RUAN YANJUN
I sighed in relief when the carriage finally stopped in front of my private residence.
I had just come from the imperial palace in Guan, the capital of Xianru. The crown prince's condition had rapidly deteriorated. He'd been spitting blood for days already and the imperial physicians could not tell the cause of it.
When I arrived in the palace a few days ago, he still could speak, but last night, he had fallen into a coma.
At first glance, it looked like the crown prince had been poisoned, but I could not detect the toxins in his body. Even the palace's experts were clueless.
It was a puzzle. I was certain that it was a poison and I even had a suspect as to who had masterminded it, but unless the poison was identified, treatment would be impossible, and connecting the crime with the culprit would be difficult.
"Greetings, Master." Huang Wen bowed before me as I stepped out of the carriage.
"You've returned," I said as I headed directly towards the door, ignoring the servants who had lined up at the front yard to greet me. I was tired and wanted to rest.
"I returned just yesterday." My disciple followed close behind me. "Master, I managed to gather more information about the Divine Mage, and this will surprise you."
"Are you sure? If it's the same useless trash that you've been giving me before, don't even waste my time. I want to rest."
"I assure you, Master. It will be worth your while."
I stopped and turned to look at him. "Did you get the portrait?"
He reached inside his lapel and handed me a scroll of paper.
Unlike before, I wasn't that eager to take a look. I was probably too bothered by the condition of the crown prince that my search for the missing priest was no longer my priority.
"Fine then," I said. "Go get me some tea and let me hear what you got for me."
"Yes, Master," he said and left.
I sat by the tea table and unrolled the portrait.
I frowned.
It was a portrait of a beautiful woman.
I was about to call Huang Wen back and punish him for playing a prank on me when I saw the name written at the bottom of the paper. I took a closer look at the woman's face until I noticed a striking resemblance to someone I had seen before.
I slammed the portrait on the table and looked up.
Could it be… that blind man I had watched a few days ago?!
*****
LUO FAN
"Fan!" Jinjing exclaimed when she saw me standing across the road from the brothel. She ran towards me. "I told you not to worry about me. You're ruining your reputation being seen around this promiscuous place."
I walked with her. "It's not like anyone knows me around here, and honestly, I don't really mind what people think. If they judge me wrongly for a mistake they themselves have perceived, then that's their fault."
She sighed and held on to my elbow. "Let's hurry. I'm hungry."
"You did not have dinner again?"
"I wrapped it up so we can share."
"You didn't have to. I cooked something."
"But this is special. It's meat."
I smiled. For people like us, meat was something we could hardly afford. For over two months that I had stayed with her, we only had meat twice. And that was probably the reason why she wanted to share her dinner with me because it was also the reason why I had bought meat for her. "I also cooked meat."
She gasped. "Where did you get meat?"
"I bought it."
"And where did you get the money?"
"Remember that neighbor who'd been complaining about his bad back. I volunteered to massage his back. He was satisfied with the result and gave me some copper coins."
"Oh… you know how to massage? My whole body aches too. Standing for ten hours a day really takes a toll on my aging body. Could you give me a massage, as well? But I have no money to pay you with."
I forced out a smile. "You don't have to, but I can only massage your feet and hands. Nowhere else."
"Why not?"
"Because it's inappropriate."
She sighed. "You are a very virtuous man. Maybe I should call you Mister Appropriate."
"I just want to protect your dignity. What's wrong with that?"
"Because you treat me like I'm a pure young maiden. You know very well that I've long been stripped of my dignity, and I'm old already."
"You're only twenty-nine. That's not too old. And it's not because you had a past means you have no more dignity left. Everyone deserves to be treated with respect."
She sighed and rested her forehead on my bicep. "I wish all people think like you do."
"They just don't know you well enough."
"Do you?"
"Maybe not, but I know you enough to see that you're a good person. One good person is all I need and I'm fine living in this place."
She laughed.
"And thank you for thinking about me that you had to save your dinner just to share it with me. I'm really touched."
"You also used your hard-earned money to buy me something to eat. We're even."
"No, we're not. I owe you so much more, and I don't think I can ever repay you."
"Ah, you're being overly melodramatic. Don't make me cry again."
From out of nowhere, a man suddenly landed right in front of us, so close he had practically intruded into our personal space.
Jinjing squealed and her hand tightened around my arm.
I, too, was stunned.
In terms of height, I was already tall that an average girl like Jinjing barely made it pass my shoulder level, but this man was even taller. He also had broad shoulders. His body radiated power that I could not possibly match even if I were fully healthy.
Just him standing there was already intimidating. The fact that I could feel Jinjing's trembling hand meant he probably even looked terrifying.
He stepped closer to me, leaving just half an arm's length between us.
"Divine Mage," he uttered in a low voice.
My eyes widened. His imposing figure had not frightened me, but the words that he had just uttered did.
I took a step back.
"Wei Fan," he continued, as if he was taunting me, or probably testing me to confirm my identity.
I held my breath. I did not dare say a word.
Did they hire this man to find me and finish me off? Or is this an ally of that man who had helped me escape?
While I was unsure, it was best for me to keep my lips sealed.
The man snickered. "So this is indeed the banished disciple of Frost Mountain. You have gone astray too far. No wonder no one can find you."
I discreetly took a deep breath to calm myself down. For Jinjing, I had to look unperturbed, even if I had no chance against this man.
"Mister, do you need anything from me?" I asked courteously. I could barely see his face, but I saw the outline of his strong jaw when he turned sideway.
He was taller than I was for probably half a foot, with broad shoulders that tapered to a narrow waist. He was physically fit, and even if I had lost my ability to sense someone else's cultivation level, I could tell his strength was enormous. If I were to fight him, I stood no chance. And my priority now was to stay out of trouble, especially since I had a woman in my company.
He smirked and just stood there. Even if I could not see his eyes, the slight movement of his head told me he was studying me from head to toe.