The master walked toward the house with his eyes wide open, dark circles under them, and a faint smile on his lips, without even blinking.
He reached the house and entered without knocking.
When the little girl saw him, she thought she had seen a ghost and screamed again.
Ryu quickly came out of one of the rooms, saw the master, and was completely shocked.
"Master! Master! What happened?!
Don't tell me you lost?!"
"My precious treasure and money…"
The master said this with a sigh and sat down.
"Master, please explain exactly what happened!"
Ten minutes later
"So… you asked those poor people for a hundred gold coins, and after you left, the monsters stole them, and while you were destroying the monsters, the money got completely crushed too…"
"Sigh… yeah…"
The little girl, who had been hiding in a corner and listening, suddenly jumped out and said,
"Did you really destroy the monsters?!"
"Sigh… yeah. But my beautiful money…"
The little girl threw herself into the master's arms and said,
"Thank you so much! You're my hero!"
The master was shocked by the sudden hug,
but after a moment, a sense of calm washed over him, and he smiled slightly.
A few hours later
When the people heard that someone had destroyed the monsters, they were overjoyed and began celebrating.
After confirming the truth of the master's words, the commander searched for him. Once he found where he was staying, he personally went to invite him to the celebration that would be held that night.
With a few hours still left before sunset, Ryu said to the master,
"Can you teach me martial arts?"
The master, who was extremely lazy, replied,
"Umm… I don't know… that's a very difficult project… let me think… maybe write it in a book or something…"
Ryu said,
"Master Zhang knew you were very lazy, so he taught me the basic techniques of sword and fist usage so I could learn them."
"Haha… that old man is smart."
"Alright, let's start with those."
After reading the book just once, Ryu memorized everything perfectly and said,
"Master, I'll perform the techniques, and you tell me if anything is wrong."
"Alright, show me."
Ryu picked up a wooden stick and started moving it around.
The master thought it was Ryu's first time doing this, so he assumed it would be completely wrong.
But as Ryu began performing the techniques, he executed them in the most perfect way possible.
The master was utterly stunned and stared at his movements.
The sword (the stick) moved through the air as if it were writing words across the sky.
After Ryu finished, the master stood up and said,
"Is this really the first time you've read this book? Haven't you practiced martial arts before?"
Ryu replied,
"Yes, Master. I thought I couldn't read the book without your permission, so I only read it now, and this is the first time I've ever practiced martial arts."
"…"
"Can you also perform the basic fist techniques?"
"Yes, Master, I can."
Once again, Ryu performed the basic fist techniques flawlessly, and the master was even more shocked.
A talent that could learn something after reading it just once…
"Very good. Well done. Practice these a few more times."
The master thought to himself,
I'll let him stay busy with these for now. Later, I'll buy him martial arts books so he can learn more.
"Okay, Master!"
Ryu began practicing, while the master lay down nearby, watching his movements.
No matter how much he looked, he couldn't find a single flaw.
Even though they were basic techniques, he genuinely enjoyed watching them.
The little girl's mother approached the master with her child.
"Hello, I'm sorry for bothering you."
The master quickly stood up and said,
"No, not at all. Please, have a seat."
The woman sat down and asked,
"Did you really defeat the monsters?"
"Yes, I managed to destroy them," the master replied.
The woman suddenly started crying, tears flowing nonstop.
Seeing this, Ryu quickly came over.
"Ma'am, why are you crying?"
The woman bowed deeply to the master and said,
"Thank you so, so much! You avenged my husband and saved us from this misery!"
"I'll be indebted to you for the rest of my life!"
"Please don't say that," the master said. "It was my duty."
Ryu added,
"Please don't cry. Everything is safe now. You can live peacefully."
After calming herself, the woman thanked the master again and asked them to stay for breakfast the next morning.
The master replied,
"We were planning to leave early, but we can't refuse such kindness."
The woman was delighted and left.
---
Night
Night fell, and everyone gathered in the city square to celebrate.
They all ate together.
Children and little girls kept coming over to the master and Ryu.
The master didn't really like dealing with kids, but Ryu loved them and played with them.
People danced around the fire and drank until they were drunk.
Finally, as the night was coming to an end, the festival concluded.
Everyone thanked the master, and then the commander raised his voice to say a few words.
"Ahem! The reason for this gathering and celebration is our honored master, who risked his life to save us from the monsters!"
"We are deeply grateful, and we would also like him to stay with us for a few days so we can offer proper hospitality."
The master replied,
"Ah… no, sorry. We plan to leave tomorrow and continue our journey."
The people were saddened that the master couldn't stay, but they couldn't force him.
So they respected his decision and slowly dispersed after thanking him once more.
---
The Next Morning
After breakfast, Ryu and the master went to say goodbye to the family.
They said farewell to the woman, but the little girl was nowhere to be found.
Her mother said,
"It's probably hard for her to say goodbye to you.
That's why she couldn't come. It's okay. We hope to see you again someday."
Ryu said softly,
"I wish I could've seen her…"
They left the house and continued their journey.
When they reached the city gate, they saw that all the people had gathered.
The young commander approached them, bowed to the master, and handed him a pouch.
"This is the money the townspeople gathered together.
It's not as much as we promised, but we'd be honored if you'd accept it."
The master quickly took the pouch and opened it.
Seeing that it was full of gold coins, he became extremely happy.
"Heh heh… I mean… ahem… I really can't accept this… but since you insist, thank you very much."
After saying goodbye, they passed through the gate.
After walking a few steps, they suddenly saw the little girl running toward them in tears.
She jumped into the master's arms, crying, and hugged him tightly.
For the first time in a long while, the master felt the warmth he had been searching for and hugged her back.
After letting go of the master, she jumped into Ryu's arms.
"I'm so glad you came. I really wanted to say goodbye to you."
With her nose running and tears in her eyes, she said,
"Please stay longer…"
"I'm sorry, little lady," the master replied, "but we have to go."
Then she put a bracelet on the master's wrist and said,
"This belonged to my dad. Please wear it."
(Several black strings tied together)
The master happily put it on.
She also gave Ryu a ring.
She hugged both Ryu and the master one last time.
After an emotional farewell, they continued on their journey, and the girl returned home to her mother.
---
A few hours later
Entrance of Moon City
"Oh, so this is Moon City."
"Yeah, looks like this is the place."
Two strange individuals were talking together.
One of the city guards noticed their unusual appearance, drew his sword, and said,
"Who are you?!
What are you doing here?!"
---
End of Chapter 22