"Ah..." Shan Si quieted, not adding a single word to his statement. He simply stood there, allowing Tao Hua his incremental moment.
Whatever the reason, it mostly involved this small shop. It would be the last Tao Hua ever laid his eyes on such a miraculous sight, making him more emotional than he had all night.
His jaw quivered, and the hands he held so firmly at his side softened, almost going limp.
The peach coloured eyes remained on the building, reflecting the two weakly swinging lanterns on each side. They weren't lit, and that alone made the joint look rather eerie to most. But to Tao Hua, it was like they were set aflame. He couldn't quite take his eyes off either, at least not yet.
To Shan Si, this small place barely held weight, so Tao Hua didn't expect him to understand. But the quilt, the pile of books, and the adventures he'd embark with each daily visit...they all meant something no beautifully crafted estate, expensive gate, or bedazzled sword could replace.
Shan Si glanced over at it, sizing it up from top to bottom. He took a moment, allowing the silence, before turning his head to face the southern gate, and up the hill of trees toward the Estate.
After another moment, he placed his hand back on Tao Hua's back and leaned in.
Tao Hua froze, a cold chill running down his body the closer the heat reached his ear. He whispered, "When we get back, I'll show you something this little shop couldn't ever compete with."
It was the second time his voice was soft and promising, with not even a trace of malice. Of course, as soon as he straightened himself, that quickly changed as sporadically as the weather.
"So, unless you want your father to catch you, get going." He slapped Tao Hua's back, causing the poor man to flinch and jolt forward. He caught him by the collar and said, "Stop wasting time on nostalgia."
Shan Si didn't idle a moment longer and let the collar go, leaving Tao Hua bent out of shape. He started ahead, toward the Northern Gate as Tao Hua remained, wiping away the spit from his lips.
It was quite the tumble forward and nearly had him faceplanting into the dirt ridden ground. With a prolonged sigh, his face greatly showcased his looming exhaustion.
It was practically etched on his face, with pristine precision. This man needed a nap.
Frowning, Tao Hua straightened his shoulders and looked down. while lifting his hand and pressing it to the love of his ear. He massaged it lightly, feeling along the heat that could have burnt it to the third degree.
Why…?
But he couldn't seem to quite find the answer; only frustration.
One more look at "A Land Lost in Time" and that heat settled immediately, replaced with something gentler. Perhaps a little sad.
It really was goodbye. Goodbye with a beast, no less.
And as stated before, goodbyes to Tao Hua were always difficult, to all things considered a noun. In all his life, he never thought he'd lose the one thing that always remained the same—from every speck of dirt, glimmering dust, to each fallen and splintered beam.
He turned away, unable to face it any longer. From the ground, and toward the gate, his eyes ventured. There was a lone source of light near the top of that short outpost. It peeked past the frail curtain that separated the room from the outside world.
But he'd soon move away from the guard's station and toward something that caught his attention immediately. Something far more sinister and rather questionable.
That something wasn't the poorly fitting sign that creaked with each rattle of the buildings, nor was it the way the characters for "Siyue Town" faded.
And it certainly wasn't found in how the gate remained firmly shut—which it really should have been the most important thing, given that the two planned on leaving Siyue Town.
What caught his attention was the very thing that captivated it all day.
Shan Si.
But he wasn't waiting for Tao Hua; far from it, actually.
One look at this man, and Tao Hua found that he had rammed his sword into the wall, which explained the sign shaking.
He was agile and quick, jumping onto the blade with sheer ease. There was no need to balance with how swiftly this thief moved; as soon as his sword nearly fell out of the decaying wood, he leaped, grasping onto the edge of the outpost's balcony. This helped in leveraging his body toward the banister.
The sword fell to the ground, clanging loudly. It was enough to alarm the guards within the outpost, and yet? Somehow, Shan Si showed no sign of caring. It was as if he intended for this to happen.
The guards who lazily stood within muttered a bit before emerging from their comfortable confines.
"Oy—" one said, holding up a lantern in one hand and a dull sword in the other. He looked around, his eyes falling on Tao Hua. His brows indented, and he shoved the lantern forward.
From Tao Hua's position, it half-lit Shan Si, who hid below that man, stiller than the streets behind.
Tao Hua just stood awkwardly, staring back at the guard. It was best to say his eyes were now as wide as the full moon that shone upon him.
Gritting his teeth, he thought, Did he just use me as bait?!
"Young Master Tao..." the guard called out, asking, "Why…did your father send you out or something? Speak!"
But Tao Hua couldn't speak! He could only glare at Shan Si with utter anger and disbelief. Shan Si, who was hanging like a koala, quickly removed a hand and pressed his index finger. He mouthed the word, "Shhh" before grasping the banister once more.
The second guard lifted the curtain, offering more light to the situation. They hadn't noticed Shan Si, who was still hanging off the edge with complete ease. They really should have, with how utterly stupid he looked. To be exact, this man had one foot lodged between the fence rails and the other against the wall; ready to shove himself up at a moment's notice.
You really couldn't miss it; yet, these guards were so heavily focused on Tao Hua, they did!
"Child—fuck, he causes too many issues!" He grumbled, passing his sword to the second guard. He cupped his hand over his mouth, yelling as his voice reverberated against the buildings. "Your father gave us strict orders not to let you leave! Why cause us anymore trouble? Be a good boy and head back home."
At the usage of "Good Boy" Shan Si's face twisted with comical disgust, mouthing "eugh" in the process.
Tao Hua didn't move an inch, nor did he respond. He didn't know what to do!
"You know damn well you're not supposed to—"
But looked up, he saw the flashing of another faraway outpost. From a deep orange to a light yellow, over and over. This outpost was stationed near the Tao Estate.
A warning, and one that had been going off for a while with how it dimmed.
He mouthed, "Fuck."
Turning to the other guard, he shouted, while motioning his hand urgently, "Go! We messed up!"
"Huh..?" The other guard, confused, lazily looked around until the first guard aggressively pointed at Tao Hua.
"Orders! Orders!" he screamed, grabbing the guard's arm, pushing him toward the exit. "Get Master Tao's fucking child! He's at it aga—"
But before either could react, Shan Si flipped up and rammed both guards into the wall.
"Really? That was too easy." Shan Si grabbed both swords from the second guard's grasp, half-lidded and possibly disappointed. He just looked at those rusty pieces of junk as if touching something repulsive. "I don't understand the grievances you all have with this man."
He laughed darkly, tossing the two swords over the edge and kneeing them further into the wall before they could make a sound. "If one headman's child really causes you this much trouble, you don't deserve those. Pitiful. Master Tao really knows how to pick them."
Both of them stared up at Shan Si, horror and anger written on their faces. The first guard, the offensively loud one, had parted his lips to retort; however, he hadn't even a chance to speak. Not when something flimsy to the touch was slapped right onto his mouth.
The last any of them heard from him was "You—!!"
Hand pressed against the paper, and face almost inches away, Shan Si said, "Now that's a good boy."
The Guard's eyes just bulged, staring down at the yellow sheet of paper with red characters written on it, and then back to Shan Si.
"But I guess I'd, too, be angry at someone for looking the way you both do—ugly," said Shan Si, patting the two talismans once more, for good luck, before standing up straight.
From the looks of it, this talisman rendered both guards motionless.
"I repeat: pitiful. Neither of you deserves that uniform. Nah, actually--" A wicked smile formed on his lips. "I'd go as far as both of you deserve to die."
And with the click of his finger, he commanded each to slump down, falling into a deep slumber. And from Tao Hua's point of view, Shan Si stood over them, terrifyingly engulfed by the shadows, as if the lantern's light evaded him entirely.
"But I can't blame you, either," he said, kicking them aside. His face was a written warning of irritation, directed at both unconscious guards. "Beautiful things need to be locked away. Master Tao and I have much in common."
Tao Hua, while watching every action, had his eyes glued on Shan Si and kept them there in complete and utter awe. But that soon came to an end as Shan Si disappeared into the outpost with both of those lanterns. Then, he turned his head, staring at his now-lifted sleeve.
Is that what it does…?--
He paused, staring at his sleeve. What did he...
But before he could give the thought even a second, the gate sounded as it slowly opened, revealing the grimly shadowed path that awaited them ahead.
And as each door on that street creaked open with the confused mumbles of countless voices. Shan Si's, however, overpowered them entirely. He threw both lanterns into the outpost and then clutched the railings of the balcony.
Toward Tao Hua he screamed, just as the gate doors slowly opened.
"GO!"
Chapter end.