Lanyun was momentarily taken aback by the respectful form of address from the older man. He had never been referred to as a “young lord” before. However, looking at his clean clothes provided by the Winter Palace and the celestial standing beside him, he could see how others might mistake them to be noblemen. Even if Lanyun could be characterized as a well-dressed commoner, there was no mistaking Renwu’s natural regal demeanor. 

“Good day to you too,” Lanyun responded. “We are on our way to Guwang City.”

“What a coincidence, my son and I are traveling there as well,” the man said. “Are you two going home for the Harvest Moon Festival?” 

Lanyun was startled by the mention of the festival. After his sister’s abduction, he felt as if time passed faster than before. Counting the days, he realized that the Harvest Moon was set to occur in three days' time. Since he could recall, Lanyun had spent every Harvest Moon Festival with his grandmother and sister. It would be the first time the three of them would be apart during the holiday.

“No, we’re going there for…business,” Lanyun answered. “Are you and your son from Guwang City?”

The man shook his head and gestured to the large wooden baskets behind him. “We’re also headed there for business, hoping to sell our latest harvest for a good price. Since we’re all going to the same place, why don’t I give you two young lords a ride to the city?”

“Oh no, we couldn’t impose on you like that,” Lanyun refused politely.

“It would be no trouble at all,” the man insisted. “There’s plenty of room in the back of the wagon.”

“But we would slow down your speed with our extra weight,” Lanyun continued to refuse.

“No such thing,” the man continued to insist. “I would feel terrible if I left you two behind when I knew I could help.”

“But we simply couldn’t impose you like that,” Lanyun began again. 

After a few more rounds of Lanyun politely declining while the man insisted, Lanyun finally acquiesced. He and Renwu climbed up onto the back of the wagon right before the oxen began pulling it forward again.   

“You humans have such strange customs,” Renwu remarked, leaning back against a pile of baskets. “Why must you refuse so many times before accepting?”

Lanyun shrugged, watching the dust clouds form in the wake of the wagon’s wheels. “It’s just the polite thing to do. That’s what my grandmother taught us.” He glanced at the celestial sitting leisurely amongst the baskets of unshelled rice grains. It was a strange sight to Lanyun, seeing Renwu surrounded by such mundane objects. The clatter of the wagon on the uneven road, the rustle of the autumn leaves in the passing trees, and the earthy scent drifting from the oxen leading the way. None of it suited the man sitting beside him. He had always thought of the celestials as lofty beings that lived in the skies, untouched by any worldly matters.

“What are you thinking about?” Renwu suddenly asked.

Lanyun blinked slowly, snapping out of his thoughts. “What?”

“You were staring at me,” Renwu said. “Do you find my appearance so pleasing that you can’t look away?”

“No, don’t think so highly of yourself,” Lanyun scoffed, looking back at the road, but he could feel the tips of his ears burning. 

“It’s okay to admit it,” Renwu said with a self-satisfied smirk. “Most humans are taken by our appearance.”

“I was just thinking that I didn’t expect you to agree to riding in this wagon so easily,” Lanyun said, wanting to change the subject. “I thought you’d throw a fit and insist on only taking a carriage pulled by winged horses or on the back of a dragon.”

“I’m not sure what misconceptions you have about celestials, but I hope you never say that to me again,” Renwu said, giving Lanyun a strange look. “I’ve certainly had my fair share of worse experiences than sitting on the back of an ox-drawn cart for a few hours.”

Lanyun suddenly felt awkward as he remembered why Renwu wanted the ghost flower and what Granny Tao had told him about the fates of the celestials that suffered from the corruption. He didn’t know what to say. 

“For instance,” Renwu spoke again, breaking the awkward silence between them, “the back of a dragon is not as comfortable as you might think.”

Lanyun and Renwu successfully arrived at Guwang City’s main gates in the early afternoon with the help of the ox-drawn cart. Using the forged identification papers Lanyun found in his bag, they bypassed the city guards without any issues and bid their farewell and thanks to the man and his son. Before they parted ways, Lanyun noticed Renwu hand something to the man, who bowed his head deeply in gratitude. 

“What did you give him?” Lanyun wondered as they stood to the side of the street, under the carved awning of a tea shop. The smell of tobacco, incense, and roasted tea drifted in the winds as the lively chatter of the store’s patrons filled his ears. 

“Just something small for his assistance,” Renwu said dismissively. His eyes flitted left and right, searching for something before focusing on one spot. “This way.” He walked briskly down a narrow street.

“Where are we going?” Lanyun asked, lightly struggling to catch up with Renwu’s long strides. Though he was only half a head shorter than the celestial, he realized the true difference in their heights every time Renwu rushed on ahead.

“We should find lodging first,” Renwu said. “I know a very lovely inn that I stayed at the last time I visited here. It had a quaint courtyard garden with a goldfish pond, and a fine selection of local wine. Although some of the surrounding shops have changed since then, it should be just down this street. There should be a pottery workshop on the same street as it.” 

They turned around another corner and Renwu’s pace slowed down. 

“That’s the workshop,” Renwu said, pointing to a wood and brick building with curved tile roofs. Shelves of blue and white vases were on display to attract potential customers. 

He walked past a few more wood-framed buildings. “And the inn should be right here.” He stopped. 

Lanyun gazed at the small, rickety building before them. The wooden beams balanced precariously, rotting in the center, and the earthen walls cracked in multiple spots. Broken ceramic tiles from the roof littered the perimeter, while the ground itself appeared to have been scorched in the past, being several shades darker than the surrounding area. The front entrance consisted of three wooden planks nailed together, hanging from rusted hinges. It seemed so fragile that Lanyun was afraid a small gust of wind could immediately knock it down.

“I sure hope the inside matches your description better than its exterior,” Lanyun remarked, staring at the condemned building warily. 

Renwu shook his head in confusion. “I could’ve sworn it was right here, but perhaps I misremembered the directions.”

“What if we looked around a bit more?” Lanyun suggested. “Maybe it’s just one street over, or we could try asking a local for directions.”

“Yes, good idea,” Renwu agreed. 

They continued walking down the street as Lanyun observed the city around them in wonder. He had followed his village’s farmers to the nearby city before when they sold their tea harvest in the spring, but it was significantly smaller than Guwang City. The streets were filled with people shuffling to their destinations, drifting in and out of the shops along the way. Not to mention, the upcoming holiday had attracted an increased influx of visitors. Red paper lanterns hung overhead, strung from the tops of the buildings. 

After passing by the same display of mooncakes three times, Lanyun was beginning to grow impatient. He pointed at an inn with rabbit-painted lanterns hanging on each side of the front entrance. “Why don’t we ask someone here? They should be aware of any other inns in this city.” 

Upon entering the inn, they approached the front desk. A middle-aged woman with her hair pinned up by a floral hairpin greeted them with a courteous smile. 

“Welcome to Shan Hua, gentlemen,” she said. “How may I help you two today?”

“Good afternoon,” Lanyun said, returning her smile. “We’re looking for a particular inn. Perhaps you’ve heard of it?” 

“Certainly, what is it called?” the woman asked.

Lanyun turned towards Renwu expectantly.

“Fu Yue,” Renwu said simply.

The innkeeper frowned slightly before her eyes widened in recognition. She laughed, hiding her smile behind the brown sleeve of her outer robe. “I haven’t heard that name in quite a while. The place burned down over fifty years ago.”

Lanyun subtly glanced at the self-proclaimed “young” celestial beside him.

“It was never rebuilt afterwards?” Renwu asked, seeming desperate. 

“The owners did try a few more times,” the innkeeper explained. “However, a problem would always occur after a few years. It was struck by lightning during their last attempt. They had even hired a shaman to investigate the problem. She told them that a cursed being had visited the location in the past, so it needed to be purified of darkness before anything could be built on the land again.”

 Lanyun once again glanced at the corruption-cursed celestial beside him. 

“Are you two searching for a place to stay?” the innkeeper guessed. 

Seeing Renwu appear too traumatized by the news to respond, Lanyun decided to answer for them instead. “Yes, but for a few days at least. Do you have any rooms available here?” 

The innkeeper nodded, looking down at her bookkeeping between the stitchbound pages. “You’re in luck. Due to the upcoming holiday, nearly all of our rooms are booked until then already, but we still have a few openings. If you came a day later, you might have been out of luck. It’s ten qing per night until the Harvest Moon Festival. Then, it’ll be five qing per night. No bargaining allowed.”

“That’s quite a difference,” Lanyun remarked, raising an eyebrow at the steep prices. 

“It’s the holiday price,” the innkeeper said with a polite smile.

“Please, excuse us for a moment as I discuss this with my friend first,” Lanyun said, tugging Renwu’s arm to stand by a potted jade plant in a corner of the front lobby. 

“Since when was I your friend?” Renwu questioned, pulling his arm back from Lanyun’s grasp. 

“What do you want me to refer to you as then?” Lanyun asked, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Your benevolent, handsome lordship?” Renwu suggested. 

“Absolutely not,” Lanyun immediately refused the idea. “Now, do you have any money?”

“You refuse to respect what I wish to be called and try to extort me for money instead?” Renwu said, incredulous. 

“I had a few coins in my old bag, but Riri didn’t pack any in my new replacement one,” Lanyun explained. “If you don’t have any money either, then we’ll just have to sleep outside.”

“Why don’t you pawn off some of your possessions for money?” Renwu pointed at the red woven bracelet on Lanyun’s wrist. “Disregarding that tacky string, the blue stones seem to be worth something at least.”

Lanyun clutched his wrist, holding his bracelet close to his chest as he stared at Renwu warily. “My grandmother made these bracelets for both me and my sister. These are mystic stones, imbued with a protection spell to shield the wearer from evil.”

Renwu scoffed. “I’ve never heard of such a thing. That’s probably just superstition invented by a shaman trying to generate a quick profit off of foolish believers. Any divine power that they display is usually contracted from a celestial. It’s all a farce.”  

Lanyun glowered at Renwu. “My grandmother is a shaman, and she has helped many people with her knowledge. I don’t care if you claim that her mystical powers aren’t real, but I won’t let you disrespect her work with all the lives that she has saved.”

Seeing the silent rage in Lanyun’s grey eyes, Renwu sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “That’s not what I meant. My words came out too harsh.” He gestured towards the front desk with a tilt of his head. “We should hurry before all of the rooms are taken. Don’t worry about the money. I can pay for our stay.”

“How many rooms?” the innkeeper asked as Lanyun and Renwu walked back up to her. 

“Just one,” Renwu said.

“Actually, could we have two separate rooms?” Lanyun interjected.

“What for?” Renwu questioned, turning towards Lanyun. “I know I offered to pay, but do you think I’m made of gold? Or…are you still upset over what I said about your grandmother’s profession?” 

“No, it’s not that,” Lanyun said. He tugged his outer robe tighter around his body and looked off to the side. “I’m just afraid of being taken advantage of if we share a bed.” 

“W-what?!” Renwu stammered in bewilderment. His eyes widened as he appeared to remember something. “Just what did Lianbing tell you?!”