At the moment, there was no further movement from the Northern Qiang military camp. It seemed that the overwhelming aura from Xue Qiming's display of strength had subdued them into silence.
Since Xue Qiming had returned at noon, Xue Niang hadn’t spoken a word to him. Each time he shamelessly tried to approach her, he was consistently rebuffed by her cold shoulder.
After a few unsuccessful attempts, Xue Qiming grew bored and called Fang Dingwu to go out with him to buy some wine; he had nearly depleted the several large jars of wine that served as the inn's stock.
It would be misleading to call what they were doing buying wine. It was more like scavenging it. At this time in the besieged city, where could they find an open tavern to drink? Whether they would buy or steal the wine was another matter entirely.
As an upright and honest man who had spent many years as a guard captain, Fang Dingwu was no fool. He waved his hands and firmly refused, insisting he didn’t want to go alone.
Xue Qiming, however, simply grabbed him by the neck and dragged him along with a perfectly reasonable excuse; someone needed to keep watch.
It was just past noon, the two of them could still catch the lingering aroma of home cooked meals as they wandered the streets. Xue Qiming strolled along, sniffing the air, occasionally smacking his lips like a hungry dog on the hunt for scraps.
Fang Dingwu hesitated for a long time before finally pulling at Xue Qiming with a wry smile. "Hero Xue, where would you find a tavern that is still open during a war? Let’s just go back."
Without even looking at him, Xue Qiming waved dismissively. "Don’t fuss, don’t fuss. You'll naturally get your share when I find some good wine."
Fang Dingwu shook his head, laughing helplessly. "There’s barely anyone on these streets. Where are you planning to find wine?"
Xue Qiming chuckled slyly. "This is where you’re wrong. In the Ruen Dynasty, we have a tradition of burying wine in our backyard. Now that most of the townsfolk have fled, it’s the perfect time to properly enjoy their hard work.
"I don’t believe they all dug up their wine before leaving. If we’re lucky and dig up a jar of fine Daughter's Red[ref]A speciality rice wine that is tied to happiness and blessings.[ref/], hehehe... wouldn’t you want a taste of that?"
Fang Dingwu straightened up with a stern expression on his face. "Hero Xue, do you think so little of me? I, Fang Dingwu, am an honorable and upright man. How could I stoop to such sneaky, underhanded acts? Any stolen wine would surely taste bitter, I'm not interested at all!"
Fang Dingwu and Xue Qiming each sat in the backyard of an abandoned house, each holding a jar of wine.
Xue Qiming, slightly tipsy, wore a smug expression. "Well? Didn't I say we'd find some? This nose of mine was made for sniffing out wine!"
Fang Dingwu’s face was completely flushed, his eyes half-closed and unfocused. He hugged his jar of wine and giggled foolishly. Hearing Xue Qiming’s comment, he stammered and gave Xue Qiming a big thumbs-up.
"Brilliant! Brother Xue, you’re brilliant! I, Old Fang, am convinced! Next-next time I go searching for wine, I—I’d like to borrow your nose!"
Xue Qiming let out a drunken hiccup and pounded his chest. "No problem! No problem! Brother Fang, just take it!"
Fang Dingwu let out a long hiccup, squinting as he gazed up at the sky. "This stolen wine, really, it really has... a unique flavor..."
Xue Qiming sniffed the air and licked his lips, then suddenly said with a hint of doubt, "This... this Daughter's Red must be twenty years old..."
Fang Dingwu grinned foolishly. "A twenty-year-old fine Daughter's Red... hehehe, no wonder it smells so good..."
Xue Qiming stared blankly at the Daughter character on the jar for a long while before muttering, "Twenty years and still not married... turns out she's an old maid..."
"Exactly! How can you drink without women?" Fang Dingwu suddenly stood up, his beard and hair bristling as he roared, "Madam! Bring out all your girls!" With that, he collapsed backward onto the ground, and soon his loud snores filled the air.
"Bright and honorable, my ass..." Xue Qiming muttered as he looked at Fang Dingwu. "He’s got it all figured out, completely shameless..."
Under the distant moon, Fang Dingwu slowly roused himself, rubbing his throbbing head. "Damn it, where am I..."
Turning his head, he saw Xue Qiming perched on a tree, hugging a jar of wine and staring pensively at the full moon above.
"Uh... Hero Xue, what are you looking at?" Fang Dingwu propped himself up on the ground and accidentally kicked an empty wine jar at his feet, which rolled into the corner. Only then did he notice that the courtyard was littered with empty jars.
"How much did you drink?" Fang Dingwu gulped instinctively. "And you’re still not drunk?"
Xue Qiming leapt lightly off the tree and patted Fang Dingwu on the shoulder. "You had quite a bit yourself. Alright, it’s time to head back."
The force of the pat made the unsteady Fang Dingwu stumble. He smiled wryly. "Yeah, I drank a lot... still feeling woozy..."
"Alright, alright," Xue Qiming said, hooking an arm under Fang Dingwu’s shoulder and helping him toward the street. "A bowl of noodles back at the inn will sober you right up."
At the same time, a figure melded into the shadows of the night, scaling the city wall with ghostly ease. Darting between the shadows of the parapet, the figure avoided alerting a single guard. Then, the figure leapt from the city wall and opened a large umbrella, which carried them gently to the ground.
Ah San closed the umbrella, gazing at the scattered lights in the city, and muttered, "Finally here... Who knows how many days I’ll have to wait. I’ll find a place to stay first." With that, he disappeared into the city.
Meanwhile, Xue Qiming stumbled along the street with Fang Dingwu, feeling slightly tipsy from drinking so much wine. They had been walking for some time when a lone figure approached on the otherwise empty road.
The person’s attire was unusual enough to catch Xue Qiming’s attention. The stranger was dressed in black from head to toe, with their long black hair wrapped in a dark headscarf.
On their back was a strange weapon with a long handle. It was wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. It almost looked like a spear or a sword, but the dim light made it hard to discern its exact shape.
Xue Qiming raised an eyebrow. He knew the stranger was a fellow martial artist but paid them no further mind.
As they drew closer, neither party seemed inclined to step aside.
Fang Dingwu, still dazed from the alcohol, didn’t even notice someone approaching.
Fang Dingwu staggered as his shoulder collided with the stranger. He waved his hand apologetically, his speech slurring. "S-sorry, drank too much..."
Ah San frowned slightly and replied coldly, "It’s fine." He walked away.
Xue Qiming caught a clear glimpse of the object on the stranger’s back as they passed and his drunkenness subsided slightly. The stranger's unfamiliar weapon was a black umbrella made of iron and gold.
"Black umbrella..." Xue Qiming narrowed his eyes, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Feels like I’ve heard of it somewhere before...