Beside the Pinchu lake was a small garden, reserved for those who had money, and a cultivation higher than rank 3. This garden was the greenest place in all of Pinchu town. We paid two gold kins just to enter.
Resting grasses, relaxed trees and contained water made this place relatively peaceful than the hustle and bustle of the market two neighbourhoods away.
While I was walking between two tall trees, I saw people lined up on the other side to draw water from the lake. They were strictly overseen by town guards. There was also a pipe line that directly pumped water, but it was unavailable to the common folks.
I looked at the lake's clean water on which fallen leaves were floating gently, steered by the eastern winds. Green algae at the bottom shaded the lake green as well.
Here, throwing anything at it was a major crime. I wasn't surprised by the fences that surrounded this lake.
"It's such a nice view and they had to ruin it by this fencing," she commented, walking beside me. She had a bag on her hand.
"I agree little sister, but it's not always about the nice views, you have to look at the applications of things as well. This water is the lifelife of people living in this desert. They must keep it clean for their use," I replied, stepping on the meadow.
It was a normal morning in Pinchu town. Yesterday's meeting concluded with me agreeing to Gang family's terms. The merchants that always traded with Gang family were expected to arrive at the town three days later.
I had no work till then. I'd thought they would make me train other brats, but they didn't ask me of anything. Instead, I was led out by Gang Wei as soft murmurs of the elders filled the meeting room.
Today, the weather was slightly more windy. I glanced behind me. We had walked a long way, going past the marketplace and reaching towards a more wealthy neighbourhood. Just some more walking and we would exit the park, stepping on a cleaner road.
"Let's sit there for a while," suggested Chunu, pointing at a bench a couple yards away from the lake's shore.
We sat on it side by side. Fortunately, the bench was under the shade of trees. I couldn't imagine roasting myself to the sun's glare this early in the morning. I looked up. The leaves were rustling.
"This place suits me better," Chunu spoke and put her bag between us.
She had reached rank 4 a few days ago. Since I was busy doing my own things these days, I wasn't able to congratulate her until just an hour ago.
"Compared to being cooped up in a small chamber behind closed doors, this park is a heaven," I said, glancing at her.
By now, she could hold 48 droplets of water on her hands and legs. This training had made her movements more graceful. Her steps were controlled and when she sat, she was like a fallen leaf resting under a tree's shade.
One thing that I really liked about 108 Droplets technique was that it didn't need to be complemented by other movement techniques.
"Brother, I... don't think I'll be able to reach rank 5 at this rate," she confessed. When she said she wanted to sit on this bench, I'd already suspected that she had something to tell me.
"I know you can't. You don't have enough resources. That's why I brought you here," my reply came to her as a surprise.
"Do you have something that I can use to breakthrough, brother? How did you reach rank 6 in such a short time?" her eyes sparkled.
"Don't hope for anything from me now. Your brother can't help you forever. I'm already dealing with a handful of risky problems," I shook my head.
"Do you know that we have bounties on our heads?" I asked, taking out the vials of medicine from the bag. Hmm, she had brought everything I'd told her to bring.
"Is it Dou Chai?" she helped me take out the black clothes.
"Who else could it be but him?" I said, "The prize money is 40 golds for each of our heads. Though, there isn't much description that would help bounty hunters catch us."
I took out a red pill from the bag, I had completely forgotten about it. I placed it before the sun's radiance. Squinting my left eye, I glanced at it's surface.
"This pill has expired," I concluded. I wasn't expecting it to be anything useful. It seemed like some kind of recovery pill made by an apprentice pill maker. Even the herbs weren't fully processed.
I threw it away and smelled my fingers, finding the scent of chilly powder. I scrunched up my face and took out another small thing from the bag.
It was the small piece of wood that I was looking for. The sticky liquid on it had dried up. This wood was sturdy and smooth expect for the two random curves carved on its surface.
"Meh. I can't believe I thought it was the token of Dou family," I tossed it away.
Plop!
Ah... I'd thrown it at the lake. It sank down. I glanced left and right and heaved a deep sigh. No one had seen anything.
Chunu was simply looking at me.
"Shhh, you saw nothing," I said and opened the pouch she handed to me. I only saw silvers inside. I shook it and carefully listened to the sound made by the coins.
"80? No, maybe 73? There are roughly 75 coins in this pouch. These won't be enough for you," I closed the pouch and gave it to her.
Putting the bag aside, I took out a scroll from my sleeves. The robes worn by people here had wide sleeves. Scrolls or even knives could be hidden inside. This was part of the reason why people rarely dropped their hands while walking.
"In this, I've written how to properly cultivate the rest of 108 Droplets technique. You need to focus on your belly and chest for now. I've also written some other useful things. Practice the fighting stances and moves I've drawn on it," I pointed at the drawings as she opened the scroll.
She softly muttered as she went on reading, "Second form... Finger movement... Pressing the acupuncture... This... and hmm, leaning forward..."
Her eyes moved as she read the other characters, "Three steps... Lip synching..." She read a bold heading, "Seduction techniques..."
"Brother, this-" she jerked her head up, her soft tone suddenly becoming two octaves higher.
"Ahem, you can read it when you start practicing. Practice everything, though. I assure you, they will come handy at one point or another. Close it for now, we have other things to talk about," I wisely interrupted her. I took the scroll from her hands and quickly rolled it close, placing it back on her laps.
"You said you couldn't reach rank five, didn't you?" I stood up. That was enough rest, we should walk.
She also stood up and started walking with me. I locked my hands behind my waist, threw my shoulders back, and looked straight.
Then, I began, "You see little sister, there's something you have that many others don't, and there are things others have that you don't..."
Chunu nodded her head and I asked her, "Tell me now, what do you have?"
"Mhm... I have money," she replied.
"A good answer but money is something others also have, in larger amounts than yours actually," I blinked once and shook my head.
"Tell me something that only you have. Something only you can control and something that can help you reach rank 5."
We exited the park as I said that, stepping on a wider road. I noticed that the fence protecting the lake was actually way better than the fence that surrounded this park.
"I... what do I have?" She asked back, at a loss.
I stopped. I placed my one hand on her shoulder and stroked her hair with the other. I lightly held her chin by my fingers and smiled, locking eyes with her. She started frowning and even so...
"You are a beauty, little sister. Don't let your mother's gifts go to waste. Find a wealthy suitor for yourself. I'll tell you how to scam him within two days," I said, causing her eyes to widen and mouth to open in shock.
Many people didn't realise this until their youthful days were long gone. Not just knowledge, wisdom and skills; a person should use their charms as well, for it greatly affected how other people perceived the said person's existence.