Chapter 12

Manitto

This was the most awkward moment.

Clearly, I am now a person of this world and have a certain amount of information from this side, but the problem is that it feels like it's not my memory.

No, my memory is correct.

It's not that the memories of my current life and my past life are perfectly blended. Rather, it's as if only my soul has entered this body, and the memories of this place remain in my mind like I've just watched a movie.

So when something I don't quite understand is thrown at me, it's hard to react immediately.

First, the memories of my life in Korea come to mind.

So I had to rummage through my mind.

As I rummaged through my mind with a blank expression, the gazes focused on me.

The head of the family's eyes were filled with suspicion, and the young lady looked flustered.

The attendants raised and lowered their hands, fidgeting.

And finally, when the head of the family couldn't bear it and was about to explain something.

"So... "

‘Ritual... Ah!’

I recalled what the ritual was.

"Ritual! That's right. Ritual! B-but to hold a ritual for me... Could it possibly tarnish your reputation? After all, I'm just an innkeeper..."

When I expressed my concern that the head of the family's offer to hold a ritual for me might cause a burden due to the difference in status, he frowned and scolded me.

"What are you saying! How do you see me! I said we are family now, didn't I!"

The head of the family spoke with a hurt tone, as if questioning my trust in his character, but I could see the corners of his mouth curling up.

He seemed satisfied with my flattery.

Indeed, the saying that modesty is a virtue is not wrong at all.

He felt good, and I felt good, and I was genuinely moved by the head of the family's kindness.

The ritual means to officially establish a relationship and announce it to others.

It's not just a verbal declaration like "You're part of our family now."

It means to hold a formal ritual to officially announce it to others, to the point of making it a social fact.

To make it a recognized relationship, not just a verbal commitment, but a clear one.

People who use their fists have a pure side, and it seems to be the same in any world.

‘To hold a ritual for me!’

I repeated the words in my heart, feeling deeply moved.

At first, I was taken aback by his mention of a ritual, but when I considered my memories and the situation, only one type of ritual came to mind that would make us family.

The others were not possible for us, and this was the only one that could be, so the probability was 100%.

It was the ritual of becoming sworn brothers.

It was clear that he was suggesting we become sworn brothers because I saved his daughter.

Since the Peach Garden Oath in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, this culture of sworn brothers has been deeply rooted in China. In my past life, it had become so serious that Chinese officials forming groups of sworn brothers and becoming corrupt was even featured in newspaper columns.

So Chinese people often form sworn brotherhoods, sometimes just by sharing a drink and calling each other brothers, but in better families, they often hold a formal ritual.

If a formal ritual is held, it usually means that both families are prestigious, and it's a way to show off their new relationship. For me, an innkeeper, to be offered a formal ritual was something to be deeply moved by. A wave of emotion washed over me.

‘To have an older brother like a father at this age.’

If it weren't for the sworn brotherhood, I would have been more suited to be adopted, but in China, a significant age difference is usually addressed through a sworn brotherhood, so it wasn't unusual.

As I marveled at his proposal, thinking how different and impressive it was, a small worry crept into my mind.

‘Wait a minute!’

Upon reflection, it wasn't something to be blindly happy about.

This was something I needed to confirm with the head of the family.

I broke out of my happy daze and urgently asked the head of the family to confirm the facts.

"Sir, if it's the ritual, you mean the one where we share a drink with that red... that thing, right?"

The thought of drinking blood made me feel queasy just by mentioning the word.

And as expected, the head of the family laughed heartily, saying it was obvious.

"Red?! Drink? Of course! My friend! What else could it be! Hahaha!"

‘As expected... this is a serious problem.’

I asked because usually, in a sworn brotherhood ritual, they mix blood into the drink and share it. The head of the family, as expected, said it was obvious.

I have a weak stomach, and I was worried about what would happen if I felt nauseous during the ritual.

Just thinking about it made me grimace, and the head of the family, reading my expression, asked me.

"Why? Is there something you're worried about?"

"No, it's just that I need to work on myself. Please don't worry."

I thought I needed to start training my stomach from tomorrow until the ritual.

"Ah, this person. Being too modest isn't good either."

He scolded me for being too modest, but he seemed very satisfied with my effort, slowly stroking his beard and closing his eyes.

A few days ago, I would have called it a patriarchal attitude, but today, it looked so cool.

I couldn't help but admire his cool demeanor.

As I gazed at the head of the family, who had taken such a cool pose, he slowly opened his eyes and gave his daughter an instruction.

"Oh, right. Qingya, you should give it to him."

The head of the family, Zhuge, instructed his daughter to give me something.

Indeed, he is the descendant of that person...

‘Wait, there's something else to give?’

I wondered how many more surprises they had in store for me. I had already received quite a bit, but they kept giving me things.

One cool gesture was worth a hundred.

The young lady, who received the instruction, trembled as if struck by lightning, and began to carefully take something from her bosom, her face turning red.

She carefully took something from her bosom and handed it to the attendant, her hands trembling.

‘Is it precious?’

It seemed to be something incredibly valuable.

No wonder she was so excited that her hands were shaking.

Indeed, like father, like daughter. The father is so generous, but the daughter is so cautious.

It couldn't be more precious than her life.

But now, I am like her uncle, so as an elder, I decided to be generous.

After all, she would give it to me no matter how precious it was.

"Here, young master."

The attendant took the item from her and brought it to me.

When she placed it in my palm, I was taken aback.

How could it be so precious that she was trembling while giving it?

What was placed in my palm was a small jade token.

On one side, the characters "Zhuge" were engraved, and on the other side, the character "Qing" was engraved.

‘Oh... Could this be? A Gratitude Token (報恩牌)!’

A unique item that drops only rarely when you save a person from a high-ranking family in the martial world.

A token that can be used to evaluate the potential and strength of a family.

It felt like I was using up all my luck in one go. The drop rate of items today was insane.

My hands began to tremble, just like hers.

‘This is enough to make anyone tremble, yeah, yeah.’

However, no matter how valuable this item is, I couldn't just accept it right away.

‘Chinese etiquette is really difficult, really difficult.’

Thinking I should politely refuse again, I slowly placed the jade token on the table and looked at the young lady. Her eyes widened.

The attendants standing on either side of her began to shake their heads vigorously and give me warning looks.

‘Is this not right?’

I asked them with my eyes, and they desperately signaled me with their hands, feet, and eyes.

‘Absolutely not!’

I quickly changed my hand, which was about to place the token on the table, and put it in my bosom.

"Absolutely! I will treasure it more than my life!"

The attendants' eyes conveyed their satisfaction.

‘That's right, that’s it!’

After receiving the final gift, the head of the family explained the token I had received.

"Since you are the family's benefactor, it would be right to give you my token, but now that we are family, it seems more appropriate to give you Qing's token. Don't you think so?"

Upon reflection, his words made sense.

My cool mentor, the head of the family, will leave before me, despite his high martial arts skills.

Ultimately, it will be the younger generation who will continue the long relationship, and it seems to mean that the one who directly received help should repay me for life.

‘It’s good for the younger generation to get along.’

I couldn't help but nod at his words.

After the gift-giving was over, and they were about to leave, the head of the family made one more request.

"Do you have anything to give to Qing?"

‘Ah, Manitto!’

Gift exchange. Considering the importance of a good first impression for a long-lasting relationship, it wouldn't be right for me to only receive gifts.

Moreover, since the head of the family had arranged this, I couldn't let the young lady leave empty-handed.

Since she had given me her precious token, I needed to give her something valuable in return.

I had written a letter with advice on how to take care of her body, but I couldn't just send a letter.

However, as the owner of a single inn, I had nothing to give her.

After thinking for a long time, nothing came to mind.

The head of the family, seeing my dilemma, said apologetically.

"It's fine, we're family now. I didn't consider your situation. I'm sorry."

The head of the family looked very apologetic, as if he thought my dignity had been hurt.

A one-sided relationship is never good, so I had to make a decision.

"No, please wait a moment."

I left them and ran to the kitchen.

I took out a knife that was wrapped in cloth from a corner of the kitchen cabinet.

It wasn't an ordinary knife.

A Chinese kitchen knife, a cleaver.

A rectangular-shaped knife, similar to a hand ax, commonly used in Chinese kitchens.

It was the first knife I bought when I decided to learn martial arts and travel through the turbulent Central Plains.

I had never used it, but I bought it for self-defense and peace of mind. It had become a trusted friend, polished from frequent handling.

I picked up the knife and the letter and ran to the dining room where the Zhuge family was waiting.

‘But, is it okay to give a kitchen knife to a young lady?’

I was a bit worried.