After a late night and a third lead falling through, the disciples of Liqiu Hua Sect weren’t their typical spirited selves. Yang Jingfei and Ling Hong didn’t even have the energy to argue with eachother. Breakfast was a subdued affair.

Song Jiayi, looking a bit haggard herself, leaned over to Qiu Jucheng and nodded to the rest of the group. “Shidi, would you explain the plan?”

Qiu Jucheng, who had his weathered account book held open against his knee, and a cup of tea in his other hand, flipped the book shut and set down the tea. “Sect Leader Song and I found a new lead last night. It’s in Lushan City, which is—conservatively—about three days travel from here. It would take us another week to travel from Lushan City to the Autumn Valley. Assuming we can catch the beast in a day, that leaves us with a two days before the tournament begins.”

Qiu Jucheng drummed his fingers his knee. “It doesn’t give us much time for things to go wrong—if we go to Lushan City, it will likely be our last chance to capture a spiritual beast. The alternative is that we travel directly to the Autumn Valley and hope we can find something else along the way, but my suspicion is that that region has already been scoured by other cultivators with the same goal.”

Ling Hong slumped. “Well, the tournament will happen again in five years.”

“Don’t be so defeatist, Xiao-Hong,” Song Jiayi chided. “A dam will be left incomplete because it’s missing one basket of earth.”

“So are we going to Lushan City?” Yang Jingfei asked.

Song Jiayi nodded. “I think that’s our best course of action. There’s risks on both paths, but I would rather follow the lead we have now instead of hunting for a new one.”

“One more thing before we break camp,” Qiu Jucheng said, and tapped his account book. “We won’t be staying in inns or eating in any tea houses until we reach the Autumn Valley. No snacks from street vendors either.”

Four pairs of sparkling eyes turned to Song Jiayi. “Don’t look at me,” she said. “I wouldn’t dare question the judgement of the Honorable Treasurer Qiu.”

Qiu Jucheng looked at her sideways. “This includes haggling with random farmers on the road.”

“Is your heart made of stone?”

“Yes.” He stood and shook the dust from his robes. “Now let’s pack up and go, we have a long day ahead of us.”

—

Lushan City was bigger than Li Village had been, but “city” seemed like a strong word for it to Heng Xiaowen. It was a cluster of buildings with narrow streets nestled in the foothills of a green mountain. A small river ran down the center, with arched stone bridges connecting the two sides of town.

They had made good time. Song Jiayi set a pace that was just shy of brutal, and Heng Xiaowen usually ended up carrying Ling Hong or Yang Jingfei the last mile or two on his back. Song Jiayi incorporated a lot of piggyback rides into her teaching philosophy. It served dual purposes; general strength conditioning, and it prepared her disciples for carrying an injured person over long distances.

As they passed through the gates into the city, Lu Xiuying tilted her umbrella back briefly and smiled up at Qiu Jucheng. “Shishu.”

“No.”

“But you don’t even know what I was going to say!”

“Does it cost money?”

“Barely at all! I swear!” Lu Xiuying insisted. “I just want to go to a bathhouse. I haven’t had a proper bath in so long, Shishu! And we all look like vagabonds right now! How will anyone take us seriously? If we present ourselves nicely, I’m sure we can charge a higher commission and not only will we earn the money we spend on baths back, but we’ll earn extra on top of that!”

“Your argument isn’t bad, but we haven’t yet confirmed that the source of the trouble in Lushan City is the concern of cultivators.” Qiu Jucheng glanced over his shoulder at Heng Xiaowen. “Also, it’s may be wise to bathe after we complete the hunt, given how badly your shixiong usually needs one by the time we’re finished.”

“Hey,” Heng Xiaowen protested weakly.

“Is that a no?” Lu Xiuying asked.

“We’ll see what commission we can negotiate, and depending on what we collect, I’ll decide if we have the funds for a visit to a bathhouse.”

Lu Xiuying sighed dramatically but didn’t argue further.

They reached the town’s main street, a wide thoroughfare lined with businesses on the east and bordered by the river on the west. It was crowded with street vendors and busy with residents going about their day.

It was here that they encountered their first signs of trouble.

Several fruit stands had been completely knocked apart and ransacked.

Song Jiayi instructed them to split up to gather information.

Heng Xiaowen approached a dejected looking man scooping apples into a barrel. “Excuse me, mister, can I ask what happened here?”

“I wish I knew!” he cried. “Lushan City is going to hell these days, if you ask me! Death and destruction! My beautiful fruit stand, smashed to pieces in the night!”

“Death?” Heng Xiaowen asked. “What do you mean by death?”

“Hm? Oh, five people have died under mysterious circumstances recently,” he explained rather nonchalantly. “But my stand isn’t even the first victim in this—this rash of violence against humble produce merchants! Auntie Li, an upstanding member of our community, has been selling vegetables on this street for forty years! And the night before last, her stand was destroyed! Smashed apart! All her cucumbers gone! Just like that!”

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“Um, mister, about the mysterious deaths, were they also… Produce vendors?”

“Eh? No, no. Those deaths are unrelated. That happened on the north end of town, upriver.” The man shook his head. “I swear, the youth of today, they don’t understand the importance of a well balanced diet! You know, I bet it’s some hooligans behind this all! Disrespect for their elders, disrespect for the fruits of the earth!”

Heng Xiaowen nodded along with him, both entranced and disturbed by this man’s total disinterest in anything unrelated to his fruit stand.

Someone nearby let out a groan and boy about Yang Jingfei’s age wriggled his way through the crowd. “Shushu!” he yelled. “What nonsense are you raving about now?”

The man hit the boy on the head with the apple in his hand. “Hmph! Raving? Who’s raving?” He pointed to Heng Xiaowen. “This nice young man here is investigating all these attacks on produce stands!”

“Eh?” The boy turned to Heng Xiaowen, baffled. “Why do you care about my uncle’s stupid fruit stand? Did you know that five people have been murdered?”

Heng Xiaowen blinked. “What was that?”

The boy suffered another apple to the skull. “No one’s been murdered, you little idiot, The Jin’s and Su’s said it was a sudden illness,” his uncle said.

“Yeah, right!” The boy rolled his eyes with his whole head. “Everyone knows that they have it out for eachother! They’re definitely paying off the authorities to keep out of it!”

“If anyone’s paying off the authorities it’s these fruit hating hoodlums!”

Heng Xiaowen cleared his throat. “Could you explain more about why you think it’s murder?”

The boy grinned smugly at his uncle and took a seat on the barrel. “It’s obvious. Everyone who died was a grown man in good health, three were from the Jin Family, two form the Su. None of the women or children of those houses died. Why would illness kill five grown men and not touch anyone else? Or any of their other neighbors?”

“Get off my barrel, brat!” The man yanked the boy’s ear until he climbed down. “What do you understand about the world? Eh? Think you’re so much smarter than your uncle? Hm?”

Just as Heng Xiaowen started to quietly back away from this noisy uncle-nephew duo, an old woman who had been quietly sitting on a straw mat on the ground piped up. “You’re both wrong.”

All three of them froze and turned to look at her.

“Hello, ma’am!” Heng Xiaowen said. “What did you hear happened?”

The old woman chuckled. “So polite.” She looked up at them and leaned forward conspiratorially. “My sister’s friend’s son-in-law went out hunting in the hills north of town a few days ago and found Jin Tong’s body.”

The boy sat down next to her. “Really?”

The old woman nodded. “Nearly tripped over him, lying in the grass. Said his body—” She held out an upturned hand and then dropped her other hand onto it with a smack. “No person could have done that to him. It was something else.”

“Pah!” The fruit vender said. “Hearsay, I tell you! Just spouting silly nonsense when the real problem is right in front of our eyes!”

The boy dropped his head into his hands and groaned.

“Squash! Smashed in the streets of our once noble city! Cabbages rent asunder!”

Heng Xiaowen, not wanting to get dragged into another lecture about vegetables, bowed quickly. “Thank you all for answering my questions, I should take my leave.”

The man paused his and sized up Heng Xiaowen.

“You seem like an upright young man who understands the value of fresh produce.”

Heng Xiaowen, who by all accounts looked like a disreputable ruffian, smiled and said, “Of course, mister.”

“Now, the humble vendors of fine produce here in Lushan City have all suffered great blows to our livelihoods, but if something were to be done about this terrible business, I’m sure we could come together to find some way to express our gratitude.” An aura of grease began to emanate from the man.

“Is that so?” Heng Xiaowen clasped his hands behind his back, mimicking Song Jiayi’s posture. “That’s wonderful news, mister! It just happens that I’m the head disciple of Liqiu Hua Sect and we’ve traveled here to investigate the strange happenings in Lushan City.”

“A cultivator?” The man seemed slightly taken aback. “I just thought you were some kind of…” He trailed off and gestured vaguely to Heng Xiaowen’s sword.

“Armed vagabond? People make that mistake a lot!” Heng Xiaowen responded cheerfully. “Here, let me call my senior so we can negotiate a commission.”

“Wait—”

Heng Xiaowen turned and shouted, “SHISHU!” into the the street, startling several passersby.

The fruit vendor seemed somewhat displeased with this turn of events. A moment later Qiu Jucheng appeared at Heng Xiaowen’s side.

“You called for me?”

Heng Xiaowen gestured to the man in front of them. “This nice gentlemen is seeking the assistance of Liqiu Hua Sect in stopping whatever has been destroying produce stands these past weeks.”

“Ah, I see.” Qiu Jucheng looked down at him, the corners of his mouth raising ever so slightly. He then turned his attention to the fruit vendor, a menacing glint in his eyes. “Let’s discuss our commission.”

—

After an agreement was made and a small upfront fee was collected, Heng Xiaowen and Qiu Jucheng bid the man fairwell and went to find the rest of their sect.

“Why did you call for me instead of Sect Leader Song?” Qiu Jucheng asked as they walked.

“Well, Shizun always undercharges,” he explained. “And that guy was weird.”

Qiu Jucheng patted him on the head. “Good job.”

“I also want a bath.”

“We’ll see about that later.”

With the group reformed, they quickly shared the intel they gathered and headed north.

—

The Jin family and the Su family lived at far end of town, the Jin’s on the east side of the river and the Su’s on the west. Both houses rivaled each other in scale and stateliness, and their gardens competed in beauty and refinement.

Song Jiayi turned to Qiu Jucheng. “You take Xiuying and Jingfei and talk to the Su’s, I’ll take Xiaowen and Xiao-Hong to talk to the Jin’s.”

Qiu Jucheng nodded and made for the bridge, waving for the girls to follow him.

After seeing them off, Song Jiayi gave her robes a a perfunctory shake that did nothing to actually reduce her overall dustiness and marched right up to the Jin’s house, knocking firmly on the door.

A young woman in white answered. She had a drawn face and a wary expression. “Hello, ma’am. Can I help you?”

Heng Xiaowen watched as the usual razzle-dazzle that surrounded Song Jiayi melted away in an instant as she took in the weariness that clung to the woman like a shroud. Song Jiayi’s expression softened.

“Hello miss,” she said. “I’m a wandering taoist passing through. I heard that your family has suffered a streak of misfortune recently, I wanted to offer some protective talismans.”

The woman’s expression shuttered. “No, thank you.” She started to pull the door closed.

“One moment!” Song Jiayi said. “I don’t ask for payment, food, or lodging.”

The woman paused, but remained dubious.

Song Jiayi made a series of quick gestures with her hand and a glowing mote of light drifted up from her palm. “My abilities are genuine,” she assured.

The woman’s eyes followed the light rise up through the air and float away on the wind. She looked back to Song Jiayi. “Come inside, I’ll fetch Madame Jin.”

The young woman brought them inside to a sitting room before disappearing upstairs.

It was without a doubt the nicest room Heng Xiaowen had been in since he woke up here. Afternoon light shone through carved windows, casting intricate patterns against dark wood walls. There was a beautiful rug that Heng Xiaowen felt like he wasn’t allowed to stand on, and benches upholstered in delicate embroidery he absolutely shouldn’t be allowed to sit on. In the center of the room there was a wooden table polished to a glasslike shine.

Ling Hong clearly felt the same, lingering awkwardly in the entryway with him.

Song Jiayi lacked their inhibition. She did a lap of the room, examining the calligraphy hung on the walls, humming to herself absently.

“My daughter-in-law says that a taoist priest has come to pay us a visit.”

Heng Xiaowen and Ling Hong both startled, whipping around to see that an old woman in white had appeared behind them and they hurriedly bowed.

The old woman was imposing, despite her short stature. “Please,” she said, gesturing to the fancy benches. “Sit. My daughter-in-law will bring us tea in a moment.”

Song Jiayi bowed as well. “This humble taoist thanks Madame Jin for her hospitality.”

Liqiu Hua Sect took her invitation and Madame Jin lowered herself onto a bench across from them.

“You’re not priests,” Madame Jin began without preamble.

Song Jiayi smiled and cocked her head. “Hm?”

“Cultivators.” She raised a hand and wiggled her fingers. “My daughter-in-law described your little display at our doorstep. Rogues, I assume.”

“Ah, Madame Jin is very astute. This one is Song Jiayi of Liqiu Hua Sect, and these are my disciples Heng Xiaowen and Ling Hong.”

“I take it that you’re here about the deaths of my sons.”

Heng Xiaowen resisted wincing. Straight to business with this lady.

Song Jiayi nodded. “Yes, Madame.”

Madame Jin hummed considerately. She stared them down, her face not betraying a flicker of emotion.

After an uncomfortable silence, the young woman from earlier came into the room holding a tray and set it down on the table. She kneeled and poured tea wordlessly, distributing the cups to Madame Jin and her guests.

“Thank you, A-Ning,” Madame Jin said, not looking at her.

The young woman dipped her head and left the room.

Madame Jin took a sip of tea and set her cup down on the table. “I have no interest in your talismans,” she said. “But I would like to request your assistance.”

“Liqiu Hua Sect would be honored to offer aid in any way we can. What is it that Madame Jin seeks assistance with?”

A faint smile appeared on Madame Jin’s face. “I need you to catch a horse.”