CHAPTER 53: MYSTERY OF THE LANTERNS

He wondered if the little bird was awake by now and whether it felt scared in the unfamiliar environment.

The bird hadn’t eaten anything yet.

Did it need to be fed?

If so, what should he feed it?

He figured birds ate insects, but could it eat rice instead?

He wasn’t sure.

Back in the city, people who kept pets had specialized food for them.

Without those artificial pet foods, what exactly should animals eat?

What was truly suitable for them?

Bok Taejin told Seo Sowoo that he was heading home, but Seo Sowoo stood up. "Wait a sec, I’ve got something for you."

As he spoke, Seo Sowoo walked toward the village’s main kitchen.

He quickly returned, carrying something in his hands.

In the dim light, Bok Taejin saw that it was a woven grass nest.

Seo Sowoo handed it to him with one hand while scratching his head sheepishly with the other.

"I learned a bit of weaving from my mother before. When I got back today, I thought about how leaving that bird in an empty cage wouldn’t be comfortable for it, even if it weren’t injured—let alone now that it is. So I tried weaving a nest out of dry grass. Unfortunately, I didn’t do a great job, but it’ll have to do for now. Once it gets used to me and can be released, it will make its own nest, which will be much better."

Bok Taejin took the nest and examined it, unable to hold back his admiration. "Your craftsmanship is beyond my reach."

The corners of Seo Sowoo mouth stretched even wider in a grin when he heard Book Taejin’s praise.

Bok Taejin quickly searched the crowd and soon spotted Im Beomhyeon. He said, "I’ll be heading home now, Brother Sowoo. See you tomorrow."

Seo Sowoo’s smile stiffened slightly. He sighed and nodded. "Alright, see you tomorrow."

At that moment, Im Beomhyeon happened to look in their direction.

Seeing Bok Taejin walking toward him, he stepped forward and squinted. "Heading home?"

Bok Taejin raised the bird’s nest in his hand. "I have a little one at home that needs looking after."

Im Beomhyeon nodded. "You go ahead. I’ll find something for it to eat."

When he got home, the bird had already woken up.

It let out a raspy chirp from time to time, sounding as if it had been calling for too long while also suffering from dehydration.

A healthy myna bird should have a crisp and pleasant call, but this little bird’s voice was anything but.

Bok Taejin placed the nest next to the cage and, using the moonlight streaming in from outside, managed to find a candle and light it.

The dim flame faintly illuminated the room.

Perhaps it was the sight of the light, or maybe the familiarity of seeing someone it recognized, but the bird’s calls grew more urgent—though also more hoarse.

Bok Taejin quickly carried the candle to the kitchen, scooped a bowl of water from the vat, and returned.

He set the bowl outside the cage.

The bird immediately stopped calling and tried to move.

However, its body was covered in medicine and wrapped in bandages.

Moving wasn’t easy.

After struggling a little, it hurt itself and let out another pitiful, desperate cry.

Bok Taejin hurriedly opened the cage door and carefully cradled the tiny myna bird in his hands.

It was still just a chick—so small compared to the large bowl.

Bok Taejin had no choice but to hold it while letting it stretch its neck to reach the water.

The little myna bird finally stopped calling.

Its tiny head bobbed up and down as it focused entirely on drinking.

As Bok Taejin patiently waited for it to finish, his thoughts wandered to the issue of lighting.

In his past life, he had been used to bright, easily accessible lights.

However, in this underdeveloped world, even lighting a candle was something to be done sparingly.

The difference was overwhelming.

He wanted to find a way to bring some of the lighting techniques from the immortal sects into the lives of ordinary people, but after thinking it over, he realized he was in no position to help anyone right now.

It wasn’t just the common folk who struggled with nighttime lighting.

Even in the sects, only a few high-ranking people had access to rare treasures with illumination properties.

Most disciples simply had the money to afford oil lamps and candles.

But those things paled in brightness compared to the lights from his previous world.

In the past two nights, he had come home and gone straight to bed, so he hadn’t really considered the lighting issue.

Now, he was acutely aware of how inconvenient it was.

Fortunately, Im Beomhyeon had mentioned where the candles were kept; otherwise, he wouldn’t have found them so easily.

However, another question arose in his mind.

The ancestral hall and several nearby houses in the village had plenty of lanterns hanging outside.

Bok Taejin remembered that those lanterns remained lit at night.

Although their glow was faint, it was still a rare luxury.

Yet, he had never seen anyone lighting them.

So how did they stay illuminated?

As he pondered this, the little myna bird finished drinking and let out a soft chirp.

Bok Taejin snapped out of his thoughts.

He placed the bird into the nest and carefully set both the nest and bird back inside the cage.

"Oh, you even lit a lamp," Im Beomhyeon remarked as he walked in, holding something in his hands.

Bok Taejin shivered at a single glance.

Im Beomhyeon was holding nothing but small insects—some of them even wriggling!

Scoffing, Im Beomhyeon sneered, "What aoward. One of these days, I’ll toss a few bugs on you while you sleep so you can get used to them."

As he spoke, he pinched a few insects and fed them to the little myna bird.

Bok Taejin’s teeth were nearly chattering as he forced a dry laugh. "There’s no need for you to go through all that trouble in the middle of the night."