When Xuanxi returned to the blacksmith’s shop, Helasi was cleaning out the furnace ashes. He used an old iron shovel to scoop the gray ashes into an iron bucket.
His movements were very slow; he paused after every scoop. After all, he was old and his back wasn’t good. Hearing footsteps, he looked up.
“Back?”
“I’m back.”
Xuanxi took out the two money pouches from her pocket, placed them on the counter, and opened them. Golden coins poured out in a clatter, forming a small pile on the counter.
Helasi’s movements stopped. He stared at the gold coins, disbelief in his eyes.
“Did you rob a bank?”
“I saved someone, and that’s her reward.”
Xuanxi gathered the gold coins, counted out six hundred, and pushed them aside.
“This is money for you to buy tools and renovate the shop. I’ll keep the rest for tuition.”
Helasi leaned the iron shovel against the wall, walked to the counter, and picked up a gold coin with his thick fingers, holding it up to his eyes.
“What kind of person did you save to give so much money?”
“A wealthy beast tribe member who was badly injured. I brought her meals for three days and helped heal her wounds. This is her repayment.”
Xuanxi didn’t directly mention Shen Lingshuang’s name, nor did she tell him that the person she saved wasn’t an ordinary beast tribe member. She didn’t want Helasi to worry about her.
Helasi didn’t ask further. He placed the gold coin back on the counter, turned around, took a rough iron billet from the shelf, and threw it into the furnace. The bellows wheezed as the flames leaped up.
“Alright, let’s go buy tools together tomorrow,” he said.
Xuanxi nodded.
“Okay.”
Early the next morning, Helasi put on a clean set of clothes. He rarely wore that outfit—at least, Xuanxi rarely saw it. He combed his hair back, revealing an old scar on his forehead from a spark burn.
Xuanxi stood at the door watching him, thinking he looked much younger than usual today.
“Let’s go.”
Helasi locked the door.
The town’s market wasn’t large; there was only one main street. Tool sellers, furniture sellers, and various other vendors were all on this Main Road.
Xuanxi linked arms with Helasi, and they walked very slowly because Helasi’s legs weren’t good and he couldn’t walk fast.
The owner of the tool shop saw Helasi come in, put down his work, and stood up.
“Old Helasi, you finally decided to come.”
His gaze fell on Xuanxi, and he smiled slightly.
“What? Brought your daughter to buy tools?”
“Mm.”
Helasi walked to the counter and pointed at a set of blacksmithing tools inside the counter.
“This set from the Northern Territory, give me one.”
“Sure thing!”
Xuanxi followed behind Helasi, watching him pick out tools and haggle with the owner. Helas hadn’t been this “young” in a long time.
After leaving the tool shop, Helasi took her to the furniture store. He picked out a new bed made of redwood, with simple carvings on the headboard and a thick bed plank.
Then he picked out a table, two chairs, and a cabinet, all made of redwood. Even without fancy decorations, the price wasn’t cheap, but redwood furniture was sturdy and durable.
The owner loaded the furniture onto a cart, Helasi paid, and pushed the cart back.
That evening, Xuanxi lay on the new bed. The mattress was specially chosen for her by Helasi—thick and soft, so she could sink into it. The quilt had a reassuring fragrance.
She took out the communication stone from her suitcase, and the familiar screen lit up in the darkness. Hildegrifa’s avatar was quietly sitting in the contact list.
She typed: “Today my dad bought me a new bed. It’s so soft to lie on.”
After a few seconds, the communication stone vibrated with an almost instant reply.
“Mm.”
“We’ve been apart for so long, can’t you say a few more words?”
“Not bad, the bed is good.”
Five words, at least four more…
Xuanxi held the communication stone up to her eyes, the screen light illuminating her face.
“These past few days, I also saved someone. She’s from the Flood Dragon Clan, and she gave me a lot of gold coins, which allowed me to replace the tools and furniture at home.”
“Be careful, don’t get cheated. I’ll come see you when I have time.”
“I know. By the way, can you really come? It’s almost New Year, you know?”
Xige didn’t answer that question. She changed the subject.
“I heard the communication slate can now send photos. Did you know? It’s a recently updated feature.”
Xuanxi was taken aback. Her communication slate was the latest model Xige had bought for her, but she had never used any functions other than chatting.
She flipped through the interface until she found a camera icon. She tapped it and took a picture of the ceiling. The photo was pitch black, and nothing could be seen.
“I don’t know how to use it,” she typed.
“Tap the screen, then tap the round button.”
Xuanxi did as instructed and took a picture of the moon outside the window. The photo only showed a blurry halo, making it impossible to tell if it was the moon or a streetlamp.
“Terrible photo. This feature is useless at all,” Xuanxi complained.
“It’s just your bad technique.”
“Then why don’t you take one that isn’t bad and show me?”
The communication stone went silent. Just as Xuanxi was about to say, “You can’t take one either,” the screen lit up and a photo popped out. Xuanxi opened it and was stunned when she saw it.
In the photo, Hildegrifa was leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom.
Her silver-white hair tips were still dripping water, droplets flowing down the strands and into the open collar of her robe. That robe was only a thin layer, clinging to Xige’s body, faintly revealing the pale skin underneath.
The top two buttons were undone, fully exposing her collarbones. Her exposed skin was tinged a light pink from the heat, even her normally cold white fingertips took on a warm tone. The steam blurred the edges of the lens, enveloping her in a thin mist.
Although the inappropriate parts were covered, the feeling of her just coming out of the bathroom, carrying the sacred body and warmth of a young girl, was more enticing than anything else.
Xuanxi stared at that sacred photo for a few seconds, and something warm flowed out of her nose, along with a metallic smell. She reached out and touched it, and a smear of scarlet stained her fingertips.
She hurriedly flipped the communication slate over and pressed it against the pillow, the photo hidden under the pillow.
Xuanxi lay on her back on the bed, blood trickling down, unstoppable. She wiped it with the back of her hand, covering her hand in blood.
Flustered, she turned over to pull tissues from the nightstand to wipe, while pulling the quilt up to cover her reddened face.
“Xuanxi?” Hildegrifa’s message came, and the pillow vibrated again.
Xuanxi’s mind had gone blank. She didn’t know how to reply.
“Where are you? You didn’t just get a nosebleed from looking at my photo, did you?”
Xuanxi pulled the quilt tighter, buried her face in the pillow, and said in a muffled voice.
“No, I didn’t.”
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