Embers of the Holy War

Lady Luck Is Not On His Side

Master...? The only people he knew who called him 'Master Guang' were the people from the manor. Guang lowered his fists a little, if only because he didn't want to hurt a servant.

However, when the person lowered their hood, it was to reveal a lady with long locks of grey hair and eyes blown wide with disbelief. While she didn't seem hostile, Guang didn't recognise her as a servant of the manor either. Wait...wasn't she...

Marching forwards and slamming down his hands on the counter, he marvelled, "Are you the shopkeeper? The shopkeeper from fifteen years ago?"

The old lady across the counter certainly bore an uncanny resemblance to the lady in his memories. He was pretty sure she was the one who chatted with Sui. Such a miracle, thank the hero - he wasn't going to let go of this opportunity easily.

At the mercy of his twinkling, expecting eyes, the old lady nervously chuckled, taking a step back. "Yes, I am. Master Guang - what brings you here today? As far as I'm aware, you're still imprisoned in the Dragon Manor."

Imprisoned? What did she mean by that? Crossing his arms to ponder, he tried to decode what she meant by that, but no matter how hard he strained his tiny brain, he couldn't think of anything.

"Ah, whatever."

Dismissively waving his hand to shoo his confusion away, he slammed his hands down on the counter again, making the lady jump.

"Miss Shopkeeper, do you know where Sui is? He's a customer from fifteen years ago - transparent hair, furry jacket and boots, extremely pretty - surely you remember him?"

She opened her mouth, about to answer, but after some hesitation, she closed it, shirking away, much to Guang's disappointment. He was not surprised at this point. Lady Luck was clearly not on his side today, if it wasn't obvious enough. With a sigh, he let out all of his negative emotions. Abruptly, he stood tall once more, determined. If today is not the day, he'll just have to try tomorrow, and the day after the next, however long it takes, until he finds Sui.

"It's alright, Miss Shopkeeper, if you don't want to answer," he reassured. "But if you do change your mind, feel free to contact the Dragon Manor!"

However, just as he turned, he felt a force pulling his shirt back. To his surprise, the lady had grabbed the back of his shirt, her lips pursed.

Reluctantly, she confessed, "I can't say much, but I can tell you a few things."

Guang instantly lit up like a Christmas tree. Holding the lady's hands in his own larger ones, he asked much like a happy golden retriever being given a treat, "What is it, what is it?"

It was but a momentary flicker, but Guang noticed that the lady eyed his earring. He was about to question her curiosity when she started talking.

"You are special, Master Guang. Because of that, it is not easy for Master Sui to meet you, as much as he wants to. But fret not; your meeting is inevitable. You will meet him soon."

For a good five seconds, Guang stared at the lady, trying to process her befuddling riddles. Did she even answer his question?

"Uh...thanks for the tip, miss?"

She nodded sagely, clearly not realising that Guang had not understood a single word.

"You may be able to find more clues from the churches, I can't say more."

Oh, now that she mentioned it, there was a church nearby too. If he recalled correctly, Jin mentioned it was somewhere near the lake.

"That helps a lot! I'll be sure to check it out, miss!"