Shu Region, Chengdu Prefecture.
The sun was just beginning to rise as Xue Qiming walked along the street with Xue Niang. At this hour, the streets were gradually filling with people, and the flow of pedestrians was constant.
Xue Niang held a skewer of candied tanghulu in her hand. Her mouth was stuffed with hawthorn fruits, making her cheeks puff out adorably.
Xue Qiming occasionally glanced around, seemingly searching for something.
Xue Niang shot him a sidelong glance. "Aren't we going to Miaojiang?"
Xue Qiming nodded absentmindedly, replying, "That's right, we are."
Xue Niang scrunched up her nose. "Then why are we taking a detour to Chengdu?"
Xue Qiming paused, surprised. "How do you know we're taking a detour? Do you know the way?"
Xue Niang spat out two hawthorn seeds and replied, "Yesterday when we asked for directions, I heard that person say the southwest side path is the quickest and shortest, but today you're clearly taking the main road."
Xue Qiming shook his head ruefully and muttered, "You clever little rascal..."
Xue Niang rolled her big eyes and asked again, "What are you looking for?"
"The way." Xue Qiming didn't even turn his head, continuing to observe the street.
"To where?" Xue Niang asked again.
Xue Qiming impatiently waved his hand. "To find a trafficker. Your master has run out of wine money, so I plan to sell you for a good price to buy some."
Xue Niang finished the last hawthorn and nonchalantly said, "I'm already eleven this year. At this age, I probably won't sell well."
Xue Qiming put on a fierce expression. "Then I'll sell you to a wealthy family as a child bride!"
Xue Niang giggled, her eyes curving into crescents. "Then I'll pretend to have epilepsy. Let's see if you can still sell me."
"Look at how clever you are..." Xue Qiming laughed heartily, reaching out to ruffle Xue Niang's smooth hair.
Xue Niang slapped his large hand away and glared at him angrily, blaming him for messing up her hair.
Xue Qiming chuckled awkwardly. "But it's true that we are out of money. That's why I came here to find some."
Xue Niang gave him a sidelong glance, her tone mocking. "What? Are you planning to extort some wealthy family?"
Xue Qiming's face flushed. "What kind of nonsense are you saying? Is that how you see your master?"
"Heh..." Xue Niang let out a chuckle, her expression ambiguous.
Xue Qiming leaned closer, lowering his voice. "I'm looking for the Chengdu branch of the Ghostbane Association... Damn it, it's been too long since I last came, and I can't find the way."
Xue Niang's eyes lit up. Having been by Xue Qiming's side for so long, she had heard plenty about the Ghostbane Association but had never seen it in person. Now that he mentioned it, her interest was piqued. "Does someone there owe you money? Why are you looking for it?"
Xue Qiming rubbed his nose. "Not really. It's not like that many people owe me money... I just thought I'd check if there are any tasks in the Shu Region or Miaojiang. If there are, I can take them on the way and earn some travel money."
Xue Niang's face was full of anticipation. She imitated Xue Qiming by lowering her voice and asked, "So... there's a Ghostbane Association branch in the city?"
"Yes..." Xue Qiming's gaze swept across the street. "It's through a tailor shop, but I just can't remember which street it's on."
Xue Niang's face flushed red with excitement, and she eagerly said, "I'll help you find it!"
"There's no need for that," Xue Qiming said with a wave of his hand. "We'll find it by searching street by street."
When the sun reached its zenith at noon, Xue Qiming suddenly lit up as he looked across the street.
"Hey, this is the place."
Xue Niang followed his gaze and saw a five-story building across the street. A signboard above the door read: "Elegant Garment Workshop."
At first, when Xue Qiming mentioned it was a tailor shop that served as a front for the Ghostbane Association, Xue Niang thought it would be a small storefront. She hadn't expected it to be a standalone building and far more extravagant than any tailor she had seen.
Xue Qiming took Xue Niang's hand and entered through the main door to discover that the place was quite busy. The people coming and going were all young men and women dressed in luxurious attire.
Xue Qiming explained to Xue Niang in a whisper, "This tailor shop is quite famous in Chengdu Prefecture, so business is excellent."
Xue Niang murmured softly, "This is nothing like I imagined... It's way too ostentatious."
Xue Qiming chuckled. "What do you know, kid? It's designed this way to avoid suspicion."
Holding Xue Niang's hand, Xue Qiming approached the counter, where several clerks waited.
One of them looked up as Xue Qiming approached. Noting the unfamiliar face, the clerk said, "Once you've made your selection, bring it here to pay. No haggling."
Xue Qiming tapped his fingers on the counter and winked at the clerk. "Hey, I'm a member."
The clerk's expression shifted slightly, and he casually looked around to confirm no one was approaching. Then, feigning a casual tone, he said, "A member wouldn’t be unfamiliar with the rules, would they?"
"Of course I know," Xue Qiming nodded, reached into his robe, and pulled out a token, flashing it briefly before tucking it back into his robes.
The clerk frowned and scolded in a low voice, "Why the rush? Take it out and let me see clearly. Or are you faking it?"
At these words, the other clerks behind the counter turned their gazes toward Xue Qiming, their eyes filled with caution.
Xue Qiming licked his lips and let out a dry laugh before pulling out the token again and placing it on the counter.
The clerks focused their attention on the token, which had the characters "Unbound Bodhisattva" engraved on the visible side.
"Unbound Bodhisattva?" one clerk murmured, reaching out for the token as he asked, "This isn't from our branch, is it?"
Xue Qiming's tapping on the table quickened noticeably. He kept scrutinizing the clerk's expression as he casually replied, "It's from the Xi'an Prefecture branch." Xue Niang, sensing the change in Xue Qiming's demeanor, glanced up at him curiously.
The clerk nodded and flipped the token over.
"Hiss." The clerk gasped sharply, suddenly looking up at Xue Qiming with a gaze full of fear. "You!"
"Silence!" Another clerk nearby quickly tugged at him.
The startled clerk finally came to his senses, realizing he couldn't draw attention. He held the token with trembling hands and respectfully handed it back to Xue Qiming. His voice quivered as he said, "I was ignorant... to have offended you, my lord. Please forgive me... please forgive me..."
When the clerk handed the token back, its reverse side was facing up. On this side was an embossed ghost head. A typical token had a ghost's mouth, which should have held the rank Mortal, Profound, Earth, or Heaven. Xue Qiming's token was empty.
The other clerks took one clear look and immediately stood up in unison. Their fearful gazes held an unmitigated curiosity.
Xue Qiming quickly snatched the token back and stuffed it into his clothing, his gaze sweeping over the clerks' faces. "You don’t recognize me? Never heard of me?"
The clerk who had asked for the token felt his throat go dry. "M-My lord... It is my fault for not recognizing—"
"Enough." Xue Qiming waved impatiently. "Good that you don’t. Lead the way up front!"
"Y-Yes, yes, of course..."
The clerk hunched over as he led the way, with Xue Qiming and Xue Niang following behind.
Xue Niang tugged gently at Xue Qiming’s sleeve. When he leaned in to listen, she whispered, "Just now... were you afraid they might recognize you?"
Xue Qiming glanced furtively at the clerk leading the way ahead, then whispered back, "What do you know, kid? It's normal that they don't recognize me. If they did, it would most likely be because of that business involving Stormqueller in Ying Tian Prefecture last year! You have no idea. Even now, his assassination notice is posted all over the Ghostbane Association!"