Chapter 12: Set Course North-westward

A-Qing, with the decisiveness of a modern human, made a decision. Escaping half-heartedly would only lead to being overtaken, a lesson learned from countless modern tales. So, for ten days straight, she slept, ate, and ran. Qing felt relieved, finally able to re-immerse herself in the hobby she had picked up in the murim: the enjoyment of fine cuisine.

Ah, the refreshing ambiance of this inn. It had been such a long and humiliating time... As she sat at the table, the waiter approached, his face etched with displeasure.

With the sophistication of a two-year veteran of the murim, she now understood the dining etiquette of the Middle Kingdom. Seating in an inn was a matter of great importance. The center and window seats were considered the best, and the farther away one sat, the lower the value of the seat. The worst seats were those closest to the back door leading to the backyard. Those who ordered cheap food were expected to go to the bad seats. It was an unspoken rule of the inn.

However, A-Qing had boldly occupied a window seat with ample sunlight. After ten days of running, eating, and sleeping, her appearance was disheveled. To make matters worse, she had taken the best seat, so it would have been strange if the waiter's expression had been bright. But all these rules were meaningless in the face of a sword. With her sword casually leaning against the table, the waiter didn't dare to say anything other than be unkind.

"What'll it be?"

"Khehe..." A-Qing let out a strange laugh. The moment the waiter's expression crumpled, A-Qing slammed an silver tael onto the table!

"Gasp!"

"That's right. It's an silver tael. Bring me the most delicious and best dishes you have here. Three of them. And bring me some expensive alcohol too."

"Right away!" The waiter inhaled with all his might. "This guest has ordered Dongpo Pork! Stir-fried Jade Mountain! Boiled Fish in Early Soup! And a side of Joga Juyeopcheong!"

The more expensive the order, the louder it had to be shouted. It was the duty of the waiter. This guest has ordered expensive dishes! People of the inn, look here! This person is rich, rich!

Through this, we could see that the truth held by the Chinese people, the vulgar worship of money, was a characteristic of the mainland people passed down from ancient times. But once you experience it, you'll know. It feels awesome!

The guests at the inn looked at A-Qing with envious eyes. For example, it was like this.

Gasp, Dongpo Pork, Stir-fried Jade Mountain, and even Boiled Fish in Early Soup!

Oh my, oh my, how wealthy is this person?!

Maybe next, the most beautiful woman in town would appear with a jade scroll in hand and—

"Tch." A-Qing frowned. It was because the Most Beautiful Woman in Town (with clear, white skin) in her imagination was looking down at her with a contemptuous expression.

In Luoyang, A-Qing had a feast for the eyes. There wasn't a single friendly gaze among them. Is it selfish of me to want them to smile for me?

Just then, the waiter appeared, carefully placing the alcohol and dried snacks, and then disappeared backward.

Anyway, A-Qing was in a good mood, enough to make a fuss. There were three cases when A-Qing was in a good mood.

When delicious food was in front of her.

When she enjoyed a spectacular show through a solemn life-or-death duel.

Or when she had a lot of money.

In that sense, the past ten days of running away had been worth it. The young lady from the Black Shadow Association, whose name she didn't know, seemed to be very loved by her family. This was because parental love sometimes manifested in the form of gold. Moreover, judging by her bad manners and evil deeds, one could tell how pampered she had been. This is why family education is important.

Over two taels of gold—more than enough compensation for the Black Shadow Society Leader’s lesson. If you let your child grow up spoiled like that, they won't know where they belong and will die for nothing. I hope you raise your other children well.

Honestly, A-Qing had done them a favor.

A true act of public service.

But, actually, there's no evidence that I killed her, right? She was just dead when I came to my senses. There's also the possibility that she wrapped her hair around my hand and then slit her own throat to commit suicide. So, it's not my fault at all. Rather, I even got rid of three pieces of trash in the world...

"Damn, the food's taking forever." A-Qing cursed under her breath.

So, she took a sip of alcohol.

"Whoa, this is amazing."

The people of the Central Plains have a special love for strong alcohol. The bamboo leaf wine in the small cup roughly scratched her tongue and throat, reaching her solar plexus and burning fiercely.

Is alcohol bitter to you? It's sweet to me.

Because bamboo leaf wine is originally sweet.

What, but is it originally this spicy? Is the alcohol spicy?

A-Qing tilted her head. The spicy taste that came up as an aftertaste was strange, but it was also exquisite.

I don't know. I guess it's always been like this.

As she was sipping, the dishes came out.

Pork with a golden brown surface. The inside was soft, and the outside was soft too.

Fried eggplant and vegetables served with some kind of sashimi. There was something whitish in the center, but she didn't know what it was. It was a pity that there was no vinegar, but the rich sweetness was excellent.

A whole steamed fish, she didn't know the name of. The soft flesh of the freshwater fish, combined with the steaming, made it a real pain to eat. Still, it tasted good.

Overall. Excellent. Stamp of approval, bam!

A-Qing nodded after roughly tasting the dishes. It was time to eat in earnest.

"..."

This pork, the taste is incredible! It was gently picked up with chopsticks, and in her mouth, it melted like shaved ice. The meat and fat melted together, truly a rich, fatty...

"..."

Something whitish, with the appearance of pudding, a pale pink color, and even fine blood vessels could be seen. When she put it in her mouth, oh my, it was truly a rich, fatty, but the taste was a bit overlapping.

At times like this, she needed some vegetables to cleanse her palate...

"..."

Fried eggplant. It was fried eggplant. Delicious.

The taste was quite stable. But...

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Hey, kid?"

A-Qing tilted her head. She couldn't eat properly because of the kid who had been staring at her from a subtle distance.

Was he about ten years old? The child was so small and skinny that it was heartbreaking.

"Even dogs don't get disturbed during mealtime. And staring is also violence, violence! Did you think I would succumb to such innocent eyes? Did you think I would say, 'Here, child, have some of this,' if you looked at me so pitifully?"

"..."

"Ha. How absurd. If you really thought that, then I am indeed that kind of softhearted person."

"..."

Being upset because of food was truly upsetting. A-Qing had learned this painfully through her life in the Jianghu. Especially when she was chewing on dumplings, she had to suppress the urge to slice up the bastards eating dishes next to her.

The dumplings in the Central Plains were just bread without filling.

A-Qing was currently wealthy. She was even wealthier because she didn't think about future wealth at all. And that was enough reason for her to be kind without any reason.

"Do you want some meat?"

"!!!"

The child's eyes widened like saucers. A-Qing chuckled and picked up a large chunk with her chopsticks, holding it out.

The child looked at the meat with trembling eyes, then turned her head to look around, then looked at the meat again.

Finally, she took a bite.

The child's eyes widened like saucers. A-Qing chuckled and picked up a large chunk with her chopsticks, holding it out.

The child looked at the meat with trembling eyes, then turned her head to look around, then looked at the meat again.

Finally, she took a bite.

The child didn't speak, but her expression spoke for her. It was as if she was wondering how there could be something so delicious in the world, a sense of betrayal for having lived without knowing it.

A teardrop fell from the child's eyes. A-Qing giggled and simply handed her the chopsticks.

"Here, sit here, that's right, kid. You know how to use chopsticks, right? Just pick it up and eat it yourself. I'm a cold person who doesn't go easy on children. In the first place, one should become a person who can take care of themselves."

A-Qing began her ferocious meal. The child hesitated at first, but seeing the dish quickly disappearing, she resolutely reached out with her chopsticks.

Afterward, there were two beggars at the table.

It was during that time.

"Myeong-ah!"

With a scream-like shout, a woman came rushing in. A-Qing was skilled enough to block her completely. But the woman's expression was so desperate, and her gaze was directed at the child, so she just let it happen.

The woman snatched the child into her arms.

"Thank you, thank you...! Master...!"

A middle-aged woman, who seemed to be the child's mother, kept bowing her head. Her name was Yang Sowol.

It was a bit burdensome because of the overwhelming gratitude.

"It's nothing, the kid was just cute. Jang-myeong, right? How old is our Jang-myeong?"

The child blushed and avoided her gaze instead of answering.

This kid is cute.

It was when A-Qing was smiling with satisfaction.

"Um, Master..."

"Yes?"

"Jang-myeong turned sixteen this year..."

"What?"

A-Qing looked at the child's skinny appearance. No matter how she looked at her, she didn't look older than ten.

"The child is a bit weak, so she hasn't grown as much as her peers..."

Mother, it doesn't seem like 'a bit'.

A-Qing held back her words. Now that she knew, the child's red face looked different. It wasn't embarrassment, but shame!

Sixteen years old, so...

It had been so long since she had attended school that she couldn't immediately match the grade and age.

First grade in elementary school is 8 years old, right? Then 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.

A-Qing barely finished the calculation by folding her fingers.

A middle school third grader? This kid?

She had asked 'How old are you?' to a middle school third grader, so of course, she would be ashamed.

A-Qing was horrified. And she looked at Yang Sowol and Jin Jang-myeong alternately.

Yang Sowol was a very beautiful middle-aged woman. Even though her clothes were poor, she had a certain elegance.

Jin Jang-myeong was a skinny kid with sunken cheeks.

The child was malnourished, but the mother was fine?

Is this perhaps, by any chance...

Besides, the child couldn't even speak.

I was off guard because I thought she was a lucky woman with good deeds.

A-Qing's eyes narrowed.

"Th-that, Master, you misunderstand."

"Misunderstand? What misunderstand?"

"The child is a bit sick, no, quite sick..."

Yang Sowol's expression was filled with apology for her child. It was undeniable evidence of her affectionate maternal love.

Ah, it was a misunderstanding.

A-Qing felt awkward.

"Did you also take the wrong medicine or something...?"

"...What are you talking about, ugly."

A-Qing was surprised.

She spoke!

Wait what?! She can talk!?

Well, of course, she can talk if she's sixteen.

But more importantly? Did I hear wrong? The content? A little?

Ehhhh? After all the trouble of feeding her, her attitude?