CHP 21 The Fool and the Fox
The rain had slowed to a misty drizzle, the streets empty except for the occasional lantern glow. Wang San walked with his sword at his hip, the weight of Wei Xie's despair still pressing on him.
He didn't even know where he was going — just that he couldn't stay in that room, watching his brother fade.
Turning a corner, he heard the faint sound of humming.
There, crouched under the eaves of a tea shop, sat a girl in a faded red cloak. Her hood was pulled low, but he could see her lips curve in a faint, mischievous smile as she traced shapes in the puddles with a stick.
"Hey," Wang San said, stopping a few paces away. "It's late. Go home before someone robs you."
She tilted her head, eyes hidden under the hood. "And what if I'm the one doing the robbing?"
San snorted. "You don't look dangerous."
The girl chuckled softly, a sound too sharp for her "foolish" demeanor. "And you don't look desperate. But you are."
He froze. "…What?"
"I can help your brother," she said simply, still not looking up. "His core isn't gone — not completely. Just shattered. It can be rebuilt."
Wang San's pulse kicked up. "Who are you?"
She stood, pulling her cloak tighter. "Nobody important. Just someone who knows more than she should."
"Then tell me," he said urgently.
Her lips curved again. "Meet me at the Lantern Bridge tomorrow at midnight. Alone. If you bring anyone else…" She tapped the puddle with her stick, making the ripples spread wider. "Well, the water will swallow more than just your brother's fate."
Before he could ask another question, she walked away into the mist.
San stood there for a long moment, the echo of her voice lingering in the damp air. Something about her didn't add up — but for the first time that night, hope flared in his chest.