The next day, Liu Shiye rose before dawn. The house was quiet, except for the faint rustle of wind and the occasional creak of timber settling.
Feeling his way through the home, he lit his lanterns and began to move with the precision of a man whose mind never rested: arranging herbs to study pharmacology, and checking the notes he had taken on their distillery designs when he visited the blacksmith in secret a couple nights before. He ended with an outline of how he wanted his day to go.
When Mingfei emerged, she was still elegant and poised, yet there was a flicker of unease in her eyes. She then exhaled what worry she had, and stepped forward.
Liu Shiye looked to the side without turning his head, then closed his notes before leaving the house. Liu Mingfei followed close behind, every step came with the quiver of her lips, hesitating to speak and finally deciding to stay quiet.
Outside, Liu Shiye noticed Qiao Ren. He was ready for the day as usual and perked up when his eyes met Shiye's. The groundskeeper was becoming more interested in this young man that his mistress had sent him to protect. His progress wasn't at the level of a genius, but Qiao Ren found Liu Shiye to be exceedingly profound.
Liu Mingfei found her place in her usual seat and began to prepare the morning's tea. But Today was different, her gaze followed Liu Shiye. He didn't join her, instead, he met Qiao Ren directly and began his morning training.
Mingfei frowned then smiled to herself instinctively as she realized.
It was odd that Tea came before training. Now his wife prepares tea as he trains the body. I'm being guided…
"AnYa…" she called for her maid.
A young woman of similar age appeared with slightly tanned skin, hair that trailed her back and slender frame, held back in a simple tie. She bowed to Mingfei and awaited her words.
"Your lord," Mingfei's words shocked the maid, "He will need to eat after training. You cook and QingQing can prepare the bath."
"Two, my lady?" Anya asked, curiously.
Effort, Mingfei. Even if this fails. At least his secrets will be in your grasp, Liu Mingfei assured herself.
"Of course not." she snapped, " One bath, one bed, and one table. Remember this!"
"Yes, my lady. Also…"
Liu Mingfei looked at AnYa then followed her gesture. She then looked over her shoulder and found Shiye focused on performing his odd stretches and exercise.
"No more." Was all she said.
Mingfei had long noticed that the groundskeeper, Qiao Ren, was no simple man. It was one of the reasons that she found Shiye more complicated. Not only had he changed and seemingly forgiven her. He sought to rebuild their relationship, was surrounded by new people, spoke with cunning, and conducted business secretly.
Still, AnYa's movements were not unnoticed by Liu Shiye. He looked at Qiao Ren and gave him a single nod, then continued with his training. It was the same as always, Medjay Bow Arts, Paragon's Flick Technique, and recently, Qian Ren's Bone Destruction Arts.
All of this was the supplemented by the Bestial Sensory Arts that he picked up in market. He practiced it in hopes of expanding his sensory abilities to aid his development in the Three Score War Healer Bones. While progress was steady, Qiao Ren couldn't help but speak when training was over.
"Master Liu….You…You're diligent and insightful. Still, I don't understand." he said.
"Why can't I break through?" Liu Shiye asked
"Yes."
Liu Shiye smiled.
"I've learned much these days and slowly, I'm narrowing down the reasons for my stagnation. Do not worry about me." said Liu Shiye, "Go handle that business. And I'm sure she's itching for an update."
"Yes, lord." Qiao Ren bowed then took his leave.
Liu Shiye returned to have tea with Mingfei and skipped breakfast. For him, it was a very important day. Instead, he left funds for Mingfei and took his leave.
Mingfei watched him disappear through the front gate, the faint sound of his steps fading into the quiet street beyond. For a long moment, she remained seated beside the low tea table.
The morning light had grown stronger now, spilling through the paper lattice windows in soft bands of gold as the day drew closer to noon. Steam curled slowly from the porcelain teapot between her hands, but she made no move to pour.
Her eyes drifted to the pouch of coins Liu Shiye had left behind.
She untied the cord and peered inside.
Silver, She gasped.
Not one or two scattered pieces meant to scrape through a few days of rice and lamp oil—but a respectable amount. Enough that a careful household could stretch it for weeks if managed well.
Her brows slowly knitted together.
Behind her, the two maids approached hesitantly. AnYa entered first, followed by the smaller and softer-faced QingQing, who still smelled faintly of bath herbs from preparing the washing room.
"My lady," AnYa said carefully, bowing. "Breakfast is ready."
Mingfei did not respond immediately. Instead, she tipped the pouch slightly, letting a few of the silver pieces slide into her palm. The coins clinked softly as she rolled them in her palm.
Both maids stared. QingQing, normally timid, couldn't help glancing at them with wide eyes.
"My lady…" QingQing murmured. "Did… did the young master leave those?"
"He did," Mingfei said calmly.
AnYa frowned. "But… where would the young master get such money?"
The question hung awkwardly in the room.
Everyone in the Liu household understood the situation of the youngest branch. Liu Shiye's position in the family was… complicated. His stipend had never been generous, and since his falling-out with certain elders, then his illness, it had grown even leaner.
Yet lately—
AnYa lowered her voice, "My lady… the young master has been leaving the house at strange hours. He meets unknown people, and now there is money appearing. Perhaps…"
AnYa hesitated, "Should we… investigate further?"
Mingfei slowly lifted her teacup to her bow shaped, pink lips. After a slow, meaningful sip, the porcelain tapped softly against the saucer as she set it down again.
"You will not." Liu Mingfei's tone was quiet, but firm enough that both maids straightened immediately.
AnYa blinked in surprise. "But my lady—", she wanted to protest.
"He is my husband," Mingfei said, turning her gaze toward them, there was a faint steel in her expression now.
"Whether he earns silver through trade, through medicine, or through secrets… it is not our place to pry like servants of another household." LIu Mingfei clarified.
The maids exchanged worried glances. That response had not been what they expected. Mingfei's fingers closed slowly around the silver coins.
"He is trying," she said after a moment. Her words are soft, almost thoughtful.
"In the past, he avoided home like a plague, missing his parents. He moved to this humble structure to run from the memories. He avoided me as well. Lashing out whenever I came around" Her lips curved faintly. "Now he trains, speaks softly with me, leaves silver, and acts like a man with a purpose."
She looked toward the doorway where Liu Shiye had left.
"I would be a foolish wife if I crushed that effort before seeing where it leads." Said Liu Mingfei.
AnYa lowered her head. "Yes, my lady."
After a moment, QingQing hesitantly spoke, "My lady… there is something else."
Mingfei glanced at her, "What is it?"
QingQing fidgeted slightly, "If… if Young Master Liu Feng tries to contact you again… what should we do?"
The air in the room cooled instantly. AnYa looked as though she wished the question had never been asked. For a few breaths, Mingfei said nothing. Then she calmly poured herself another cup of tea.
"If Liu Feng sends a message," she said, "you will tell him that I am busy managing my husband's household. If he's still the brother Feng I remember. He will display filial piety and when the wedding trial is over, we'll all reevaluate our place."
Liu Mingfei paused, then began again, "I also have no need for unnecessary meetings. He should focus on his affairs for a while."
The maids bowed, speaking in unison, "Yes, my lady."
A small silence settled again as Mingfei suddenly stood.
"My lady?" The maids asked, ready to serve.
Liu Mingfei looked around the modest residence slowly. The courtyard was clean but plain. The rooms were shabbily furnished. The shelves held little to nothing beyond necessities. This was not the home of a young family. It was barely a home.
Her lips pursed slightly, "We need things." she declared.
AnYa blinked. "Things… my lady?"
"Better bed, better table. Higher walls for spies. More furs. A fire bowl for the yard. More color." Mingfei said, walking slowly toward the doorway. "New tea ware. Perhaps a proper writing desk."
She glanced again at the silver with a growing smile. "And flowers."
QingQing brightened immediately. "Flowers would be lovely, my lady!"
Mingfei nodded slightly, her mind already turning.
If Liu Shiye truly intended to rebuild this household… then it should begin to look like a household. Not a temporary shelter. Not a forgotten corner of the Liu estate. But a place someone could return to.
And then another thought surfaced.
Medicine. Medicine might help him the most right now. If he could make it to Fetal Breath, he could at least join the Hunter's Guild for Ferocious Beasts.
She remembered the herbs Liu Shiye studied with intense focus. Mingfei's eyes lit faintly.
"AnYa." she called.
"Yes, my lady?"
"Prepare my cloak." She ordered.
"Are we going to the market?" AnYa asked.
Liu Mingfei shook her head. "No."
She stepped toward the courtyard gate with quiet determination. "We're going to the Medicine Hall. I think my husband is sick."
AnYa and QingQing froze and they each had the same thought, Didn't she poison him? Now she wants to heal him
_________________________
The mud pools lay beyond the grazing grounds, it started where the earth gradually worsened beneath the feet. Packed clay gave way to uneven ground. Houses leaned instead of stood. Roof thatching was patched with mismatched straw. Here, smoke was thinner, cooking pots smaller.
This is where Liu Shiye found Old Meng and his Maize. This time, he ventured deeper in, a place capable of hiding his secrets. A place where the earth dipped into shallow basins of black soil and stagnant water. Reeds swayed gently in the wind, and the distant lowing of cattle drifted across the morning air.
It was the working edge of the tribe's territory—where lowest hunters, gatherers, and craftsmen lived close to the land.
Liu Shiye stepped down from the packed earth path and onto a plank walkway laid across the wet ground.
Old Meng was already there.
The old man stood knee-deep in mud beside a shallow pool, sleeves rolled high and legs half-buried in the muck. Several wicker cages sat nearby, the reeds inside shifting occasionally as blue-spotted toads shifted within.
When he spotted Liu Shiye approaching across the boards, his lined face broke into a grin.
"You move earlier than the herds, Master Liu," Old Meng called.
"Morning is when men with plans must begin," Liu Shiye replied, causing Old Meng to chuckle.
"Plans, eh? I'm starting to believe those strange pots of yours might actually do something." Old Meng gestured for him to follow as he climbed out of the muck.
The two began walking along the reed-lined path.
Nearby, two boys dragged a basket of grain sacks toward a raised wooden platform built above the damp ground.
Liu Shiye's gaze followed them.
"The maize," he said. "How much have you gathered?"
Old Meng rubbed his chin.
"More than I expected. Your instructions were strange, but people listened once silver started appearing." He gestured toward the platform. "Three sheds are full now."
"Dry?" Liu Shiye asked.
Old Meng nodded, "Dried under the sun like you said. We turned the kernels every day so they wouldn't rot."
They stepped across another plank bridge between pools. As they walked a few more steps before Old Meng lowered his voice slightly.
"That trader I mentioned."
Liu Shiye glanced sideways, "The one who buys the Blue Spotted Toads."
Old Meng nudged one of the reed cages with his foot. "He'll be back soon."
"Oh?" Liu Shiye raised a brow.
"Mmm, it's about time." Old Meng watched him carefully, "You planning to deal with him?"
"No." Liu Shiye shook his head.
Old Meng raised a brow, "Then why care?"
Liu Shiye stepped off the boardwalk and onto firmer soil as they left the pools behind.
"For now, I prefer that my name remain quiet." He explained, "Keep doing what you do, and I'll keep paying."
Old Meng scratched his beard, "You're worried people will notice?"
"People always notice silver," Liu Shiye replied calmly.
Ahead of them, the rhythmic ringing of hammer against iron echoed across the open ground.
A foreign forge set up near a cluster of merchant yurts. Several horses grazed nearby while smoke rose thick from the charcoal pit. It was here that many of the merchants resided after closing their stall in the tribe's market.
Clang.
Clang.
Clang.
Old Meng grinned.
"Well then, let's see your strange metal kettle."