The night stretched pale and boundless, stars scattered like shuttles flung through the sky.
Dark as ink, the moonlight was thin and cold.
The little courtyard had fallen quiet. The Ninth Prince, Zhao Xianyou, who seemed like an immortal cast down into the mortal world, had already departed.
An Le sat quietly on his small chair, a thoughtful look on his face, as though pondering the Ninth Prince's reason for seeking him out. Could it truly have been as simple as drinking together?
Just as Qin Qianqiu had once tried to recruit him, An Le had assumed the Ninth Prince wished to take him on as a retainer. Yet unexpectedly, the man seemed only to have come for a free drink and to take a look at Qingshan.
Perhaps Qingshan's burst of Sword Qi before the Martial Champion Stone had reached the Ninth Prince's ears. That was why he had come to see the sword. Seeing that Qingshan did not suit him, he had not pressed the matter or tried to seize it by force.
An Le rather admired the Ninth Prince's easygoing elegance.
Though his transcendent air made him seem difficult to approach, after a cup of yellow wine, they had actually conversed quite pleasantly.
In this world, having one more friend was always better than having one more enemy.
An Le rose and cleaned up the aftermath, moving the flowerpots into a corner. Standing in the courtyard, he brushed two fingers over Mochi at his waist. Mochi shot forth and embedded itself in the Old Scholar Tree.
There were now two sword holes in the Old Scholar Tree, one belonging to Mochi and the other to Qingshan. At least now, when he practiced the Five Animals, the two swords had somewhere to rest.
An Le had not stuck