Chapter 278: Journey to Zhongnan (1)

Seol Iri didn’t come out boldly.

Her face was flushed bright red like a ripe persimmon and she was awkwardly gripping the bottom of her clothes, no, she’s not wearing anything underneath?

She also seemed ashamed and embarrassed, not knowing what to do.

Though she hurriedly chased after Qing when she left, she seemed to know what state she was in, so it’s fortunate she at least knew that.

Or it’s a sight that makes you wonder if you should admire her outstanding guts.

“Why are you being so indecent, and why did you wear white clothes? Do you want to proudly announce to all the Central Plains people that my nipples are right here?”

“Ugh.”

To be precise, the Central Plains’ chest coverings should be called nipple coverings.

Originally they’re close to aprons hanging from the neck or shoulders down to the solar plexus, so the chest strap either has one line at the bottom to tie, or none and just hangs, about half and half.

So there’s almost no functional beauty in shaping or fixing to prevent shaking, they just add thick cloth near the protrusions to prevent them from standing out.

Of course, that’s not all, the main purpose is to improve the comfort of wearing clothes with a soft lining.

The reason for hiding protrusions is that ancient primitive Central Plains society considers this extremely vulgar and shameful behavior.

“Wait for me. Just until I put on underwear-“

“What if I don’t wait? Are you going to follow like that?”

At this, Seol Iri swallowed and answered with a very grave expression:

“Yes.”

That nasally voice just won’t clear up…

“Hmm.”

Separately from that, Qing pondered for a moment.

In fact, waiting isn’t that difficult. And even if Ice Flower chases after her, it’s not like she’ll have a dramatic reunion with Seol Ganom.

But somehow it’s annoying, isn’t she doing this on purpose? Is she trying to use my kindness as if it’s her right because I bought her meals and slept together?

If she was mentally ill like Miss Murong I could help her get better, but.

“I’m going. Miss Seol can do whatever she wants.”

Qing turned and strode down the stairs.

If she doesn’t follow here, she’s definitely a hundred percent, absolutely certain criminal. It means she was just bluffing thinking I’d be embarrassed if she didn’t wait, are you just going to watch?

But if she follows, hmm. That’s a bit…

If she chases after in that state, enduring that embarrassment, isn’t it truly burning determination to execute her sect’s enemy?

Then I really can’t let her meet Seol Ganom.

So as Qing went clop clop down the stairs louder than usual.

Just then a group of men coming up from below suddenly put on strict, solemn, serious expressions when they saw Qing after snickering among themselves.

Probably because men who don’t think they’re that handsome usually think they look cool when they put on a serious face.

At this, Qing glanced back after passing the men, and saw a woman standing suspiciously with her forehead and body pressed flat against the wall at the landing.

Fortunately, though the men looked closely, they didn’t look back after passing on the stairs.

Probably because men are sad creatures who become unable to look once they become conscious.

Seol Iri turned just her head in that state to confirm the men had disappeared, then turned the other way and her eyes met Qing’s.

Her eyes were brimming with tears.

Yet she was still inching sideways towards Qing like a crab.

Ah. She’s really chasing after in that state…

Now that I see her, she’s not Ice Snow Flower but Ice Idiot Flower.

Or Ice Fool Flower, you could just remove Flower and call her Ice Fool at this point.

It makes you wonder if she deliberately acted cold and unfriendly to not reveal her true colors.

“Are you going to go to the market in that state?”

“Yes.”

“Haah. Go wait in the room. I’ll get some clothes for you to change into.”

At this, Seol Iri carefully examined Qing.

She was clearly checking if it was a lie or not.

“Aish. Have I lied to you so far? And wipe your runny nose.”

Seol Iri wiped under her nose, then looked around and wiped it on the wall.

And then with a prim and haughty expression she turned and went back up the stairs.

Oh my. It would be good if she at least couldn’t answer.

Qing decided to just bring along Seol’s bumpkin.

There were two small reasons and one big reason.

Small reason one.

It’s obvious she won’t detach even if I try to shake her off.

If she’s determined to follow even like that, it doesn’t seem like she’ll give up if I shake her off.

Small reason two.

Though her actions are clumsy and frustrating, she has a cute charm. Honestly, if her face wasn’t to my taste I would have tied her up long ago and sent her by Murim Alliance special delivery.

And the big reason was quite serious.

Can I travel the martial arts world alone like this?

Last night too, I absolutely can’t sleep alone.

I’m not sure when it started.

If I disappear, at least one person should see it to tell my masters, friends, and Divine Maiden Sect disciples.

If I suddenly vanish from the world, they won’t try to find me if they think I just disappeared one day.

Even if not that, there was a groundless expectation that if I’m in contact with someone, I won’t suddenly return to modern times.

I need to at least hold hands while sleeping, need to be in contact, want to stick as close as possible.

So I need someone next to me when sleeping.

So what can I do?

There happens to be one person next to me.

I’ll just have to think of it as carrying around a big hugging doll.

What do you call those things…?

Ah right. Bamboo wife, bamboo wife.

The bamboo wife seemed to really like the clothes I bought her.

Though she had no expression, it was unexpectedly an easy face to read because of her lack of expression.

Since people’s expressions change drastically with just slight angles of the eyes or mouth, it was rather because the bamboo wife originally had no expression that I could tell from her slightly curled lip corners.

Come to think of it, she had a big smile when eating. Or not? Did I see wrong?

“Do you like it?”

“Yes.”

But the bamboo wife was severely lacking as a travel companion, in that she scored maybe 1 out of 100 as a conversation partner.

“Thank you.”

Still, it’s fortunate she’s not hateful as she bows her head. I see this bamboo wife knows something called manners.

“Let’s eat breakfast first, does Miss Seol have any foods you like?”

“Yes.”

Qing’s eyes narrowed.

“Miss Seol. When normal people ask like this, they’re not just asking if you have foods you like. They’re asking what you like because they’ll buy it for you.”

“I know.”

“If you know, why is your only answer yes? What is this? Are you picking a fight?”

“I’m embarrassed because I don’t have money…”

Unexpectedly quite full of manners…

Qing noticed an unexpected side.

In fact, though she asked, breakfast was already decided. Pajeon, no, jianbing.

Of course, the Central Plains people’s naming is incredibly strange, so anything that’s thinly fried batter is all called jianbing.

Thanks to this, the taste and appearance varied widely.

In terms of Qing’s hometown food, of course pancakes are jianbing, fried eggs are jianbing, hamburger patties are jianbing, pancakes are jianbing, hotteok too, hotteok is actually the most famous type of jianbing. What can you do when the origin is the Central Plains.

From what Qing has tasted, they all taste good and go down smoothly, but the type closest to pajeon was a food called bingzabing.

Bingzabing is pajeon without green onions.

Central Plains people eat bingzabing by putting ingredients on top and rolling it, but Qing ordered it with lots, very lots of green onions and no other toppings.

Seol Iri, looking at the tower of bingzabing and mountain of chopped green onions, dropped one word:

“I want to eat porridge.”

It sounded like aegyo because of her stuffy nose.

Since her face alone was to Qing’s exquisite taste, Qing couldn’t resist that aegyo.

“Porridge? Then you should say so. Excuse me, server? Prepare some porridge, ah, what kinds of porridge do you have? Something that’s ready right away.”

“Today we have pine nut porridge with honey, rice porridge, and minced meat porridge ready.”

“Hmm. Wait a moment. Pine nut porridge? Rice porridge? Minced meat porridge? Ah. Now that I hear it, it sounds delicious. Two bowls of minced meat porridge please.”

At the end Seol Iri’s ears perked up, seeming to crave the minced meat porridge.

For reference, unlike in Qing’s homeland, Chinese porridge is characterized by boiling until all the contents are completely melted.

So the rice grains are individually dissolved, existing somewhere between porridge and paste.

And with the porridge coming out, they enjoyed their meal with bingzabing piled high and a large bowl each in front of them from the morning-

“Haung, huu, hu, huuu, hang…”

Wow. She’s just shoveling in this hot stuff.

Originally boiling porridge is as hot as lava. Even in Qing’s homeland, everyone has experienced at least once carelessly putting a spoon in boiling porridge and having it melt, turning into porridge mixed with molten metal.

But while it just barely doesn’t reach steel’s melting point, boiling porridge very lightly melts human tongues.

She’s just scooping it up from the bottom and putting it in her mouth without even blowing on it.

The huu huu blowing sound wasn’t to cool it down, but the sound of breathing through her mouth because her nose was blocked.

By the way, the sound is really embarrassing.

“Haaung…”

Come to think of it, there was a term for people who eat so obscenely in her homeland too. What was it? Food pornographer? Something like that.

“By the way, it’s really pouring rain.”

At this, Seol Iri who was holding bingzabing and wavering between dipping in soy sauce or fish sauce looked at Qing once, then glared back and forth between the two sauces.

Aish. Normally in this situation shouldn’t you respond, yes the rain is really pouring, something like that?

Why is the conversation one-sided?

Anyway, it was another opportunity to remind herself that she shouldn’t expect give and take in conversation from the bamboo wife.

But leaving wearing bamboo hats in the rain wouldn’t be good for the bamboo wife’s nose health.

That doesn’t really matter, but more than that, walking around in the rain feels good at first but gradually becomes humid, damp and uncomfortable.

There’s no choice but to take a carriage.

From renting a carriage at the stable, to choosing a driver with a kind and diligent impression among the job seekers waiting, to handing over half the payment in advance, it all flowed smoothly without discomfort.

Qing could now proudly say she does a full share as a wanderer.

“The most important thing to be careful of when taking a carriage is the people. Many drivers will suddenly pull out knives if they think you’re easy prey. Avoid ones who quote too low a price, but don’t get ripped off with too high a price either. You have to find just the right person who charges appropriately at market rate but is also kind.”

“I already knew that.”

“…Just wipe your runny nose.”

Trying to continue the conversation even knowing it won’t work is because Qing’s nature is an unstoppable chatterbox.

“I’m going to get some sleep, so wake me up if anything happens.”

“Yes.”

At this, Qing tucked her bundle under her arm, took out her underwear bundle separately and stuck it to her cheek, then skillfully took a sleeping position.

The sound of rain hitting the carriage roof thud thud thud. The refreshing sound of rain pouring shaa because it’s a cheap carriage with cheap soundproofing.

And a useless companion who only knows how to make wheezing stuffy nose breathing sounds while being extremely taciturn.

Though she can’t talk, there’s no better place for nodding off drowsily.

So Qing skillfully leaned back right away and started snoring.

Seol Iri blankly stared at Qing’s face like that.

As one year slept and one year observed the sleeping face, how much time passed?

Suddenly Seol Iri felt herself lurch forward.

And not long after, the carriage came to an abrupt stop.

Then the door flung open, and the driver who had looked like Buddha himself in appearance was pointing a knife into the carriage.

And then with an incredibly kind face he opened his mouth and said:

“Kukuk, some fuckable bitches came to offer themselves on their own feet. Do you know how hard it’s been for this old man with his dick standing straight up?”