Chapter 18: Liu Hanyan
207 Words
Liu Hanyan's milk tea shop was on the edge of the university district, called "Fox Talk."
When Shen Moyan pushed open the door, she was the only one inside—mid-twenties, long hair, big eyes, dimples when she smiled. Looked like any ordinary milk tea shop owner.
"Shen Moyan?" She waved. "Come sit."
Shen Moyan sat at the counter. Liu Hanyan slid a cup of milk tea toward him, then leaned on the counter and looked at him.
"You've got a complicated smell," she said.
"What kind of smell?"
"Ancient people. At least four." She squinted, counting. "Ming Dynasty, Song Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty, and one... huh? Zhang Sanfeng?"
Shen Moyan froze.
"How do you know?"
"I'm a fox spirit." Liu Hanyan said it like it was obvious. "Fox spirits are sensitive to smells. These old antiques inside you, each with centuries of cultivation—I could smell them three streets away."
Shen Moyan looked at her, not knowing what to say.
"Relax." Liu Hanyan smiled. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help."
"Help with what?"
"Help you deal with that thing at the bottom of the well."
Shen Moyan's heart tightened.
"You know what it is?"
"Yes." Liu Hanyan's smile faded. "It's my grandfather."
- Writer
