The house was empty. Bai Yujun and Zhang Wan had gone to the wedding feast with the old couple.
A young couple in the village was getting married, and men, women, old, and young had all gone to help. Some cooked, some carried tables; the entire village pitched in. There was no such thing as contracted wedding banquets in these times. Everything relied on neighboring villagers and relatives lending a hand. Of course, a certain snake had only come to eat and drink for free.
The door opened, and Zhang Qi first looked around the room before sneaking into Bai Yujun's room on tiptoe.
"Strange, where did Teacher put her armor? And that heavy saber?"
He opened the wardrobe. Nothing. He looked beneath the bed. Still nothing. He searched everywhere in the room that could possibly hide something, but found nothing except jewelry and gold.
A few days ago, Zhang Qi had seen Teacher wearing a suit of gray-black armor with his own eyes. It had looked imposing beyond measure, just like the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals described in operas.
Ever since seeing that armor, Zhang Qi had seemed possessed. He had begged several times to borrow it for a look, but had not even been allowed to touch its edge. With no other choice, he had entered to steal it while Teacher was away.
He dreamed of having a suit of armor of his own and becoming a real general. The most domineering armor was right beside him, yet he could neither see nor touch it. It felt as though a swarm of little mice were scratching at his heart.
After rummaging around, he spotted a slip of paper in the corner. He picked it up and saw a line written upon it.
'That brat came in here to