“Does it taste good?” Xiao Yu teased, holding out another skewer of grilled meat. Hot, fatty juice dripped down the wooden stick and into the dirt. 

Cui Xi grinned in response.

They sat with heads bent together on a wooden bench in front of a street stall where a tubby man in his thirties skilfully flipped meat skewers. His sweaty bald head was partially wrapped in a head cloth. Flashing a cheerful smile, he called out to those who passed by, advertising his wares, but in truth the juicy fragrant smell of fire crisped meat sold itself.

“Laoban*, another two please!”

“Coming guest! Here, here, please take your time to enjoy,” the man grinned, handing over the tasty treasures to Xiao Yu.

The meat was gently sizzling as Cui Xi hastily took the skewer that Xiao Yu handed to her, trying not to drip grease onto her dress. She was still chewing the previous mouthful with a look of bliss on her face. Swallowing, she grinned and nodded with delight, closing her eyes and taking a big sniff of the fresh one.

“Mmnn!” she gave a muffled exclamation as the juice dripped down her chin.

So good!

It was nice to know that ancient street stalls were no different from the street stalls of the modern world…and grilled meat tasted good no matter where you went. The only thing that would have made it better would have been a Coke or a cold beer…

Cui Xi glanced around her curiously. The town really was different from what she had imagined…it was big and crowded, and because it was situated along one of the main routes out to Xiyu otherwise known as the Western Region, she had already seen many foreigners including milk skinned men with long curly locks down the side of their faces, their colourful square hats over their heads, towing along camels. She’d also seen people who looked to be Turkic or Persian, their heads wrapped in cloth turbans, wearing long embroidered shirts that hung down over their flowing trousers, hems brushing their pointed shoes, waists encircled with cinnamon coloured sashes. There were also a few Mongols wearing their crossed over jackets and pointed boots, their wind weathered faces grinning as Cui Xi watched them joke and jostle with their companions.

Sighing with satisfaction over her full belly, she carefully wiped her hands on a square of cloth. Although, she and Xiao Yu still had to go to the tailor shop and to see if she could find a small knife, this kind of unhurried wandering was the happiest she’d been since she had come to Tiansheng.

The marketplace was lively and teeming with stalls and Xiao Yu and Cui Xi were only too happy to weave their way through the crowd, comparing accessories or rouge 

Cui Xi hadn’t realized how much she had missed girly shopping.

While trotting along, Cui Xi was momentarily distracted and accidentally bumped into a man swathed from head to toe in dark cloth. The cloth even covered his nose and the dark brown eyes that stared out, flecked with yellow, were set in a weathered dark-skinned face. Cui Xi gasped in shock at the string of words that came out as the man shouted at her, forcing her to step backwards. As he turned, she saw his hand go to a silver dagger in a heavily tooled leather sheath that sat on a thick belt at his waist.

Cui Xi had stumbled and would have fallen in the dirt, but she was caught by the arm from the side. The helping hand belonged to a young man who kindly stood her on her feet. As she straightened, she noticed his older companion in a matching navy blue robe standing just behind him. 

Xiao Yu’s eyes were huge as she gawked at the foreigner with his dark features and yellow eyes.

“He is a Bedou…Don’t get involved…” said the older blue-robed man to the one who’d helped her. He was standing very still, cautiously eyeing the weathered brown hand on the dagger.

Both blue-robed men shifted their feet slightly. Reacting, the Bedou tightened his grip on the hilt of the dagger.

“She’s just a young girl…”whispered the one who had caught her, his eyes not leaving the dark man’s face.

Covering her initial shock, Cui Xi gently shrugged out of the young man’s grasp, inclining her head to show her thanks, and executed a very graceful deep curtsy to the tall dark man who looked to be Arab, and allowed her hands to cross lightly at the side of her hip. She was glad that she had pulled a veil down over the straw hat after they had eaten. 

She straightened, contemplating the stranger. At least no one could see her expression or the fear that had flickered over her features. She’d been timid in her last life with a glass face that showed everything she felt. In this life, she was determined to conquer her face and her feelings. In this place, the people who survived didn’t show how they felt, and they certainly didn’t show fear.

“A’Xi!” Xiao Yu whispered, tugging at her.

“It’s alright,” she whispered back. She turned back to the tall man swathed in cloth. Although he was relatively unadorned except for the dagger, Cui Xi could see that the cloth he wore was not a rough weave and that the sheath of the dagger was exquisitely detailed. She had also noticed a large signet ring on the hand that had reached for the dagger. This person probably wasn’t a wanderer that had climbed out of some desert hole...

“My lord, I beg that you excuse me for my inattentiveness. It wasn’t intentional. This girl meant no disrespect to your person,” she said differentially.

Obviously, he could understand her as the yellow eyes narrowed slightly on the weathered face. Then the eyes flickered with sudden interest. 

Cui Xi saw the flash of curiosity that swept his face as he approached her, slowly reaching for the veil. 

It was an exceptionally bold move. The two blue-robed men tensed watchfully at the side.

Xiao Yu squeaked in alarm, but Cui Xi stood her ground and did not move. She was confident that when the stranger lifted the veil he would be disgusted by her unremarkable face and not trouble them any further. 

The young man shifted uneasily.

“Don’t move! We still have things to do…” the older blue-robed man impatiently repeated his warning, putting a hand on the other’s arm, but the first stubbornly shook his head and left his hand on the hilt of his sword, waiting.

The veil was slowly lifted, and a sharp laugh escaped out of the Bedou’s mouth. Yellow flecked eyes stared into liquid amber. Cui Xi looked coolly back, tilting her chin up challengingly. From the look in his eyes, she could tell that he was not one bit fooled by the paint on her face. The man seemed to hesitate for a moment as if considering something, then he said a few words very softly, almost regretfully, and with a smile he drew back. He bowed once, touching one hand over his heart and sweeping it outward with a graceful flourish, and then he turned on heel, striding away. 

The Bedou smiled to himself as if he had seen something very interesting.

It was not the reaction that Cui Xi had expected, and she had to give herself a mental shake before she turned to the two men who had stopped to help.

“Thank you for your care,” Cui Xi dipped her head to them. “Come on Xiao Yu, let’s leave,” she said, grabbing her arm, leaving the men standing in the road.

“What did the Bedou say?” asked the young man finally releasing his grip on the hilt of his sword. He scratched his head, watching the two girls disappear into the crowd.

His companion shook his head.

“It sounded like al’amirat bieyun aleanbar*, but the only word I know from that is ‘amber’… Never mind that. Next time don’t be so hasty. We have things to do…”

“That’s right...Let’s report back to Master.”

With a final glance, they also turned to leave.

Mixed into the crowd, Cui Xi watched them depart. She had deliberately pulled Xiao Yu behind a stall to see what the young men would do.

“A’Xi! What are you thinking?” Xiao Yu asked, knocking a knuckle on her forehead.

Cui Xi winced, but put a hand out to keep Xiao Yu from peaking out from behind her.

“Shhh! Did you notice that they were wearing matching robes? They also carried the same swords. So, they were someone’s personal guards or something. I’m just worried that they intervened on someone’s orders and I want to know who it is…” Cui Xi explained. She peered a little longer, but the stall owner barked at them.

“If you aren’t buying then move away!” she snorted, waving at them.

Cui Xi made a face that no one could see and grabbed Xiao Yu’s hand, steering her down the street.

Xiao Yu shook her head a little baffled.

“That barbarian scared me. How could you let him touch you?” she shivered.

“I could tell that he wasn’t going to hurt me. If I had resisted that would have made his curiosity worse…with my ugly face, there’s nothing to look at…” she smiled reassuringly.

“A’Xi…sometimes you really scare me,” Xiao Yu said seriously.

Cui Xi turned to her and hugged her.

“Don’t worry! It’s over now. Come on, smile! Let’s go find some clothes ok?” she cajoled. She had to admit that she had been scared herself, but it wouldn’t be good to say so to Xiao Yu.

Sighing, Xiao Yu agreed, but still looked a little glum, so Cui Xi swung her hand in her own until Xiao Yu had to laugh.

“Let go! So annoying!”

“I’m sorry I made you worry,” Cui Xi apologized very sincerely.

“Alright, alright, let’s go!” said Xiao Yu, with a forgiving smile, pulling her down the street towards the tailor shop 

Cui Xi’s heart fluttered over the strange encounter, but she could only supress the feeling. If she continued to allow herself to be surprised by the strangeness of this world, she would only find herself at some horrendous ending.

I must learn to survive here!