“Wow! You’ve come all the way from Shingang! Is that near the Kunlun Mountains?”
Is it truly because Namgoong Ruby has maxed out her social skills?
Baek Yujin, who’s acting like a typical noblewoman, can be forgiven, but being friendly to Cheonma, who’s been cold the whole time, is really impressive. She’s pulling off the tough task.
“I’m Namgoong Ruby, from Anhuisung!”
At that moment, the smiling face of Baek Yujin, who had been chatting with her, stiffened.
“How can a person’s name…”
Ah, she must have a similar sensitivity to mine.
Before she could make an awkward slip, I hurriedly intervened in their conversation.
“Ruby is actually a half-breed between a Westerner and a Central Plains person! She got her name because her mother thought her red eyes looked like a jewel!”
Thanks to my super save, Baek Yujin quickly changed the topic to avoid disaster.
“So that’s why your name is so pretty.”
“Hehe, I hear that a lot.”
Fortunately, Namgoong Ruby seemed unaware of the suspicious atmosphere and smiled as she moved on.
I sighed in relief internally and gave Baek Yujin a thumbs up from behind Namgoong Ruby, unseen.
Baek Yujin, though dazed, returned a thumbs up just like me.
Seeing that, Cheonma gave us a strange look, but I desperately pretended not to notice.
I still wanted to live a bit longer.
*
The journey from Chang’an to the capital city is quite far.
If we walked, it would take over a month round trip, and that would mean wasting half of summer vacation, so we decided to take the water route we used when coming from the capital to Chang’an.
After all, taking a boat is definitely faster than riding horses, and as long as we sit still, we don’t expend any energy, which is convenient.
“Five silvers per person.”
At the dock on a river about two days away from Chang’an, we gathered money from our pockets to pay the crew for the cruise ship ride to near the capital.
Of course, one person could cover the cost, but among young martial artists, the culture of “Dachi Pei Li” (多値貝利: sharing the cost is beneficial) is trending, so everyone was more accustomed to covering their share.
On the other hand, Baek Yujin, who was unfamiliar with this culture, murmured to herself, “These young folks really don’t like paying up these days…”
Anyway, we boarded the massive cruise ship.
When I had gone to Chang’an for the entrance ceremony before, we only took a small speedboat that got us there in half a day, but this time we decided to leisurely ride the cruise ship since we weren’t pressed for time.
Being a tourist boat, it would take an overnight stay to reach our destination, but the interior of the cruise ship was well-decorated, so I didn’t think the journey would be boring.
“Wow! It’s huge!”
Namgoong Ruby said, exploring the insides of the cruise ship with an excited expression like a little kid.
She must not have had the chance to ride a boat before since she lives inland; this was her first experience.
Like a puppy running around in a white snowfield, Namgoong Ruby dashed around the cruise ship while Tang Sosu worriedly trailed behind her.
I thought it looked more like a mother-daughter relationship than friends as I sat on a chair near the railing designed for sightseeing.
‘Refreshing.’
Thinking about how this boat operates purely on manpower instead of motors or engines makes me a bit uneasy, but considering that, the price of five silvers doesn’t seem too bad.
It even offers private rooms and meals onboard in the evening; at first, I thought it was expensive but felt it was a reasonable price.
“Chilbok, what are you doing?”
“Oh, Rin.”
I hurriedly made way for Dokgorin, who appeared right in front of me.
Dokgorin sat down next to me, as if it was her spot from the beginning.
“I was just zoning out. The breeze feels nice.”
“Really?”
Dokgorin turned her head, likely to feel the gentle breeze like I was, and closed her eyes.
“……”
The beauty of Dokgorin with her eyes closed was strikingly exquisite.
I thought I had gotten used to her beauty, but it seemed I was still awed by it.
While I was entranced, Dokgorin, who opened her eyes late, asked me with a puzzled expression.
“Why are you staring like that?”
“Huh? No, I…”
While I was scrambling to think of an excuse, I decided to speak frankly.
“I realized anew that you’re really beautiful.”
At that, Dokgorin chuckled and puffed out her chest.
“Have you just now realized my charm?”
Her ample bosom drew attention because of that comment.
“No, I’ve known you were attractive since we were at Sangam. I just think I discovered a new aspect of your charm.”
“If you say that while looking at my chest, it lacks any persuasion.”
After saying this, Dokgorin shrugged her shoulders.
“But I’ll believe you. Chilbok is someone I like, after all.”
“……”
With a casual face delivering a bold statement, I didn’t know how to react.
So, to cool my flushed face, I fanned myself with my hands, and just then, Baek Yujin appeared from somewhere.
“That’s right, young love is a beautiful sight.”
She said with an oddly grandmotherly tone and a sly smile.
At first, I thought she would be more serious when we met, but the longer we spent together, the more I noticed a playful side hidden beneath her thoughtfulness.
“You’re practically oozing sweetness.”
As Baek Yujin said this and whistled, Dokgorin brushed her hair away from her ear and asked.
“By the way, there’s something I want to ask, Elder.”
“What are you curious about?”
“You mentioned you became immortal by eating the meat of the Baektak; how long have you lived?”
Baek Yujin answered with a smirk.
“I don’t know.”
“Excuse me?”
“Literally. After it stopped being meaningful to count my age, I just stopped counting. But roughly, I first established the Baekryeon School during the Song Dynasty, so I must be over 300 years old, right?”
But why is she suddenly interested in that?
Upon hearing Baek Yujin’s response, Dokgorin calmly explained her reasoning.
“I wanted to ask if you’d actually met a celestial being, given you’ve lived so long.”
“And what if I did?”
“The martial arts of my family, the Gucheon Hyun-geom, was said to have been taught by a fairy I met in a dream, so I’d like to know if that’s true.”
Upon hearing Dokgorin’s explanation, Baek Yujin pondered with an “um,” and finally spoke up.
“There really are celestial beings in this world. I, myself, have even met Yang Bin.”
“Yang Bin?”
As I furrowed my brow at the unfamiliar name, Baek Yujin countered with surprise.
“You don’t know such a well-known name?”
“I’m a bit clueless about history.”
I smiled awkwardly at that, and Baek Yujin sighed a little before giving a brief explanation of Yang Bin.
“He lived during the Tang Dynasty; in his later years, he reached a stage of human form by achieving the essence of the dragon, becoming a celestial being.”
The martial arts he primarily used were Cheondun Sword Technique and Yi Gi Eo Sword Arts.
“Yi Gi Eo Sword Arts!”
At the mention of that term, which immediately brought to mind martial arts novels, my eyes sparkled, and Baek Yujin continued.
“In any case, celestial beings exist in this world. So, the secret art you mentioned, Gucheon Hyun-geom, might indeed be martial arts taught by a fairy.”
“…I see.”
Dokgorin murmured that with a peculiar expression and then bowed in gratitude for the valuable information.
After our conversation settled down, we decided to exchange any information we had about our enemy.
After all, we hadn’t had enough time to discuss this since we parted so abruptly last time.
Just as our conversation was getting lively…
KABOOM!!
With a sudden loud noise, the water beside the cruise ship erupted dramatically.
“Shell?!”
Panicked voices erupted around us, and soon someone shouted while pointing.
“Pirates! Pirates are approaching!”
Upon hearing that, I turned my head and saw three ships indeed approaching the cruise ship.
The cannon that just fell into the river likely came from the middle ship.
“Pirates in this day and age…”
Baek Yujin muttered incredulously, but Cheonma, seemingly unfazed by this unexpected situation, calmly spoke.
“Should we take care of them?”
“I’m okay with that, but be gentle?”
After all, if we draw too much attention, our identities might get revealed.
Cheonma nodded and stepped up onto the railing.
“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it cleanly.”
Then, with a single leap off the railing, he began running atop the empty air.
