Her Brother Comes Looking

Lin Yue and his two companions reined in their horses at the sound and looked back, their faces showing surprise. Lin Yue cupped his fists, his voice deep and resonant:

"What can I do for you, Young Master Shen?" He had spent nearly ten years escorting goods and was used to being called Escort Chief. Hearing someone suddenly address him as "young master" felt a little awkward, but he thought no more of it.

"I just heard you calling for Qingyao." Shen Jingchuan looked steadily at him. "May I ask if her full name is Lin Qingyao?"

Lin Yue's gaze sharpened at once, and his voice tightened. "It is! That is my younger sister's given name! How do you know it, Young Master Shen? Have you seen her? Where is she now?"

"Your sister's safety is at stake, so I have to be careful."

Shen Jingchuan did not answer directly. "Tell me, what weapon does your sister carry, and what distinguishing features does she have?"

"She carries a short sword close to her person, has delicate features, a small light-brown mole at the outer end of her left eyebrow, and a tall figure."

Lin Yue spoke quickly and urgently, without stumbling once. "Young Master Shen, am I right?"

The weapon and the details all matched. Shen Jingchuan had a good idea now, but he still did not relent:

"Forgive me, Brother Lin. The bandits in the mountains have yet to disperse, so I have to be on guard. Sorry to trouble the three of you, but please withdraw to the side of the mountain path three li away. Once I've asked your sister and confirmed everything, I'll bring you to her myself."

Lin Yue was taken aback at first, but he immediately understood his concern—he was afraid someone might be impersonating her brother to trick him.

Instead, he felt reassured. Since Shen Jingchuan was protecting his sister so carefully, she was surely safe. He cupped his fists and agreed at once:

"Good! We'll do as you say, Young Master Shen. We'll wait beyond the ridge ahead and come back in a quarter of an hour."

With that, he signaled to the two escorts. The three mounted their horses again, turned them around, and headed out of the mountains. After traveling several dozen meters, they could not resist looking back a couple of times.

Shen Jingchuan deliberately walked some distance in the opposite direction from the cave dwelling. From behind the slope, he watched the three horses cross the ridge ahead and vanish completely from sight. Only then did he spin around and race toward the cave dwelling, as though the wind were at his feet.

When he reached the entrance, he used his mind to draw the yellow earth piled there into his space in a steady stream. In moments, an opening large enough for a person to pass through appeared. He bent down and called softly inside, "Lin Qingyao!"

A reply soon came from inside, tinged with surprise. "Young Master Shen? I'm here."

"Let me ask you," Shen Jingchuan said rapidly. "Do you have an older brother named Lin Yue, an escort chief at the Zhenyuan Escort Agency? Is he tall and sturdy?"

"Yes! That's my second brother!" Lin Qingyao's voice brightened at once, her delight hard to conceal. "Has he come looking for me?"

"Good, it is him. Wait here; I'll go bring him over."

Relieved, Shen Jingchuan turned and had just emerged from the woods when he saw Lin Yue and his two companions riding back. As soon as they reached him, Lin Yue swung down from his horse and came forward, his voice tight:

"Young Master Shen, have you asked my sister?"

"It matches. She is indeed your sister." Shen Jingchuan started toward the depths of the mountain woods. "Follow me."

Overjoyed, Lin Yue hurried after him, asking one question after another:

"How is my sister? Is she hurt? Is it serious?"

Shen Jingchuan glanced back at him and nodded. "She took a blade to the back. The wound is quite serious."

"What?" Lin Yue's heart sank, and his pace quickened still more. "Quick, take me to her!"

Shen Jingchuan raised a hand and pointed to the cave dwelling down the slope:

"She's in the cave dwelling just ahead."

Lin Yue stared. He had followed the bloodstains to this area earlier and looked around several times, but he had seen only an earthen slope. He had not spotted any large opening at all.

But his heart was burning with anxiety, and he had no time to puzzle over such details. Assuming he had missed it in his earlier panic, he broke into a run toward it, with the two escorts close behind.

Still several steps from the entrance, Lin Yue raised his voice and shouted, "Qingyao! Qingyao!"

"Brother—"

Lin Qingyao's voice came at once from inside, joyful but very weak from her injuries. "Brother, I'm here!"

Lin Yue raced to the cave dwelling with the wind at his feet. The jianghu experience he had accumulated over years of escorting goods kept him from rushing inside recklessly. Standing at the entrance, he called out:

"Qingyao, are you all right?"

On the surface, he was asking after his sister, but he was actually testing whether there was an ambush inside. Lin Qingyao understood as soon as she heard him and answered at once:

"Brother, come in. I'm all right."

Hearing that his sister's tone was steady and that she did not sound as though she was being held captive, Lin Yue finally felt reassured. He ducked his head and entered the cave dwelling.

The cave was dim, and the little light filtering through the entrance barely allowed him to see.

He crossed to the bedding in a few steps and saw his sister lying facedown on a mattress, a quilt covering her back. Her face was as white as paper, but her eyes were bright. When she saw him enter, she called "Brother," unable to hide her delight.

Lin Yue's heart clenched at the sight of her. But his sister was already grown, and her wound was on her back, so he could hardly lift the quilt to examine it. He could only ask anxiously:

"How bad is the wound?"

"It's nothing serious. It isn't life-threatening."

Lin Qingyao's voice was soft. "I just took a blade to the back. The wound on my shoulder is lighter..." She paused, her cheeks flushing slightly, and added in a low voice, "Young Master Shen has already bandaged me."

Lin Yue was taken aback, but he immediately understood. With a wound on her back, she would have had to remove her clothes for it to be bandaged.

Ordinarily, this would have been a grave matter concerning her reputation, but with her life at stake, those rules of propriety had to take a back seat.

He had spent many years making his way in the jianghu and knew perfectly well which mattered more. He did not dwell on it, merely thinking to himself:

That Young Master Shen outside is tall and broad, fair and handsome. He looks like the son of an aristocratic clan, though his clothes are rather strange.

As he was thinking, Shen Jingchuan came in through the entrance.

He had waited outside until he heard that brother and sister had recognized each other and all was well; only then had he felt reassured enough to enter.

Seeing him, Lin Yue immediately stepped forward and bowed deeply, speaking solemnly:

"Thank you, Young Master Shen, for coming to my sister's rescue and saving her life. No words can repay such a great kindness. I, Lin Yue, will remember it in my heart."

The two escorts behind him also cupped their fists and said in unison, "Thank you, Young Master Shen!"

Shen Jingchuan turned sideways, unsure how to return the gesture, and hurriedly said:

"It was a small effort. I happened to come across her, and I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. The most important thing now is how to move her. In her condition, she can't travel far."

"Brother, I've recovered a little and can move now," Lin Qingyao said softly from where she lay on the pillow. "It doesn't hurt as much. If I walk slowly, I should be able to manage."

Lin Yue frowned and pondered for a moment, then turned to instruct the two escorts:

"You two go along the mountain path and find my father and my eldest brother. They must still be searching separately. Once you find them, bring the passenger carriage traveling with them straight here. Line it with soft cushions and bedding. We'll wait here."

The two escorts looked around at the desolate mountains and could not help worrying about the safety of those staying behind. Then they looked at Shen Jingchuan.

A man who could protect Lin Qingyao and fight his way out of the encirclement was bound to be skilled in martial arts.

Lin Yue waved a hand to reassure them:

"Don't worry. With me standing guard here, nothing will happen."

The two acknowledged the order, mounted their horses, and galloped away.