Xiao He

Xiang Yuan passed Yulin Academy and glanced over without thinking. By sheer coincidence, he met the gaze of a young scholar.

The other man's eyes burned like torches, hungry as a wolf and thirsty as a tiger. He stared fixedly at the oil-paper umbrella...in Xiang Yuan's hand.

Xiang Yuan sensed trouble. The young man had no umbrella, while he had one. If they exchanged glances now, the other man would surely get the wrong idea—that they'd met in the rain and should share the umbrella.

With the thousand-year-old snake demon waiting up ahead on his mind, Xiang Yuan quickly looked away, lowered his head, tilted the umbrella down, and suddenly quickened his pace.

"Brother, brother... slow down! Wait for me."

The young man invited himself along, grinning as he squeezed in beside Xiang Yuan. He bumped him with his hip, taking up most of the umbrella, and shamelessly said, "Thank you so much for inviting me to share your umbrella. I'm deeply grateful, and I'll remember this kindness. I'll repay you someday."

Xiang Yuan felt as if mosquitoes were buzzing noisily in his ears. Even the drizzle seemed to grow heavier. He muttered, "You've got the wrong idea. I didn't..."

"That's not true. People ought to be grateful. Just because you didn't expect anything in return doesn't mean I can't want to repay you."

"..."

Xiang Yuan was speechless. Even a snake demon would see a shameless chatterbox like this and keep its distance... Wait, could he be the person fate had brought him to meet?

No way. This was nothing like the usual story.

Xiang Yuan looked at the young man in disbelief. He had handsome features and a fine face, but he was unmistakably male. There was no chance he was a woman disguised as a man. Xiang Yuan's last shred of hope died on the spot.

As Xiang Yuan studied the young man, the young man studied him too, grinning in a way that was a little annoying.

The young man struck up a conversation as if they were old friends. "Brother, judging by your constable's uniform, are you a new constable in Fengxian County? There was a case last night, right? Was it serious? How serious? Heroes really do emerge in youth! How old are you? I haven't even asked your name yet. What should I call you?"

Did you come from Dunhuang? You've got more murals than the caves!

The person fate had brought him had gone from a thousand-year-old snake demon to a chatterbox—and a male one, at that. The disappointment was beyond words. Xiang Yuan didn't want to deal with him, so he kept his mouth shut and focused on walking.

His silence only got the young man going even more. "I'm Xiao He, from Shendu. I came to Fengxian County to study under a learned master."

Xiao He?

I might as well be Han... No, Zhang Liang!

Xiang Yuan grumbled inwardly. What a good name—he sounded like a mastermind on the level of Zhuge Liang or Pang Tong. What a shame he had a mouth.

Suddenly, something occurred to him. He looked at Xiao He in surprise. "The Shendu Xiao Clan?"

The Shendu Xiao Clan was the royal family of Western Chu. Even if Xiao He wasn't a prince or royal grandson, he was still a relative of the imperial family. He had no shortage of food, drink, or good teachers. Why would he leave all that wealth and honor behind to study in Fengxian County, so far from home? Had he taken a blow to the head?

The person fate had brought him came from the royal family. Did that mean his own future would somehow be tied to the imperial house?

"Good eye, brother! That's right, I'm from the Shendu Xiao Clan!"

The young man raised his chin, his face brimming with smug pride in his noble birth. Then he modestly added, "Don't tell anyone, and don't make a big deal of it. I never act like some royal relative. Just call me Young Master Xiao. We're all two-legged folk in this world. There's no such thing as high or low birth—we're all the same, right? Heh."

His brows danced with every word, and Xiang Yuan felt as though some kind of vehicle had just driven past him.

He didn't seem very reliable. Hopefully, he was just a temporary person fate had brought into his life.

Xiang Yuan silently assessed him. Whether he carried an umbrella or not had led to different circumstances, like a butterfly's wings beating and changing the future. If only Heartless Daoist had given him one more piece of advice, he would surely have taken a knife instead of an umbrella when he left last night.

He couldn't bring himself to accept a person fate had brought him who was this unreliable.

"Brother, I've been doing all the talking. Why aren't you saying anything? Were you born quiet? Do you just not like talking?"

"Brother?"

"You still haven't told me your name!"

"..."

Zhu Ziqing: Bees by the hundreds and thousands hummed and buzzed among the flowers. (×)

Sun Wukong: It's all this incessant jabbering, like a swarm of flies buzzing right in your ears. (√)

Xiang Yuan was fed up. He'd never known one person could be so talkative. He shot Xiao He a cold look. "Keep talking, and I'll shove the whole umbrella up your ass."

"Huh?"

"Then open it from the inside."

"..."

Xiao He fell silent at once. After a long pause, he said, "I've never heard anything so original. You're quite the character, brother. I've learned something today. By the way, I still don't know your name."

"Xiang Yuan."

"So you're Constable Xiang. My apologies, my apologies. I've heard of Brother Yuan for ages and regretted never having the chance to meet you. Now that I've seen you in person, you really do have the bearing of a great constable."

"..."

Xiang Yuan's eyelid twitched. He saw a reflection of himself in Xiao He. He'd acted just like this when bragging about Old Daoist Quexin, though he hadn't been nearly as good as Xiao He at switching between sincerity and flattery. He wasn't quite as shameless.

Xiao He seemed naturally lively; his mouth never stopped moving. "Brother Yuan, you're covered in mud. Was there a major case last night? Can you tell me about it? We've still got a long way to go, and there's nothing else to do. If you can, tell me about it."

When Xiang Yuan didn't respond, he went on, "It rained last night, so I rode in a carriage this morning and didn't bring an umbrella. How did you think to bring one, Brother Yuan? There was no sign of rain when the city gates closed last night."

"I brought one just in case."

"Brother Yuan, you really knew what was coming."

When Xiang Yuan answered, Xiao He got even more excited. He rambled on about this and that. The five-li walk left Xiang Yuan mentally exhausted—more tired than after two hours of practicing with a blade.

Master, if only you'd said one more thing! Just one!

At the west gate, Xiang Yuan headed straight for the yamen. Xiao He used the excuse that they were going the same way and kept talking without letup.

"We hit it off the moment we met today, Brother Yuan. We're of one mind and kindred spirits. Why don't we become sworn brothers? From now on, we'll share both blessings and hardships."

"Then let me treat you to a meal. How about Fortune Garden? It's the best restaurant in Fengxian County. I've eaten there a few times, and their chef's cooking really is excellent—almost as good as the food in Shendu."

"Let's bring a few girls from Jade Sheng House, too. The two of us can have beauties in both arms while we enjoy music and song. What could be better?"

"Do you know Baoqin from Jade Sheng House? Heh, she's absolutely gorgeous!"

At long last, they reached the yamen. Xiang Yuan felt as if he'd been granted a reprieve. He handed the umbrella to Xiao He and rushed inside.

"Hey, Brother Yuan, I'll borrow your umbrella for now..."

"Come find me at Xiao Residence on Willow Creek Street. I'll return it to you."

You're not a snake. Why would I come looking for you?

At his first meeting with the so-called person fate had brought him, Xiang Yuan had rejected him at every turn. He couldn't accept this ill-fated connection in the slightest. He considered the matter carefully: if his heart wasn't in it, he didn't have to take the path that led to the royal family.

Maybe even the changes in his thinking had been part of Heartless Daoist's divination.

Xiang Yuan entered the yamen and headed straight for the dining hall, where he ate his fill with gusto.

The yamen was unusually quiet today. Xiang Yuan heard from the cook that last night's search of the mountain had been chaotic, and a few constables who'd gotten lost had returned from time to time. Everyone else was either recovering from injuries or resting, so hardly anyone was still at the yamen.

He asked around and learned that Old Liu had returned that morning and had come specially to the dining hall for both breakfast and lunch. Only then did Xiang Yuan relax.

He'd had both work meals, so he was probably fine.

Xiang Yuan checked in at the attendance office to report that he'd returned safely, then went straight to his little room, shut the door, and began cultivating.

Fortune Garden, Jade Sheng House—none of it mattered. Neither delicious food nor beautiful women mattered. In this life, he would enter the Dao through martial arts, become an immortal and an ancestor, and go as high and as far as he could.

Cultivate!