Chapter 411: Extra 6.

Yan Cijin was laughing again by the time they reached the first cluster of shops.

Qingxi was a small but lively town built around a market square and a narrow river. Most of its buildings were made of timber and pale stone, with tiled roofs that shone after the morning mist. There was an herbalist near the eastern gate, a grain merchant beside the bridge, and several food stalls arranged beneath awnings of faded red cloth. The town served travelers going to and from Mount Hua, so it was used to seeing martial artists pass through. Even so, the presence of two women as striking as Bai Li and Yan Cijin drew more attention than an ordinary visit.

A shopkeeper began asking Bai Li whether she wanted to inspect a set of ornamental hairpins, then forgot what he had been saying when Bai Li turned her head to answer. Two young martial artists argued quietly about whether the sword at Bai Li’s waist was an antique or a custom-made weapon. One insisted it had to be old because of the pattern on the sheath. The other argued that no ordinary craftsman could have made the fittings with such clean lines. Neither noticed that Bai Li had heard their entire conversation.

Yan Cijin tugged gently on Bai Li’s arm. "If they keep debating your sword, one of them may challenge you to prove it is real."

"Then I will ask them to pay for the damage if they break it."

"That seems fair."

"I thought so."

They stopped at a small herb shop first. Yan Cijin asked about the supplies being sent to the village clinic and learned that several common medicines had become difficult to obtain. The shopkeeper explained that the recent trouble on the roads had delayed deliveries, but she did not complain. She had already done what she could to save stock for families who could not afford the rising prices.

Yan Cijin asked which supplies were most urgently needed. She listened as the woman listed dried ginger, clean bandages, a preparation used for fever, and a few herbs that helped with pain. She did not promise an impossible amount or pretend that Mount Hua could solve every problem by the end of the day. Instead, she wrote down the list and said that the medical hall would review its stores. If they had enough, a shipment could be sent to the clinic before the end of the week.

The shopkeeper bowed repeatedly, embarrassed by how much relief the promise brought her. Yan Cijin thanked her for taking care of the town’s people and left before the woman could make a great ceremony of it.

Bai Li had watched the exchange from beside a basket of roots and dried leaves. As they continued along the street, she said, "You noticed the missing stock immediately."

"She tried to hide it," Yan Cijin replied. "Not because she wanted to deceive us. She was afraid that asking for too much would make her seem greedy."

"You have a talent for hearing what people do not say."

Yan Cijin shrugged lightly. "You have a talent for noticing what people do. I simply have more practice listening to them."

Bai Li looked at her for a moment. "That is one reason I trust you."

The words were simple. Yan Cijin still felt them settle somewhere deep in her chest. Her wife could be extravagant in affection when they were alone, but Bai Li rarely offered praise merely to make someone feel better. When she said she trusted Yan Cijin, she meant it with the same certainty she brought to her sword.

Yan Cijin slipped her fingers through Bai Li’s. "I trust you too. Even when you pretend not to care about anything."

"I do care about things."

"Of course. You care about swords, training, the northern pass, the condition of the western road, and whether your tea is poured at the correct temperature."

"Those are all important matters."

"You forgot me."

Bai Li turned to face her fully. "I did not forget you. I was trying to list things that could possibly matter more. The list was empty, so I began again."

Yan Cijin stared at her, then pressed a hand over her own heart as if she had been struck by a terrible attack. "How can you say such shameless things in broad daylight?"

"I am a married woman. I have a reputation to maintain."

"Your reputation is already in ruins."

"Then I should take comfort in the fact that you ruined it."

They reached the central square before Yan Cijin could think of a reply. The sweet stall stood beneath a red awning near the fountain, with skewers of candied hawthorn arranged in neat rows. The hawthorn berries shone beneath their hard sugar shells, red as little lanterns. The vendor was an older man with a weather-beaten face and quick hands. He was in the middle of wrapping a skewer for a child when Yan Cijin arrived, and the moment she saw the sweets her attention became so focused that Bai Li almost laughed.

"Three days," Bai Li said quietly.

Yan Cijin did not look away from the stall. "What?"

"You have been talking about these for three days."

"I have not."

"You mentioned them during breakfast on the first day. You brought them up again when we passed the kitchen. Last night you said that the town’s hawthorn was better than the version prepared by our cook."

Yan Cijin turned toward her. "You remember all of that?"

Bai Li gave her a look. "You were talking. I was listening."

Yan Cijin’s expression softened so quickly that Bai Li had to remind herself not to lean forward and kiss her in the middle of the square. Instead, she stepped up to the stall and ordered several skewers. She chose the ones with the brightest fruit and the thinnest layer of sugar, because Yan Cijin preferred a sharp, sour taste beneath the sweetness. She also chose a few with a thicker coating for herself, because she liked to see Yan Cijin steal bites from her skewer and then pretend she had not.