Startling the Snake

Ding Songyan had just taken a long stride when his habitually watchful eyes suddenly caught sight of a face whose expression was shifting.

That face belonged to a man in a headscarf, around thirty years old. His beard had been shaved clean, and the tip of his nose was somewhat red, with the look of a drinker's nose.

When he looked at Ding Songyan, it was as though he had seen a monster that should never have appeared here. His surprise and terror were written all over his face.

Seeing Ding Songyan looking his way, the man abruptly turned and squeezed into the market crowd. In the blink of an eye, he vanished like water flowing into the sea.

Ding Songyan's first thought was to hurry after him and seize him. But without martial arts, his reactions were a beat too slow. By the time he tried to move, the man was nowhere to be found.

He had discovered that a dead man was wandering openly outside Dangkang Temple, and his expression had slipped out of control from fright? This method of startling the snake from the grass was rather effective... Well, changes were bound to follow. There was no need to chase him now. Hopefully, Mr. Yu had already made his preparations... Ding Songyan stared in the direction the red-nosed man had fled, lost in thought.

"Second Brother Ding, what are you looking at?" Xu Chang'an asked curiously.

Only then did Ding Songyan pull himself from his thoughts and realize that the Headless People Light Cavalry Commandant had long since gone, leaving no trace behind.

"Seems a thief got caught," Ding Songyan casually made up a lie to give Xu Chang'an a warning.

There was never a good ending for thieves!

The first phone he had ever bought after pinching pennies had been stolen by a thief, leaving him miserable for months.

Xu Chang'an's face turned pale. Standing on tiptoe, he repeatedly peered in that direction.

"I didn't see anything. Nothing... Where?"

"He's already been taken away," Ding Songyan replied dismissively.

He turned toward another storyteller, looking relaxed on the surface while inwardly taut and intensely vigilant.

Xu Chang'an followed after him absentmindedly, no longer searching for fat sheep.

He looked like he had never been caught before... Those who regularly went in and out of the yamen had long become old hands. They were not afraid at all... Ding Songyan glanced at the neighbor, stopped amid the crowd, and casually surveyed his surroundings while listening to the storyteller recount tales of romance and legend.

Perhaps martial world anecdotes and jianghu stories were legendary enough already, so the romance-and-legend storybooks could only focus on myths and worldly affairs. The latter were things ordinary people could reach out and touch, and there were truly many listeners, packing the area so tightly not even water could pass through.

Suddenly, Xu Chang'an poked Ding Songyan's arm.

Ding Songyan's heart tightened, and he turned back to look at him.

That fellow, whose features were clearly proper yet somehow still looked furtive, pointed to the other side and lowered his voice.

"Second Brother Ding, look over there. Look over there."

The crowd was too dense for Ding Songyan to see, so he had to take two steps back and change positions.

Without Xu Chang'an needing to say another word, he knew at once whom he was pointing at.

She was a girl of sixteen or seventeen. She wore a plain white jacket with a round collar and overlapping front, and a white skirt trimmed in green with many pleats. Her hair was styled in twin hanging buns, with two locks of black hair falling behind her shoulders, lending her a touch of adorableness.

The girl had upturned eyes, a delicate pointed chin, and a small, straight nose with a rather full tip. Her skin was fair and tender, like congealed cream. Every glance she cast was both fresh and playful, while carrying a faint, still-unripened allure. Purity and seductiveness seemed to coexist upon her without contradiction. A green jeweled flower at the tip of the silver hairpin beside her bun swayed softly, answering the pendants at her waist as they moved with her figure.

She merely stood there, yet drew countless gazes.

Those gazes fled the instant they touched her, only to circle back again.

"Second Brother Ding, isn't she pretty?" Xu Chang'an sighed softly. "She's already like this at her age. In a few more years, she'll probably topple a kingdom and a city."

As he spoke, he saw Ding Songyan looking at him and blurted out.

"Of course, she's still a little worse than Sister Qingyan. Just a little."

Heh, at least you knew how to talk. She really was just a little worse—just a little shorter... Their styles and temperaments were different, so they could not be compared directly. One was spirited and elegant, the other pure and alluring... As Ding Songyan muttered to himself, the storyteller finished a round and began asking for tips.

The girl tossed a small silver ingot into the bamboo basket with a slap. It looked to be about an ounce.

"Oh, my, Miss, you're so generous!" The storyteller was immediately overjoyed, showering her with praise.

The girl slightly raised her chin, looking a little pleased with herself.

"I'll come listen again tomorrow."

Loose with her money, very generous... And a little naive too. Clearly, she had not seen much of the world... Ding Songyan suddenly wondered whether he ought to think of some way to get some silver from her.

If I don't earn it, someone else will. Better that I benefit than them!

Only then did he notice that there was also a maid beside the girl, dressed in a blue-green gauze skirt and looking sweet and pretty.

Overshadowed by the girl's beauty, everyone around them had unconsciously overlooked the maid.

As he observed them, Ding Songyan suddenly turned his head toward Xu Chang'an.

"Have you ever seen this young lady before?"

"Never," Xu Chang'an answered with a bewildered expression.

If I had, I would have spread the word until everyone in Chengyu Lane knew!

"She doesn't seem to be from this city?" Ding Songyan pressed further.

Xu Chang'an, who had kept his back straight all along, answered with considerable certainty.

"Of course not. With a face like hers, and going out without hiding it—unlike Sister Qingyan, who wears a veiled hat—if she were from this city, her fame would have spread far and wide like Zheng Zhuxi of the Xiaoming Sect. Zheng Zhuxi isn't even as pretty as her."

Ding Songyan immediately lost all interest in making money, his brows drawing together slightly.

When he had first arrived and seen Ding Qingyan, he had been dazzled by her beauty, but he had not found it strange. He had simply assumed this world's soil and waters were exceptional at nurturing beautiful women. Only after walking the streets several times did he understand that girls like his younger sister were actually few and far between—rare enough to be called exceptional. At least in the past two days, he had not seen a single one. Everyone he encountered had fallen far short.

And now, another girl of equally devastating beauty had suddenly appeared. Was that not too much of a coincidence?

Had all the beauty gathered in Dingjiang Prefecture?

Besides, this girl loved listening to storytellers so much, yet Xu Chang'an had not seen her outside Dangkang Temple in the previous days. That meant she had likely arrived in Dingjiang Prefecture only within the last two days.

And another thing had happened during those same two days: Second Brother Ding had vanished strangely and died in a ruined temple outside the city.

"The two matters may not have any direct connection, but they happened so close together. It still gives me the feeling that something is brewing in Dingjiang Prefecture. Winds and rain from all eight directions gathering at Dingjiang?" Ding Songyan pondered in secret.

Meanwhile, Xu Chang'an looked around, then headed in the direction the white-skirted girl and her maid had gone.

Slap! Ding Songyan grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Where are you going?"

Startled, Xu Chang'an froze for a moment before answering.

"That girl had quite a lot of silver on her. She doesn't seem to care much about it and has no guard up. I was thinking of doing a bit of business."

Seeing Ding Songyan silently staring at him, Xu Chang'an added awkwardly.

"She may be pretty, but I still need to find money for food. Even if I don't steal from her, some other fellow in the trade will.

"She isn't Sister Qingyan. I have no ties to her."

Ding Songyan clicked his tongue.

"A girl with looks like hers has traveled all the way to Dingjiang Prefecture, yet she wears an innocent, carefree face and does not know to hide herself. You really dare steal from her?

"The road is hard to travel, and long journeys are harder still. There are no Watchtowers out there on the road.

"If you ask me, either this girl comes from an extraordinary family and has experts guarding her, or she herself is highly skilled in martial arts. If you want to die, you don't have to insist on doing it today."

Xu Chang'an's expression changed.

"Right!"

He immediately looked at Ding Songyan, tears of gratitude nearly filling his eyes.

"Second Brother Ding, what you said is very much like what my master says. In our line of work, skill is important, but the most important thing is not skill—it's the eye for judging people. Who can be stolen from, who cannot, who is easy to steal from, who is not... You have to see all that before making your move.

"My master has always scolded me over this."

No, no, no. The most important thing is having a brain, and you're still lacking in that department... Ding Songyan grumbled inwardly, then patted Xu Chang'an on the shoulder.

"Stop always setting your sights on fruit-and-vegetable vendors and old women selling needlework. A man who wants to become a great thief cannot lower his own status. Otherwise, even when you become famous, people will laugh at you."

Xu Chang'an went blank. After several breaths, he said.

"Then how am I supposed to make a living..."

Do you absolutely have to steal? Can't you find some honest work? The commodity economy in this world seems pretty developed. You ought to be able to find something to do... Ding Songyan sighed.

"Steal from the rich and aid the poor, then. Only steal from the kind of rich who are cruel and heartless."

Shallow acquaintances did not call for deep words. He could not be bothered to say more. He did not try to dissuade Xu Chang'an further as he sank into thought, bid him farewell, and continued wandering outside Dangkang Temple, hoping that the man who had been so terrified upon seeing him would bring some change and let him resolve the hidden danger hanging over him sooner.

"Second Brother Ding! Second Brother Ding!" Someone called his name from nearby.

Ding Songyan's spirits tightened. He turned around and smiled toward the source of the voice.

It was a man selling medicinal plasters for bruises and wounds, not yet thirty. He had a piece of black cloth wrapped around his head and one of his own plasters stuck to his face, making him look quite comical.

The cloth banner in his hand bore two lines.

"Guaranteed cure for bruises and sprains,

"One sheet for only one coin."

No literary flair, but it was concise... Ding Songyan said nothing, waiting for the man to reveal his purpose.

The plaster-faced man looked excited.

"Second Brother Ding, why didn't you come tell stories today?"

He pointed to the empty spot beside him.

Oh, so this was the stall "I" had obtained from the storytelling association through the Zhen Estate's connections? I wonder if I can transfer it for cash. How would I possibly have storytelling skills... Though I had listened for a long while just now and discovered that storytelling here lacked the many techniques, stock phrases, and rapid-fire recitations of my old world. As long as you could speak clearly and tell the story plainly, that was enough. But my goal was to learn martial arts, not become some smooth-tongued performer... Before Ding Songyan could speak, the plaster seller continued in a rapid rattle.

"A girl came asking about you just now too. She was like a celestial maiden!"

Huh? A figure suddenly surfaced in Ding Songyan's mind.

"Miss! Miss!" the plaster seller shouted loudly. "Second Brother Ding is here! In our Dingjiang Prefecture, he ranks among the top three when it comes to telling tales of old!"

Thanks for the flattery. The essence of business is mutual boasting... As expected, Ding Songyan saw the white-skirted girl from earlier and her maid.

The girl hurried over and, with no reserve at all, asked happily.

"Second Brother Ding, when are you telling stories today? I want to come listen."

Ding Songyan blinked, thoughts racing through his mind. He cupped his hands and said.

"In answer to you, Miss, I've been unwell these past few days and had planned to rest. But if you wish to listen, I can tell you a segment. Not old tales—I'll tell a legendary storybook I only recently learned. If I tell it poorly, you need not give any reward."

He definitely could not tell old tales, but as for stories, he had plenty of source material to draw from.

His objective was clear. He sought neither this girl's money nor her person. He only wanted to establish some contact and leave behind a small favor. Given her possible family background, if the occasion truly arose, that small favor would be worth a thousand pieces of gold.