The Nightless City (2)
“Uncle! Look over there! They’re setting up for some kind of huge event!”
I followed the direction of Hye-ryeong’s excitedly pointing finger, her gesture as enthusiastic as a child’s.
Burly men hurried about making preparations. Lanterns and lights had been strung up all across the city, suggesting some kind of festival was underway.
We strolled through the bustling streets, searching for a decent inn where we could rest. Unfortunately, Elder Baek didn’t know any establishments in this particular city, so we wandered around before settling on one located on the outskirts.
The inns in the more prosperous districts were already overflowing with people.
“Waiter! Any rooms left? We’ll need two.”
“Yes, sir! Exactly two rooms available!”
“We’ll take them both. And bring some simple snacks to go with it.”
“Right away!”
I watched the waiter hurry off after taking our order, then let my gaze drift across the room. The place was packed—proof we’d been lucky to find anything at all. Just what was going on that so many people had gathered here? I quietly withdrew from the conversation at our table and tuned my ears to the chatter coming from outside.
“Did you hear the news? The barbarians are stirring again. Causing trouble both north and south this time. Sounds like a real headache for the court.”
“Again? Last year they caused such a mess that rumors were flying about conscripting martial artists from the Central Plains… If this keeps up, we might actually get dragged into it.”
“You think the Emperor would drag in people from the Wuxia Alliance? At most they’ll pick a few orthodox sect warriors to serve as special forces. Martial artists aren’t all that useful on a real battlefield anyway.”
Barbarians. Probably those Japanese pirates and the nomadic tribes. I didn’t know the exact history, but it seemed wise to avoid heading north. The last thing I wanted was to get caught up in another war.
But enough of this gloomy talk. Weren’t there any other subjects?
I continued eavesdropping on the men discussing state affairs. Hye-ryeong gave me a strange look at first, but once she realized what I was doing, she turned her attention back to the others and rejoined their conversation.
“I hope this night market has plenty to see.”
“Has the old master ever disappointed us? I’m sure he’ll unveil some incredible treasure again this time.”
“I’m dying to know who’ll end up with it.”
“That’s one thing, but I hear the pleasure houses are preparing special performances too. We should go see those, no?”
“Keep that up and you’ll get drunk on the perfume before you even catch a glimpse of the treasure. The items at the night market are all rare. Don’t let yourself get distracted.”
I perked up at the mention of treasure amid the excited voices. Treasure, huh?
What exactly was this treasure being unveiled at the night market? I’d originally planned to rest for a day and move on, but browsing the night market once might not be a bad idea. I’d already delivered all the necessary information to the Wuxia Alliance’s Tongcheon branch, and there was still nearly a month before the gathering of the renowned young talents from the orthodox sects. We had plenty of time.
“So what is this treasure, anyway?”
“Ahem, my throat’s too dry to speak properly…”
“Ugh, waiter! Bring us a bottle of flower wine!”
“Coming right up!”
Teasing me with bits and pieces. And I couldn’t exactly ask outright.
“Uncle? Eat your food.”
“I will. Just stop blowing in my ear.”
“Hmph.”
Hye-ryeong let out a laugh that made me want to smack her, then picked up her chopsticks. I did the same, reaching for the dishes that were already starting to disappear.
“I only caught this by chance, but the treasure that’s coming out this time is…”
Couldn’t you speak a little louder? Your voice is too quiet.
Asking directly would probably just make them clam up.
“Great Hero, are you that curious about it?”
“Hard not to be interested when they call it a treasure.”
“If it’s a famous item, you’ll probably see it while touring the night market.”
Ha-jin was right. Since the item was being revealed at the night market, wandering around should give me a chance to lay eyes on this treasure.
The mention of a night market also reminded me of something else I wanted to find. A lightness skill manual.
I wasn’t looking for some priceless qinggong technique that everyone would covet—just something practical I could actually use. It would be convenient to learn at least one decent lightness skill for the future. Riding a horse everywhere would work too, but the maintenance costs were enormous. Learning even a third-class lightness technique would be far cheaper.
That’s why I planned to check whether any lightness manuals were available that someone like me could learn without mastering a specific internal energy cultivation method.
“I wonder if they sell manuals at the night market.”
“For a night market held in a city this large, you might find something useful if you’re lucky. Though it’s likely to be closer to basic techniques…”
Ha-jin, who had been quietly eating, chimed in to support my muttered thoughts.
“Uncle, why do you want a manual?”
“I’m thinking of learning lightness skills.”
“Lightness skills… You could just learn Floating on Water… Oh. Right. You never learned the Origin Yang Technique.”
Hye-ryeong trailed off as she belatedly realized I hadn’t learned the Hainan Sect’s internal cultivation method. She gave me an apologetic look.
“Hero Wi. Lightness skills aren’t that difficult to study. If you obtain a manual, I’d be happy to help you.”
“Ask me anything you don’t understand too!”
Hye-ryeong, with Elder Baek right here, what would be the point of asking you? Still, I’d have to prepare some appropriate questions later so she wouldn’t feel left out. It didn’t seem right to ignore her when she was looking at me with such sparkling eyes.
“All right, just eat your food.”
“Hehe.”
Was that really something to smile about?
I watched Hye-ryeong play with her chopsticks and let out a small chuckle. If I’d had a younger sister, this might have been what it felt like.
“Then after we finish eating and rest a bit, let’s go see the night market!”
“Fine, but finish your meal first.”
The freshly steamed dumplings were getting cold.
I popped one of the steaming dumplings into my mouth. Ah, I was craving kimchi. Dumplings should be eaten with a piece of kimchi on top. But this place was a kimchi-less wasteland, and unless I made it myself, that wasn’t going to happen.
…The bigger problem was whether chili peppers even existed here yet. From what I remembered, they’d been introduced relatively late. And even if they did exist, they probably weren’t the variety I knew, so recreating 21st-century kimchi would be nearly impossible.
All I could do was chew the dumplings while trying to recall the increasingly faint taste of kimchi. Once I’d filled my stomach properly, I set down my chopsticks and poured the flower wine the waiter had brought into a cup, downing it in one go.
I couldn’t say the taste was great, but it was better than nothing.
“I’ll go rest in my room for a bit.”
“Go ahead.”
“Have a good rest.”
“Rest well, Great Hero.”
It was still early in the day, so I figured I could catch a quick nap. I stood up, asked the waiter for directions to the room, and headed upstairs.
“Uncle?”
“…Ah. It’s already evening.”
I turned my head to look out the window. The dark sky and the crimson glow rising from below were hard to ignore. Were those all lanterns? I stretched and got to my feet. After sleeping for several hours, my body felt reasonably refreshed.
Meditation wouldn’t have been a bad choice either… but I’d done plenty of it on the way here, so skipping a day was fine. I asked Hye-ryeong, who was humming with her hands clasped behind her back.
“Where did the others go?”
“Elder and Mu-gwang went to the Wuxia Alliance branch. First Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, and Geon-sam are drinking together.”
“Then it’s just us for the night market.”
“Hehe.”
A wide smile spread across Hye-ryeong’s face. Even at a glance, it was clear she was filled with anticipation. Was going to the night market together really that exciting? I was looking forward to it too, though.
After all, when you added up my time in the military in this life and my previous one, I’d spent nearly four years living like that.
“Has the night market already opened?”
“It opens in about one incense stick’s time!”
“Then I have time to wash up.”
I grabbed a towel and left the room. Hye-ryeong followed after me like a baby penguin, and we arrived at the well together.
“Hye-ryeong, why are you following me?”
“Um… just because?”
What I got in return was a meaningful smile. I watched as she narrowed her eyes in a grin, then drew water from the well. The water looked refreshingly cool as it splashed inside the bucket.
I’d just wash my face. Washing my hair felt a bit much. It would be nice if they had soap here.
With no other choice, I washed my face and hair with water, dried off thoroughly with the towel, then spoke to Hye-ryeong, who had been waiting for me while leaning against the building wall.
“Let’s just drop the towel off and head out.”
“The towel basket is right here!”
“Oh, right.”
I tossed the towel into the basket she indicated and straightened my clothes. Time to go.
Hye-ryeong seemed to sense that we were leaving and stood beside me, holding out her hand.
“The night market will be crowded, so we might get separated. Hold my hand!”
“Of course.”
I gently took Hye-ryeong’s hand. Though calluses had formed on it, the soft texture of her skin tickled my fingers. When I looked at her, she was gazing up at me with a slightly flushed face.
“Let’s go explore now!”
And so, my night market adventure with Hye-ryeong began.