Yan Cijin's fingers loosened from Bai Li's arm. But the air around the two women became still, and the nearest people instinctively moved aside. It was not a display of power. It was the quiet moment before a storm reaches the shore.
Duan Kuo noticed them. He looked at Bai Li first, perhaps because her height and handsome features caught his attention. Then he looked at Yan Cijin, and his expression shifted into the kind of smirk used by men who had spent too much time mistaking beauty for weakness.
"You two should mind your own business," he said. "The market is under the protection of the Iron Sand Lodge."
Bai Li glanced at the fallen fruit. "Pick it up."
Duan Kuo stared at her. "What did you say?"
"You knocked it over. Pick it up."
His companions laughed. The sound was nervous in places, but Duan Kuo heard only the part that pleased him. He took a step toward Bai Li and rested one hand on his sword.
"Do you know who I am?"
"No," Bai Li replied. "I have not asked."
