Hibiscus Delights was already busy when Xu Hao arrived.
The restaurant stood on a broad street near the market, with red lanterns beneath its eaves and polished wooden pillars framing the entrance.
Before he reached the door, he could smell steaming buns, roasted meat and herbs simmering in a rich broth.
Xu Hao's stomach growled.
A young waiter greeted him.
"Good morning, young sir. Dining alone?"
"Yes, please."
"We have a table by the window, but it's meant for four people. If the restaurant becomes crowded, would you mind sharing?"
"Not at all."
The waiter led him through the dining room.
Merchants sat talking over tea, cultivators in travelling robes discussed their journeys, and a family near the kitchen was making a determined effort to prevent its children from stealing fried buns from one another's plates.
Xu Hao took his seat.
"What's good here?"
"Our porridge is popular, young sir. And the fried buns are fresh."
"Then I'll have both. And tea, please."
The waiter bowed and went to the kitchen.
Xu Hao leaned back.
After yesterday's disaster, a meal someone else had prepared sounded wonderful.
He wondered what the chickens were doing.
General Drumstick was probably making enough noise to disturb the entire street.
Captain Omelette might have chased another animal away.
As for Sergeant Nugget, he suspected she was still examining that beetle.
He smiled to himself.
Perhaps he'd buy some proper chicken feed on his way home.
A waiter passed his table carrying a tray of tea.
"Your usual, Master Li?"
Xu Hao glanced towards the far corner.
A middle-aged man sat alone, his clothing rumpled and his hair untidy.
There were deep shadows beneath his eyes. He looked as though he hadn't slept properly in days.
The man nodded wearily, and the waiter placed the tea before him with unusual respect.
Xu Hao wondered who he was.
Then his breakfast arrived.
A generous bowl of steaming porridge was set before him, thick with herbs and tender pieces of meat.
Beside it sat a plate of golden fried buns.
Xu Hao examined the food with considerable satisfaction.
No chickens.
No enormous husky.
And, most importantly, no chance of dropping a plate worth two gold coins.
He tasted the porridge.
It was rich and savoury.
He tried a bun.
The outside was crisp, while the inside was soft and slightly sweet.
Xu Hao closed his eyes.
"Now that's more like it."
He'd just begun enjoying his meal when the waiter returned.
"Forgive me, young sir. The restaurant is filling up. Would you still be willing to share your table?"
Xu Hao looked up.
Two young women stood behind the waiter.
One wore pale green robes with fine embroidery along the sleeves. The other was dressed in soft blue, her dark hair held by a silver ornament.
Both appeared to come from wealthy households.
"Of course," he said. "There's plenty of room."
The woman in green smiled.
"Thank you. It's unusually crowded today."
"Then I'm glad the table isn't going to waste."
Xu Hao moved his dishes aside to give them room.
The women sat, and the waiter took their orders.
They exchanged a few polite remarks with him before returning to their own conversation.
Xu Hao did the same.
The women talked about a relative's engagement, a shipment of silk and the unfortunate choice of colours someone had made for an upcoming banquet.
He listened occasionally, but made no attempt to interrupt.
He was far more interested in his breakfast.
At a nearby table, two merchants were discussing the Li family.
"I heard they sent another invitation to the capital."
"For a healer?"
"Who else? They've been searching for months."
"Surely someone has agreed to help."
"Plenty have. None of them managed to solve the problem."
The first merchant lowered his voice.
"My cousin says they're offering a fortune now."
Xu Hao slowed his spoon.
The Li family was looking for healers?
That was interesting.
He'd only just acquired his profession. He certainly wasn't prepared to treat some mysterious illness, particularly if experienced healers had already failed.
But he would need patients eventually.
He made a mental note to learn more about the family's situation.
Then a familiar voice rang across the dining room.
"Well, well. Look who we have here."
Xu Hao looked towards the entrance.
Su Jin stood near the doorway.
He wore expensive silk robes and the same smug expression Xu Hao remembered from their encounter at the town gate.
Four armed followers stood behind him.
Xu Hao's appetite vanished.
Of all the restaurants in Hibiscus Town.
Su Jin recognised him immediately.
"The little forest brat. I remember you."
His gaze swept the table.
"Where are those two oversized hunters who were following you around?"
Xu Hao stood politely.
"Good morning, Young Master Su. My brothers have their own business to attend to."
"Do they?"
Su Jin smiled.
There was something unpleasant about the expression.
Xu Hao recognised it at once.
The young master had enjoyed making trouble for them at the gate. From the look on his face, he hadn't forgotten.
Then Su Jin noticed the women.
"Ah. Cousins. I didn't expect to find you here."
The woman in green straightened immediately.
"Brother Su! We were just having breakfast."
She smiled brightly and adjusted her sleeves.
Xu Hao noticed how quickly her manner changed.
A moment ago, she'd been discussing silk with her companion. Now her entire attention was on Su Jin.
Su Jin looked from the women to Xu Hao.
His expression sharpened.
"And why are you sitting with this boy?"
Xu Hao opened his mouth to explain.
But the woman in green spoke first.
"Brother Su, is there something wrong?"
Su Jin gave a short laugh.
"Nothing that concerns you. I simply know this brat from the town gate."
He looked at Xu Hao.
"And I remember him being rather troublesome."
The woman in green glanced between them.
She saw the way Su Jin was watching Xu Hao.
Her eyes brightened slightly.
Then she leaned forward.
"Well, Brother Su, now that you mention it, we did have a little trouble with him."
Xu Hao turned towards her.
"Excuse me?"
She ignored him.
"When we arrived, the restaurant was crowded. We merely wanted somewhere to sit, but he was quite rude."
The woman in blue looked at her companion in surprise.
Xu Hao frowned.
"That's not what happened."
The woman in green gave him a sharp look.
"Please don't interrupt."
Then she turned back towards Su Jin with an injured expression.
"When we mentioned that we belonged to the Su family, he said we shouldn't expect special treatment."
Su Jin's smile widened.
"Did he?"
Xu Hao stared at the woman.
She hadn't mentioned her family once.
In fact, he'd barely spoken to her at all.
He looked towards Su Jin.
"Young Master Su, the waiter asked whether the ladies could share my table. I agreed. That was the extent of our conversation."
But the woman in green had seen Su Jin's reaction.
Rather than backing down, she pressed the advantage.
"He was particularly disrespectful, Brother Su. He said that even if the King himself wanted his table, he'd have to wait until he finished eating."
The surrounding conversations faltered.
Xu Hao slowly turned towards her.
"The King?"
The woman lifted her chin.
"You heard me."
Xu Hao looked at the woman in blue.
Surely she would say something.
She'd been sitting there the entire time.
But the second woman lowered her eyes.
She wasn't willing to contradict her companion in front of Su Jin.
The woman in green continued.
"Brother Su, I didn't want to make a fuss. But I couldn't stand by when someone spoke so disrespectfully about our family."
Xu Hao finally understood.
She'd seen that Su Jin wanted an excuse to trouble him and had offered him one to win his favour.
He looked down at his half-finished breakfast.
Yesterday, he'd fought chickens for his lunch.
Today, he'd apparently insulted the King over a bowl of porridge.
He was beginning to think eating in peace might be impossible in this town.
Su Jin approached the table.
The women rose to greet him.
He acknowledged them with a smile, then turned his attention towards Xu Hao.
"So. You insult women of my clan, question their honesty and speak disrespectfully about the King."
"None of those things happened."
Su Jin's smile faded.
"Are you calling my cousins liars?"
Xu Hao considered his answer.
There were several things he wanted to say.
Most would make the situation considerably worse.
"I can only tell you what happened, Young Master Su. The ladies asked to share my table, and I welcomed them. We barely spoke afterward."
The woman in green gasped.
"Brother Su, listen to him! He's still insulting me!"
Xu Hao looked at her.
"How?"
She flushed.
"How dare you!"
He turned back towards Su Jin.
"Perhaps the waiter can explain what happened. He brought them to the table himself."
Xu Hao glanced towards the kitchen.
The young waiter stood beside the doorway.
His face had gone pale.
One of Su Jin's followers stepped forward.
"There's no need to trouble the young master with excuses. If the boy is telling the truth, surely someone else heard what happened."
He swept his gaze across the dining room.
"Anyone?"
A merchant lowered his eyes.
The waiter remained silent.
At another table, an elderly man became intensely interested in his tea.
Nobody answered.
Xu Hao felt something cold settle in his stomach.
Several people had seen the women arrive.
The waiter had personally asked his permission for them to sit.
But none was willing to contradict the Su family.
He understood their fear.
The people in this restaurant had to continue living in Hibiscus Town after he left.
The Su family could make their lives miserable.
Knowing that didn't make their silence any easier to accept.
Su Jin folded his arms.
"Nobody seems willing to support your story."
"That doesn't mean the accusation is true."
The young master's expression hardened.
"You really don't understand your position, do you?"
Xu Hao thought of the Wang brothers.
Er Bao had warned him repeatedly about the four great families.
Keep his head down.
Avoid unnecessary disputes.
Don't attract attention.
Xu Hao had followed that advice.
He'd paid the additional charge at the town gate. He'd bowed politely to Su Jin. He'd even avoided summoning Sia in the streets, where her size might frighten people.
Yet here he was, facing the same young master again.
This time, the Wang brothers weren't beside him.
Su Jin rested one hand on the table.
"I could have you punished severely for insulting my family. But I'm feeling generous."
Xu Hao remained silent.
"Leave one arm on this table and get out of Hibiscus Town before sunset. Then I'll consider the matter settled."
Xu Hao stared at him.
One arm.
Over a lie told by a woman who wanted to impress him.
He glanced towards the armed followers.
They appeared entirely prepared to carry out the order.
Anger rose in his chest.
He forced it down. Anger wouldn't help.
He could summon Sia.
At the Firefly Realm, she was formidable, and perhaps she could even fight her way out of the restaurant.
But Su Jin belonged to one of Hibiscus Town's great families.
Er Bao had warned him that the Su family possessed a Star River Realm ancestor.
Even if Xu Hao escaped today, the family could pursue him.
They knew his face and his connection to the Wang brothers. Even the house Er Bao had given him would be easy to trace.
He couldn't risk bringing that sort of trouble upon his brothers merely because he'd wanted breakfast.
He needed another way.
Xu Hao glanced towards the far corner.
The tired-looking man was still sitting at his table.
The waiter had called him Master Li.
And the merchants had been talking about the Li family searching desperately for healers.
Xu Hao felt a possibility take shape.
He had no idea whether the two were connected.
Nor did he know whether the man would be willing to intervene.
But it was worth a try.
He turned back towards Su Jin.
"Young Master Su, I have no wish to quarrel with your family. I came to Hibiscus Town hoping to earn an honest living."
His voice was calm, but loud enough to carry across the room.
Su Jin looked pleased.
"At last, some sense."
"But if you take my arm, you'll prevent me from practising my profession."
Su Jin frowned.
"Your profession?"
Xu Hao raised his hands.
"I'm a healer, Young Master Su. My hands are how I earn my living. Without them, I may never be able to treat another patient."
The dining room remained quiet.
Xu Hao continued.
"I haven't established a clinic here, and I'm still learning the medical practices of Hibiscus Town. But I've studied medicine, and I came here hoping to put that knowledge to good use."
From the corner of his eye, he saw the exhausted man raise his head.
Su Jin stared at him.
Then he laughed.
"A healer? You?"
His followers joined in.
"How old are you? Fifteen? Sixteen? You expect me to believe you're qualified to treat anyone?"
"Age doesn't prevent someone from studying medicine."
"Neither does it make them competent."
"No," Xu Hao agreed. "Experience matters. That's why I'd prefer to keep my hands long enough to gain some."
A faint sound came from a nearby table.
Someone might have been suppressing a laugh.
Su Jin's smile disappeared.
"You think you're clever."
Xu Hao said nothing.
"I was going to take one arm. A merciful punishment, considering your offence."
He turned towards his followers.
"Take both arms. And cut out his tongue while you're at it."
One of the men drew a short blade.
Another stepped into the passage towards the kitchen.
Xu Hao felt his heart begin to pound.
He reached inwardly towards Sia.
Her familiar presence answered.
She was ready.
If the men attacked, he would summon her.
Whatever happened afterward, he had no intention of surrendering his arms or his tongue.
But his eyes flickered towards the corner table.
He'd spoken loudly enough.
Surely the man had heard.
A follower reached towards Xu Hao's wrist.
Xu Hao shifted his weight.
Then laughter burst across the dining room.
It was loud, sudden and completely unconcerned with Su Jin's dignity.
The armed man stopped.
Everyone turned.
The exhausted stranger had risen from his chair.
He was laughing openly now, one hand resting on the table.
After a moment, he wiped his eyes.
"Well, this is an interesting breakfast."
He looked towards Xu Hao.
"Boy, did I hear you correctly? You said you're a healer?"
Xu Hao felt an enormous wave of relief.
He kept it from showing on his face.
"Yes, senior. I've studied medicine, and I hope to practise here in Hibiscus Town."
The man's expression changed.
The amusement remained, but beneath it was something sharper.
Hope, perhaps.
Or desperation.
"Then I think you and I should have a conversation."
He stepped away from his table.
The four armed followers looked towards Su Jin.
Nobody moved.
Whispers spread through the dining room.
"Isn't that Li Tianming?"
"Crazy Li?"
"He's getting involved?"
Xu Hao watched the man approach.
Crazy Li.
He had no idea how the stranger had acquired such a nickname.
But judging by the expressions on Su Jin's followers, it wasn't a name they found particularly amusing.
Su Jin's face tightened.
"Li Tianming. This has nothing to do with your family."
The man stopped beside Xu Hao.
He glanced at Su Jin, then at the blade in his follower's hand.
"Nothing to do with me?"
He looked towards the two women, who had fallen completely silent.
Then he turned back to Su Jin.
"You're threatening to cut off a healer's hands over a breakfast table."
His voice remained perfectly conversational.
"I'd be very interested to hear how you intend to explain that."