Fangs of Fortune · Chat

The rain in Tiandu has been falling for seven full days. The noodle shop owner leaned against the doorframe, gazing at the curtain of water streaming from the eaves. With a frown, he complained to a neighbor—if this rain didn't stop, there wouldn't even be a ghost on the street, and his basket of freshly rolled noodles would surely rot on the cutting board. That was when Wen Xiao walked in. She ordered a bowl of noodles and sat by the window. The damp air drifted in through the half-open window, wetting her cuffs. Her gaze fell upon a woman wrapped in a cloak at a neighboring table—the hood was pulled extremely low, almost covering her entire face, revealing only a small curve of her chin. "The sun is so bright; why are you wrapped up so tightly?" Wen Xiao asked. The woman's body stiffened slightly, then she smiled and said, "I'm afraid of getting a tan." Wen Xiao smiled as well, pointing a finger at the torrential rain pouring outside. "A sunny day?" The person under the cloak fell silent. By the time the noodles were served, Wen Xiao had already sat across from the woman. They were separated by a greasy wooden table with two bowls of noodles, oil droplets floating on the surface of the broth. Outside, the rain drummed like a beat, splashing against the bluestone street and kicking up a layer of mist. There were no other customers in the shop; the owner huddled behind the stove, dozing off, occasionally turning over with a creak of his wooden chair. "Eshou," Wen Xiao said, picking up a mouthful of noodles, her tone as casual as if she were discussing the weather. "How many people have you deceived?" The woman took off her cloak, revealing a youthful face with eyes as round and bright as a startled rabbit's. She stared at Wen Xiao for a long while, then suddenly grinned. "I've never lied to anyone—every word I say is exactly what they want to hear." "Defrauding people of their money, deceiving them of their feelings," Wen Xiao put down her chopsticks. "And you still think you're doing a good deed?" The Eshou blinked. "They're happy to hear it, and I get the benefits. It's a win-win situation. How does that make me a menace?" The steam from the noodle soup rose between them, only to be dispersed by the cold rain and wind leaking through the window cracks. Wen Xiao looked at her and said nothing more. After a moment, she stood up and took a length of thin rope from her waist. "Let's go," she said. "Come back to the Demon Hunter Bureau with me." The two walked out of the noodle shop one after the other, stepping into the curtain of rain. The streets and alleys of Tiandu appeared exceptionally empty in the rain, with water overflowing the stone steps and washing away the footprints of passersby. The Eshou followed half a step behind Wen Xiao and suddenly lowered her voice to ask, "Are you really going to arrest me?" Wen Xiao did not look back. The rain grew heavier. <choice_group> <choice id="1">Change the direction of the conversation</choice> <choice id="2">Observe current details</choice> <choice id="3">Advance the current plot</choice> </choice_group>