The Shoreless River (The Crane Moon Cycle Book 2) by J.C. Snow

Author:J.C. Snow [Snow, J.C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-09-14T21:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Talking

The next several days, everyone walked carefully around one another. Aili avoided Liu Chenguang, Zhu Guiren mostly slept, Tainu obsessively watched him while he was sleeping and avoided him while he was awake, and Liu Chenguang decided they were all ridiculous and went out to eat noodles and heal refugees in the shanty camps.

When she came back from her people-avoidant noodle eating program a week or so later, exhausted from a day in the camps sneaking blood to people who thought they were getting traditional Daxian medicine, she found Aili waiting by the door of the inn for her. Passerby were staring at the tall foreigner in Daxian peasant clothes. “Do you want to walk with me?” Aili asked.

“I’m tired,” she said, and started upstairs. They would have to leave this inn soon, both Aili and Tainu were far too visible, the Kunorese puppet government of the city would start paying attention soon if they weren’t already. Well, she was feeling pretty thoroughly done with Shi’an anyway.

“I know,” Aili said. “I’m sorry.”

Liu Chenguang shook her head. “I can’t right now,” she said. “Do whatever.”

Aili said, cautiously, “Tonight? After you’ve rested? I really want to talk with you.”

Liu Chenguang turned around on the stairs, already up several of them so she was a little taller than Aili, certainly an unusual point of view for her, and she could look down and see Aili’s upturned face, serious and determined. Well, they would have to have this out at some point. “All right,” she said. “Were you planning to take me to a moon viewing platform? I don’t think there’s much to see tonight.”

Aili’s mouth quirked up a little bit. “That’s an excellent idea, I’ll look into it.” She turned and walked away.

Liu Chenguang continued up the stairs into the land of Tainu’s personal drama, which she was also feeling very done with. Just sleep with him already, she thought to herself uncharitably. The world has enough problems, you’re clearly in love with that person, who knows why but it’s obvious to anyone watching you two together, I don’t even like him but I feel sorry for him at this point, his cultivational system is practically destroyed and he’s pining after you on top of it? You’re ten thousand years old, put it in perspective, mortals love and lose each other every day, thousands of them in the camps, sibling…She threw cold water on her face and fell down into her bed. “I am not able to talk to anything with any emotional issues for the next three hours,” she announced to her pillow. She felt no anticipation whatsoever about seeing Aili later and thrashing out whatever was going on there.

“There’s a war going on, has no one else noticed?” she said, also out loud.

Tainu said from the other room, “I’m here and I have noticed.”

“Oh,” she said after a moment.

He knocked on the door and stuck his head around it. “I saw you in the camps today,” he said.

“You were there too?” She kept her head in the pillow.

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