Chapter 364

“General, all one hundred members of the Daesoon dispatch team have gathered, and the others have started to retreat.”

The General frowned at the report from his aide.

“One hundred? Didn’t I say thirty?”

“Everyone was saying they’d stick around, and it looked like a fight was about to break out. We couldn’t just let the comrades start brawling, could we?”

“Ha, those stupid fools.”

“We’re not heading to a death zone, and for General’s sake, it would be a shame to arrive too late.”

Death zone.

That word made the General’s expression stiffen.

Who in their right mind would risk their life to watch a forest fire like that?

Especially when it involved the lives of one hundred subordinates that were like blood to him.

“This isn’t a death zone. Sure, watching the flames spread here is a terrible way to go. If the Northern Army, the guardians of the North, die for no reason, that would be the ultimate act of disloyalty.”

Serving the Imperial command is about following orders as they are.

If one starts to interpret it, loyalty can easily morph into convenience to suit one’s own needs.

That’s why even if the Emperor’s command was to leap into a blaze, it must be followed.

What the General was saying now was precisely the kind of act that defied that command.

“What about the Golden Guards?”

“They darted off first.”

“Once the last evacuation unit leaves, we will depart as well. We’ve seen enough of the flames, haven’t we?”

“That’s a fair point. So, no need to get our clothes wet, right?”

“Exactly. Make sure we’re properly armed; we might run into bandits on the way back.”

“Bandits, huh? Got it, General!”

If this quicker-than-expected retreat is exposed, they’d have to silence everything.

This aide was sharp; immediately understanding the unspoken words, he saluted sharply.

—-

The warriors were sipping tea, wearing nothing but their underpants to keep warm.

Makseok seemed to find that sight unpleasant; with a bang, he smashed the wall in frustration and darted off along the adjacent wall.

The warriors frowned but thought it worked out well.

With the door shut to keep the cold air out, he just had to go and make a hole in the wall, then attempt to enter through the door anyway.

What a narrow-minded little brat who couldn’t fit even a grain of millet in his head.

A guy who’s supposed to have some brawn is acting petty and childish.

But it’s sad because as men grow older, their sensitivity tends to grow, which leads to this sort of immaturity.

Back in Qing’s hometown, one could easily witness such foolish behavior, like the so-called manager throwing a fit over nothing or refusing to close the door, or in their typical frugality, turning off the air conditioner to save electricity.

One fellow brought over the debris from the broken wall and started a roaring fire.

It was then.

“Anyone want to take a quick round? Who knows? There might be a girl left among the villagers. If luck’s on our side, we could have some fun.”

“What? Why? What a hassle.”

“That guy’s at it again. Is he getting excited?”

“You guys don’t get it, do you? In these backwoods, there might be a hidden beauty who doesn’t even know she’s a looker!”

The aide clicked his tongue at that.

“Rural girls look like rural girls. They resemble cows, chickens, or pigs. And the idiots who ran off are probably ones who wouldn’t take a girl with them.”

“Then what about treasures? The villagers might not know their worth, so maybe they left behind something precious?”

“Even villagers have eyes; if they found treasure, they’d take it and run straight to the city, eager to swap their peasant lives for urban ones. In such a closed-off community, you’d have to shake the dust off the place to find anything other than a handful of grain.”

“Still, you can’t rule it out.”

“Well, if that’s the case, I won’t stop you, but if you see dried tea leaves, bring some back. After all, a leader like me should at least be treated to a cup of tea. Just don’t bring back dried greens as tea leaves like last time. If you’re bringing greens, you should grab some soy sauce and rice grains too.”

Laughter erupted from everyone.

“But it was tasty, wasn’t it? You savored even the scraps! You must be pretty hungry; I’ll go look for some.”

One stood up with a grin.

“So, anyone want to go treasure hunting?”

“Be safe. If you find a girl, don’t eat her all by yourself.”

“The honor of the Golden Guards is truly dead. Just wait and see. I’ll bring back a stunning beauty as my seventh wife!”

And so the frivolous Golden Guard, donning his still-damp golden guard uniform, stepped out into the night.

No one imagined that would be his final appearance.

This is the limit of the primitive and uncivilized Central Plain.

If the culture of playing around in the Central Plain had developed revolutionarily and given rise to movies long ago, no man would dare step out on his own.

In fact, the first target for a killer will always be the woman who bathes first. And if the place is devoid of women, they’ll pick the most frivolous guy.

—-

Old men with single children inevitably find themselves subconsciously evaluating potential partners for those kids.

The more moderate old folks see a fine person and think, “If only my son/daughter could find someone like that!” while if they see a troublesome type, they think, “I hope we don’t end up with that type.” Then they laugh it off, saying they’re being ridiculous.

But the more boisterous and childish old men, quite lost on their age, score everyone one by one and lose all sanity.

In fact, Yeon Pa hadn’t caught Qing’s eye much at all.

And why would she? Besides a pretty face and a body built for childbearing, there wasn’t a single appealing thing about her.

Of course, it did spark some hope since the crown prince must surely be a sight to behold, and with many sons, there wouldn’t be any need to search for heaven elsewhere.

This led Qing to score her looks and body a solid five points.

But looks come with expectations, and the girl was definitely not acting like a gentleman; she was far from graceful and just went around hitting people unapologetically.

And that chest the size of a watermelon? That’s seriously a major disqualification as a wife.

A girl with a big chest is universally seen as lewd, vulgar, and even stupid.

Of course, Qing wasn’t like that, but who knew that?

If someone heard of her becoming a lady, it’d be a major scandal. Qing just lost five points for looks.

Even so, if Wang Ya has feelings for her, then there’s no helping it; I must thoroughly train her to correct her habits and shape up.

But there’s one positive point, her loyalty.

From the Tang Family, that girl, who would fight tooth and nail to protect her friends, would surely take care of her husband as well.

Qing gains five points for loyalty.

Subtract and add, she’s still at zero.

In fact, it may even be lower.

The way she talks is abrasive, her demeanor is that of a general, she lacks proper decorum around Wang Ya, and her knowledge is clearly limited after just a few exchanges.

Thus, her score is plunging further and further.

But even so, now her loyalty score shot up massively; if one were to express that numerically, it’d be a hundred out of ten, and out of a hundred thousand points.

Who could offer their life, risking their own skin while already in peril, to save a friend?

In Yeon Pa’s eyes, Qing’s side was now seriously injured and decaying.

If Qing realized this, she would have playfully questioned, “Me?” yet remained blissfully unaware.

Not even showing pain when she should, acting all happy despite suffering; this was pure concern for her.

Looking back, there’s not a woman out there quite like her.

She would uphold loyalty for a thousand years and survive through thick and thin, and considering they met again under life-and-death circumstances, it’s definitely a match made in heaven.

The heavens don’t allow humans to go against their will.

So she gets a thousand points. No, wait.

How could a worthy lady be evaluated by a humble servant such as me?

If Qing knew this, she’d be even more ridiculous, maybe even downing a whole barrel of pickled veggies in excitement.

“Let me go check out any grain!”

“Around this time, surely there’s something in the storeroom, perhaps a lot of sweet potatoes?”

“Roasted sweet potatoes, oh, wow, I’m losing my mind! I’ll be right back!”

Why was sweet potato making him lose his mind? Who knows?

But if she had lost her mind, it’d be okay. But…

“Stay put. I’ll be back soon.”

Yeon Pa stopped Qing.

“No, you should rest. Your injuries are quite severe and you need to circulate your Qi a bit longer.”

“My condition is no better. It’d be better to let this old body suffer one way instead.”

“No, think strategically. A master must conserve their strength for when it’s really needed.”

“…You can speak nicely, but your stubbornness is stronger than iron! Being a woman and being this headstrong? Still, better than a drifter who has no principles.”

Five points off, but ten points gained!

That’s quite the silver lining.

“Friend, you should rest. You seem fond of sweet potatoes, huh? Since I’m full of vitality, I will go gather some for you.”

“Wang Ya is quite considerate! You’re saying you’d personally come see me? But Wang Ya, do you know what sweet potatoes look like? They are long and plump with a dull purple hue.”

“Sweet potatoes are purple? Not yellow?”

Jayu felt quite a chill running down his back.

After all, Yeon Pa had just given him a shove to gear up and go!

But the shocking revelation about the sweet potato’s coloration struck closer to home.

“Purple? How can a thing so auspicious be among the common folk?”

Did that mean the color fades when cooked, turning yellow?

Qing shook her head.

This young master really doesn’t understand anything.

How could she possibly let him go alone?

“Jayu, you rest too. I appreciate the thought, but honestly, I’m not even sure I could win against a wild dog, let alone face one!”

Yeon Pa’s expression darkened.

How dare he speak like that to Wang Ya, such an honored guest!

But having someone who won’t sugarcoat things nearby is quite a blessing.

Such is the bitter truth!

Yeon Pa’s look softened once more.

“Cough, I could handle a wild dog!”

“What? You think wild dogs are a joke? Even a healthy adult would run from one! If it bit you, you could get rabies and die! They say there’s no cure for rabies. Didn’t you know that?”

“I didn’t realize wild dogs were that dangerous!”

“You should mind your tone.”

“I never thought wild dogs could be so deadly… I had no idea.”

“You must be tired, so rest a bit longer. I’m the master, and Yeon Pa is a grandmaster, but you’re not so you do need to take care of yourself.”

“…Understood.”

Truth be told, the two didn’t need to venture out for the sweet potatoes since they could clearly see a massive sweet potato sprouting from Qing’s side.

It looked just like a sweet potato, only the size of a pumpkin.

Here she was, trying to work despite having a rotten pumpkin stuck to her side.

But Qing made a valid point.

Usually she talks a lot of nonsense, but at times like this, she speaks wisely.

She had been dreaming of roasted sweet potatoes as well.

Given the prime time for harvesting at the end of December, sweet potatoes must still be stacked high in the storerooms.

Even if they were taking grain with them, the sweet potatoes would be the last to go, so surely there’s some left!

But does the Central Plain even have aluminum foil?

If they simply toss it into the fire, they’d be left with charred sweet potatoes instead, you know?

Is there anything I could use as a substitute?

Should I boil potatoes like some madman instead?

Qing strode ahead, dribbling saliva as she pondered her delicious problem while heading for the grain storage.

Thus, with excitement swelling in her heart, she threw open the grain storage door.

But that sudden movement sent a shockwave through her injured side, and her body momentarily shivered.

So, are there sweet potatoes here?

Yes, indeed!

A big smile spread across Qing’s face.

Based solely on the season, she had somehow deduced that there were sweet potatoes here!

Hadn’t she entered the domain of a truly seasoned warrior?

Not just anyone could steal sweet potatoes from someone else’s storeroom.

Who am I? Shintu. And who is Shintu? Seomun Qing.

This was a great achievement deserving of a master such as him—sweet potato thievery!

If Cheon Yu-hak heard about it, he’d probably explode with frustration, possibly leading to a stroke over such an achievement.

Just then, as Qing was gathering her sweet potatoes, she spotted something else.

What’s this? Taro? It doesn’t quite look like the typical taro, does it? What is it, then?

Ugh, ugh, eww, it’s disgusting!

Why would you even put that nasty Heavenly Demon in the grain storage?

Such unpalatable Heavenly Demon in the storeroom made her shiver.

According to the Huangdi Neijing, all the most loathsome tastes were packed into that so-called Heavenly Demon!

Just as she tasted the Heavenly Demon, she was overwhelmed and grimaced in disgust.

Suddenly, footsteps approached, casually, as if they were taking their sweet time.

What’s this? Jayu, didn’t I tell you to rest?

Qing turned her head towards the source of the sound.

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