“Mo, mockery?!”
The shop owner suddenly frowned for some reason. Miss Zhuge asked back with a bewildered expression at the unexpected words from the owner.
“It’s Blue Mountain coffee! Grown in high mountains close to the blue sky, it absorbs the energy of nature and is produced in small quantities every year! How could you buy such precious beans just to mock them? Don’t you think the coffee is pitiful?!”
“I-I-I just plan to drink it as an iced Americano!”
“Ordinary? How dare you call it ordinary…! Is the law of the Central Plains this fallen? In my hometown, Italy, where coffee houses are plentiful, to hear such nonsense in Wuhan so easily is simply outrageous!!!”
The shop owner lamented deeply about the current state of the Central Plains, following the trends of the moment.
“Stones?!”
“I barely made contact with a merchant delivering coffee to a wealthy family. I should have given it to other rich families first! I painstakingly sourced and roasted each bean with care! To think you would just buy it without a second thought to make that cursed muddy water…”
The owner looked at Miss Zhuge as if he had been terribly betrayed, completely baffled that someone who could recognize the quality of coffee could say such a thing.
“I-I’m really sorry. But I’m not the one drinking it!”
Miss Zhuge’s words came out in a tiny voice, but her refusal was evident.
Usually, Miss Zhuge would have apologized, saying she’d drink it differently. However, the beans she bought were for Kang Yoon-ho.
If it were for him, she could stubbornly hold her ground.
“Ugh… You might as well grind gold to make kitchen knives! Why is it that people freak out if you make milk tea with dragon well tea, but are so forgiving towards coffee?!”
If compared to a very rare tea offered to the royal family, the shop owner thought it would be clear. He desperately tried to convince Miss Zhuge.
“Can’t you also make milk tea with dragon well tea?”
Well, that was a disappointing response from what the owner had hoped for.
“Sir, w-what kind of joke are you making?”
The shop owner could hardly hide his shock as he questioned Miss Zhuge.
“My sister says she often makes it, claiming it’s the most delicious treat that even the God of tea, Shennong, would be insulted by.”
Wasn’t that quite ordinary? Miss Zhuge was bewildered, considering her sister’s preferences as a female poet.
“Ugh… This is why rich people!”
She thought their world might be different. The shop owner felt like he might end up on his knees.
“C-can’t you just give it to me now?”
“That’s not possible! I can’t give up as a person from Italy!”
But with over 40 years of coffee experience, the shop owner wasn’t someone who would give up easily.
“Really?”
“I’ll teach you how to drink authentic Italian coffee!”
“R-really?!”
The owner’s eyes were lit with determination as he promised to unveil the true taste of coffee.
“Congratulations! Spread the word about this taste! We must not lose to iced American coffee! Let’s shout together! Aja! Aja! Aja-ja-ja!”
“Aja… ugh…”
“Come again next time!”
In the end, after completing the crash course under the 40-year coffee artisan, Miss Zhuge finally left the shop.
“Ugh. I didn’t expect to go through a whole training session.”
She sighed softly.
Thanks to that, she received training hard to find, even if she felt flustered. The shop owner wasn’t a bad person either.
There are sometimes artisans like that—people filled with love for their work, who cannot see anything else. Miss Zhuge could understand that well.
Time to head back.
“Hey, did you hear about Ho Pil and Kang Yoon-ho?”
Miss Zhuge was passing by a nearby fortune-telling stall when she heard something.
“Don’t talk nonsense! It’s all just a rumor!”
Ehh?
Miss Zhuge heard something she couldn’t just let pass by.
“How can a person assess someone immediately upon seeing their face? Even the most skilled fortune teller can’t do that. Make some sense!”
“Isn’t he the famous Ho Pil? He predicted so accurately where the Shadowless Thief would strike next.”
“That’s only possible because he’s Ho Pil! What you said is beyond what even a skilled fortune teller could do! It’s impossible for a person! It must be a scam!”
“Hey, what kind of scam would a renowned Ho Pil pull?!”
“Or it’s just probably a silly rumor!”
“Eugh.”
Master Kang’s observation skills are genuine, you know? His reasoning is impressive too. He just got a bit of help from Haeo Moon.
Miss Zhuge felt uncomfortable suddenly.
“I heard the perpetrator even guessed the food they ate that morning?”
That’s right. As Miss Zhuge subtly approached the direction of the conversation, nodding along.
“Can a person really not tell left from right? Just listening, it sounds ridiculous!”
“Not ridiculous at all.”
“Hmm? A woman’s voice?”
“Huh!”
She had accidentally made a slip. Miss Zhuge quickly turned her head in surprise.
“I heard it was clear! They figured out that the body was murdered and not a suicide right away! No one else noticed!”
“People should speak with credibility. What are you talking about, Ho Pil? You think corpse examination is that easy? So what? You think only other people can’t see?”
“If a criminal acknowledges it and admits their fault…”
“Yeah! I heard that too!”
“Then? Is it true?”
“It is!”
“I was skeptical when I heard it was the black-haired renowned Ho Pil, but wow…”
“That’s right. Master Kang is indeed the renowned Ho Pil.”
Because folks misunderstood his hair color, they had no idea how impressive he was. Miss Zhuge nodded satisfactorily at last.
“But who is he…?”
Oh no. When she caught everyone’s surprised gazes, Miss Zhuge suddenly realized she was sitting right next to the people she was chatting with.
“Ah?! I-I’m sorry!”
———
How embarrassing.
The silver-haired beauty ran frantically.
She hoped the people she had just talked to wouldn’t discover her. Only after Miss Zhuge finally distanced herself from the fortune-telling stall did she gasped in realization.
“Where am I…?”
Miss Zhuge wasn’t completely lost in Wuhan geography. It wasn’t like she had run a huge distance either. She simply lost track of where she was while running without thinking of a direction.
If she asked a passerby where Yungi Inn is, she could easily find her way. But…
‘This isn’t easy.’
She wasn’t the type to casually approach strangers. What should she do? The sun was starting to set.
After some thought, Miss Zhuge finally thought of a good idea.
“Excuse me.”
She focused on a nearby street vendor.
“Before I close shop, a customer! We have an amazing fragrance from afar! Please take a look!”
“Um, is there one nearby…?”
“Customer?”
“Oh! No! I mean, what’s this?”
Buying a small item to ask felt reasonable. It could serve as a natural excuse. Satisfied with her own thoughts, Miss Zhuge positively affirmed within herself.
“Sir, you have a discerning eye! You’ve identified this top-quality product! This is frankincense that came from across the distant sea. When burned in an incense burner, it releases a calming and comforting scent. Even though it’s highly sought after, it’s so rare that it’s not always available!”
“…”
There seems to be plenty piled up in the stall, though. For some reason, Miss Zhuge held her tongue and gave him a chilly glance.
“W-well, there’s just a lot piled up because I brought in a lot! This is what creates the perfect atmosphere for lovers!”
“Atmosphere? Then I’ll take one!”
“Thank you!”
Choosing this stall clearly turned out great for her. Maybe she could use it the next time she was with Master Kang. Miss Zhuge accepted the wrapped frankincense and cautiously began to speak about her real purpose.
“Um, about Yungi Inn…”
“Customer?! Upon closer examination, you’re a stunning beauty! Wow! In my entire life, I’ve never seen a beauty like you!”
Unfortunately, the street vendor was a little quicker.
“Oh, I-I’m not really that…”
Miss Zhuge felt flattered from the sudden compliment but pushed it away for her purpose.
“With a beauty like you buying frankincense, it must be for a special occasion! Do you have a boyfriend? Husband? Or perhaps a fiancé?”
The vendor’s eyes gleamed as he saw the considerable amount of gold in Miss Zhuge’s purse. He couldn’t let this opportunity slip by as he was wrapping up his business.
“Y-yes, he’s my fiancé.”
Though she hadn’t formally been recognized by her father yet, she wanted to call him fiancé instead of just boyfriend. With slightly blushing cheeks, Miss Zhuge shyly confessed.
The vendor’s question was a gateway to more business, but the elegant miss from a prominent family had no clue about that.
“How truly fortunate you are! Even just standing there, you radiate beauty, but to create a fitting atmosphere for such a lovely fiancé… Hmm… How about this?!”
“W-wait! I just…”
“Your beauty deserves to smell good, making you even more perfect! A fragrance pouch that will captivate your fiancé! He won’t be able to take his eyes off you!”
“I-I really just wanted to know the location of Yungi Inn.”
Miss Zhuge squeezed out her courage to ask, finally getting to the point.
“Yungi Inn? If you buy this fragrance pouch, I’ll tell you right away! It’s not expensive at all!”
“It’s too pricey!”
Even if she didn’t know the market rate well, the vendor’s quoted price was truly excessive.
“To win the heart of the one you love, you must invest accordingly.”
“Um, well…”
The atmosphere grew heavy. The vendor’s expression turned grim.
“Just buy it. I’ll tell you.”
Finally, Miss Zhuge realized the predicament she was in.
‘This is assaulting my will.’
Her eyes trembled in panic.
What should she do? Even if she refused, he’d keep insisting. Should she just buy it? No. After all, it’s assaulting my will. I don’t want it. But how do I reject it?
This was a situation Miss Zhuge had never experienced before.
Her heart raced. Caught between the greedy street vendor’s pressure, she didn’t know what to do. Should she run? But how would she find her way?
While she was at a loss…
“What do you mean buy something?”
A reliable voice came from behind her.
“Who are you?!”
A great shadow loomed over her. A shadow that could easily cover Miss Zhuge’s head with its chest.
Could it be?
With an astonished expression, Miss Zhuge turned to see who it was.
“Master Kang!”
The one who appeared was her fiancé, who always got her lost in daydreams.
“Miss Zhuge, there you are.”
Kang Yoon-ho panted, finally catching his breath, and flashed a welcoming smile towards Miss Zhuge.
