Ian sent me a voice transmission.
—What should I do?
—He’s offering to buy you a drink, so handle it yourself.
I intended to watch how she dealt with it.
—This is the first time in my life this has ever happened.
—It’s my first time watching it happen from beside you, too.
—I can really do as I please?
—Do it.
—I really will.
The Feitian Sword Art was fine, and opening the Ren and Du meridians was fine, but the most important weapon that would protect her was experience.
The man introduced himself.
“I am Gu Si (穀思), young sect master of the Tianrangmen (天壤門).”
He was dressed in expensive silk, his wrists and fingers adorned with all manner of costly jewels. Even his fan was set with dazzling gems.
“Have you perhaps heard of our sect?”
“No. My experience is limited, so I’m afraid I haven’t. I’m sorry.”
“Not at all. That can happen.”
In truth, the Tianrangmen was a fairly well-known sect in the area.
Judging by his attire alone, Gu Si was the sort to go around declaring, “Do you know what family I’m from?” So the fact that she did not know him meant he had lost his greatest weapon.
“And what sect might you belong to, young lady?”
“It’s an unnamed sect far out in the countryside, so you wouldn’t know it.”
“Then at least tell me your name.”
“Baekmyeon.”
She answered that way because she had thought of a white mask. Gu Si was slightly taken aback by the strange name Baekmyeon, but soon smiled and said,
“Now then, Miss Baekmyeon. Shall we move somewhere else and talk?”
“That would be a little difficult. We’re in the middle of a conversation ourselves.”
Only then did Gu Si look at me. Truly, ever since sitting down, he had not spared me a single glance.
“And who are you, young hero?”
While Ian hesitated over how to introduce me, I answered first.
“I am Miss Baekmyeon’s guard.”
For an instant, Gu Si’s expression creased slightly. It meant, Why is a guard sharing a table with her? And with that single reaction, he revealed the kind of person he was.
I sent Ian a voice transmission.
—For today, I’ll be your guard. You spent your whole life as my guard, so one day the other way around is fine, isn’t it? Enjoy it. Chances like this don’t come often.
—I really am going to enjoy it.
Gu Si said to Ian,
“You seem close to your guard.”
Looking at me, Ian spoke with eyes full of mischief.
“No matter how many times I tell him to live his own life, he refuses to leave my side.”
Gu Si glared at me. The look in his eyes said exactly this: Your mistress is beautiful, so you’re clinging to her and trying to pull something, aren’t you?
“I wonder what you could possibly have to discuss with a guard.”
“We talk about all sorts of things.”
“If I may offer one piece of advice, it is better to keep your distance from guards.”
Ian answered Gu Si’s words.
“Building affection with a guard means building up points so they’ll die in your place, right?”
I laughed inwardly. Right now, she was throwing back all the things I had once said to her.
With an expression that seemed to say, What nonsense is that? Gu Si replied,
“That is not why.”
“Then why?”
“When you give subordinates an opening, they are bound to harbor other thoughts. It is not good for them either.”
He wore a solemn expression, but dressed in all those dangling jewels, what life experience could he possibly be speaking from? I could feel that it was mere posturing to look impressive in front of a woman.
“How cute.”
“Pardon? Ah, yes. There are times when subordinates who harbor other thoughts can seem cute.”
“No, I mean you’re cute, Young Hero Gu.”
For a moment, Gu Si was flustered. He had not expected her to say so openly that he was cute.
“Very well. Buy me a drink. Take me to the most expensive tavern in this town and buy me the most expensive liquor there.”
Ian rose from her seat.
“What is it? Did you change your mind because I asked for expensive liquor?”
“Of course not. Let us go.”
We left the tavern. Ian was acting differently from what I had expected. I had not thought she would so readily accept an invitation to drink.
A short while later, we took seats in a private room at the most expensive tavern in town.
“Young Hero Gu. Since we’re going to have fun anyway, call all your friends too. Men, women, call them all and let’s enjoy ourselves together. What’s wrong? You don’t have any friends?”
Gu Si’s face flushed slightly.
“In the martial world, the only one you can trust is yourself.”
It seemed he had been taught that since childhood. Trust no one.
“So you don’t have any friends. Then I’ll have to be our lonely Young Hero Gu’s friend.”
With her unique cheerfulness, Ian was guiding what could have been an endlessly depressing situation. The atmosphere grew infinitely brighter, and she was sincerely trying to enjoy herself. It felt exactly like this.
You want to drink? Fine. Why wouldn’t I? Since we’re having fun anyway, let’s really have fun!
In the meantime, a sumptuous feast was laid out. As one could tell from his attire, having nothing but money was his exclusive martial art.
“This liquor costs more than fifty nyang a bottle.”
At Gu Si’s boast, Ian made a great fuss.
“It’s my first time drinking something this expensive! Now then, I’ll drink gratefully. Ah, I’ll give my guard a cup as well.”
Without waiting for his answer, Ian poured me a drink.
“Guard Geom, accept a cup. This is very expensive liquor, so don’t leave a drop.”
“Before that, I will inspect it for a moment.”
I took out a silver needle and tested the liquor and dishes one by one. Of course, Gu Si made all sorts of faces, but Ian smiled and said to him,
“Young Hero Gu, surely you wouldn’t do anything strange to the food, would you? If you did, you’d be in trouble! Truly in trouble.”
“What do you take me for? Even without doing such things, women line up for me.”
At that, Ian smiled sweetly. It was the kind of captivating smile that could even melt an enemy’s heart.
“I knew it. Now, now, let’s drink.”
The three of us raised our cups. After emptying her cup, Ian expressed her regret.
“It’s a shame for only us to drink such fine liquor. Guards outside!”
This time, she called in Gu Si’s guards waiting outside. Four guards entered the room.
“Young Hero Gu, shall we drink with them too?”
Immediately, Gu Si looked displeased.
One of the four guards stepped forward.
“We are fine. We must protect the young master.”
Ian said to him,
“Is your young master truly protected while you stand out there?”
At those meaningful words, the guard had nothing to say. Until now, all they had been doing was guarding the drinking parties of a wastrel who went around seducing women with money.
Soon, Ian gently persuaded Gu Si.
“Young Hero Gu, don’t attach too much meaning to this. We’re simply having a drink together. Come now, sit.”
The guards watched Gu Si’s expression.
When Ian looked slightly disappointed, Gu Si could not hold out any longer. Once Gu Si nodded, the four men sat down.
“Now, now, each of you accept a cup from me.”
She poured them drinks. Perhaps Ian felt a tender sympathy toward them. They had been guards like her.
“Now, let’s all drink together!”
She raised her cup high, and we toasted.
“Ah, the liquor tastes good. Young Hero Gu, order more! Ah, is it too expensive?”
“What are you saying? Order as much as you like.”
Beauty was overwhelming everything.
And when Ian’s unique cheerfulness and vitality were added to it, nothing could stop her.
I truly had never imagined such an atmosphere could be created with these people.
She was unreserved. Because she held no prejudice toward the other party, no one felt emotionally uncomfortable.
I could tell it was not simply because I was beside her.
Once again, it was because of her confidence in her ability. Opening the Ren and Du meridians must have given even greater strength to her self-assurance.
We drank and talked about all sorts of things. The guards, who at first were extremely sparing with their words, began answering questions one by one, and even things Gu Si had not known came to light.
“You had a son ten days ago? Oh, congratulations!”
Ian did not interrogate Gu Si, who naturally would not have known. Instead, she created an atmosphere for everyone.
“Now, a gift for our young master! A gift! A gift!”
I admired her. She allowed them to celebrate without putting Gu Si in a bad mood. To be honest, at that moment, I thought this: She’s better than me.
Gu Si had never once given his guards a gift before, so he did not know what to do.
Ian calmly said to him,
“Among the people I know, there are some who like drawing lines.”
She picked up a chopstick, dipped it in liquor, and drew a long line across the table.
“This is the moment they’re hired, and this is the end. If they make it all the way here, they may even die in their employer’s place. Making it to the end? That is truly not an easy thing. And yet guards hope for it. They hope the relationship between themselves and the person they protect will reach this end. Even though this is the line where they die. That is what the guards here are.”
At her calm words, the four guards became slightly stirred. Those words were also meant for me. That she herself was like that.
“You know a great deal about guards.”
The question came from one of the guards.
“I experienced it when I was young.”
At that moment, Gu Si glared at the guard. His eyes said, Who told you to speak up? The guard who had stepped forward shrank back and lowered his head.
Ian said gently to Gu Si,
“If you look at people with those eyes, the line goes the other way.”
“I do not believe it. That someone can purely devote their life to someone else. Do you believe it, young lady?”
Ian nodded and held out her cup.
“Young Hero Gu should try believing it once too.”
“If you believe, you’ll get stabbed in the back properly.”
“Do you think you won’t if you don’t believe?”
“!”
“We often connect betrayal with trust. But that is only the position of the one being betrayed. I trusted them this much, and yet they betrayed me! But from the betrayer’s side, it’s not as though they betray because the other person didn’t trust them, is it? Most of the time, it’s for some other reason, isn’t it? Money, power, their own personal affairs. I have never once seen a case where someone said, My master did not trust me, so I betrayed them. That is an excuse made afterward. They betrayed because they weren’t trusted. So what I’m saying is, you can believe! Betrayal is a separate matter anyway!”
“That is sophistry!”
“Let us drink to today’s sophistry!”
Gu Si could not refuse the cup Ian offered him.
He was drunk, but Ian was only pretending to be drunk.
I saw it. From time to time, she was expelling the liquor’s energy through the tips of her fingers. Even though she seemed to be playing wildly, she was being careful. Perfect, Ian!
—When did you learn that? How to expel liquor energy?
—I learned when I was young. I simply lacked the ability to do it until now. Ah, what a waste. This expensive liquor!
As if she had belatedly remembered, she shouted,
“Ah, right. The baby’s gift! A gift! Give him a gift!”
When she shouted in high spirits, Gu Si took a money pouch from his robes.
“A lot! A lot! A lot!”
In the end, a fairly large sum came out of the pouch.
“It’s all right.”
“Take it. Buy the child some clothes or something.”
“Thank you.”
Looking at him, Ian gave him a thumbs-up.
“Young Hero Gu! You’re wonderful!”
“It is nothing.”
For no reason, Gu Si’s face turned red.
Thanks to that, the atmosphere grew even better, and we drank all night. Though we had only met that day, we shared all kinds of stories. It was also the first time Gu Si and his guards had ever shared a drinking party.
With Ian leading the mood, everyone gradually became soaked in the enjoyment of the drinking party, like getting wet in a drizzle. We drank through the night, talking about every trivial thing. We talked about martial arts, about making money, and about our families.
Because Ian, who led the gathering, treated the others sincerely, everyone unconsciously revealed their sincerity as well. We drank so merrily that we were genuinely sorry to part.
“Young Hero Gu, next time I come to this town, I’ll look for the Cheonsa Sect first.”
“It is not the Cheonsa Sect, but the Tianrangmen.”
“Ah, ah, our Tianrangmen’s Young Hero Gu. I’ve definitely remembered. Young Hero Gu, from today on, we’re drinking friends.”
At the words “from today on, we’re drinking friends,” Gu Si could not hide his joy. Perhaps when he first approached her today, he had begun with the thought of somehow getting Ian into bed. But now, he was moved by the words “drinking friends.”
“And until we meet again, you mustn’t go around seducing just any woman! Train in martial arts too. Let’s meet again when you look impressive. Understood?”
“Understood.”
Amazingly, Gu Si was nodding. I did not know for certain, but it felt as if he would change from this day onward. He even gave me some spending money.
“Serve the young lady well.”
“Yes, thank you.”
Ah, Gu Si would never know. How much I was admiring her at this very moment. Not admiring Gu Si, but Ian. In the span of a single night, she had made five men fall completely under her charm. To be honest, it was six. Because I, too, truly admired her.
And so we left that place. Far behind us, Gu Si and his guards watched us go, reluctant to say farewell.
“To be honest, at first I was worried about you.”
“About me? Why?”
“I was afraid you’d be deceived and swayed by men. Afraid you’d get worked up and cause trouble. Afraid you’d be disappointed by men and hurt.”
When they first appeared, I had thought it would end with Gu Si getting beaten up, or making even more of a fuss and dying. Something like that.
But it ended in a way I had never expected at all. If we had dragged Gu Si to Huangquan Pavilion, frightened him, and beaten him, would he have changed like that? It felt as though sunlight had removed the outer garment the wind could not strip away.
“And?”
“Now I have the complete opposite worry.”
“What kind of worry?”
“I’m worried about the men. If I let you out, you’ll ruin all the men of the martial world. They’ll squander their fortunes, go mad with training to show you how strong they are, and fall lovesick.”
Ian burst into laughter.
“You know, don’t you? How many tails I have.”
After seeing her today, I thought I absolutely had to help her master the Feitian Sword Art. Because the stronger she became, the more charming a person she would become.
“Where are we going now?”
“If we meet someone like Gu Si, we’ll have fun together again, eat delicious things, admire the scenic views along the way. And we’ll go watch a wedding.”
“Whose wedding?”
“There is one. A wedding I’m debating whether to stop or not.”
“Why would you stop someone else’s wedding?”
“Right?”
“That sounds fun! I’ve never properly watched a wedding before!”
Excited, she ran ahead.
Thinking that the sight of her running toward the sun rising in the distance was like a painting, I too slowly seeped into that painting.