Night had deepened over Forgotten River City.
Most of the shops in the city had already closed. Only a few teahouses and taverns still had their lights on, the glow spilling through gaps in their doors and windows to scatter patches of light across the flagstone road.
At a roadside wine stall, two plates of appetizers and several empty wine jars sat on an old table.
A young man in an ink-black Daoist robe lounged half-seated, half-reclining on a bench, holding a half-full jar of wine. A gray longsword leaned against the table beside him.
The stall owner stood nearby, wiping down a table. Every so often, he looked up at his last customer, hoping the young man in the ink-black Daoist robe would leave soon so he could pack up and get some rest.
But the young man showed no intention of leaving.
Not until a middle-aged man in a plain blue Daoist robe appeared before the stall.
Rather than simply waiting, he might as well make another sale.
With that thought, the stall owner went over to greet the middle-aged man in the plain blue Daoist robe.
"What would you like to eat or drink, sir?"
The middle-aged man in the plain blue Daoist robe merely waved a hand at the owner, then pointed at the young man lounging on the bench.
The gesture told the owner that he had not come to eat or drink, but to find someone.
"Ah, all right."
A trace of disappointment flashed through the owner's eyes, but he remained friendly. He smiled at the middle-aged man in the plain blue Daoist robe, said, "Please, go ahead," then stepped aside to continue wiping his tables.
*Who knows when I'll get to close tonight? In times like these, even earning a little hard-earned money