Book 21 Chapter 3

Win with grit

-Wang dumplings and glass noodles (琉璃面咎)

"You've learned your scales. But knowing the notes is just a hobby if you don't feel them in your body. So I think it's time to take it to the next level."

The master recited the plausible words with a serious face. The eleven-year-old boy listening to the solemn words calmly began to stiffen slightly. The boy already instinctively knew that bad things always happen at times like this.

"What's the next step?"

At the blunt retort, the master shook his head in pity. Somehow, my sense of foreboding intensified. The master's sophistry at this point is a classic recipe for misery.

"The best thing is practice. You're going to have to be tested in the real world. You don't need anything that's not proven. There is no such thing. I don't like that kind of fluffy vagueness. Are you satisfied with your pitch?"

Alas, the road to unhappiness is open. With a sigh, Bi Ryuyeon answered her master's question.

"Ha, of course, I'm a genius."

Voila!

As if on cue, the honeycomb flew in.

"Enough with the genius talk. Have you ever thought about how those notes would sound to others? How would you know, since you've only learned them and never demonstrated them?"

"I'm not really curious."

Voila!

"That means the note exists only in you and not in others. How then can you be sure that it is not an illusion of your own, so that the certainty within yourself…(middle)…may unite with the world…(middle)…so that you may confirm yourself…(middle)………."

"You mean?"

When Bi Ryuyeon interrupted his bizarre ramblings to ask a question, the master pulled out something fuzzy and held it up.

Where did she get it? We don't know, but what we do know is that it was clearly women's clothes, and there was an unspoken pressure on her to wear them.

"Why? Why do I have to cross-dress?"

She protested with all her heart and soul.

"You don't like it?"

"Of course!"

It's kind of weird to be asked if you like it or not. But the master didn't seem to think so at all.

"Fool, half the world is women. Only when yin and yang are harmonized does the Tai Chi run and all things are created. How can you attain true manhood by looking at only one side of the equation? Only by knowing both sides of the equation, the yin and the yang, the whole and the half, and being able to harmonize them, can you become a true man."

It was a big theory, but she didn't let it stop her.

"But it's not like I can change my gender, I'm a guy anyway."

That fact doesn't change. His gender identity was solid.

"You don't take no for an answer, you backbone!"

The master scolded him as if he had seen something terrible.

"What does that have to do with grit!"

Grit doesn't work everywhere.

"What the hell does cross-dressing have to do with toughness? You lack logic, logic!

Bi Ryuyeon's stomach churned. No matter how heavenly a master you are, if you're not convincing, you're not convincing. No, no. She wasn't even sure if he was seriously trying to convince her in the first place.

"You fool, how dare you rebel against your heavenly master!"

But that didn't work for Ryu-yeon Bi.

"I thought you said that even if the Buddha came and spoke to you, you shouldn't listen to anything that has no logic or conviction? Am I wrong…you don't mean to reverse your teachings now, do you?"

Rather, it's confrontational. He had already internalized the fact that if he didn't do anything wrong, it would never end.

"Ugh, I taught you wrong!"

The labor minister said, sighing.

"You taught me well, and I'm a fast learner."

Not a single word. There's nothing cute about him, the master lamented once more.

"Cuteness? What are you going to do with that?"

With a disbelieving tone in her voice, Bi Ryuyeon shrugged.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk! Back off! You don't know the destructive power of cuteness! There are parts of this world where strength alone won't cut it. Only those who combine strength and tenderness will be able to break through."

The master rambled on, filled with a strange sense of mission to awaken the world to the light of truth.

"Is that so?"

But the boy's response was still as cold as ever.

"Very well. If you are so inclined, I will correct your impertinent attitude with the iron fist of impeccable logic!"

Sticking a second finger in front of the boy's nose, the master declared.

"Sure."

If you want to try it, try it, she said.

"Come on, let's get started!"

"Anytime!"

Both were like swordsmen preparing for a duel. In fact, it's a mental battle as well, in that they're using sharp logic as a weapon to cut through their opponents' defenses.

"Okay. First, let's make a hypothetical: You're traveling five days on a road with a little water and five dumplings. It's a hard road with no other food, and one dumpling is enough to get you through the day. Do you understand?"

Master asked.

"That's a weird assumption, but whatever."

Bi Ryuyeon remained alert. If she nodded obediently at this point, she could easily fall prey to her master's sophistry.

"Stiff guy. Anyway, along the way, you met two people. One is a big, muscular man, and the other is a cute, little Sojae who looks like she could blow away in the wind! They're both out of food, and they're both asking you for a royal dumpling. Now, now, which one of them will you give the king dumpling to?!"

"Well, I'll politely decline, I've got enough to eat."

The cold, hard answer enraged the master.

"You mean to tell me that this master has raised you to be such an ungrateful brute?"

"Uh, no?"

Voila!

"Boom."

Bi Ryuyeon gritted her teeth unconsciously; the strength of this blow was not something that could be dismissed as a simple honey balm. A normal eleven-year-old boy would not have bled to death, but would have at least staggered to the ground. Bi Ryuyeon decided to turn the tables a bit.

"Well, I get what you're saying, Master, you're trying to say that the cute one gets the royal dumpling, right?"

"Well, at least I'm not an irredeemable fool."

When her master snorted, she shook her head.

"But that may be what you say, Master, but the reality is different. Usually, when you meet a raggedy man on a deserted road, you give him everything you've got. On the other hand, when you meet a cute little Sojae, if he's even the slightest bit sinister, he'll be irreparably angry at you, let alone dumplings……."

Billion!

"Inum is……!"

Just as the labor and management departments were coming to blows, Bi Ryuyeon said hello to hell and back. I also realized that we needed to make a major change in direction.

"Hah, I guess it's better to have a 'cute' Sojae with no kung fu than a guy with kung fu."

"Hmmm, now you're making sense."

The master nodded with a look of helplessness on his face. At that moment, Bi Ryuyeon secretly swallowed her tears as she heard a voice from somewhere saying, 'You only understand when you're right.

But the disciple's grief was dismissed by his master. The master's mouth soon spewed forth a rant.

"Anyway, the point is, so is cross-dressing! Women are the embodiment of soft, rich yin. Being a woman will allow you to see and realize so many things you couldn't see, so many things you couldn't realize! Don't give up before you even start."

"No, but that's not the problem……."

But the master was already unavailable.

"'If it can't be done, do it'. Don't you know what that means? Don't give up with flimsy grit. Even if you don't succeed in becoming a real woman, it's the attitude of trying to be a real woman that counts, the attitude of trying!"

"What does this have to do with the effort……."

That's not even close to being convincing.

"If it's a relationship, it's a relationship!"

I'm almost at the end of my rope. The idea that hard work and grit are some kind of panacea is a myth. Here, she decides to point out one thing.

"Isn't that just so you can make more money?"

"…Make money?"

With an expression as if it were the sound of wings falling in a dry sky, the master questioned, but there was a pause before he spoke. It seemed to contain the sound of a heart that had been pierced to the core and groaned, and Bi Ryuyeon was deeply suspicious.

Even without that, I had a lot to get off my chest.

"Isn't that right? The overwhelming majority of the people who drink in the tavern are men. Almost all of them are ignorant of music and dance. What kind of music and dance do they know, when all they want to do is drink with women day and night? They don't have a clue, they just drool at the sight of a skirt!"

His words, spoken like a chewing gum, were poignant.

"Oh, don't sweat the small stuff."

Nosabu coughed and said.

"Is that trivial, because I personally think it's a little too socially pervasive to be trivial?"

At his student's protest, the master shook his head.

"It's as difficult to find someone who will recognize the real thing as it is to fall off a cliff and meet a performer. If there were so many people who were so skilled in music and dance, why would there be such a thing as alpine streams or jingyin, and why would a white child break the strings of a lyre to mourn the death of a zither? If you can find even one person in ten thousand who is awake, you should count yourself lucky, and not complain. So stop grumbling and put on these clothes!"

"……."

* * *

…though why the story kept boiling down to that was a mystery to me,

"Can you really accomplish that with this kind of crookedness?"

The boy muttered to himself as he looked at the girl in the mirror, jaw clenched. He wasn't sure at all.

"Eh, I don't know!"

I flicked my arm nervously and heard a tinkling bell.

He looked at the bell, which tinkled with every movement, attached to a bracelet emblazoned with a dragon.

"Damn you, Master, for putting this on.

He remembered what his master had said. He remembered what his master had said to him after he had changed his clothes.

"Oh, I forgot to mention……."

"What is it?"

"Don't take it off when you dance."

Gimme a solemn look and pay attention.

"No! Who took it off?"

Quickly opening her collar, Bi Ryuyeon, who had turned into a ghostly figure, screamed.

'Now you're telling me that this aging master has decided to sell me to such an illegal and decadent establishment? No way……!'

The boy had to feel the threat of chastity, because it could happen.

"What's with the creepy look in your eyes, you know, the bracelet and anklet?"

He pointed to a pair of bracelets and anklets around his wrists and ankles.

"Oh, these?"

Later on, they became quite familiar, like a part of my body, but at the time, they were annoying.

"Make sure you can do a perfect dance while wearing it, and that's a bonus."

Master flicked something at me.

"What is this?"

Bi Ryuyeon quickly took it and asked.

"What the hell, it's a drop. Don't you see?"

"I know that, but……."

I wasn't suggesting that you put it around your cat's neck, I was just saying that I didn't know what it was for.

"Put them on bracelets and anklets."

Master instructed.

"And?"

He asked again, as if his suspicions hadn't been completely dispelled.

"Huh? It's obvious, you have to practice so you don't make noise when you dance."

"It's not obvious, there's nothing obvious about it!

Bi Ryuyeon swallowed hard at the outburst and spoke as softly as she could.

"Master, the bell is supposed to rattle. If you don't want to hear the sound, go to……."

A bell is supposed to rattle, but in Sensei's world, that didn't seem to be common sense.

"Why do I have to do this?"

The master had pinpointed his question. Bi Ryuyeon nodded eagerly at the master's words.

"I'm not going to teach you. You'll know when you try!"

"……."

He was sure that his teacher must have been studying every day to figure out how to give the best, most inarticulate answer. But the disaster didn't end there.

"Well, while we're at it, let's give you a new name, too, since you're a girl now."

At the obviousness of that statement, Bi Ryuyeon exclaimed, trying to calm her twitching eyebrows.

"He's still a man on the inside!"

"Tsk, tsk, you're a long way from being a woman, so when you're dressed like one, make sure you're a woman on the inside! For now, live as a woman in body and mind."

When her master told her she had a long way to go to become a woman, she felt a strange sense of relief.

"I'm a guy, after all. How do I know what a woman's heart feels like?"

"Have you no imagination? Use your imagination. I'm asking you to use your mind! Start the lesson!"

She was determined to protest vigorously. Somehow, she felt that if she didn't protest, something inside her would collapse.

"Don't stick a moral everywhere. It's ridiculous……."

"Overruled!"

"Well, at least when you go to gather firewood or hunt, you can wear these clothes……."

"Dismissed!"

"……."

The master looked down menacingly at Bi Ryuyeon's frustrated face at his dismissal. If she protested any further, the only thing that would come of it would be violence.

"Oh, right. We were supposed to name it, right?"

Pair!

The labor department clapped their hands in delight at the idea. An ominous feeling of foreboding came over me.

"Let's go with Yeonbi. Let's flip it upside down, minus the rhythm of the biryu kite, and it's a yanbi (燕飛), a swallow kite (燕)."

Bi Ryuyeon shook her head at her master's declaration.

"A swallow kite? It's supposed to be a link, but that's not the same thing, is it?"

"Just flip it over, that's too simple. I don't want it to be too obvious. Swallow sounds good. I'll have to go down and try some swallows sometime."

The master's tone was languid, as if he had already done his business.

"Is that it?"

Bi Ryuyeon couldn't help but be amazed. Without hesitation, the master replied with a look that said, "Why, are you hot?

"Okay, done. That makes it more complete."

Satisfied tone of voice. He seemed to really believe it was perfect.

"What's perfect, creating a girl that doesn't exist and giving her a fake name."

"Is it not possible that another one of you might open your eyes, since you have given it a name?"

The master's eyes narrowed and he muttered ominous words. Bi Ryuyeon's heart sank for some reason.

"You want me to become a double? That's not going to happen, ever."

"Don't you know what they say about not jumping to conclusions? We'll have to wait and see."

The master's answer was ominous.

As if that weren't enough, the next day she was forced to undergo a series of bizarre exercises, including basic physical fitness.

"Hmm. Normally, I'd have to use some kind of body transformation like an axe-ball, but I suppose I don't need that much now that I'm younger. The problem is… you can't walk around like a man in that outfit!"

The master scolded in a stern voice. After taking a couple of steps in the direction of the master's words, Bi Ryuyeon turned around and said.

"Of course, I'm a man!"

"Uh-huh, I told you to be a woman in body and mind, and I can't forgive you for scratching your buttocks or sitting with your legs apart, and I can't forgive you for being in the habit of gracefully tucking your hair under your ears, and for sitting with your knees daintily together, because that's what a woman does!"

Bi Ryuyeon Yan looked at her master, who was burning with an unknown fervor, with doubt in his eyes.

"Is that really as easy as it sounds? And that female figure looks like a lot of your personal preference."

She had been living as a man for only a few dozen years. It was impossible for her to become a woman in body and mind overnight.

"Forget the past. You are a woman now. Immerse yourself in the role, for how can you attain its essence without assimilating into it!"

"The whole number……."

She was completely unmotivated.

"Think of it as a sheet of glass."

"Glass sphere (琉璃面咎)?"

I'm sure I've heard something similar before.

"Yeah, that's from a book Nobu read that impressed him a long time ago. "He who performs, let not the glass be broken."

His eyes grew wistful, and he murmured like he was reciting a poem.

"When you're playing a woman, or any other life, you're wearing a bast as thin and fragile as a sheet of glass."

That statement raised a question, though.

"Glass is glass, and bast is human skin, but where is a glassy bast sphere, a human made of glass?"

Voila!

Even though I was wearing a skirt, the Master's honey balm flew as always.

"You are a foolish fellow who does not know the art of parables. At any rate, if you let your guard down, the glass globe will shatter and scatter. Then your insignificant nature will be revealed, and you will become a man of a thousand faces, a man of a thousand masks."

Sensei began to rant again in earnest.

"It's a thousand faces for just one woman… wouldn't two or three be enough?"

Bi Ryuyeon coldly pointed out. You're not an actor, and you're not going to be performing, so what's the point of having a thousand faces?

"Are you an idiot again?"

"Disciple, this seems like a reasonable decision."

If you use a polite tone of voice that you don't normally use, it can come across as rebellious.

"You are immature! In your heart, you seek strength over tenderness, and in your martial arts, you emphasize resilience over strength. There will come a day when you will regret it. At that time, don't go crying, but diligently become a woman!"

Why was the story going that way? It didn't make sense at all.

"Repeat to yourself, 'Woman, woman, I am a woman of infinite elegance and grace.' There is no point in being a woman if you are not a true woman, not only in the shell but also in the kernel! Never mind your feelings or past as a man. You are a woman from now on. Deceive yourself, for as they say, 'If you want to deceive your enemies, start with your allies.'"

It seems to be used a little differently, or a lot differently.

"For example, you should never be upset if you sleep with a woman. It's natural for a woman to be with a woman, even if it means taking a bath together or going to the bathroom together!"

At that moment, Bi Ryuyeon raised her hand.

"Wait, I don't think so, isn't it normal for girls to shy away from each other when that happens?"

When his student pointed this out, the master was adamant.

"I don't know! I'm a man, after all. I've heard rumors that it's just that… Hmm, I wonder what it's like. I'll have to try it out when I get the chance!"

"……."

At a loss for words and momentarily interrupted in his train of thought, the master resumed his lecture.

"After all, the moment you put on a woman's mask, you have to be a woman! You can't just walk off the stage."

'What stage are you talking about…….'

There must be something going on in her head, she was sure, and she wondered if it was a precursor to the dementia that sometimes comes with age…although, given her age, it's not unreasonable…….

"What do you mean, "stage", aren't you just saying whatever comes to mind?"

"Ugh, I told you not to sweat the small stuff. Why are you still talking like a man? Grow up and get a grip!"

The master shouted once more. It was as if he was shouting at me not to see the path of smoke as water. The fire kept burning in the strangest places.

Something was really bothering me.

"I wonder if the Master's words had a hypnotic effect then?"

After living as a woman for a couple of months under the guise of a special lesson, I completely learned to act like a woman. My speech has also become more feminine. Unless I consciously choose to be harsh, my tone is soft and cordial.

Of course, it took a lot of hardship to get there. From sleeping, to chopping wood, to even taking a shit, the master would swoop in without warning and give him bizarre lessons. Natural male behaviors were rapidly being eliminated under harsh constraints.

"They say you are what you wear.

Later, I realized that the moment I changed my clothes, I felt like a signal was sent to me, and my existence naturally changed based on that act. I felt like I wasn't just playing the character of Yeonbi, but that the 'Yeonbi' inside me was coming out.

It was a different kind of immersion. It was like stepping back and observing the behavior of the 'Yeonbi', so that the real self could become clearer.

"Isn't this really creating a double persona?

Certainly, when I'm in this form, my temper calms down faster than usual, and I don't get excited as easily. One of the things that contributed to his calm demeanor was a rattle, or bell, thrown by his teacher.

As soon as she started practicing her dance with the bells on, she realized that they were the biggest shackles her teacher had ever thrown at her. At the slightest lapse in concentration, the bell rattled uncontrollably. When shaken gently, it emitted a clear ming sound, but when shaken uncontrollably, it was a loud, disdainful noise. Moreover, the nagging voice of the master, who was immersed in an obscure book called the Glass Cotton Ball, and who spouted long-winded theories without even trying, was even louder than the sound of the bell.

"Tsk, tsk. Getting rid of the bell is the first of the basics, for there is as much useless clutter in your movements as there is in that loud noise!"

After a few months of living with bells on your limbs, anyone who's ever had to deal with that loud noise is going to have a choice: remove the nerve or remove the sound. Eventually, after painstaking practice, Yunbi was able to control the bells without much conscious thought.

As a result, Yeonbi has had several effects simultaneously. One of the biggest results was that she was able to internalize graceful and smooth movements, and the sound of the bells acted as a kind of spell, giving her more control over herself.

Strangely enough, once she started dancing with the bells, lightly ringing them as if in a spell, most of the audience was drawn into the dance as well.

"It's a normal looking drop, surely your master didn't get you something weird on purpose?

Trusting that his master wouldn't be that diligent, Yun Bi shook off the ominous feeling and turned his attention to Kyung Dae's side, where he found something to cheer him up.

"Is this today's special income?"

My eyes were immediately drawn to a package from Nam Gung-hyun, the Sichuan branch manager.

"Hmph, that's surprisingly good. I thought it was just ten pieces of gold."

As she passed the box containing the ten coveted gold coins around, she said something to herself. This was Yun Bi's private dressing room, the only rest area in the Tianxiang Tower. Of course, it was only because of her skill and popularity that she was able to secure her own space.

"At least it's worth it."

It's not that I don't like dancing and gold, I'm actually quite into it. However, the idea of having to cross-dress to play gold and dance was a bit of a burden.

"What's wrong with this longing, I wish I could summon a miragal."

As the Yeonbi grumbled away at its makeup, I heard chatter outside.

"I guess the rumors were true after all."

It was a man's voice, approaching thirty lines.

"What, is it about that forbidden jade leaf lady?"

By the tone and content, they were low-level warriors.

"That's right. I heard you can't even look a person in the face, let alone talk to them. He's so young, he's squatting in the corner of the room on a fictional day."

"Why, if I grew up in a house like that, I wouldn't be scared or lacking anything. I'd be flying for joy."

His tone was a mix of sneer, wonder, and sympathy.

"She's so good looking, you'd want to eat her like a dog or a cow, and she's been involved in so many unspeakable crimes."

"Hehe, that's so pretty. I wish I could see it."

"Stop it, stop it. Don't even mention it. Didn't you see how the Southern Palace commander was trembling?"

"Yeah, I was breaking out in a cold sweat watching you, so I guess the rumor is true that you brought her here yourself because you were worried about leaving her alone."

That's what the rumors were saying.

"Yeah, well, that dance of the silent rain was pretty awesome, anyway, eek."

"What, are you a girlie girl?"

By now, there was a sneer in the lower-ranking soldiers' voices.

"This is more promising than the forbidden jade leaf in the sky. Let's see……."

Quick!

Yunbi, who was listening, furrowed his brow.

"These!

That's when Yunbi's eyes fell upon a good thing. It was a large wooden hairbrush that had been lying around for some reason.

"Ho-ho, that's good enough."

Without hesitating, she snapped the bristles together. In no time at all, she had coarse needles.

"Two at once is too much, but one!

Yun Fei concentrated, gathered his chi in the bristles of his hair, and swung his hand sharply at the wall.

Puck!

"Boom!"

Screams echo through the walls.

"No, but why are you?"

Yunbi's hand didn't hesitate, finishing off the rest of the comb.

"Boom!"

Again, there was a short scream, followed by the dull thud, thud, thud of something falling.

"Hmm, let's go and stiffen him up a bit before he wakes up."

She was not yet fully immersed in the role of the ideal woman. The whitewashed walls were pockmarked with two tiny holes.

"Who was that just now?

A brief thought flashed through Yeonbi's mind as he began to put the pieces together once again. But a moment later, when he had erased all traces of the performance, the question had long since been erased from his mind. The two junior warriors, stunned for a moment, had nothing more to say.

"Okay, let's get down to the business of the day, like women, like women."

With that, Yunbi said, and walked out the door with a light step.

"Money!"

Yan Bi stretched out his hand and spoke briefly. The other party was the owner of the Temple of Heaven, Xiao Hanshan, and although it was a blasphemous sight, Xiao Hanshan didn't say a word and immediately took out the money and held it out in front of Yan Bi.

After accurately counting the contents, Yeonbi tucked the bag under his arm.

"You must be right."

"Stubborn."

Soh Hansan, who is already entering the age of immortality, has a simple answer.

"I don't think that's something you'd say to someone else."

To build a business of this magnitude, a thorough understanding of money is indispensable. Without grasping the habits and nature of money, it's almost impossible to achieve success unless you're extremely lucky. Xiao Hanshan looked at the Yeonbi and said.

"By the way, I hear the song and dance was pretty good today."

"Because it's work."

Yeonbi raised some red flags. Perhaps the point was not to praise the music and dance.

"I've heard he even received a special injury from the Southern Palace's Daehyup."

"What's wrong with that?"

Yan Bi asked in a sharp tone. Under the fierce gaze of a teenage girl, Xiao Hanshan, who had been through a lot, stiffened slightly.

"Well, no problem."

"Of course, because that's what we signed up for in the first place."

When Master first brought Yanbi here to the Heavenly Pavilion, he didn't even look at her. He didn't think there was any benefit in using such a young girl.

"Actually, he's fifteen this year. He's been eating a lot, so his growth has been slow."

Listening to the ridiculous excuses, Yunbi sighed inwardly.

"…Thirteen, maybe eleven at the most."

"Hehe, you've been living a lie. Is that why you don't like it?"

The master's voice began to grow menacing. But Xiao Hanshan didn't seem to be fazed.

"I'm a businessman, Noya, and even if you asked me to, using a child like that would tarnish the reputation of my shop, which has been built up over three generations."

A bad reputation leads to poor sales. So Hansan was right to be concerned.

"Hmm. I hear this place gets some unusual customers sometimes. They don't take anyone over twelve or thirteen……."

"Hmmm, hmmm. You must have misunderstood what the other third basemen are doing."

Xiao Hanshan shrugged off the master's embarrassing comment with a residual cough. Yun Fei felt an indescribable anger toward his master as he caught his glare.

"Well, it doesn't matter because his organs aren't that way anyway, so I'll just have to show him why I brought him here."

"What do you mean?"

"Build me a stage."

A stage was hastily constructed. When a young girl walked onto the stage, carrying a bag of gold taller than she was, Xiao Hanshan looked at it curiously. He decided to treat it as a kind of entertainment.

"Huh!

Running my fingers over Chilhyun's gold strings, I thought about Yunbi.

"Okay, so if I'm being a dick here, I don't have to work here, right?

I already had a lot on my plate. Adding a second job as a baserunner to the mix would have put him at risk of overworking himself to death at a young age. I was beginning to wonder if his martial arts training was just a way for him to build up his stamina to prevent the risk of overwork.

"Let's do it in moderation, Yeonbi!

He whispered to himself.

"In moderation! In moderation!

That's when my teacher spoke up.

"Don't think about moderation!"

This is a real ghost.

"I'd better play it safe, because if I go too far, I'll get caught.

Dirrrrrrrrr!

Yunbi began to play. She hadn't skipped a note since her master taught her to play. There was no harshness in her small hands as they ran over the seven strings. Now she could control the water level freely.

"In moderation! In moderation!

I didn't want to get too carried away, so I kept my wits about me. It was obvious that a place of this caliber would employ musicians of considerable skill. So as long as I did it in moderation, I could fall far enough, and that would be enough.

But the reactions were a little weird.

"Why is everyone's eyes closed?

Isn't it almost like he's intoxicated by the tune? I'm having trouble with this.

"Hey guys, can't you hear the moderation? What's with all the faces? Open your eyes and get back to your lives with this moderation in your ears!

There was something to be admired in this moderation, but the cries of Yeonbi were not heard by the people. He hurriedly looked toward his master, Xiao Hanshan.

'Yes, the judgment of the master, Xiao Hanshan, is important, and you will recognize the moderation and roughness that permeates the tune.'

But when Yun Bi saw the look on Xiao Hanshan's face, he was greatly disappointed. He was quietly nodding his head in interest.

Ding!

Before I knew it, I had finished playing, full of thoughts and distractions. There was a moment of silence, and no one responded.

'Yeah, there's still hope…….'

But my hopes for Yeonbi were quickly dashed by the exclamations that followed.

"Hooooooo!"

"That's great!"

"Waaaaaah!"

Behind me, one of the clerks wiping down the tables cocked her head outward and wiped a tear from her eye.

'Hey, hey, hey. Don't cry over one person.'

He looked around at the suddenly noisy surroundings and sighed in frustration. But he didn't forget to give a polite bow in return.

"Hmm, that sounds like a great possibility, so I'll sign you up."

With a satisfied smile, Xiao Hanshan held out a piece of paper. The trembling figure from earlier was nowhere to be seen.

"Let's look at the contract first. Don't you think we should start with the terms?"

This time the master made a relaxed sound. Xiao Hanshan made a nodding sound.

"In addition to the performance fee, I assume you're allowed to keep any injuries you receive from your guests?"

"That's a bit……."

It's customary to divide things like that in modest proportions.

"Why? Is that a complaint?"

"Well, that should be fine."

Sighing, Xiao Hanshan said. The Yeonbi trick was coveted.

"And I won't dance when I don't want to."

"That's quite a predicament, isn't it?"

"That's how you become more valuable. If you can play so well, I wonder if you can dance. If you sell your laughter, it becomes cheap. I thought you were a good businessman, but you don't measure up to your grandfather."

The master clicked his tongue. The old man had known Xiao Hanshan's grandfather. The greatest merchant in all of Sichuan, a place that had once been called Gold Mountain.

"How can my resourcefulness affect my grandfather? I understand, and I will do as Noya says."

The deal was finally signed. We weren't too happy about the Yeonbi.

Since it had happened anyway, he could never tell Yanbi about the injury. Xiao Hanshan came back from the past and continued to talk.

"Let's move on, I'm talking about the pavilion where we usually practice dancing… I don't want you to go there for a while."

For some reason, I was curious about Yeonbi when I heard the puzzled tone.

"Why?"

"At the request of our guest of honor, the area has been off-limits since yesterday."

My curiosity about Yeonbi was further amplified.

"What if it's a guest of honor?"

"It's hard to say. You'd better not go anywhere dangerous anyway."

I couldn't help but let my curiosity get the better of me, but I decided to back off.

"Sure. Bye."

When he was done, Yunbi didn't hesitate to get up. There was a lot of work to be done today.

"Oh, and can I ask you to do it tomorrow, too? We have some important guests staying for a while."

Perhaps he was referring to the guests who had rented the central ballroom for the day. Maybe it had something to do with being a guest of honor or being in a forbidden area. But it had nothing to do with Yeonbi.

Yun Fei was not a slave to the Temple of Heaven. He had made a legitimate contract with certain conditions, and there was no reason for him to be subject to its schedule.

"That's outside of the contract, because tomorrow is not a work day, and I have other things going on tomorrow."

It was a firm but justified rejection. The next day was my first day at the comic shop. It's a rough job, but one that I've grown quite attached to lately. It's rewarding and fun to create something, especially something that adds value.

"Of course not for free. I'll pay you double your usual wages!"

"If it's triple, let's think about it."

"Well……."

"I'll leave you to it."

It's a shame, because tonight's performance must have been well received. Yeonbi didn't hesitate to open the door.

"Wait!"

"What's wrong?"

I don't look back.

"I lost. I'll give you triple."

As she walked out the door, her foot came to a screeching halt. Whirling around, Yunbi said.

"Well, let's discuss this further, shall we?"

A leisurely smile crossed Yunbi's lips.

When they were done, Yunbi glanced over at the sponsor.

"It's a dangerous no-go zone, and if you're emphasizing it like that, you're telling me to go there, right?"

It didn't look like it, but I had already made a conclusion in my head about Yeonbi.

"But for today, let's start with the silver."

It was Yunior's philosophy to immediately deposit the money he earned that day into the vault.

As soon as Yan Bi arrived, the head of the Qinglong Silver Pavilion rushed over to greet him.

"Welcome, Yan Sojae. I see you've come to visit us here at the Blue Dragon Silversmith on time again today."

Judging from the hospitality, it was clear that Yunbi was a top customer of Qinglong Silver Shop. The bigger the amount of money entrusted to her, the bigger the profit margin, so she couldn't help but be grateful to this young lady who never forgot her money every day.

"Today I'd also like to cash in these ten gold coins, which are of this material and in this condition, which are superlative, plus the cash deposit……."

Yunbi quickly bounced the abacus on the table a few times. The governor counted them and nodded.

"You must have a very discerning eye indeed, because it would be difficult for someone with less knowledge of the ground to value precious metals with such accuracy."

"We have a bit of a connection."

There was no need to give too much away. The point is to show a little bit of wisdom that can't be dismissed as youth. I've done quite a bit of trading by now, so I'm not an idiot to dismiss because of my age, but I have to be a little more careful than I did when I was younger. The kernel is the same, but the treatment and credibility is different when you're wearing pants than when you're wearing a skirt.

"Okay, that's all the processing done."

The Chancellor politely handed over the ledger. It was a record of all the transactions that had taken place.

"Well, that's clear, thank you."

He verified the entries in the ledger and returned it to the Secretary.

"You're welcome. It's our pleasure to see your assets grow. Thank you every time."

"Whatever, we'll keep going."

This is the kind of thing that means something when it's consistent. Yeonbyeon walked out of the silver room to a stern greeting.

But that evening.

The man on the mountain was a contrast to the men at the Blue Dragon Silver Market, accepting money that he would never give back once he had it.

"Is that it?"

"Sure."

Returning to his boyish form, Yeonbi, no, Bi Ryuyeon replied firmly.

"Hmmm, did you get anything else as a bonus?"

The old man asked, looking up and down Bi Ryuyeon's entire body.

"Sure."

I answered without hesitation, even though I had something on my mind. The slightest delay in answering would be detrimental. She tried to remain as calm as possible.

"Is this the mind of the Ming Sutra?

It was all worth it once I learned it.

"You mean real?"

Master asked again, a cloud of suspicion gathering in his eyes.

"Sure."

She didn't waver.

"Hey, you've grown a lot!

After studying Bi Ryuyeon's face for a while, the master quickly changed the subject.

"Okay. Is tomorrow comic book day?"

It was the most recognized hardware store in Sichuan. From the swords of the warriors to the trinket pacifiers of the girls, there was nothing they couldn't make.

"I'm switching to the day after tomorrow because I'm working overtime at Tianxiang Lu. There's nothing like double pay."

Bi Ryuyeon slyly turned a triple into a double. If I told him I was working overtime for my normal pay, he wouldn't believe me, but this would keep him quiet. The difference between triple and double is a mild flexibility.

"Hmmm. So, any progress on the comic book thing?"

Again, thankfully, it's all good.

"A little bit, but I still have to wait a bit longer to become a swordsman."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. A blacksmith is only real when he forges a sword. It is the art of iron and fire itself."

"Doesn't making more money mean it's real?

Of course, I didn't say those words.

"You, why do you seem unhappy?"

Master's eyes are like ghosts after all. If she panicked at this point, it would be like she was confessing that she had done it, so she smiled as brightly and refreshingly as she could.

"No, I don't think so, I thought it was fair."

"Hmm, let's call it that, but I'm going to work on my bungees."

The master glanced at Bi Ryuyeon's hand and said.

"Why?"

"A girl's hands must be pretty," she says, "and if you're going to be working with fire and iron, you're going to have rough hands, but you'll never have to worry about that once you've mastered molten metal."

Master Turo replied, "You don't know that, do you?

"Was that a beauty god?"

That's it, now it's a habit.

"You idiot, that's not possible, it's an application, it's an application!"

Bi Ryuyeon wrapped her hands around her head in protest.

"Well, that doesn't mean I'm going to slap you!"

"Let's eat. You've had a long day."

Good luck again tomorrow.

"Yes."

It was a polite-sounding answer, but her mouth was set in a pout. Preparing dinner had always been her sole responsibility.

"One day I will surely end this life!

The boy swore in his heart.