The young woodworker's sudden statement had startled both Tang Shengyi and her dragon companion.  Her first instinct was to deny it, but the man in front of her would not let her get a word in.

"Before, when you spoke, you were talking to your spirit guide weren't you?  What is he?  Where is he?"

Shengyi raised a hand.

"Hold on a minute."

Ren Yifeng sat back down and smiled to himself.  He knew he was right.  His mother had been a spirit agent, and he had listened to stories of her adventures with rapt attention as a child.  It had never occurred to him to doubt her words.  Now, many years later, another woman had come into his life, and she wanted a sword hilt made from the same material as his mother's, she talked to an invisible being just like his mother, and the runes she had requested carved into the wood were exactly the same as those on his mother's sword.  The coincidences were too stark to ignore, and he was willing to risk looking a little foolish in order to make his new acquaintance admit the truth.

Shengyi watched the man in front of her carefully.

"What are you waiting for?  Deny everything!" Shuang hissed in her ear.  She batted him away.

"How did you know?" she said, eventually.

"My mother was one," came the response.  It was not really necessary for him to elaborate further.

"You know what I need then?"

"Yes.  And don't worry.  Your secret is safe with me.  My name is Ren Yifeng."

Shengyi smiled with genuine warmth.  She suddenly did not feel so alone in the world.

"I'm Tang Shengyi.  It's nice to meet you," she said.  "And my spirit guide is Shuang.  He's a dragon.  You can't see him but he's up in the corner of the room over there.  He's sulking."

***

True to his word, Ren Yifeng had crafted the sword hilt, and done a beautiful job of it.  The smooth piece of wood was now tucked safely inside Shengyi's cloak.  She only hoped she did not have much occasion to use it.

Shuang had finally forgiven her for confirming her identity to what he called an outsider, grumpily accepting that Yifeng seemed like a decent sort of chap, and it was probably good for Shengyi to have a human ally she could rely on.

The next few days passed peacefully, other than dealing with the spirit of a woman whose unfinished business was to take revenge on the fiancé who had jilted her.  Fortunately, the young man in question was a thoroughly bad egg, and Shengyi had no qualms at all about sneaking into his home and, with the spirit's help, retrieving some highly incriminating account books showing how he'd been overcharging the provincial government for various services for years.  It did not take long for the evidence to make its way to the desk of the chief magistrate.  Job done.

In truth, Shengyi was becoming a little too complacent.  Consequently, it was only a matter of time before she was faced with her first real challenge, and it came in the shape of one very malevolant spirit.

Angry at having his mortal existence cut short, and refusing to accept that it was due to his own poor lifestyle choices, the man in question was determined to recapture his youth by depriving someone else of his.

Shengyi had tracked down the spirit by listening to market gossip.  Several traders had described their younger male relatives as having complained of constant feelings of uneasiness, as if someone had walked over their graves, and chest pains.  Shuang had confidently proclaimed that it was the work of a spirit who was attempting to take possession of the young men's bodies, but had not yet figured out how to do so.

After a day or so of research, also known as eavesdropping, the spirit agent and her guide had figured out that the deceased was a moderately successful merchant in his late thirties, with a reputation for being a glutton and a drunk.  His hunting ground of choice was, unfortunately, the local courtesan house, where Shengyi could not go without attracting attention.  Consequently, it was time to call on Ren Yifeng.

"But I've never been to a courtesan house," he protested, as she threw a pile of expensive looking robes at him.  "I won't know how to behave."

"You don't have to do anything," she exclaimed.  "Just walk around in an obvious sort of way.  Then, as soon as you start to feel strange or uneasy, make your way to the far corner of the rear courtyard.  I will be waiting there."

"But what if it's not the spirit?" he asked.

"I'll be able to see it, so I'll know if you're alone, and you can just go back inside and try again."

"But what makes you think it will come after me?"

"You're a handsome young man with a good figure.  You fit the physical profile.  We just need to make sure you dress the part."

Shengyi was so busy rifling through the pile of clothing in front of her that she failed to notice the slow smile spreading across her companion's face.

"You think I'm handsome?" Yifeng asked.

Suddenly embarrassed, the spirit agent knew that she would be caught in an obvious lie if she tried to backpedal.  Instead, she tried to brush it off.

"Some would think so, I imagine."

On hearing Shuang snort loudly next to her ear, she knew that, at best, she had only been partially successful, so she resorted to changing the subject.

"Don't worry.  If I spot the spirit early on, I'll make a move immediately, irrespective of how crazy it makes me look.  You won't have to do anything at all."

"Hmm." Yifeng bit his lip worriedly.  "Perhaps you should cover your face so no one recognises you. It would be easier than having to explain yourself later on."

Shengyi nodded.  It was a good idea.

"It would also preserve your reputation," her companion continued.  "No man is going to marry a woman who frequents courtesan houses."

Without waiting for a response, Yifeng quickly disappeared into the side room of his workshop to change.

***

Several hours later, Shengyi was crouched in a dark corner of the courtyard of the courtesan house, her presence obscured by the shadow of the wall behind her and some dense shrubbery.  She was grateful for the shelter, as the lamps on the veranda of the building a few metres away were burning brightly, echoing the energetic nature of the frivolities within.  She peered at the windows intently, but could see no sign of Yifeng inside.

"I'm sure he's fine," Shuang reassured her.  "He's not completely incapable."

"I know that," she whispered back.  "I just feel that the bait is at a bit of a disadvantage when he can't even see what we're fishing for."

"Well, we can't help that," the dragon responded, matter-of-factly.  "You're just going to have to trust him, and make sure you do your part."

"Don't worry, I will."  Shengyi's grip on the sword hilt in her hand tightened.

Yifeng moved slowly through the corridors of the large building, ignoring the inviting glances being directed his way.  He had a drink clutched in his hand, but it was just for show.  He had already made one circuit of the place.  He could probably manage one more without arousing suspicion.

As he reached the end of his stroll around the ground floor, he suddenly felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.  He turned around slowly, trying to act as casually as possible.  Nothing, but then he hadn't really expected to see anything anyway.

He continued for a few more paces until he felt pressure building in his chest, as if a hand was around his heart slowly starting to squeeze.  This had to be the spirit.

Trying to act as nonchalantly as possible, Yifeng made his way through the building towards the exit to the rear courtyard.

Shengyi saw them suddenly appear in the torchlight.  Yifeng and a hazy shape following close behind.  He'd done it.  She forced herself to wait patiently in the shadows until the two got closer.  Focussing her mind as Shuang had taught her, she called on her spirit weapon, and a glistening silver blade extended from the redwood hilt.

When the two figures were almost within touching distance, she cried out.

"Move!"

Yifeng didn't need to be told twice and quickly threw himself to the side as Shengyi leapt forward with her sword.

Unfortunately for her, the spirit was unexpectedly limber, and darted back, easily avoiding the thrust.  Shengyi swore silently and pressed the attack, grateful that the courtyard was empty.

The spirit tried to take cover behind an ornamental pedestal and, before she knew it, a large vase was flying towards her head.  It was only by instinct that she managed to duck and avoid being hit full in the face.

"I thought they couldn't interact with physical things," she shouted up at Shuang, who was circling excitedly above.

"The ones with the strongest desire to stay and become human again can sometimes manipulate objects.  Sorry.  I forgot to mention it."

Shengyi rolled her eyes.  It would have been helpful to know that before she launched herself into the fight.

Fortunately, the skirmish was resolved relatively quickly when she managed to manoeuvre herself into a position where she could deliver a swift but decisive blow and, just as Shuang had said, the spirit dispersed immediately with a howl of indignation.

Shengyi looked around for Yifeng.  He was stood with his back pressed against the wall, obviously trying to stay out of the way.  She smiled.

"All done.  Let's go before someone comes."

Walking to a nearby tree, she swung gracefully up into its branches and stepped across to the top of the wall, with Yifeng following closely behind.  Then, they both made their way down the ladder they had placed there earlier and disappeared into the night.  

Thus ended the first of many adventures for the two young people.