You can only watch the Imperial Palace from afar in Chang’an. You wonder if Shun is there. You have heard troubling rumours when you reached the capital; apparently the army has been sent out to pacify the northwest border. You were sure that your visit to the Ashina was to prevent anything like this from happening. Still, you had no time to linger in Chang’an to find out more – you had to catch the next boat down the Grand Canal to reach Luoyang in time for the tournament. Unfortunately the caravan had overturned halfway, forcing you to hike the remainder of the journey. At least there were no bandits this time.
You have time to visit one of the Imperial retreats on the outskirts of the city before you left, however. Once upon a time, Shun and you would come here every year. In the absence of the Imperial family, the place is lightly guarded. Even in the day-time you found it easy to sneak over the walls. You make your way to the back of a familiar old building.
As expected, you find Shun’s messages carved into a wooden pillar in your mutual secret code. You have been away for more than two years now, going on three. There were two messages, one for each year he visited.
After translation, the first one read that everything was fine at the palace, and that he hoped you were fine too. Choosing to wander off was a choice that worried him, as he would not know how you ended up. He carved this as a means to settle his mind as he can only hope you would come across it some day. He regretted agreeing to let you run off instead of insisting you go to a proper, safe school.
The second one read almost the same, though he added that he had heard some vague rumours of a person with your name from some wandering pugilists. He hoped that it was truly you, though he dared not wish for too much lest your jinx is doubled. The message is rather weathered, so you expect that Shun will come here soon to carve his third.
Taking out your dagger, you leave a reply in code.
Your faithful servant is still alive. When we meet again, I’ll kick your ass with all my powerful techniques for being such a worrywart and not having faith in me.
That is the last thing you had to do in Chang’an. Your next stop is Luoyang, and the Young Tigers Martial Arts Tournament.