Chapter 410: Extra 5.

"Then we should make sure the town’s vendors are doing well," Bai Li said. "It would be irresponsible to ignore an important local industry."

Lu Wenshu lowered his head again. If he allowed himself to smile, he suspected that both Matriarchs would notice.

After the elders left, Yan Cijin remained seated for a little longer. She watched the sun rise above the courtyard and the first disciples cross the stone paths below. There was something satisfying about seeing the sect begin its day. Mount Hua was not simply a collection of buildings or a source of martial prestige. It was made up of people who worked, studied, worried, argued, laughed, and grew older under its protection. It mattered to her that they had a place to return to at night.

Bai Li came to stand beside her. "What are you thinking?"

"That the council was less troublesome than I expected."

"You expected trouble?"

"The River Cloud elder looked as if he had rehearsed that question for a month. I thought he might have prepared a second one in case the first failed."

Bai Li gave a quiet laugh. "He has probably learned his lesson."

Yan Cijin rose and smoothed her robe. "Do you think we will keep doing this forever?"

Bai Li looked at her. "Running Mount Hua?"

"Sitting through council meetings. Correcting people who believe rumors. Making sure the bridges are repaired and the grain stores are full. All of it."

Bai Li considered the question rather than answering lightly. "I do not know what forever will look like. But as long as we live here and people rely on us, I want to do it properly."

Yan Cijin reached for her hand. "I know. I do too."

The two women stood together beside the open window for a while, watching the morning spread across the mountain. Then Yan Cijin turned toward the door, her eyes brightening as she remembered the plan they had made.

"Come on," she said. "If we wait too long, the hawthorn vendor might sell out."

Bai Li offered her arm. "Then we had better move quickly. It would be a disaster of truly historic proportions."

Yan Cijin laughed, and they left the hall together.

The road to Qingxi wound through pine woods and stepped down the mountainside in a series of broad stone paths. In some places, the trees stood so close together that their branches formed a roof above the road. In others, the view opened suddenly onto valleys filled with morning haze, with small villages scattered around fields and winding streams. Mount Hua’s lower slopes were busy even at that hour. Farmers carried baskets toward the market. Travelers walked in groups, their packs slung over their shoulders. A few martial artists passed in the opposite direction, carrying swords and wearing the colored sashes of their respective schools.

Bai Li and Yan Cijin had left their ceremonial robes behind. Bai Li wore a dark travelling outfit with a high collar and a narrow belt, the simple cut emphasizing her height and lean strength. Her sword remained at her waist, although she had chosen a plain sheath that did not advertise the weapon’s quality. Yan Cijin wore a pale-blue dress beneath a light cloak, and she had tied her hair with a white ribbon rather than a jade pin. They looked less like the Matriarchs of Mount Hua than two wealthy travelers who had learned to carry themselves with unusual confidence.

The disguise lasted until they reached the first crowded bend in the road.

A pair of young martial artists coming up from the town fell silent when Bai Li passed them. One turned to look over his shoulder and nearly walked into a tree. A woman selling steamed buns paused in the middle of handing change to a customer. A child stared openly at Yan Cijin until his older sister caught him by the sleeve and whispered that it was rude to gawk at strangers.

Yan Cijin noticed all of it. She had become used to attention many years ago, but that did not mean she always enjoyed it. People sometimes looked at her as if she were a painting that might vanish if they blinked, forgetting that she had a body that grew tired, a mind that could be annoyed, and a wife whose hand she wanted to hold without causing three separate conversations to stop.

She slipped her hand through Bai Li’s arm and leaned close. "Are you planning to let all these people admire you so freely?"

Bai Li glanced down. "Would you prefer that I frighten them?"

"No. I would prefer that you look only at me."

Bai Li turned her head toward Yan Cijin at once. "Like this?"

Yan Cijin had been prepared for a playful answer. She had not been prepared for Bai Li to comply so completely. For three whole seconds she managed to maintain a dignified expression. Then she laughed and pressed her forehead briefly against Bai Li’s shoulder.

"You cannot do that every time I tease you."

"Why not?"

"Because I will become spoiled."

"You are already spoiled."

Yan Cijin lifted her head. "By whom?"

Bai Li gave her a look of absolute innocence. "I have no idea. Perhaps the mountain air has affected you."

"The mountain air?"

"It seems to have made you very demanding."

Yan Cijin gave her arm a gentle squeeze. "You say that as if you dislike it."

"I have endured much worse."

"Such as?"

"You stealing the last pastry from my plate."

"That was an emergency."

"You waking me in the middle of the night to ask whether I think the moon looks larger in autumn."

"That was an important question."

"You rearranging my sword shelf because you decided the old arrangement was unpleasant to look at."

"It was unpleasant to look at."

Bai Li nodded as if she had finally been defeated by an argument she could not possibly answer. "You have suffered a terrible burden, Yan Cijin. I admire your courage."

.

.

.

TO BE CONTINUED,