Li bowed shortly to the warrior-scholar.<br/>"Your company shall be a most welcome honour for me, noble xia! It is always good to travel with literate people. Besides, no doubt the speed of your sword will scare any bandits off!"<br/>With this, he waited for the decision of the others, without expressing his wishes. he knew next to nothing about the fangshi, and the girl was a different matter altogether.<br/>Was it time for Jiao Jie to leave the nest of her noble parents? As a teacher, he believed so. As a man, he so hoped she would.<br/>But whatever the decision, it had to be her own!<br/>And if she did, he had to ask her how she knew what had actually happened. The style of the dark figure that disappeared after the fight was disturbingly familiar, so he had his ideas on that, but it was always better to ask first. Not in front of the others, though, if he hadn't chosen to reveal this secret, she probably had her reasons. He respected that.<br/>And if she chose to remain behind, well, he was going to ask her the next time he passed through town.