Chapter 153

“If I have to spend a day somewhere, I’d rather it be with someone I know.”

Besides, I heard that the snack selection at the Great Justice Gate last time was quite unusual.

And so, Qing’s selection ceremony was about to take place.

“Since I’m new to the martial world, I’d like to experience as much as possible. Staying at a tavern is one of those experiences.”

Tang Nan-ah subtly declined the invitation.

That’s how it sounded to Qing.

Just for your information, when she said “I,” it carried a more elevated tone than “the girl,” using somewhat stiff vocabulary.

It was a roundabout rejection but also a firm stance indicating she wouldn’t accept objections.

“Ah well. I guess there’s nothing I can do about it. May I at least treat you to a meal?”

“I have enough travel money, so I don’t need to rely on anyone.”

“Is that so…”

The other martial artists accompanying Wang Son-seok drooped their shoulders.

They thought it was quite the aloof attitude typical of the martial world.

Qing felt there was no real issue with the situation, but since it wasn’t a solo trip, she had to accommodate her companions as well.

After staring at Tang Nan-ah for as long as she could, the men left, thinking if they stared hard enough, the carriage would become transparent.

“But why not stay for a night?”

“What? There’s no such thing as a free meal in this world! Besides, everyone is planning to attend the Martial World Tournament, so if I express a desire to tag along, it would be annoying.”

“Really?”

“Sister Tang, how could that be possible? There are three of you sisters, how could a man dare to ask to join?”

Asking to join a journey composed solely of women was, in fact, considered an unofficial breach of etiquette.

Need I explain further?

In any era, it would be the perfect setup for some poor guy to get insulted for being too obsessed with a woman.

“Oh?”

At that, Qing looked at Je-gal Lee-hyun.

Did anyone actually invite him to join? That was the look in her eyes.

“Ah, my sister must be uninterested in the matters of the Central Plain. I’m Je-gal, after all?”

The careful choice of words without calling anyone ignorant displayed Je-gal Lee-hyun’s character well.

At the same time, it was a response with multiple implications.

In a good light, it meant the Je-gal family’s aesthetic standards are well-known, so even if they invited him along, it wouldn’t be taken as a pickup line.

On the flip side, it suggested that someone from the Je-gal Family wouldn’t need to resort to such tactics.

Moreover, having an elder of the Dao alongside, as well as their sister, and Tang Nan-ah, the darling of the Tang Family, made the presence of the Je-gal family almost expected among the highest social circles of the Central Plain.

“Then, wouldn’t it be tough to propose we all travel together if we stay the night? Is there really any need for caution?”

“Oh dear, sister. You must be aware of the dangers that beauty brings. Even if we ask to accompany you, we have no real reasons to refuse. If we were to endure the shame, couldn’t we just ask for it?”

At this, Tang Nan-ah added a remark.

“Right. Qing, you should know you’re pretty!”

“Hmm, I don’t think it’s that much.”

Anyway, it was around early evening.

People from the Central Plain typically have a light breakfast and lunch, then indulge heavily at dinner.

Of course, the majority who are farmers wouldn’t agree, but farmers are considered somewhere in between humans and livestock and not counted as Central Plain folk.

Qing herself enjoyed three hearty meals a day, but dinner was the most elaborate.

This is because many dishes could only be ordered during dinner due to their bulk preparation.

Getting acupuncture before sleeping means the numbness subsides by lunchtime, allowing one to eat again at dinner. It also made sense to have some freedom rather than having someone feed you till you’re choked.

After having dinner and taking a leisurely stroll by South Yang Lake to digest, she eventually went to rest after acupuncture.

Though it wasn’t in her diary, she could say she had a decent time.

Then she took a bath, lay down after the acupuncture, and fell asleep, leaning against a representative like it was any other day.

When Gyeon Pohee previously suggested sharing a room, Qing felt somewhat guilty about not understanding the Central Plain culture and refused repeatedly, but these days they shared the same bed every night.

When she asked Je-gal Lee-hyun, fearing she might hold any misunderstandings regarding the Je-gal Family, his response was resolute.

About a week ago, the finest mind among muscular men, Je-gal Lee-hyun, said,

“If they are sworn sisters, sharing a bed and blanket while embracing each other should be the epitome of sisterhood, right?”

“Epitome?”

“That’s right. In the past, the three heroes, Yu Huande, Guan Yunzhang, and Zhang Yide, also shared the same bed, cuddled, and exchanged warmth, thus received the title of the most brotherly brothers in the world.”

What kind of significance is there in sleeping apart on a spacious bed?

Only when truly necessary, such as a tiny, cheap bed, where even the bedding is lousy and they must endure the cold together with their body heat, does it truly define brotherhood.

“Oh? Those three?”

“Thus, when Yu Huande welcomed Jo Jaryong into the bed, Jo was so moved that he cried, and he served Yu wholeheartedly for life. Furthermore, it was recorded in the diary of our ancestor Je-gal Liang that General Yu first invited him to bed, leaving a deep impression.”

Now that was an instance of Yu Bi using bed-sharing for political gain.

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah.”

Something’s off, doesn’t it sound more complicated?

Is this actually the essence of the Three Kingdoms?

It must be a different world entirely, right?

Surely, it wasn’t like this in my hometown either, was it?

“In contrast, the guy named Cao Cao didn’t even share a bed with his cousin. Thus, for Yu Huande to contrast him, he famously invited his subordinates to sleep with him on special occasions.”

“Your choice of words is a bit off.”

Of course, in a pure sense, without any inappropriate implications, it simply meant sleeping closely together on one bed.

It’s a perspective that modern sentiments would flinch at.

Ugh, ew.

“If Cao Cao had ever shared a bed with Sima Yi, things might have turned out differently for the world.”

“So it’s Cao Cao failing because he didn’t sleep with Sima Yi?”

Huh? Did Cao Cao really fail? Didn’t he just end up getting his head smashed in by Hua Tuo?

This is the level of knowledge I have about the Three Kingdoms from some comics.

Qing only recognized the names of the famous figures, having only scratched the surface of their historical significance.

“Sharing a bed with one’s father when grown is practically akin to a stepfather. How could one dare to mock or play around?”

It’s also somewhat unfair to Cao Cao, as his family was wealthy enough that they never really faced tough times demanding they share a bed.

On the other hand, shortly after Yu Bi established himself in Shu, the three brothers were known to gather and sleep together.

However, Yu Bi was a married man, making it harder for the three brothers to come together after settling down. Besides, all three of them turned into alcoholics, drinking till they collapsed and going straight to bed without regard.

Qing also recalled those times in college when, in groups, they would binge drink and find themselves all lined up in tavern rooms, sound asleep.

However, declaring that they were sharing a blanket and sleeping together embodies brotherhood seemed more like just talking big.

It didn’t really imply that anyone actually did it.

If someone were to say everyone does this, it wouldn’t be much of a tale worth telling.

Still, Je-gal Lee-hyun emphasized this point, not out of malice but simply due to a misunderstanding.

He even found her sincerity in trying to uphold the sisterhood charming.

This isn’t even about you; she’s a sworn sister, so treat her well!

Thus, Je-gal Lee-hyun decided to honorably regard her as a sister going forward and expressed this convincingly.

However, for Qing, it was too profound of an expression to grasp so she simply thought, “Is this the cultural difference?”

There was also the shock of discovering the true essence of Yu Huande.

In reality, his closest ties were limited to two sworn brothers; the rest were just a facade, imitating political grace.

While one could argue, Yu Bi’s efforts, despite presenting himself as a gentleman, were still significantly greater than the deceptive nature of the grounded, guilty sort like Cao Cao.

After all, the lack of guilt and empathy in Cao’s lineage would continue to perpetuate further.

Sima Yi’s cutting off that bloodline is what we call true chivalry.

Especially considering the act of tearing the Chinese nation apart into sixteen states!

He truly was a blessed soul sitting right next to paradise’s highest throne, living forever in bliss!

And now back to the present.

After a restful night in Xinyang, Qing and the group commenced their journey north towards Kaifeng.

As they passed through small towns and villages, something inevitable eventually unfolded.

“Oof.”

Having gained some finesse, Tang Nan-ah was fidgeting around, adjusting her angle while administering acupuncture.

Though this was one of the taboos of acupuncture.

“You’re not going to keep dropping ominous sounds while sticking needles, are you?”

“My long needle…”

Such playful behavior made it the perfect moment for a needle to snap in half.

Needles should always be inserted vertically with gentle taps. The reason behind that is self-evident.

But instead, she was gripping the thin, elongated needle and flailing it around with force, testing how much it could endure.

It was no surprise the needle shattered under such treatment.

Tang Nan-ah’s face fell as she looked at the broken acupuncture needle.

Given her familiarity and bond with the tool, it was a loss that stung, especially since it wasn’t an ordinary needle either.

It was a masterpiece crafted by a famed needle artisan, renowned throughout his career.

For a tool that’s withstood all her powerful techniques, it truly proved its worth then!

As she stared dazedly at the broken needle, Qing felt a pang of guilt.

She recognized this wasn’t a time for such remarks but found it unavoidable to ask the question.

“Um… Where’s the remaining piece?”

“Huh? Uh… Huh?”

A terse response capable of making anyone feel nervous.

“You can take it out, right?”

“If you bend your arm like this, it should come out smoothly.”

“But my arm won’t move.”

“Well, Dad is coming to Kaifeng soon, so I can ask him to…”

“What are you saying?”

“How about we think positively? If I don’t use my arm at all, surely in about a week, the injury will heal…”

“…….”

Thus, with her arm completely paralyzed, the esteemed acupuncturist Tang Nan-ah’s take on the situation deemed it a trivial incident that led them to a major city.

This city is known as the Zhu Ma Point.

“Once known as Ye Nam, Zhu Ma Point is the area currently divided into East and West Ye Nam. This change occurred during the reign of Emperor Taizong…”

Uninvited explanation automatically poured out without being asked.

Of course, within the group, no one was keen on listening, leaving the words to dissipate into the air.

Still, Qing found it fascinating that he always had a way of making connections with historical tidbits, always dropping such information.

Did he perhaps carry a book that compiled such facts? How does he know all this?

Within the fascinating tidbits, a story stood out.

For instance, how Zhu Ma Point was named after the famed beauty of the era, Yang Guifei, reputed for her charm!

Yang Guifei had a fondness for lychee, the southeast Asian fruit.

And this city served as a convenient stopping point to swiftly transport those fruits, which is how Zhu Ma Point got its name.

Yet, you wouldn’t necessarily think of it merely as a laughing matter.

It supposedly became a key reason for Tang Dynasty’s downfall, as enormous resources were consumed for transporting lychee for her acquiescence.

For reference, lychee is known as “litchi” in Mandarin, and during Qing’s hometown history, it became “leechy” due to foreign influences on its pronunciation.

That same litchi, often perceived as an endless supply of dessert, was piled high as if it were worthless food.

The original name for it was tethered to its Southeast Asian roots, but no one, through history nor future, has ever cared to inquire about its authentic name.

And so, that name remained unknown.

Hearing this amusing explanation, Qing pondered.

Ah. Litchi. Isn’t that tasty? I want to eat some litchi.

But since she wasn’t Yang Guifei, no one would rush to procure her any.

Instead, there was one girl bothering her with other matters.

“Qing Ah, let’s go look at the acupuncture needles!”

“We haven’t even unpacked yet…”

“We’ve got to go before the sun sets! The needle artisans close down and leave when it gets dark…”

Before even having a chance to settle in, Tang Nan-ah was already urging to take a look at new acupuncture needles.

If lucky, she might even snag that iron tool needle artist uses to extract the one stuck in her shoulder.

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