Nemo & Tari

His comments made her blush furiously, even with the knowledge that he wasn't being serious. She instinctively pulled her robes together and avoided the waiter's gaze when he glanced over at her. "What's wrong with you?" She hissed after he'd left. They were probably already the talk of the town after the stunt he pulled last night. Now it would be impossible to avoid their gazes when they left the inn. The only silver lining was that she had no intentions of ever returning here in the future.

She reached for a steamed bun. No point in letting them go to waste if they were already here. "Fine. It's not like I'd be able to get rid of you anyways." Despite her apprehension about traveling with him, she couldn't argue with what Qiu An said. Although it was true she could survive on her own, hunting down her father was another matter. Not only that, she would have to travel to towns without nearby forests to hunt in eventually and had no money to stay in town.

"Lately there have been rumors of walking corpses in Lujiang" She picked at her steamed bun, tearing it into pieces. "There's no guarantee it's them, but it's the only lead I have. It's a bit far from here, so we might not even make it before they leave."

Only half of the bun had been eaten. The rest had been picked to shreds on the table. Yue Ling had never been one to eat much for breakfast. "Unless you happen to have a better lead?" She abandoned the destroyed steamed bun and filled her water cup.

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"Try some of the 죽, it's lighter, easier to digest," Qiu An told the female, watching the bun go to shreds on the table while he chewed away. Queasy, perhaps, from all the drinking she had done the night prior. Though Qiu An was also willing to bet on the likelihood that Yue Ling wasn't used to three meals a day to begin with, seeing her unwillingness to step into civilization and willingness to hunt and camp.

But he listened and he did so attentively, nodding as if to confirm his own theories. He had mentioned the smell earlier, but there also had been stories of desecrated graves and grieving families that believed that their beloved had returned from the dead and was haunting them as ghosts, or perhaps worse.

Walking corpses were most likely worse.

Breathing in deeply Qiu An kept quiet, letting the story sink in as he sipped some of the congee he had poured for himself, the warm mellow flavour calming him and his stomach, a perfect foil against the greasiness of the bun.

"I have been visiting mortuaries," the male spoke up after a short silence, his voice dropping into a sterner tone while he cast a look down at the table, "any place with recently deceased and tales of disappearing bodies," he explains.

"Assuming that these corpses are the ones stolen by them we might as well do a service in cleaning up," Qiu An formulates the thought, knowing that he would do it anyway even if Yue Ling didn't want to. The disgrace and disgust was too heavy for him to carry on.

"Who knows, maybe they will hop right back to their master for us!" Returning to his cheery demeanour Qiu An was quick to shake off the earlier chill in his character and speech, arms stretching forward in the characteristic way of the 강시.

죽 - congee
강시 - gangsi

Speech colour: #63c19c
 
Just as Qiu An thought, Yue Ling usually did not eat three meals a day. Most of the time, she had a small breakfast, skipped lunch, and then ate an early dinner. Not only that, but she also still felt uncomfortable staying in the inn. Having grown up in the mountains her entire life, she couldn't help but feel anxious in this kind of environment. The copious amount of drinking she'd done the night before also didn't help ease her stomach. Following his suggestion she took a small portion of the 죽. It helped to ease her nausea slightly, and was not as heavy as the buns.

Yue Ling watched Qiu An carefully. There were times when his cheery countenance would drop, before coming back as if nothing had happened. It was almost like watching someone fixing a mask as it slid down their face. 생선 and 까마귀 had also noticed it and made sure to remind her that he still wasn't entirely trustworthy. "In that case, how about we visit mortuaries on our way to Lujiang?"

She finished her meager breakfast. "We should leave now." She was eager to leave the uncomfortably luxurious inn and get out of town. Yue Ling preferred to keep a low profile, but thanks to Qiu An's stunts that wouldn't be possible. A part of her worried that traveling with him meant that this would be a recurring theme. "The longer we take to get to Lujiang, the more likely it is that they won't be there anymore."

생선 - Fish
까마귀 - Crow
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"They're both old men, how fast can they move?" Qiu An had responded, but moved along nonetheless, knowing himself that he didn't want to delay the journey more than they already had with the night of cat and mouse and drinking. "Pack the rest up!" Qiu An had told the good man when Yue Ling announced she wanted to leave.

The 죽 was easy enough to finish off, harder to bring with them, but the 만두 were good even cold, just less so when fresh, but doable enough for the journey ahead of them, which promised to be long. "주군, where are you heading?" the innkeeper tried to ask, trying to maintain small-talk to which Qiu An pursed his lips, as if contemplating on how to answer.

"몰라요! Wherever there are 예쁜 여자 and a gambling house!" he exclaimed, giving Yue Ling a wink to the side before picking up the packed buns with an amicable smile, "Send the bill to the Lou sect, with the greetings from their seventh!" And with that he slaps open his fan as he steps out of the room, satisfied once more to start his day.

It usually went that easy, but the town was small and Qiu An had stayed at another inn the night before he had found Yue Ling, leaving behind the same words.

"Scammer!" The innkeeper had yelled, at first surprising Qiu An as he froze and turned, an accusing finger pointed at him, "the Lou sect has no scoundrel of a son like you!" the man had exclaimed, which earned a sardonic smile from the other.

"Yeah, you are right," Qiu An admitted, his mischief never dying out, though there was a glimmer of annoyance in his eyes, "imagine being the son of a monster," he spoke, tugging at the corner of a table sheet and throwing the remaining content onto the floor before flinging the fabric over the man.

"Run!" Qiu An called for Yue Ling, the long flowing fabrics of his clothes chasing after his figure while he leapt over tables and guests at their own breakfasts.

죽 - Congee
만두 - Bun
주군 - Master
몰라요 - I don't know
예쁜 - Pretty
여자 - Lady

Speech colour: #63c19c
 
Of course he was broke. She should have known better. Luckily, Yue Ling had already been standing when Qiu An took off, so it didn't take her long to follow closely behind him. Yue Ling did her best to avoid bumping into the other patrons and their food, but found it difficult to skirt around the destruction in Qiu An's wake. Unfortunately, the innkeeper had been prepared, and the local 경찰 were already waiting for them outside the building. They formed a half circle in front of them. Behind them, the inn's employees and owner kept them from retreating back inside. Several patrons were peering through the windows down at them.

"We have you surrounded! Now, come with us quietly!"

"까마귀!" A cloud of black smoke billowed from her sleeve. The men yelled with surprised and panic as the smoke covered their eyes. Yue Ling grabbed Qiu An by the hand and pulled him past the line of officers. The distraction allowed them to safely escape the town into the nearby 숲. The black smoke coalesced into the shape of a Crow that flew around Qiu An's head.

"A liar! A liar!"

"I told you!" Fish stayed hidden but made sure they could still be heard.

Yue Ling reached out a hand to Crow, but the stubborn spirit avoided her and continued to pester Qiu An. "그만해!" She got them on her second try. The spirit disappeared in a puff and one last squawk accusing Qiu An of being a liar. "미안. "

경찰 - Police
까마귀 - Crow
숲 - Forest
그만해 - Stop it
미안 - Sorry
 
A smog of black smoke, vaguely smelling of corpses, and then a firm pull towards the wood. Qiu An took a minute to recover, breathing in the fresh air as he dusted himself off and hoped none of the questionable smoke had gotten into his eyes.

"괜찮아," he said, not really sure to what Yue Ling was apologising, he had heard the voices, but they didn't sound like Yue Ling's. Qiu An took the apology anyway as he straightened himself, glad to find himself in the clear with a smile. "Quite a morning, isn't it? Did you manage to take the 만두 with you?" he questioned, checking with himself if he hadn't forgotten anything. Not that it mattered too much, Qiu An didn't carry anything of any value with him, or any value to him personally, at least.

"It looks like 형 finally decided to cut me off," he announced with a little pout, nodding to himself before patting a pocket under the folds of his clothes, sparse allowance that he had taken along with him and not used yet. It wouldn't pay for the debts racked up in the town they had just escaped, but Qiu An was a resourceful man.

"Care for a 내기?" the man thus asked, careless as ever.


괜찮아 - It is alright
만두 - Bun
형 - Brother
내기 - gamble

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"馒头是你要的。[You're the one who wanted the buns.] Why would I have them?" If there was one silver lining throughout this entire ordeal, it was the fact that Qiu An either didn't care she had spirits tied to her body, or had not noticed or figured out yet. "你真的没钱么？[Do you really have no money?" It seemed like the one positive to traveling with this man had vanished. What use was he if he was broke?

如果没钱， 就把他杀了[If he doesn't have money, just kill him.]

闭嘴！[Shut up!]

Yue Ling shook her head to clear it of the voices and motioned Qiu An to follow her deeper into the forest. They would be able to cut through it to get to the next town, reducing their travel time and avoiding the main road at the same time. "Gamble? Do you plan to lose the little money we have left?"

Yue Ling's familiarity with the terrain meant that she moved quickly. She didn't look to make sure Qiu An was keeping up, not because she wanted to leave him behind, but because she simply wasn't used to traveling with people who couldn't. Between her sister and father, Yue Ling was actually used to being the slowest. As they moved, she kept her eyes peeled for deer or hare tracks. If Qiu An really was broke, she might have to catch their dinner tonight.

Yue Ling #6F9AC4
Crow #A38F84
 
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"我运气好得很呢!" [My luck is amazing!] Qiu An retorted, amused at how stern and upright his travel buddy was despite all of the ill and ail surrounding her background and herself. "和我身上的钱我们能熬过去一两夜，可你否不否我能赚三倍?" [with the money I have right now we can get through a night or two, but will you believe me I can triple it?] The statement was confident, extremely so, as Qiu An caught up to Yue Ling, undaunted at whatever their journey was to be like, as long as it didn't promise itself to be dull.

"你不信我你鬼能信," [If you don't believe your beast/monster will,] the male continued, nodding towards the rotten arm that the daughter of evil carried along, followed up with a whisper meant only for Yue Ling to be heard;

"你和我死活就是恶的." [you and I are evil, alive or dead.]

And that he meant wholeheartedly, remembering the evil they were born from and the evil they were chasing after.

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Yue Ling scoffed, "三倍? 胡说八道" [Three times? What nonsense.]" They had just been chased out a town because of Qiu An's inability to pay his gambling debts. There was no way she could trust him "你真的能赚到的话， [If you really can earn that much], I won't complain about how you spend money until we find our fathers." She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. They were said sarcastically, but from the short time they had spent together, she had the feeling Qiu An would immediately take her up on the challenge.

She didn't react to his whispered words but glanced over at him. Yue Ling harbored literal devils within herself, and it was easy to see at a glance that there was something wrong with her. Qiu An, on the other hand, appeared to be a perfectly ordinary, albeit annoying, man. Appearances could be deceiving, but she wondered what had happened in his past to refer himself as evil.

Now that they were further from the village, Yue Ling slowed down her pace. They would have to move fairly quickly, but it would be possible to reach the next village by the evening. She prayed it wouldn't have a gambling hall. She looked behind them. The mountains she had called home for nearly whole life could still be seen in the distance. A small part of her was reluctant to continue on her quest for revenge, solely for the fact that she would eventually have to leave the comfort of the wilderness. "那个村庄老家子，他受你是罗拍的人。罗派是什么样的派? 很有名吗？" [That old man at the village, he said you're from the Luo sect. What kind of sect is the Luo Sect? Is it famous?]

Yue Ling #6F9AC4
 
"一言说定!" (That's a deal!) Qiu An's response was instantaneous, that fox-like grin widening along with his eyes that turned into slits. Not that he had any intention of doing otherwise. It was clear that Yue Ling had no money of her own and Qiu An wasn't about to allow anyone to decide over how he made use of his, however irresponsible.

Qiu An's surprise was clear at the next question that followed, a scoff in his voice at the idea that anyone in the pugilistic world (and even those outside as evidenced by the old man before) didn't know about the Luo sect. "我们江湖地下还有人不知罗教!" (Beyond the lakes and the rivers (the world) there is someone that doesn't know the Luo sect!) The exasperation was clear and yet, there was a certain glee he took in the knowledge that there was a corner in the world that didn't know about his background.

"关注生命罗教独一无二，罗教的主子们都算的是医书高手," (Everything that has to do with life the Luo sect is considered to be uniquely unbeatable, its students (young masters) considered to be masters in the medicinal arts,) Qiu An explained nonetheless, his expression darkening when he repeated the pillars on which his sect was supposed to stand, but from which it has strayed.

"真亏了我们罗家有这么一个好儿子更和宽罗家的大师的背叛," (What a shame for the Luo family, to have such a son and not to mention the betrayal of its grand master,) the man continued, eyes turned up towards the crowns of the trees lording above them as he tried to compose himself at the bitterness that rose from his heart.

"这位小姐从哪儿来的?" (And where did this young lady (missus) come from?)


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Yue Ling silently prayed that she wouldn't come to regret their deal, but it was impossible to take her words back now. His words made her feel slightly embarrassed at her ignorance. "我在山上长大的。这是我第一私下。" (I grew up on the mountain. This is my first time coming down.) It had been a strange experience. She knew the village was small, but she still had never seen so many people before. "Up until three days ago, Master Luo was the only person I'd talked to besides my father and sister."

She gave him a sideways glance, "Is the Luo sect famous for gambling as well as medicine?"

They heard the next village before they saw it. Music and the sound of celebration carried down the road and when they arrived, they were greeted with what looked like a festival. Red banners decorated doorways, and stalls were set up selling various goods. "这是神马？" (What is this?) Someone next to her lit a string of red cylinders and Yue Ling jumped as they exploded with loud popping noises. Before she could question the insanity of lighting explosives in the middle of the town though, a pair of laughing children pushed between her and Qiu An.

"小姐! 你饿不饿？快来吃我们的饺子," (Young miss, are you hungry? Please come try our dumplings.). a man was suddenly in front of her, gesturing towards his stall. Yue Ling took a step back, bumping into Qiu An. The man took one look at his clothes, pushed Yue Ling aside and immediately bowed, "Young lord! If you haven't had lunch yet, please consider visiting my humble restaurant. I guarantee we have the best dumplings in the region!"
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An isolated clan? Qiu An had heard of them. Some isolated themselves in conviction, others in protest, more often to protect what remained from the exiled members of the pugilistic world. The mention of the few people in her life making Qiu An feel all the more for Yue Ling, for having to imagine knowing only three people in the world, of which one of them was his father, was a sad notion.

"可能吧," [Could be] was his response at the gambling question. Qiu An could say his father liked a gamble or two, or the size of a whole clan, which returned him to his earlier musings as he thought of Yue Ling and her family, wondering what his father was doing there.

But all was cut short with the sight of the Spring Festival celebrations, his mood instantly lifting up as he stared at the familiar bustle and buzz of the crowds and families hanging about, smiling even brighter at the uncle that so eagerly approached him.

"师父! 恭喜发财，红包拿来!" [Master! Many blessings (gong xi fa cai), please give me the red pocket!]

Loudly greeting the man Qiu An dipped for a deep bow, his hands neatly crossed in front of him as his head went down, eyes signalling for Yue Ling to follow his lead.

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Yue Ling's eyes darted back and forth between Qiu An and the man, unsure if this was something that was actually expected of her or if Qiu An was taking advantage of her lack of knowledge to make fun of her. Eventually the moment stretched long enough that it became awkward and she bowed her head, holding her one arm in front of her. When she lifted her head, the man looked pleased.

"Young master, please, there is no need to be so polite. Are you travelers?" He placed a hand on Qiu An's arm and began to gently guide him towards the restaurant's entrance, "Please, come inside! Just for you, I'll provide a special discount. I promise we have the best dishes in the village."

The smell wafting from the restaurant smelled divine, and made Yue Ling's stomach rumble. As hungry as she was though, they wouldn't be able to eat as broke as they are. "We don't have any money," she told the shopkeeper, "But thank you for your offer."

A look of confusion passed on the man's face. While Yue Ling could certainly pass for a beggar, with her worn clothes and loose hair, Qiu An looked anything but. They made quite the incongruous pair of travelers.
 
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