"Xiao-mei!"
Zi-ning stood up when she heard the familiar voice and address, spinning around to see her brother marching in through the doorway of the teahouse with a broad smile on his tanned face. He must have rushed over from the camp in a hurry, because there was sweat beading upon his forehead and he was still wearing the bronze lamellar armor of the Duan military. Hot tears welled up in her eyes as a mess of emotions overwhelmed her inside.
How long had it been since they had last met? More than three years now. Three years since she saw him return from the battlefield on the brink of death, lying pale and weak with barely a breath left in him. Three years since she had bade him a tearful farewell, one that would separate them by life and death.
She rushed towards him and flung her arms around her brother's neck, bawling uncontrollably.
"Da-ge, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she cried, her voice muffled against his shoulder.
"What's the matter? Why're you saying sorry?" Her brother took her by the shoulders and studied her tear-stained face carefully. "Have you missed your big brother too much?" he teased, giving her one of his famously mischievous winks.
She shook her head, wiping the tears from her cheeks. She was sorry because she had failed to save him the previous time, because she had allowed Lady Min and Meiyan to take a knife to his heart without even realising.
Seeing Yongxing again made her feel happier than she had ever been since her rebirth. It was the first time she had truly felt lucky, that the heavens had been kind to her after all, because it had given her a chance to see her beloved brother again—and to change his destiny.
"Come, let's talk over there," she said, leading him over to the table she had been waiting at. She quickly poured them both fresh cups of jasmine tea.
"I was so surprised when I heard from the general that you had come to Anyang," Yongxing said. "And what is this I hear you did? Rescue Zhuiya from some plague?"
"It was nothing much. I only went there to assist the royal physicians."
"When did you become so brazen?" her brother chided, although his voice still remained indulgent. "I've heard about the situation in Zhuiya. If anything went wrong, you could have become seriously ill and even died there. I can't believe Father even agreed to let you go in the first place! I'll have to have a word with him the next time I return to the capital."
"There's no need for that. I'm fine now, aren't I? I'm even getting rewarded by the king." She smiled. "I'm all grown up now, Da-ge, you don't have to keep protecting me anymore. I can protect myself." And I'll protect you too.
Yongxing reached out and ruffled her hair affectionately. "Look at you. How long as it been since I last saw you? Why does it feel like you've grown up overnight?"
Because it's already been an entire lifetime, she thought.
They ordered a table full of the best dishes that Anyang had to offer—richly spiced deer meat, lotus seeds tossed with black fungus and garlic, roasted chicken wings and skewers—but Zi-ning would have been happy even if it were only plain buns in front of her. What mattered most today was the company. She spent the afternoon listening to Yongxing tell stories about his adventures with the border army, of how he had foiled enemy reconnaissance missions and rescued merchant convoys from sandstorms.
She hadn't been the only one who had grown up. Her brother had too. He was no longer the wide-eyed, naïve young boy that he had been when he left Huangcheng. After so many long, arduous months at the border, exposed to the harsh weather and biting winds of the southern wastelands, his skin was dry and sun-kissed, his cheeks slightly leaner, highlighting his naturally high cheekbones. He looked tired, but he also seemed much fitter and much happier than he had been before, and it brought her great comfort to see that he was doing well here.
Their father had been extremely reluctant to let Yongxing leave the capital and enlist in the military. After all, Yongxing was the eldest son of the family and born to the minister's first wife, which made him the natural heir. To that end, Lady Min had helped, because she was the one who convinced the minister to allow Yongxing to go, reminding him that he still had another son at home—her own son, Yongjin. Yongxing's stubbornness and blatant disrespect had already been grating on their father's nerves, so with Lady Min's cajoling, he eventually gave in.
"—when we found the caravan there were only two survivors left and they were about to be killed by the bandits, but we managed to intervene in time and arrest those bandits. The poor girl was so terrified that she was swinging her dagger wildly around and didn't even realise that we were soldiers there to rescue them! I had to pry it out of her hands, but she still managed to nick me at the shoulder," he tapped his right shoulder, "before I could get it from her. That girl has some mettle, I'm telling you that."
"Wait, did she stab you? Where? Is it bad?" Zi-ning immediately leaned over and took hold of his collar, trying to pull it aside so that she could check whether or not his injury had healed.
"Xiao-mei, what are you doing? It's only a little scratch—"
Someone reached over Zi-ning's shoulder and caught hold of her wrist, pulling her back.
"Your brother already said that it's only a scratch. What exactly are you trying to do, in the middle of such a busy teahouse?"
Zi-ning turned her head, surprised to see Zhenghuan standing there. He was wearing a set of casual navy robes with silver embroidery lining the sleeves, with his silver mask on as usual. He was staring at Yongxing—studying him, in fact, as if he were some suspicious character.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"General," Yongxing greeted, scrambling to his feet and bowing in the standard military salute. He looked equally surprised to find the Shadow Lord here. Shooting Zi-ning a warning glance, he whispered, "How could you speak to the Shadow Lord in that manner?"
"Da-ge, he's—"
"You don't mind if I join you, right?" Zhenghuan interrupted, sliding into the empty seat on the other side of Zi-ning. He helped himself to a cup of tea. "I happened to be passing by and remembered that you were going to be here, so I decided to drop in." He looked over at Yongxing, seemingly oblivious to the astonishment written all over the latter's face. "Zi-ning is currently residing at the Du manor while she's here in Anyang."
"You are? I had assumed you would be staying at a guesthouse... My lord," Yongxing turned towards Zhenghuan, "we are most grateful for your hospitality thus far, but Zi-ning should not be imposing any further. I shall make arrangements for her to move to a guesthouse immediately. Please accept my apologies."
Although she could not see behind the mask, Zi-ning sensed that Zhenghuan was frowning when he heard her brother's reply.
"There's no need for that. I didn't tell you that to imply that Zi-ning can't stay, I'm telling you so that you know where to find her if you ever want to meet with her while she's here. Although there really isn't a need to meet so many times, if you ask me."
Zi-ning raised her eyebrows. Was this man being jealous of her brother now? She almost wanted to burst out laughing, looking at the way Zhenghuan was treating Yongxing as if he were facing some big enemy.
Under the table, she stretched out her foot and stepped on Zhenghuan's.
"What do you think you're doing?" he whispered, turning to stare at her incredulously.
"Control yourself please," she chided, keeping her tone hushed so that her brother wouldn't be able to hear.
Yongxing looked at his sister, then at Zhenghuan, then back to his sister again. "Xiao-mei, when did you become so well-acquainted with the general?" he asked hesitantly.
Zi-ning cleared her throat, her gaze shifting awkwardly from side to side. "We're not that well-acquainted," she muttered.
This time, Zhenghuan was the one who gave her a kick under the table. He was shooting her a sideways glance, as if to say, "Are you sure about that?"
Ignoring the petulant child beside her, Zi-ning continued, "Da-ge, don't worry about me. I won't be imposing for much longer. I only came here because I wanted to visit you and make sure you were alright. Now that I've seen you, I should be heading back to the capital soon." After she had ensured that the training mission that had led to Yongxing's death in her past life was settled, then she would be able to return home with a peace of mind. She made a mental note to check in with Zhenghuan about the status of the training mission, and whether or not he had managed to get the elder General Du to cancel or postpone it.
"What's the rush? Since you're already here, you might as well stay for a little longer. Take some time to explore Anyang. Once you return to Huangcheng, it's unlikely you'll have another chance to come here," Zhenghuan remarked. "And you can continue staying at the Du manor for as long as you like. It's not like we're short of space."
Yongxing put his fist to palm and said, "Thank you, General, for the kindness that you have showed to Zi-ning and myself. We are eternally grateful." His gaze drifted past Zhenghuan, towards the main entrance of the teahouse. A flash of recognition appeared in his eyes. "Ling-er?"
Ling-er?
Zi-ning turned to trace the direction of her brother's gaze.
Standing at the open doorway was a girl who looked about her age, with a headdress made of strings of turquoise beads and silver feathers, and a wolf-skin shawl wrapped around her sky-blue robes. There were silver bells worn around her ankles that jingled melodiously as she moved.
From the southern tribes, Zi-ning observed.
Her brother had already gotten up on his feet and walked over to the entrance, beaming at the girl. "Ling-er, I wasn't expecting to see you here!" he exclaimed. "Weren't you going to return to the Ulamba trading post?"
Zhenghuan had briefly explained the geography of the border and its neighbouring Luya desert to her on their journey from the capital. The southern tribes adopted a nomadic lifestyle and did not tie themselves to fixed locations, but there were, however, a number of permanent trading posts scattered across the desert, mostly set up by Duan merchants to serve as a base for them to ply their goods. This Ulamba trading post was likely one of them.
"You?" the girl named Ling-er remarked, her slender brows knitting in a frown. She had large, hazel eyes that tilted upwards at the corners and cheeks that were dusted a rosy pink. Pushing past Yongxing, she went over to the counter and ordered three flatbreads and a pot of tea, before proceeding to find herself an empty table.
Zi-ning stifled a laugh when she saw the look of disappointment on her brother's face.
"Your future da-sao?" Zhenghuan quipped.
"Maybe, if he works hard enough," Zi-ning replied, watching as her brother hurried over to Ling-er's side, despite having received the cold shoulder. Could this girl really become her future sister-in-law? She would gladly welcome that, seeing as Yongxing had not lived long enough to marry and start his own family in her previous life.
"Your brother has unique taste, I must say. A girl stabs him on their first meeting, and he's not only absolutely fine with it, he seems to have taken a great interest in her."
"What?" Zi-ning swiveled her head around to stare at Zhenghuan. "She's the one who stabbed him?"
Zhenghuan nodded. "Her name is Yuchi Ling-er, an orphan that comes from the Baixing tribe. Her parents died from an outbreak of disease that struck their tribe a few years. back. She was working for a textiles trader until the bandit attack happened, killing her employer and most of his men. I say 'work', but technically she was on a slave contract, so maybe the bandits did her a favour."
"How do you know all this?"
"I have my sources."
"Is there anything else about her that is noteworthy?"
"Nothing else. Clean as a whistle. Although sometimes I find that those are the ones who are most suspicious."
Yuchi Ling-er...
Her brother was quite enamoured by this girl, judging from the smile the stretched across his face, even as she continued to treat him as if he were invisible. If things worked out between them, then Zi-ning would be happy for him, even though she knew that he would have a hard time trying to convince their father to accept a girl with that sort of background into the family. But of course, that was all based on the assumption that Yuchi Ling-er was as straightforward as she seemed.
Maybe she was being overly paranoid, but she had an inkling that there was more to this Yuchi Ling-er than met the eye.