The case was solved beautifully. Johnstone Manor was searched and many residents of Guan Town filed complaints against his taxing policies. His servants ratted out his connections with the two knights that stole maidens from neighbouring towns and the five maidens were all taken back to their respectable homes after being questioned kindly by Antoine. Maiden Linda Zhan was questioned along with them and they all said that they had been out alone when someone would knock them out. Then they were awakened at Johnstone manor and were harrassed before lapsing into unconsciousness once more. Everyone listened to their tales with anger and hatred. Johnstone was killed for trafficking maidens and taking excess money from people. All his riches - from three other secret rooms - were given out to the inhabitants of Guan Town. The two knights were killed as well after finding the cure on them. The old man couldn't provide any information about the trafficking, only that he was coerced into hiding the maidens so he was let out after a warning. Finally, all things short-term was resolved. 

After that tiring night, Xiao sat about dozing off in the backyard of the town hall.

"Xiao!" someone called him.

Xiao sat up straight and hastily wiped his mouth in case he drooled. "Ning, what's up?"

"The Zhans want to see you."

Xiao groaned. "Alright."

Ning came up in front of him and straightened his robes. "You look like a mess."

Xiao smiled shyly and pushed him away. "Whatever. I don't care. Why are you fussing over me?"

He went to the front where Bradley, George, and the Zhan family sat around a table with a feast on it. Wang looked as insolent as ever. Mister Zhan had a smile on his tanned face. He was dressed nicely, just like his son despite their fleeing a day before.

"Xiao," George called. "Come sit." 

Xiao went to the only empty seat next to Bradley and George. "Hello Mister Zhan. Hello Wang."

"Knight Xiao." "Xiao."

Xiao grinned.

Mister Zhan spoke up. "I want to thank you for rescuing my daughter two nights ago, Knight Xiao."

Xiao smiled and filled up Mister Zhan's goblet with TianMu. "There is no need to thank me. It's what knights are for."

He glanced at Bradley to see him smiling appreciatively. However, as soon as their eyes met, Bradley put on a scoff. Xiao grinned at him.

"If I'm not mistaken, you are not married or engaged?" Mister Zhan asked.

Xiao's heart sank. He knew what this was about and he wished he looked more of a mess than Ning had said. He saw Wang tense and gasp at his father. 

"I'm not," he replied feebly.

"Then why don't you marry my daughter, Linda? She is beautiful and she can sing and dance. She is also very intelligent and can manage the family."

Xiao let out a long breath. "Mister Zhan, I appreciate the offer but I have to refuse it. I'm a knight and I wander around Xenon. I can't possibly take care of Linda or make her happy."

Mister Zhan looked taken aback. He had been sure that Xiao would agree. George shook his head in resignment and Bradley rolled his eyes. Wang let out a breath of relief and downed his wine. This made Xiao smile a little. At least one thing hasn't changed.

"Aren't you nearly twenty, Knight Xiao?"

"Quite right," he said. "But I think it's still too early for me to marry."

Mister Zhan nodded. "I see. But you have carried her, Knight Xiao. Wouldn't it be indecent to not marry?" 

Xiao shook his head. "It was as the situation called for. I'm sure Linda could marry someone much more suitable than me."

Mister Zhan nodded slowly and an awkward silence fell. Ever the life saver, George started a conversation with Wang and it was Xiao's turn to let out a breath of relief and down his wine. Soon, the Zhans left and George, Xiao, and Bradley saw them to the door. As soon as they were back in the room, George started on Xiao.

"Come on, Xiao," he said.

"George, we just had this conversation barely half a day ago. I'm not getting married when I can still roam around."

Bradley cleared his throat. "Xiao, that was a good opportunity. You could have learned something from marrying a well educated woman."

George sighed and collapsed onto his chair. "Stop forcing me to marry, the pair of you. Bradley, why don't you marry her then?"

"Her father didn't ask me, did he?"

"Well, go and propose to her."

Bradley turned away and Xiao laughed. "You don't want to marry either!"

George sighed. "This is about you. Why do you turn down all the proposals you've got?"

Xiao sighed too and mimicked George's angry expression. "I'm not going to settle down so soon and when I haven't even established a good name in the chivalry world. My life just started, George."

Bradley looked at him long and hard. Xiao looked up at him and grinned. "Brad-ge, I'll marry when you marry."

Bradley looked away quickly and turned to George. "We will leave for Mount Huai tonight."

George looked taken aback. "So soon? You haven't even rested!"

Bradley saluted him. "We have trespassed on your hospitality for a long time already."

Xiao looked between them. Why was Bradley so eager to go? "Bradley, can't we leave tomorrow morning?"

Bradley gave him a look, which wasn't missed by George. "We are late on our journey."

Xiao pouted. "Alright then, Mayor Michaels. I'll visit you once you reach Sunfall."

George smiled. 

They finished the feast in which Xiao recounted for them the highlight of his adventures the past two years. Bradley scolded him a few times for drinking too much or the way he interacted with others. When they were done, George sent them off with gold but Xiao declined it. "George, we can manage with what we have."

"I'll send you information if I can get more out of the old farmer," George promised as they parted.

Once they were on the way, Xiao turned to Bradley. "Why are we leaving now? I am so tired. Did you not see me yawn during dinner?"

Bradley didn't answer and Xiao scoffed. Instinctively, he got out a jug of wine and took a swig. "You are such a weird person. We haven't seen each other in so long, and the first thing you do is scold me and then drag me off. We are not even behind on our trip!"

"We can find a guest house for the night," Bradley said.

Xiao scoffed. "We could have stayed with George!"

"I didn't want to."

"Why not? George is a lovely person!"

"I know he is," Bradley said. "Let's go. There is one over there."

Xiao scoffed for the hundredth time that night. "I can't believe this."

"I'll buy you some XiFeng, okay?"

Xiao's eyes instantly lit up despite himself. "For real? Can you buy a bottle of raspberry wine too?"

Bradley gagged. "The really tasteless one?"

Xiao feigned a gasp. "How dare you!"

"I'll buy TianMu."

Xiao finally grinned at him and they settled into the guest house for the night. They sat on opposite sides of the table and Bradley got out a chess board from a drawer. They played and drank until Xiao collapsed out of fatigue and the influence of TianMu. In his dreams, Xiao still wondered why they slept at the guest house. Only when he woke up to see Bradley beside him and the unfinished game on the table did he understand.

Xiao got up. He washed, dressed, and then went to the closest pancake stand. Getting ten, he went back to the guest house to find Bradley up by the window.

"Here," Xiao handed half the pancakes to him. "I'll go get a cup of tea for you."

The corner of Bradley's lips lifted. "You've changed in the past two years."

Xiao laughed. "It's only because I haven't taken care of anyone in two years."

When he came back, laden with tea and desserts, Bradley asked "You were able to withstand the loneliness?"

Xiao paused in eating his pancakes. "It wasn't lonely. I met John a few times and made new friends."

Bradley snorted. "You couldn't even remember that Laken boy's name two nights ago!"

Xiao rolled his eyes and said defensively "we were in the middle of a mission!"

Bradley shook his head. "Anyway, if we reach Fan City today, and Xing City tomorrow, we could reach Mount Huai in three days, just a day before the feast."

Xiao nodded, finishing his last pancake. "That seems doable if we don't linger on the way."

"We all know who will be the one lingering."

Xiao stuck his tongue out at Bradley. "Who still hasn't finished their breakfast?"

"You go and clean up!"

Xiao made an obscene gesture at him and went to pick up their belongings that were strewn across the room. After paying, they embarked on their journey west towards Fan City.

"How is it being treated by your younger brother?" Xiao pestered Bradley. "Am I paying my respect to you? How did I do?"

Bradley scoffed. "I'm not complimenting you."

"Well, I'll tell you how I got all these gold then?"

"You've covered it during our meal with George yesterday."

Xiao frowned and scratched the back of his head. "Did I?"

Bradley rolled his eyes. "How much did you drink last night?"

Xiao shrugged. "Not enough to forget about your unpleasantness."

Bradley pushed him and caused him to nearly topple into a woman selling paintings. "Ma'am, I am so sorry," Xiao instantly apologized. "Did I mess anything up?"

The woman looked at him with both fear and disdain. "No, childe."

Xiao saluted her and went up to Bradley, who stood where he was, smug. He raised his eyebrows at Xiao. Who's better? it said.

Xiao scoffed and walked away. He made sure he went slowly though so Bradley didn't need to run to catch up. That would certainly hurt Bradley's pride. Soon, Bradley caught up. "I'll tell you what I did the past two years, how about that?"

Though Bradley's storytelling voice wasn't as lively as Xiao's, the content was interesting. Two months ago, Bradley was near Qing River in the east of Xenon where he encountered the first maiden kidnapping. He had seen it in progress and handed the culprit in to the local government. However, a week after that, two more maidens were taken in a nearby city. Bradley had went there to find the same criminal. He handed him in again but he met the criminal again a month later, again associated with lost maidens. This time, Bradley killed the man. But as Bradley travelled, he got a ear of more cases like this. Other knights passed through and helped as well.

"Who? Did you befriend them? Were they good? Better than you in sword fighting?" Xiao interrupted here.

Bradley rolled his eyes. "There was one called Pierre LeFebvre. He was a about thirty and a good knife wielder. He helped me save a maiden from a carriage. Then I met two others who were disciples of the grandmaster of Svetlana River. One was called Frank Jung, who was about forty, I would say, and then there was a younger knight who I didn't know the name of."

"How can you not know his name?" Xiao asked. "And there you are saying that I'm forgetful with names."

"He left as soon as the fight was over," Bradley explained. 

"Alright, weird," Xiao said. "They are famous for their wave-piercing sword sequence, aren't they?"

Bradley nodded. "Lin Jiang, the grandmaster of Svetlana River grew up in a fishing community at the downstream of the Svetlana River. He practiced many underwater spear sequences as well as sword wielding. All his disciples could fight above and below water."

"A bunch of water rats," Xiao commented. But then, he quickly added, "unless they saved your life?"

"They only helped me," Bradley said, instantly defensive.

"Then they are water rats."

Bradley scoffed. "Show some respect, Xiao! Grandmaster Jiang is friends with our mentor!"

Xiao instantly became serious. "Really? But mentor never mentioned him!"

"He did. You weren't listening."

"You're lying! I could be careless but I always listen to what mentor says!"

Bradley huffed. "He used to mention Grandmaster Jiang but he stopped because the Grandmaster doesn't come out from his seclusion much."

"Hmm." Xiao thought about it. Perhaps his mentor had talked about it.

"You are just forgetful," Bradley said, in what was a consoling voice by his standards. 

Xiao hummed in agreement. "Perhaps." Then he changed the topic. "When are we eating lunch?"