“Did you sleep well last night?” Long Yunxiao turned the teacup in his hands and asked casually.

“Quite well. It’s very quiet here.” Yan Qing smiled. “I have you to thank for arranging such a fine place for me.”

“Think nothing of it.” Long Yunxiao considered for a moment. “There’s a place around here that does excellent rice-paddy roast duck. Would you like to try it?”

“Why is it called rice-paddy roast duck?” Yan Qing was curious.

“The main crop around Five Boundaries is rice. Farmers raise ducks and river crabs and crucian carp together in the rice paddies. The duck droppings fertilize the rice, the carp in the paddies can serve as feed for the ducks, and the river crabs can eliminate pests in the paddies while also acting as a fertilizer. It’s a mutually beneficial cycle and is very popular around here.”

Where Yan Qing had grown up, there was very little rice cultivation. Hearing that rice paddies contained such a rich ecosystem, she was immediately taken with the desire to see it for herself.

“The rice-paddy roast duck I’m referring to uses ducks raised in those very paddies — the meat is plump and delicious. This season, though, the paddies have long been harvested, so the ducks can only be raised in yards now, and the crabs can only be kept in water.” Long Yunxiao said. “Shall we go and try some?”

“I’ll follow your lead.” Yan Qing smiled. “I’m entirely at your disposal.”

Long Yunxiao smiled as well. “Then I’ll play the gracious host and treat my guest properly.”

He used the word ‘guest’ deliberately, so that she would feel at ease. He wanted her to know that everything between them was conducted strictly as between friends — he would not overstep, and he would not make her feel the slightest discomfort.

For him, this rare and unexpected meeting was already the greatest gift heaven could bestow. He had to tread carefully, terrified of saying the wrong thing or doing the wrong thing, lest he widen the distance between them.

What Long Yunxiao had in his heart, Yan Qing could guess for the most part.

She had never been the coy type. When it came to Long Yunxiao, she had her own judgment of the man.

After they finished their tea, Yan Qing and Long Yunxiao stepped outside. The horse carriage they had arrived in was waiting at the door, though the driver had been replaced by Black Snake.

Black Snake, dressed all in black, sat bolt upright on the carriage. The horse was craning its neck and eyeing the new driver with curiosity, while Black Snake stared back at the horse with equal bewilderment. The two of them locked eyes in a peculiar standoff — a thoroughly amusing sight.

One look and Yan Qing covered her lips to stifle a laugh. It was clear this horse knew its people — having an unfamiliar driver at the reins had put it in a mildly stubborn mood.

“Black Snake knows the roads, and having him drive is safer.” Long Yunxiao noticed Yan Qing laughing and offered an explanation.

“He must feel rather put upon.” Black Snake was Long Yunxiao’s right-hand man; his standing within Long Yun Society went without saying. Yet here he was, reduced to driving a carriage — it was rather a waste of talent.

By the time Yan Qing boarded the carriage, Black Snake and the horse had already ended their peculiar standoff.

Murong rode inside the carriage with her. Dihuai had an injury, so Yan Qing had not brought him along.

“Where is Mr. Mu?” Murong looked up toward the roof of the carriage curiously. “Surely he isn’t sitting on top again.”

Yan Qing laughed. “He really does seem to love the roof.”

Black Snake drove the carriage, turned a bend, and headed onto the main road. To call it a main road was generous — it could barely fit one carriage at a time. If a carriage came from the other direction, one of them would have to pull off onto the grass at the side.

Long Yunxiao rode a tall, sturdy horse at an unhurried pace behind the carriage, looking every bit like a bodyguard.

The driving Black Snake thought to himself: only Miss Yan could enjoy treatment like this — having Black Snake of Long Yun Society as her driver and the head of Long Yun Society riding escort.

Yan Qing and Murong spent the journey curiously peering left and right. On both sides of the road were either already-harvested rice paddies or poppy fields, dotted with small, unmelted mounds of snow.

Hai City was further north than Shun Cheng and had colder winters with earlier snowfalls. By the looks of it, a snow had already fallen here before they arrived.

The carriage traveled for roughly an hour before Black Snake called out a halt and the carriage gradually slowed to a stop.

The carriage had stopped within a large courtyard entirely surrounded by rice paddies.

Huxi Fang was a water-rich town. What it lacked least was water. The rice produced in Huxi Fang was renowned far and near — even the rice supply for Shun Cheng came mostly from the Huxi Fang area.

After Yan Qing stepped down from the carriage, Long Yunxiao’s men were leading his horse away to be fed. He walked over and maintained a proper distance from her. “Let’s go in. It’s cold outside.”

A small charcoal brazier had been burning in the carriage, but with the windows letting in draughts, it was no match for the room inside, where the underfloor heating had been burning and was thoroughly warm.

The moment Yan Qing stepped inside, she knew Long Yunxiao had made arrangements in advance. Aside from their party, there was not a single other person in the courtyard. And with the underfloor heating burning this warmly, it had clearly been lit for some time.

She slipped off her cloak and rubbed her hands together. “It’s so much warmer inside.”

The room had a heated platform bed covered with soft cushioned pads, with a square wooden table set in the middle.

To eat, one had to remove one’s shoes and sit cross-legged on the platform.

Yan Qing had barely sat down when the proprietor pushed in a small cart bearing a freshly roasted crispy duck. At the sight of those tempting golden-brown colors, Yan Qing could not help but swallow.

She had once traveled to the capital on business and had eaten authentic roast duck there. She had never forgotten that flavor.

After returning to S City, work had kept her so occupied that she never found the chance to go back to the capital for another taste.

This rice-paddy roast duck bore more than a few similarities to the capital variety. The roast duck chef carved the duck right before the diners — she watched as his hands moved and the knife fell, his technique practiced and sure. In no time at all the duck had been sliced into neat, even portions.

The roast duck was brought to the table, accompanied by an assortment of dipping sauces and thin, delicate flatbreads.

“Try some.” Long Yunxiao said. “It should taste rather different from what you’ve had in Shun Cheng.”

Yan Qing wrapped some duck meat and sauce in a flatbread, brought it to her lips, and took a light bite. The rich aroma of the duck was full and bold, not the least bit overwhelmed by the sauce. The duck meat was tender and juicy, the skin crisp and crackling. Chewed together with the flatbread and sauce, the flavors were something altogether their own.

Yan Qing could not help but exclaim: “Delicious.”

Long Yunxiao smiled as he watched her, then wrapped a couple pieces of duck meat himself and ate at an unhurried pace.

Yan Qing ate the duck and then drank the duck broth. She finished the meal thoroughly satisfied.

The party spent a while strolling along the rice paddy fields before finally setting off on the return journey.

Taking their time to admire the scenery along the way, they did not return to the temporary lodging until evening.

“Mr. Long, I’ll take these fish to the kitchen.” Black Snake carried a wooden bucket containing fish they had brought back from the rice paddy area.

Long Yunxiao said: “Black Snake is an expert at cooking fish — he just rarely shows it off.”

“So it seems I’ll be in for another treat.”

Seeing Yan Qing’s eyes sparkle with anticipation, Long Yunxiao felt his mood lighten considerably. He had long known she had a love of good food — not just a love, but reportedly she was also an accomplished cook herself — so after she arrived at Five Boundaries, his very first thought had been to bring her to sample the local specialties.

Seeing her eat with such joy, he felt that all his careful effort had not been wasted.

He found that the joy of caring for someone could be this simple. Just watching her happy, satisfied smile was enough to fill his heart like it had been packed with honey.

If only he had met her a little earlier…

But it was already enough. At least this kind of companionship was something he had only ever dared to imagine in his dreams.

Black Snake was cooking fish in the kitchen. Yan Qing had changed Dihuai’s dressing and was coming out when she spotted Long Yunxiao standing by the flower bed outside the window. The flowers in the bed had long since withered, and he stood there staring into the distance, lost in thought.

“Do you plan to stay here indefinitely?” Yan Qing walked over, her voice kept very soft.

Long Yunxiao noticed her and quickly drew his gaze back. “When are you heading home?”

“Once I find who I’m looking for, I’ll go back.”

Long Yunxiao made a sound of acknowledgment. “There’s nothing keeping me here either. If you’re leaving, I’ll go with you.”

Seeing her pause in surprise, he quickly explained: “I happen to need to go back to Shun Cheng anyway. Besides, this area isn’t safe. With me here, at least nothing this dangerous will happen again.”

“Very well.” Yan Qing smiled. “Then we’ll go back together.”

Long Yunxiao was inwardly pleased to hear her agree, but his face remained unusually calm — only the corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.

Black Snake made soup and a dish using the crucian carp. Just as Long Yunxiao had said, Black Snake’s skills with fish were truly exceptional.

Right in the middle of dinner, Hall Master Ying arrived. Judging by his hurried manner, he must have made some progress with the investigation.

Hall Master Ying hesitated when he saw that Long Yunxiao was eating.

In his impression, the head of Long Yun Society had no particular fondness for feminine company — he had almost never seen a woman at his side.

Miss Yan was the first.

Yet upon seeing Miss Yan’s appearance and bearing, Hall Master Ying did not find it especially strange. A woman like Miss Yan — any man would likely be captivated by her.

Mr. Long had truly met a woman who stirred his admiration this time, which was why he had set aside society affairs to remain personally at her side, attending to her every need.

While Hall Master Ying was still hesitating, Yan Qing caught sight of him.

“Hall Master Ying has arrived.” Yan Qing alerted Long Yunxiao.

Long Yunxiao had his back to the front door and hadn’t seen him, but upon hearing Yan Qing’s words, he replied in an unhurried tone: “Finish the meal first.”

He picked up the ladle and added a bit more rice to her bowl. “You’re eating too little. Have a bit more.”

Yan Qing looked at the extra half-bowl of rice that had appeared, and her expression sagged. Long Yunxiao was treating her like a little pig to be fattened up.

Only after Long Yunxiao had finished eating and said “Come in” did Hall Master Ying stride into the sitting room.

As Murong was clearing away the bowls and chopsticks, she heard Hall Master Ying say: “I searched the old records. The owner of this badge was a man named Lin Zhi. He was once the deputy hall master of the Sunshine Hall. At the time I had not yet joined the Sunshine Hall, so I had never heard of this person.”

Yan Qing reflected to herself: the widow’s simple-minded son had handed her this badge for a reason — it could not have been without cause. And the facts had proven it: the badge had truly led to a person, and that person had even been a deputy hall master.

But did this deputy hall master have any connection to Qian Lan?