Travel and return are not particularly special events for martial artists.
In a world teeming with dangers and bandits, the common folk may experience long journeys only a handful of times in their lives, but it was an exception for martial artists adorned with weapons.
Therefore, even the Sichuan Tang Family rarely saw crowds welcoming a return, unless it was a special occasion.
Unless it was a special occasion, that is.
“Tang Family Rising Volume 3!!!”
“Give us Tang Family Rising Volume 3!!!”
“Show us a sister-like swordwoman!!!”
“Show us! Show us!”
The Tang Party returned, heading towards the Tea Bookstore with the much-anticipated Tang Family Rising Volume 3. A throng of people gathered to welcome them.
“We must first report to the Tang Family Head.”
“Uuuuuu.”
“No use booing.”
“Can’t we release Volume 3 first?!”
“We can’t do that without prior approval! We’ll pass by!”
The martial artists of the Tang Family felt an overwhelming urge to toss the cart aside, but none dared to defy the orders of the Tang Head.
The Tang Party managed to push through the crowd, which seemed on the verge of turning into bandits out of disappointment.
“Tang Party!”
As the crowd gradually faded and they neared the Head Family’s Hall, a dazzling beauty suddenly appeared in front of them.
“Lady Hua-rin! Have you been well?”
Tang Hua-rin was the postmaster of the Tang Family and a unique presence in their secret garden. She received treatment akin to that of the direct line, and although the Tang Party did not know yet, she was now a disciple of the martial arts master and had a high standing in the martial world.
As the Tang Party stopped to pay their respects, Tang Hua-rin greeted familiar faces.
“Do you have something for me?”
As if testing her parents on her birthday, Tang Hua-rin averted her eyes, dragging her shoes through the dirt as she asked. There might be something, but just in case. If not, she wanted it quickly.
The Tang Party smiled at her demeanor and pulled out a box from their possessions.
“Master Kang instructed us to give this to Lady Hua-rin… Oops!”
“Thank you!”
Tang Hua-rin swiftly grabbed the box with a speed that made one wonder if she was a lightning spirit rather than a human.
“Let’s hurry along.”
The Tang Party laughed once at the happily disappearing Tang Hua-rin and then continued toward the Head Family’s Hall.
———
“I’m back!”
Tang Hua-rin entered with a smile blooming brighter than any flower in the secret garden, her expression exuding sheer happiness.
“You’re all smiles. You should prepare to start training soon.”
The martial arts master said playfully to his disciple, holding a box he hadn’t seen before.
“Ah…”
“I’m joking. Go in and read it calmly.”
The master smiled as he watched his disciple’s expression shift from shallow disappointment to sheer despair.
“Thank you!”
“Heh, is it that good?”
Sometimes, watching blooming youth was even more delightful than visiting a beautiful garden. The master smiled at his disciple who had disappeared into the room.
———
“Hmmmm.”
Tang Hua-rin unknowingly hummed a tune as she opened the box. Inside were items thick enough to be called letters and thin enough to be books.
The identity of the book was the new volume of Tang Family Rising that anyone from the Sichuan Tang Family would shout with joy about, but what mattered to Tang Hua-rin at that moment wasn’t the new volume.
With caution, as if handling some precious item, she unfolded the letter.
[To my beloved Hua-rin.]
“Starting off all red-faced. What if someone saw?”
Tang Hua-rin’s grumbling voice was already filled with excitement. Was this the feeling one has with a racing heart from just reading the first line?
After glancing around to ensure no one was watching, she continued reading the letter from her fiancé.
[While Tang Party was pestering me to train in martial arts, I said it was alright to have failed during a tightrope walk, but there was definitely some selfish intent involved.]
“Chuckles.”
Tang Hua-rin imagined Kang Yoon-ho, who must have trained throughout his travels. Surely he would have been straining while working hard at it. That’s just the kind of guy he was.
The letter detailed everything Yoon-ho would experience on his way to Yichang and what he’d face once he arrived, written meticulously so that Tang Hua-rin wouldn’t miss a single detail.
Of course, there were a few things that were hard to understand through mere words.
“I provided uniforms for the staff, and the customer numbers increased?”
Tang Hua-rin tilted her head. Did dressing them neatly lead to more customers?
It made sense that she found it hard to grasp since she wasn’t there. While she felt a bit of disappointment, she smiled at her fiancé’s kindness towards the struggling staff as she flipped to the next page.
All the stories—of employees retiring, of the literary association head covering the wages, and how word spread of a good boss when they provided lunch—made her smile wistfully at how enjoyable it would have been if she’d been by his side.
“Hmm?”
As she read, her eyes stopped at a rather puzzling part.
[I took in the child of a benefactor I owed favor to, as they had nowhere else to go. There really seems to be fate after all.]
“A benefactor’s child?”
Did Yoon-ho really have a benefactor? She seemed to recall hearing something like that.
“It feels odd… Is it just me…?”
Tang Hua-rin furrowed her brow, feeling an uncomfortable sensation, like a fish bone stuck in her throat. There was something awkward about this. She couldn’t figure out why it felt that way.
The discomfort stemmed from Kang Yoon-ho referring to someone as a “child” rather than simply saying “girl,” which stirred her instincts and made her uneasy.
Tang Hua-rin lingered on the phrase “benefactor’s child” for a moment before shaking her head. It must just be because it was the first letter she received from Yoon-ho, making her overly sensitive to strange details.
Continuing to read, she found it all— the release of Tang Family Rising, the bid for printing presses, even instances where scoundrels were tricked. Everything Kang Yoon-ho experienced until the Sichuan Tang Family left Yichang was captured in the letter.
She read through it all quickly, as thirsty for news about Kang Yoon-ho as she was. Soon, her eyes landed on the final sentence.
[Lastly, I’m sending my feelings for you, as well as the fruits of our labor. This is Volume 3 of Tang Family Rising, printed first with the best printing press on the finest paper.]
“Chuckles. How ridiculous.”
What a way to flaunt—
Tang Hua-rin gazed at the first copy of Tang Family Rising Volume 3 with tear-filled eyes. The best paper and printing, lovingly crafted by Kang Yoon-ho.
When she opened the first page, she couldn’t help but freeze in awe.
[I’ll be waiting at the Tea Bookstore. With love, Kang Yoon-ho.]
“That’s cheating…”
Tang Hua-rin hugged the first volume of Tang Family Rising tightly to her trembling heart.
“Did it say he returned well?”
When the martial arts master entered with fine herbal tea for her health, it was after she had started to calm down from the rush of emotions.
“Yes…”
“What happened with your fiancé?”
She must have received the letter from him, yet her complexion didn’t seem entirely good.
“He says he’s doing well, so I feel relieved, but I’m oddly a bit lonely.”
Tang Hua-rin let slip her emotions with an expression that looked slightly forlorn.
“Lonely?”
“While he’s been working hard alone, I feel guilty for not being there, proud that he can manage well alone, but then it feels like he doesn’t need me anymore. No! That’s not it! Anyway… it feels strange.”
With a face neither purely happy nor sad, Tang Hua-rin recalled Kang Yoon-ho’s image.
She couldn’t put her emotions in order. Every thought of Yoon-ho sent her mind and heart reeling. How could she even express this feeling properly?
“…It’s love.”
The martial arts master smiled as if he were seeing his younger self in her and spoke to his disciple.
“Is it strange?”
“How can the heart be at ease when your other half is far away? I often felt that way when I was distant from my husband.”
“Chuckles. It seems so.”
So this feeling is love. With that revelation, Tang Hua-rin smiled, feeling a sense of relief. She gazed at her master with respect.
He was an adult who had walked a similar path, perhaps the most trustworthy mentor one could wish for.
“What book do you hold?”
“It’s a book written by my fiancé. Can I start my training after I read it all?”
Reading just the title sent shivers through her. Tang Hua-rin hesitantly made her request to her master.
“The time spent reading that book will be time taken away from your reunion.”
“Let’s go! To train!”
The martial arts master smiled at his disciple’s spirited determination and followed her to the training ground.
———
“My mind feels like it’s floating.”
“I’m sorry.”
Feeling no need for excuses, Tang Hua-rin heavily hung her head. It was hard to concentrate. With every move, a man’s face kept popping into her mind, making focus impossible.
“It’s alright. It’s expected to feel this way with news from a long-awaited fiancé. I need to visit the guard post too, so we’ll stop here for today.”
Understanding her situation, the martial arts master nodded. News from a long-awaited fiancé just arrived, after all. There was no need to press too hard.
Usually, she was the sort to put pressure on herself to train anyway.
The master wasn’t about to be unfair, so he left her to tidy up and headed towards the guard post.
“Ugh… Really. Kang Yoon-ho. It’s because of you.”
While tidying up in the training hall, Tang Hua-rin grumbled towards her distant fiancé.
The tidying up was finished quickly. It may have been her fault for not concentrating, but it also gave her extra time.
What to do with this floating day? Should she read Tang Family Rising? Or reread the letter?
“Right! I have the perfect plan!”
After some deliberation, an amazing idea suddenly struck Tang Hua-rin.
———
“What did the Tang Head say? To distribute Volume 3 right away?!”
As the Tang Party exited the Head Family’s Hall, a few martial artists from the Tang Family with eager faces approached them.
“He’s currently out. He’ll return for dinner.”
“Then give us Volume 3 first!!!”
“The decision rests with the Tang Family Head; there’s nothing we can do about it.”
Tang Family Rising was tied to the Color Demon incident. Even the family members could not handle it rashly. It served as a good excuse.
They had promised that Volume 3 would resolve all suspicions, so it was really just the Tang Head’s ulterior motive to be the first to read his child’s story.
“Ugh… Alright then. How was the Tea Bookstore?”
“Don’t even get me started. Everyone’s eyes sparkled when they heard we came from Sichuan Tang Family.”
“What?! Is that true?”
The martial artists collectively gasped in surprise, turning to stare at the Tang Party.
Seeing their astonished expressions, the Tang Party carried on with pleasant smiles.
“When they hear someone from Tang Family, everyone thinks what?! A cunning villain? But the Tea Bookstore was different!”
“When we talked about Tang Family Rising, people flocked to us like bees, and each of our words felt like it was being hung on every syllable… oh…”
One of the guards shivered as he recalled being showered with respect at the Tea Bookstore.
“D-Detail that a bit more!”
There’s a saying that martial artists feed off reputation and honor. Just how incredible must that experience have been to have them acting like this?
The martial artists swallowed hard as they pressed for more details.
“Even the beautiful female employees in their uniforms gave us looks of respect. Knowing they were doing so made my heart race uncontrollably.”
“Yeah, it was exhilarating.”
“Uniforms? What’s that?”
“Cough cough, that was initiated by Master Kang! It’s a style worn by northern women, and the silk just clings to the body and—!”
The Tang Party, like teenage boys describing the mature women they saw, continued with their lewd expressions.
“Just thinking back makes my heart race. It’s all good.”
One of the joys of travel is sharing experiences with those who’ve never been there.
Trembling with excitement at gaining reputation and honor, not to mention the gazes of beautiful women, the Tea Bookstore really seemed like a paradise for the Tang Family martial artists. Their mouths were agape.
The Tang Party reveled in their superiority from having visited the Tea Bookstore, flailing their hands and feet as they frantically discussed the innovations they’d seen.
“The rumors about northern women having many children must have some truth! Their curves are dangerously alluring, and watching them move… huh?”
As they failed to notice a significant problem approaching them from behind.
“Tang Party. Keep talking.”
“Lady Hua-rin? What are you doing here?!”
Why was Lady Hua-rin, who should be reading Master Kang’s letter in the secret garden, here?
“Is that important right now?”
What she came here to hear about Kang Yoon-ho’s activities at the Tea Bookstore became irrelevant.
“It’s nothing. Let me tell you a different story!”
“Tell me quickly. I’m about to lose my composure.”
Despite her smile, Lady Hua-rin’s expression was icy as if it were a flower made of ice.
“Absolutely not! It’s a secret!”
They were doomed. Master Kang had explicitly instructed this to be kept secret. The Tang Party found themselves unconsciously retreating.
“Speak.”
“……”
“In detail.”
At that moment, the Tang Party learned what kind of martial artist Hua-rin could become if she went down a path she shouldn’t. The overwhelming aura she emitted was too intense for the young men to believe she was just past her coming of age.
They squeezed their eyes shut.
It’s said the mouth is a doorway to hell. Had they now opened the gates of hell themselves?
Should they reveal this information? Or should they keep silent? After long deliberation, a singular thought flashed through the Tang Party’s mind.
‘Now that I think of it, it’s not like I’m the one going to hell, right?’
“Well, it goes like this…”
Ultimately, it was all a case of karma. Having stepped onto the wrong path, they figured they could endure being slightly scolded by their fiancée.
The Tang Party’s lockbox of secrets cracked open.
Tang Hua-rin finally understood the true identity of the so-called uniform. It was the cheongsam, a garment that added an intriguing allure.
What a splendid barbarian culture. Embrace it. Once the gate was opened, it couldn’t be stopped, and she happily continued to elaborate. Finally, Tang Hua-rin’s ice-cold smile began to crack.
In the end…
“Kang Yoon-hoooooooooooooo!”
Tang Hua-rin’s roar of mixed fury echoed throughout the Sichuan Tang Family.
It was a tranquil spring day, with a gentle breeze blowing.
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