Chapter 27: Just Who Are They, Really?

"Nineteen, why do you go to such lengths? We have only met once!" Lan Yin offered a bitter smile.

Lu Shijiu kept her lips pressed tight, silent, her focus entirely on observing the surroundings. As they fled, she utilized her eidetic memory, constantly cross-referencing their path against her knowledge of the city's architectural layout to calculate the most viable escape route. When fate refused to stand by her, she had no choice but to carve out a path to survival with her own hands. She never relied on miracles; she trusted only in her own meticulous planning.

"This way! They are over here!" The voices of their pursuers were close behind.

Lu Shijiu pivoted abruptly, pulling Lan Yin into another alleyway. Suddenly, a tavern sign featuring a pointed-bottom wine jar caught her eye. Lu Shijiu’s heart stirred, and she pulled Lan Yin inside without a moment’s hesitation.

"Hey, hey! Who are you lot? Why are you barging in? It’s not even time for service yet!" the waiter hurried over to intercept them.

"I know this is the tavern belonging to the divine physician Tan Simiao. We only need a place to hide," Lu Shijiu said, looking toward the proprietor at the counter.

Upon hearing the name Tan Simiao, the proprietor, Tan Jianren, looked up sharply. After narrowing his eyes at Lu Shijiu and Lan Yin, he commanded the waiter, "Go attend to the front entrance." He then turned to the girls. "Follow me."

Lu Shijiu took a few deep, ragged breaths before tugging Lan Yin along to follow the proprietor.

"Madam Meng, find two sets of kitchen hand uniforms for these two!" Tan Jianren shouted into the clattering, busy kitchen.

"Oh! Manager Tan, what help can such scrawny little things offer in the kitchen? Won't they just be in the way?" A stout, burly woman emerged from within, her eyes sweeping over Lu Shijiu with a complaint.

"Enough talk! Just do as I say!" Tan Jianren’s expression darkened as he gave the cold order.

"Alright, alright!" Meng Shuyun quickly gathered two uniforms and handed them to the girls.

"I can tend the fire!" Lu Shijiu said immediately.

"I can make Beijing-style pastries!" Lan Yin chimed in once she realized what was happening.

Tan Jianren’s expression softened slightly. He nodded and instructed Meng Shuyun, "Get them settled."

"I’ll say this first: if you don’t pull your weight, I’ll kick you out, even if I have to offend the manager to do it!" Meng Shuyun stood with her hands on her hips, her thick brows arched in a threat.

"Understood!" Lu Shijiu nodded.

Just as Lu Shijiu put on the outer garment and sat before the stove to feed the first log into the hearth, a group of men with cruel faces and heavy sabers stormed into the tavern.

"Search! The boss has given strict orders—we must capture those two fugitives alive! Anyone who blocks us loses their head!" As he spoke, he slashed a table in half, plunging the hall into a deathly silence.

Tan Jianren frowned, a flicker of regret surfacing in his heart for having taken them in.

"Little ones, who are you to Manager Tan? In all these years, this is the first time we’ve seen him show favoritism!" The woman named Li, who was tending the fire next to her, looked on with intense, gossipy interest. Her roving eyes kept darting toward Lan Yin. *What a refined girl! Truly a beauty like a celestial being.* She glanced at her, laughing with a mouth missing a tooth.

A flash of disgust crossed Lu Shijiu’s face, but she kept her head down, focused entirely on the fire.

"Stoke the flames!" the head chef commanded in a low voice.

"Yes!" Lu Shijiu hurried to prop up the thick logs in the stove and added a few more.

Madam Li, finding no entertainment, curled her lip in disdain. "Fine, keep your secrets. There isn't a piece of news I can't dig up!"

"Child, turn the fire down. This chicken needs to be simmered over a low flame."

"Understood!" Lu Shijiu pulled the burning logs out and buried them in the ash below the stove to extinguish the flames. The bubbling sound in the pot immediately subsided. The chef raised an eyebrow and nodded toward Meng Shuyun, who was watching.

"Everyone stand up! Search!" A rough voice erupted in the steam-filled kitchen.

"Ah! Blood!" Following a piercing scream, the kitchen descended into chaos. Lu Shijiu sprang up instantly, pulled Lan Yin toward the stove, and quickly smeared some stove ash on her face before standing up with the others.

The intruders slashed and poked around the kitchen with their blades, grabbing cooked meat with their bare hands and shoving it into their mouths.

"Ban... bandits!" Madam Li’s pupils dilated, and she let out a shriek.

*Squelch!*

Lu Shijiu felt a spray of hot liquid hit her cheek. She covered her face and joined the surrounding crowd in screaming, "Ah!"

"Shut up!"

With a fierce, savage roar, everyone shriveled like quails. Though their bodies shook like sieves, not a soul dared to make a sound. Once the bandits had eaten and drunk their fill, they wiped their mouths, shouldered their blades, and sauntered out.

"That was satisfying!"

A long time passed before someone finally broke down in tears. As if the sobbing were contagious, the sound began to echo throughout the devastated kitchen.

"What... what exactly is happening?" someone asked, sobbing.

"On my way to the tavern this morning, I heard that many people were killed on East Second Street. It seems the bandits are taking revenge on someone," another said, their voice trembling.

"Where are the inspectors and yamen runners? Are they not going to do anything?" someone slammed their fist against the stove in frustration.

"I heard the corpses on East Second Street were the inspectors and runners themselves!" a voice whispered in terror.

"Then what are we supposed to do..."

The collective weeping grew louder. No one knew if the bandits would return, just as they did not know what their own fate held.

"Stop crying! Everyone, clean this up. I doubt anyone will be coming to eat at the tavern today," Tan Jianren said, walking into the kitchen with heavy steps.

"Manager, have those bandits left?" Meng Shuyun asked with wide, terrified eyes.

Tan Jianren sighed softly. "They are still roaming the city. No one is to go out, lest you be caught in the crossfire."

"Is there no one to deal with these bandits?" someone asked bitterly.

"It’s useless," Tan Jianren shook his head. "They were able to sack the yamen without a sound; they must be formidable. Unless the prefecture’s garrison is deployed, they’ll be long gone by the time news reaches the authorities."

"They seem to be looking for someone," another remarked.

As soon as the words were spoken, everyone’s gaze turned toward Lu Shijiu and Lan Yin.

"Manager, what is their background, really?" Meng Shuyun stared at the two with a hostile gaze.

Tan Jianren paused. "They are distant relatives of mine. Their home was destroyed, and with nowhere else to turn, they came here to seek shelter with me. Though they are family, they will follow the same rules as everyone else at Taoyuan Tavern. No special treatment."