Changing the Dressing

Shen Jingchuan crouched beside the kang, his brows furrowed slightly. "Miss Lin, it's time to change your dressing."

Lin Qingyao lay on her stomach with her head on the pillow. At his words, her body stiffened slightly, and the tips of her ears turned red. She murmured,

"...It needs changing again?"

"It's been on all night. Keeping the wound covered for too long makes it prone to infection."

Outside the cave dwelling, Lin Yue idly scraped at the earth with a waist saber, widening the entrance, but he felt somewhat uneasy.

His younger sister had been wounded on the back. By rights, a female family member should be the one to undress her and change her dressing, but where were they to find one in these desolate mountains? Having a strange man change his sister's dressing would sound bad if word got out.

No matter how he looked at it, it bothered him. His sister was as lovely as a flower and as fair as jade, and their father, elder brother, and he himself had protected her for over a dozen years. Yet when Shen Jingchuan said it was time to change her dressing, he had to go outside and stay out of the way.

Lin Yue scratched his head and muttered,

"That brat's getting a lucky break."

Mutter as he might, he obediently stayed outside and worked.

Inside the cave dwelling, Shen Jingchuan lifted the quilt, revealing her fair shoulders and back. His gaze did not wander; his attention was fixed entirely on the wound.

Holding tweezers between his fingers, he used them to gently wipe around the edges of the wound with an iodophor-soaked cotton pad. His touch was so light that she felt almost no pain.

Lin Qingyao lay on the pillow with her face buried in the crook of her arm. She could feel his cool fingertips occasionally brush against her skin, and each touch made her heart tremble.

"Bear with it. I need to disinfect the middle," Shen Jingchuan warned softly.

The instant the cotton pad touched the wound, Lin Qingyao gave a muffled groan of pain, her fingertips tightening on the bedding.

"Tell me if it hurts. I'll go slower."

"...It doesn't hurt." She put on a brave front, but her voice trembled a little.

The corners of Shen Jingchuan's mouth lifted almost imperceptibly, and his hands moved even more slowly.

He disinfected the wound, sprinkled on medicinal powder, and bandaged it. "Done." He put away his tools, casually stowed the used supplies in his space, and covered her with the quilt.

"Try to stay on your stomach and move as little as possible."

Lin Qingyao's cheeks were as red as ripe peaches, and her gaze darted about, not daring to meet his.

"Th-thank you, Young Master Shen."

"It was no trouble."

Shen Jingchuan stood up and was just about to say something else when he heard the faint sound of hurried hoofbeats from the mountain road in the distance, mixed with the rumble of carriage wheels rolling over the yellow earth.

Lin Qingyao's eyes lit up. "It's Father and Eldest Brother!"

Lin Yue had heard them a moment earlier and hurried forward to meet them.

At the foot of the slope, three horses led the way, followed by a spacious passenger carriage covered with blue cloth. They arrived dusty from the road.

The man in the lead was about fifty, with a resolute face, a short beard beneath his chin, and eyes as sharp as an eagle's. A thick-backed goose-quill saber hung at his waist, and he carried himself with steady composure. He was Lin Weiyuan, chief escort of the Zhenyuan Escort Agency.

Beside him was a young man of twenty-seven or twenty-eight, tall and bearing a strong resemblance to Lin Yue, though his manner was more reserved. He was Lin Yue's elder brother, Lin Shan.

"Father! Eldest Brother!" Lin Yue went to meet them, a note of joy in his voice.

The carriage came to a stop at the foot of the slope. Lin Weiyuan swung down from his horse and hurried toward the cave dwelling, anxiety held in check in his voice.

"Where's Qingyao? How is she?"

"Her life's been saved, but she took a slash to the back. She's badly hurt."

Lin Yue spoke as he led the way. "It's all thanks to Young Master Shen here. He saved Qingyao."

Lin Weiyuan stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Shen Jingchuan, who stood at the cave entrance.

The young man was tall and upright, dressed in clothes of a peculiar style and wearing an odd-looking helmet. Still, he stood straight, and did not seem like an ordinary country dweller.

Lin Weiyuan was puzzled, but he cupped his fists in greeting, his tone solemn.

"I am Lin Weiyuan of the Zhenyuan Escort Agency. Thank you, Young Master Shen, for saving my daughter's life. I shall never forget your great kindness as long as I live."

Lin Shan cupped his fists as well. "I am Lin Shan. Thank you, Young Master Shen."

Shen Jingchuan copied them and cupped his fists. He was still wondering why the etiquette of these ancient people was so complicated, but he said, "You're too kind, Chief Escort Lin. It was only a small favor."

"You're too modest, Young Master Shen."

Lin Weiyuan said no more. Anxious to see his daughter, he turned and headed into the cave dwelling.

"I'll go see my daughter first."

Lin Shan and Lin Yue followed close behind.

Inside the cave dwelling, Lin Weiyuan saw that although his daughter was pale, her spirits were fairly good. The heart that had hung in suspense finally settled back into place.

"Father, Eldest Brother, neither of you was hurt, were you?" Lin Qingyao lay on the pillow, her voice soft.

"Your brother and I are both mostly fine. Let's get back to the city first. We'll talk when we're home."

Lin Weiyuan nodded, then turned to Lin Shan.

"Shan'er, carry your sister to the carriage. I've already had them lay thick, soft cushions inside."

"All right."

Lin Shan went to the kang and carefully helped his sister up. Lin Qingyao hissed in pain, and a fine layer of sweat appeared on her forehead.

"Slowly, slowly," Lin Weiyuan cautioned from the side.

Lin Shan moved very gently, taking his sister onto his back and stooping as he carried her out of the cave dwelling.

Shen Jingchuan was the last to leave, putting away the things in the cave dwelling before coming out.

Lin Weiyuan stroked the beard beneath his chin, his gaze lingering on Shen Jingchuan for a moment.

He had spent half his life escorting shipments and had met countless people. From the first time he saw Shen Jingchuan, he had felt that the man's clothes were unusual, and that his speech and conduct were quite different from those of the locals.

The attack a few days ago, when men in black had intercepted them and tried to kill them in the street, still weighed on his mind. Now that he had encountered this strange man, he could no longer suppress his doubts and had to ask for a clear answer.

He bowed slightly, carefully choosing his words.

"Young Master Shen, I have a presumptuous question. I hope you won't take offense."

Shen Jingchuan raised his eyes to look at him and nodded slightly. "Please, ask whatever you wish, Chief Escort Lin."

"Your clothes and the way you conduct yourself seem quite different from those of the people around here,"

Lin Weiyuan said, choosing his words carefully.

"May I ask where you are originally from, and how you came to find yourself here?"

Shen Jingchuan had already made up his story. He replied,

"All I remember is that I came from a very distant land across the sea to do business. Some days ago, I had an accident on the way and injured my head. I can no longer remember many things clearly, and I lost contact with my clan. After wandering from place to place, I ended up here. I happened to come across your daughter being ambushed, so I drew my blade and helped her."

Lin Weiyuan pondered this inwardly. He had seen the methods of those men in black a few days ago, and they were nothing like the composed bearing of the Young Master Shen before him.

Hearing him say that he was a merchant from overseas also explained his strange clothes. Most of his doubts immediately vanished, though the caution customary to an escort remained, and he did not dare set them entirely aside.

He promptly cupped his fists and smiled.

"I see. You came from far across the sea, Young Master, yet you still stepped forward to save my daughter's life. No one in the Lin family will ever forget such great kindness."

"Young Master Shen,"

Lin Weiyuan cupped his fists again.

"We owe you a great deal this time. If you have no pressing business, I would like to invite you to return with us to Yuxi Prefecture. It isn't far, and we can show you a little hospitality."

Those were precisely the words Shen Jingchuan had been waiting for.

He had been worrying about where to go. The Lin family had offered an invitation of their own accord; nothing could be better.

"Then I'll trouble you, Chief Escort Lin."

He offered a perfectly measured smile.

"To tell you the truth, I'm new to this place and know neither the people nor the area. I was just worrying about having nowhere to go."

"You're too polite, Young Master Shen. You saved Qingyao's life. Stay at my home for as long as you like." Lin Weiyuan smiled heartily.

The group walked down the slope, preparing to board the carriage.

Shen Jingchuan walked at the back. He looked down at his clothes, then touched the helmet on his head, muttering inwardly that his outfit really was too conspicuous.

When he reached the carriage, he stopped and said to Lin Weiyuan,

"Chief Escort Lin, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

"Please, Young Master Shen."

"My clothes are rather different from yours. I'm afraid they'll cause trouble when we enter the prefectural city."

Shen Jingchuan pointed to his clothes. "Could you lend me an outer garment? Nothing fancy; something to cover me will do."

Lin Weiyuan was taken aback for a moment, then slapped his forehead.

"Oh, I didn't think of that! Yue'er, don't you have a new set of blue-green martial clothes in your bundle? Take it out and let Young Master Shen try it on."

Lin Yue assented and rummaged through a camphorwood chest on the carriage. He took out a neatly folded set of blue-green brocade martial clothes, along with a pair of black trousers.

"Young Master Shen, I had these made a little while ago and haven't worn them yet. Try them on and see if they fit."

Lin Yue handed them over. "We're about the same height and build, so they should fit."

Shen Jingchuan took them. They felt smooth in his hands and were indeed made of fine fabric, not coarse cloth or hemp. The chief escort's second son naturally wore good clothes.

He went around behind the carriage and pulled the martial clothes on over his stab-proof vest without taking it off.

The vest was close-fitting to begin with, so with the brocade martial clothes over it, he looked only slightly bulky, and his build seemed somewhat more muscular.

After changing his outer clothes, he took off his helmet.

He stuffed the helmet into his backpack and shifted the pack farther behind him, trying to make it look less conspicuous.

Although he was wearing ancient-style martial clothes, the strange, bulging backpack on his back still looked a little out of place. Even so, it was much better than the bizarre outfit he had worn before.

"Young Master Shen, are you done changing?"

Lin Yue came over and looked him up and down, his eyes brightening. "Hey, it actually fits pretty well! It's just that your bag... looks a little strange."

"I brought this bag from home. I'm used to it," Shen Jingchuan improvised.

Lin Yue asked no more. There were many strange and extraordinary people in the jianghu, and prying too deeply into what others did not wish to discuss was taboo.

"Get in the carriage, Young Master Shen. We need to enter the prefectural city before the gates close."