Chapter Text
Qi Tiezui of the Changsha Jiumen is famed for his emperor's tongue, accurately discerning the flavours in his food.
He's a gourmet, a well-versed foodie, enjoying everything he eats, from the luxurious dishes of the rich, presented in porcelain plates, to the down-to-earth smoked game meat skewers of village peasants, slathered with heavy sauces.
Zhang Qishan, the garrison commander of Changsha, can attest to the truth of this claim; he's personally tested it out after all, having once forced the fortune-teller find out the origin of an oracle bone, hidden deep in a rotting corpse's body, by feeding the bone straight into his mouth.
He vividly remembers Qi Tiezui's expressions at that time - disgust, nausea, shock and betrayal coloured his face green and purple, yet he still managed to accurately identify each ingredient in the preservative wax, leading them to the location where the oracle bone was made.
But that is not all - though Qi Tiezui's emperor's tongue is a talent bestowed by the heavens since he was a child, it cannot be denied that actually, Zhang Qishan himself had a major role behind the development of Qi Ba-ye's tastebuds.
Why not we trace the fortune-teller's journey to becoming a top foodie, indulged by the warlord he serves?
1.
The first time Zhang Qishan had a meal together with Qi Tiezui was a few weeks after their first meeting.
Qi Tiezui was still a fresh, rosy-cheeked young boy of 16, but he already carried himself with the air of an elder - Zhang Qishan learned from the storytellers in the nearby teahouses that it had been only a few months since his father had passed away, leaving him rootless and alone in the world.
Zhang Qishan felt a pang in his heart. He understood the pain of suddenly losing a father, but at such a young age, and with no other family members to accompany him...
One fine, leisurely day - no tombs to be explored, no urgent matters to attend to - as blooming osmanthus flowers spread their fragrances from beyond stone walls around the old city area, Zhang Qishan swaggered over to Qi Tiezui's fortune-telling stall with a bottle of wine, just as Qi Tiezui was packing up his things.
"Oh, Tiezui, are you already going home?" It's rare to see the young master in such a hurry; usually he can still be seen chatting with a customer or the shop owners nearby until the sun begins to set.
"Qishan-ge!" The fortune-teller smiled widely when he saw the guest coming over.
Zhang Qishan is older than him by around 10 years or so, so naturally Qi Tiezui addresses him as 'older brother'.
"Today's Changxinlou launching a new dish, and I've reserved a table for myself. I've been looking forward to this meal for weeks ever since the cook bragged about it when he came here for a divination!" Qi Tiezui's eyes sparkled, his mature facade melting away in an instant at the thought of the delicious and fragrant aroma of authentic Hunanese food awaiting him.
"That sounds like a real treat. What a pity though, I thought I had a chance to chat over some plum wine today." Zhang Qishan, though amused and endeared at his excitement, pouted disappointedly; he's been quite charmed by this glib young master, full of interesting stories and tales from inside and outside Changsha, and had been looking forward for an opportunity to gossip with Qi Tiezui.
To his surprise, Qi Tiezui clapped his hands in delight. "Then why not we go together, Qishan-ge? My treat!" He wiggled his eyebrows, evidently trying to bait Zhang Qishan.
"Oh, no, no, I'd hate to intrude on your private meal." Zhang Qishan wasn't too particular about manners or being polite, but he wasn't so callous to have a child treat him only on their second meeting.
"It's really nothing - I've originally thought to invite Wu Laogou and Xie Jiu, but it seems that man proposes, Heaven disposes. What better way to strengthen our newly forged friendship over some good food!" Qi Tiezui, despite being a young master brought up in a refined, scholarly family, also wasn't a person hung up on social etiquette. What's wrong with eating out with friends, whoever they are?
Zhang Qishan could only smile embarrassedly as the fortune-teller eagerly stared at him.
"Then I'll humbly accept your invitation, and please do take this aged plum wine in return. I'll keep today's meal in mind; I'll treat you to many more delicious food in the future!"
-
Zhang Qishan's eyes widened as he looked at the dishes spread out on the table. To the right, he saw red pepper garnishing; to the left, he saw green pepper slices.
Chilies, chillies, chillies...
He looked at Qi Tiezui with newfound awe, but somewhat trepidly. Zhang Qishan was a true, born-and-bred Northeastern redneck - he has never seen this many peppers used for a single dish in his entire life.
He's not one to believe in gods and ghosts, but Zhang Qishan subconsciously began to pray he could survive the meal this lovely evening - what a shame to die from a spicy bite of fish.
Oblivious to the internal dilemma of the good big brother beside him, Qi Tiezui was chattering happily, praising the food at the restaurant to high heavens, introducing each and every dish with gusto.
"Qishan-ge, you definitely should try this pork belly braised with soy sauce and red peppers! Look at that glistening sauce, oh, how enticing..." Qi Tiezui enjoyed himself immensely, salivating at the rich and spicy flavours.
After a while, however, he noticed Zhang Qishan was silent, and his chopsticks hovered over the bowl of rice in front of him hesitantly. The dishes he picked up were the milder ones, and Zhang Qishan's frowning gaze didn't even fall on the ones which clearly had chilli.
Qi Tiezui put down his own chopsticks, eyes flashing with suspicion.
"Wait. Qishan-ge, you said your name is Zhang Qishan... Are you perhaps from the famous tomb-raiding Zhang family of the Northeast?!"
Zhang Qishan looked up from his bowl, where he had been busy separating chilli peppers from vegetables a few moments earlier. Faint surprise coloured his eyes. "Oh, you know us?"
The younger man stood up in shock and fright, almost overturning the table. "You're a Qilin person!"
"Um, not really, my father got thrown out from the main family, so I'm a Qiongqi person."
They both stared at each other, wide-eyed, not quite knowing what to say.
This awkward stalemate was only broken when Qi Tiezui slapped his forehead in horror. "Qishan-ge, you've come to Changsha but you can't eat spicy food?!"
Truly, a meal really is the best way to know someone better.
2.
A little boy peeked from behind Qi Tiezui's legs, who was standing in the middle of the Qi family courtyard, peering nervously at Zhang Qishan.
"Who's the little guy, Tiezui?" Zhang Qishan asked curiously, not having seen such a tiny midget around the fortune-teller before.
Qi Tiezui ruffled the boy's hair affectionately. "This guy is Xiaoman, the son of my father's steward!"
His smile faltered slightly, before he continued grinning.
"After my father passed, there's not much to do in this little household, so I sent the servants away to manage and take care of my family's land elsewhere. But the steward didn't want to see me living alone, so he sent his youngest son to stay with me. Uncle Zhao said the brat, having been born and grown up in this Changsha city, is spoiled with city life, so he's too bored of living in the boonies and only causes trouble every day."
The little boy didn't seem to mind having his hair ruffled so hard it was starting to resemble a bird's nest, and instead clung to Qi Tiezui's legs a little tighter. "Father said I can't call you Xiaoqi-gege anymore..."
Qi Tiezui smiled, a little bit melancholic. "That's right, Xiaoman, you have to call me Master now. Qi Ba-ye, just like how your father called my father."
The little boy swayed left and right, trying to understand. His confused gaze then fell upon Zhang Qishan, who was quietly sitting at the stone table, waiting for Qi Tiezui.
"Qi... Xiaoqi Ba-ye, who is this?" It seemed Xiaoman was still having trouble calling Qi Tiezui his new title. How can such a young child adapt so fast to no longer having an older brother?
Before Qi Tiezui had a chance to open his mouth, Zhang Qishan immediately perked up and answered chirpily. "I'm your Master's good friend! In fact, he's my best friend!"
Qi Tiezui's eyes narrowed into crescents as he started chuckling. "Oh dear me, how can I assume such an important position by the side of such a noble person's side! Besides, Wu Laogou and Xie Jiu-ye would throw a fit if they heard you say that, Qishan-ge; they've been irritated enough with you coming and going to this humble courtyard of mine like you owned the place."
Zhang Qishan bared his white teeth in a wide grin. "Perhaps you don't know, Tiezui, but whatever I, Zhang Qishan, say, it's the absolute truth - so if I say you're my good companion, nobody can say you aren't, not even yourself!"
Xiaoman didn't understand the cryptic words of the two adults, but he keenly grasped an important point -
"You're staying in this house?!"
His eyes widened incredulously, and he gripped Qi Tiezui's trouser leg a little tighter. How can this fierce-looking stranger stay with his kind and gentle Xiaoqi-gege!
Zhang Qishan coughed, his eyes a little shifty. "Well. Not really... but I do come over a lot."
Qi Tiezui humphed dissatisfiedly, sneering, "Does climbing over walls in the middle of the night and barging into my room all bloody and injured count as 'coming over' or trespassing, venerable great master?"
"Tiezui, Tiezui, I'm still very much under your care! Remember your divination? It hasn't come true yet, so we have a debt between us."
"Why are you holding it against me, I didn't take your money! And you didn't tell me you're a Zhang and have a Qilin tattoo!"
"No, mine is the Qiongqi..."
"I don't care, it's all the same, your entire bloodline is causing me and my ancestors trouble! I told you not to go to those tombs!"
"Then why did the All-Knowing Great Master Qi Tiezui, Qi Ba-ye of the lofty Changsha Jiumen, so kindly condescend to prepare a guest room for this walking calamity?"
"I'm not so hard-hearted to turn away a handsome person in trouble! Besides, the divination guaranteed you will overcome all your hurdles and become a powerful, rich person, so how can I let this chance of making friends with you go? Please don't forget this lowly servant when you climb to the top later, Qishan-ge."
"Oh, so this is the kind of person you are, Tiezui, only greedy for looks and wealth!"
Xiaoman watched the bickering between the two with mixed emotions.
Why does he feel like there's something wrong in the air between them?
They seem to be fighting bitterly, full of barbed words and accusations, but why was the man Zhang Qishan looking so pleased with himself, and why was Xiaoqi-gege smiling so indulgently?
... It reminded him of the times he watched his mother chasing his father around their house with a broom, yet both of them giggling and yelling.
The little boy felt goosebumps rising on his arms, and his gaze turned into one of slightly veiled disgust.
Thankfully, the farce didn't last too long; a gurgling sound from Xiaoman's stomach and his pitiful watery eyes abruptly cut between the lively conversation.
"Xiaoqi Ba-ye... I'm hungry..."
Qi Tiezui immediately crouched down, holding the boy's hands in distress. "Oh my, oh my, how could I have been so careless! I almost forgot! You've just come back, you must be hungry!"
Xiaoman looked at his panicked face and thought for a while, before speaking. "Father told me I should eat thrice a day, and make sure Xiaoqi Ba-ye eats with me too, because everyone knows Xiaoqi Ba-ye is a picky eater, and always forgets to eat, because he's too lazy or too busy to cook or go out to eat."
Qi Tiezui clicked his tongue. "Oh dear, it seems I really can't keep my current lifestyle with you here now; you're a growing boy, how can I not make sure you eat well... As expected of Uncle Zhao, he's really full of tricks..."
He stood up and patted his chest. "Qishan-ge, would you like to stay for dinner? I'm going to go out to buy some food - it's too late to start cooking, and I don't want to make Xiaoman wait for too long."
At Zhang Qishan's nod, he briskly walked out of the Qi family's courtyard and made his way to the rows of roadside stalls near the main road, leaving Zhang Qishan and Xiaoman to stare at each other.
Just now, Zhang Qishan had been listening to the little boy's words with great surprise.
When he went out to Changxinlou with the fortune teller previously, the young master ate with great relish, enjoying every bite, seeming every inch a greedy gourmet. Yet the family's servants even had to resort to such a round-handed method to make sure Qi Tiezui ate properly.
"Xiaoman... Xiaoman-ge, is it true Tiezui occasionally forgets to eat?"
Xiaoman looked suspiciously at Zhang Qishan for a while, before nodding. "He always does it! When I was smaller, my father tasked me with calling him to lunch and dinner, and Xiaoqi-gege always shooed me away, telling me 'later, later' because he's too busy reading or drawing talismans or practicing divinations. But the dishes go cold, and he never comes out of the study anyway!" His speech picked up in speed, full of agitation and grievance.
"Usually it ends up with the late Master Qi dragging him to eat - even then, if it wasn't because of the combined power of the old man, my father, and my mother, forcing him to eat rice and meat, Xiaoqi-gege probably would only eat sweets and run back off to his books! So annoying!" Xiaoman even stamped his feet, excitedly spilling the beans on his master.
Zhang Qishan hummed thoughtfully. "Is there any particular dish he likes?"
Xiaoman racked his brains for a while, almost going cross-eyed from thinking too hard. "Hmm, the only dish I've seen Xiaoqi-gege come to the dinner table voluntarily for is braised pork trotters and lotus root stew... so we make it a point to have it at least once a week. The cook used to complain to my father that the young master is too picky and has an emperor's tongue. But which emperor likes to eat such a greasy dish?"
Hearing Xiaoman's innocent question, Zhang Qishan laughed out loud. "What a glib chatterbox, just like his master!"
Just then the wooden doors of the courtyard creaked open, and Qi Tiezui poked his head in. "Oi, you two, can you help me hold the door open? I may have bought a bit too much; my hands are full!"
Both the big man and the small boy stole a glance at each other, tacitly agreeing to not tell Qi Tiezui they have been discussing his atrocious eating habits, and helped the fortune-teller to carry in the bamboo boxes and oil paper bags hanging from his arms.
Xiaoman ran to get bowls and chopsticks from the familiar kitchen, while Zhang Qishan and Qi Tiezui laid out the food - there was spicy crayfish stir-fried with vegetables, pork buns, braised pork belly, glutinous rice cakes, fried dough sticks, osmanthus cake, sesame shortbread, egg in sweet wine, candied oranges...
Zhang Qishan squinted - Xiaoman did not lie, there were more sweets on the table than dishes to be eaten with rice.
Sure enough, when Xiaoman came back with the cutlery, he put his hands on his hips and glared at Qi Tiezui as menacingly as a nine-year old can. "Xiaoqi Ba-ye, you're eating too many desserts again!"
Qi Tiezui scratched his face awkwardly, not daring to look at the boy's eyes. "Well, they're delicious and satisfying..."
Xiaoman kept on nagging. "Mother and father knew this would happen, I'll go back home tomorrow and I'm going to tell on you!"
"Don't do that, you brat, don't bother the elders, I can handle myself just fine!"
Zhang Qishan suppressed the chuckle bubbling inside his chest. From what he's observed, the fortune-teller always acted mature with his customers, a little aloof and mysterious, all high-and-mighty, but here he was, getting chewed out by a boy half his age and size.
It was good to be reminded that the young man in front of him, sitting on the precarious seat of the Eighth Master of the Jiumen, the famed half-immortal who calculates divines secrets, is still only a fragile child who had just lost his parents.
Qi Tiezui could not bear the squeaky scolding any longer and hastily took a seat, patting the other stone stool, signalling Zhang Qishan to sit. "Aiyah, Xiaoman, stop nagging, come on, let's eat before the food gets cold!"
Xiaoman, whose angry tirade was interrupted by his own stomach growling, reluctantly sat beside Qi Tiezui, but soon his narrowed eyes gradually softened as he slowly enjoyed his meal, with his beloved Xiaoqi-gege by his side urging him to eat more.
As the meal progressed, Zhang Qishan picked up a crayfish, deftly peeled it, and threw it into Qi Tiezui's bowl, who looked up at him in surprise. "You peeled it for me?"
"I noticed you haven't touched the crayfish at all, going only for the meat - figured you were too lazy, your fingers too dainty." Zhang Qishan teased mischievously, secretly looking forward to other's reaction.
As expected, Qi Tiezui sputtered indignantly. "I am not dainty - I am Qi Ba-ye, a wanderer in the jianghu, how can someone like me survive if I was delicate!" His words were heated and passionate, but he did not refute being lazy - Zhang Qishan pretended to glare at him threateningly and poked the peeled crayfish in his bowl. "Shut up and eat it."
"... Thank you, Qishan-ge."
Of course, both Xiaoman and Zhang Qishan noticed the satisfied little hum and nod the fortune-teller did as he bit into the juicy crayfish flesh, but both chose to pretend they did not see it.
tbc.