Moonlit Gratitude and Feline Rivalries
Bu Yong-hwa stammered in a trembling voice, "I-I want to express my thanks... is that okay?"
"Hah. No need to get all formal. It was just the right thing to do." This was my chance. I struck a pose on the spot. Top three lines any sword-slinging hero dreams of saying, right? 'I just did what had to be done.' The sheer cool factor hits different.
"...!" At my words, Bu Yong-hwa suddenly broke into a bright, sunny smile. Huh? What was that? Did her mood just skyrocket out of nowhere?
"I have so much I want to say! If it's okay, can we walk and talk?" Bu Yong-hwa said with a grin.
"Is Lord Guan alright with that?" She glanced over at Guan Yu.
"Ah. No issue." Guan Yu replied, her cheeks faintly flushed.
But was it my imagination? Guan Yu's expression looked a tad stiff.
'Ah, I know that vibe.' You plan a one-on-one, but your friend goes, "Group hang's more fun!" and drags along a stranger. Peak awkwardness.
"Hmm." Bu Yong-hwa stared straight at Guan Yu. Ah, yeah. Guan Yu was definitely the kind of stunning beauty women dreamed of being.
"Then let's go together!" With that, Bu Yong-hwa sidled right up to my left side.
Swish.
Close enough that our shoulders nearly brushed.
For a split second, I flinched, half-expecting a dagger in the ribs... but nah. She was just beaming bashfully, glued to my side.
"Hmph." Guan Yu eyed the scene, then edged up to my right side. Same shoulder-brushing distance. Flowers on both arms, basically—but something felt off, ominously so.
Whenever Bu Yong-hwa inched her shoulder closer, Guan Yu matched her step for step. Back off a bit? Guan Yu did too.
It was like top martial artists sizing each other up in a tense standoff.
The discomfort outweighed any joy. How's this gonna play out?
We trudged through Nanpi's streets, which no amount of flattery could call "romantic."
'Got its own gritty charm.' Hard to pin down. The kind of ruinous vibe a decay fetishist would drool over.
"So... Kim Gong, you came all the way from Beiping to here!" Bu Yong-hwa chattered nonstop, laughing the whole time.
'Easy on the eyes.' Felt like watching a cute little birdie chirp away.
"Kim Gong and I met back in Beiping and hit it off right away. Became siblings on the spot. Right, Kim?" Guan Yu cut in with a sweet smile.
"Ah. Yeah. Sis..." I started to reply, but caught Guan Yu's wide-eyed glare. Her face stayed smiling, but those eyes screamed volumes.
"Yeah. Sis."
Truth be told, I preferred "Lord Guan" out of shyness, but she subtly hated it. "Sis" was her favorite. "Big Sis" was my compromise, but even that didn't fully satisfy her.
"Hehe. Good boy." Guan Yu chuckled, ruffling my hair.
"Hmm... I see." Bu Yong-hwa's face went blank for a moment.
Chill.
Guan Yu and Bu Yong-hwa locked eyes.
Catfight brewing? Nah—I was Bu Yong-hwa's type, so I knew the signs.
'Nonstop chatter, then sudden vibe drop.' Everyone's got a max energy cap. Burn it all, and you crash into flat mode. Probably.
"Anyway, Kim and I went beyond friends to siblings back in Beiping." Guan Yu pressed on with a smile.
"Oh? So Kim Gong's a Beiping local?" Bu Yong-hwa asked me slyly.
"Nah, wanderer. Just washed up there by chance."
Yeah. Can't exactly say, "Woke up possessed in Beiping." Sticking to my game lore: roamed the Central Plains, hit the starting zone.
"Wow, heroes just vibe together, huh? Strangers to sworn siblings in a flash. So cool."
Ah, she gets it. That's the Peach Garden Oath magic. Instant bond between randos? Straight heart-punch for guys.
'But doesn't that lack buildup? Classic flaw in Song-era character design,' some female prof droned in college.
Women wouldn't get it!! That love-at-first-sight pull is peak male fantasy—that's why Romance of the Three Kingdoms still slaps. Ladies miss the point.
"Seriously wild. Not even 'one prior meeting.'" Bu Yong-hwa oddly stressed the no-meeting part. That surprising?
"Time doesn't matter—it's the intensity. After that, Kim and I forged our bond across countless battlefields." Guan Yu grinned.
"Oh!! I knew your friendship ran deep—now it makes sense!" Bu Yong-hwa gushed dramatically.
I usually hated over-the-top fuss... but a beauty like her doing it? Kinda warmed the heart.
"Then I can call you 'sis' from now on, right?" Bu Yong-hwa dropped a curveball.
Oh. Leveling up to sisters already?
"...Ah. Sure, whatever." Guan Yu tilted her head, clearly unthrilled. Yeah, she's picky about people.
"As a wanderer... no family settled yet?"
"Mm. Yeah."
'It's the goal.' Hole up far from the chaos, build a home, live happy. Still a pipe dream. First: bail from Liu Bei's suicide squad.
"Ehehe... Got it." Bu Yong-hwa smirked oddly.
"Age?" Suddenly, full-on interrogation mode. Whoa, why?
"Age-wise... 25."
"Oh! Love an older guy!"
L-love? As in...? Almost let myself get delusions.
"Ahem." Guan Yu fake-coughed.
"Anyway, Lady Bu. You had something to say...?" Guan Yu steered back to business. Right—she wanted to thank me, hence the night stroll tag-along.
"Ah, thanks are done... Personally, I just wanted to know my lifesavers better. Sorry for the rude questions." Bu Yong-hwa snapped to, apologizing fast. Too personal, her bad.
"Hm. 'Know your lifesavers,' huh? Felt like nonstop Kim Gong grilling, though." Guan Yu cocked her head.
"Ow...!" I jabbed her side quick. Dude, why pick a fight?!
Canon accurate, but damn—now I got her number. Good person, zero tact!!
Bu Yong-hwa just brushed it off. Positive vibe, probably didn't clock it as shade.
"Truly grateful. Things were pitch-black despair..." She bowed deeply, sincerity dripping. Guan Yu got it, accepted gracefully.
"W-well, see you later! You're staying three days... I'll definitely invite you to the banquet then!" Bu Yong-hwa blushed lightly, waved, and bounced.
"..." Hallucination? Or just parched for women? Her beauty glowed ethereally in the moonlight.
Once she was gone, Guan Yu eyed her and dropped, "Kim. Quit the dopey face."
"Why, Sis...?" Her sudden stern look had me shrinking.
"That's a bitch. Looks cute on the surface, but she'll chain a man down once you're hooked. Too fragile for these times, too."
Harsh as hell... but target's out of earshot.
"Bitch, though? Sis, that's rough."
Canon vibes again.
'Guan Yu loves her dog metaphors.' Later, shot down Wu's marriage proposal with, "How send a tiger cub to a dog's whelp?" Tanked Shu-Wu ties, snowball to her death.
Bitch for Bu Yong-hwa now. Secret dog hater?
'Gotta coach her later.' Fingers crossed she watches her mouth.
"Worried as your sis! One wrong woman, and a man's done for. Introduce anyone later to me. Got it?" She yanked my cheeks wide.
"Aahhyesir."
Cheeks stretched, speech all slurry.
And so, Kim Gong and Guan Yu wrapped up their fruitful night stroll.