Er Gou stared blankly at the words on the letter, frozen in place. In a daze, he suddenly felt a fresh breeze scatter the morning mist upon the street. Su Mu caught the excitement and passion in Er Gou's eyes; he must have chosen the right person. Somewhat satisfied, he nodded gently.
"Su Mu? You, you're Master Su?!"
Er Gou was overwhelmed with excitement, but when he came to his senses, the figure of the rice hat wanderer had already disappeared amid the alleys. Were it not for the letter in his hand, Er Gou might have thought all that had just happened was naught but an illusion.
As if afraid that all of it was truly but a dream, Er Gou clenched the letter even tighter, until it crumpled into a ball, and then all of a sudden let out a startled cry.
Face written with anxiety and panic, he hurried to smooth out the letter. But his pitch-black ironsmith's hands, on top of being sweaty, only left a "vivid mark" upon the letter.
"Oh no, oh no!"
