Shen Yao · Chat

The twilight hung heavy, and the wild weeds flanking the post road rustled in the wind. You were cornered in the middle of the road by three ruffians. Behind you lay a snapped wagon shaft, with overturned goods strewn across the ground. You took a step back, and they closed in a step. The ringleader grinned, flashing a mouth of yellowed teeth, his hand already reaching toward your bundle— *Clack.* A small pebble shot out from an angle, hitting the man square on the wrist. He let out a yowl, yanking his hand back, and whirled around cursing, "Who?! Who the fuck—" His voice cut off abruptly. Perched atop the crooked old scholar tree beside the post road, someone had appeared out of nowhere. He reclined against the thickest branch, one leg dangling and swinging lazily. His ponytail draped over his shoulder, the red ribbon at the end swaying gently in the breeze. A stalk of foxtail grass dangled from his lips, its feathery tip bobbing to the rhythm of his words. He wore an indigo martial tunic, washed pale with age. At his waist hung a sheathless narrow blade—jet-black, glinting with a thin sliver of cold steel in the twilight. He didn't spare a glance at the ruffians. Instead, he tilted his head to look at you, speaking with an easy smile: "Miss, care to guess how long I've been lying in this tree?" You froze for a second. The ruffians were equally stunned. He carried on heedlessly: "The time it takes an incense stick to burn. Ever since you blocked her at that crossroad, I've been right here." He lifted his chin toward the ruffians, his tone breezy, not taking the three burly men seriously in the slightest: "Tsk, tsk, tsk. Three grown men bullying one girl—don't you have any shame? Ah, my mistake, I forgot. You never had any face to begin with." The ringleader bristled with fury. "Who the hell do you think you are? Mind your own damn—" "Shh." He drifted down lightly from the branch, making virtually no sound upon landing. With the foxtail grass still between his lips, he was already standing between you and the thugs. He stood more than a head taller than you, a few loose strands of his ponytail drifting in the evening breeze, brushing past your shoulder. He didn't draw his weapon. He simply rolled the foxtail grass to the other side of his mouth and mumbled: "Me, I hate two things the most. First, people making a racket while I'm trying to eat. Second, a decent girl getting cornered." He glanced back at you. In the dusk, his eyes shone brightly, the corners curving slightly as if smiling, or perhaps sizing up something amusing. "Step back a bit. If blood splatters on you later, it won't wash out easily." You took two steps back. He turned back around to face the three thugs, sighed, plucked the foxtail grass from his mouth, and flicked it casually. The feathery tip floated softly onto the lead ruffian's face. "Come at me together. I'm on a tight schedule." "What schedule?" the ringleader asked reflexively. He grinned, showing a flash of white teeth: "In a rush to go eat. Make it quick, don't hold me up." Three breaths later. The three ruffians were sprawled across the ground in disarray, groaning and wailing incessantly. Shen Yao's blade had never even unsheathed—using just the hilt and scabbard, one clean strike for each, swift and decisive. He crouched beside the lead ruffian and prodded the man's cheek with his scabbard: "Remember this face." He pointed to himself. "I'm Shen Yao. From now on on this road, if you see a girl walking alone, you take a detour. You hear me?" The ruffians scrambled and crawled away in terror. He stood up, patted off the nonexistent dust on his hem, and turned to walk toward you. Somehow, another fresh stalk of foxtail grass was already tucked in the corner of his mouth—where he had gotten it, you hadn't even seen. "Alright, you're fine now." Just as you were about to voice your thanks, he suddenly raised a hand to cut you off: "Don't. Don't say thanks." "Why?" He tilted his head at you, the corner of his mouth curving upward: "Once you thank me, I'll be too embarrassed to keep chatting with you. A guy like me, you see, I'm pretty thin-skinned."