"So, what brings you here?" Brother Qi asked as he took a sip of wine.
"I’m here to look for someone." Xue Qiming picked up some food with his chopsticks and started filling Xue Niang’s plate.
"Oh?" Brother Qi looked a bit surprised, eyeing Xue Qiming with interest. "You have friends here?"
"Well... sort of a friend." Xue Qiming rubbed his chin which was now covered with stubble from days of travel. "But he’s not in the North Watching Pass... I’ll have to head west."
"West?" Brother Qi raised an eyebrow. "Toward the North Defending Pass?"
"Exactly." Xue Qiming nodded. "I thought I’d stop by on the way. I was worried about you, Brother Qi."
Brother Qi chuckled and lifted his chopsticks to flick Xue Qiming on the head. "Bah! Don’t even start about how you're worried about me. You just wanted some free food and drink!"
"If you understand, you don’t need to say it, Brother Qi. You really don’t know how to be polite."
Xue Qiming shook his head as he spoke. Sitting beside him, Xue Niang had already sipped her way through a bowl of wine. Now, while Xue Qiming was engaging Brother Qi in deep conversation, she stealthily took his bowl of wine and began pouring it into her own.
Dumbfounded, Brother Qi stared at Xue Niang’s sneaky maneuver until Xue Qiming waved a hand in front of him, bringing him back to reality.
Xue Qiming looked at him with suspicion, then followed his gaze down. Xue Niang was sitting next to him with a full bowl in her hands, looking away innocently. When she noticed him looking, she blinked up at him, even as the wine in her bowl rippled slightly.
Brother Qi cleared his throat, masking his embarrassment, and casually asked, "So, Brother Xue, why are you looking for that person?"
Hearing Brother Qi’s question, Xue Qiming’s expression turned serious.
"About that, Brother Qi... please take my advice. While there’s still time, take the people of North Watching Pass and head south."
Brother Qi detected a rare note of urgency in Xue Qiming’s tone and straightened up. He cautiously asked, "What do you mean?"
With utmost seriousness, Xue Qiming looked into Brother Qi’s eyes and said, "The Northern Qiang are preparing to invade the south."
Brother Qi’s lips curled in a slight smirk. "I thought you were going to say something serious. It's not like Northern Qiang hasn't done that before—"
"It’s different." Xue Qiming cut Brother Qi off, staring at him intently. "It’s not the same this time. I know what you’re thinking, but... it’s different. They’re not sending small units for minor raids... Northern Qiang is ready for a full-scale war."
Brother Qi’s lips parted and his mouth trembled slightly as he attempted to process what Xue Qiming had just told him.
Xue Qiming tapped his fingers on the table, his gaze fixed on Brother Qi. "Brother Qi, you know what I mean... The North Watching Pass... you guys... can’t hold it."
"The court..." Brother Qi faltered as he struggled to rationalize the situation. "The court will send troops... It’s just a matter of days. Around this time every year, they send reinforcements to help secure the border—"
"What can a few battalions do?" Xue Qiming shook his head. "Brother Qi, don't lie to yourself. You know how this battle will go better than I do, and even I can tell that such small forces would make no difference. Don’t you see that?"
Brother Qi lowered his head, staring silently at his bowl of wine.
"Brother Qi, retreat." Xue Qiming sighed, reaching for his bowl of wine, only to find it empty. Beside him, Xue Niang’s face was flushed from the alcohol. Noticing him looking her way, she couldn’t help but let out a small hiccup.
Xue Qiming shot her a glare, reaching out to tug her ear, but Brother Qi finally spoke up.
"Leaving is impossible."
"Hmm?" Xue Qiming frowned, turning to look.
Brother Qi downed his bowl of wine, slammed it on the table, and shook his head firmly. "Leaving is impossible!"
Xue Qiming rubbed the stubble on his chin and didn’t ask why. He just quietly watched the older man across the table from him.
"I, Qi Anjiang, am the garrison commander of the North Watching Pass! How could I flee without even seeing a shadow of those Northern Qiang savages?" Qi Anjiang pounded the table, making the bowls and dishes jump.
Xue Niang glanced at him, then lifted her bowl and held it protectively in front of her chest.
"Besides..." Qi Anjiang took a deep breath and looked at Xue Qiming. "No one else in the North Watching Pass will leave either."
Xue Qiming grinned. "Is that because many of them are wanted criminals who would be jailed the moment they headed south?"
North Watching Pass was remote, nestled at the edge of the desert. Everyone knew it was a haven for those who’d run afoul of the law in the Central Plains.
"That’s part of it," Commander Qi admitted with his head lowered, "But don’t forget... for most people here, this is their home.
"People like us..." Commander Qi lifted his head, glancing out the door where a few children ran past, laughing and playing.
"We have deep roots here."
Xue Qiming held Xue Niang’s hand as they left through the North Watching Pass’s front gate. He paused and turned to look back one more time. A new guard was posted at the gate, and his head nodded as if he was about to fall asleep at any moment. The characters "North Watching Pass" on the wall were as weathered as ever, and carried a sense of ancient resilience.
Xue Qiming remembered how Qi Anjiang had poured the last few jars of wine into his gourd as he left and said, "Take it all. I’m not planning on brewing any more. Next time... well who knows when we’ll meet again."
Xue Qiming knew that what Qi Anjiang really wanted to say in his last sentence was.
I don’t know if we’ll ever meet again.
A loud explosion pulled Xue Qiming back into the present. The soldier guarding the city, who had just dozed off, was startled awake by the sound.
When he turned to look, all he saw was the backs of a few children as they giggled and ran away. The soldier grumbled a few words, hugged his long spear, and leaned back against the city wall, resuming his nap.
So it was just a firecracker. Thinking about it, Xue Qiming paused for a moment, suddenly realizing that it was almost New Year’s.
Xue Niang tugged on Xue Qiming's sleeve, looking up at him. "Where are we going now?"
Xue Qiming rubbed the stubble on his chin and smacked his lips, "We’re going to find someone I told you about before... the swordmaster."
Xue Niang nodded, then after a moment, asked, "Does he have wine there?"
Xue Qiming laughed heartily, and tousled Xue Niang’s shoulder-length hair.