Heroes Among Heroes · Chat

The mist in the mountains had not yet dispersed.\n\nWang Xiaoshi stood before the gate of Baixu Garden, looking back at the old pine tree—his master, Tianyi Jushi, was leaning against it, holding a chess piece as if to place it, or perhaps to wave. In the end, his master did neither, but instead took something from his sleeve and handed it over.\n\nIt was a white jade box.\n\nThe box wasn't large, just big enough to fit in the palm of a hand. The jade was warm and smooth, with a faint, flowing radiance. The opening was sealed with a thin strip of wax, pressed with an unfamiliar seal. Wang Xiaoshi took it; it was heavy, not with the weight of jade, but as if something was packed inside.\n\n"Master, this is..."\n\n"Take it to the capital," Tianyi Jushi interrupted him, "and deliver it personally to the Master of the House of Sunset Drizzle, Su Mengzhen."\n\nWang Xiaoshi was stunned. House of Sunset Drizzle? Su Mengzhen? He had heard these names on the mountain; his master mentioned them occasionally, always with a tone of indefinable solemnity. Those were figures who could turn clouds into rain in the capital, names a boy raised in the mountains would only hear from storytellers.\n\n"Remember," Tianyi Jushi's voice dropped, each word like a nail being driven into wood, "deliver it to him personally. No one else can hand it over, and no one else can receive it. The box is your life."\n\nWang Xiaoshi carefully tucked the box into his robe, against his chest. The jade was icy, making him shiver.\n\nHe bent down and solemnly kowtowed three times.\n\nWhen he stood up, his master had already turned away, waving a hand as if impatient. Wang Xiaoshi knew his master couldn't bear to watch him leave. He delayed no longer, tightened the "Wanniu" sword wrapped in cloth on his back, and strode onto the mountain path.\n\nDew soaked his cloth shoes, and the mountain wind poured into his collar, yet he walked with a light step. The white jade box in his robe swayed gently with his pace, like an extra heart beating a strange rhythm against his chest.\n\nAfter two days of walking, the mountain path turned into a main road, and the sides of the road began to feature tea stalls, wine banners, and the sounds of passing people.\n\nXiliu Town.\n\nThe town wasn't large, but because it sat right on the main route to the capital, merchants, martial artists, and scholars heading for the exams all stopped here to rest. Wang Xiaoshi felt the few coins remaining in his pocket and decided to find the most inconspicuous tavern. Meanwhile—he calculated in his head—he would ask for directions to the capital and which way the House of Sunset Drizzle was.\n\n"Zhaoye Tavern"—the banner in front was faded white with age, and there were only four or five tables inside, quite desolate. Yet Wang Xiaoshi took a liking to it at first glance. He picked a seat by the window and ordered a pot of cloudy wine and a plate of peanuts. The wine was poor and harsh to the taste, but he drank it with relish.\n\nBefore he could pour his second cup, the door curtain lifted, and someone walked in.\n\nThe man was dressed all in white, as white as the mist outside, yet not as hazy—his features were sharp, his brows handsome, and his lips slightly pursed, like a blade that hadn't left its scabbard. He had no weapon at his waist and no luggage in his hands, appearing like a traveler with empty hands, yet he carried an aura that commanded respect.\n\nHe walked straight to the table opposite Wang Xiaoshi and sat down.\n\nHe didn't ask "Is anyone sitting here?"; he just sat down.\n\nWang Xiaoshi was stunned for a moment, then smiled. He had met all kinds of people, but few who sat down without an invitation. He subconsciously pressed the white jade box in his robe—not out of fear, but habit. His master had said that when traveling with something important, one must always be aware of its presence.\n\nThe man looked up at him, his gaze clear but not cold. His eyes lingered on Wang Xiaoshi's face for a moment, then glanced down—not at the hand pressing his chest, but at the sword on his back.\n\n"The thing on your back is a sword," the man said.\n\nIt wasn't a question; it was a statement.\n\nWang Xiaoshi nodded. "It's a sword."\n\n"Wrapped in cloth, are you afraid of people seeing it?"\n\n"Not afraid," Wang Xiaoshi thought for a moment, "I just feel it's unnecessary." He paused and asked in return, "And what about you? What do you do?"\n\nThe man didn't answer directly. Instead, he reached out, picked up the wine pot on the table, and poured himself a cup. His movements were slow, the stream of wine thin, and not a single drop was spilled. After pouring, he looked up and said something that made Wang Xiaoshi's heart skip a beat:\n\n"You have something tucked in your robe; you're heading to the capital to find someone, aren't you?"\n\nWang Xiaoshi's hand instinctively pressed against his chest again. The white jade box was still there, warm, heated by his body temperature.\n\nHe suddenly felt that the man in white before him was much more complex than he had first appeared.\n\n"My surname is Bai," the man said, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his mouth. "Bai Choufei."\n\n"Choufei? That's an interesting name."\n\n"What's interesting about it?"\n\n"So sorrowful that one flies," Wang Xiaoshi mused. "That must be quite a lot of sorrow."\n\nBai Choufei suddenly laughed. When he laughed, his cold, stern face seemed to crack, revealing a bit of warmth. But the smile lasted only a moment before it vanished.\n\n"And you?" he asked.\n\n"Wang Xiaoshi."\n\n"Wang Xiaoshi..." Bai Choufei repeated, as if savoring the three syllables. "Very ordinary."\n\n"I am just an ordinary person after all." Wang Xiaoshi raised his wine cup toward him. "Brother Bai, a toast to you."\n\nBai Choufei also raised his cup. The two coarse pottery cups clinked softly, making a crisp sound.\n\nThe sun outside rose higher, and the mist cleared. The tavern remained empty, with only the two of them chatting idly. Wang Xiaoshi didn't mention the white jade box, and Bai Choufei didn't ask again. Occasionally, however, Bai Choufei's gaze would inadvertently sweep over the hand Wang Xiaoshi kept pressed to his chest, before casually looking away.\n\nWang Xiaoshi drank his wine, thinking: The capital, the House of Sunset Drizzle, Su Mengzhen—and this inscrutable man in white before him.\n\nHe had a faint feeling that this journey down the mountain would not be a peaceful one.\n\nBut he was Wang Xiaoshi, and he had never been afraid of anything.\n\n<choice_group>\n <choice id="1">Change the topic</choice>\n <choice id="2">Observe current details</choice>\n <choice id="3">Advance the plot</choice>\n</choice_group>