A large black dog seemed to hover just over the ground, shifting in the air while its paws hung unconcerned.

Its voice was even and young, gentle in a way that came off undeniably kind. Seemingly speaking to someone who couldn't matter more.

"I may forget everything. I may forget your name. I may forget your face. But I won't forget that you're here. I won't forget to come home. I promise."

•••

Yun-Qiu was raising and dropping his hooves in boredom. Beside him, Xue Huayu's frosty steed was doing very little better. As Yun-Qiu tap danced his time away, Qing Xiashu heaved a long sigh. His hair, loose and trailing down his back, didn't improve his grouchy image.

They were all tired.

The ride had been long.

Everyone ached.

The bridge they were waiting for was slowly lowering, taking its sweet time in allowing them to enter the compound.

Yenie Mi was the largest enclosed city east of the wilds. And possibly west of the wilds as well.

It was also the most meticulously monitored.

The power house of staple crops as it was, it had to be. The only people inside the city that didn't require an invitation of work or visitation were those born inside.

And checking those invitations was frankly an outrageously long process.

No one enjoyed it.

Even Hefeng was pacing.

"Beifang Gongzhu. Qing Xiashu."

Qing Xiashu's eyes lit up like the world had finally given him an ounce of mercy. "Liming Yingxiong!" He chirped, twisting in his saddle to peer back towards the man cautiously approaching. His spirit beast too yapped happily, bounding over to the young man for pats.

"What are you doing all the way down here?" Yin Liming asked as he stepped into line alongside Qing Xiashu. Seemingly still wary of Xue Huayu's temper.

"Ah, this is the place where the Southern sect leader tends to meet Xue Shixiong for diplomacy talks."

"The Northern king is here?"

"Not yet, he had business elsewhere so he'll be arriving later today."

The North was currently left in the hands of a select few senior disciples. As well as Hei Xianying, not that her hands held much responsibility... But she kept everyone honest, especially the jiejies that cared for her.

"Should I make myself scarce when he arrives?" Yin Liming asked, tugging on his hood lightly.

"I wouldn't say so. He probably wouldn't be opposed to meeting the one who gave us so much trouble."

"Ah, but won't he be irritated?"

"He only has two modes, snide anger and perfectly peaceful. I don't think your crimes warrant rage." Qing Xiashu chuckled as the bridge finally landed and allowed them across.

"Why does this place have to be so well fortified every time?" Xue Huayu grumbled, clicking her tongue to urge the horses onward.

"It's the capital of tea and rice production, not just in the South but for everything this side of the wilds, destroying it could destroy the Southern economy."

"Of course."

"So knowledgeable." Yin Liming laughed as he walked with them. "What are these diplomacy talks over anyway?"

"What to trade, what to tax, whether or not one of us wants to blow the other up, that sort of thing." The princess said with a dramatic little shrug.

"I see..."

Qing Xiashu cut in before Xue Huayu could fill the man's head with more tomfoolery. "Largely what's discussed is how to interact with each other. If we wanted to close our borders this would be the time to say it. There will be at least one Eastern royal, us, and the Southern Citadel's sect leader."

"Who do you think we'll get from the East this time?" Xue Huayu wondered.

"Probably one of the middling princesses and the youngest prince, it's about time they start training him in how to handle these talks."

The Northern princess shuddered. "For such a large family they are all exactly the same. Blueprints of their parents..."

"They do all seem to behave in suspiciously identical ways, it certainly is odd." Qing Xiashu said with a nod. "I would have assumed there would be more variation, but maybe they just have a really solid image. You and Xue Shixiong behave almost identically towards the public as well."

"Yes but we're so different from each other."

"That's my point. Maybe they're different behind closed doors."

Xue Huayu rolled her eyes into the back of her skull. "We'll see half way through the meeting when they show up."

"Oh come now, they're not usually that late."

"When they show up at all..."

Yin Liming tipped his head curiously. "Are they often late?"

"Every time." Xue Huayu sighed. "They can get away with it too because they're so powerful. Wealth, status, martial power. They've really got it all."

"Maybe this is my peasant view, but I'm pretty sure you also have it all." Yin Liming chuckled as he stepped out in front of their horses to hand the officer working the gates his sword as identification.

"The North is practically financially destitute compared to the South and East. The only thing sustaining our borders is the shaky peace crossed with geography. And the threat of our specialization mastery. Personal wealth is one thing, but as a nation, the economy is much more fragile." Qing Xiashu explained before handing the officer a small stack of parchment with their invitations.

"And the peace is shaky." The princess added. "It doesn't help that the Southern sect leader has it out for us."

Qing Xiashu heaved a hopelessly long sigh. "She is difficult, it's true... but she keeps otherwise bland meetings interesting, so I guess one must give her credit there."

"She's spicy. Not in a fun way." Xue Huayu clarified for their friend.

The head disciple piped up at this, very ready to bother his sister. "And pray tell, what is the fun way Xue Xiaojie?"

"Silence." She hissed, threatening to toss a kongjian pouch at him.

Instead Qing Xiashu ducked down to retrieve the papers as they were waved through the gates. Hefeng pranced along between Yin Liming and her owner, looking all too thrilled by the rogue's presence.

He didn't blame her, it was fascinating to have such a common character of the dreams before him. There were simply far too many questions that he was forced not to ask.

"The tea is so strong." Yin Liming noted as he took a deep breath, taking in the scent of the camellia fields.

"Mm! Scents are so strong here in the South, flavors too." Qing Xiashu hummed happily, pulling his loose hair up into the ponytail it usually resided in.

Yin Liming huffed a small laugh before smiling up at him. "Your pallet is weak."

"Not so!" The head disciple scoffed in mock offense. Not that it wasn't true per se, he just remained in denial.

"Why are you even here, Liming Yingxiong?" Xue Huayu asked with another long suffering sigh.

"They commissioned me. I figured I should try to stay on this side of the border unless I'm directly commissioned. That way I won't take yours."

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"Oo what's the commission?" Qing Xiashu twisted in his saddle just to ignore the upcoming boredom.

"Don't tell him, it'll distract him from the meeting."

Blatantly disregarding Xue Huayu's warning, Yin Liming told them anyway. "They're pretty sure they have a chitang long."

"Fascinating!" Xue Huayu said in mock enthusiasm before dropping her expression again. "I doubt that so much."

Qing Xiashu furrowed his brow for a moment.

Chitang long are enormous.

Not to mention capable of flight.

They were often rumored to be the servants of the wind and sea god. And while Feng Xianshen had been supposedly slacking recently, it hadn't had any adverse effects on the chitang long thus far.

There was little reason for one of these heaven tied beasts to stay inside an enclosed compound.

"Is there a large enough body of water for a chitang long to even survive here?"

Yin Liming nodded. "The rice patties. The message said they've lost an entire terrace of rice because they weren't able to harvest it in time."

"It would have to be a young thing. Only a few years old probably."

Perhaps it couldn't fly yet.

"Any wisdom for me?" The rogue asked with a warm smile, one Qing Xiashu found far too endearing.

"If it is a chitang long, it can be swayed to move bodies of water with some sweet rice cakes and a few gentle words. They typically aren't aggressive unless someone is making a mess or otherwise disorganizing things on their territory."

"Neat freaks." Xue Huayu huffed, rolling her eyes again as she lightly tapped her heels into the sides of the horse to leave them behind. They'd visited Yenie Mi often enough that Qing Xiashu was reasonably sure she knew where she was going.

"How soon do you need to be somewhere?"

Yin Liming raised a brow before shrugging. "I should visit the city center before supper but nowhere before that."

"Then let's catch up a little." Qing Xiashu chirped as he swung himself out of his saddle and handed his reins to one of the disciples that was headed to the inn. "Would you take Yun-Qiu please?"

"Yes, Shixiong."

"Thank you." His attention quickly returned to Yin Liming as Hefeng lined up beside her owner so he'd pat her head. "Were you able to drop off the wyrm?"

"Mn, I did." The hero said with a light nod. "Did you two manage to track down that fae?"

Qing Xiashu let out a half hearted chuckle. "Not even a trace of him. Not in the village or the surrounding villages."

"It is strange isn't it? Two Western beasts blew into the same town at nearly the same time."

"Very, but rumors about Feng Xianshen being out of sorts have been prevalent for decades now. Perhaps that's related. Wild winds could give rise to both situations. Many fae have wings and feathered wyrms are long distance flyers."

"I wonder what could have caused it."

"The winds? Little more than temperature shifts I suspect."

"No, the god's distress. I've heard a lot about that myself, people have complaints everywhere. I visited the Oceanic City State once and they were convinced that was the reason for the appearance of the dead sea."

Qing Xiashu rolled his eyes. "Right, or nature is shifting, things people don't understand always turn into godly rumors."

"You don't believe in the gods?"

"I don't believe they are gods." Qing Xiashu clarified carefully. "But I don't doubt there is someone who fits the description of each."

"Do you believe in the minor deities?"

"Of course. But again, what constitutes godhood?"

Yin Liming squinted while he thought about it for a moment. "Perhaps humanity doesn't need to know. Or maybe they've forgotten."

"Maybe so." With a slow tip of his head, Qing Xiashu left it with a shrug. "Do you worship one of the gods then?"

"Mn, I was brought up worshiping Shuang Xianjun."

"That's an odd one for Southerners to pray to..."

"It's an urban legend that he protected the town I was raised in from frost. Old habits die hard."

The head disciple found the wording strange there.

Ultimately he chose not to call this out.

But he certainly didn't forget.

Instead he indulged his own curiosity. "What are your prayer rituals?"

Yin Liming shrugged. "A portion of specific meals is handed out to wild animals."

"Really?" Qing Xiashu questioned. "How did that come about?"

"Mn, I think that's the terrace they lost." The hero said as he gestured to an overgrown terrace of rice that was far beyond harvesting.

A dodged answer?

How suspicious...

Again Qing Xiashu would let it go for now.

Best not to act prematurely anyway.

"It does seem to be." He acknowledged, tucking his hands into his sleeves and holding them up a bit to cover his mouth. "Are you going to deal with it now?"

"No." Yin Liming decided simply, turning and walking further down the large roads that seemed to coat the entire compound. "If I dove in now I'd probably lose my bargaining chips on keeping the commission price where it was promised."

"I see."

Hefeng wandered ahead of them down the paved path. Qing Xiashu figured she was probably searching for a stick, so he decided to go and pick one up. She would inevitably take a pass back towards them in her search where he could give it to her. He threw it for her when she approached.

Tentatively, Qing Xiashu chose to take the plunge. "Were you from the citadel?"

It took almost too long for Yin Liming to decide to answer. "I was."

"Were you there that night?"

"Must not have been." The hero answered simply before again changing the subject on a dime. "Your dog is sweet."

Seems they'd already reached the limit.

Compliance seemed the best route for now.

"Isn't she? She's very cute."

"Is she any help while hunting?"

"Eh, that really depends. She's still young." Qing Xiashu explained, grinning. "She's handy for tracking but her teeth haven't come into full use yet. You know guai hounds, they don't mature until seven."

"I don't know guai hounds." The hero chuckled.

"Really? They're fantastic. They can smell anything suspicious and have resistance to a lot of--"

Bells rung in the distance, signaling the approach of someone of a much higher class than the usual guests.

"Ah-! I have a feeling that's more likely to be Shixiong than the Eastern royals, I'll see you later! Hefeng come on then!"

Yin Liming sent them off with a small wave before Qing Xiashu lost sight of him. As expected, it was in fact Xue Feiyi who was arriving. The usual blue ribbons in the man's hair were replaced with white. As was the tradition for the two kings that narrowly survived the death trap at the citadel any time they entered the Southern borders.

"Respectful mourning" was what Xue Feiyi had called it. "Mourning out of socially demanded sensitivity" is what Qing Xiashu called it.

"Qing Shidi, good afternoon."

"Good afternoon, Xue Shixiong." Qing Xiashu threw a quick salute into the mix just for appearances sake.

"I take it that I managed to arrive in time for the conference."

"Mm, indeed Shixiong, and even if you hadn't, you certainly beat out the Eastern royals."

"That is far too low a bar to consider an accomplishment." The Northern king decided flatly.

Qing Xiashu laughed softly but straightened politely. "If you'd like to stop at the inn we'll have an hour or so left before we're needed at the conference."

"Very well." Walking beside Xue Feiyi's massive steed was far less chatter filled than walking with Yin Liming, but Qing Xiashu found it supremely comfortable nonetheless.

"Xue Shixiong, did you ever meet someone named Yin Liming at the Ying Citadel before it froze?"

There was a small hitch in Xue Feiyi's breath that was played off as a thoughtful sigh.

It did not go unnoticed.

"Not that I can recall." The king said simply, fingers tightening on the reins of the black horse he was perched upon.

Could he be any more obvious?

Neither Yin Liming nor Xue Feiyi seemed keen on telling their seemingly well kept secrets surrounding the Ying Citadel's collapse.

It left Qing Xiashu to speculation, which was an undeniably dangerous game. Lest he come up with something worse than the truth.

Qing Xiashu, as he often did, shrugged it off for the time being.

He could revisit it at a later date.

Instead he followed his brother to the inn. A disciple very quickly swept over to take Xue Feiyi's horse as soon as he had dismounted, and allowed them to enter the building without fretting over the stables.

"Welcome Beifang Dianxia, Qing Shixiong." Another disciple announced as they entered.

"Where's Xue Xiaojie?"

"In her room." The disciple said as she gestured towards one area of the inn.

"Thank you." Xue Feiyi said with a gentle nod, turning to track down his sister and avoid the rest of the people in the building. "Remind me of the length of our stay?"

"It's just for tonight Shixiong." Qing Xiashu answered, watching out each window as they passed it, observing the flow of the people beyond the well kept courtyards. "Where were you Xue Shixiong?"

"Visiting an old friend." The king explained as he knocked on a door.

Qing Xiashu was unable to question further because the door flew open at record speeds.

"Da-ge!" Xue Huayu seemed more relieved than anything. "I was worried you'd miss the start of the conference."

The king chuckled and patted his sister's head. "Worried you wouldn't be able to handle opening without me, hm?"

As expected Xue Huayu scoffed. "No way, what else is Er-ge for?"

"Eh? Really? No other reason? Not cooking or keeping you alive? Just opening conferences?"

"Mhm!"

"Very well, I guess I'm not needed here, good day Beifang Dianxia, Beifang Gongzhu." Qing Xiashu saluted before turning on his heel to head down the hall.

"No! Wait! I'm sorry!" Xue Huayu squawked, grabbing hold of his arm. "Make dinner before you go."

"AH! Beifang Dianxia! Help! Slave labor! Illegal! I'm not being paid!" The head disciple complained as he was dragged backwards.

Xue Feiyi pointedly ignored any involvement, glancing away.

"Eh? Beifang Dianxia? No concern for your poor neglected citizens?" When he was given no reply Qing Xiashu puffed and finally caved. "...Shixiong."

"Oh, yes? Did you need something?" The king asked with a sly little smile.

"You big rat- Ah!"

Xue Huayu had slapped Qing Xiashu's shoulder. "Er-ge, your name ends in shu!"

"I think we can all agree it should have been she instead." Xue Feiyi chuckled softly as he turned to move into the enclosed courtyard between the two primary rooms in the building.

"What is with all the viper allegory lately?" Qing Xiashu asked with a click of his tongue, following Xue Feiyi like his shadow. "Besides, I think I would be a colubrid not a viper."

"Like a venomous mangrove snake?"

"No!"

This inn was almost exclusively used by Northern officials during conferences. The Eastern officials were reserved to another inn at the opposite side of the compound, not that they often used it. They often arrived late and would typically leave before the social portion of the conferences had even concluded.

This courtyard was specifically curated to their tastes. So of course they spent their free time there.

Xue Feiyi was the first to settle at the stone table in the center of the cooled courtyard. Large fir trees sheltered them partially from the beating Southern sun, leaving their environment dappled with splashes of warm light.

Tea already waited for them at the table.

Qing Xiashu re-brewed it.

Not one of them trusted the Yenie Mi staff.

"Meimei, have you memorized your portions?"

"Mm, of course I have." Xue Huayu huffed softly as she sipped the fresh tea. "I'm to report the nation's finances. And request a more extensive trade with the South to raise the intake of salt and fresh produce into the North in exchange for metal and meat."

"Good. And you?" Xue Feiyi turned his eyes on Qing Xiashu.

"I'm addressing the shift in Western beast presence."

"And?"

"And reporting Hei Xianying's addition to the royal family..." Qing Xiashu heaved a long sigh. "Are we certain that's necessary? She's so young and such an easy target..."

Xue Feiyi shook his head. "It's a requirement of the treaties. All members of the royal family must be reported at the conference immediately after their acquisition or birth."

Qing Xiashu grimaced. Unfortunately there was only so much he could argue with a sheet of paper older than the current Northern dynasty.

•●•