Chapter 30: The Stranger Who Stayed
The companion was not a warrior. He was Chen Wei, the ink-stained boy who had guided Yul through the market. He had decided, for reasons Yul couldn't fathom, that Yul was the most interesting subject he had encountered in his short life.
"You walk like you're stalking a ghost," Chen Wei said, tripping over a protruding root on the forest path. He scrambled to his feet, dusting off his oversized blue robes. "Why the hurry? The road to the Southern Sky isn't going to grow legs and run away."
"Efficiency is the only way to minimize the duration of vulnerability," Yul said, not slowing his pace.
Chen Wei trotted to keep up, his ink-stained fingers clutching his satchel. "Vulnerability! Everything is a tactical scenario to you. You saved that merchant in the market yesterday—the one who dropped his coin purse. You returned it to him."
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"It was his property," Yul said.
"But you could have taken it," Chen Wei pressed, eyes twinkling with a maddening, cheerful curiosity. "You’re faster than him. You're stronger than him. In your world, that means the coin belongs to the person who can hold it. Why didn't you keep it?"
Yul stopped. He turned to face Chen Wei. "Because I did not need it."
"Necessary. Always necessary," Chen Wei countered. "But you know, Yul, sometimes doing things for no reason at all is the most human thing you can do. You saved that boy from the falling timber last week, too. You risked your own injury. It wasn't necessary for your survival. Why?"
Yul stood silent. The question felt like an intrusion.
"It was... an anomaly," Yul finally managed.
Chen Wei laughed, a bright sound that made the forest feel less oppressive. "An anomaly! You're so scared of being kind that you have to invent logic for it. Keep walking, then, mountain boy. Let's see how many more 'anomalies' you collect before you realize you're actually growing a heart."