Chapter 180: Coming Soon to Kaifeng

The three great ancient capitals of China are referred to as Xi'an (Chang'an), Luoyang, and Kaifeng (Liang).

They shared the common trait of having developed based on the productivity of the vast plains stretching from Hebei-Henan to Hubei-Hunan, back when primitive farming methods were all that existed.

Among them, Kaifeng is inseparable from its massive Grand Canal.

The canal extended into the heart of the city, making it a central hub of Chinese water transport. If you boarded a boat in front of the government office, you could travel north to Beijing, east past Luoyang to Xi'an, and southwest through Hangzhou out to sea.

This magnificent waterway connected to all three of the Central Plains' great rivers: the Yellow River, the Yangtze River, and even the squeezed-in Huai River.

"Hmph. Wake up now. Let's go up and sleep properly."

"Huh? No..." Qing answered groggily, not even opening her eyes.

"If you don't want to, then what? You'll sleep uncomfortably here? I've booked a guest room, why not sleep comfortably in a bed?"

"I'll sleep here..."

"Hmph. Then, you'll have to stay in the carriage. I'm leaving."

Peng Daesan found himself unconsciously resorting to the classic 'You stay here, Mommy's going home' tactic.

Thinking about it, it seemed quite a universal human sentiment.

"Bye... see you later..."

However, Qing was also a pain in the neck among pains in the neck.

Peng Daesan reached out a hand, then quickly withdrew it, rubbing his chin with a troubled expression.

Even if his friend was ignorant of the distinctions between men and women, he himself couldn't act so carelessly.

Instead, Peng Daesan leaned close to Qing's ear and whispered in his distinctive low tone.

"When you come to your senses, wake up."

"Heek! Whoa, what the hell. Creepy."

The effect was tremendous.

So tremendous, in fact, that Qing's eyes flew open, and she immediately sat up. Peng Daesan dodged just in time, narrowly preventing a collision between the head of a man blessed with precious good looks and a skull as hard as Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron but utterly empty.

"Whoa, creepy, seriously, what was that? Don't do that."

Qing rubbed her arms vigorously, looking utterly disgusted.

Anyone would react this way if, while pleasantly drifting in the dregs of sleep, a man's overly smooth voice suddenly burrowed into their ear canal.

"Hoo."

Peng Daesan's eyes shone with interest. It was the glint in the eyes of someone who had finally discovered an annoying friend’s weakness.

But the moment was fleeting. Something covered that sharp, star-like glint in his eyes – a large, wide-brimmed hat with a veil attached at the end, completely hiding the benevolent face of the Jade Qilin.

Since Peng Daesan had hastily given a servant gold to procure it that morning, the veil's quality wasn't exactly top-notch.

Through the cheap veil, the lower half of his face could be glimpsed, revealing the faint trace of a pleasant smile.

"What, decided to cover your face now? I thought you said you wouldn't because you had nothing to hide?"

"After thinking about it all night, I realized I'm the only one suffering any damage. The dirty person should be the one to step aside. I felt like I was deliberately stepping in filth just to prove I could walk straight, only to feel disgusted afterward. So I had a servant fetch one."

"Yeah. Good thinking. That makes perfect sense. Okay, me too then."

Qing pulled her veil over her head.

Watching her, Peng Daesan asked.

"Was it... originally that color?"

"Yeah. Choryeo washed it well for me. Wow, the fragrance. You wouldn't think it, but she's really a heavenly woman. So meticulous too."

"The opposite of someone I know."

"Well, that's because I'm a guy. And actually, I can totally be a heavenly woman too, you know? I just choose not to."

"That right there proves you're already a lost cause."

As he said this and stepped down from the carriage, Qing stretched languidly.

"Augh, running all night makes me dead tired. People really need to sleep at night, not do other things."

Peng Daesan, finding this absurd, snapped back.

"What were you doing with your eyes closed in the carriage? Didn't even wake up once, you're quite shameless."

"Hey, sleeping in a carriage doesn't count, okay? It doesn't even feel like sleeping. Haaah, hwaaaaah."

Qing yawned so wide it looked like her mouth might tear.

Since a large mouth is one of the defining features of an ugly woman in the Central Plains, a woman yawning is taboo even if she only makes the sound; she should turn away and cover her mouth.

Of course, Qing didn't know this, and even if she did, she'd probably argue what difference it made since she wasn't ugly anyway.

Peng Daesan clicked his tongue at her manly boldness.

"Go get some more sleep. Let's meet around lunch. It's the room marked 'Red Pine', second from the end on the fourth floor."

Still seated in the carriage, Peng Daesan held onto the door that Qing had swung wide open as he spoke.

"What, San. Where are you going?"

"Every inn was full, I barely managed to get this room even by paying extra. I'll catch some sleep in the carriage and find you around lunchtime. Don't cause any trouble, stay put."

With the Murim Conference just around the corner, guests had all made long-term reservations.

If he hadn't covered his face, he could have stayed at the Murim Alliance's Heavenly Martial Team lodgings, but since he was currently hiding his identity and had run away, he didn't want to.

So, he intended to sleep in the carriage parked in the stable.

"Hey, why sleep uncomfortably in the carriage? Oops. I wasn't thinking. Knowing your personality, San, there's no way you got any sleep. You must have stayed up all night worrying something might happen."

"...I did doze off a bit."

"The tired person should sleep in a bed. I've slept plenty anyway, so you take the bed, San. Don't give me that 'men and women are different' stuff, I'll just sleep on the floor."

"Alright."

Peng Daesan agreed and, as if he'd been waiting for it, lightly hopped down from the carriage.

Qing's veil tilted subtly.

"Hm?"

"What is it? Ah. By the way."

And Peng Daesan's semi-transparent lips stretched into a long grin.

"There are two beds. You're saying you'll sleep on the floor? You must have gotten used to the floor after living like a beggar for so long?"

"Ah, the beds are separate? What, then why did you say you'd sleep in the carriage?"

"Well, should I have said, 'There's only one room, but the beds are separate, so let's sleep together'?"

"Ah. Right. That would make you a weirdo."

As Qing understood, she thought, So, he could only get one room, but couldn't bring himself to suggest sharing it, so he waited for me to bring it up? What a troublesome guy.

But the carriage belonged to San, the room was booked by San, and the gold used was San's.

So, what could she do?

Who was she to make demands when she was just tagging along?

No, wait.

I was just planning to hang out with Choryeo and Junnie in Zhangwan and come slowly, but I came along because I felt sorry for friendless San.

Therefore, Qing had every right to confidently demand anything on this trip to Kaifeng.

If San heard this, he'd probably retort whether she had been timidly subservient back in Luoyang or on the way to Mount Hua.

Peng Daesan slept soundly until almost mid-afternoon.

It was only natural, as he hadn't slept a wink the previous night guarding the carriage.

He was slightly startled upon waking, however, because Qing was sleeping soundly again in the opposite bed.

She slept, woke up, slept in the carriage, woke up, came up to the inn, and went back to sleep again?

If left alone, could she sleep for a full twelve shichen, the entire day?

He felt a sense of shame realizing he had only just caught up to this lazy bum Qing's martial arts realm this year.

After waking her, feeding her lunch, and immediately piling snacks in front of her, she started munching away noisily and asked.

"So, what now? What's famous here? Anything interesting to see?"

"Could you ask one thing at a time? First, we should go to the Alliance and greet the Alliance Leader... Hmph. If I hide my face, I don't need to. I like this. Maybe I should have started hiding my face sooner."

"See? It's convenient when you cover up."

"It does hurt my pride a bit, though."

Veiled hats like this were common sights in the Central Plains.

Usually worn by boatmen and carriage drivers, they were functional attire: blocking the sun when it shone, stopping the rain when it fell, and the attached veil kept out water spray and dust.

However, since boatmen and carriage drivers had very low social standing, it was considered a lowly item for a high-status young master to wear.

"What are you talking about? Who's going to recognize you anyway? Why should your pride be hurt?"

"Hm? Is that so? That makes sense."

"So, what now? I'm bored to death just lying around."

"There are two famous pagodas in Kaifeng. One is tall, and one is short. There's also the largest market in the Central Plains. And, though you probably aren't interested, there are shrines dedicated to King Wu, Yue Fei, Zhang Liang, and Bao Zheng, respectively."

If Zhuge Ihyeon had been there, he would have poured out every story related to them, but Peng Daesan was the type to provide only the bare minimum information.

Two pagodas. Tall and short.

Shrines, you're not interested anyway.

And the largest market in the Central Plains.

"Hm? Bao Zheng? Doesn't that sound familiar?"

At that, Peng Daesan's eyes flickered.

"I mentioned four names, and you only recognize one? And why Bao Zheng of all people?"

"Actually, I don't know him. Bao Zheng? Is he a dancer? Anyway, if they're shrines, there's probably nothing much to see. And if it's a pagoda, isn't that just a temple? How tall and big can it be?"

The pagodas Qing imagined were like the one designated National Treasure No. 1, engraved on the ten-won coin.

How tall could a pagoda be? Maybe twice a person's height at most-

...There was a time when she thought that.

"Whoaaaa. It's crazy tall."

After a late, hearty lunch, Qing couldn't hold back her admiration upon encountering the towering brick pagoda soaring high into the sky at a temple called Kaibao Temple.

Anyone would be astonished seeing a thirteen-story pagoda built of brick, reaching a height of eighteen zhang [approx. 60 meters/197 feet].

The Iron Pagoda's name was Iron Pagoda.

Not because it was made of iron, but because the bricks had a dark, iron-like color, hence the name.

"We've seen the tall one, so we don't need to see the short one, right? Let's go to the market? Market means street snacks."

"You're going to eat again after all that?"

"Actually, I don't have much room left. So let's walk. We need to digest as much as possible first, then carefully select what to eat. You should have told me before lunch. You tricked me good."

"Honestly. You have a talent for shutting people up."

"Isn't anything a talent if you polish it enough?"

She never lost a single word in argument; responding would only lead to an endless chain of nonsense.

So, Peng Daesan decided to shut his mouth at this point.

However, just because Peng Daesan shut his mouth didn't mean Qing would follow suit.

Before leaving home, she hadn't been particularly talkative; in fact, she was more of a listener.

But people change when they live abroad, especially considering the nature of friendship culture in China.

Friendships had levels, starting from acquaintances and progressing through strictly defined stages.

Sometimes, one would even be formally notified of advancing a stage.

'From today, I have decided to consider you a close friend.'

This common phrase in China implied that before that moment, they weren't considered a close friend.

Just as someone obsessed with food might binge-eat, someone steeped in loneliness just trying to survive might fear silence and be unable to bear moments without sound.

"Oh. What's that? Rice wrapped in leaves?"

"Milban. Honeyed rice."

"Why put honey in rice? Sounds gross."

"Honey is expensive, so they usually use boiled fruit."

"Ugh."

"Don't you like sweet things?"

"Rice and sweets are separate things, okay? They shouldn't be mixed. Sweets are sweets, rice should be savory, spicy, sweet... hm? Can it be sweet? What sweet dishes are there? Galbi-jjim? Ah, I want some galbi-jjim."

"Just because you have a mouth doesn't mean you should spew nonsense."

"Ha. Isn't friendship supposed to blossom through conversation? Fine. I'll shut my mouth tight. Don't be surprised when it suddenly gets quiet."

And then, Qing really did shut her mouth.

Since Peng Daesan wasn't the type to initiate conversation, the two simply strolled through the market.

Suddenly, Peng Daesan realized how unfamiliar this felt.

Just by wearing a veiled hat, wasn't it wonderfully peaceful without the hordes of women aggressively following him?

He felt foolish for worrying that hiding his identity and sneaking around was somehow akin to running away from their pressure.

"Ah, San. What's that over there? It looks kind of gross."

"Chicken heads."

"What, chicken heads again? Why the hell does everyone here eat chicken down to the head? Men, women, old, young, they don't discriminate."

"...? Do you throw them away then?"

Chicken heads, along with duck necks, are representative snacks in China.

However, chicken heads were apparently too much for Qing, so after much deliberation, she chose well-roasted duck necks.

As Qing was busy munching on the duck neck, silence fell once more.

It was said you could tell if someone was Chinese or a barbarian just by watching them eat a duck neck.

When eating a duck neck, one should tear off the meat, break the bones, roll them in the mouth, cleanly pick off every last shred of flesh, suck out the marrow, then spit the bone onto the ground with a 'ptui'.

After five years in the Central Plains, Qing could be considered fully assimilated.

Just as Qing was nibbling on her duck neck, curiously looking around at all the various goods from across the Central Plains that had gathered via the waterways...

Suddenly, Qing's left hand shot out sideways, grabbing a man's wrist.

The visceral sensation of bone grinding traveled up from her palm. Wow, yeah, this is it.

It's been quite a while since I last saw blood.

"Aaargh!"

Only the man's desperate scream echoed through the air.