Chapter 24

"Huh. Could it be that you were beaten and ran away, and then threw yourself into the Machuan Bridge?"

As Lian inwardly gave weight to her guess, Huailun frowned and looked at her, lowering his voice.

"Why would I go somewhere else and talk about this?"

"No... I mean... I'm worried about you, that's why."

This arrogant brat!

When Lian was anxious, Huailun only pouted and grumbled.

"You keep saying that, but why do you tell me to go somewhere else?"

"Would you not go then?"

Lian had asked this without thinking, but suddenly her eyes widened.

Scattered starlight shimmered on her dark irises.

"What are you suddenly talking about..."

"Are you going to stay here? Stay with me?"

It seemed she had been subconsciously thinking that Huailun might leave. But it was natural. It was not easy for Huailun to shake off the shadow of the future Machuan Bridge's young master.

But what if Huailun really stayed?

If he continued to stay with the Danmu family?

"Unless you don't want to, then kick me out."

"I won't kick you out forever. So you won't go, right?"

"I won't go anywhere."

"Will you stay here?"

"Yes, yes."

Huailun answered in a slightly annoyed tone, but Lian pressed on.

"You won't go, right? You promised to stay. You made a promise."

Huailun looked at Lian with a sullen expression and nodded. Lian put on a stern face.

"Do you know what happens if you break a promise?"

"What could happen...?"

She had spoken confidently, but now she was at a loss for words.

Lian quickly thought. What do kids dislike at that age?

"Um... I won't give you any treats, and I won't talk to you. I'll hate you forever. Got it?"

"Yes, yes."

She had deliberately spoken at a child's level, but Huailun nodded as if he was playing with a child. Lian pouted and then stopped.

Thinking that Huailun wouldn't go anywhere made her heart feel warm and cozy.

A future where the future young master of the Machuan Bridge settled in a manor in Hangzhou with a beautiful view, lived a leisurely and happy life, and eventually passed away after a long time.

'What's happiness...'

There was no need to force him to learn martial arts if he didn't want to. He could do what he wanted. It would be a waste of his talent, but forcing him to do something he didn't like would be even worse.

Since his mind seemed to work quickly, it wouldn't be bad for him to take the imperial exams and become an official. He might develop an interest in music, poetry, or calligraphy. He could also work in a merchant house as he suggested.

'The future young master of the Machuan Bridge? Let them find their own.'

Lian was just pleased. The thought that this little brat wouldn't wander far away from her made her feel much better.

* * *

In a dark alley in the capital of Sichuan Province.

Two old men with deeply wrinkled faces stood in a dark and damp corner between buildings, staring intently at a small bronze cup in their palms.

One had completely white hair, and the other had completely black hair.

The stark contrast between black and white made them stand out even in the alley, but no one passing by looked their way. It was as if nothing existed there.

"What... What is this, Heidan!"

"I'm asking you, Baidan!"

They were wandering in the middle of Sichuan Province because the cup in their hands showed no light.

"Clearly... Clearly, it was shining brightly until recently."

"That's why we left the sect. But what's going on now...?"

"Could he be dead?"

"How could a child born under the Thirty-Six Celestial Spirits die so easily?"

"Then why did the light disappear!"

"Let's go back to the sect... for now."

"Ridiculous!"

The old man with white hair, Baidan, exclaimed in shock.

"How can we return empty-handed with the Starlight Treasure Cups in our hands!"

The Starlight Treasure Cups were a set of three cups, a divine object said to be received from the Nine Heavens Mystic Lady, whom the Machuan Sect revered. The sect leader would give these cups to trusted elders when it was time to find the next leader.

When a child born under the Thirty-Six Celestial Spirits turned five or six, the cups would emit light. They would use the direction of the light to find the child who would become the next leader.

"Damn it, something has to appear in the cup for us to find the young master or the candidate! I'm tired of Sichuan cuisine. These people can't even eat spicy food, it's like they have a grudge against it..."

Heidan, who couldn't handle spicy food, complained. Baidan sighed. He also found Sichuan cuisine burdensome.

"They say the others have already found their candidates and returned to the sect..."

Since there were three cups, there were three candidates. The rise and fall of the elders depended on the child the cups found.

The other elders had already found their candidates and returned, but Heidan and Baidan were still wandering in the middle of Sichuan, unable to find the child born under the Tiankui Star.

"Let's go east for now."

Until a few months ago, the light in the Starlight Treasure Cups consistently pointed east.

But when they reached Sichuan, the light suddenly disappeared. Both Heidan and Baidan were flustered and quietly searched the area, but they couldn't find any child born under the Thirty-Six Celestial Spirits.

It was clear that the child who would become the next leader of the sect was not here.

But they didn't think the child could have died easily. There must have been some other change...

Heidan sharply retorted.

"What if we don't find him even if we go east?"

Baidan replied.

"Isn't there the Wulin Alliance in Henan Province? We can contact the sect through them. We can ask for more people or report back then."

East of Sichuan Province, beyond Shanxi Province, lies Henan Province. Baidan's suggestion seemed reasonable.

"I don't want to go to the Wulin Alliance."

Feeling uneasy about the Wulin Alliance, which was a basic attitude for a member of the Machuan Sect, was understandable. This remained true even after they were part of the Wulin Alliance.

"If we keep bickering in Sichuan, we might have a conflict with the Tang family, which would be troublesome."

Of course, they believed they could resolve any conflict with power and rhetoric, but now was a sacred period for finding the next leader of the sect.

"Right. We don't know when the Kunlun Sect will catch up."

Since the Kunlun Sect's base was the closest to the Machuan Sect, they knew each other well.

Although they were part of the Wulin Alliance, their mere presence wouldn't cause an incident, but they weren't close enough to have a casual conversation.

Baidan continued.

"And while we're at it, let's stop by Hangzhou."

"Hangzhou?"

Heidan's eyes widened sharply. There was something they were after in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.

"Dongpalyuk?"

"Dongpalyuk!"

Heidan and Baidan looked at each other and nodded. Heidan poured the water from the Starlight Treasure Cups onto the ground, wrapped them in silk, and handed them to Baidan.

Baidan tucked the cups into his robe, and the two of them walked out of the alley, but no one in Sichuan paid them any attention.

* * *

While finishing the packaging of the Qinglianshu for the Mansong Trading Company, Danmu Xianwu muttered wistfully.

"It would be nice if everyone could tell at a glance that Lian made the Qinglianshu..."

"Huh?"

When Lian looked at him with wide, tilted eyes, Danmu Xianwu added, somewhat embarrassed.

"I mean, just thinking... since our Lian is so talented, it would be nice if everyone knew... maybe we could put some kind of mark on the bottles."

Lian jumped up from her seat.

"A trademark!"

"Oh... a trademark? Yes, that's what it's called."

Lian's face lit up as she seemed to welcome his idea, and Danmu Xianwu's face brightened as well.

"What would be good? Something that could be put on all the items the Danmu family sells in the long term..."

'Maybe Uncle has a talent for this side of things?'

He didn't seem to have the talent to be a medicine shop owner. He might be more suited to the business office.

Unaware of Lian's thoughts, Danmu Xianwu shrugged nonchalantly.

"It's more about what you sell rather than what the family sells. You're the only one in our family with the talent to create something."

That was true. It would have been nice if at least one person had the talent to make money instead of martial arts.

"Oh..."

"Oh! What about a duck? A mandarin duck. Two of them... Hmm, one could be a baby duck."

"...A duck?"

Seeing Lian's habit of pouting, Danmu Tianqi had often teased her, saying she looked like a duck.

"It's perfect! Perfect! It's you, Lian!"