The Alley

The girl in black walked deeper into the narrow alley. Occasionally, red lanterns adorned with festive decorations hung outside houses. Unlike others, this veiled girl had no familial connections paving her way, no intricate plans spanning generations. She ventured into the small town alone.

Not far ahead, a boy in luxurious clothes stood holding a jade seal high above his head. The seal, about the size of a child's palm, was intricately carved with dragons and tigers. In the sunlight, it gleamed, with faint threads of radiant light visible within. The richly dressed boy squinted up at this ancient treasure, his face full of delight. Beside him, a tall old man knelt on one knee, carefully wiping the boy's muddy boots with his sleeve.

Although the boy had long noticed the unusual girl, with her green-sheathed narrow saber and steady stride, he paid her no mind. She was clearly not a local. However, the boy remained engrossed in admiring his ancient jade seal, secretly hoping the girl would be tempted to steal it. Otherwise, he would find the whole affair rather dull.

Having already acquired two treasures far beyond his expectations, the boy was growing restless. He would soon have to leave with his old servant, feeling something was missing. It was akin to wearing his golden nine-dragon robe at home, always missing one claw.

In this small town, each selected person could carry three tokens, placing them in embroidered pouches. One pouch had to be given to the gatekeeper as a toll, regardless of the gatekeeper's status or the town's dilapidated gate. Even kings or ancestral masters had to comply. The other two pouches allowed the bearer to take two treasures from the town. Any more treasures found had to be left behind. The tokens were three special copper coins: one celebrating new construction, one hung on palace peach charms, and one held by city god statues. Despite being called copper coins, they were made of rare and precious gold essence, making even wealthy nobles eager to trade their family heirlooms for them.

The boy had examined these three coins thoroughly during his journey but found no clues to their secrets.

The girl, exuding an aura of coldness, walked straight ahead, ignoring the boy and his servant. The boy changed his mind, put the jade seal in a prepared cloth bag, and hung it on his waist. Yet, he remained standing in the middle of the alley, not intending to move aside.

The tall, pale-skinned old man stood up, his voice soft and effeminate, "Your Highness, this person is a skilled practitioner. In this town, even my purely martial body feels suppressed and uncomfortable. If I fully circulate my energy, it's like a flood bursting through, uncontrollable. If I die, it's a small matter, but your safety is paramount. Should any mishap affect your path to immortality, how could I explain it to the emperor and empress?"

The boy teased, "Grandpa Wu, you've become quite talkative since leaving the palace. In the palace, you'd repeat the same few phrases all year, worse than my sister's stupid parrot."

The old man, loyal to the core, saw the boy didn't grasp his warning and clarified, "Your Highness, this person poses a threat to you here."

The boy, slightly disappointed, replied, "Though I've heard the cultivation path is full of dubious characters and strange paths, I doubt she would rob and kill me just for meeting by chance. If everyone on 'the mountain' behaved so, the world would have long fallen into chaos."

The old man sighed, aware of the mutual disdain between mortal kingdoms and immortal families.

The boy, feeling despondent, said, "Never mind, blaming a girl for this mess isn't honorable."

The girl reached him, her left hand resting on her saber.

The boy smiled and stepped aside, signaling for her to go first.

The girl, slightly easing her steps, remained vigilant.

Seeing her bandaged hands, the old man couldn't help but frown.

"Presumptuous!"

The old man's sudden shout was like thunder. He swiftly positioned himself between the boy and the girl, his left hand spread open. A dull impact followed, revealing someone had thrown a stone at the boy's head.

The force was strong enough to break a wall. The old man crushed the fist-sized stone in his hand but didn't attack the assailant. Instead, he punched at the girl.

She hesitated, suppressing her instinct to draw her saber, and tilted her head to dodge the powerful punch.

The punch's force disturbed her veiled hat.

The old man changed his punch to a sweep, aiming for her head.

She quickly crossed her hands in front of her ears to block, sliding back several steps.

Taking a deep breath, she adjusted her veiled hat with her blood-stained bandaged hand, feeling anger rising.

Facing the old man, she calmly stated, "If it weren't for me, you'd already be dead."

The old man ignored her, now prioritizing the unseen assailant.

In the distance stood a tall, thin masked man with thick, muscular arms and two bulging bags at his waist. His gaze lingered on the girl, his eyes heated.

She chuckled, saying, "Come back!"

A sword flew past her head, circling her rapidly.

Annoyed, she commanded, "Go away!"

The sword vanished.

The boy and the old man were stunned.

The old man wasn't shocked by the sword but by the girl's ability to control it here, filling him with fear. It reminded him of his youth in the palace, trembling before a senior eunuch in red.

Recovering, the boy asked, "Grandpa Wu, are you alright?"

The old man, grave, shook his head, "Be careful. If necessary, I'll…"

The boy interrupted, "Maybe we should apologize?"

Caught off guard, the old man felt ashamed and sorrowful.

But the boy was already walking towards the girl, determined to apologize.

Watching him, the old man felt a mix of emotions, realizing the boy's back was spotless.