Heaven's Golden Finger

Not Where I'm Supposed to Be

Finding a guard took longer than it should have. It was almost as if they were hiding. As if they didn't want to be found and didn't want to help. Still, determined searching led Shirong to the back part of the building, where the inn's employees stayed. His good fortune helped, too, leading him straight to a big pair guarding an ornate door.

"I could just start yelling the house down," he told them when they ignored his requests for help. "You don't really want the inn to get a reputation for ignoring thieves."

That got attention and not just from the guards. The person in the room they protected opened the door, her glare hard and impatient. Not unlike Shun Shixiong's when he was out of sorts with Shirong's ignorance. "Do you think you can extort concessions from this house by pretending you've been robbed?"

"Respect, ma'am, but I'm not pretending. My Shixiong captured a man sneaking into our rooms. All we need is for someone to take charge of him."

Her expression changed. A brief flash of something unreadable, followed by warm concern. "Apologies, youngster. This owner has had to deal with liars who claim theft and seek recompense for what has not happened. If you have captured a thief that is a different story altogether." She turned her attention on one of the guards, a tall woman dressed in simple robes. "Go with the boy. See who intruded on him and his Shixiong."

"This one obeys, Young Mistress Lu."

Shirong bowed, cupping his hands before him. "Thank you, ma'am." Again that flash of emotion, this time focused on his fingers. "Is... ah... is something wrong?"

"A handsome ring that. May I ask where you came by it?"

Lying wasn't a thing Shirong did well and he didn't try now. "We were attacked by bandits some days ago. They lost."

She gazed at him, expression shifting from disbelief to puzzlement to an odd, rueful, acceptance. His honesty received honesty in return. "That ring and everything in it belonged to my father."

Oh. Damn. It'd been one thing when the ring was spoils in a fight with bandits. But now he knew it had an owner. "I'll give it back, then. I'm not a thief."

She sniffed. "It isn't that easy. You're a cultivationist. Don't you recognize a soul-bound ring when you see one? And don't you dare tell me you haven't bound it. It's obvious you have."

At the time it'd seemed the thing to do. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"I feel as if you're honest. Nor can I blame you for whatever happened to my father. But I want his body. Since you're the only clue I have to his death, I expect you to help."

Shirong wasn't at all surprised. It was yet another distraction in a growing pile of distractions, of course, and he had only one defense against it. "I can't make promises for myself, ma'am. My Shixiong and I have other commitments, including the auction tomorrow. But I'll be happy to pass the request on to him and let him decide how we should handle this. After the auction."

From Young Mistress Lu's expression she didn't like his refusal to act immediately. Still, she sighed. "Very well, young disciple. But I will have my say, never doubt it."

Looking at her stubborn features and listening to her determined voice, he knew she was telling nothing but the truth.

#

"And you just blurted it out, did you?"

Shirong flushed at his Shixiong's reaction. "It didn't seem like a good idea to lie about it. She obviously recognized the ring."