Chapter 19: Bai Fufeng

Buns in hand, Shen Xiuhan found a spot by the wall and sat down, eating in small bites.

A small hand appeared before his eyes, offering half a pickled mustard root.

Shen Xiuhan looked up in surprise to find a boy of fifteen or sixteen beside him.

The boy wore a patched old padded jacket, on the thin side, somewhat shy — outer-city stock at a glance.

"Senior Brother, eat it with the pickles — it's really tasty..."

Shen Xiuhan blinked, then accepted it without fuss. He took the opportunity to say:

"Thanks, but I only joined the outer court today. By the rules, I should be the one calling you Senior Brother."

"I only arrived two days before you, and I'm younger with worse aptitude — I wouldn't dare..."

The boy waved his hands rapidly and crouched down beside Shen Xiuhan, his voice tinged with envy:

"During morning practice, I saw Senior Brother Shen master several stance frames in just one morning. In the martial path, skill trumps seniority — so it should be me calling you Senior Brother."

Shen Xiuhan had taken the boy's food, so he let it go and offered comfort using Mei Shuangfeng's own words:

"Master says the martial path above all else forbids impatience. Stance arts need to be simmered over a slow flame. Given enough time, you'll find the path eventually."

The boy nodded in silence, but a shadow of worry crossed his face — a heaviness that didn't suit his age:

"That's true enough... it's just that I feel so slow-witted, I'm letting down my big brother, who's worked himself to the bone to give me this chance."

Leaning against the brick wall, eating and chatting, Shen Xiuhan learned the boy's name — Xiao Wen. His elder brother, Xiao Wu, was five years his senior and worked as a miner at the Bai family's quarry estate outside the city.

Both brothers were from tenant stock.

Xiao Wu, determined to give his younger brother a shot at rising above their station, went down into the mines day after day, scrimping and saving until he'd barely scraped together the tuition fee.

But Xiao Wen's aptitude was mediocre, his stance progress sluggish, and the guilt of failing his brother's hopes weighed on him.

Compared to Xiao Wen, Shen Xiuhan had no right to boast. He offered a few more words of encouragement.

Seeing that Xiao Wen didn't have enough buns to fill his belly, he split one of his own cornmeal flatbreads with him.

After lunch, Shen Xiuhan plunged back into the sparring ground, grinding away at stance training.

Again and again, head down, soaked in sweat.

At one point, Xu Chuan swung by to coach him on the finer points of the frames.

He even praised Shen Xiuhan's speed — already stringing four frames together in a continuous set.

But the more Shen Xiuhan practiced, the more he felt the Dark Eagle Stance was no simple thing.

Every additional frame ramped the difficulty up considerably.

By the time dusk fell, he still hadn't cracked the fifth frame.

The hall emptied out, Master was nowhere to be seen, and Xu Chuan had long since retired.

Shen Xiuhan checked the sky and left as well.

He stopped by the East Market first, intending to pick up a few supplies. Most vendors had packed up for the evening, but the butcher's stall was still open.

He bought five pounds of pork belly, then purchased two strings of candied hawthorns from an old man's cart.

Before leaving the city, he deliberately scanned for the two lookouts Ma Xianyang had planted.

They were nowhere to be found.

Given up?

Impossible!

Shen Xiuhan thought it over — most likely they'd relocated and were staking him out from a different position.

...

West Market.

Outside the fish exchange.

A secluded corner.

Watching the market gates close for the night, Ah Zhe finally lost his temper and spat viciously:

"Motherfucker!"

"Has that little bastard not caught any fish these past two days? He hasn't even come into the city!"

"It's possible..."

Tian Erhu, built like an ox, nodded, his expression grim:

"Starting tomorrow, we stake out the city gate from first light. I refuse to believe he won't come in to buy rice and flour."

"Good!"

Ah Zhe ground his teeth:

"Senior Brother Ma traveled all the way to Changshui County looking for treasure fish. If he comes up empty, he'll at least buy some qi-blood treasure pills to bring back."

"If the two of us handle this job well, and Senior Brother Ma rewards us with even one pill... who knows — we might fill out our qi and blood and crack open the Manifest Strength gate!"

"Manifest Strength..."

Tian Erhu licked his cracked lips, a flash of hunger in his eyes.

...

Shen Xiuhan was approaching Xiaojing Bay. Not far from home, his steps suddenly halted.

Crying drifted from inside the fenced yard.

He looked sharply and saw three figures blocking the gate. At the front was a young man in white, flanked by two black-clad guards with goose-quill sabers at their hips, chins tilted in arrogance.

Inside the yard.

Madam Zheng knelt in the snow, clutching Shen Momo in her arms, her face a mask of desperate pleading:

"Sir, wasn't it agreed at two taels of silver? Why has it gone up again?"

Madam Zheng shook as she pulled out the cloth pouch and poured every last silver ingot and copper coin onto the ground, holding them out with both hands:

"My Dalang has already earned some money. Here — I'll give it all back to you, sir..."

The young lord's gaze flickered, but he said nothing.

One of the black-clad guards immediately stepped forward, snatched the pouch from her hands, bounced it for weight, and sneered:

"Two taels was the deal, sure — but you didn't pay up on time, did you? Dragged it out three whole days. Interest during that period... two hundred wen per day. That's not unreasonable, is it?"

Two hundred wen per day in interest!

Madam Zheng's vision darkened. Tears spilled down her face as she cried out hoarsely: "Please, sir, just wait a little longer. My Dalang will be home soon — he'll pay the interest for certain..."

The white-robed young lord frowned slightly and flicked a glance.

The guard understood.

WHAM!

A boot smashed through the fence wall.

A savage grin spread across his face as his hand shot toward Shen Momo in Madam Zheng's arms:

"Too late!"

"My young lord gave you three days of grace — a mercy from the heavens. Since you can't produce the silver, the girl goes to settle the debt!"

"No, please!"

"Mama — Gege, save me..."

"Stop!"

A thunderous shout split the air.

Shen Xiuhan stormed forward, face dark as a thundercloud, his gaze like a drawn blade aimed straight at the young man in white.

The man wore a moon-white brocade robe cinched with a jade-studded belt, his cuffs and lapels embroidered with intricate silver patterns.

His features were as fair as carved jade, handsome in a refined, sharp-edged way — but that face was deathly pale, and a crooked smirk clung to the corner of his lips, lending his good looks a sinister, predatory edge.

When he saw Shen Xiuhan striding toward him, one brow arched lazily: "You'd be the eldest son of the Shen household?"

"I am."

"I'm the third young master of the Bai family. Bai Fufeng."

Bai Fufeng smiled easily, sauntering up to Shen Xiuhan at a leisurely pace:

"I trust you overheard the situation just now?"

"Every word."

"Very well. Then I'm sorry, but — Bai Zhong, take—"

The words died mid-sentence. Bai Fufeng's smile froze.

Shen Xiuhan had already produced six strings of copper coins. He spread his palm and held them out:

"The money we owe you. Here."

Bai Fufeng's smile faded by degrees. His gaze lingered on the coins:

"...Eldest son Shen, you seem to be quite flush with cash."

"Not compared to you, young lord."

Shen Xiuhan's tone was neither servile nor overbearing, but it dropped several degrees colder: "Only — in broad daylight, you've come with men to seize my sister by force..."

"If word got out, those in the know would say Young Lord Bai was collecting a debt. Those who didn't know... might mistake you for one of those child snatchers everyone in the outer city's been talking about!"

"Insolent!"

Bai Fufeng's expression turned on a dime.

Both guards' faces contorted. Hands flew to hilts — SHING — blades cleared their sheaths, and they moved to seize him!

"A bottom-feeding tenant dares slander the master house? I'll rip out your tongue right here!"