Chapter 2: There were Fog Spirits in the Mountains
The ten or so men all looked middle-aged. The two armed guards were easy to identify as they were dressed identically and looked like jianghu people. One man carried a glaive[1] and the other had a flail at his waist. The rest were dressed like merchants according to Great Yan Dynasty regulations, chiefly in black and white.
The group entered the other pavilion and unloaded their goods, piling them in a place away from the rain. Only then did they remove their cloaks, shaking off a great deal of water onto the floor.
The pavilion wasn’t large. The horses and mules had tough hides so they were left outside in the rain.
The men conversed softly with dialect-influenced accents. After being soaked and chilled by the night wind, they were freezing. Some couldn’t help looking at Song You’s fire and the dry firewood piled in a corner of the pavilion. Following that, they stared and pouted at one another.
Finally, one man walked over and greeted Song You with cupped hands.
“Greetings, Young Mister. Did you collect these firewood? It looks like you have more than you could use for one night, could you sell us some? Our clothes are wet and we'd like to warm ourselves at a fire.”
During the Great Yan Dynasty, people liked to address Daoist priests as “Mister.”
Song You was still wearing a Daoist robe at the moment.
“I didn’t collect them. They were already here when I came. If all of you need it, please make use of them if you like.”