“Hey there, Mister! Over there’s a street vendor selling sugar-coated fruits!”
I glanced at the small candy fruit stall that Hye-ryeong was pointing at. A middle-aged woman was busy skewering fruits on sticks right before my eyes.
“Understood, stop pestering.”
“Haha…”
Do people really find those clumps of sugar that appetizing? I wouldn’t know even if I tried them—I rather think they’re so sweet they’d ruin your taste buds. Nevertheless, while humming a carefree tune, I observed Hye-ryeong’s excitement before my gaze shifted to Mok-kyeong.
Mok-kyeong had an expression as if lost in thought, gazing out at the bustling market with a look of concern on her face.
“Is something troubling you?”
“…Not really. It’s just… looking at all this reminded me of my own childhood… it’s odd.”
Following Mok-kyeong’s gaze, I saw a group of children scampering around the crowded market.
Even Mok-kyeong must’ve been a regular kid back in those days, right? Of course, as the heir to a martial arts household, she probably wasn’t as free as they were… Still, she was likely far from the state she’s in now—burning her life away in pursuit of revenge.
“After we’ve finished what needs to be done, you’ll be able to live peacefully.”
“Live peacefully? Once I’ve completed my vengeance, what am I supposed to do next?”
“Hmm… How about rebuilding your family’s name?”
Since the original story concluded in a rushed manner, there’s never going to be any detailed follow-up. So about all I can offer her are vague words of encouragement.
“Family… you mean?”
Did I say something wrong? Upon realizing that Mok-kyeong’s face darkened considerably, I hastily searched for the right words inside my head.
“Should rebuilding your family prove too hard, a modest life looking skyward isn’t a bad option either. Although I don’t know much about the concept of ‘ascending to immortality,’ based on your talent, I believe you could still reach the pinnacle where all martial artists in the Martial Realm revere you.”
“But would such a life have any meaning…?”
Meaning?
That was a short but profound question.
Ultimately, humans seek to uncover the meaning behind the paths they walk.
I might not be the wisest person to answer such existential queries, but at least I can provide some helpful thoughts. After brief contemplation, I spoke up.
“Perhaps meaning is something you give yourself. Whether you quit your vendetta and retire to simple work such as being a waiter, if that feels meaningful to you, then it’s the right decision for you.”
“Meaning… I see. Eun-gong, thank you for your insightful words.”
A rare smile appeared on Mok-kyeong’s face, one so beautiful it made me look at her intently without noticing.
…This is inappropriate, being captivated by a man’s smile.
It can be problematic if someone looks too androgynous, right? Just as Hye-ryeong said, he really does look feminine.
Although it’s unlikely.
“Mr. Eun-gong, let’s hurry to the sugar-coated fruit stall!”
“I said I’d go, let go of my arm already.”
You’re practically dragging me in front of everyone. Shaking off Hye-ryeong, who wouldn’t stop pulling at my arm, we headed towards the candy stall.
Fortunately, there weren’t many customers. However, the bowl that was supposed to contain sugar-coated fruits was empty, meaning there had probably been a previous round of customers.
“Excuse me, three skewers of sugar-coated fruits, please.”
“Do you like fruits… Colored-Eyed Person?”
“Doesn’t matter whether I’m colored-eyed or not, isn’t it natural to be drawn to delicious food?”
“Ah, that’s true!”
“Just give me three skewers of hawthorn berries.”
To be honest, I don’t prefer sugar-coated hawthorns much, but because the atmosphere demanded it, I added this extra order. The woman skillfully skewered the hawthorn berries and proceeded to glaze them with syrup.
“Looks like your business is thriving.”
“Thriving? Where does all that money go when half of my income gets extorted by protection fees?”
“Extorted?”
“With the two major families constantly watching each other, they ignore how small villains gradually take over the market. Merchants like us are the ones who suffer the consequences.”
It seems like the sects’ power struggle has created a gray area that’s being infiltrated by the evil factions, slowly devouring everything.
“There’s a sect operating here…”
“Ahh… Sorry, sorry. I shouldn’t be venting to customers like this.”
“No apology needed.”
Out of remorse, the woman made particularly large skewers and handed them to us.
“Be careful not to get the syrup on your clothes.”
“Alright! Thank you!”
“Thank you.”
“Here’s the payment.”
I paid up and bit into the syrup-coated hawthorn berries. As the hardened syrup shattered in my mouth, its overwhelming sweetness spread all over my tongue.
…Too sweet. But not unbearable.
I ate one of the four berries and turned to Mok-kyeong, who awkwardly bit into the sugar-coated fruit, clearly surprised by its extreme sweetness and the sourness of the hawthorn berries.
After chewing and swallowing, Mok-kyeong quietly muttered.
“So sweet…”
“Absolutely.”
“I’ve probably never tasted anything this sweet.”
“Where could you find this much syrup coating food?”
Even in the abundant Central Plains, not many things can rival the extreme sweetness of the sugar-covered berries. Watching Hye-ryeong devour her skewer with enthusiasm and Mok-kyeong’s more reserved eating style, I began nibbling on mine as well.
If I think about it, a matcha tea now would be quite satisfying. But this is still better than the days I had to dig for roots to eat.
As I finished my skewer and tossed the stick into a trash container nearby, I couldn’t help but marvel at its existence.
It’s quite surprising that there’s a trash can around here.
Well, since this is the most developed region of this era, it’s not odd to have such amenities. Considering the amount of garbage generated by the sugar-coated fruits, having a container like this would at least keep the street from becoming stickier.
“Now that we’ve purchased everything, we just need to head back.”
“Are we leaving tomorrow?”
“Yeah, we should. There’s still quite a distance to Mount Wudang.”
We’ve only just reached the outskirts of the center of Hubei Province; it will be a long journey to Mount Wudang.
It’ll be helpful to at least buy horses if we could, but they’re so costly.
And good horses are hard to come by too.
“Hye-ryeong, can’t we go back the scenic way? And maybe walk…?”
“In that case, let’s.”
If she’s so eager, there’s no reason to refuse. Watching Hye-ryeong, who grabbed my hand and shook it excitedly, I smiled. This is why it feels like having a little sister around.
“You two really seem to get along well.”
“Hehe, this bond formed all the way back since the Hainan Island!”
“…I see.”
Mok-kyeong let out a somewhat melancholic smile, softly repeating the word “bond” while lowering her head.
Is there something peculiar about the word “bond” for her?
Rather than directly asking, I looked up at the sky as we walked back along the same path.
Sometimes direct questioning isn’t the best option—it’s better to wait until she feels ready to speak. Time heals all wounds, after all.
We strolled toward the inn while gazing at the crimson evening sky.
———————
“Excuse me. Are you awake?”
…Why this knocking in the middle of the night?
Getting up from my bed upon hearing the knocking, I opened the door and saw warriors standing outside, staring at me with solemn faces.
What could be going on?
Why have I been dragged into this kind of trouble again?
By now, shouldn’t I be carrying some talismans from Mount Wudang to ward off these things? Isn’t there something I’m forgetting, like always wearing a bow tie?
“What is the matter?”
“Would you accompany us for a moment?”
“Isn’t it disrespectful to visit someone in the middle of the night?”
“It’s an emergency! Please understand—”
“Hmph, these fools trying to get an edge.”
“You bastards…”
What nonsense is this at someone else’s inn?
Suppressing the urge to utter strong words, I sighed after glancing at the warriors who had arrived late and were now exchanging hostile looks.
Why are the Gu family and Jiang family both coming to see me at this hour?
And what could have happened?
“Rather than planning a sword fight here at someone else’s inn, why don’t you explain the situation first?”
“That pack of bastards attacked our young lord!”
“The lies! It was your assassins who killed our young lord!”
“Can’t we resolve this ourselves?”
“If you side with us, we’ll give you the appropriate reward!”
“If you side with us, we’ll reward you much better than those despicable bastards!”
Is all of this happening because I’ve become renowned?
Random attempts to recruit me in the middle of the night now?
Watching the warriors who showed no signs of leaving without an answer, I finally spoke up.
“I…
