“So, what can you two actually do for ?”
Vieya walked ahead while making sure the beggar girl and the flying white dog kept up behind her.
“Since you know I’m the Sword Master, I’ll tell you sothing too: I don’t keep freeloaders. Aside from warming the bed, what other skills do you have?”
“If warming the bed isn’t allowed... I can help you beat people up,” the beggar girl answered.
“......”
Vieya went silent for a mont. This one’s brain seems even simpler than mine.
But that also made things easier.
Bringing this mysterious, dangerous pair ho was impossible. If they went berserk in her house, who would she complain to?
Didn’t Hua Shiyu say she’s hosting a party at the Hunter’s Dagger Tavern tonight? I can dump this beggar girl there first. If she goes crazy and sothing blows up, all responsibility goes straight to that pink midget.
With that thought, Vieya’s lips curved into a sly, wicked little smile.
Behind her, the beggar girl walked with her hands clasped behind her back, strolling along, eyes darting everywhere in curiosity, as if everything on the street was fascinating.
To Vieya, it looked exactly like watching a village granny entering the imperial garden for the first ti—utterly provincial.
“Oh right, beggar girl. Your na is Lalam, right?” Vieya suddenly asked.
“It’s not Lalam, it’s Marlam!” Marlam corrected emphatically. “And this flying dog is Pike!”
“Alright, Marlam.” Vieya accepted it smoothly.
“So, do you martial monks have any special customs? Like not eating beef or sothing?”
“No need for at, just give so coarse grain,” Marlam said while rubbing her stomach. “Of course, sharing so wine with would be even better.”
No at but wine?
Perfect. I’ll just get her drunk and question her later—much easier that way.
Vieya paused in thought and nodded, granting Marlam’s small request.
......
anwhile—
Jasmine was sitting on the sofa at ho, sighing. Her mom wasn’t coming back again tonight.
And... one of her classmates had shalessly followed her ho to freeload food and lodging.
“Eh? It’s already nine at night, and the Dean-sis still isn’t «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» back.”
Rorina glanced at the howling wind outside the window and the golden formation barrier rising in the sky, murmuring,
“I heard opening a guardian formation like this requires tons of magicians working together. Did the Dean-sis go to the Lord Mayor’s manor to help operate it?”
“Impossible... Mom falls asleep the mont she sees complicated magic diagrams. She’s never been into magic.”
Jasmine thought for a bit and added, “But she might go help maintain order.”
“Falls asleep at magic diagrams—just like that fish-selling girl...” Rorina muttered.
“Sigh.”
Jasmine looked up at the pitch-black, moonless night sky and sighed again. She had always felt Mom was less like a magic academy dean and more like a straightforward warrior.
Hmm... “warrior” sounds too rough for Mom... So maybe “swordswoman”?
Just as Jasmine was about to turn away from the window, she noticed a crouching green figure outside the garden gate.
Who’s that?
A thread of caution rose in her heart. Jasmine turned her head and shouted toward the three maids playing cards:
“Cat-sis, Shabai-sis, Spider-sis, there’s a stranger squatting outside!”
“ow? Hmm? Oh... it’s a little green-haired girl, right?”
Helcat asked without even turning her head, lazily drawing cards. She sounded like she’d been expecting this.
“Yes, yes!” Jasmine nodded repeatedly.
“That one? Probably waiting for your mom. Old friend. Don’t mind her, ow,” Helcat said.
“Waiting for Mom? Then... she’s Mom’s friend?” Jasmine whispered.
“The wind is so strong outside. Should we call her in to sit for a while?”
“No need, ow.” Helcat waved a paw dismissively. “Just let her wait. Hahaha—KING BOMB! I win, pay up ow! Pay up ow!”
“What the—!”
Elizabeth slamd her cards down, face dark.
“Losing all night! Trash hands every round! I’m done!”
......
Hunter’s Dagger Tavern.
“Phew, it’s still open.”
Vieya exhaled in relief. Nearly every shop around had closed under the Lord Mayor’s storm-warning order, but this tavern was still open, brightly lit.
Which ant Hua Shiyu’s party wasn’t over yet. And in this entire town, the only person besides Vieya who could blatantly ignore the Lord Mayor’s command was that pink midget—a royal inspector from the Capital.
“Eh? Weren’t you taking us to your house? Why a tavern...?” Marlam hesitated.
“Food is food. Filling your stomach is what matters,” Vieya said.
As if I’d bring you ho. Switching won every other day—if my daughter saw that, she’d think I’m so perverted playboy.
“You’re right,” Marlam nodded approvingly. “As long as we eat, anywhere is fine!”
Her stomach growled twice in agreent.
Inside the tavern, Hua Shiyu was indeed still partying with her squad. The place was empty aside from their table. The tavern manager was planning to close as soon as he sent this important client off.
But before he could, two new guests entered—one of them the infamous, fearso gatron, Vieya herself.
The tavern manager sighed and stepped forward, ready to explain that they were closing early and ask the two guests to return another ti.
“Wait!”
Hua Shiyu’s group also spotted Vieya entering and imdiately raised a hand to stop the manager.
“They’re with us. Don’t worry about them—just tell the kitchen to serve food.”
“Ah, of course, of course! Then I’ll send two jars of the good wine later.”
The manager bowed repeatedly and fled as if pardoned.
Once he left, Hua Shiyu waved cheerfully at the white-haired loli by the door.
“Yoo, if it isn’t our famous Vieya! How co you had ti to join us for dinner again? Wow, you even brought a family mber!”
“Don’t talk nonsense. I’m not here to eat with you.”
Vieya walked over with Marlam in tow. Her erald eyes paused slightly as she asked,
“Adding one more mouth—no objections, right?”
“Not one mouth—one and a half,” Marlam corrected, pointing at Pike. “Pike also eats.”
Vieya nodded and repeated to Hua Shiyu,
“No objections to one and a half mouths, right?”
“She is...” Hua Shiyu glanced at Vieya, and though she only spoke two words, Vieya understood all the implied aning.
“She’s a wandering martial monk I ran into. Very strong, identity unknown. Leaving her unattended might cause trouble in town.” Vieya said softly.
“So I brought her here to hand over to you professionals. After all—professional work should be handled by professionals.”
“...Ha?”
Hua Shiyu’s cherry-colored eyebrows twitched.
“You sure you’re not just getting pestered by her, finding it troubleso, and kicking this hot potato at ?”
“Don’t expose .” Vieya lowered her head shyly.
Tch. Acting bashful? You damn white fluffball.
Hua Shiyu sneered internally, a thousand guesses swirling in her mind. Outwardly, she stayed bright and friendly as she looked at the strange, lazy girl.
“May I ask the monk lady’s na? Where you co from? Where you’re heading?”
“Just call Marlam.”
Marlam brushed back her hair, calm as drifting clouds.
“I co from the Eastern Realms. My goal this ti is to fill my stomach.”
Hua Shiyu paused. Many thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant. She was about to speak—
—but Vieya dragged Marlam into an empty seat and raised a brow.
“We’ve prepared dinner and wine. I hope you’ll like it.”
“Ooh! Beans and wine!”
The beggar girl’s eyes lit up; she was one whistle short of cheering.
“These days on the road—from Eastern Realms to here—ten thousand leagues of dust, eating nothing but bark and roots!”
“Co, let’s have a drink,” Vieya said sweetly, pouring wine without an ounce of restraint.
Hua Shiyu’s eyelid twitched at the obvious scheming.
“Hey! Idiot Marlam! You’re not actually going to drink now, right?” Pike barked anxiously.
“Did you forget we’re here to make trouble?! If you get drunk and thrown into a dungeon, what then?!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Wine flows through the guts, clarity stays in the heart! What’s a small drink or two?”
Marlam waved him off and took the huge white porcelain bowl from Vieya, saying boldly,
“I’ve cultivated since childhood—mind, qi, blood, ridians, bones—every inch under control. A bit of alcohol is nothing.”
“You—! We’re in enemy territory! Can you use even a little caution?”
Pike barked twice, then finally succumbed to the overwhelming aroma of roasted ats and landed between them, drooling.
At the sa ti, Hua Shiyu finally understood Vieya’s intentions: get the beggar girl drunk and extract information.
But... she stared at the girl Vieya was stuffing full of wine and grew confused.
She leaned close to Vieya’s ear and whispered, warm breath brushing lightly,
“These two... seem a bit off in the head? Did you hit them?”
Vieya: “......”
Now that she had food and drink, Marlam grew even livelier, chattering nonstop about cultivation stories—none of it useful.
“You know, little sister,” Marlam said, throwing an arm over Vieya’s shoulder, ignoring the sli girl’s exasperation,
“When I was cultivating, there were monsters harming a village at the foot of the mountain. I smashed them all one by one with my fists. But one monster actually begged for rcy—said it would never dare again, that it just wanted to go back to its nest and live out its life. Then—”
“You killed the monster that begged for rcy too?” Vieya frowned, trying to pry Marlam’s arm off—she couldn’t.
“No!”
Marlam shook her head while keeping Vieya trapped in her grip.
“I believed it. I turned around to leave.”
“...Ah.” Vieya was speechless.
“But!”
Marlam suddenly grew indignant.
“That monster ambushed the mont I turned my back! So sneaky! I was furious—spent seven days hunting down every monster in that region and killed them all!”
Vieya shoved at Marlam helplessly. Regret quietly blood.
“Can you not squeeze so hard? My shoulder hurts.”
“Huh? Oh...”
Marlam loosened her grip a bit, then took a huge gulp of wine.
“You’re pretty weak, little sister. Your stamina and endurance are terrible. Your species talent is your strength, but it’s also your weakness.”
Heh. Weak or not, I could still stab you to death in one sword stroke.
Vieya didn’t take the comnt to heart. She simply waited until Marlam looked sufficiently drunk, then calmly asked:
“Have you heard anything about Ghost?”
“Ghost? You an the thing people say humans beco after they die? Haha, that’s fake. When people die, nothing remains. The soul returns to the gods. You can’t turn into a ghost.”
“I see.”
Vieya fell silent for a mont, then continued,
“Then have you heard of Youze?”
“Youze? That na sounds familiar...”
Marlam chewed on beans, trying to recall.
“Idiot!” Pike suddenly shot up while gnawing roasted chicken.
“That’s the bad woman who went with Sujin to Mount Dai to find you!”
The mont the words left his mouth, Pike slapped his paws over his muzzle in panic.
Instantly, the entire table went silent.
Everyone present turned sharp, lethal gazes toward Marlam and the white dog.
“Oh? Oh!”
Marlam, still drunkenly hugging Vieya’s shoulder, blinked and said with sudden realization,
“It’s her! She treated to a al too!”
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