Sunset Warrior Chant - Chapter 38 - Sesame, Ivy, Rocky, Teapot

As the sedan passed by the inn, an elderly man in front said, “This place looks peaceful. I wonder if the Lady would like to rest here.” Fu Qiruo saw the sedan stop under the building, and someone inside lifted the curtain on the window to reveal a young girl’s delicate face. The girl, about ten years old, had features as refined as a painting. Glancing at the inn’s sign, she said, “So this is the Eight Directions Inn. Good, let’s rest here.” Her voice was soft and clear, filled with a warm tone. Fu Qiruo, hearing her speak, felt an immense sense of relief.

“Yes!” the elderly man replied, and eight people dismounted together. The sedan was set down at the entrance of the inn, and a woman helped the young girl out of the sedan and entered the inn with the group of elders.

Li Changshun, who had been waiting outside the inn, approached with a very respectful attitude, bowing continuously and swiftly instructing the attendant to take care of the horses and lead them to the stable. Fu Qiruo, observing his demeanor as if he had seen a saint, thought to himself, “Who is this girl that even the formidable Li Changshun is so deferential? Not even the arena master from the Beast Arena or someone from Yan Mountain Academy has received such attention.”

Inside the inn, the patrons became quiet upon noticing the distinguished guests. Fu Qiruo overheard Li Changshun shouting from downstairs, “Everyone, please take a seat for a moment. The quiet place in the backyard is currently full, but I will have a yard cleared out immediately!”

“There’s no need to disturb the other guests; we can just find a place to sit down,” the young girl spoke softly.

Li Changshun then said, “Then, the attendant upstairs, quickly clear out the second floor. This Lady has reserved the second floor.”

The young girl replied, “You are too kind, sir. We’ll just sit on the second floor to rest a bit, no need to bother others.”

Li Changshun acknowledged and then footsteps were heard at the stairwell as the Lady ascended. The diners on the second floor had already forgotten their food and drink, staring at the stairway entrance. The person who appeared was a woman, about seventeen or eighteen years old, strikingly beautiful with an elegant and refined demeanor, yet her face was cold and detached. After climbing the stairs, she scanned the second floor, turned around, and said, “Lady, be careful as the stairs are slippery. Please take your time going up.” She then assisted the same young girl who had spoken downstairs.

Upon seeing the young lady’s peachy cheeks and gentle smile, which exuded an ethereal spirit amidst her innocence, making her endearing to anyone who looked at her, Fu Qiruo thought she seemed like a celestial fairy descended from heaven. The moment her gaze fell upon Fu Qiruo, her face naturally brightened with a slight smile, and he felt an inexplicable warmth. Her clear eyes seemed inherently filled with warmth and enthusiasm.

The restaurant suddenly fell silent, with everyone staring at the young lady as if transfixed. Alixin too stopped pacing at the table, seemingly captivated by her.

Choosing a quiet spot, the young lady took a seat and said, “Older sister, please sit down too. There’s no need for formalities outside!” “Thank you, Lady Luo Ying!” the older woman replied, taking a seat beside her.

Eight men followed and entered the second floor, scanning the restaurant. Two stayed by the staircase, another two by the windows, and the remaining four lined up behind the young lady. She spoke, “Uncles, please relax; there’s no need to be so formal. Even though Kur City is a place full of hidden talents, it’s not that complicated.”

An old man holding a pipe replied, “Lady, it’s our duty to protect you. Please have some tea first.” As he spoke, the elders remained standing. The young lady chided, “Big Pipe, find yourselves some stools to sit down. I can’t drink like this. Do I have to call you out one by one? Alright! Big Pipe, Rocky, Teapot, Tanya, Ivy, Sesame, Willow, Roly-poly, take your seats!”

Upon hearing this, the elders bowed to the young lady and then sat down at her table. Fu Qiruo observed these mysteriously dignified elders, noting that despite their orderly behavior, they possessed a commanding presence, not at all like mere servants. He was fascinated, wondering where such characters came from.

Li Changshun arrived on the second floor, surprisingly energetic, not even out of breath or sweating. He walked directly towards the young lady’s table, took a few steps forward, hesitated, then stepped back and asked, “What would you like, Lady?”

The young lady glanced at Li Changshun and said, “Let’s start with some tea and snacks, then order some dishes from Kur City.” Li Changshun agreed and hurried downstairs. In no time, the attendant brought up a large table full of dishes, and Li Changshun, with his plump figure, even personally carried up several large blocks of ice.

Roly-poly suddenly exclaimed, “Ah! It’s more comfortable sitting down.” The lady giggled at his remark and said, “Roly-poly, I thought you preferred standing?” Roly-poly cleared his throat and replied, “Sitting down once in a while doesn’t hurt.”

The young lady smiled and said, “Feel free to eat whatever you like.” Big Pipe thanked the lady, and everyone began to eat.

Alixin whispered, “The one called Ivy and the one called Sesame actually look the same, could they be twins?” Right after he spoke, the person at the table called Ivy shot a sharp glance over, making Fu Qiruo and Alixin’s hearts skip a beat. The young lady caught Alixin’s eye and cheerfully asked, “Sir, what is that little thing on your table?”

Seeing her smile, which seemed naturally caring, Fu Qiruo felt an irresistible compassion. He blurted out, “It’s Alixin, a lovely little fellow.”

“May I play with it?” the young lady suddenly stood up and walked towards Fu Qiruo. As the young lady took a few steps, Luo Ying-Jie¹ and Big Pipe also stood up to follow, but the young lady said, “Luo Ying-Jie, Big Pipe, continue eating, don’t mind me.”

The young lady sat alone at Fu Qiruo’s table, staring at Alixin and softly said, “Alixin, older sister is going to hold you.” Alixin, charmed by the young lady, jumped into her palm. The young lady kept admiring Alixin, her face brimming with a smile. Meanwhile, Fu Qiruo was also observing the young lady, feeling that even his senior sister, Lu Xiner, was not as sweet as her.

“How old are you?… Who made this beautiful dress you’re wearing?… What would you like to eat?… Let older sister order for you…” The young lady kept talking to Alixin, making Fu Qiruo feel almost superfluous as he sat there.

Lady Luo Ying was eating there, discussing with Big Pipe, when a group of people set their bowls and chopsticks aside and walked over. Rocky extended his hand under the table, and the whole table moved towards Fu Qiruo, stopping beside the young girl. The group then sat down again.

As the young girl turned around, she found the table right under her eyes. She moved Alixin towards the table. In a flash, Alixin jumped into a dish, but suddenly a gust of wind arose behind him. Alixin felt his left foot tighten, caught by a pair of chopsticks. Despite his efforts, Alixin couldn’t break free and instead relaxed, flipping upside down to see that the holder of the chopsticks was Ivy, one of the twin brothers.

Ivy, staring at Alixin with narrowed eyes, heard the young girl say, “Ivy, put it down, he’s not for you to eat.” Ivy complied, gently setting Alixin down and remarked, “If you had a twin brother, you’d understand the pain.”

Fu Qiruo watched the table’s occupants, alternating between serious and playful moods, unable to fathom them. In the blink of an eye, Ivy’s chopsticks were expertly gripping Alixin’s tiny foot. Alixin, unconcerned, hopped onto the table, looking around and indulging in food and drink. After a few bites, he glanced at the young girl, ran to the far side of the table where she couldn’t reach, and picked up a piece of bamboo shoot. He ran from one end of the table to the other and placed it in the young girl’s bowl.

Originally empty, her bowl filled with dishes in the blink of an eye as Tanya said, “How could we let a stranger serve Lady first, really!” It was Tanya, Willow, and Teapot who lifted their chopsticks and quickly added a few bites of food to the young girl’s bowl just as Alixin set down the bamboo shoot.

After tasting a few bites, the young girl realized she had neglected Fu Qiruo, turned to him and said, “My name is Lingxin, what’s your name, are you from Roland?”

“My name is Fu Qiruo.”

“Are you here to enroll at Yan Mountain Academy?”

“Not originally, but now I am.”

“If you need, I can help you register without taking the test.”

“No need, I believe I can pass the assessment. Are you also going to the magic academy?”

“No, I’m just passing by, dealing with some matters with a few uncles, and taking the chance to have some fun.”

“Oh!”

“If you need, just tell the teachers at Yan Mountain Academy that you’re a friend of Lingxin.”

“Uh, thank you, Lingxin!”

Lingxin exchanged a few words with Fu Qiruo, then playfully teased Alixin. Fu Qiruo stood by, watching Lingxin with a smile, every word filled with joy. He silently repeated the name “Lingxin” to himself, committing it deeply to memory.

The group had just started eating when they noticed the guests on the second floor leaving one by one. It turned out that Li Changshun wanted to ensure Lady Lingxin and her party had some peace, so he had dismissed the other diners, leaving only Fu Qiruo by Lingxin’s side.

Big Pipe took a few bites of his meal and then began smoking his pipe alone, slowly mumbling to himself, “An old friend has appeared in Kur City this time, real or not, I cannot say. He seems to have vanished over the years, yet traces of him can still be found, which has kept us very concerned. He was once wronged by a villain, and our lord had many misunderstandings about him, but now that the villain’s plots have been exposed and retribution has been met, he can finally return to Yan Kingdom. Yet, it remains unknown where he has been wandering all these years.”

“I have never met Uncle Ji myself, but my father says that Uncle Ji once made great contributions to Yan Kingdom, respected and known by all. When he left, it was indeed a great loss for my father.”

“In his prime, he was talented both in letters and in arms, surrounded by capable men. He was unbeaten in battles at the frontier and was adept in identifying and utilizing talents in the court. He organized the state affairs of Yan Kingdom so well that the lord considered him his right-hand man, even addressing him as a brother. Some of us were initially unconvinced but, after a few challenges, we were thoroughly persuaded. A few of us owe our lives to him. Yan Kingdom was so powerful and commanding back then; his departure suddenly made us seem less formidable. If he were still around, perhaps half of Roland might now be under the banner of Yan Kingdom. His whereabouts have been uncertain for many years, and it is really unknown where he has ended up.”

“Uncle Ji is such a talented man, yet why hasn’t he come to assist our Yan Kingdom at this time? Could he still hold a grudge against Dad?”

“The sovereign was once misled by traitors, and it’s possible that this disheartened him. However, he has dedicated twenty years of his life to the Yan Kingdom, risking death for the sake of its countless citizens. He is not one who covets wealth and status; he has always prided himself on his integrity. It’s unlikely that he harbors any other intentions.”

“It would be good if we could find him soon.”

“Yes, today I heard that Kur City has been secretly harboring a group of powerful individuals plotting against the Roland Kingdom. Despite its calm appearance, Kur City is actually a stormy sea beneath the surface. These past few days coincided with the Yan Mountain Academy enrolling new students, bringing all sorts of people together. Recently, Kur City has become a focal point of significant events. The sovereign places great importance on Kur City, a critical stronghold of Roland Kingdom. With decades of friendship between Roland and Yan Kingdoms, and the proximity of Yan Mountain Academy, many are linked closely with our Yan Kingdom. The sovereign cannot allow anything unusual to occur in Kur City. Lady, your visit to Kur City in the past few days led to the City Lord declaring martial law throughout the city, which only drove those people into deeper hiding.”

“However, the City Lord’s actions have served as a warning. With the academy starting and Kur City under strict guard, they wouldn’t dare to cause trouble so easily. Lady, you could stay in Kur City a bit longer, wander around, and give the City Lord some face; otherwise, it would be quite disrespectful to him, haha.”

“Big Pipe, you think too far ahead. I’m just here to have fun, and you can handle everything important,” Lingxin changed the topic. “Fu-Ge², can I borrow Alixin for a few days?”

Fu Qiruo thought for a moment: “How can I lend Alixin? What if it no longer recognizes me?” He said, “I even need to hold Alixin when I sleep; I really can’t lend it.”

Lingxin then asked, “Then, can you come with me to play? I would like Alixin to join us.”

Fu Qiruo replied, “Well, I’ve thought about it, but I’m afraid master wouldn’t allow it.”

“Why not just bring this guy along?” Rocky suddenly suggested.

Lingxin said, “It’s not nice to drag someone along unwillingly. Since Fu-Ge is staying at Eight Directions Inn, I might as well stay there for a few days too.”

Hearing this, Fu Qiruo breathed a sigh of relief and happily said, “That would be best.”

Footnote:

1. Jie(姐):In Chinese culture, using “xx姐” (pronounced as “xx jie”) to address someone is quite common, especially in Mainland China and other Chinese-speaking communities. The term “jie” means “older sister” and, when used in this context, typically carries a sense of affection and friendliness. It indicates respect and amiability towards the person, similar to calling someone “sis” or “big sister” in English.
2. Ge(哥): In Chinese culture, it is quite common to address someone as “xx 哥” (pronounced as “xx ge”), especially in Mainland China and other Chinese-speaking communities. The term “Ge” means “older brother” and, when used in this context, typically carries a sense of affection and friendliness. It indicates respect and amiability towards the person, similar to calling someone “bro” or “big brother” in English.