Night had fallen, and the sky was littered with fading stars.

This was almost like camping, Hino thought idly, as she watched Wenyu drape his long cloak over a low-hanging branch. A small fire burned steadily, bright and warm beside her. The smell of charred meat lingered in the air.

It was only when they’d stopped for the night that Hino realized she hadn’t eaten all day, or ever, really – if her life began when her memories did. She’d hastily unpacked the bundle of supplies that Granny Qiu had given her, too hungry to care that the food was dried and rationed and rather unappetizing. When she’d offered some to Wenyu, he had made a face and declined, claiming he had no interest in food that was not fresh.

She hadn’t registered what he had meant until he’d gone off on his own for a bit. And much to Hino’s horror, he’d returned with a freshly killed and skinned rabbit. But she’d quickly changed her mind after Wenyu had stuck it in the fire, and when the mouth-watering aroma of grilled meat had filled the air. Granny Qiu’s dried fruit and nuts simply could not compare.

She sat next to the fire now, comfortably fed and warm but completely exhausted. She hadn’t realized how much her legs ached from walking the entire day. Wenyu finished securing what looked like a makeshift tent out of his cloak and came over to stand by her side.

“Would you like to sit?” Hino asked him awkwardly, craning her neck to catch a glimpse of his face in the firelight. “I can make some space.”

“No need,” he said. “You must be tired. Please rest.”

“We walked the same distance,” she protested, shifting over to make room anyways.

To her surprise, Wenyu laughed and sat down next to her. “That is not true. I travelled for the past three days and three nights from the capital so that I could arrive in the jianghu this afternoon.”

“Oh! I’m so sorry,” Hino said immediately. She remembered that Granny Qiu told her he’d originally planned to stay in the jianghu for a few days. “I really am sorry. This situation must’ve been upsetting for you.”

Wenyu gazed into the crackling fire. “Chief just reminded me of something I didn’t want to remember. I overreacted. For that, I apologize.”

“You don’t really have anything you need to apologize for,” Hino reassured him. “I’m just glad we were able to clear up that misunderstanding.”

“What, you thought I was angry at you?”

Hino saw a mischievous twinkle in his gaze and she looked away in embarrassment. “Perhaps.”

“You have nothing to worry about. I don’t hold grudges. For long,” he added.

Hino was at a loss for what to say. “So…it takes three days to reach the capital?”

“Sorry, kid, walking at your pace will slow us down considerably. We’re looking at about a week or two of travel.”

“Two weeks?!”

“Not necessarily. We can hitch a ride on a merchant’s carriage heading into the city when we are closer to the capital,” Wenyu explained. “But right now, we are out in the countryside, and we have no choice but to travel by foot and rest at night.”

“Did you come here by foot?” Hino asked.

“Yes.”

She was quiet for a moment, digesting his words. He seemed a bit arrogant, but it didn’t sound like he was lying either.

“So, is there anything else you would like to know before we retire for the night?” he asked.