“The headmistress?” Wang Jun asked.
“Indisposed,” Bai Ling said, pursing her lips slightly. “While she’s more than happy to meet with you privately, she’s not willing to meet strangers.” There was an awkwardness to the exchange Cha Ming couldn’t put his finger to.
“Unfortunate,” Wang Jun said, the frown on his brow disappearing as quickly as it came. “I’d like a private room for the both of us. Many vegetable dishes, many large meat dishes for the fox, and your best tea. Do you have someone who could play the zither for entertainment? Someone trustworthy?”
“Mistress Huang happens to be available,” Bai Ling said. “She is the most discreet of our members.”
“Thank you,” Wang Jun said.
They walked down a hallway with red carpets and gold runic gilding on the walls. There were also paintings, several of which Cha Ming recognized.
“It’s impressive that the Red Dust Pavilion was able to commission so many of Brother Jun’s works,” Cha Ming said, admiring the set they had on display. “He’s very selective with his customers.”
“Ah, those,” Bai Ling said. “He painted them for the Red Dust Mistress from two generations ago. He was a young budding artist back then. Hong Yinyue saw potential in him, so she did her best to secure a few paintings. Though they aren’t his best works, the passion contained in these paintings doesn’t miss out to his masterpieces. Not many people get to brag about being a fan of someone before they become famous.”
They soon arrived at a door in the hallway. Bai Ling slipped her hand across a strip of runic symbols, and something within the door clicked. She slid it open and led them to a table that would normally seat eight. It stood right before a small stage.
“I assume that the demon accompanying you suffers from the usual demonic food lust,” Bai Ling said.
“Doubly so,” Cha Ming replied.
“Then we’ll make sure he’s adequately fed,” Bai Ling said.
“Much obliged,” Cha Ming replied as she excused herself. They took a seat, and by the time Wang Jun had brewed the first pot of tea, the first dishes arrived. Mistress Huang also arrived alongside them. She pulled out a gold-and-red zither and began playing a relaxing tune. The music had a calming effect on his soul despite its transcendent nature. “Good music.”
“The musicians of the Red Dust Pavilion are the best in the city,” Wang Jun said. “That’s one of the reasons I brought you here.”
“The other is to avoid your family,” Cha Ming said.
“You guessed right,” Wang Jun said. “Things have never been more tense between my family and me. You see, we’re competing financially, and I’m winning. Unfortunately, it’s going to take far more to convince them I’m the right man for the job.” He motioned to the cooling cup in front of Cha Ming. “Please, drink. This tea is rather special. It’s a very difficult tea to obtain here in the North. It’s from a place called the Shattered Lands, located in one of the few wealthy kingdoms in the South, the Ji Kingdom.”
Cha Ming took a sip. “Metallic,” he said, letting the tea roll around on his tongue. “And earthy.”
“Right,” Wang Jun said. “The Shattered Lands contain the single most concentrated ore deposit on the continent, though it’s very difficult to extract due to an ancient curse. Anything that grows near there and survives absorbs some of its metallic aura, giving it a unique flavor.”
“It’s good tea,” Cha Ming said. He ate a few pieces of a strange green vegetable with a spiraling stalk and enjoyed its pungent flavor. “I take it your information network has kept you up to date on my activities?”
“Most of them,” Wang Jun said. “Everything from when you came back to Quicksilver, your trip to Haijing, and the rest. I don’t know anything about what happened on the Bridge of Stars. Care to talk about it? It must have been an exciting journey.”
Cha Ming’s eyes dimmed somewhat at the mention.
“Ah. Never mind Jade Moon Planet. It’s not important.”
“What’s there to say?” Cha Ming said with a sigh. “I found a way to heal my core, but the price was too great. I met the love of my life there, Wang Jun. And I lost her.” An awkward silence ensued, and they ate away at their dishes as memories flitted through Cha Ming’s mind.
The rollercoaster of emotions he expected didn’t come, however. Instead, every memory that came and went seemed to give him a sense of closure and resolution.
He soon realized the memories came to his mind at a certain rate and rhythm, and that rhythm was the same as the music they listened to. One section, one memory. Minutes passed, but to Cha Ming, they felt like a relaxing eternity. The music didn’t stop until he’d gone through each key memory, and though they weren’t any more distant, he felt more comfortable with them.
“Did you find her?” he asked, finally dragging himself out of the musical trance.
Wang Jun took a sip of tea. “No, I didn’t. I did everything I could to find her, but as far as I can tell, Hong Xin no longer exists on this plane.”
Cha Ming sighed. “A pity,” he said. “She was such a fragile thing, with such a caring family. I don’t think I can muster the courage to see them anymore, seeing as how I’ve failed them.”
Wang Jun shook his head. “It’s not your failing; it’s mine.”
“It’s both our failings,” Cha Ming said. “Now, tell me about your problems, Wang Jun. Tell me what I can finally do for you. I don’t have long left here. Once this most recent war with the South is over, I’ll transcend to a higher plane of existence. It’s a long road to immortality, and I can’t afford to wait too long.”
“Sprinting when the race is a marathon, I see,” Wang Jun said. He took another sip
