Book 2 Chapter 42

When Willow returned to the inn that night Miss Mu had an announcement to make.

One that Willow was not happy with.

“What do you mean you wanna leave already? We haven’t even been here a full year yet!”

Mu puffed on her pipe. “Look, I’m just sayin’ you’ve gotten what you need from here and the next location you’ll be trainin’ at will be better for me to do my job. It’s just practical for us to move on while we can.”

Willow kind of hated that she saw where her mentor was coming from. Yeobaek wasn’t exactly a bustling thoroughfare, so there weren’t a ton of roads for Mu to make use of in the surroundings. Most people came by boat to visit from the Seo clan’s capital city on the great lake.

But she hadn’t been able to do anything to properly thank Madame Park for what she did today!

Speaking of…

“Something happened today that you should probably know about.” Willow hadn’t had a chance to tell her yet since her mentor had decided to lead with her announcement the moment she entered the room.

Mu let out a cloud of sweet smoke, obscuring a raised brow. “Oh? Was it somethin’ serious?”

“The Li clan showed up today and made a bit of a commotion. Madame Park had to step in and protect me.”

Willow could immediately feel the anger and fear stirring in Miss Mu’s core, though as usual it was almost drowned out by her nearly as bright curiosity.

“What exactly happened?”

Willow gathered her thoughts for a moment before answering. “They came in and requested me over Mister Kim, saying they wanted a girl around the same age as their young miss to serve them. Probably thought I was a member of a clan like them or something, it’s happened before.”

Mu gestured for her to hurry up and get to the actually relevant portion.

“They figured out pretty quickly that I was bound to a spirit and that my family didn’t have a fancy name so they started treating me poorly. Then Madame Park showed up and made the Li woman really mad. So mad that it looked like a fight was gonna break out.”

That had Mu even more curious. “What’d she say to her?”

“Something about kidnapping her husband?”

Her mentor let out a whistle. “That must’ve been the Matriarch’s daughter then. She caused quite the scandal some years back. Nabbing an independent binder with a powerful moon spirit like that.”

Willow wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, Madame Park said the Li clan were like magpies, taking whatever interested them. It’s why she stepped in when she did. She said they would’ve probably made me use some qi and get interested in my shifting.”

Mu tapped her pipe in her other hand for a few moments. “Yeah… that’s likely. Then it would’ve only been a matter of time ‘til they found out about Harmony and Change.”

She sighed. “Guess I’ll have to properly thank the old bat for stickin’ her neck out for you like that. I honestly thought she’d’ve sold you out for some favours from the Li or Hao clans.”

Willow pouted. “Madame Park isn’t like that! She tries to hide it, but she cares about her students a bunch.” She paused. “Though she definitely seems to care for some students more than others. I think the Li woman was an old student of hers, but they really didn’t like each other.”

That made Mu laugh. “I imagine most teachers are like that, havin’ some students they adore and others they disliked. Also I can attest to you being a joy to teach so far even if I’m not the best at it just yet.”

Willow puffed up a bit in pride at that. She was working her butt off trying to learn all she could and was glad that she was being appreciated for it.

However she then deflated, remembering how this conversation started.

“Do we really have to go?” She’d just gotten used to this little town and the people in it. She also felt that there was so much for her to learn from Madame Park despite the majority of it not really interesting her.

Mu nodded. “It’s probably for the best if we do. Especially if the Li clan comes back and starts pokin’ around for you again. From the sounds of it that was far too close to a disastrous outcome for my likin’.”

As her apprentice still looked sad, Mu continued. “The next place we’ll be going is a proper city! We’ll be able to stay in some fancier accommodations since I’ll be able to make use of the Wanderer’s resources there as well. Which means you’ll have access to plenty of tasty treats and a much more comfortable bed!”

Willow smiled a bit as her mentor tried her best to cheer her up. Those things definitely did sound nice, but she’d just gotten comfortable here and now they needed to move on.

Though she did suppose that was the job she’d signed up for. She’d even made a point of trying not to make any friends to make this part a little easier for her, though she was still unsure if that was ultimately the right way to go about it.

Perhaps she could try to make some friends in the next place. If it was one of the major cities then it was likely she’d go back there eventually.

She didn’t see herself coming back here unless she was specifically visiting Madame Park.

“When do we leave?” She ultimately decided to ask.

A cloud of sweet smoke accompanied her mentor’s answer. “I’d say in about a week. It’ll give me a chance to properly square things up with the old bat, and you’ll have time to say goodbye to any friends you made in the meantime.”

Willow scratched at her cheek. “I hadn’t made any since I knew we’d be leaving eventually.”

Mu blinked owlishly. “What? I’ve noticed you go out on your own loads of times, I assumed you were meetin’ up to play with some of the local brats or somethin’.”

Willow shook her head. “Nope, was just wandering around the town a bit. Spent some time in the fields as well since it reminded me of home. I even found a nice secluded spot to play with my friends!”

Mu winced. “You probably shouldn’t have brought your spirits out even in a place you think is safe, but what’s done is done. When we get to Acerorazon you’ll have to be even more careful, all right?”

Willow perked up upon hearing the name of the city they’d be going to. “That’s House Herrera’s territory, right?”

Most of the customers from there had been fairly nice, if a bit too stiff and formal for her liking. She was curious what the city would be like!

Her mentor grew grumpy at her ignoring the warning she gave. “Willow, this is important. Don’t let out any of your spirits aside from the one your gettin’ training for. It’ll make my job a lot harder if you do.”

Willow sighed, knowing she was ultimately right even if it felt unfair to keep the majority of her friends cooped up all the time.

“You’re right Miss Mu, I promise not to do it again.”