Iron Heart

At her words, Bai Yun's eyes started to become watery, but she quickly turned away. Wiping her tears with her sleeves so that Su Wan would not catch on. "Thank you miss, but vengeance is the only path I know to take." She said those words lightly as she left.

Su Wan quietly stared at the closed door in front of her. A hard, iron cladden door was precisely what stood between herself and Bai Yun. Just, she never dared to open the door and say anything. From the moment she made a promise to a little girl, this door was destined to never open again.

Her eyes could not help but dim as she watched the candle burn its fuse. The candle was only but a small spark of light that bloomed through the entire room. It was a soft glow that lit the entire room in a soft, eerie light. This light was not enough to have a night reading session, it was only good enough to make out the shape of a figure that stood nearby.

The halls of the Blue Mountain Pavilion, a man with a drowsy face walked into an empty room. His footsteps were disorderly as his eyes rolled around his sockets trying to do an act of balancing. His eyes finally focused on the room to find that it was empty. He called out "Brother Tan, where are you?" as though trying to draw out a person who was playing a game of hiding and seek with him.

Unfortunately, there was no one. The room was truly devoid of any other living persons. The food ordered still remained, it had not been touched since it had been ordered and had a few bites that were eaten. The change was barely noticeable if not for the pair of bamboo chopsticks that skewered itself into the center of the fried vegetables.

The room had a scent of wine that was usually served by the Blue Mountain Pavillion. The smell traced back to a single spill on the table. Seeing that there truly was no one in the room after tearing down some curtains and looking behind the folding screens. He finally concluded there was no one else within the room.

He did not intend to give up on his search there though. Going back to the stage floor, his head looked around a few more times, searching for the familiar face. There was a man who was overlooking everything on the stage. He came up to the man.

With narrow eyes, the middle-aged man seemed like the sly type. But he also seemed to be one who knew many things. He sensed the man that was walking towards. "Can I help you with anything sir?" He enquired. His tone was not at all respectful, but to a man who had his mind in other places, he did not seem to notice.

"Have you seen Tan Daren?" He asked, not bothering how the man seemed to have 'seen' him before even setting eyes on him.

"Which Tan Daren? I know many officials, but have never heard of the one surnamed Tan." The man was one who worked for the Blue Mountain Pavilion for a while and had indeed become acquainted with many officials within the capital. To say if he knew Tan Daren whose rank was not that high, he really couldn't say.

"Tan Baohai." The man tried to make himself clearer.

"Never heard of him, perhaps he returned home." The man spoke before turning to greet more guests dressed in lavish brocade clothing.

The man was left to ponder whether he had truly been mistaken, he scratched his head. There were the beginnings of doubt starting to form in his mind as he returned to the room. His head shook from time to time as he mumbled some incoherent sentences to himself.

By the time he had been out of earshot. The man who had just spoken to him not long ago looked in the direction of the mumbling man. His gaze changed from that man of a man currying favor with the higher-ups to that of a man brimming with calmness. The change only lasted for a few moments, not enough for many to notice.

Yet this gaze did not escape the eyes of a plain-looking man dressed in common clothing that did not have any embroidery. His graying hair in a bun atop his head, fixed with a wooden hairpin. The years have left a trace on his skin, that was slightly dark and laden with wrinkles. No matter how one saw this, this man did not seem to be one to come to the Blue Mountain Pavillion to enjoy himself. Rather, he seemed to be having a solemn meal in a place that was deemed to be the most entertaining place in the capital.

The man did not take any action merely sitting there and keeping to himself. The festive music that livened up the place did not seem to have the slightest impact on him as he kept his face rather somber as he ate his meal.

After Bai Yun left Su Wan's room, her head was down pondering when she heard a subtle cough from behind. She turned around and looked inquisitively at the man with graying hair. The man gave her a smile and said "You look beautiful." Perhaps it could have been seen as strange, maybe even a bit sinister, an old man complementing a young girl on her so-called beauty, yet Bai Yun did not find it so in either his tone of voice or the smile across his face. Instead, it felt as though the man was merely addressing an old acquaintance whom he had not seen in a long time.

She had been living in the Blue Mountain Pavillion for a long time, and considered herself an excellent judge of a person's character based upon their tone of voice, and the gaze within a person's eyes. Most of the people who have worked in the Blue Mountain Pavillion for a long time could be considered excellent judges of character. Yet she could not say for certain whether this strange man had any ulterior motives for approaching her. Perhaps he had mixed her up with a courtesan that usually accompanied him. Only, there was no lecherous gaze within his eyes. Of all the customers that came and went, there was never one who would show such respect when talking to lowly people such as them.

"This humble maid thanks you for the compliment." She responded in a respectful tone, her eyes lowered as she steadied her pace. She could not bring it to herself to continue looking at him. He seemed to be looking for an old acquaintance in those eyes, and she knew she was not that person.

The man continued to watch her as her figure faded away, into the distant crowd. His smile disappeared, replaced with the solemn look that he normally wore. It was such that any person who laid eyes on his face could never fathom that there would be a smiling expression on that face.