Free The Sword Dancer by Jeanne Lin Page B

She considered whether she should flee now.
    ‘We are both looking for the same man. A man known as Cai Yun,’ he continued.
    ‘Why are you interested in him?’
    ‘Because you are.’
    She shot him a curious look.
    ‘I sense there is some underhanded dealing here. If there’s any corruption involved, I intend to uncover it.’
    ‘You’re no longer intent on bringing me before a tribunal?’
    ‘I didn’t say that.’
    At least he wasn’t trying to clamp irons on to her at the moment. If she knew nothing else about Han, she was certain he wouldn’t resort to trickery to ensnare her, unlike some of her former acquaintances.
    The ferryman dipped his pole into the river and Li Feng seated herself beside him, though maintaining a cautious distance. The sampan slowly floated away from the bank and into the current. The sun was at its highest point and reflected off the dark water.
    ‘Why are you helping me?’ she asked, lifting a hand to her eyes to shield them from the brightness.
    ‘I’m not helping you,’ he insisted. ‘I just figured it might benefit both of us to combine our efforts…for now.’
    Han untied the cord at his neck and took off the hat, holding it out to her. She stared at his outstretched hand. It was a kind gesture, done without any second thought. The man before her was very different from the Thief-catcher Han she had battled with several weeks ago. Not that Han had ever treated her with any cruelty. The connection between them had just changed so subtly. And there was no denying that they were connected, whether she wanted them to be or not.
    ‘Thank you,’ she mumbled, taking the hat from him.
    ‘My father always insisted that one should not aim to prove the guilt or innocence of the accused,’ he said. ‘Rather one should strive to seek the truth.’
    ‘Was your father a thief-catcher as well?’ she asked.
    ‘No.’ He was taken aback by her assumption. ‘He was a county magistrate—at one time.’
    A magistrate? As far as she knew, sons of magistrates didn’t become thief-catchers. It was a lowly, dangerous and somewhat unsavoury profession.
    The wide brim provided shade, but it also allowed her to take a long, hard look at him without seeming so forward. The sunlight washed directly over him. His skin was bronze in tone, darkened from many days out in the sun. Scholars and aristocrats tended towards paleness, but Han had the complexion and demeanour of a rugged and world-toughened individual, someone who had braved the elements and much, much worse.
    The revelation did explain some oddities about Han. He’d always seemed overly dedicated to justice for a thief-catcher. The way he carried himself also set him apart from the other people of the street and now she knew the reason was his cultured upbringing. Along with training how to fight, he must have also studied. A combination of action and thought would make a formidable opponent.
    ‘I still don’t know how you were able to get Lotus to help you,’ he said.
    She shrugged. ‘Men always talk about brotherhood among fighting men—why wouldn’t there be sisterhood among women? Lotus saw that I was alone in the world and wanted to help. She has no particular loyalty to Cai Yun…or to you.’
    Han stopped to consider it. ‘Who is this Cai Yun to you?’ he asked finally.
    She stared at the patterns dancing over the water. The motion of the waves were disordered and chaotic. ‘If I only knew myself.’
    Han had proposed that they combine their efforts. Regardless of her training, it was dangerous out on the road alone. She was constantly seeking out shelter and finding fellow travellers, whether they were merchants or pilgrims or migrant labourers, to share the journey with. Out in the wilderness, she could hide away from danger, but she would be venturing into a salt farm and a village without knowing whether she would meet up with friend or foe. Han’s strength and his skill with weapons seemed very