200 The Enemy Of My Enemy (1/2)
Six Months Later…
Amongst the street merchants, vendors, and citizens roaming the Eastern Empire's capital city - Shongo, a single youth was strolling around. From a distance, the youth appeared to be a young man, but upon a closer look, one could see the feminine features on his small face.
Dressed in a loose fitted hemp shirt, pants and a bamboo hat on their head, the youth turned to the direction of a food stand. After a few seconds of deep thought, the youth walked toward the stall.
”One [1] Bing tanghulu please.” He passed the stand owner three silvers.
Accepting the money, the stand owner passed the candied fruit to the youth with a polite smile. The youth nodded in thanks and stood to the side of the food stand. It broke between his teeth with a soft crunch.
The sweet scent of hawthorns drifted through his nostrils. A sour sweetness filled the youth's mouth and for a moment, he enjoyed the calmness around him.
A few feet away from the stand, two merchants spoke to one another in hushed whispers.
”Did you hear?”
”Hear what?”
The youth took another bite of the candied hawthorns, their right cheek bulging. It was even sweeter than the first bite.
Looking around, the merchant lowered his voice. ”I overheard a few soldiers talking, and apparently there's tension between the eastern and western powers.”
The youth continued to chew, their eyes focused on a pair of children playing in the distance. They swallowed and took another bite with a crunch.
”What kind of tension?” The other repeated, his voice filled with uncertainty. He seemed uninterested in his friend's words.
”I don't know. But it seems to be big since many of the soldiers have been moving around lately. They even have soldiers patrolling the other side of the city.”
”Pah! That's just a bunch of nonsense!” The other man scoffed and rolled his eyes. ”Even if that were so, the eastern power is strong enough to defend itself against other empires. Our emperor is a clever man. I'm certain he knows how to evade this situation.”
”Maybe so…maybe so…” The other spoke quietly and went back to his work.
The youth swallowed the last of the candied hawthorns and took out their pouch.
”Another please,” They handed another set of silvers to the stand owner.
Taking the second stick of candied hawthorns, they walked away and blended through the crowd. A second later, the youth's figure was out of sight.
At the top of the Fa Mountain, a middle-aged man stood at the top of a rocky hill. He stared down at the Eastern Empire's city with a silent gaze.
The man was none other than Wei Jingyi.
”What took you so long?” He asked without withdrawing his gaze from the view below.
”I was hungry,” Rin chuckled, now standing beside Wei Jingyi.
Glancing at the girl, Wei Jingyi sighed.
”Master…”