"I didn't think I ever said I was noble," Aladdin replied.
Suddenly, Abu peeked out from Aladdin's clothes and looked at his surroundings curiously.
"No. I'll let you know when it's safe to come out," Aladdin said, gently pushing him back into his attire.
Abu grumbled from under his clothes.
Mulan chuckled.
They walked down the quiet street, following the directions the guards had given them until they soon found an inn.
The signboard hanging above the inn read:
Madam Chi's Inn!
They pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The inn bustled with activity. Men and women in various attires resembling farmers, carpenters, and other labourers filled the room.
Waiters walked up and down carrying trays loaded with giant mugs and food, serving guests and taking orders. People spoke and laughed. Some even stood up to demonstrate exaggerated actions with their bodies as they recounted stories.
The moment Aladdin and Mulan stepped inside, the inn instantly fell silent as everyone turned to look at them.
However, they pretended not to notice the stares. They walked toward an empty table and took their seats.
A waitress with thick pale makeup covering her face, dressed in a simple pale-pink cotton dress with a pink apron over it, arrived at their table carrying a tray in her left hand.
"Can I get you something to eat or drink? Or perhaps you need a place to rest for the night?" the waitress asked.
"We'll take something to eat, something to drink, and a place to rest for the night," Aladdin replied.
"Is that the same for your partner?" the waitress turned to Mulan and asked.
"Yes," Mulan nodded. "And he's not my partner. We're just travelling together."
The waitress nodded. "Since you're both new here, would you like our recommended special, or would you prefer the menu?"
She pointed at a signboard above the counter where a plump middle-aged woman, wearing similarly thick makeup, sat attending to various customers.
"We'll take the house special," Aladdin replied. "Make it three plates, please."
"Hungry, aren't you?" the waitress said with a smile. "Give me twenty minutes. I'll be back with your meals."
She glanced at Aladdin and Mulan with a wink before collecting a few empty trays from nearby tables. Then she returned to the counter and disappeared into the kitchen.
The food arrived twenty minutes later as promised.
"Here you go. Enjoy," the waitress said, placing three filled plates on the table.
It was rice served with a vegetable broth and several small pieces of fish on the side.
"This is water, and this is alcohol in case you get thirsty."
The waitress placed two wooden jars and several cups onto the table before tucking both trays under one arm.
"These meals cost three copper coins. You can choose to pay now or after," she said, glancing at both of them.
"It's because of the war. We aren't sure whether travellers will eat and run or disappear in the middle of the night. To make sure everyone can pay, we recommend settling the bill as soon as possible."
She noticed the questioning looks on Aladdin and Mulan's faces and added the explanation naturally.
"Is that a problem for either of you?"
"No, it's not," Aladdin shook his head.
He summoned four copper coins from his spatial ring from the pile he had prepared beforehand for the journey, pretended to take them from within his robe, and handed them over to the waitress.
"You can keep the change."
"Oh my... A wealthy traveller."
The waitress's entire demeanour changed tremendously as she took the four copper coins, looked around to see if anyone had noticed them, and slipped them into the pocket of her apron.
"If you need anything else, don't hesitate to let me know," she added, winking at Aladdin with a smile.
Aladdin gestured for the waitress to come closer.
She leaned toward him as though trying to pick something up from his side of the table.
"I wonder if you have any news about the war. Have there been any reports from the military or the barbarians?" Aladdin asked.
"No. I don't think I've heard anything worth sharing except that there haven't been any movements from the military for a while. We usually see them out in the fields training for the impending war, but lately they've been absent. There's information going around that the military received valuable intelligence about the barbarians' hideouts and was dispatched early to deal with them," the waitress responded.
"Rumours are already spreading that the war will end soon."
"How certain are you about this information?" Aladdin asked sceptically.
"I'm ninety per cent sure. Besides, this is the best information you'll find if you ask around."
Aladdin nodded. He took out another copper coin and handed it to her.
"Don't hesitate to inform me if you learn anything new," he said.
"Sure thing, Mr Traveller. I won't," the waitress replied with a smile as she took the copper coin and stealthily stored it in her other pocket.
"Don't hesitate to call for me if you need anything. I'll inform Madam Chi that you're special customers. You'll be directed to your room after you've finished eating. Enjoy."
With that, she turned and walked away with a bright smile.
"It seems none of the military camps survived," Aladdin said, looking at Mulan.
From the information he had gathered, he was certain that the Huns had wiped out every surrounding military camp. It wouldn't be a stretch to conclude that the only surviving military personnel were those monitoring the Huns' movements elsewhere or those stationed at the capital.
It was only a matter of time before they also discovered what had happened, and the news spread throughout China, causing widespread panic and distress.
Mulan nodded.
She had eavesdropped on the conversation that had just transpired and felt her mood sour. She decided to taste her meal, hoping it would help her feel better.
Receiving only silence from Mulan, Aladdin sighed.
"We need to decide whether to infiltrate the Huns' hideout and rescue any survivors or head to the capital and report what has transpired," Aladdin said, picking up his spoon and digging into his meal as well.
He took the third plate and stealthily slipped it beneath his cloak.
Since they were in a foreign land, Abu had insisted on trying the local cuisine, and as his travel companion, Aladdin saw no reason to refuse him.
The faint sounds of chewing and slurping emerged from within Aladdin's thick cloak.
Mulan nodded.
"The food is good," she said simply.
"Yeah, it is," Aladdin nodded in agreement.
A small, hairy thumbs-up hand emerged from his cloak before quickly retreating back inside.
They ate quietly until they were halfway through the meal.
"What do you suggest we should do next?" Mulan asked, breaking the silence.
"I think we should find the barbarians' hideout and save the survivors, then head over to the capital to warn them about the current state of the war. The longer they remain in captivity, the lower their chances of survival," Aladdin responded solemnly.
"That's true," Mulan nodded. She didn't say anything else. Instead, she remained quiet until she finished her meal.
Placing her elbow on the table and resting her chin on her hand, she watched as Aladdin finished his own meal.
"Have you ever felt like the world keeps moving even though nothing seems right anymore?" Mulan didn't realise that she was speaking too loudly. Her words came out first.
Without realising it, those words slowly became a melody.
[It's so quiet here…
Almost too quiet.
I keep thinking I'll hear them again...
Like nothing really changed.]
[I tried to be strong.
At first, I really did.
I told myself there had to be survivors.
There had to be someone left.]
Aladdin looked at Mulan in surprise, his heart tightening as he listened to her words.
For the first time since he rescued her, he felt as though Mulan was finally expressing what she's been holding inside her.
So he listened patiently.
[But after a while...
You stop looking for miracles.
And you start wondering
If you're the only one still walking.]
The patrons of the inn gradually quieted down and turned their attention toward their table as Mulan's voice grew louder.
Soon, Mulan stopped singing.
A wave of applause spread through the inn.
Unexpectedly, someone at one of the tables began humming loudly.
Several others joined in.
Even the waitresses joined the melody.
Slowly, the atmosphere broke into a song once more.
[We all keep moving forward
Even when we don't feel ready.
We all keep pushing on
When nothing feels steady.]
[We don't know where we're going...
But we're still moving through.
And somehow in this moment...
We're not alone like we used to be.]
The melody steadily rose until it reached its peak.
Abu danced inside Aladdin's cloak, causing it to wiggle on its own.
Aladdin gently tapped the side of his cloak, making Abu snort and settle down.
The song came to an end.
"One of my cousins died at the hands of a Barbarian, leaving a family of three behind. But we can do nothing, except keep marching forward, even if we don't understand!"
"That's true! I have regrets. Okay... maybe seven. But we all have something like that, don't we?"
"I lost a leg to a wild boar and an arm to a Babarian. We don't all know where we're going, but hey, we're not alone like we used to be."
The patrons raised their steel beer mugs into the air and cheered. One after another, they shared brief stories and regrets from their own lives.
"It seems I'm not the only one with advice," Aladdin said, turning toward Mulan with a smile. "What do you think?"
Suddenly, Mulan stood up, grabbed Aladdin's hand, and pulled him outside.
They walked out of the inn together, closing the door behind them.
Mulan released his hand and looked up at the night sky, where countless stars flickered like shimmering diamonds.
[Same sky above me…
but nothing feels familiar.
Like something shifted,
and nobody told me what changed.]
The patrons inside the inn watched through the windows, observing as Mulan broke into a song again under the night sky.
[So I keep moving forward,
Even without knowing why.
Step by step...
That's all I can do right now.]
Aladdin stood quietly beside her. He suppressed the doubts in his heart and listened.
A few waiters stepped out of the inn and approached them to pull them back into the inn, but after a few failed attempts, they surrounded them, joining in the song.
Aladdin sang along as well.
Among the crowd, he spotted the familiar waitress who had served them earlier.
Mulan stepped forward and grabbed his hand, then took the waitress's hand as well. She glanced at Aladdin as she made her decision.
The song slowly came to an end.
"What a phenomenal performance!"
"The moon... the stars... the sky... it was incredible!"
The audience watching from the windows clapped, having clearly enjoyed the bustling atmosphere.
Aladdin and Mulan bowed to the crowd.
As they returned to the inn, Mulan leaned toward Aladdin and whispered, "I'll give you my answer tomorrow." She swiftly pulled back as though afraid of being discovered.
"I would like to go to my room to rest," she added softly.
Aladdin nodded and signalled to one of the waitresses.
"We'd like to head to our rooms."
The waitress nodded and led them past the counter to the upper floor.
She showed Aladdin his room first. However, he chose to continue following her until Mulan reached hers.
Mulan stopped in front of the door and turned toward Aladdin.
"Good night," she said.
"Good night," Aladdin replied.
After Mulan entered her room and closed the door behind her, the waitress turned toward Aladdin.
Aladdin followed her for a short distance before arriving at his own room.
"You may leave. I can make it back to my room on my own," Aladdin said with a nod.