Surviving as a Maid of the Sichuan Tang Clan

“Go ahead, Daoist Jinseong.”

“I... well...”

“Yes. I’m listening.”

I smiled to show him he could speak freely. Jinseong took a small breath and swallowed.

“Would it be all right if I sent you letters?”

His voice trembled faintly as he asked the question with great care. It was such an unexpectedly ordinary thing to ask that a laugh slipped out.

“What? Of course it would. Why did you have such a hard time asking something like that? You’ll be staying on the main mountain, right?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know where I’ll end up, so I’ll write to you first. You can send your reply to wherever my letter comes from.”

“...All right.”

Only then did the furrow between Jinseong’s brows smooth out.

He looked a little pleased.

That put me in a better mood too.

I didn’t expect Jinseong to be the one to suggest keeping in touch. We really have gotten pretty close, haven’t we?

I grinned and winked at him.

“Just wait, Daoist Jinseong. Next time we meet, I’m definitely going to beat you.”

“Yes. I look forward to it.”

Jinseong regarded me with gentle eyes, then slowly gave me a clasped-hands salute.

“Please take good care of yourself, Miss.”

“You too, Daoist Jinseong.”

“Yes. Then I should be going.”

He dipped his head and turned away.

As Jinseong receded into the distance, his voice chanting a mantra drifted back to me on a passing breeze.

I stood there quietly and watched the Taoist monastery come alive for another day.

It was my last morning on Mount Wudang.

*****

I pulled a dark cloak over my green robe and lowered my bamboo hat deep over my face. With the bundle of snacks Madam Ma had prepared clutched in one hand, I looked around the now-empty guest quarters.

Once every trace of my stay had been cleared away, it finally felt real.

It was time to leave Mount Wudang.

Come to think of it, I never got to try langmei. I was curious about it, too.

I smacked my lips in regret and looked up at the sky. The sun was already beginning its descent, so late afternoon could not be far off.

Before long, the surrounding grounds grew noisy with people leaving the monastery.

“Cane. We should go too.”

“Kii.”

“You remember, right? You can’t come out until we reach the inn.”

“Kit!”

I tucked Cane deep into my sleeve and casually slipped into the stream of pilgrims making their way down the mountain.

The faces of those heading home were bright with happiness.

There was a little child marching bravely on his own two feet while holding his parents’ hands.

A man who seemed to have brought his elderly mother to the monastery was carrying the old woman on his back as he descended the slope.

I also saw a pair of sisters supporting one another as they walked, taking turns drinking water from a gourd.

I shortened my stride and moved slowly.

I probably could not conceal the fact that I was a martial artist completely, but I wanted to avoid drawing attention.

Walking among people whose lives were so utterly ordinary made me feel strangely out of place.

I had spent far more of my life as an ordinary person than as a martial artist, yet their way of living now felt foreign to me.

It was a peculiar thing.

As I walked on with a faint sense of loneliness, I remembered something Yeon Ryang had once murmured.

“When I finally have some breathing room... maybe I’ll open an inn somewhere quiet.”

At the time, I had wondered why he had chosen an inn of all things.

Today, I thought I understood him a little better.

Maybe Yeon Ryang, too, had always vaguely yearned for the ordinary life he had never once been allowed to experience.

There could not have been many ordinary lives he knew well enough even to imagine.

Running an inn was probably one of them.

I swallowed a sigh and fiddled with the bundle Madam Ma had given me.

There’s still the Demonic Sect to deal with, so we can’t do anything right away... But maybe I should bring up the inn idea when I see Yeon Ryang. If I contact Miss Jang, she could probably find us a decent place.

With Yeon Ryang’s cooking, we wouldn’t even need to hire a cook. We’d have customers lined up outside every day.

No, that would be a problem too. We can’t get too famous. If we do it, it should be in some mountain valley so remote that news from the martial world never even reaches it.

Maybe this whole ordeal could become his chance to leave the life of a wanderer behind.

A life stained with blood had to be exhausting for him as well.

After letting my thoughts run away with me for a while, I shook my head.

Inn or secluded mountain village, I should ask Yeon Ryang what he wanted first.

I want to see Brother already.

*****

After finishing his ritual bath, Yeon Ryang carefully put himself in order.

He trimmed once more the beard his little sister disliked, then tied his hair neatly.

After that, he put on the cleanest clothes he owned. Once the sleeves of his martial clothing were fastened tight, he dusted fine powder across his face and began applying something over it.

“Are you finished?”

“Yes, old man.”

“Come out.”

At Taeheo’s call, Yeon Ryang raised his head and slowly stood.

The flickering torchlight revealed a face covered by a human-skin mask. Unlike Yeon Ryang’s real features, the face was bland and forgettable, the sort that left scarcely any impression.

“What is that dreary face supposed to be? I can’t stand the sight of it.”

“A fugitive can hardly go wandering around with his real face exposed.”

Yeon Ryang chuckled at Taeheo’s curt complaint and pressed down the edges of the mask where they had begun to lift.

Then he looked at the old Daoist.

“Old man. My sword...”

“You are not getting it back.”

At Taeheo’s flat refusal, a troubled look crossed Yeon Ryang’s face. He politely brought both hands together and tried again.

“I won’t draw it. Please, just let me keep it with me.”

“If it stays within sight, you’ll only cling to it. You need to give up the sword.”

“But my little sister gave it to me.”

“Did I not tell you no? I warned you clearly not to grow attached to your sword. Let it go!”

At the cold rebuke, Yeon Ryang lowered his gaze.

“...Yes. I understand. Then please keep it safe for me, old man. It was the first gift I ever received, so I suppose I’m having trouble letting go.”

His voice had grown noticeably subdued.

Taeheo stared at him with an expression of utter disbelief.

“Good grief. A great bear of a man like you, acting this sentimental. Is your sister really that precious to you?”

“You ask the most obvious things. She’s the child who pulled me out of a hell without end.”

Yeon Ryang broke into a radiant smile.

His black eyes shone as he gazed into empty space.

“...She knew nothing of the world. I wanted to be a good adult for her. So I pretended to be one. Pretended I was a decent human being. And after doing that long enough... somehow I really did become more like one.”

“Oh, you fool.”

“It’s quite miraculous, isn’t it? That even someone like me could learn how to live like a human being.”

Taeheo listened quietly, then smiled.

“You idiot. You didn’t change because you were pretending. That was who you were from the beginning.”

“What? What’s this? Since it’s the last time we’ll see each other, are you trying to flatter me?”

“Ryang.”

“O-Old man. Why are you suddenly acting like this? It’s embarrassing. Did you eat something strange?”

Horrified by the unexpectedly affectionate call, Yeon Ryang hurriedly backed away and rubbed the gooseflesh from his arms.

Taeheo only roared with laughter.

“Live a long life, you fool.”

“...I’ll try. You take care of yourself too, old man.”

“I will.”

“I’ve imposed on you far longer than I ever intended. I will not forget this debt.”

“Enough. Forgetting it would be the greatest favor you could do me. You and this old Daoist never met in the first place. There is nothing more to say. Now go on your way.”

Taeheo waved him off as though telling him to stop being troublesome.

Yeon Ryang nodded, gave his benefactor a formal clasped-hands salute, and left the cave.

Taeheo watched the man’s back disappear into the darkness.

Then he murmured bitterly,

“That fool is going to draw a sword again eventually...”

But how could anyone truly break the pride of a martial artist?

All Taeheo could do was hope those unfortunate siblings would remain safe.

Chapter 40: The Impostor’s Identity

Perhaps because I had matched my pace to ordinary people all the way down the mountain, it was already late at night by the time I reached the inn.

I shut myself inside my room and passed the time playing with Cane, waiting for the hours after midnight.

He should be here soon.

I was anxiously worrying at my lip when I sensed someone outside the door.

“Kkyuk!”

Cane darted toward the entrance in delight, and the corners of my mouth lifted automatically.

I hurried over and flung the door open.

A familiar hulking figure stood outside.

His face was different, but the moment I saw his eyes, I knew.

It was Yeon Ryang.

He strode into the room with a grin and ruffled my hair.

There was no sword hanging from his waist.

...The Sword Immortal must have taken it from him. Did he accept that?

Pretending not to notice, I smiled back, shut the door, and dragged Yeon Ryang toward the table.

“Brother, you’re hungry, right? I figured you’d be sick to death of fasting pills, so I ordered braised meat. Come on, let’s eat.”

“You waited for me without even eating dinner? Honestly. You should’ve eaten first.”

“I wanted to eat with you. You look harmless today. This face is good. You look like you couldn’t kill an ant.”

“I picked it very carefully so my little sister wouldn’t be startled. I even shaved properly today. Good job, right?”

Yeon Ryang chuckled and turned his face this way and that to show it off.

At his obvious demand for praise, I thumped him on the back.

“Very good. Full marks today.”

He snickered at my answer, propped his chin on one hand, and lowered his voice in case anyone nearby was listening.

“Have you decided where we’re going?”

“I was just about to ask you. Brother, what do you think about going to Yueyang first? There’s something I want Miss Jang’s help with.”

“And it has nothing at all to do with wanting to know how much she’s multiplied your money?”

“Oh dear. You caught me. Let’s take a boat this time.”

We traded jokes and laughed quietly as we began our late meal.

There were countless things I wanted to ask him and even more I wanted to tell him, but in Jun County, where any number of experts might be nearby, we could not speak freely.

We kept watch on our surroundings and waited for the proper time.

As soon as the predawn stars appeared, we headed for the docks.

Considering Yeon Ryang’s condition, I planned to travel to Yueyang by water.

I had just paid our fare and was about to ask for a private cabin when an odd conversation drifted down from the deck.

“No matter how much wealth a man has, that’s no easy thing to do. The Tang Clan has produced quite the chivalrous young martial artist.”

The passengers waiting for the ship to depart were talking about the Tang Clan.

Are they talking about Tang Hwayeop? He’s really not that good a person, you know. This is exactly why you can’t trust rumors.

My curiosity piqued, I pricked up my ears and listened to the tale of chivalrous deeds that had supposedly spread from Jiangling all the way to the Yueyang region.

Then the conversation took a strange turn.

“Remarkable indeed. Then the Poison Butterfly is still staying with the Golden Dragon Merchant Guild?”

“So I hear. Apparently people keep flocking to the Golden Dragon Merchant Guild just for a chance to see the Poison Butterfly’s face.”

I frowned and exchanged a look with Yeon Ryang.

What are they talking about? I’ve been on Mount Wudang this entire time.