Hulü Guang sped up, shaking off the Uyghur women, and drove the cart away like the wind.
“We’re here!” Hulü Guang jumped down from the carriage and called to the innkeeper in Uyghur. Xiang Xian signaled Wu Yingzong, who went to handle the check-in.
Gaochang’s inns were vast, built of white stone, with numerous pools and steam baths in the back courtyard.
“We truly troubled you along the way, brother,” Xiao Kun sincerely thanked Hulü Guang.
“No trouble at all!” Hulü Guang quickly replied. “I’ll take you fishing, Chaosheng. Come on.”
“Don’t touch the inn’s things,” Xiang Xian stopped Chaosheng.
“I’m just looking.” Chaosheng had experienced many firsts that day, full of novelty and curiosity about his surroundings. He was now at the central courtyard pool, peering at the koi inside.
Xiao Kun had wanted to hint to Hulü Guang that this was the end of the day, but Hulü Guang stowed the cart, led away the horses, booked three upstairs rooms on the east side of the courtyard, and moved in himself.
“I see he won’t be leaving anytime soon,” Xiang Xian said to Xiao Kun. “Let’s leave it like this for now.”
Back in the room, Xiang Xian was exhausted. He loosened his clothes and belt. Wu Yingzong went to arrange dinner, and Hulü Guang seized the moment, taking Chaosheng away without a word.
Soon, someone else arrived—a little boy shouting in Uyghur, probably looking for Hulü Guang. He kept repeating a certain title that Xiao Kun had heard many times along the way. The boy delivered a handkerchief but was shooed away by the innkeeper.
“What?” Xiao Kun asked.
The innkeeper said, “He wanted to deliver something to Bai Ju Er on behalf of his sister.”
Xiang Xian: “This kid’s probably a real playboy. Who knows how many romantic debts he owes.”
Along the way, the people of Gaochang reacted to Hulü Guang with near fanaticism. Traveling with him meant endless interruptions.
“Tomorrow, we’ll visit the Gaochang King,” Xiao Kun said. “After that, I still need to make a trip to Tingzhou.”
“You’re in charge. When do we head to Aksu?” Xiang Xian changed into a bathrobe, preparing to bathe. He looked down at the map—they still had a long way to go, and the Kizil Thousand Buddha Caves was the most important destination of this journey.
Xiao Kun: “I’m just worried the Demon Race might come again. I still suspect they’re tracking our movements.”
“Because there’s been no unusual activity in Kaifeng?” Xiang Xian said.
They fell silent for a moment. Xiao Kun added, “Right now, only four people know our real destination: you, me, Old Wu, and Chaosheng.”
Both recalled past events and felt fortunate they hadn’t told Shan Yu Hong or Guo Jing. Even if the enemy guessed they were searching for the Heart Lamp in the Western Regions, they wouldn’t know the exact location.
“What about Brother Hulü?” Xiang Xian asked again.
Xiao Kun said, “He seems to really like Chaosheng? Old Wu won’t do anything, right?”
“It’s the debt of saving his life,” Xiang Xian said. “Old Wu is very steady. He won’t get jealous and stab someone with a knife.”
“Fine then.” Xiao Kun decided to leave them be and let Chaosheng handle it himself. After all, he was just his protector, not his father.
Even a blind man could see that Hulü Guang had followed them all the way for Chaosheng. Neither had said it outright—Chaosheng might not even realize—but Wu Yingzong definitely knew.
“You go bathe first,” Xiao Kun said. “I need to write a letter to Yelu Dashi.”
Xiao Kun decided to leave a letter in Gaochang to be forwarded to Yelu Dashi, handling his own matters first.
“Big Brother, come play.” Xiang Xian reached out to pull Xiao Kun.
“Scram!” Xiao Kun pretended to kick him, and Xiang Xian laughed heartily as he went to bathe.
Gaochang’s Western Regions bath was very different from those in the Central Plains—it was a Turkic-style steam room.
Chaosheng had already washed off the dust and changed into a bathrobe. He sat outside drinking water while Hulü Guang fawned over him, offering chilled sweet cheese.
Xiang Xian said, “Huh? Where’s Old Wu?”
“He’s arranging dinner,” Chaosheng replied.
Xiang Xian hummed thoughtfully, eyeing the two. Hulü Guang’s bathrobe was tied at his waist, exposing most of his body for cooling. His physique was like a snow leopard—lean and agile, with long legs and arms. He sat with legs spread, occasionally making Chaosheng laugh.
Hulü Guang often roamed the Western Regions and knew many jokes. When telling funny stories, his expressions were vivid and lively, so Chaosheng really liked him and listened enraptured.
Meanwhile, Wu Yingzong went to settle the horses and order dinner on his own. Few people in Gaochang City spoke Han language—only the innkeeper could converse. Everyone around chattered in Uyghur, making him feel irritated and as if they were all gossiping about him.
A Huang flew over and perched on his shoulder. “What are you doing here?”
Wu Yingzong: “?”
Wu Yingzong stared at A Huang and replied, “The horses haven’t been fed yet. Later, the inn needs to wash everyone’s clothes. I need to buy a few jin of wine from the market. What else could I be doing here?”
A Huang: “Master instructed: ignore everything else. Keep watch. Be careful someone steals your little fruit to eat.”
Wu Yingzong: “…”
Wu Yingzong was counting their silver when he ignored it at first. Moments later, his mind wandered. He paused his work and headed toward the inner courtyard. Seeing Chaosheng and Hulü Guang sitting in the twilight courtyard outside the bathhouse, chatting and laughing with their backs to him, a sour feeling welled up in his heart.
