Chapter 276

설이리가 turned back again.

“No, where are you going now?”

“Fruits…”

It seemed like she knew that made no sense, her voice lacking conviction, trailing off at the end.

“Can you even tell what’s edible and what’s not? Isn’t that Northern Sea Ice Palace just full of ice?”

“I can distinguish something like an apple.”

“No way. Do you think apples just grow wild on the back mountain? And it’s about to be July, what are you looking for apples for?”

Qing was an expert at foraging off the mountain.

I mean, not in the survivalist way, but more like a scavenger.

Thanks to her constitution, she just mindlessly ate whatever, completely clueless about whether something was toxic or how to safely consume it.

Still, she somehow knew the difference between tasty and nasty things, and for an average person, “nasty” pretty much meant something that could kill you.

“So, what’s actually ripe?”

“At this time of year, um… Peaches? They might still be a bit unripe.”

“Peaches.”

Seoliri swallowed, a faint smile creeping onto her formerly blank face.

Guess she really likes peaches.

She turned to leave again.

Qing couldn’t believe it and grabbed her again.

“No, do you really think peaches just grow on the back mountain? Good fruits aren’t just lying around in the wild.”

“Nope, I saw some on the way.”

“Those are wild peaches. They’re sour and astringent, and they’ll probably give you a stomach ache.”

Seoliri examined Qing’s expression closely, unable to tell if she was being deceived or if it was the truth.

“Oh gosh, if you go out there, it’s going to be a disaster. Just come have dinner with me. Seriously, how can you just leave with no money? How can someone be so reckless and careless? Especially as a woman. How are you going to eat and where will you sleep on the ground?”

Qing (the flower beggar) clicked her tongue in annoyance.

Seoliri’s eyes sparked with irritation at that.

“What? Do you have something to say?”

“Yes.”

“Oh really? Then go ahead.”

“No.”

What on earth is she trying to do?

At least I know she doesn’t have any friends.

Even that Mo Yong Young Lady, who’s spiky all over with inferiority complex times ten thousand, has followers, whether they’re from a social gathering or a women’s club.

“So, you’re not going to eat with me?”

“No.”

“So, you’re saying you’ll eat?”

“Yes.”

A mischievous smile lit up Qing’s face.

Then just say, “I’m hungry, please buy me some rice,” I thought, but then I wondered if using food as leverage was too low, so I dropped it.

I can’t be petty about food. That would be too much.

“Let’s go. Let’s eat until we burst today.”

I wonder which restaurant does the best fiery stew.

Honestly, that’s a pretty tough question.

Fiery stew isn’t something you just have as a health dish once in a while. It’s a top-tier cuisine that you might only eat once a year on a special occasion, even in the Central Plain.

So if you ask people, no one would know, except for the places they’ve personally tried. If I asked Jeomsoi, she’d obviously say her place was the best, so that’s not trustworthy at all.

But with my fierce appetite, my brilliant brain was whirring, and there’s a solution for everything.

“Hey, Jeomsoi. How much is your fiery stew?”

“Oh, Young Lady! We start serving it from fifteen taels. If you sit at an open table, it’s five taels from…”

“Hmm. I’ll think it over.”

The open table was merely a euphemism for sitting in the most visible spot possible.

With two beauties, the business would explode.

So Qing passed on that.

“We’ll start from twenty taels…”

“If you sit at an open table, we’d have to treat you instead…”

“We have a twenty-five tael minimum.”

Finally, Qing found the answer.

“That place has some serious prices.”

“Great! Is there a cool table available?”

“Oh, is there any doubt?”

Thus, Qing and Seoliri secured a spot in the open corner of the top floor of the restaurant.

“So what will you be having for fiery stew? Regular, high-grade, special high-grade, unique super special high-grade, and the ultimate super special selection fiery stew, we have them all.”

Somehow it felt like I was about to draw a lottery.

Qing suppressed the feeling that bubbled up, ordering the highest special super fiery stew with some fried eggplant and various greens for good measure.

Jeomsoi, ecstatic with the unexpected wealth, shouted at the top of her lungs about the best!!! super special!!! high-grade!!! as she rushed away.

Excitedly waiting for the food, I said,

“…”

“Seol Young Lady? It’s really hot these days.”

“Yes.”

“…”

“…”

She was the type who wouldn’t initiate conversation, and even if I tried to provoke one, she just answered in terse replies, making it really hard to hang out with her.

So the awkward moments stretched out until finally, the moment came when a beautiful pot appeared, Jeomsoi opening the lid and releasing the sweet aroma of the special red wine, accompanied by a medley of delicious smells!

“Wow. Looks delicious already. Um. Seol Young Lady? I’m drooling.”

“No, I’m not.”

Seoliri wiped her mouth with her sleeve.

Not that she wasn’t. But her gaze was glued straight to the pot.

If someone were to ask what fiery stew is, it’s basically a dish that includes all tasty things in a wine-based stew.

Key ingredients include shark fins, sea cucumbers, abalone, and high-grade dried meat known as “flower decay.”

Of course, inland areas might miss out on the shark fins, but seeing all the ingredients naturally brings a smile.

So, serving Seoliri a hearty serving, Qing also helped herself, finally getting a chance to enjoy a late dinner.

Qing just has a knack for eating.

Because the term “eating” suits her better than anything else in the world. It’s too polite to just say she’s eating.

But Seoliri could put it away too.

Surprised by the unfamiliar dish, she cautiously poked through to see what was in it, but as soon as she popped a piece of preserved egg into her mouth—

Wow, that smile.

Qing stared, mesmerized by Seoliri’s beaming grin that lit up her face.

She already had a lovely face; now combined with a rosy blush and a delightful smile, Qing nearly dropped her chopsticks.

Of course, her body remembered, so her left hand (her right hand was in tatters) moved automatically, shoveling food into her mouth as her surprised tongue and jaw worked to chew what was going in.

“Ah, hot, h-huh, wow.”

Folks from the Northern Sea are used to eating everything piping hot. It means they can dig into hot foods like pros.

Seoliri, losing her decorum, began to inhale her food, though in a different way than Qing; I mean, why on earth is she eating like that? It’s so, um, inviting.

Other diner guests nearby suddenly turned their heads in surprise at her unexpected loud sounds during the meal.

Depending on perspective, was it a calamity for those guests, or was it an incredibly rare sight they stumbled upon?

Here were two stunning beauties dining: one shoving food into her mouth like a pig and gnashing it as if her parents were enemies.

Anyone would shake their head at such table manners, thinking which uneducated brat learned to eat like that? Not even pigs would eat like this, yet because of their beauty, it somehow felt like an incredible sight.

Meanwhile, the other girls were happily scarfing down without shame, each breath filled with soft, sweet sighs.

Interestingly, the other guests crossed their legs or sat delicately—a truly bizarre reaction.

Regardless, Seoliri had already lost more than half her sense of self.

The Northern Sea Ice Palace isn’t in a position to be generous.

People from arid lands often lack storage facilities. They first fill their stomachs before thinking about storage.

Despite receiving orders to capture the criminals and heading south, Seoliri hadn’t received much in the way of operational funds.

It was because they thought they could catch them quickly.

After all, the people of the Ice Palace are so simple and rural that they can’t fathom the vastness of the Central Plain.

They viewed their icy realm as the widest land touching the ends of the earth.

So even though she was living with the Martial Alliance, she still had to survive on meals from the Martial Alliance.

When she occasionally craved something tasty, she’d visit the Dragon and Phoenix Association for banquet dishes.

By the way, banquet dishes, evaluated by Pang Dae-san, were said to be fashioned assuming they’d be cold as ice, pleasing to the eye but hard to rate as flavorful.

Yet Seoliri found those dishes enjoyable. She thought the Central Plain folks had been stingy, only letting themselves enjoy such things. But she wondered if they didn’t have something warm, something that could heat her stomach?

That was precisely why Seoliri sometimes showed her face at the Dragon and Phoenix Association despite having no friends.

Besides, she had wholly blocked off any approach from others, so she’d never had a free meal given to her.

So this was the first time after leaving the Martial World that Seoliri was experiencing something proper, a super dish that was meant to be hot and bubbling, just right for the Northern Sea people!

Thus, their battle of eating continued, and the high-class tables at the top floor of the restaurant completely froze in place as other guests watched, hardly able to catch their breath.

“Wow. I’m stuffed.”

Leaning back, Qing rubbed her noticeably rounded belly, resembling someone who could be six months pregnant. Oddly enough, she was keeping something cute inside her.

Seoliri gazed curiously at Qing’s belly, tilting her head.

“Thank you, it was delicious.”

Her surprisingly polite farewell.

Does eating together boost my likability by a notch? Qing smiled and tried to initiate small talk.

“So, how was it? Did it suit your taste?”

“Yes.”

Clearly not.

“Now that we’re done, Seol Young Lady, you should head back and return to the martial world.”

“No.”

She didn’t deny following me, so she obviously had no plans to hide it.

“You have no money. Where do you plan to sleep tonight? Will you sleep on the ground?”

Seoliri gave Qing a sulky look, taking her sweet time before finally answering.

“I’ll go back to sleep and then come back, so just wait.”

“Oh. So you’ll go back to sleep and then return? Well, if you head out now, you’ll arrive in the middle of the night, and if you eat breakfast before coming back, you should be back before lunch.”

“Yes.”

“What about tomorrow? You plan to head to Jongnam Mountain and come back every night?”

Seoliri bit her lip.

“I’ll just sleep outside.”

“Have you ever done that before?”

“Yes, a lot.”

Seoliri was simply ignorant of the ways of the Central Plain.

She was a tough Northern Sea tribe person who had forcibly settled in a place where people weren’t meant to live.

“But why not just share a room with me tonight since it’s getting late and dark? It’ll be safer.”

“No.”

“You’re going on a long detour to Sichuan; are you really going to camp every night?”

“Yes.”

Her stubbornness was infuriating.

Qing decided to give up persuading her.

Well, if she got tired along the way, she would fall off eventually.

“Alright, if that’s how Seol Young Lady wants it.”

Qing said that just as she was about to rise and look for an inn.

“Where will Seomun Young Lady stay?”

“I’m going to look for a place now.”

“When will we set out tomorrow?”

Why was she asking? It was simply a confirmation so she could keep following.

Do people really ask it so openly?

Qing replied, slightly annoyed.

“Whenever I want. I can’t sleep alone, you know? If I can’t sleep, I might leave in the dead of night, so keep that in mind and be alert. Don’t let me get away.”

It was more than just annoyance; it was a warning not to take her lightly, stating that she’d better hold onto her sanity and watch her back.

Seol Young Lady was supposed to be a master too. Well, maybe calling her a master is a bit of an insult, given she’s more like intermediate level. By that measure, Seol Young Lady shouldn’t get into anything nasty if she just keeps her wits about her.

—-

Having wealth, Qing reserved a luxurious room at a high-end tavern, ready to wash up and sink into the high-class bedding.

Indeed, you get what you pay for. The bed was remarkably comfortable.

If I can just lay here, I’d fall asleep right away. Mmm. Sleep. Sleep.

Yet, sleep eluded me.

To be precise, my body was tired, and my mind was worn out from the day, but as I tried to close my eyes, I just couldn’t get comfortable enough to sleep.

I think I drifted off a few times, but something terrible kept jolting me awake, and each time it just repeated the same nightmare.

I still couldn’t fall asleep alone.

Ultimately, Qing ruffled her hair frantically and sat up.

The silence of the empty room weighed heavy.

Yet, the sound of rain pattering pleasantly outside through the oiled paper window provided some relief from the silence.

Qing had always liked the rain since before her journey began, especially the pleasant sound while in a cozy setting—what a stabilizing effect it has on the mind and body.

So, she threw open the window.

Whoosh!

The refreshing sound of rain poured into the room like frying oil.

Wow, the sound of rain. I really like it. I want to eat pajeon.

Maybe that’s why.

Listening to the delightful sound that clears the insides, I felt my heart begin to settle.

Right now, I could probably sleep. I felt an inkling, or maybe a certainty, that I would.

With that, Qing wasted no time diving back onto the bed to catch some sleep.

However, just as she was about to drift off, a sudden thought crossed her mind. Her eyes flew open, and she jumped up.

Ah, wait! Seol Young Lady!

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