Chapter 116
- The Eccentric Monk of Shaolin
Even after realizing that the world wasn't as easy as a novel, the trials didn't end.
Before we even arrived at Luoyang, we ran out of food.
If there was a village, we could have traded our belongings for food, but no matter how far we went, it was just mountains, and no village appeared.
It would have been better if it were summer. It wasn't easy to find food in the mountains when winter had arrived.
It was as if the mountain animals had dried up; it was difficult to even find a single rabbit.
I watched Yeon-ryang soaking the last handful of dried rations in water and asked gloomily.
"Brother. Are we going to starve to death like this?"
"Well, my sister is strong, so she'd have to starve for three months to die of starvation."
"That's even more terrible."
That meant I could endure starving for three months.
Yeon-ryang shrugged and scrubbed a concave stone slab with river water before placing it over the fire.
The porridge, made by pouring water into the stone slab, crushing the soaked rice, thinly slicing dried meat, and boiling it, smelled delicious.
Yeon-ryang, stirring the porridge, said seriously.
"We can't keep moving like this. We need to prioritize finding a village."
"It's too rough for people to live here. We won't find one unless we go down the mountain."
"Then we have to go down and find one. I'm fine, but So-hye, you can't starve. You're at the age where you need to eat well to grow tall."
Muttering worriedly, his jawline was sharper than usual. It was because he kept leaving the meager amount of food for me.
I knew exactly how much Yeon-ryang usually ate, and seeing him eat as little as a bird made me feel guilty.
Should we have just gone straight to Luoyang?
But the Gongqing Stone Oil was essential. I sent the Gui Shou Divine Art to the Tang Clan, so it would be helpful to Woon, too.
Hey, it's already done, so let's not regret it.
I nodded, steeling my resolve.
"Okay. Brother. Let's eat this and go down."
As he said, it seemed like getting food was the priority, even if it meant risking being tracked.
\ \ *
Going down the mountain in search of traces of people was much simpler than evading trackers.
"Kee-it!"
We just had to follow Ju-ryeong down.
"Furball. You're surprisingly useful."
At Yeon-ryang's exclamation, Ju-ryeong proudly bristled his fur. I chuckled and asked.
"Ju-ryeong. Is it much further to the village?"
"Kkyuk."
Ju-ryeong answered vigorously, as if to say it wasn't far. At that moment, I felt someone approaching us.
"Brother."
"Yeah."
Yeon-ryang nodded and reached for his sword. I also clutched the Poison powder, wary of the footsteps.
At the same time, a child's cry rang out.
"H, help me...!"
Huh? A child?
I blinked in confusion when a child ran up and grabbed my sleeve.
"H, help me...! My mother, my mother...!"
The sobbing boy with teary eyes was pitiful, but suspicion came before sympathy.
The mountain range was so rugged that there wasn't a single village. It wasn't a place where a child could wander alone.
Despite his innocent face, I doubted whether he was really a child.
We had the case of Dang Jung right away.
When we didn't react, the child looked up at me, crying.
"Please... Bad people... Bad people took my mother away...!"
Yeon-ryang scratched his cheek and asked.
"Bad people? How many?"
"F, five..."
"Okay. Lead the way. Let's go."
"Th, thank you! Thank you. Sir...! This way!"
At Yeon-ryang's answer, the child hurriedly began to lead the way.
Why did he accept? Yeon-ryang should have noticed it was suspicious, right?
Looking at Yeon-ryang with a puzzled expression, I poked him in the side.
'It's a trap.'
'I know.'
'Then why are you following?'
'If there are people, there will be food.'
Huh? He's a genius?
I gave him a thumbs up, and Yeon-ryang chuckled and picked up Ju-ryeong.
The prediction was not wrong.
I felt many presences in the direction the child was leading.
Judging by the fact that I couldn't feel even a speck of Inner Energy, I guessed they were just a bunch of insignificant bandits.
As we nonchalantly entered the encirclement, a group of bandits jumped out and surrounded us.
"Hahaha! Well done, kid."
"Uncle. You have to give me pocket money."
The child, as if he had never begged us, grinned and hid behind the group of bandits.
Look at that kid. This isn't his first time.
I looked at Yeon-ryang with a wry smile, and Yeon-ryang shook his head as if to say, what can you do?
One of the bandits, who seemed to be the leader, pointed his sword at us and shouted fiercely.
"Hand over everything you have! If you hand it over willingly, I'll spare your lives!"
"How cliché. I don't want to."
At my sullen reply, the bandit gnashed his teeth, unable to contain his anger.
"You don't want to? How dare you? You're being insolent! Do you think this old man is joking?"
His threatening appearance was unsightly, but I couldn't be bothered to talk any further.
I bent the sword the bandit was pointing at me with my bare hands.
"Uh... Uh..."
The bandit's face turned white as he looked down at the blade folded in half.
"Uh, when did you get in front of me?"
"I didn't even see you move...!"
The group of bandits stepped back, looking frightened.
Regardless, I reached out my hand and tapped it.
"Whatever. Do you have any food?"
