Chen Pi was just sitting there scrutinizing the piece of paper. And as he still was wearing his sunglasses – never had taken them off really – Wu Xie couldn't even read his eyes.
Trying to keep still when he was feeling really fidgety was already hard. And then the old man slightly slanted his head – indicating that whatever he saw had caught his attention. Fine, Wu Xie knew that he was nosy but right now he felt like being on tenterhooks more then he could remember ever being before.
Even Panzi and Fatty seemed to have caught it. And were now interested in what was written on that piece of paper too. No, Panzi could have noticed earlier than this that the young man stepping into their compartment by accident was the very same person Wu Xie had been meting with at the station. He just wasn't sure if Panzi had really seen Lao Yang at that time.
Well considering that he was working as a bodyguard for the family at least part time he probably had noticed the suspicious man at the door. Even then he still was a more patient man and probably better actor then Wu Xie when it comes to thinks like this.
After several more seconds of every one waiting for Chen Pi's reaction. At this point, Wu Xie thought begrudgingly, it might just be an old man having fun making everyone else wait. Knowing that they wouldn't interrupt him.
Fatty obviously wouldn't want to get on the bad side of one of the nine, expecially if it was someone who had the reputation Chen Pi had. Panzi, wouldn't act up, without his uncle here or Wu Xie making the first step.
And him, Wu Xie was still unsure what to think about his – probably might have become his granduncle in law. According to his family the marriage between Chen Wenjin, Chen Pi's somewhat estranged daughter and his third uncle was only a question of time. But then about twenty years ago, Chen Wenjin disappeared, probably dead even – and only his uncle came back.
Even if Chen Pi wasn't really close to his daughter anymore at that point, he had still lost his daughter – and if the rumors that Wu Xie heard are to be believed it was his uncles fault. Chen Wenjin, Wu Xie could barely remember her.
But he still remembered that she had wanted to adopt him, take him away from the care of the clan 'and give him a proper home', she had said. He remembered that she was a really nice lady, that had scolded his uncle whenever he wasn't treating Wu Xie nicely.
Losing her must really have been a sever loss for Chen Pi. And even when Wu Xie couldn't remember ever having met this man before, he decided to try and treat him like the weird, somewhat creepy and dangerous estranged grandpa.
Or he just was too much of a scary cat and thus decided to give the old man his time.
It was just weird, as much as he really wanted to get his hands on that piece of paper, it felt like the first time he had thought about Chen Pi at all. Until meeting him he just had never asked himself how the disappearance might have affected others.
He only knew of Xiaoge's missing memories, and that too was only because of personally meeting him – talking to him.
Then Chen Pi folded the piece of paper again, still holding it in his hand.
"I can't read this", he said leaning back in his seat, looking relaxed.
Wu Xie was baffled, he had thought – expected that it was only a matter of time before Chen Pi had decoded the message. He was a legendary tomb robber, deciphering the old languages came with the business. The longer one was part of it the more one could understand, and even Wu Xie with his young age could read quite a large number of ancient languages.
Lao Yang and he had never used some code, even back in school they had only use one easy to learn ancient language to have fun with every now and then. How could this be, was Chen Pi lying to him?
Then the old man unfolded the scrape paper again. "Give it a try, if you want to." He said reaching his hand towards Wu Xie.
He could see the squiggly writing of the Sche-script, the very same the coded part of Lao Yangs Letter had been written in. The one he had claimed that only those who had been gifted by the wishing tree with the ability to at least understand could read.
If what Lao Yang said was true, Chan Pi would not be able to read it. But with what Wu Xie knew about the Sche-Kingdome it had an extremely small territory, about the size of a mountain in that mountain range. And the script was scarcely used only on their holy ground, that death tree that was called the wishing tree. Considering all that, it was rather likely that Chen Pi never had even encountered this writing before and thus never had the chance to learn it.
Wu Xie finally took a look at the piece of paper.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
I am hungry meet me at the dining car.
We won't talk if you are not alone.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Well, obviously they wouldn't. Wu Xie almost snorted. Reading that script was almost easier than reading his mother tongue. Seeing it once from the distance was enough to understand the meaning.
But he should at least try to not be too obvious about this being a message meant for him. So Wu Xie tried to stare at the message as intently as possible. Which in turn felt really dumb.
When Chen Pi shook the paper, telling them that he didn't want to hold it any longer, Fatty took it. He too, was rather interested in was might be written on the paper. But other than Chen Pi he was rather vocal about it.
Loudly telling them, which of the ancient scripts looked too different form this to be even related. A few were to straight others even more like pictograms. Fatty also tried to fold the paper, holding it against the light to try and create something that seemed readable for him.
"Maybe invisible ink?" Fatty opened his lighter and held the paper close to the heat of the flame – nothing. All this felt increasingly idiotic to Wu Xie. The message was clear and easy to read. There is no reason to try and heat it up.
It was like they were pondering what it could mean when someone who obviously had to go to the toilet excused himself to go to the toilet. And now they were discussing if their conversation might have bored them, or if someone was rude to them, or if he maybe disliked them.
Having enough of that nonsense, Wu Xie snatched the paper from Fatty. Trying to give it a proper look ignoring Fattys shout. "Hey, Thianzhen. You can't just take that from me I wasn't finished yet."
Wu Xie looked at him, as innocently as possible. The piece of paper still in his hands. "But to me it just looks like some scrape paper with squiggly lines. I can't read anything at all in this, and it doesn't look like any language I know." The last one was a lie of course.
Ignoring Fatty completely this time, Wu Xie put the paper into the trash.
"I looks just like trash to me", he said grinning at Fatty.
Soon after that Chen Pi, stood up, left the compartment and wondered of somewhere. Could be to the sleepers or the toilet but Wu Xie didn't think so, remembering the number of people who had surrounded Chen Pi in the teahouse.
"Do you also want to go to the toilet young master?" Panzi asked him. Referring to the time at the station and Chen Pis disappearance right now.
"I don't want to go just yet", Wu Xie said, and mumbled, "probably in a bit though."
Lao Yang hadn't specified a time, but Wu Xie expected that if he wanted to move he would send another message somehow. But a nice dining car with good food and something to drink wasn't a bad place to hang out.
"Chen Pi probably hasn't come alone.", Wu Xie said. He wanted to change the topic but not only that. He just couldn't tell where Chen Pi was standing in all of this. Chen Pi was a mysterious tomb robbing master, part of the nine families and was also known not to be the nicest of them. And his uncle, who they were looking for was also the only one who might know what happened to his daughter.
In the teahouse, Wu Xie remembered there had been three other man with Chen Pi. All of them older, probably about the age of Wu Xies uncles. They had moved together with the old man and somehow Wu Xie doubted that that had changed.
If they knew their stuff, and he was sure Chen Pi did, then you could have a full team with four people. Wu Xie was just giving both Panzi and Fatty the information, who knew if it was something that would be important at some point or not.
Then Wu Xie just waited, for about another half an hour. Before he too stood up and excused himself. Leafing the compartment without telling the others where he would go. He didn't like lying to them.
It would probably be too long of a break then he could convince them that he only had been on the toilet anyway. He could just let them think that he had gone to bed or something, it wasn't like Xiaoge to rat him out to someone. He would just go to bed after the meeting.
Wu Xie made his way towards the dining car. It was far from an ideal place to talk to each other, too open too many other people, but for now Wu Xie would take whatever was given to him.
On his way Wu Xie noticed one man he had seen before – one of those from the teahouse who had been with Chen Pi at the time. The man was standing there fiddling with his smartphone as if that had his whole attention.
But the way he was standing also gave him the perfect view of their wagon. Telling Wu Xie that he was probably told to keep an eye on them. After recognizing the man Wu Xie didn't believe in him being just there by coincidence.
He would have to tell Lao Yang that he was followed, but with the message and all Wu Xie would be surprised if Chen Pi hadn't already expected him to be involved in this. To be fair Xiaoge, who hadn't even come to their compartment was probably the only one who didn't expect something. Wu Xie walked right past the man, into the next wagon, and the next until he reached the dining car.
After entering he looked at the many seats that were occupied by people trying to find Lao Yang. When he had finally caught him, Wu Xie strolled over. Looking at the two sets of food on the table.
"Were you expecting some one?" Wu Xie asked grinning as he sat down.
"You're late", Lao Yang complained. It was just the same old game, like when they were back in school and Lao Yang kept a lunch seat open for him. Wu Xie had to remember himself that that Lao Yang was dead – has died a long time ago and he didn't know what to expect of this new one.
Other than what had happened already. And that told him very clearly that he should be careful.