That smile

Quietly but not sneakily, just normally; we came out on the streets. The two brats weren't worried in the slightest. I saw curiosity in their eyes. I saw excitement, but I failed to catch even a glimpse of concern.

"Let's go," said Ling'er. Her voice indicated alertness. I could tell she was focused.

I sighed internally and started moving. Although we were just fake bodyguards, the attackers (whoever they were), would surely target us as well.

But, I knew practitioners from Gang family were closely following us, so I wasn't worried too much. How powerful would the attackers be anyway? I looked ahead and stopped thinking about it.

We went down the merchant road, quite packed even at the morning. Jin and Qin were glancing here and there all time; sometimes at the slaves pulling the carts, sometimes towards the top of a tall building. They'd point at a store when they see anything that caught their fancy, but never go far from us. I guessed they were ordered not to wander.

We were strolling slowly, looking for anyone suspicious. I paid close attention to the people walking behind us. Most of them were wandering customers and town dwellers, who were just heading for their work.

Life in desert was much harder. Even though this was an oasis, the land here could not fully support the so many residents who'd settled here. Most of the daily necessities were supplied by travelling merchants. People worked hard to put food on their table.

At some point, all had pursued the martial path, but it wasn't for just anyone. Not everyone had the perseverance, wits or destiny to climb such difficult path. Most died without even knowing what it was to truly cultivate.

"Come come, fried meat, grilled meat, even boiled meat, we have everything to satisfy you. Just for 110 copper kins, you'll taste the food officers in Rong Sat get to eat..."

"Fresh fish, fresh Uben fish from Juan river! Brought by Western merchants, you definitely don't want to miss this!"

"Dumplings! Home made dumplings, in any size you want!"

As we came near the lake, the voices of food stall owners reached us, along with the appetising smell that watered my mouth.

I was hungry. I gulped and placed my hand inside my inner pocket. Cold, solid and rough; I felt my 3 silver coins and started flipping one of them.

Right hand still inside my pocket, I glanced at Ling'er. She was... expressionless. I didn't feel like asking for money.

"Ahem." I coughed lightly and said, "Why don't we sit over there for a while?"

Jin looked at the direction I had pointed and nudged his little brother. He was a year older than Qin.

"Let's go eat some fish. Didn't you say you were hungry earlier?" he asked.

Ling'er, who was walking just ahead of us, stopped and looked at me.

"What are you trying to do?" furrowing her brows, she came near me and asked.

"I'm just hungry. I need to eat or I can't fight," I hissed. I wasn't going to back down this time.

"You do know that we don't have to fight," she hissed back, unknowingly imitating me.

I said nothing and pointed at the brats. They'd already sat on the stools and were checking the foods displayed one by one.

Seeing their behaviour, she could only make tight fists of her palms and follow them to the stall. She gave a sharp glance at me before going. I followed her from behind.

Quite a few tents were still being placed near the stall we'd gone to. The workers had wrapped white scarfs on their bald heads.

"What are these?" I asked, pointing at the crops that were still raw. They looked much like corn except that the grains were like black pulses.

The person in charge of cooking was a tall man, having a slightly red complexion. He didn't look like a Pinchu town resident.

"They are called Fimdies. Mostly found in the pasture lands of Nuqu. They need to be kept in water for half an hour before cooking," he shared his foreign knowledge, all while cooking something (delicious smelling) on a large frying pan.

"Oh... Do you have anything that can be eaten quickly? I'd like it if it's ready-made as well."

"Why in such a hurry?" the cook laughed. He was a loud fellow. Turning the fire small (by pulling out a few firewoods), he went to one corner and took out some long meaty dish. Putting it on a small plate, he passed me the whole plate with a fork.

"Try it out first and if you like it, I'll give more," he said and looked at Ling'er who was standing a little farther away.

"What about you, miss?" he adjusted his wrinkled top and smiled.

I took a large bite of the meat. It... wasn't actually a meat, but tasted good nevertheless. Chewing it, I looked at her. She just shook her head and idly went back to playing with her nails. Her one hand was still placed on her sword.

"I need more," I suddenly said. It's texture was just that good! Filled with viscous paste of beans and mixed in some really good flour, it was fried in just the right amount of oil. Neither too chilly, nor too greasy, the taste stuck to my tongue and the insides of my cheeks.

"What is this called?"

"Riswo. I first ate it when I was travelling to the northern free cities. They have the best food." the cook sounded proud.

"We also want Riswo," the brats to my side chirped at this moment. Didn't they want to eat fish?

For a while, the eating continued. I chatted with the cook while eating. I tried a soup and some pickle to supplement with Riswo. Of course, I asked for the price first. Fortunately, I hadn't eaten anything above my budget.

I learned that the cook was the only one operating this stall. His wife had gone to buy more materials. He came from another town south of Pinchu with his wife.

There were many such peddlers who joined joined large merchant groups to travel through the desert. They made a living by selling their craft, cooking, music etc from place to place. They even made profit by selling products of one city to another. For the most part, they led a free life, going from one settlement to another.

"That will be 2 silvers and 60 coppers."

As I stood up, I just put the last 3 silvers I had and said, "Your cooking is good. I'll try to come again. What is your name?"

"I'm Xie Ge. You're welcome anytime."

After the brats paid also the cook, we quickly went to the streets again. Ling'er let the brats walk ahead and came near me.

"Gang Lang was not pleased," she grumbled. Looking here and there, she added, "You better be cautious, this job might not go well for you."

Hmph, so what if that geezer was unhappy. His two brats are safe. Also, when did Lingling started caring for me.

I glanced at her and-

CLANG!

The sound of two swords clashing resounded in the busy streets. It happened in a flash.

A completely normal looking woman just turned around and aimed straight for Qin's neck, prompting Ling'er to block with her sword.

"Hah!"

A masked man came from behind, thrusting his dagger at me. I narrowly dodged and unsheathed my sword.

From our sides, Gang family cultivators appeared quickly and surrounded the attackers from all sides.

"Finally, we've caught you!" old man Lang quaked, coming out from a nearby shop. He really knew how to enter like a main character.

His eyes followed the sword blocked by Ling'er to it's owner, a masked woman wearing dark clothes. I also looked at her. Hmm, she had quite the curves...

"You will not leave this place alive! Offending Gang family was your greatest mistake!" Old man was using all of his strength to shout.

At his words, the gang family cultivators started nearing the attackers but suddenly stopped when they heard a voice.

"I think it's the opposite, dried old stick." another masked woman appeared, this time from the top of a house nearby. She was at rank 8! Wearing a red qipao, she was generously showing her fair thighs.

"Lingling, how do I tell this old man that he can do nothing?" the woman said. She sounded as if she was very familiar with Ling'er.

"Heh."

A smile appeared on Lingling's always expressionless face. Glancing at old man Lang, she slowly lowered her sword and aimed at Jin who was beside Qin.