The Free Drink

Wuxian spent two hours wandering around the district. In that time, he had only managed to locate three teahouses. The issue, however, was that these were all exclusive. 

'Now that I think about it, it would make sense for that mistress to be living in a classy, wealthier part of the city.'

Wuxian turned to look at the sun, which indicated that it was already around midday. Using the time he spent on the carriage just to get to this part of the city and comparing it the the time he spent wandering around, he felt that it would probably turn to night by the time he managed to relocate to a new district and find a commoner's teahouse.

'I might as well give it a shot.' He thought to himself.

He stood to his full height and walked up to the entrance of the teahouse. It was a classy place no doubt. The fact that there were armed guards standing neatly by the entrance spoke volumes about the place and its owner.

The guards didn't seem to pay him any notice, but the moment he tried to enter, he found his way barred by two polestaves. Undoubtedly, they did not want him entering. 

Wuxian made no fuss, leaving quietly.

'Two more to go.'

He was not disheartened, immediately taking off in the direction of the next teahouse. As he walked, he continued circulating and refining his qi. He felt that if he wanted to, he could probably breakthrough to Foundation Building on the spot.

'But to do so without external interruption will be difficult on these streets and will likely draw unnecessary attention. My stay within this city will be limited to information gathering. Once I have what I need, I will rescue my brothers and after that, I'll find a suitable earth vein to build a cave abode.'

Time passed quickly and he arrived at the next teahouse. This one had guards as well- even more as the previous one. Above the entrance was what was presumably the establishment's name, 'Pleasant Breeze Parlour'.

Wuxian took a breath before marching towards the entrance, quickly drawing the attention of the guards.

This time, he decided to use a different tactic.

"Excuse me sirs." He said, giving a martial salute. "My sword is very big, my spear is very long and my crane is very white."

'They can't understand me anyway, this will make sure of it.'

Two of the guards looked at each other with bewilderment.

"What did you say?" One asked.

Wuxian cleared his throat. "I like to plant chives. My favourite dish is steamed buns. A long road passes by my house and my family lives under Liang mountain."

The guards remained bewildered, turning to talk amongst one another.

In truth, this was not a particularly optimal plan. His goal was to confuse the guards and hopefully draw the attention of someone inside. He was unsure of if mister Fu had been representative of the upper class in general, but it was unlikely nobody inside wouldn't be curious with a nonsense-talking barbarian outside babbling to the guards.

Having considered the risks prior to coming, Wuxian was certain that this was one of his better options. He had considered sneaking through the backdoor, but immediately dismissed that plan. Not only was he physically unstealthy, he did not know any concealment techniques, courtesy of his master.

His inability to communicate was another issue. Unable to be understood, he couldn't obtain money and services accessible though money legally. Wuxian was unwilling to resort to underhanded methods since there was the risk of getting into serious trouble.

Besides, the thought of committing a crime, regardless of magnitude, left a bad taste in his mouth.

His current actions weren't criminal in the slightest- he was merely chatting to the guards.

But to his surprise, help did not come from within the parlour, but outside.

"What's the matter?" 

Wuxian turned to see who it was. It was an inconspicuously dressed man, merely wearing a set of black robes.

He had his black hair tied up, kept in place with a copper hairpin. His sleeves were short and his robes were tight-fitting, giving off a martial vibe.

His face was angled and handsome, a beauty mark sitting beneath his left eye.

"Chief!" The guards chorused, giving martial salutes.

The chief nodded in response, allowing the guards to return to ease. He then looked at Wuxian with an expression that seemed to be both neutral and smiling at the same time.

"Greetings. How may I help you?" He said, with the same strange accent Wuxian had heard before.

Wuxian saluted. 

"I am a sleepy fire bird."

Upon hearing this, the chief had a surprised expression. It soon turned strange.

"You… are a what?" He asked, switching languages.

Wuxian also wore a surprised expression. "I said that I'm confused.*" He said, correcting himself.

The chief nodded in realisation. Then he frowned. "I thought I heard you say bird... No matter. I didn't expect to meet someone who could speak ancient tongue today. Life is full of surprises."

"Ancient tongue?" Wuxian asked, brow furrowed.

The chief gave him an odd look. "Yes, ancient tongue. A dead language from thousands of years ago."

Wuxian took a few moments to comprehend what the chief had said.

"Dead language? Thousands of years ago?"

The chief raised an eyebrow.

"You're acting like you've been in closed cultivation for centuries, my friend."

'It seems that I might have…' Wuxian thought to himself, feeling extremely odd.

Then he realised what the chief had just said.

Stepping back in alertness, his left hand reached for the sword by his hip, eyes narrowing.

The chief saw this, remaining standing in an unguarded position, a faint smile on his face.

He raised his arms and stretched, relaxed. "Calm down. If I wanted to deal with a Qi Refining rookie like you, I wouldn't even have to raise a finger."

Wuxian crouched slightly, subtly eyeing his surroundings. Within him, he began to stir up qi, preparing an Effortless Flow technique.

The chief remained at ease, even picking his ear idly. 

As Wuxian prepared to bolt, the chief spoke again.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Displaying Mystic techniques before civilians is illegal within the city without a permit." He warned.

"What permit?"

"Something like this."

The chief raised his hand, materialising a badge into his open palm. Looking at it carefully, Wuxian felt a sense of shock. Reading the words on the badge, he felt uneasy.

"Cang'An Nightwatcher? Are you some kind of policeman?" He asked, slightly dubiously.

The chief nodded innocently. "Mhmn, something like that. Now, cancel your movement technique and relax, being a cultivator doesn't immediately make you my enemy."

He paused, a thinking expression on his face.

"Unless you cause trouble." The chief added.

Wuxian weighed things up in his mind. Onlookers had begun to crowd over, whispering in hushed tones. He let go of his sword, returning to a straight standing position.

This was the first person who could understand him, it would be foolish to waste the opportunity. This person had been referred to as 'chief' by the guards and the gathering crowd seemed to recognise him, looking at him with awe. Undoubtedly, he had high standing within this district at the very least.

'As the chief of a law-keeping force, it's unlikely he'll strike me down in front of such a large crowd. Furthermore, what he said is true. I have been overly cautious.

If I take his words at face value, he might very well be several realms ahead of me. Though I have a pair of interspatial rings, they're not worth risking his career for.'

Wuxian had a calculating gaze.

'I might as well make use of him while I have the chance. But I'll have to leave right after, since now the law, or some of its members, have their eyes on me.'

"Which country are we in right now?" He asked.

"Cang'An. It's actually an independent city-state." The chief responded, looking at him oddly.

"Have you heard of the states of Qin and Liang?" 

"I'm not sure. They ring a bell though…"

Wuxian bit his lip, before crouching down. Using his finger, he drew a map of Liang, Qin, Han, and as much else he could remember from Sir Lv's map, omitting place names.

"Do you recognise this?" Wuxian asked.

The chief nodded. "That's a map of Eastern Lanxing."

Wuxian nodded, appearing calm, but internally experiencing turmoil.

Seeing this, the chief blinked twice.

"You don't look too good. Want to grab a drink?"

Wuxian took a deep breath.

"As long as you pay."

———

Within a private room at Pleasant Breeze Parlour, Wuxian and the chief, chief Li, sat.

They faced one another. Wuxian's face was slightly pale, his hands constantly clenching and relaxing.

"So… where are you from?" Chief Li asked.

"I don't know." Wuxian replied despondently.

"Do you have any friends or family?"

"I… don't know."

Despite the morose and dull conversation, chief Li appeared to be a steadfast individual.

He took a sip of his tea, fully savouring its flavour. He made a pleased expression, eyes shut in enjoyment.

"Well, regardless of who you are or where you are from, you'll enjoy this tea. It's a speciality of Pleasant Breeze Parlour, known as 'Sorrowful Spring'."

Wuxian did not respond, sitting in silence.

Chief Li was unperturbed. "It's a masterfully made drink, honestly. The first taste is bitter, the second is sour and the third is sweet. This three-flavour taste is quite interesting, don't you think?"

He glanced at the inert Wuxian before continuing.

"The first taste represents the emotion one feels after a painful event. At that time, one drowns in sorrow, constantly engulfed in feelings of self-pity, self-loathing and so on. When one drinks Sorrowful Spring in times of difficulty, one can truly appreciate its bitterness, especially after comparing the taste to reality.

The second taste is my favourite. The sourness is like a healing wound, beginning to recover, neither bitter nor sweet, but something else. To some, this sourness is difficult to palate, while others find solace in it. This is when those negative emotions wash off into acceptance, and one recognises one's helplessness under the will of Heaven.

It is in this sourness that one begins to think more objectively, often looking back in fondness and sadness."

Wuxian turned his head to look at chief Li, a solitary tear sitting on his cheek. Perhaps the chief's description had ignited a poetic flair within him, or perhaps he was subconsciously still adopting his false persona from earlier in the day.

He thought back to a poem Sir Lv had read to him, Mian Ji and Xiao Chong around the campfire. It was only now, after experiencing this sort of pain that he truly understood its meaning.

"Whenever guests visit from afar,

I would often make joy at their tidings,

I lost no time in throwing eager questions,

Only to find that the guests were not from my hometown."*

Chief Li's face scrunched up after sipping on his tea.

"So bitter, so bitter." He muttered, before pushing the other cup of tea over to Wuxian.

"Come, try some. It's on me after all."

Wuxian nodded slowly, grasping the ceramic cup with two trembling hands and taking a sip. He then cringed.

"It really is bitter." He remarked quietly.

Chief Li laughed, reminiscing as he took another sip.

The rest of the afternoon passed with the two drinking in the quiet. It soon became closing time and the staff had asked the two to leave.

Standing outside the teahouse, Wuxian felt much better, while chief Li had a relaxed and carefree expression on his face.

"How did Sorrowful Spring taste?"

"Still bitter, all the way to the end."

Chief Li shrugged.

"Give it some time. Only once you get used to the bitterness will the sourness come, and after that, the sweetness."

Wuxian gave him a side glance.

"I thought you said it only needed three tastes to become sweet." He joked.

Chief Li grinned. 

"I was trying to be poetic. It was a metaphor…"

Wuxian nodded.

"So will it really turn sour and sweet? The bitterness is a bit overpowering."

"As long as you continue living for a while and see some of the niceness of being alive. Then, maybe."

Wuxian nodded. He started shivering slightly, misty fumes flowing out of his mouth and nose.

"I have much to thank you for, chief Li." He said, saluting.

"My last tea-tasting partner left town for good a while back. Today's Sorrowful Spring was the first drink of tea I've had in quite some time." Chief Li said, a distant look on his face.

Seeing this, Wuxian could tell that the 'left town' was not so simple as exiting via a gate.

"So you don't drink tea alone?" He asked.

Chief Li shook his head with a smile. "No."

"Why not?"

Chief Li looked up at the stars. "Because tea tastes rubbish when drunk in one's own company."

Silence returned as they both looked up at the sky. 

Then they started laughing, only stopping when the moon reached maximum brightness.

Wuxian sighed, wiping his eyes. Chief Li let out a misty breath, taking in the atmosphere.

Chief Li looked over. "I'm guessing you don't have anywhere to go." 

Wuxian nodded, considering what he should do next.

Suddenly, he heard a jingling sound in the air. He turned and grabbed at whatever it was without thinking.

He glanced down, feeling the weight of a coin pouch.

"You can find me at the prefecture office. Ask for chief Li."

Wuxian looked at the coin pouch in thought before pocketing it. Then he pulled the horse-killing-sword from his waist and tossed it over to chief Li.

"Keep it safe for me. I'll take it back after I repay you."

Chief Li unsheathed the weapon and gave it a perfunctory glance, before sheathing it again.

"This sword is rubbish." He remarked. "I could buy a hundred of these with the money I just gave you."

Wuxian shrugged with a grin.

"My other one is too precious and I don't have anything else, so it'll have to do."

Chief Li rolled his eyes and then turned away, slowly vanishing into the darkness.

Looking on, Wuxian's smile faded slowly, but he felt warm inside. It seemed that no matter the time, no matter the place, there would always be good people to count on.

'Right, I believe there's an inn around here somewhere.'

Like the chief, he turned and left in the opposite direction, his form melding into the darkness of the poorly-lit street.