Chapter 144
Sitting atop a cliff and stroking his white beard, Wi Jigok slowly raised his head.
The snow piled on his bamboo hat spilled into the air and scattered on the wind.
His eyes took in the official road, blanketed in white.
Faint wheel tracks marked the road beneath the heavy snowfall.
“Hmm... It seems the troublesome watchdog has gone home to guard its house. It should be about time to meet them.”
Muttering to himself, Wi Jigok rose and thumped his lower back. His joints cracked loudly.
“Ah, my back. My bones ache so badly I can’t keep doing this much longer. I ought to hand over the Martial Alliance Lord’s position soon.”
Grumbling, he leaned his weight on his cane and straightened his bent back.
The hunched old man’s silhouette suddenly rose like a mountain.
After adjusting his robes, Wi Jigok twisted his cane apart. A fishing rod hidden inside the thick staff emerged, its heavenly silkworm thread shooting into the air.
With a flick of the fine line, he erased every trace of where he had waited, then sprang lightly down from the cliff.
It was a transaction with clearly defined terms.
With the Poison King absent, this was the perfect chance to make the deal happen.
Stroking his beard, Wi Jigok began walking slowly in the direction the carriage had gone.
His steps were so light that he left no footprints on the snow.
*****
Yang Gyojin was unusual in more ways than one.
Her height and low voice had been enough for Yeon Ryang to mistake her for a man, and she also did not seem to care in the slightest what other people thought of her.
I had assumed she wore men’s clothing to avoid inconvenience, but that was not it either.
“Yang Gyojin, why do you dress like a man? Are you hiding your identity? Though judging by how openly you display your family emblem, I suppose that isn’t it.”
“Men’s clothing? Oh, I just wear it. At the cloth shop, this was the only outfit that fit my legs.”
...What? I’m jealous.
I pursed my lips and glanced at her.
Maybe it was because of her androgynous features. She looked like a fine-boned young man at the very edge of adulthood.
The way her muscles moved and the qi I could sense from her made it clear that she was well trained.
But she was oddly vague.
“Yawn. Now that I’ve eaten, I’m sleepy. Can I sleep?”
“Of course not. What do you take us for, your coachmen? Sit up straight.”
“Okay.”
Yang Gyojin obediently sat up properly.
With a sigh, I tapped the floor of the carriage.
“You’re going to get yourself into serious trouble. How can you trust me enough to fall asleep? What if something happens to you while you’re sleeping?”
“Come on. If you meant to do something to me, you wouldn’t have fed me first.”
Yang Gyojin answered so casually that she looked like she had not a worry in the world.
This is driving me crazy. What am I supposed to do with her?
“You said you don’t have any money. Can you even stay at an inn?”
“I don’t have money, but I still have my identity token. Maybe a bank will lend me some?”
“Which bank does your family do business with?”
“Hmm. The Continental Bank? Or maybe the Golden Bank? I’m not really sure.”
“You don’t know, but you’re planning to borrow money from them anyway...?”
If I had not known better, I might have let her go on her way.
But now that I knew what she was like, I could not simply cut her loose in this state.
Letting out a long sigh, I took out my money pouch.
“I’ll lend you some, so pay me back later. If you spend carefully, it should last you fifteen days. Contact home as soon as we reach Yueyang and get money from them.”
“Thank you. You’re a good person. I knew I was a good judge of character!”
“I said I’m lending it to you, not giving it away. Pay it back with interest. Three silver coins and twenty copper coins.”
“Okay. But how do I pay you back? Should I send it to the Tang Clan?”
“...No. Pay me back when we meet again.”
We would probably run into each other again someday.
With a small laugh, I handed Yang Gyojin some travel money.
Thrilled, she waved both arms.
“Thank you! I’ll use it well!”
Then she played with Cane’s front paws and hummed to herself before suddenly saying something strange.
“Oh, I should tell you in advance. I’m not very smart.”
“Hm?”
Out of nowhere?
As I blinked at her sudden self-reflection, Yang Gyojin added,
“I’m not smart enough to speak indirectly. So if something I say sounds weird, tell me. I’m not trying to needle you. I don’t mean any harm. Really.”
“O-Okay. I understand.”
“I’m saying this because I want to get along with you, Sohae. I say things normally, but a lot of people get offended.”
“What did you say to them?”
When I asked in confusion, Yang Gyojin scratched her cheek.
“Um... A little while ago, Mother got angry and asked how long I planned to keep playing with swords. She told me to train in spear arts too.”
“Right.”
“So I told her Mother could use a spear herself, and asked why I had to worry about it. Then Mother kicked me out.”
Was her mother unhappy that she used a sword? Since the Yang Family Estate was famous for spear arts, I could understand why that would upset her.
Nodding to myself, I asked just in case.
“...You aren’t the heir apparent, are you?”
“I am. I’m Mother’s only child.”
“What? You’re the heir apparent, but you use a sword? What happens to your family’s signature spear art?”
“That’s for Mother to worry about. I’m not the family head, so why should I?”
“But you’re the heir apparent.”
“Yeah.”
“Then you’ll inherit the Yang Family Estate someday. How can you talk as though it has nothing to do with you? Did you tell your mother the same thing?”
“Oh. You sound exactly like Mother. It’s fine. She’s healthy. She’ll be perfectly fine until I have children. She can remain the family head until my child becomes the heir apparent. Then I won’t need to become the family head.”
What kind of nonsense was that?
I began to worry about the blood pressure of the Yang Family Head, whom I had never even met.
“...Your words are not the problem, Yang Gyojin. Your mother must have a hard time with you. I understand why she kicked you out.”
“You think so too? The chief steward said the same thing.”
“Yes. Be good to your mother.”
“Hm? Okay.”
Yang Gyojin nodded as though she had no idea what the issue was.
Cane did not seem wary of her, so she was not a bad person...
But I could not tell whether she simply did not care about common sense or was just ignorant.
Suppressing a hollow laugh, I rubbed my face.
I really did pick up the wrong person.
*****
By the time we reached an inn, the snow had stopped and night had fallen.
After confirming that the inn runner had led the horses into the stable and covered them with thick blankets, we slowly entered the inn.
Under the brighter lights, Yeon Ryang did not look well.
The dark circles beneath his eyes made him look like someone who had spent several nights unable to sleep.
I caught his sleeve anxiously.
“Brother, you aren’t feeling well right now, are you? Do you want to go upstairs first?”
“I’m fine. I’ll be perfectly fine after I sleep.”
Even his voice sounded a little hoarse.
He’s pretending to be fine, so it must be worse than I thought. Are these side effects from the Dissolving-Power Poison? He shouldn’t be catching a cold in weather like this.
Frowning, I pushed Yeon Ryang toward the stairs.
“No. Brother, go upstairs now.”
“I’m fine. We can eat dinner together—”
“No. Go upstairs. Right now.”
“...When did my little sister become so fierce? I should go before she smacks me on the back. Make sure you eat dinner.”
“Okay. I’ll have some porridge sent up.”
“Fine, fine.”
With a quiet laugh, Yeon Ryang nodded and headed upstairs.
As I watched his back with a troubled expression, Yang Gyojin whispered,
“Is that big guy sick?”
“Watch how you speak. What do you mean, ‘big guy’?”
“Oh. Then... should I call him Big Brother?”
“Sure. Call him whatever you want. Handle dinner yourself. I’m heading upstairs too. Cane, come here.”
Forget dinner. I needed to decoct the century-old fleeceflower root first.
I held out my arm. Cane, which had been in Yang Gyojin’s arms, scampered over and settled against my shoulder.
“What? I’m eating alone?”
Yang Gyojin looked a little disappointed, but her expression quickly brightened again as she waved at me.
“Can’t be helped. Tell Big Brother to get plenty of rest. Good night. See you tomorrow.”
“You too.”
I nodded, asked the inn runner to send up some porridge, and headed for the rooms on the second floor.
When I opened the door, Yeon Ryang, who had been lying on the bed, pushed himself upright and looked at me.
“You should eat dinner with your friend. Why did you come upstairs?”
“I came to make a medicinal decoction. Let’s take the fleeceflower root Master Beopgong gave us now. Lie down, Brother.”
“Ha ha. All right. Did you have fun with your new friend?”
“What new friend? She’s a little strange. Maybe I should have left her by the road like you said.”
“It’ll get better with time. You were like that in the beginning too.”
“I keep telling you, I wasn’t that bad.”
“Right, right. Let’s say that.”
Pretending to agree with me, Yeon Ryang lay back down.
As he watched me arrange the medicinal ingredients, he slowly spoke.
“Sohae.”
“Yes?”
“You should never trust people in the martial world without caution... but you should not avoid getting to know people either.”
His serious voice made me stop what I was doing and look at him.
He continued gently.
“As long as we are human, no matter how strong we become, we will still be lonely on our own. Even if you walk the martial world with a sword in hand and blood on your fingertips, you still have to live among people if you want to live like a person. So I hope you won’t deliberately avoid them.”
“...”
“A martial artist who cannot belong anywhere in the world is nothing more than a butcher. I want you to meet many people, Sohae. And say goodbye to many people too.”
Yeon Ryang’s eyes, as he calmly offered that advice, were full of affection for me.
With a gentle smile, he added,
“Except for that Taoist bastard.”
“...Brother. You really hate Taoist Jinseong.”
Taoist Jinseong had really landed on his bad side.
Trying not to laugh, I nodded.
“Okay. I will.”
“So get along with Miss Yang. If she seems a little strange, just decide she was born strange.”
“What? Ahahaha. That’s even stranger, Brother.”
Laughing, I took out my short blade and began preparing the century-old fleeceflower root.
Yeon Ryang ate the porridge brought up by the inn runner, drank the medicinal decoction, and soon fell asleep beneath the medicine’s effects.
His brow had furrowed deeply, so I gently pressed it smooth. His eyebrows twitched.
Cane was asleep, wedged against his side.
It seemed to think of Yeon Ryang as a warm heating pad.
“Brother. Sleep well.”
“...Mm.”
Yeon Ryang answered in his sleep, his face still scrunched in discomfort.
After watching the two of them sleep so peacefully together, I quietly slipped out of Yeon Ryang’s room.