Liu Bei POV
After standing around near the entrance of the inn for a while, a waiter finally noticed us and came over, “My lordships, may I ask if you’re–“
“Ah, we wish to have a meal and rest our legs.”
“Alright, come right in please.” He quickly went into waiter-mode and led us in, “Umm, you may leave your horses in the stables over there.”
“How much for horse feed?” Yi De asked.
“This much.” He said as he raised a few fingers and gestured about.
“Oh, it’s a lot cheaper here than elsewhere.”
“Is that so?” I said to Yun Chang. I had no idea how much it usually cost as I always just handed over my horses to a subordinate officer and left everything to them.
“We’ll take horse feed then. The best you have.”
“Acknowledged.” The waiter said as he gestured for us to enter.
“Ah, good–”
*Pa*!
“Wu!”
All of a sudden, someone slammed a table inside and the 3 of us went on high alert immediately. Yun Chang’s gaze in particular sharpened as she looked about for where the sound came from.
“–Although possessed of talent rare, this man has made no name.”
But soon after, the singing resumed.
“… They’re still singing huh?” Yun Chang said as she slowly relaxed her guard.
“Sorry for that my lordships. Our humble shop is small and noisy. If it bothers you, I’ll go and have a word with them.”
“Ah, no need for that.” I quickly denied the waiter, “Their singing is nice anyway so let them carry on.”
When I finished, I looked at the other 2 who nodded in response before following behind the waiter. The inn was not very big and probably had no more than a dozen tables or so, nor were the tables filled either.
“– The omens came; a serpent coiled on the dragon throne, while in the hall of audience unholy halos shone.”
But in the corner of the inn, there were 2 people singing a duet. I did not dare to stare too keenly and merely stole glances here and there.
One was a man and the other was a woman, dressed in simple and plain brown and white robes respectively, looking very much like the standard scholar. In fact, their garb seemed even plainer than the Xu state 3. From their singing and their dressing, it feels like they seem to be hermits–
“Hahaha~ Drink!”
“Drink.”
*Dang*
The 2 of them downed the contents of their cups and broke into peals of laughter after they clinked their cups.
Un… Perhaps I should reconsider my prior assessment. They really are energetic and lively, something that really sets them apart from the Xu state 3.
“What would you 3 like to have?” The waiter asked as we sat down at an empty table.
“Ah, just give us whatever you recommend.”
“Within reasonable costs.” Yun Chang added after I replied.
“Alright, please wait for a moment.”
When the waiter left, Yun Chang looked at me with a helpless look, “Big brother, if I hadn’t barged in, the waiter would have ordered all the expensive dishes. Have you forgotten that Lord Mi Zhu will inspect our coin pouches when we return?”
Ah… I completely forgot about that.
“My lord! What have you done!!”
Wu. Just imagining Mi Zhu’s reaction is scary enough.
“Many thanks to Yun Chang for saving me. I very nearly fell into a bottomless ravine.” I said as I smiled stiffly and had a sip of water from the bowl that the waiter poured for us. I then turned back and looked at the 2 who were singing.
“Un… Their voices are really nice, be it the man’s or the woman’s.” Yun Chang praised.
“The auras they have do not seem ordinary. Could one of them be Zhuge Liang?” Yi De chimed in.
Zhuge Liang huh… I turned back to look at them again and saw that they were drinking again.
“No, I don’t think so.”
“I’ve heard of flamboyant and even licentious hermits though.”
“You both are really good at labeling others huh?”
Well, I cannot really lambaste them too much either as I am doing it in a way.
“What do you mean by labeling them? What is a label?” Yi De suddenly asked.
“Ah… No, it’s nothing, just some local term.”
Ah yes, this term should not be in use in this era. I have always been careful not to use modern terms but I slipped up here.
“If they really are hermits then I’m afraid that they too are like me and have a long way to go in terms of their training and refinement.” Yun Chang delivered a serious and scathing assessment.
But really, what kind of training does a hermit do? I really cannot imagine it.
“Un? … Those 3 over there are military officials right?”
“They’re called soldiers.”
Un? It seems like someone is talking behind us.
I put down the bowl of water I had just picked up and looked behind. The 2 who were singing before were looking at us and talking. Cups, bowls and jugs were scattered all around them. It’s not a stretch to say that they have been drinking the entire night long.
“Ah, I suppose we are soldiers yes.” I nodded and gave a vague reply, not wanting too many people to be able to recognise me and also because I did not really want to interact too much with people who could drink like that, even if they were astounding singers.
“Military officials? Why are military officials poking around this tiny, poor village?” The woman said in a rather hoarse voice and coughed a few times.
“You mean conducting reconnaissance or scouting.” The man corrected her. Though he too was very drunk, it seems like he was able to have a tighter grip on things and seemed more relaxed.
“Umm, we came here to seek an audience with a great sage.” I said as I got up and bowed.
“Hahahahaha!” When I finished, the woman broke out into a drunken peal of laughter that was even more sonorous than Zhou Cang.
No, I should say that she is really brutish.
“You said you were seeking the sage right?” The woman said as she got up, as did Yun Chang and Yi De when they saw this.
“Yun Chang…” I softly called out and shook my head. Yun Chang sat back down as she saw this.
“Come, let’s show ourselves to this military official.” The woman said as she began to walk over shakily. The man got up as well and made his way over in shaky steps as well, albeit less so than the woman.
“We’ll be honest, we’re actually great sages too~”
“You both?” I asked as I frowned.
“To be more precise, we’re hermits.” The man corrected once more.
But these 2 really do not seem like hermits at all now. As they came closer, I got abetter glimpse of them. The robe that the woman wore was of a slightly darker colour than Cui Zhou Ping’s pure white robes and there were many stains on them. Her nose was bright red from liquor and her hair was tied back in a messy ponytail with some fringe sticking out. Her eyes were also half-closed, looking very much like the stereotypical modern female hikkikomori.
As for the man, his hair was naturally curly, short and seemed oily. Those curls really did not make him seem like a hermit at all.
To put it simply, I no longer think that they seem like hermits though their singing is really good.
“Pardon my frankness but I think that you both have some way to go before you can call yourselves hermits.”
“Ah, Yun Chang…”
I was shocked by Yun Chang being so frank in saying what all of us felt but Yun Chang did not seem to have any intention of taking back her words. I do not know if it’s my misconception but it feels like Yun Chang has high expectations of hermits.
Or perhaps she is just unforgiving to frivolous people.
“Hahahaha!”
But when Yun Chang finished, the 2 of them did not get angry or awkward and laughed instead. Even the man chuckled beside the woman.
“It’s not strange of you to think like this. Compared to Cui Zhou Ping, we certainly don’t meet the standards for being a hermit.” The woman said as she kneaded her forehead and sat down on an empty chair nearby.
“Umm, what did you just say? Did you say Cui Zhou Ping? You know her?”
“Hahaha, of course I do…” She chuckled for a bit before stopping abruptly and tilted her head as she looked at me, “By the way how did military official know about her?”
“I–”
“You plan to seek her assistance?” The man interrupted me before I could finish my reply.
“Oh, I almost forgot you just said that.” The woman said as she frowned and rapped her head, “But if you are planning on looking for her, I don’t think she will be too willing. In her own words, she doesn’t have any talent.”
“Ah, yes. I know that already.” I nodded, feeling a little nervous at how the flow of the conversation was being dictated by the woman, “So I came to seek someone else.”
“Someone else huh…” The woman nodded lightly before turning to the waiter, “Umm, get me another serving.”
“Someone else…” The man repeated and looked up at the ceiling, “Un… Apart from Cui Zhou Ping, the only hermit in the area is Kong Ming.”
“Ah~ Kong Ming huh~” The woman seemed to realise something and smiled wryly as she tilted her head, “But you military officials shouldn’t be here for Kong Ming right?”
Liu Bei POV
After standing around near the entrance of the inn for a while, a waiter finally noticed us and came over, “My lordships, may I ask if you’re–“
“Ah, we wish to have a meal and rest our legs.”
“Alright, come right in please.” He quickly went into waiter-mode and led us in, “Umm, you may leave your horses in the stables over there.”
“How much for horse feed?” Yi De asked.
“This much.” He said as he raised a few fingers and gestured about.
“Oh, it’s a lot cheaper here than elsewhere.”
“Is that so?” I said to Yun Chang. I had no idea how much it usually cost as I always just handed over my horses to a subordinate officer and left everything to them.
“We’ll take horse feed then. The best you have.”
“Acknowledged.” The waiter said as he gestured for us to enter.
“Ah, good–”
*Pa*!
“Wu!”
All of a sudden, someone slammed a table inside and the 3 of us went on high alert immediately. Yun Chang’s gaze in particular sharpened as she looked about for where the sound came from.
“–Although possessed of talent rare, this man has made no name.”
But soon after, the singing resumed.
“… They’re still singing huh?” Yun Chang said as she slowly relaxed her guard.
“Sorry for that my lordships. Our humble shop is small and noisy. If it bothers you, I’ll go and have a word with them.”
“Ah, no need for that.” I quickly denied the waiter, “Their singing is nice anyway so let them carry on.”
When I finished, I looked at the other 2 who nodded in response before following behind the waiter. The inn was not very big and probably had no more than a dozen tables or so, nor were the tables filled either.
“– The omens came; a serpent coiled on the dragon throne, while in the hall of audience unholy halos shone.”
But in the corner of the inn, there were 2 people singing a duet. I did not dare to stare too keenly and merely stole glances here and there.
One was a man and the other was a woman, dressed in simple and plain brown and white robes respectively, looking very much like the standard scholar. In fact, their garb seemed even plainer than the Xu state 3. From their singing and their dressing, it feels like they seem to be hermits–
“Hahaha~ Drink!”
“Drink.”
*Dang*
The 2 of them downed the contents of their cups and broke into peals of laughter after they clinked their cups.
Un… Perhaps I should reconsider my prior assessment. They really are energetic and lively, something that really sets them apart from the Xu state 3.
“What would you 3 like to have?” The waiter asked as we sat down at an empty table.
“Ah, just give us whatever you recommend.”
“Within reasonable costs.” Yun Chang added after I replied.
“Alright, please wait for a moment.”
When the waiter left, Yun Chang looked at me with a helpless look, “Big brother, if I hadn’t barged in, the waiter would have ordered all the expensive dishes. Have you forgotten that Lord Mi Zhu will inspect our coin pouches when we return?”
Ah… I completely forgot about that.
“My lord! What have you done!!”
Wu. Just imagining Mi Zhu’s reaction is scary enough.
“Many thanks to Yun Chang for saving me. I very nearly fell into a bottomless ravine.” I said as I smiled stiffly and had a sip of water from the bowl that the waiter poured for us. I then turned back and looked at the 2 who were singing.
“Un… Their voices are really nice, be it the man’s or the woman’s.” Yun Chang praised.
“The auras they have do not seem ordinary. Could one of them be Zhuge Liang?” Yi De chimed in.
Zhuge Liang huh… I turned back to look at them again and saw that they were drinking again.
“No, I don’t think so.”
“I’ve heard of flamboyant and even licentious hermits though.”
“You both are really good at labeling others huh?”
Well, I cannot really lambaste them too much either as I am doing it in a way.
“What do you mean by labeling them? What is a label?” Yi De suddenly asked.
“Ah… No, it’s nothing, just some local term.”
Ah yes, this term should not be in use in this era. I have always been careful not to use modern terms but I slipped up here.
“If they really are hermits then I’m afraid that they too are like me and have a long way to go in terms of their training and refinement.” Yun Chang delivered a serious and scathing assessment.
But really, what kind of training does a hermit do? I really cannot imagine it.
“Un? … Those 3 over there are military officials right?”
“They’re called soldiers.”
Un? It seems like someone is talking behind us.
I put down the bowl of water I had just picked up and looked behind. The 2 who were singing before were looking at us and talking. Cups, bowls and jugs were scattered all around them. It’s not a stretch to say that they have been drinking the entire night long.
“Ah, I suppose we are soldiers yes.” I nodded and gave a vague reply, not wanting too many people to be able to recognise me and also because I did not really want to interact too much with people who could drink like that, even if they were astounding singers.
“Military officials? Why are military officials poking around this tiny, poor village?” The woman said in a rather hoarse voice and coughed a few times.
“You mean conducting reconnaissance or scouting.” The man corrected her. Though he too was very drunk, it seems like he was able to have a tighter grip on things and seemed more relaxed.
“Umm, we came here to seek an audience with a great sage.” I said as I got up and bowed.
“Hahahahaha!” When I finished, the woman broke out into a drunken peal of laughter that was even more sonorous than Zhou Cang.
No, I should say that she is really brutish.
“You said you were seeking the sage right?” The woman said as she got up, as did Yun Chang and Yi De when they saw this.
“Yun Chang…” I softly called out and shook my head. Yun Chang sat back down as she saw this.
“Come, let’s show ourselves to this military official.” The woman said as she began to walk over shakily. The man got up as well and made his way over in shaky steps as well, albeit less so than the woman.
“We’ll be honest, we’re actually great sages too~”
“You both?” I asked as I frowned.
“To be more precise, we’re hermits.” The man corrected once more.
But these 2 really do not seem like hermits at all now. As they came closer, I got abetter glimpse of them. The robe that the woman wore was of a slightly darker colour than Cui Zhou Ping’s pure white robes and there were many stains on them. Her nose was bright red from liquor and her hair was tied back in a messy ponytail with some fringe sticking out. Her eyes were also half-closed, looking very much like the stereotypical modern female hikkikomori.
As for the man, his hair was naturally curly, short and seemed oily. Those curls really did not make him seem like a hermit at all.
To put it simply, I no longer think that they seem like hermits though their singing is really good.
“Pardon my frankness but I think that you both have some way to go before you can call yourselves hermits.”
“Ah, Yun Chang…”
I was shocked by Yun Chang being so frank in saying what all of us felt but Yun Chang did not seem to have any intention of taking back her words. I do not know if it’s my misconception but it feels like Yun Chang has high expectations of hermits.
Or perhaps she is just unforgiving to frivolous people.
“Hahahaha!”
But when Yun Chang finished, the 2 of them did not get angry or awkward and laughed instead. Even the man chuckled beside the woman.
“It’s not strange of you to think like this. Compared to Cui Zhou Ping, we certainly don’t meet the standards for being a hermit.” The woman said as she kneaded her forehead and sat down on an empty chair nearby.
“Umm, what did you just say? Did you say Cui Zhou Ping? You know her?”
“Hahaha, of course I do…” She chuckled for a bit before stopping abruptly and tilted her head as she looked at me, “By the way how did military official know about her?”
“I–”
“You plan to seek her assistance?” The man interrupted me before I could finish my reply.
“Oh, I almost forgot you just said that.” The woman said as she frowned and rapped her head, “But if you are planning on looking for her, I don’t think she will be too willing. In her own words, she doesn’t have any talent.”
“Ah, yes. I know that already.” I nodded, feeling a little nervous at how the flow of the conversation was being dictated by the woman, “So I came to seek someone else.”
“Someone else huh…” The woman nodded lightly before turning to the waiter, “Umm, get me another serving.”
“Someone else…” The man repeated and looked up at the ceiling, “Un… Apart from Cui Zhou Ping, the only hermit in the area is Kong Ming.”
“Ah~ Kong Ming huh~” The woman seemed to realise something and smiled wryly as she tilted her head, “But you military officials shouldn’t be here for Kong Ming right?”
