Chapter 278

“This is not how you should make your entrance!”

Her face was as red as a ripe persimmon, and she was awkwardly clutching the hem of her outfit, which made me wonder—wait, was she not wearing anything underneath?

I was just as embarrassed, not knowing what to do.

Qing had rushed out after her, but it seemed like she realized how ridiculous she looked. I guess that’s a relief, or should I be impressed by her sheer audacity?

“Seriously, why dress in white like that? Do you want the entire Central Plain to know that your ‘assets’ are right here?”

“Ugh.”

To be precise, what she was wearing could be called a ‘nipple cover’ rather than a proper chest support.

It was practically an apron hanging around the neck and drooping down to her solar plexus, with just a single strap to tie at the bottom; otherwise, it just hung there awkwardly.

It really lacked the functionality of providing a nice shape or keeping everything stable; all it did was cover the protruding bits with thick fabric while being soft to wear for comfort.

The reason for covering those bits was that in the ancient, primitive Central Plain society, showing them was considered extremely vulgar and shameful.

“Wait for me! Just a moment—”

“What if I don’t wait? You planning to follow along in that state?”

And then, Seoliri gulped nervously and replied with an exaggerated expression of seriousness.

“I will!”

Ah, is that blocked nose of yours ever going to open up…?

“Hmmm.”

On another note, Qing pondered for a second.

Honestly, waiting wouldn’t be that hard. And what would it matter if Seolhwa ran after her? They weren’t going to have some dramatic reunion with Seolga.

But something felt off, like was she doing this on purpose? Since I’m treating her to meals and sharing a bed, was she thinking she could just take advantage of my kindness?

Sure, I could help her out if she were as mentally unstable as Mo Yong, but…

“I’m leaving. Seol-sojeo, you figure it out.”

Qing turned and strode down the stairs.

If she didn’t follow now, it was practically guaranteed she’d just be a hundred percent confirmed embarrassment. Would she really let me feel ashamed on my own?

But if she did follow, well… That would be something.

If she was willing to swallow that shame just to tag along, then it boiled down to a burning resolve to take on the foes of her clan. I absolutely couldn’t let her cross paths with Seolga, no way!

And so, Qing clattered down the stairs a little louder than usual.

Just then, a group of men climbed up from downstairs, chuckling among themselves until they suddenly spotted Qing and straightened their faces into serious looks.

They probably thought that looking stern would somehow make them appear handsome, despite not being overly confident about their looks.

As Qing brushed past them, she glanced back, catching sight of a suspicious-looking woman pressed against the wall, forehead flat against it.

Fortunately, the men noticed her, but once they passed the stairs, they didn’t look back.

Guys tend to become even more awkward when they realize they’re being watched, what a sad species.

Seoliri turned her head slightly to confirm they were gone, then her gaze met Qing’s.

Her eyes were brimming with tears.

And she was slowly waddling down the stairs towards Qing.

Oh damn, she really is following me like that…

Now that I look closely, she’s not just a cold beauty; she’s more like a mess of beauty. Or maybe just a crying mess—let’s strip away any illusions.

“You’re really going out there looking like that?”

“I will!”

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

Seoliri scrutinized Qing keenly.

It looked like she was checking if that was a lie or not.

“Miss, have I ever lied to you till now? And wipe your nose.”

Seoliri swiped under her nose, glancing around before rubbing it against the wall.

Then, she turned back with her usual haughty expression and went back up the stairs.

Ugh. If only she could give a decent answer instead of just that.

—-

Qing decided to just take Seoliri along.

There were two small reasons and one big reason.

Firstly, it was pretty clear she was going to stick around no matter what.

She was determined to trail behind as shamelessly as this, so it seemed pointless trying to shake her off.

Secondly, though her antics were trying my patience, there was a certain cuteness about her. Honestly, if it weren’t for her looks being my type, I might have bundled her up and shipped her off with the Martial Alliance express delivery long ago.

The bigger reason was more serious.

Could I really go into the Martial World all alone?

Last night proved that I just couldn’t sleep by myself.

I didn’t even realize when it became this way.

If I vanish, at least someone would have seen me; the masters, friends, and disciples of the Divine Maiden Sect would know how I went missing.

No way would they just think I poofed away one day out of nowhere.

Even without that, I felt that staying connected to someone would prevent me from suddenly disappearing back to modern times—an utterly baseless hope, I know.

At least I feel I should be holding hands or being close to someone to really feel anchored.

So, I needed someone next to me when I sleep.

And right now, there’s someone by my side. I can just think of it as carrying a big doll for hugging.

What’s the terminology for that again…? Ah, right. ‘Doll of the Bamboo Woman’, perfect.

It looked like the ‘Doll of the Bamboo Woman’ really liked the clothes I got her.

Even though her expression was blank, it was so easy to read her little nuances since she had a rather unique appearance.

People’s expressions can change drastically just with slight movements of the eyes or mouth, but with her lack of expression I could see her subtle changes all the more.

Come to think of it, she did smile brightly while eating… or did I misremember that?

“You like it?”

“I do!”

However, as travel companions, ‘Doll of the Bamboo Woman’ was utterly lacking.

If I had to rate her conversation skills, I would give her just one point out of a hundred.

“Thank you.”

But at least she bowed her head, so that was something. I guess a bit of decency remains in her.

“Let’s eat breakfast first. What’s your favorite food, Seol-sojeo?”

“I do!”

Qing narrowed her eyes.

“Seol-sojeo, when ordinary people ask this, they’re not just asking if you have a favorite food. They want to buy you something, so tell me what you like.”

“Hot potato stew.”

“Huh, so even while knowing, you only reply with that? What gives? Are you trying to start something?”

“I’m simply indecisive…”

Wow, she’s surprisingly a bit tactful in her own way…

Qing noticed this unexpected side of her.

I did ask, but breakfast was already planned for. It was going to be ‘pajeon’, or as they call it, ‘jeonbyeong’.

Incidentally, the naming conventions of the people from the Central Plain were quite bizarre; anything flat and fried ended up being called ‘jeonbyeong’.

This resulted in an impressive variety of both taste and appearance.

For example, in terms of Qing’s hometown food, ‘jeon’ means not just ‘pajeon’ but equally includes fried eggs, hamburger patties, pancakes, and the famous Korean sweet ‘hotteok’, all of which originated in the Central Plain.

Of everything she tasted, all were quite delicious, but the one closest to pajeon was a dish called ‘byeongjabyeong’.

‘Byeongjabyeong’ is like pajeon… without any green onions.

The folks from the Central Plain add toppings onto ‘byeongjabyeong’ and roll them up, but Qing only ordered it with a lot, I mean a ton of green onions.

Looking at the event of ‘byeongjabyeong’ piled up like a tower with chopped green onions on top, Seoliri tossed out her own line.

“What are you giving me?”

With her stuffy nose, it sounded almost adorable.

Her face was certainly gorgeous, and Qing couldn’t resist that charm.

“You like porridge? If so, just say it. Together, please, tavern worker! Porridge ready—wait, is there any porridge? Whatever you have, just bring it ASAP!”

“Today, we have honey pine nut porridge, rice porridge, and beef porridge available.”

“Hmm. Hold on… pine nut porridge? Rice porridge? Beef porridge? Hmm, that sounds good. Just bring me two bowls of beef porridge.”

In the end, Seoliri perked up from hearing the mention of beef porridge.

For reference, in the Central Plain, porridge is distinctly different from the kind in Qing’s hometown; it’s boiled until all the contents are thoroughly melted.

So the grains were completely broken down until they existed somewhere between porridge and liquid.

And after the hot porridge was served, with big plates of ‘jeonbyeong’ in front of them—

“Huh, whew, whew, ahh…”

Wow. Is she really just gonna shovel in that scalding hot food without a care?

Boiling porridge is as hot as molten lava. Everyone from Qing’s hometown knows the experience of accidentally dropping a spoon into boiling porridge and ending up with a porridge that tastes like metallic water.

But while it doesn’t quite reach the melting point of metal, that boiling porridge can easily scald a human tongue.

And she was just scooping it from the bottom and putting it in her mouth without letting it cool! Phew, phew sounds were escaping her nose as she breathed through her mouth since her nose was stuffy.

You have no idea how awkward this sounds.

“Hahh…”

Speaking of which, it seems there was a term back in her hometown for someone who eats so messily. What was it again? ‘Culinary sociopath’? Something like that.

“But wow, is it pouring out there.”

While Seoliri was caught in a dilemma between the dipping sauces and the pancakes, she glanced at Qing and then back at the sauces.

Is it just me, or shouldn’t there be some kind of witty banter about how it’s a crazy downpour? Isn’t that how conversations usually flow?

Why is this a one-way street?

Oh well, I guess I was reminded yet again that I shouldn’t expect any conversational exchanges from the ‘Doll of the Bamboo Woman’.

But, leaving her to get drenched under the rain wouldn’t be good for her nose, so…

I’d rather not risk illness than get rained on to the point of feeling sticky and gross.

So, reluctantly, I had to find a carriage.

I rented one from the horse stable and effortlessly picked a coachman with a nice, affable face among the applicants, handing him half the advance payment.

Qing felt like she could now brag about being a proper grown-up drifter on the roads.

“The most important thing when hiring a carriage is the people. There are plenty of coachmen who might seem harmless until they suddenly pull a knife on you. So avoid the really cheap ones, but at the same time, don’t let yourself get ripped off. You’ve got to find someone who’s just right, priced reasonably, and who’s genuinely good-hearted.”

“I understand.”

“…Wipe your nose.”

Even knowing it would be pointless, Qing attempted to keep the conversation going, which was just part of her nature to chatter.

“I think I’m going to close my eyes now, wake me if something happens.”

“Okay.”

With that, Qing tucked her bag under her arm, took out her underwear bundle and pressed it against her cheeks, getting into a comfy sleeping position.

The sound of rain tapping on the cheap carriage roof filled the air, an obvious indication of how poorly soundproofed it was as the rain poured in vigorously.

And then there was Seoliri, the utterly weird travel buddy who could only let out the occasional barely audible sounds of trying to breathe.

It may have been quiet in there, but it was a perfect spot to doze off.

And thus, Qing gently leaned against a spot, dozing off with a rhythmic snore.

Seoliri quietly watched Qing’s face.

As she kept observing the face before her while squeezing her eyes shut, how much time passed?

Suddenly, Seoliri felt the carriage lurch forward.

A moment later, the carriage came to a complete stop.

The door suddenly swung open, revealing a coachman with a seemingly benevolent aura, who pointed a knife into the carriage.

And with an unusually gentle smile, he opened his mouth to speak—

“Hehehe, looks like these luscious ladies have come to serve their elders, huh? You have no idea how much trouble I’ve been in waiting for you.”

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