Late into the night, the hustle and bustle of Jing City continues as residents, merchants, and artisans of all professions make haste to wrap up their business. A party of eight stroll leisurely amongst the crowd, conversing and laughing as their way south. Despite the rush, people would occasionally pause for a moment, swiveling their heads to gaze at the little girl walking with that party. More specifically, they were intrigued by the ornate glass display case in her arms.
"Hehe. Thank you, Dan!" Yuyu giggles as she rubs the display case, gazing at the ginseng inside with her large bright eyes. "Yuyu owes Dan a big one!"
"You don't have to thank me so many times, Yuyu." Dan, seeing the little girl's genuine happiness, couldn't help but smile. "Once is more than enough. Besides, there's no such thing as debts between friends."
Xi, walking in between Maoyi and Anning, tilts her head slightly as she glances at Dan and Yuyu. She had been observing the two ever since their unpleasant encounter. She recalls the way Dan stepped between Wei and Yuyu. The little girl's initial carefree attitude at the start of that encounter reminds her of herself. She too, was once carefree, unfazed by anything and everything. Xi recognizes that carefree attitude because she was once lucky enough to have someone who protected her from anything and everything. Looking at their smiles now, Xi recalls her memories of those days, causing her to smile along.
"Xi?" Maoyi, confused by Xi's sudden melancholic smile, nudges her in the arm. "You okay?"
With no response, Maoyi traces Xi's eyes, landing on Dan. She covers her mouth as a devious smile creeps across her face.
Don't worry, junior Xi. Your senior sister will help you out. We need to work fast before he becomes too popular…
Anning, alerted by a disturbing feeling, turns to look at Maoyi. She glances at the subject of Maoyi's eyes before looking back. Upon noticing the strange smile behind Maoyi's hand, Anning couldn't help but shiver as she realizes that her senior is planning something devious based on a misunderstanding.
***
Elsewhere, by the outskirts of Jing City, a man stumbles over his feet as he rushes through a dark alleyway. A light clang echoes quietly across the alleyway as he tumbles onto the brick-lined walkway. The man winces in pain, not noticing the clinging echo, before pushing himself onto his feet. He hastens his steps and disappears around the corner of the alleyway, leaving behind a metallic crest of a crane and a tree.
After a few turns, the man stops at a quiet intersection to catch his breath. His palm flattens against the wall, helping the man prevent himself from collapsing. After a short moment of heavy heaves, the man straightens his back before looking around. Upon seeing nothing out of the ordinary, the man continues past the intersection. A few steps later, he stops in front of a run-down tea parlor. His head swivels around as he checks again for signs of other people before lifting his hand to knock on the door. Seconds pass in complete silence as the man waits patiently for someone to answer. The door creaks as it opens just wide enough for a child to squeeze through.
"We're closed." The voice inside the tea parlor says. "Come back tomorrow."
"Please, I'd like a cup of liquor." The man presents an odd request before the door could creak close.
"...What kind of liquor can I get you?"
"Baijiu, if you have any."
Upon hearing the response, the man inside the tea parlor releases his grip on the door.
"Come in…"
The man in front of the door swivels his head around one last time before stepping into the dark tea parlor.
***
"Weiwei, spill it!" Chunhua, with a huge grin on his face, tosses his arm around Wei's shoulders. "How many did you get? I'll bet my grandfather's trusty old blade that you didn't peak over two thousand."
"Chunhua… y-y-you sh-shouldn't ga-g-gamble with Gr-Grandmaster Spring's blade…" Anning, despite her nervousness, is able to muster up the courage to chime in.
"Hmm?" Chunhua, surprised by the voice, turns to look at Anning sitting beside him. "An, it's not gambling if I can't lose."
Sun sits cross-legged at the corner of their suite's common space as he watches as the students bicker back and forth about the morality of wagering a gift. He watches Yuyu as she gazes at the ginseng inside the display case. The little girl, spotting a smudge on the glass, quickly breathes a warm breath of air onto the smudge before rubbing it away with her sleeve.
He watches as Dan, sitting beside Yuyu and steering clear of the bickering, flips through his notes. The two chat amongst themselves about the three thousand herbs they had to identify earlier. Xi, tired of the pointless bickering, breaks away to join in on Yuyu and Dan's discussion.
As the bickering dies out, Sun watches as Maoyi joins in. The lighthearted, educational, discussion gradually turns awkward as Maoyi continuously brings up how wonderful and smart Xi is. He hears his favorite sound as the little girl rolls on the floor, giggling after Maoyi whispers something in her ear.
Sun listens as Chunhua's laughter washes away the argument. Chunhua, with Wei under one arm, carelessly throws his other arm around Anning as a gesture of moving past their playful bickering. Anning, caught off guard by the sudden closeness, feels her face growing flush. Without a moment wasted, she plants her feet down as she grabs Chunhua's sleeve and collar. With a deep breath, she swings him over her shoulder, sending both boys flying onto the floor. While Chunhua laughs it off, Wei's eyes grow wide as he comes to the realization that Anning is a monster. Laughter rings out from Dan and Yuyu's group. The sight of their senior Chunhua and bully Wei getting tossed across the room is like medicine for the eyes.
Sun watches the ensuing chaos unfold before him. A sweet taste pervades him as blood slowly trickles out of his nose. He swipes his finger across the space between his nose and upper lip before holding his hand in front of him. Looking down at the flood on his fingers, he sighs as he realizes that the constant monitoring of the entire district is taking a toll on him. Sun lifts his sleeve and uses the insides to wipe off the rest of the blood. With a light exhale, he withdraws his senses back to the immediate vicinity of the Resting Crane Tree.
His favorite sound fills the room again, drawing his eyes away from the blood on his sleeve. Sun watches as Yuyu uses her body as a shield to protect the Ginseng of Immortality from the Evil Alchemic Lord Maoyi and her disciples, Xi and Anning. He smiles as the little girl calls out to her savior, Dan. He chuckles as Chunhua joins the fray as Grandmaster Eternal, who desires the ginseng to preserve his youth. Even Wei, despite his initial reluctance, joins in as an arrogant young master who claims that the ginseng belongs to his great family.
Even though he knows that he needs to send them to their rooms to rest, Sun decides to let the epic drama go on for a little longer. As he watches the conflict for the Ginseng of Immortality unfold, his vision begins to grow blurry.
It's nice… isn't it?