Chapter Text
When Xingshi finally awoke, the midday sun was shining brightly. He sprang to his feet and glanced at the bed, only to find that Miao Shui was gone. Not bothering to dress, he rushed barefoot out of the room. As he dashed into the main area of the inn, he attracted the attention of all the hunters gathered for lunch. Who was this strange man wearing nothing but pants? Had he been bitten by a wild beast and contracted rabies?!
“Have you seen the woman who came in with me?” Xingshi breathlessly asked the innkeeper.
“Calm down, lad. The inn is small—I know every fly on the wall. How could I have missed an injured woman coming out of your room? Check again, and next time, don’t argue with the missus.”
Xingshi ran back to the room, only to be met with a blade against his throat.
“Hah! No wonder you’ve never progressed in rank all these years; you let your guard down completely!” Miao Shui muttered as she quickly locked Xingshi’s acupoints.
Unsteadily, Miao Shui walked over and sat on the bed, struggling to regain her breath. “What do you want from me, and what were your intentions in saving me?” she demanded.
“I saved you to repay a past encounter,” Xingshi stammered. “You may not remember, but you saved my life years ago in the desert.”
“That sounds like a beautiful and compelling story; unfortunately, I’m not the type to visit tea houses,” Miao Shui retorted, visibly shaking from having overexerted herself. She raised her hand to try to regulate her inner energy but collapsed onto the bed.
Xingshi walked over slowly and gently lifted her into a more comfortable position. Miao Shui was stunned that he had managed to unlock her acupoints so effortlessly and invisibly. Perhaps there was more to this eighth brother of the Tianshan Sword Sect than met the eye.
“You may not remember or believe me, but I won’t abandon you this time, Shanmi,” Xingshi said softly, smoothing out the quilt and applying a knockout powder to the incense burner.
At the mention of the long-unspoken name, Shanmi looked up at Xingshi. “Is there really a brother in the Tianshan Sword Sect who is as sincere and ignorant as you? When your brothers find out, they will either cast you out or, even worse, end your life.”
“Who says they have to find out?” Xingshi replied. “I’m taking you to my hometown in the wild mountains. None of them know or care about my past or heritage; they will never find you.”
Shanmi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. This strangely brave yet naive man was as calm and unfathomable as deep water. Should she go be his prisoner, or should she use the last of her strength to poison him? These thoughts swirled and blurred in her mind as she drifted out of consciousness, while the afternoon sun dappled the room in warm light.
***
When Shanmi awoke, she found herself in a carriage heading deep into the forest. Her hands were bound with a rope wrapped in silk, meant to avoid hurting her wrists. As she looked at the fabric, she realized it was the bottom part of his robe—the official robe from the Tianshan Sword Sect. He truly was an eccentric man.
Examining her own clothing more closely, Shanmi noted that the garments had been mended multiple times, with holes covered in roughly embroidered rabbits and flowers. Was he a swordsman or a child? She smirked, feeling strangely amused.
“So, you’ve awakened,” Xingshi called out from the front of the carriage, lifting the curtain. “We’ll arrive at the base of the mountains in three hours, and after that, we’ll need to hike. We’ll stay the night and begin the climb in the morning.”
“Who mended your clothes with flowers and rabbits?” Shanmi coyly asked. “Is it your lover in the Sword Sect?”
Xingshi let the curtain drop and clicked to the horse to go faster.
“My sister taught me,” he replied after about an hour. “Our parents were killed by traps set by members of the martial world seeking wolves for cultivation enhancement. My elder sister and brother raised me alone from the age of three. They died when I was nine. It’s just my way of remembering my purpose and why I joined the world that took mine from me.”
Shanmi felt a twinge of familiarity in his story. “Is there really such a thing as fate?” she wondered.
“I’ve never told anyone this before,” Xingshi laughed, “so I guess you know my darkest secret and can kill me now.”
Shanmi found herself laughing alongside Xingshi, surprised by the sound. It could have been the lingering effects of the knockout incense or perhaps the roughness of the road, but she felt a lightness begin to rise within her that she hadn’t experienced in a long time. Maybe she could hide and rest for a while and decide what to do after all.