Chapter 187: The Poison Human (8)

We said that, but we didn’t buy the most expensive luxury goods.

When it came to writing tools, if they were too pricey, it was often because of their decorative value rather than actual writing performance.

Moreover, if something was too expensive, it became like a rare consumable item in an RPG where one would inevitably end up saving it forever and never actually use it.

So we picked out items that were moderately fancy—pleasant to look at and comfortable to use.

Should I call it the Four Treasures of the Study¹ or the Four Friends of the Study. ²

“Huh? What’s this?!”

While I was musing about whether to call today’s haul the Four Treasures instead of the Four Friends of the Study, something familiar caught my eye.

“Ah, you must be from Joseon to notice that right away! That’s a yellow weasel brush from Joseon.”

The shopkeeper saw where I was staring and grinned knowingly.

“It really is a Joseon yellow weasel brush.”

What I had picked up in surprise was a hwangmophil, a brush made with the tail hairs of a Joseon weasel.

It was considered a luxury item in both Joseon and the Central Plains.

This was a brush not familiar to the modern-day Kang Yunho, but to the scoundrel Kang Yunho.

It was the kind of brush he used to snap in boredom when he didn’t want to study for exams.

Of course, whenever he pulled stunts like that, his father would smash his legs for it.

A hwangmophil from Joseon… It’s incredible that something from so far away is all the way here in Sichuan.

It was like being in some remote mountain village overseas and seeing a little girl watching a K-pop music video on an old phone.

Unexpectedly heartwarming.

“Is it good?” Hwarin asked the shopkeeper, seeing me look at the brush fondly.

“As your gentleman friend likely knows, it’s made from only the finest weasel tail hairs from Joseon! So fine, in fact, that it’s presented even to royalty.”

“Really? Yunho! Then I’ll buy it as a gift for you. How much is it?”

The price he quoted was the kind one would see at a department store, where one liked a piece of clothing and then walked away the moment one glanced at the price tag.

That scoundrel Kang Yunho… He didn’t just snap any old pencils, but luxury fountain pens because he didn’t want to study.

“Hwarin, it’s fine.”

I turned my head to signal I didn’t want it.

Just because it’s from Joseon… I understand that you want to buy it as a gift, but it’s too expensive.

Hwarin, I know your financial situation, there’s no need for this.

“It’s to my liking, though! Shopkeeper, please wrap it nicely.”

“Of course! I’ll pack it in a Joseon lacquer box for you!”

Despite my protest, she bought the hwangmophil and handed it to me in a beautiful, high-end lacquer box.

It was expensive, yes, and I felt the pressure, but this was the first time I’d ever received a gift from a woman filled with genuine affection, so I couldn’t stop my lips from curling into a smile.

“Let’s go shop around some more.”

That first shopping trip must have really satisfied her.

Her face lit up like a girl starved for retail therapy.

“If we buy too much, it’ll be a pain going back. Let’s just have fun here and buy things in Yichang.”

“…You’re really going to say that, when this is the first time I’ve gone out to shop without my veil?”

“…Alright, alright, let’s go.”

I tried to resist a little, but her slightly disappointed face made me cave.

That veil’s like a cheat code.

Yeah… first experiences are always special.

“Hehe, I just wanted to buy more stuff for you. Don’t be so grumpy. Come on!”

Pleased that she got her way, Hwarin giggled and tugged at my sleeve.

We wandered through the busiest market in Chengdu, and she began buying all sorts of things that caught her eye.

“This is a gat from Joseon? Yunho, try it on!”

“We already have a black hat at the Tea Book Pavilion.”

“Yours is made of bamboo, and this one’s premium, made of horsehair. Ah! Look, they’ve even got new Joseon-style clothes here, too. Let’s try everything on. Shopkeeper!”

“Right this way, please.”

The clothes I had on were fine, but I let out a sigh and let the shopkeeper take me to change into traditional Joseon attire.

Clean new robes, a finely crafted horsehair gat, and even a fan in one hand.

Now I looked like a proper Joseon gentleman.

“Hwarin, how do I look? Decent?”

I used to wear this kind of stuff when I was Maedamja, but back then my clothes were battered from wandering.

Now I looked like a young master out for a stroll.

“…”

“Hwarin?”

What’s with the shocked expression?

“Ah? Oh—Yunho, you look just like a Joseon man.”

“Well, I am one.”

“Hehe. Alright, shopkeeper, we’ll take all of this. Let’s check out the next store, too.”

It isn’t over yet?

Hwarin went on a spree, seemingly ready to clean out the entire Chengdu market as she carefully picked out clothes for me and supplies for Yichang.

We’ll need to hire a big wagon to get back to the Tea Book Pavilion at this rate.

“Where to next?”

After what felt like a pilgrimage through every store in the city, I asked her when we saw no more shops around.

“…”

Hwarin didn’t reply. She just looked at me.

Maybe she doesn’t have destination in mind?

When someone like me—completely inexperienced in dating—imagined a date, it usually went like this: movie, café, then dinner.

We already watched a circus and had street food, so maybe we should find a place to have tea.

“Let’s see, maybe there’s a teahouse—”

“Yunho, there’s somewhere I want to go with you.”

As I looked around for a teahouse, she grabbed my sleeve with a slightly flushed face.

“Where?”

“…First, let’s go to that inn over there.”

She hesitated a little, then pointed to a nearby guesthouse.

An inn?

But we already ate?

We kept snacking on whatever street food caught our eye while walking.

Wait…? Could it be?

…No way, really?

Is this that ‘Oppa, let’s take a break here’ situation?!

Inns offered food and lodging.

Right now, it seemed like Hwarin was more interested in the lodging aspect.

Right, the Hall Master told us not to stay out late.

Maybe she wanted to make memories during the day instead?

As soon as we entered the inn, she started scanning the place busily.

No way, is she checking the facilities?

Seeing how good the bed is?

It must be.

“…This isn’t it,” she muttered suspiciously.

It’s fine, Hwarin.

Anywhere is fine.

Maybe she was hesitating from nerves.

We might just order food and leave.

In moments like this, I needed to step up.

I looked at her with my best “wholesome church oppa” face and spoke, “Hwarin, then… should we take a break here before heading out?”

Smooth. Natural.

But the response I got was totally unexpected.

“Let’s rest in the carriage instead.”

This girl… she’s skipping grades again!

From bookstore owner to Poison Human in one leap, and now she wants to leapfrog experience too?

Hwarin, these things are supposed to start with normal steps.

If you’re going to take it further, stimulation can come later—

“Found him! Over here!”

“Ah, there you are! We’ve been waiting. Shall we go to the next destination?”

Much to my disappointment, what she’d been searching for was… the coachman waiting at the inn.

Wuhou Shrine.

Leaving my crushed hopes behind, we arrived at a shrine dedicated to Zhuge Liang, with a history of over a thousand years.

More precisely, it was the Hanzhaolie Temple–Wuhou Shrine.

Uniquely, this shrine honored both Liu Bei, Emperor of Shu Han, and Prime Minister Zhuge Liang.

Zhuge Liang’s popularity far surpassed Liu Bei’s, so it was more commonly known as the Wuhou Shrine, anyway.

“Why’d we come here?”

“Yunho, you like the Three Kingdoms stories, right?”

“Well, yeah.”

She brought me here for my sake?

I had liked the Three Kingdoms since I was young—read the novels, played the games, even enjoyed alternate history stories.

But I didn’t expect her to bring me to Wuhou Shrine.

“Let’s take a walk around.”

We entered together, and the sheer size of the place was astounding.

The people of Sichuan really did love their Shu Han history.³

“It must be awkward for the Jegal Clan since Wuhou Shrine is in Sichuan, while their base is in Hubei.”

The Jegal Clan was based in Hubei, where Yichang was located.

Meanwhile, this thousand-year-old shrine was in Chengdu, the base of the Tang Clan.

People who knew the Three Kingdoms but not were ignorant of Murim often wondered why the Jegal Clan was in Hubei when Zhuge Liang served Shu Han.

That was because Liu Bei met Zhuge Liang in Jing Province, which, geographically today, was Hubei.

Just like the Andong Kim Clan thrived in Seoul but still had its ancestral village in Andong, the Jegal’s ancestral seat was in Hubei, so that was where the Jegal Clan remained.

“That’s why the Jegal Clan doesn’t like the Tang Clan much. And the Tang Clan isn’t too fond of how Zhuge Liang is revered here in Sichuan, either.”

Even among clans, things got complicated.

We chatted as we passed by the “Chu Shi Biao”,⁴ and arrived at the Hall of Tranquil Distance, where Zhuge Liang’s spirit tablet was enshrined.

“There’s a lot of people here.”

People were praying in front of the spirit tablet, whispering their wishes.

“Let’s do it too.”

Hwarin, you’re from the Tang Clan—the rival of the Jegal Clan. You sure your prayers will be accepted?

Without hesitation, she dragged me up to the altar and closed her eyes.

“Please bless Yunho’s writing… even if he sometimes seems hopeless, he’s the most precious person to me. So please…”

Hwarin, I can hear you.

That’s embarrassing.

What should I pray for?

Then, it hit me.

Wait a second… Zhuge Liang’s technically a senior in love.

His wife, Lady Hwang, is famous for being a tanned delinquent type.

So really, I could call him my senior in love.

“Please… let things go well between me and Hwarin…”

“Yunho! Let’s go!”

As I was whispering, Hwarin grabbed my sleeve and pulled me away.

“Why? I haven’t even started.”

“I already prayed for you too! You don’t need to!”

Evening fell, and the next place we went to was an upscale restaurant in Chengdu.

“Isn’t this place crazy expensive?”

One could see the entire cityscape of Chengdu through the window.

A private room in a high-rise restaurant? It looked absurdly pricey.

Seeing my surprised expression, Hwarin puffed her chest proudly, “Come on, think about who I am. It’s the Tang Clan’s money, so it’s fine.”

So being a Poison Human changes even how you’re treated, huh?

“Braised pork in fish sauce, palace-style crab, sliced pork with garlic, wait—this one’s…”

The dishes spread before us were rare and refined—hard to get used to in this world.

“I put some thought into it. Yunho, you like those old-fashioned Central Plains dishes, right? If you want more, just say so.”

Hwarin seemed pleased with how surprised I looked, giving a smug shrug.

“Hwarin…”

I was touched. Moved, I subtly reached out to initiate some skinship.

“E-eat first!”

Tch.

“That was a meal worthy of a true Murim world.”

Totally satisfied.

“What are you even talking about?”

“There’s a vibe to it.”

“Yunho.”

“Yeah?”

“Can you… tell me what happened while I was unconscious?”

There was no reason to say no.

Good time to let the food digest too.

“Maedamja Kang Yunho, for the sole sake of Sichuan’s Greatest Beauty, Lady Tang Hwarin, shall now recount the tale of recent events.”

I pulled a folding fan from my things and struck a theatrical pose like the Maedamja of old.

“Pfft. What are you doing?”

This is where you’re supposed to play along, Hwarin.

“I shall not use any extravagant illusion today. Your beautiful smile and applause will suffice.”

“Waaaah!”

As Hwarin clapped, I began recounting everything that had happened.

“A disciple of Mount Wudang’s third generation, named Cheongun…”

“Unfold the Rising Tempest of Tang Clan.”

“Pineapple pizza?! Eeeeeek! Is he truly a direct descendant of the Tang Clan?! This can’t be real!”

Starting from right after Hwarin lost consciousness, to my meeting with Cheongun, our arrival at the Tang Clan, and even the Elder Council.

Hwarin gasped at key moments and looked intrigued at others, then her expression gradually darkened.

Maybe she thought I went through too much.

Maybe she felt guilty.

Alright, then. Time to show her that scene.

I became the white tiger, the king of beasts.

The head of the Tang Clan, the one who ruled them all.

“Then why are you here?”

Pointing at the entranced Hwarin, I answered, “To protect my woman.”

I delivered the line, pouring my feelings into it.

“Kyaaaa! You’re insane! Seriously insane!” Hwarin shrieked, her face turning bright red.

Embarrassing? Cringey?

Maybe.

But since she didn’t hate it, laughter erupted unabated.

“Hahahahah!”

After the story ended, we sat by the window looking out at the night view.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Right? The phrase ‘a city of lights’ exists for a reason.”

I gently placed a hand on her shoulder and drew her head toward mine.

“Hwarin, today was really fun, huh?”

“Yeah… Now that the worries are gone. Let’s go out often once we get to Yichang.”

Night had begun.

The nightscape of Chengdu, the most vibrant city in Sichuan, was stunning enough to be etched into memory.

They didn’t tell us the exact hour, minute, or second we had to return by, but it was nearing time.

“…”

When I turned to look, Hwarin was silently staring at me, her head tilted up.

Her lips looked redder than usual tonight.

Is this a chance?

We already kissed once.

Would it be okay to go for another?

I slowly leaned forward.

Her trembling eyes met mine.

It had been a joyful date, it would be nice to end it with this.

No one else was around.

But to my surprise, Hwarin gently pushed my face away, looking apologetic.

Is the setting the problem?

Even for a couple, maybe things like this weren’t so casual in this world.

But… it’s not like this moment was random.

A little embarrassed, I looked at her again, only to see a faint shimmer in her eyes.

“Hwarin?”

Then, with a face full of indescribable guilt, she confessed something that hit me like a truck.

[“I’m sorry, Yunho… I can’t go with you.”