflowing with gratitude, yet this mess of a wandering swindler’s first reaction was to scold him for being rude.
Xu Qiuchi smiled but said nothing, still observing the man with that unignorable gaze.
His eyes lingered on Old Dog Du’s matted hair. Sensing something, the latter raised a hand to mess his hair up even further, burying his head deep and muttering to himself for a long time.
"Don't think that just because you saved my life, you can do whatever you want to me. I've seen plenty of people like you. I won't fall for it, I won't fall for it..."
Xu Qiuchi listened quietly for a while before finally speaking. "Jiu-gao City is surrounded by water, yet why do you look as if you’ve come from the northern deserts, Master Du? That hair looks like it hasn't been tended to in three or five years."
Old Dog Du shot him a glance and continued to shrink into his corner. "A wandering hermit is always thus. You wouldn't understand. Don't talk nonsense."
Xu Qiuchi’s gaze shifted to the man’s waist.
On Old Dog Du’s worn and faded belt hung a filthy wine gourd on one side, while a small ring-pommel knife, less than a foot long, was tucked tightly into the other. The blade was bronze and showed signs of rust; it looked like a dagger but was unsharpened. Aside from the ring pommel, it had no ornamentation, looking utterly plain. The tip of the blade was charred black—another piece of scrap metal.
"What is that tucked into your waist, Master Du? It looks dark and quite strange."
Old Dog Du turned his body away, seemingly unwilling to be questioned. He replied in a perfunctory tone, "Just a tool for walking the world, cutting melons, and starting fires. It can't compare to the treasures you have, Second Young Master."
Xu Qiuchi arched an eyebrow.
He didn't have much experience starting fires, but he had seen Jiang Xin’er do it. Was a knife of that length not a bit short for tending a fire?
However, he did not press further. Instead, he opened his waist fan and began to examine the silk surface. The thin silk showed the marks of time, yet the withered lotuses embroidered with fine thread were rendered with clean, masterful lines—clearly the work of a renowned artist.
"I hear you can tell fortunes? Why don't you read mine?"
Old Dog Du finally looked up. He unhooked the wine gourd from his waist and instinctively tried to pour it into his mouth, but when not a single drop came out, he tossed the gourd aside. He stared fixedly at the silk-clad young master reclining on the cushions, but his gaze lingered for only a moment before shifting away.
"The summer is long and the autumn is late; the heat is hard to dispel, yet the harsh winter approaches. Prosperity turns to decline; the great tide cannot be defied."
The young master ensconced in silk and embroidery froze for a split second upon hearing these words. But he soon burst into laughter, saying as he laughed, "Has no one told you that fortune-telling should be a mix of good and bad? You only pick the bad things to say; no wonder you can't establish a reputation."
"You, sir, have a bad fate and bad luck. There is nothing to calculate."
Xu Qiuchi stopped laughing, though a trace of interest remained in his voice. "If my fate is bad, then what of yours?"
"Is wealth and power 'good'? Is poverty and commonality 'bad'? If the matters of this world were measured only by such standards, then the accountants at the banks would be masters of fate. Everyone’s book of life could be settled in half a page; why bother with so much struggle and worry? Besides, you needn't feel indignant, for my fate is also bad." Old Dog Du’s voice dropped. His eyes lost focus, as if looking through the thick carriage walls toward some unknown distance. "However, if we calculate the Great Cycle, I am nearing my liberation. But the road you must walk is still long... if things go poorly, you may end up dying alone..."
He muttered on, completely unaware that the woman in red outside the carriage looked ready to spit sparks. In the next instant, he felt a chill at his neck as a long blade pierced through the curtain, resting against his throat.
"Take it back!" Jiang Xin’er’s voice squeezed out from deep in her throat, carrying an irrepressible murderous intent. "I told you to take those words back!"
Old Dog Du simply stood there dazed for a long time, not moving an inch. It was unclear if he had been frightened witless by the sudden turn of events.
Xu Qiuchi deliberately paused for a moment before speaking leisurely. "Xin’er, why be angry? Fortune-telling is a matter of belief; if you don't believe it, it doesn't exist. I only asked in passing. Don't take it to heart."
Jiang Xin’er was still fuming. She gave the reins a violent shake and only after a long while did she reluctantly sheathe her blade.
The carriage continued its rhythmic swaying. The interior fell silent, save for the wandering swindler’s intermittent self-muttering—low voices and broken phrases that made no sense to anyone.
About another incense stick’s time later, the carriage finally slowed to a stop. Jiang Xin’er said in a low voice, "Young Master, we have arrived."
Xu Qiuchi closed his fan and turned to Old Dog Du. "Master Du gave me a few words of advice today. I have nothing to repay you with, so how about I treat you to a meal?"
He spoke airily, causing both Old Dog Du and Jiang Xin’er to widen their eyes in unison.
The curtain was lifted, and the bustling sounds of the street, mixed with the aroma of wine and meat, wafted in. Old Dog Du swallowed hard. His toes poked out from the holes in his shoes and gripped the soles tight. When he spoke again, his voice carried a strange, unearned pride.
"A gracious invitation... it would be rude to decline..."
Unable to bear that face—which looked like it had gotten a bargain yet still acted aggrieved—Jiang Xin’er leaped off the carriage in a fit of pique.
On Sunshi Street, the manager of the Taizhu Restaurant saw the Qiu family’s carriage and had already come out personally to greet them.
"Second Young Master, why didn't you send word ahead of your arrival today? I would have certainly reserved the best seats for you."
Behind the manager stood three elegant young noblemen in fine silk and jade caps. They looked young and appeared to be regulars of the establishment.
One of them, sporting a thin mustache and perfectly groomed hair, was the first to speak. "The Second Young Master hasn't shown his face in a while. It seems you finally remembered us today."
The one beside him looked more delicate, but the dark circles under his eyes suggested he was a man who spent his nights in debauchery and pursuit of pleasure.
"In my view, Brother Xu must have some good news to share with us, otherwise he wouldn't have called us out in such a hurry."
The third man merely chuckled. He appeared more disciplined and polite, but the sachet and jade flute hanging from his waist revealed him to be an old hand at the arts of romance and leisure.
Xu Qiuchi stepped slowly from the carriage, looking every bit the leader of this "Dandy Quartet."
"What good news? I was simply bored to death these past few days." He leaned in closer, lowering his voice. "Ever since my elder brother returned, he hasn't let me have a moment's peace. He was tormenting me even this morning. It was only thanks to Lord Lin’s help that I managed to escape!"
Hearing this, the three exchanged glances and laughed with ambiguous meaning.
Everyone knew that the Second Young Master of the Qiu family was a "gilded ornament"—he never missed out on eating, drinking, or playing, but he couldn't handle a single piece of serious business. In earlier years, people befriended him out of respect for the illustrious military merits of Commander Qiu Yan. Now that Qiu Yan had not appeared for a long time, if it weren't for the Qiu family’s eldest son returning to Jiu-gao City with the title of Protector, who would be willing to entertain such an incompetent drinking buddy at noon?
After they finished laughing, the mustachioed nobleman put on a face of mock reproach. He stepped forward, placing a hand on Xu Qiuchi’s shoulder, and said earnestly, "Be that as it may, you are still blood brothers. You should try to improve your relationship with Protector Qiu. Don't let it truly damage your bond..."
Xu Qiuchi seemed uninterested in the advice, waving his hand with feigned impatience. "Why mention him? Come, let me introduce you to a new friend!"
A few paces away, Jiang Xin’er’s face was as stiff as the drumhead in front of the Prefect’s manor, her eyes fixed on the distance.
This wasn't the first time she had seen the meaningful expressions on the faces of these scions of noble families. At first, she hadn't understood them, but now she knew them all too well.
She could hardly imagine their reactions when they saw that filthy, swaying wandering swindler step out of the carriage. She truly couldn't fathom why the Young Master had not only rescued him from the cargo ship but also brought him into the carriage and now to his usual restaurant. She didn't know what outrageous thing Old Dog Du would do next; just thinking about it made her skin crawl. She wished she could draw her blade right then and carve a visible boundary between herself and that man.
Xu Qiuchi, completely oblivious to the expression on Jiang Xin’er’s face, fanned himself as he enthusiastically pulled the nobleman with the jade flute toward the carriage, raising his voice to make an eager introduction.
"Brother Du, this is the newly appointed Metropolitan Secretary, Li Zhan. He hails from the Qingzhongshan Academy, and his family has served as officials for three generations. He is my dear friend from the capital. When I first met Brother Li, we felt like old friends, drinking until late into the night and conversing joyfully. Since our last parting, we haven't seen each other for a long time. Today is a rare opportunity to chat from sunrise to sunset. Not only is he highly accomplished in literature, but his mastery of music is also exceptional. Brother Du, you can join us..."
As he spoke, he suddenly noticed Li Zhan’s expression was off. Turning around, he realized that Old Dog Du had somehow slipped off the carriage and bolted. All that remained was a retreating figure in the distance, pulling up his shoes every three steps and his trousers every five, fleeing in a great hurry.
Li Zhan blinked, then sighed with a smile. "This new friend of yours, Second Young Master, is truly an eccentric."
Xu Qiuchi watched the disheveled figure vanish into the end of the alley, the smile on his lips gradually fading.
"I don't think it's a matter of an eccentric temper. Perhaps he’s just done too many shameful things and is a bit afraid of being seen."
The other three chimed in with agreement. Xu Qiuchi whispered a few more words, and the four of them laughed as they headed deep into the restaurant.
The manager happily sent a few clever servants to follow them. Then, remembering something, he turned to the woman in red still standing by the street.
"The usual for you, Miss Jiang? It just so happens that Lord Li’s attendant is also here today. I’ve had Dequan reserve a small room with a window for you. I’ll send a pot of tea up in a moment..."
Jiang Xin’er looked up and, sure enough, saw a young man standing in the shadows beneath the eaves.
He stood with his arms crossed over a sword. Sensing her gaze, he looked over as well. It was a hollow and numb gaze, devoid of any emotion, making his eyes look like two black dots painted onto a paper man’s face by a craftsman.
An unprecedented sense of repulsion and resistance spread through her heart. Jiang Xin’er looked at the restaurant’s facade, adorned with lanterns and carved dragons, and suddenly backed away.
"No need. I won't be waiting here today."
With that, she turned and walked away without hesitation, leaving the manager and the waiting servant to stare at each other in confusion.
***
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