"I'm Liu Buzhi," the Wraith said as he took a seat across from Pia.

Early morning light cut across his face, giving her a clear view of his features. Pia first took in the wideset face and fair skin. His perfectly groomed brows accentuated his lazily slanted bright eyes. The curve of his mouth naturally tilted up, giving him a roguish appearance.

Somewhat dumbstruck and slow, she gave a hand gesture of respect. "I'm Pia."

He gave her an easy, broad smile, friendly and welcoming. It almost made her hackles rise at just how easy-going it seemed.

As she picked up the teapot to pour him a cup, she snuck further glances at Buzhi. The man's hair was braided in multiple ways, all gathered and tied back at the base of his skull with a silver crownpiece. Even his robes were beautiful, dark green, embroidered with blue and white dragons across his sleeves.

"So, how are you liking being a Wraith?" he drawled, taking the cup of tea she offered.

Her head tilted to the side at the peculiar question.

"Well, I only found out last night. So far, it's been…underwhelming?" she said honestly.

His canines peeked out over his teacup as he chuckled.

"Ah, yes. Our reticent Master Ruwe. He's really got a penchant for holding back on us, doesn't he?" he commiserated.

Pia lit up. Finally, something she could latch onto.

"Exactly! I've been with him for over three years, and I've only just found out something about our sect."

He laughed and set his teacup down.

"Three years is quick! I knew him for over a decade before I learned his name."

Pia laughed, and some of the tension she'd been holding onto since she'd woken, alone and on the precipice of change, slid away. Master Ruwe had left her a coin purse and a note—"Have heart."

Folding her belongings into her pack, Pia had grabbed her bag and her sword and dashed out, down the street to the stable. Only Tudou had greeted her with a soft nicker. The stablemaster informed her that the stall had been paid for, but her Master had left at dawn.

With heavy feet and an even heavier heart, Pia had trudged back to Teabreeze and sat in the tea parlor, waiting for her new Wraith partner to meet her. As she waited, drinking tea and snacking on warm osmanthus cakes, her worries had doubled and multiplied further.

What would the Wraith be like? Master Ruwe had only given her a secretive smile and changed the subject the night prior. Would he be surly? A lump? Maybe he'd be cranky and stern. Or crazy and chaotic.

Looking back at Buzhi, she felt reassured that her Master had paired her with a decent partner.

"I see he also prefers the lifeless fashion for his men, err, women too," Buzhi said, pointing to Pia's robes.

She looked down, then blushed.

"Actually, I picked these out," she admitted. Then, added defensively, "They're durable and efficient while still comfortable."

"Oh, darling, we are going to fix that," Buzhi said, a horrified look on his face. He gestured to his robes, "My clothes are all that plus elegant. Life is meant to be enjoyed! Being a martial artist doesn't have to mean you throw all fashion sense off the mountain!"

The passion in his voice took her aback. Awkwardly fiddling with her teacup, she let out a small laugh. Surely, he wasn't really that concerned with fashion and appearance?

"Really, it's not a problem. I'm fine with what I'm wearing…"

His hand came up, stopping her.

"No, no, we'll save that discussion for later," He paused to drop some coins on the table, "Are you ready to go? I've got some business to take care of before we leave Caihe."

Nodding, Pia lifted her pack and sword, indicating she was ready.

He clapped his hands together, beaming.

"Perfect," he said, rising to his feet in a fluid motion that made his robes flutter into place. "Walk with me."

The two walked out into the street. Pia gritted her teeth at the instant chaos that greeted them.

Outside of Teabreeze, the streets were filled with people. Teabreeze wasn't in as busy an area as the main street of Caihe, but it still felt overwhelming to Pia. The sheer buzz of sound took her a second to process. But Buzhi wasn't waiting for her, already moving briskly through the stream of people. Throwing her pack around her shoulder, Pia hurried after him.

Swirls of silken dresses, the overwhelming scent of perfumed sachets, and the drone of voices cascaded over her. Keeping her eye on Buzhi's green robes gave her something to focus on amidst the chaos.

"Is this your first time in Caihe?" he asked once she caught up.

"Yes," she told him, leaning closer to him as a group of women passed by, almost bumping into her.

"Ah to be young again," Buzhi said with a happy sigh. Pia looked at him sharply. He didn't look that much older than her. Maybe in his late twenties?

They walked down the road, past the stables, toward a group of shops clustered on the right. Buzhi, without pause, was heading straight for the store on the end. Gazing upward, Pia saw it read 'Hua Finery' on the sign. It seemed to be a jewelry and accessories store?

He paused suddenly, turning his head side to side as if listening. He perked up as if he heard something that excited him. The look he gave her made her shrink back slightly in wariness. Buzhi sported a wild gleam in his eye.

"Tuck your sword in your belt," he instructed, and while she did that, somewhat reluctantly, he took her pack from her. Placing a rune on it, he shrunk it, handing it back to her.

"Put that inside your robes."

Bewildered, Pia did as instructed. What was he up to? Her eyes narrowed at him, but he only gave her a bright, playful smile.

"We're going into this shop. Play along," Buzhi forewarned, then threw his arm around her shoulders, tugged her to his side, and swept them into the store.

Instantly, she went rigid with shock at the unexpected familiarity. It was only his words that stayed her arm from elbowing him in the ribs.

The interior of the store was well light and inviting. Joss sticks burned around the store, leaving a pleasing scent of citrus and vanilla. Boxes holding fine jewels, necklaces, hairpins, earrings, and rings were fashionably displayed for buyers.

An extended counter sat against the back wall, where a man in light blue robes watched them suspiciously.

"Oh, darling, just look at these jewels," Buzhi said with awe, spreading his arm wide and sweeping his sleeve dramatically. His eyes sparkled as they took in all the finery.

Internally, Pia cringed at his affectionate words.

They walked to the center display, a round table with multiple loose jewels in boxes lined with soft velvet. Pia was impressed by the quality. Large, refined, and polished blue sapphires lay beside emeralds and phoenix diamonds. This store was certainly for a high-end clientele. She was afraid to even touch the boxes for fear of leaving oily smudges behind.

Her eyes slid to Buzhi, wondering what exactly they were doing here. The hand on her shoulder tightened, and she realized he was waiting for her to say something.

What tone was she supposed to take? Uncertain, Pia's mind raced. There'd been a tone to his voice, almost an edge…Taking a chance, she went for it.

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"Hmm. I saw all these last season…" she murmured, fingers trailing over the edge of the box holding an egg-shaped topaz. Rubbing her fingers together as if it were beneath her, she pouted, her voice dropping into an almost whine. "I was expecting something a bit more…impressive."

Buzhi's hand lightly patted her shoulder. She'd guessed correctly.

"Yes, that's true. These are pretty little trinkets, but I'd feel almost a beggar in these," he said, voice regretful.

His fingers plucked a large phoenix diamond, holding it to the light. In the light, the fire that burned within blazed to life, showing blues and reds, yellows and greens. Pia's throat caught in her throat at the magnificence.

Buzhi casually dropped it back onto the pile as if it were a bauble. Schooling her face, Pia tried not to show her dismay at his casual disregard for the small fortune he'd tossed aside.

He shocked her further by spinning her under his arm and turning her to face him. His hands clasped hers, and Pia's wide eyes met his playful ones. She felt something slide onto her fingers as he held them tightly.

What in the heavens!? She bit her cheek, forcing herself to not react out of instinct.

He pulled her hand up to his face, pressing it against his cheek, now adorned with a large ring set with a heavy sapphire, saying, "I so hoped to be able to celebrate our first anniversary with a gift worthy of our bond!"

The play on words helped break her mortification, and she didn't know if she wanted to laugh or punch him.

The shopkeeper cleared his throat. Pia and Buzhi turned their heads to look at him. Feeling utterly embarrassed, Pia's cheeks flushed with warmth.

He was a keen-eyed, middle-aged man with a wolf's grin. Seeing it made her want to drop her hand to her sword hilt. It took all her resolve to stay relaxed. Tension pooled in her shoulders. Just what was Buzhi playing at?

"You've got discerning eyes, my friend," he said, greeting Buzhi respectfully. His eyes cut to Pia; she could almost see his mind whirring with what to say to snag them as a customer. He said, "Surely a woman as, uh, refined as this couldn't lower herself to our display items. Perhaps the lady would prefer our private collection?"

His eyes fell on their hands, where 'her' ring was put on open display. In the open light, the sapphire emitted soft blue light. It was twice as beautiful as the ones the shopkeeper had on display. Pia couldn't begin to imagine where Buzhi had gotten something like it.

Pia's eyes flicked up to Buzhi, who beamed at the man. Now what? she wondered.

Rubbing her hand between his, Buzhi affectionately said, "That would be perfect. Wouldn't it, darling?"

He was really laying it on thick, Pia thought darkly.

Gritting her teeth, Pia said, "Absolutely perfect, darling."

The shopkeeper grinned, bowed, and then gestured for them to follow him to the back room. As Buzhi and Pia sat at the table, the man ducked through another doorway, probably getting his private collection.

Alone, Pia yanked her hand back from Buzhi.

"What're you doing?" she whispered.

He winked at her, resting a hand atop his palm on the table.

"Business." He placed his finger against his lips, and seconds later, the man returned with a jewelry tray. Buzhi straightened, leaning over the table to look closely at the items.

If she'd been awestruck before, she was stunned to see what the man had now. These were…out of this realm.

A massive Blood Ruby, set in a silver choker. A necklace made of fat moon-white pearls. A black hairpin that oozed a murky spiritual power. Three items, but each would be considered priceless in any market.

Her fingers reached for the hairpin almost without thought. It pulled her in, just asking to be picked up. In her fingers, it vibrated, and the power it exuded tingled her fingertips. She shivered and placed it back on the tray.

"I see your woman has good taste, indeed," the shopkeeper proudly said.

"Indeed," Buzi murmured, eyes locked on the tray.

"What's the price?" he asked, meeting the shopkeep's eyes.

The shopkeeper's wolf grin returned.

"Items such as these, really, they have no price," he said, pulling the tray back to him. "I'd be hard-pressed to part with these treasures…"

Buzhi's lips curled up, and he leaned back in his seat, arm casually going behind Pia. It was clear the shopkeeper was wheedling.

"It sounds like there is a price you have in mind."

"Eight million silver for the choker. Ten million for the pearl necklace. Twenty-five for the hairpin," the man said confidently. Suddenly, there was no pretense about what he expected.

Pia's eyes almost popped out of her skull. Even for rare items, that was an insane amount of money. No one would be able to afford that.

"What about forty million flat?" Buzhi bartered.

He looked away from the shopkeeper as if bored. Idly, his hand wandered to Pia's hair, fiddling with her braid. Pia knew it was an act of pretend indifference, but the spontaneous intimacy made her skin crawl. She shifted in her seat, feeling antsy.

"We don't barter on priceless items," the shopkeeper said, voice cold and furious.

It was clear he felt insulted that someone might barter on rare items. Yet Pia saw a glint in his eye and knew it was a cover. He was surprised to have been offered such a high starting price, and greed made him insist on more.

She let out a sigh, more genuine than pretend, and reached up to grab Buzhi's hand, clasping it in both her own. Turning in her seat to look solely at him, Pia said, "We can always go back to the other shop? I did like that Dragon tooth hair comb…"

Adding a bit of petulance to her voice stirred the shopkeeper. He coughed loudly behind her, catching their attention. Pia hid a smirk that threatened to break free.

"Forty might work…Let me run the numbers," he said quickly.

Turing his back, the man grabbed an abacus from the shelf and began calculating a total. Buzhi gave Pia a sly grin and winked at her.

The shopkeeper wrote out an invoice for them, and Buzhi got to work filling it out. He handed the man an official seal for the paperwork from his inner robe. Her brows rose in shock. Was he really going to pay forty million silvers!?

The shopkeeper was practically drooling as he pressed his thumb into the red ink, stamped his fingerprint, and handed it to Buzhi to add his. Buzhi tugged a coin purse from his robes and gave it to the man when the paperwork was signed.

The shopkeeper frowned upon seeing the small bag. Tugging the tray back to him, he opened the moneybag with suspicious eyes. Those eyes quickly turned to astonishment. Reaching inside, the man pulled out piles of bank notes. Pia was sure she saw him actually drool as he counted them out.

Her eyes slid back to Buzhi, who was sitting there calmly, a small smile plastered on his lips. She couldn't imagine having that kind of money! Or being so casual at spending it...On jewelery.

When the shopkeeper finished counting them, he bowed deeply to Buzhi and returned the coin purse to Buzhi.

"I am honored to be of service. If you ever need a new piece, please consider Hua's Finery in the future. Let me wrap these for you."

Buzhi respectfully returned the bow and then plucked the black hairpin from the tray.

"Wrap the other two. The lady wants to wear this one."

The shopkeeper nodded and left the room once more to get boxes for the remaining items.

Buzhi turned to Pia, twirling the hairpin in his grip. He frowned, then tucked the pin in his own hair.

"Let's fix this first…" he muttered.

To Pia's surprise, he turned her face away and then began plucking at her hair. He undid the leather that tied her hair in two and began undoing her braids.

"What're you doing?" she protested, trying to turn back and stop him.

He tugged the hair in his hands, forcing her to stop.

"Just wait," he demanded.

When the braids were undone, he began to plait her hair once more. She could feel the slide and shifting of hair against her neck, which confused her. Was he only braiding part of it?

Then, he twisted the ends of her hair up and slid the black hairpin in to hold it in place.

"Perfect," he said happily. "The hairpin fits you splendidly."

Pia looked over her shoulder as her hand went to the crown of her head. From the feel, he'd braided two sections of hair, then twisted them into a bun, letting the rest of her hair hang free. It felt so strange after seventeen years of braiding all her hair back.

The shopkeeper returned before she could say anything. He boxed the other two items, thanked them for their patronage five more times, and then they left.

Once back on the street and halfway down the road, Pia stopped and crossed her arms.

"What was that?" she asked.

Throwing his arm around her shoulder, Buzhi pushed her on.

"Let's not stop now. Time to get our mounts and head out of town."

The hurry in his voice made her twice as suspicious.

"What's the hurry?"

"Oh, just that in about thirty minutes, the shopkeeper will realize he has forty million tea leaves instead of silver."

A surprised laugh fell from her lips.

"Tea leaves?"

"I was in a hurry when I made the replication rune!"

The two hurried as quickly as possible to the stables. Pia quickly set about readying Tudou while Buzhi got his mount.

"What was that about?" she asked, briefly reaching up to touch the hairpin in her hair. It still felt the same—an odd spiritual power that felt oily and thick to her touch. Her fingers still tingled to touch it.

"It really was business. I was just looking for the Spirit Pearls. The other two were just a lucky find."

"I barely know you, and already you've conned me into thievery," she said, and though the words were chastising, they were full of humor.

Shaking her head as she tightened Tudou's girth she couldn't help her lips from twitching as she thought the encounter over again.

Defensively, Buzhi replied, "These items were already stolen. Technically, I am retrieving them from previous wrongful acquisitions."

She laughed again, feeling a strange sense of exhilaration. Done with Tudou's tack, she led him out of the stall. In the aisle, Buzhi and his mount stood ready. His horse was a stunning black gelding, with four white stockings and a white blaze down his face.

"Wow," Pia couldn't help but say. "He's stunning."

Grinning, Buzhi said, "This is Shuai. You might not guess, but your Tudou and he are half-brothers."

Pia looked at Tudou, his all-brown color, small stature, and warm brown eyes. He was perfect in her eyes, but…brothers? The two looked nothing alike.

"Someday, I'd like to see the Shun family home," she sighed with longing.

Buzhi vaulted into his saddle with ease, and Pia followed suit, settling onto Tudou's back. It always felt like home to her.

"We'll take the eastern gate. Don't look stressed. We'll ride slowly until we're out of sight of the city. Once we're clear, we'll ride hard to put distance between us. He'll likely not cause too much trouble, but it's better to lean on the side of caution."

Pia nodded, and the two rode out of the stable, heading east.

Her eyes wandered the city, wondering if her actions with Buzhi would make traveling back to Caihe difficult in the future. Ruwe wasn't joking when he said his Wraiths were chaos agents. Shaking her head ruefully, Pia nudged Tudou to ride beside Shuai, her eyes raking over her new Wraith partner.

Just what had Master Ruwe gotten her into?

As if he sensed her thoughts, Buzhi turned to meet her stare. Giving her one of his easy grins, he said, "So, first day as a Wraith. How's it feel?"

Dryly, Pia said, "Chaotic." She didn't even need to think about it. Totally chaotic and thrillingly confusing.

He laughed with delight and she couldn't help but feel a thrill at his response. Maybe the man wasn't so sensible, but he undoubtedly wasn't dull.