The town was livelier than it had looked from afar. A dozen or so little stalls lined both sides of the main street, selling vegetables, eggs, needles, thread, and all manner of other goods. Clanging hammer blows rang from a blacksmith's shop, while steam from buns in a stove drifted out the back window of another store, forming a pale white column of mist in the morning light. Shen Xiu and Liu Qingyan walked along the main street for a while before stopping in front of a seed shop. Liu Qingyan crouched by the bamboo baskets at the entrance and picked out several kinds of vegetable seeds, then bought a packet of chili seeds. After haggling with the vendor for some time, she finally sealed the deal with an extra bunch of scallion seedlings thrown in. She tucked the seeds into her cloth bag, rose, and brushed the dust from her knees. Just as she was about to call Shen Xiu back, she saw him tilting his head toward the northwest of town, his brows faintly furrowed.
His gaze was not focused on anything nearby, but on the outline of the distant hillside. Liu Qingyan followed his line of sight. There were only a few sparse pines and a stretch of grass turning yellow on the slope—nothing unusual. Yet Shen Xiu stood there for a moment before turning to her. "Wait here. I'll go take a look at that hillside." His tone was ordinary, but from his softened footsteps and subtly adjusted stance, Liu Qingyan read a trace of vigilance. She did not question him, only said, "Go and come back quickly. I'll wait beneath that old elm tree at the town entrance."
Shen Xiu strode swiftly along the field ridges toward the hillside, his boots leaving shallow prints in