The man and woman walked in silence.
Rao Shuang belatedly realized that they were about to leave the city bounds.
Rao Shuang couldn’t help but ask, "Where are we going?"
Tang Jinnian didn’t reply, only shaking his head slightly.
Rao Shuang understood that Tang Jinnian didn’t want to explain, so she didn’t press further.
Judging from the direction, we seem to be headed to the seaside, Rao Shuang mused.
After walking for a while, a figure appeared ahead. Rao Shuang’s expression grew cautious and her muscles instinctively tensed at what she saw.
She saw a man with a fish-scale patterned robe and an embroidered short sword.
The passing figure was an Imperial Guardian.
A hand rested on Rao Shuang’s waist, and Tang Jinnian reassured her. "Relax."
Rao Shuang let her hands fall naturally at her sides, and her steps became much more composed.
The Imperial Guardian, walking alone, approached them from the opposite direction. He looked somewhat tired and didn’t appear particularly wary when he saw the two of them. They passed each other with nothing more than a curious glance.
Rao Shuang exhaled softly, glancing up at Tang Jinnian. It seemed she wanted to ask something but stopped herself.
As they walked further, they encountered more soldiers and Imperial Guardians. Rao Shuang’s delicate brow furrowed slightly, and her curiosity built up until she couldn't contain it anymore.
"Where exactly are we going?" Rao Shuang whispered in Tang Jinnian’s ear.
Tang Jinnian lifted his chin, gesturing ahead. Rao Shuang followed his gaze and immediately understood.
At the end of the road was the endless blue sea, a dock, and several warships.
It was no wonder there were so many soldiers and officials here.
A short distance ahead, soldiers behind a barricade guarded the road, preventing anyone from proceeding further.
Noticing Tang Jinnian and Rao Shuang approaching, one of the soldiers guarding the barricade stepped forward.
"Restricted military zone, unauthorized persons cannot enter!"
The speaker was a young soldier whose armor seemed a size too big. With his armor hanging loosely on him he looked rather out of place compared to the other soldiers.
Tang Jinnian stepped forward, cupped his hands in a polite gesture, and smiled. "Officer, is Master Li Er in the camp?"
The young soldier gave Tang Jinnian a once-over, before he hesitantly asked, "You... know our commander?"
"I do," Tang Jinnian replied with a cheerful smile, "I’m from Xianlong Port myself. If we go by family relations, he’s my grand-uncle."
"A local? How come I’ve never seen you around?" the young soldier wondered softly under his breath. He softened his tone and announced, "Wait here. I’ll go find him!"
Tang Jinnian cupped his hands repeatedly. "Much appreciated, much appreciated..."
Standing behind him, Rao Shuang observed everything with her bright eyes shimmering, lost in thought.
Before long, a middle-aged soldier with a scraggly mustache approached. The young soldier followed behind him, getting scolded along the way. "You didn't even ask who he was before you disturbed my nap. Can’t you be a bit smarter?"
The young soldier scratched his head with an awkward smile.
"Grand-Uncle!" Tang Jinnian called out from a distance.
The familiar voice startled Master Li Er. When he saw who it was, he picked up his pace, unable to hide the joy on his face.
Tang Jinnian nodded with a smile.
"Where have you been this past half year?" Master Li Er clapped Tang Jinnian on the shoulder. "I went to your house a few times, and your mother wouldn’t stop talking about you."
"Left to do some business," Tang Jinnian replied without a change in expression.
Master Li Er didn’t seem suspicious and got straight to the point. "Here to see your father?"
Tang Jinnian nodded, his face showing a trace of apology. "Sorry to trouble you, Grand-Uncle."
"It’s nothing!" Master Li Er waved his hand dismissively and barked at the soldiers guarding the road behind him, "Let them through. Can’t you see who this is?"
Tang Jinnian smiled and thanked him, about to walk through. It was only then that Master Li Er noticed someone behind Tang Jinnian. Squinting, he gave Rao Shuang a couple of appraising glances. "And this is...?"
Tang Jinnian paused, as if just remembering something, and quickly pulled Rao Shuang to his side, smiling. "This is Shuang’er. I met her while doing business in the south..." He looked slightly embarrassed, as if hesitant to continue. "Uh... I’ve already taken her home to meet my mother."
Seeing Tang Jinnian’s demeanor, Master Li Er immediately understood. His eyes flitted between the two with a knowing look, and he couldn’t stop smiling. "Good, good..."
Rao Shuang opened her mouth, her face flushed red, unsure what to say. Just as she was feeling flustered, she felt Tang Jinnian give her a firm tug, his stern voice following, "What are you spacing out for? Hurry and greet Grand-Uncle!"
Snapped out of her daze, Rao Shuang stammered, "Ah? Ah... Grand-Uncle..."
"Yes, that's right!" Master Li Er beamed, his old face was full of satisfaction and he smiled so wide his mouth could hardly close.
Rao Shuang’s cheeks were bright red, her lips pursed in a shy smile that was utterly charming. A few young soldiers, who had never seen such beauty, stared at her with wide eyes.
"Ahem." Tang Jinnian deliberately cleared his throat.
Master Li Er immediately turned around and stared down his soldiers. He slapped the nearest young soldier on the head and started cursing, "What are you staring at? Go home and look at your grandma! Move the barricade, now!"
The barricade was removed, so the man and woman strolled leisurely into the restricted military zone.
As they walked, a few local soldiers who recognized Tang Jinnian greeted him. Tang Jinnian responded to each with a warm smile and a nod. Apart from the occasional curious glance from the Imperial Guardians, they passed with little scrutiny.
As someone from the jianghu, Rao Shuang felt deeply uncomfortable to be in such a place. She lowered her voice as much as possible and whispered, "What exactly are you here for?"
Tang Jinnian waved casually at a soldier greeting him from a distance. Without looking at Rao Shuang, he spoke in a calm tone, as if mentioning something trivial, "My father’s grave is on that mountain. This is the only way to get there."
"Grave?" Rao Shuang was momentarily taken aback. "Your father..." She trailed off, recalling that she hadn’t seen Tang Jinnian’s father in the old house.
"Died in a shipwreck," Tang Jinnian nodded. "We never found his body, so we built a cenotaph at the top of the hill overlooking the sea. It faces the sun and the sea... There's good feng shui."
"Mm..." Rao Shuang didn't ask any more questions.
The two didn’t continue toward the dock but turned off midway, walking south along the coastline.
Tang Jinnian suddenly pointed ahead.
Rao Shuang looked up.
Calling it a mountain would be an exaggeration. It was more of a hill, but it stood out on the otherwise flat coastline. The hill was covered in lush greenery, with trees providing ample shade. A narrow path meandered upward.
There were hardly any people here; even the soldiers and Imperial Guardians rarely ventured to this area. It seemed that the hill was only included in the restricted military zone because of its proximity to the dock.
"Um..." Rao Shuang sensed something odd. She turned her head and asked, "Isn’t it inconvenient to have him buried here? You’d have to deal with the authorities every time you visit to pay respects..."
Tang Jinnian’s lips curved into a meaningful smile. "It’s no problem. It’s safe here..."
Safe? Rao Shuang thought back to the countless soldiers they had passed along the way. Her jumbled thoughts were impossible to unravel.