The Sword Dancer by Jeanne Lin

between them and managed to push Han to the corner.
    ‘Ah, Little Sister.’ She knelt beside Li Feng and set down the tray. ‘I brought a soup made of steeped wolfberries and longan. Very cooling.’
    The wife patted Li Feng’s hand like an older sister, enquiring about her comfort and telling her to be careful going down the stairs. Li Feng remained lying flat until the woman left them alone.
    Her eyes darted to Han. ‘What did you do?’
    He had a hand over his mouth, but his eyes were bright with amusement. ‘I had to tell them you were ill to give us a reason to remain in the village.’
    ‘She thinks I’m with child!’
    ‘I may have given enough hints for her to assume that.’
    In addition to the herbal soup, the tray also held two generous bowls of congee along with a boiled egg to go with the rice porridge.
    Han sat down beside her and arranged the tray between them. ‘I’ll be approaching Cai Yun today. See what I can find out about him.’ He split the egg in two, putting the larger half in her bowl. ‘For the child,’ he added with a smirk.
    He took his bowl in hand and spooned rice into his mouth, looking quite pleased with his ruse. She let her own bowl sit, growing cold as she regarded him accusingly.
    ‘If I’m supposed to be ill, that means I’m confined here.’
    ‘Only for the morning. You can claim to be feeling better later in the day. My mother was that way with my brother.’
    She narrowed her eyes at him. ‘You don’t trust me.’
    ‘I trust you enough to leave you with my dao .’ Their weapons were still stowed away.
    So much depended on this. She needed to know why her mother had left her, and who they had been running from. Without her past, she couldn’t have a future. She was stronger now and faster, but in so many ways she was still that little girl.
    ‘Hao Han, I’ve longed for this for over fifteen years—’
    The words caught in her throat. How could she express how she felt to someone who was her constant tormentor, but also the one person she had confided in? The man who desired her, but refused to kiss her.
    ‘Li Feng, I know.’ He didn’t say anything more.
    The congee was still warm when she picked up her bowl. They ate together and the silence was almost companionable. She recalled how Han had sent food to her while she was locked up in the prison cell. Perhaps he had been paying her a compliment, a sign of respect that he didn’t think of her as just another thief.
    In the world of rivers and lakes, one showed the greatest regard towards the worthiest of adversaries. Han didn’t seem like the enemy any more as he sat across from her. She truly hoped that he wouldn’t have to be.
    * * *
    Han found out from the villagers that the distinguished visitor from out of town was drinking by the river with the government official. Throughout his travels, he had discovered that the local people were often more helpful when they didn’t know he was a thief-catcher there to stir up trouble. His profession often dredged up animosity rather than support.
    In these troubled times, local outlaws were often treated like local heroes. Even worse was the case of privateers and smugglers. They were wealthy from illegal activity and appeared more respectable than a thief-catcher chasing an arrest warrant. He was almost certain Cai Yun fell into that lot, a merchant who bought his influence with bribes.
    Han had followed the river bank and it wasn’t long before he found Cai Yun and the salt agent sitting beneath an open pavilion, drinking wine. They were speaking casually to one another. Han stopped at a polite distance, far out of hearing range, and waited for them to acknowledge him with a glance. Finally the conversation halted and Cai Yun looked in his direction.
    ‘Sir.’ He bowed at the waist. ‘This servant apologises for the intrusion.’
    Cai Yun cast a disdainful eye at him. ‘Who are you?’
    Lotus had described him as thin and long, with a face that was always