A Daily Life of a Fire Dragon

20.Gucheng

(about 8 thousand years ago)

Shi Lang walks along the bustling market of Gucheng. It’s his first time here. The human city is a novelty for him. Martial artists carrying swords around like their lives depend on them, ladies laughing casually in the streets, children playing their games in the middle of the street, and no one finds it strange. Was his life in a Buddhist temple too sheltered? It was quiet. He likes it quiet. All this noise is making it hard to think. How can anyone feel safe in all this chaos? The guards patrolling the streets don’t seem to look at anyone. They certainly don’t remind anyone to behave.

All the peddlers try to shout louder than the crowd to get a chance to sell their merchandise. The ones owning stalls are not much quieter in their pursuit of customers. People bumping into him finally fill his measure of tolerance, and he escapes into a restaurant. It’s bustling to the brim of capacity. Not a free table in sight, but they have private rooms upstairs. One might think it’s a festival in the city, but the date is completely off for something like that. Is it always this crowded? How can anyone live like this?

“Excuse me!” Shi Lang stops one of the servers. “Do you have a free room?”

“Give me a minute, I’ll show you one,” the server replies.

Left to his own devices again, he observes the people. Mostly upper class if he judges by the clothes. There must be something huge going on. Maybe the server can fill him in? Usually, they are quite chatty if one gives them a chance. He leans on the bannister, trying to not be in the way of people coming and going. The glances he gets from various passersby start to annoy him. The server better come back fast, or he might get himself in trouble. Tuning out the noise is not something he mastered yet. Maybe it was a bad idea to come here? But his gut is clearly saying that this is the right place. She is here, somewhere.

“Come this way,” the server pulls his sleeve to get his attention. “We have only one room left. It’s not the best, but it’s quiet.”

“Thank you. I will stay for a week,” Shi Lang passes a few silver coins to the man.

“This is too much,” the server tries to give a few back to him. “We are not that kind of establishment. Our master takes great care of fair prices.”

“The rest is for you. I will bother you to bring my food upstairs. It’s too noisy and crowded downstairs,” Shi Lang pushes the man’s hand back. He looks older, so he must have been working here for a long time.

“If you need anything else, just let me know,” the server bows at him.

The room he showed him is in the far end, and fairly small. Shi Lang doesn’t need much, but this clearly looks like a room a servant would get when his master stays here. The bed is taking up most of the space. There is hardly enough room for a small table and one cushion to sit on. He chuckles silently, but accepts it anyway: “Bring me something to eat. I’m not picky, so anything you choose will be fine.”

“It might take a while,” the server tells him.

“I don’t mind,” Shi Lang nods. He shows the man a book and it gets accepted as a fact that he doesn’t mind waiting.

Would he even get this room if his clothes looked different? Not that he looks poor, it’s just not as ostentatious as some other guests. His dark red robes have no markings, or trimmings, but they are far away from what commoners wear. Maybe the fact that he doesn’t carry a sword made the server think he’s not worth a better room? It’s useless to dwell on that. He can consider himself lucky he even got a room. Looking around the city for another tavern that would maybe have a nicer room free, is not in his interest. The small reprieve and peace of mind means more to him.

“Sir? I brought you the food. May I come in?” The server from before is at the door. Shi Lang can smell the food he’s talking about.

“Please do,” he answers. Then he watches the man put several dishes on his small table. Everything looks delicious, so his mouth starts watering.

“I brought you tea, but if you want wine, I can get it for you,” the server tells him.

“No need. Tea is fine,” Shi Lang nods. He must be careful not to smile. “Can you tell me what is going on? Why is the city so full?”

“You don’t know? I thought this is why you’re here,” the server looks at him in wonder. “The Marquises' daughter is getting married. The Gu family is one of the more prominent families in the kingdom. They even issued an open invitation. Everyone can come and share their luck.”

“Who is the lucky groom that they are putting this kind of grandness on the marriage?” Shi Lang wants to know.

“You really don’t know anything? Where have you been? Under a rock?” The server chuckles.

“Sort of. In a monastery. Studying,” he shrugs. Not knowing things has never been a crime. But, getting the information beforehand is advisable. Even Master Ling stressed the importance of that.

“I see,” the server nods. He pours him a cup of tea while he fills him in on the gossip. “Princess Gu Daiyu is marrying the fourth son of the Emperor. The Prince is a prominent General even at his young age. And, he came to fetch the bride in person. That shows that even the Emperor recognises Marquis Gu’s importance.”

“I guess I have to present some sort of a gift if I show up at the celebration?” Shi Lang thinks out loud. This man is astonishingly helpful. Maybe he knows what other people gifted the new couple?

“Whatever you bring will probably be overshadowed. Prominent families are competing to give the most ostentatious gift possible. But everything fades compared to the jade tree the Emperor sent,” the answer fits the gifts. But the man doesn’t know who Shi Lang is. He is certain that he can come up with something more stunning than a jade tree.

“Thank you for the tip,” he nods.

When the server leaves, Shi Lang ponders about the gift selection. A marriage between a princess and the Emperor’s son is a huge deal. A jade tree is the highest honour the Emperor gives. All other guests can try their best, but in the eyes of the people that tree is worth more because of who gave it. If he doesn't want everyone to know who he really is, he will have to give them something mediocre, but still very valuable. Maybe one of his rare gems? Which one could he part with? The twin rubies are ment for him and his soulmate. One is already embedded in his dragon sword, and the other is waiting for a diadem for his queen.

But, there are several Sapphires he could give away. The stones are the wrong colour anyway. He conjures the box that holds his gems. Sapphires are his least favourite. If they would have only been blue, but to his constant aggravation these are green for some reason. Since he actually dug them out of stone himself, he kept them. Time is running short for him, so he uses magic to conjure a set of earrings and a matching necklace using the Sapphires and some gold. He has pre-made boxes at home. A dark Ebony one should be right. The rich colour and engravings shouldn’t offend anyone.

A high profile wedding like this also calls for a change of wardrobe. Shi Lang thinks about what he has to choose from. Most of his clothes are dark red or black. Black is not a happy colour, so he discards those. A burgundy red robe with gold trimmings should be grand enough. With a golden coloured undershirt and pants to make it more festive. He doesn’t want to get turned away at the door. Telling his name should not be a problem, but people always recognise his sword, so he stopped carrying it around. He snaps his fingers and the robes he chose appear neatly folded on his bed. He’s all set for tomorrow. A smile blooms on his face. Will he be lucky to meet Dayin at the Marquises house?