Gao Xining ran over to Xiruo’s side — it was her instinct, because she could see the girl was walking with real difficulty, and the hobbling made her heart ache.

Xiruo had initially assumed that a thief-wife’s accomplices were probably all bad sorts, and her instinct was to refuse this false-hearted kindness. A thief-wife’s goodwill was, of course, false-hearted.

But the moment she saw Gao Xining, she was visibly taken aback. Looking at that delicate, beautiful face, she suddenly felt: how could a girl this lovely possibly be a thief-wife? That would be the most unjust thing in the world.

Such a beautiful older sister — how could she possibly be a bad person?

“Th-thank you.”

Even with a trace of resistance in her heart, the moment Gao Xining extended her hand, Xiruo instinctively extended hers in return and let Gao Xining steady her.

“What happened to your foot?”

Gao Xining asked.

The small girl suddenly caught herself. *What happened to my foot?*

She lifted her eyes toward that scoundrel sitting in the eatery, who appeared to be watching her with an expression of sardonic amusement. From that insufferable look on his face alone, she could deduce with certainty that this beautiful older sister must also have been deceived by him. How pitiful this girl was.

And the small girl felt a certain satisfaction within herself: though it was her first time making her way alone in the jianghu, her eyes were sharp and penetrating — she had seen through that scoundrel’s true nature at a glance.

So she felt that a person like herself, a chivalrous wanderer, ought to save as many as she could.

“May I ask your name?”

Xiruo did not answer Gao Xining’s question; instead she asked quietly.

Gao Xining replied: “I’m called Gao Xining — the ‘gao’ of ‘high,’ the ‘xi’ of ‘hope,’ the ‘ning’ of ‘tranquility.’ And you?”

“I’m called Xia— Xiruo.”

Xiruo felt this older sister’s smile was truly lovely — lovely as the spring breeze, as summer blossoms, as the autumn moon, as winter snow, as the most beautiful things of all four seasons.

Such a beautiful older sister, and she had been deceived by that scoundrel.

“A beautiful name.”

Gao Xining said with sincere admiration: “As beautiful as your voice.”

Two lovely young women meeting for the first time, speaking for the first time, had already developed the natural warmth of mutual appreciation.

“Heh heh… my teacher gave me this name.”

The moment she said it, Xiruo’s expression shifted. She inwardly cried out in alarm — *how could I say it was my teacher who named me? My current identity is supposed to be a pipa player and singer!*

“It’s… the teacher who taught me music.”

She immediately added this qualification, and gave herself a mental pat on the back for her quick thinking.

“Li Chi can play music too — and plays beautifully.”

Gao Xining harbored no wariness toward this small girl; it was a very natural attitude, because this girl was one of Madam Sun’s people. Before this girl had arrived, it had been Li Chi who had held up the Cloud Study Teahouse’s sky.

Even if Gao Xining hadn’t said Li Chi’s name, Madam Sun would have.

“Who is Li Chi?”

Xiruo asked at once.

Gao Xining looked toward Li Chi chatting with Madam Sun inside the eatery, and pointed: “That slightly unfortunate-looking one over there.”

She said this with complete ease — when introducing someone from your own household to an outsider, saying *that dashing one over there* would seem rather lacking in modesty. The usual practice when introducing one’s own people to others was a degree of self-deprecation.

What she hadn’t anticipated was Xiruo’s response: “He does look a bit unfortunate.”

Gao Xining felt even more sympathy for this small girl. A sprained foot heals on its own — but a sprained eye is harder to cure. Li Chi was so handsome, and this girl thought he looked unfortunate?

Inside the eatery, Madam Sun was smiling as she introduced to Li Chi: “It’s quite the coincidence — barely after you left the teahouse, Xiruo came along and asked if she could stay on and work here. I listened to her play, and it was truly breathtaking.”

Li Chi made a sound that was neither agreement nor enthusiasm.

Madam Sun said: “I think Xiruo’s musical skill is equal to yours.”

Li Chi said: “How can you compare them like that?”

Xia Xiruo let out a faint sound and said: “Thank you for the compliment.”

Li Chi said without missing a beat: “Don’t mention it. Though I meant — how could you be compared to me?”

Xia Xiruo’s brow arched.

Even Madam Sun sensed something was off, though she didn’t know what had happened. She assumed she had praised Xiruo and that Li Chi was displeased, but she had never found Li Chi to be such a small-minded person. What was the matter with him today?

Xia Xiruo suddenly smiled. “And who might this be? The young master whom everyone in the Cloud Study Teahouse used to adore. I’ve only just arrived, yet I have already heard your name countless times.”

Li Chi said: “You’re welcome.”

Xia Xiruo said: “But that was the past. From now on, the young master of the Cloud Study Teahouse is me.”

Li Chi: “Second generation.”

Gao Xining sensed a mutual animosity between these two — a sense that each would very much like to beat the other up. She didn’t know what had happened between them, but she was already faintly eager to find out.

So she said: “Why not have a competition?”

Li Chi and Xia Xiruo looked at Gao Xining simultaneously. Gao Xining slurped a strand of rice noodle, then smiled — to be precise, smiled with poorly concealed mischief.

“A competition — yes, let’s.”

Proprietor Sun, sensing a business opportunity with great acuity, immediately called back to the attendant at the Cloud Study Teahouse: “Quick, go ring the gong and drums — tell them two young masters are going to compete on music!”

Madam Sun immediately kicked him in the backside: “Ring what drums!”

She looked at Li Chi and Xia Xiruo and said: “Why compete in front of everyone and hurt the peace? A competition is certainly in order… but let’s do it in private.”

She smiled: “Today counts as fate. The teahouse closed for the day — let’s compete behind closed doors.”

Proprietor Sun thought to himself: *that’s how much less silver we’ll make today, you extravagant woman…* He dared feel the frustration but dared not say it; and even the frustration was a performance.

Li Chi looked at Gao Xining. Gao Xining: slurp, slurp, slurp…

A short while later, at the Cloud Study Teahouse.

All the board shutters had been put up; outside hung a sign saying the shop was closed for the day. Yet inside, everyone was buzzing with excitement like the most gossipy sort of audience, all eager to see whether the first-generation young master or the second-generation young master would prove superior.

Li Chi looked around and thought: *why am I competing against this small girl? How dull.* With some regret he said: “I didn’t bring my instrument. Let’s do this another time.”

“I have everything.”

Xia Xiruo turned to the older woman and said: “Yun-gu, bring all our things.”

Yun-gu could only sigh inwardly. *Little Mistress, why must you compete against a man in music? Even if you win, what is there to be proud of? The Little Mistress has been taught by the Gate Master these past years — music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, all accomplished; martial skill advancing by leaps and bounds. The Gate Master herself has said that in hundreds of years of the sect, the Little Mistress is a rare genius.*

“Yun-gu, hurry.”

Xia Xiruo said: “I suspect this young master fears our instruments will be lacking. We absolutely cannot show weakness.”

Yun-gu resigned herself, went to the back courtyard, and carried out the instruments one by one. Li Chi looked it over and was struck dumb — he thought: *is this girl my double?* Not only were all manner of stringed instruments present, but also flutes, sheng pipes, and even drums.

“I’ll name the piece,” said Gao Xining, wearing the expression of someone who absolutely does not mind starting trouble.

Li Chi thought: *fine, I’ll just let this little girl concede gracefully.* So he said: “Very well. Name the piece, and she and I will play together.”

Xia Xiruo gave a quiet *hmph*: “Name away.”

Gao Xining named a piece. Li Chi reached out and took a long flute; the girl sat down, pipa in her arms. Flute sounded first, pipa followed — two people playing together for the first time, yet seamlessly in sync, not a gap between them.

Li Chi switched to the qin; the girl moved to the drums. Li Chi took up the sheng; the girl switched to the guqin.

Several pieces in, the listeners were entranced — the two alternated between quick and slow, yet the two voices never once clashed; what should have been a competition somehow merged into perfect harmony.

Like the clear wind through green mountain bamboo; like clouds drifting in the open sky.

“Remarkable,” murmured Ruoling, completely rapt. For the first time she felt that it wasn’t entirely blind of her young mistress to have taken a fancy to this blockhead — apparently the man was this capable.

After more than half an hour, the two had each played every instrument in turn. That, of course, counted as a draw.

The small girl was visibly astonished; she had not expected Li Chi to be this formidable.

Yet her first thought was: *the standards for being a thief are this high now? How can there exist a thief of such refined elegance in this world?*

Li Chi’s thought was: *this wine-mad girl has some genuine skill.*

“An even match — truly brilliant.”

Madam Sun quickly said: “This is a rare sight indeed. Let me host — shall we find a good restaurant and have some wine?”

Yun-gu, standing in the back, immediately said: “Please, no — Xiruo cannot drink wine.”

Li Chi’s eyes narrowed slightly.

*Cannot drink wine?*

Xia Xiruo said: “You know calligraphy and chess?”

Li Chi said: “Barely past the entry level.”

So the two laid out a chess board and played — move and counter-move, another half hour before the game concluded. It ended in a draw; neither could best the other.

The small girl’s competitive instinct had clearly been roused. She asked: “Can you paint and write?”

Li Chi nodded.

So the two spread out paper and each painted and wrote. In painting, Li Chi fell marginally short of the small girl; in calligraphy, the small girl was marginally below Li Chi — so this competition, too, ended without a victor.

It should be noted that when Li Chi wrote in the style of the Ascending Sparrow Terrace stele, even his teacher found it difficult to tell from the original.

The small girl asked: “What else would you like to compete in?”

Li Chi said: “Anything except fighting.”

The small girl thought for a moment, and said — as though making a very difficult decision: “Are you versed in medicine?”

Li Chi paused.

Medical arts and healing — this was indeed not Li Chi’s strength.

The small girl had clearly regretted saying it the moment it left her mouth; even Yun-gu’s expression had changed. She immediately urged: “How can you make such boasts? You want to compete in something you can’t do?”

Xia Xiruo truly regretted it. She gave a light *hmph* and said: “I can’t do it — and neither can he.”

Li Chi felt there was something behind this.

Yun-gu said: “No need to continue. You’re both Madam Sun’s friends. Any more competition and it will truly damage the peace. Better to leave it here.”

Xia Xiruo nodded: “Fine, I won’t compete anymore. It’s not as though I lost to him. At most… we’re barely tied.”

Li Chi smiled and said nothing. He was becoming increasingly convinced that this small girl’s sudden appearance at the Cloud Study Teahouse was not without purpose. A girl this young who knew this much — if she truly had no aim in being here, how could she possibly condescend to spending her days at the Cloud Study Teahouse?

It wasn’t as though she looked like someone short of money. Those instruments — every single one was worth a considerable sum.