Chapter 710: Dividing the Spoils
The last time Qi Xuansu came to the tavern in South City was during the day, so he had not felt much about it. But this time, coming at night, it was a completely different scene.
Though it was already winter and not yet curfew, the hustle and bustle of the night market could be heard from afar, with the streets filled with the aroma of food.
Spices from the Western Region, seafood from Donghai, pastries from Jiangnan, noodles, deep-fried glutinous balls, wontons, and lamb soup—it was a feast for the senses.
Though the night air was biting, people wrapped tightly in thick coats still could not resist joining in the liveliness.
Strictly speaking, this was Qi Xuansu’s first visit to the Imperial Capital’s night market. He had indeed been out at night a few times before, but it was always to kill or arrest someone. He never had the leisure to stroll in the night market.
Walking through the bustling market, Qi Xuansu was unexpectedly reminded of his past self. During his first solo job, he had failed and ended up battered and bruised, with wounds all over his body. He had also lost his horse, so he had to walk back alone through dozens of kilometers of mountain trails in the dark, his feet caked in mud. In the distance, city lights glowed with festive cheer, while above him hung a solitary full moon, with no stars in sight.
That day happened to be the Mid-Autumn Festival.
He felt like a lone stranger in a foreign land, and festivals only deepened his longing for home.
At the time, Qi Xuansu thought of his master’s tragic death and how he was forced to wallow in the muck of Jianghu, his future uncertain. Staggering along the road, he was numb to the pain in his body. Sorrow surged within him, and he nearly wept. But he held it in. He told himself he was no longer a child. He was an adult now.
Clenching his teeth, he endured the pain and completed that long night’s journey.
But when Qi Xuansu finally returned to the residence he shared with Madam Qi, he found she had not gone to sleep. She was still waiting for him, and she had made two mooncakes.