As the road narrowed into a winding mountain trail, the silence grew heavier.
Yuan Yu pulled aside the curtain of his carriage and called out,
"Let's take a break. I'm starving, and my legs have gone numb."
The servants quickly got to work. In a small clearing nearby, they built a fire and prepared a meal. Rui sat beside Yuan Yu, while Wang Bo took the seat on the other side. The two seemed to form a quiet shield around him, exchanging short, watchful glances.
The air had cooled with the climb. Pine needles covered the ground in a dry, fragrant layer, and somewhere above them a bird called twice and went quiet. Wang Bo broke off a piece of bread and held the other half out to Rui without a word.
Rui looked at the offered bread, then at Wang Bo's face, which showed only the simple expectation that Rui would take it.
"You eat like a soldier," Wang Bo said, not unkindly. "Fast. Like the food might be taken from you."
Rui paused mid-bite.
"Old habit," he said.
Wang Bo nodded once, as if that answered something, and asked nothing further.
Not an empty man after all.
Rui returned to his meal.
Yuan Yu sat with his back against a low rock, eating little, his eyes following the smoke from the fire as it climbed and thinned and vanished between the branches overhead. The firelight softened the lines of his face, making him look younger than he was.
The meal was eaten quickly. No one spoke much after that.
After stretching a few times, Yuan Yu returned to his carriage. The camp was packed up, the horses readied, and the group moved on. The trail climbed steadily now, the air growing thinner, the trees pressing closer on either side. Time passed. The sun began to sink behind the mountains, staining the rock faces a deep orange before fading to gray.
"Is there a town nearby?" Yuan Yu asked. "If not, we'll have to rest on the road."
A soldier rode ahead and returned a few minutes later.
"Sir, there's a small town up ahead. I can see the lights."
The group turned in that direction.
The town was not large, but it looked safe. One of the soldiers went to an inn and returned shortly afterward.
"They have rooms available, sir. Three-person rooms if we stay together."
The horses were tied up, belongings unloaded, and everything secured. Five men shared one room, six another. Yuan Yu, Wang Bo, and Rui stayed together. Two soldiers stood guard at the door throughout the night.
The room smelled of dust and old wood smoke. Yuan Yu exhaled deeply as he stretched out on the bed, working a knot from his shoulder with one hand.
"This journey feels endless..." he muttered with a groan.
Wang Bo laughed softly, wiping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.
"We've only just begun. Six more nights ahead."
Yuan Yu frowned.
"What kind of nonsense is that? The Tiger Sect makes us travel six nights just to see them? What's all this trouble for?"
Wang Bo shook his head.
"Not to see us. According to the spies, they want to measure the movement and strength around the town. You know the Tiger Sect—"
"They tolerate no power but their own," Yuan Yu cut in. "Yes, I know. And their young master, Moon, isn't any easier to read than his father. Half the things that come out of his mouth sound like nonsense, and yet—"
He stopped, rubbing his temple.
"Reading what that father and son actually want is harder than reading the mountain weather."
Wang Bo shrugged, almost an afterthought, tying his hair back for the night.
"It's an old pattern with sects like them. They don't like anyone growing too powerful."
Rui, who had been checking the edge of his sword by the candlelight, went still. His thumb stopped over the blade.
Did they kill my father because he was too strong?
The question would not leave him.
He set the sword down carefully, as though it might make a sound if handled wrong, and kept his eyes on the floor until the pounding in his chest began to slow. Wang Bo had not meant anything by it. He could not have known. But the words had touched an old wound he had spent years ignoring.
"Let's get some rest. It's been a long day," Yuan Yu said.
Wang Bo and Yuan Yu shared a bed. Rui lay on the couch against the wall, his sword pressed to his chest.
Yuan Yu drifted into a peaceful sleep, surrounded by loyal guards and trusted companions.
Rui did not.
He lay listening to the other two breathe, slow and even, and stared at a crack in the ceiling beam, tracing its length over and over.
At some point, he gave up trying to sleep.
He watched the stars beyond the window until the sky began to pale.
At dawn, the inn came alive with quiet movement.
Servants prepared breakfast downstairs. Their wealth was obvious to everyone watching — the cut of their travel clothes, the quality of the tea brought up without being asked twice.
Yuan Yu sat down and gestured for Rui to join him.
"You'll always eat at my table from now on," he said with a warm smile. "You're not like the other soldiers. You're on your way to becoming my aide."
Rui lowered his gaze to his teacup, turning it slightly in his hands before he drank.
A faint smile touched his lips.
He took the seat beside Yuan Yu.
The meal was quick but pleasant. Wang Bo asked about the road ahead, and Yuan Yu answered between sips of tea. At one point their hands reached for the same plate, and Yuan Yu simply slid it toward Rui instead, without comment.
Yet Yuan Yu barely ate. The closer they drew to Tiger Sect territory, the more his appetite slipped away.