Chapter 144
144
Wi Ji-gok, who was sitting on the cliff stroking his white beard, slowly raised his head.
The snow piled on his bamboo hat poured down and scattered into the air.
His eyes captured the main road, dyed pure white.
On the main road covered with heavy snow, the wheel tracks of a passing carriage remained faintly.
"Hmm... It seems the troublesome watchdog has returned home to guard the house. I guess it's about time to meet."
Wi Ji-gok muttered, patted his waist, and stood up. His joints creaked loudly.
"Aigo, my back. My bones ache so much, I can't do this anymore. I should quickly hand over the position of Alliance Leader."
He grumbled, leaned his weight on his cane, and straightened his bent back. The shabby old man's back then rose as massive as a mountain.
Wi Ji-gok, who tidied his clothes, twisted and pulled out his cane. The fishing rod hidden inside the thick cane was revealed, and the celestial silk soared into the air.
He waved the slender thread to quickly erase any trace of his stay, then lightly jumped down the cliff.
It was a clear-cut deal.
Now that the Poison King was away, it was the perfect opportunity to make this deal happen.
Wi Ji-gok stroked his beard and slowly began to walk in the direction the carriage had gone. His steps were so light that no footprints remained on the white snow.
\ \ \
Yang Gyo-jin was a unique fellow in many ways.
It was like Yeon-ryang mistaking her for a man because of her tall height and low voice, and it was also like she didn't care what others thought of her.
I thought she was dressing as a man to avoid discomfort, but that wasn't really the case.
"Yang Gyo-jin. Why do you always dress like a man? Are you trying to hide your identity? But seeing as you're openly displaying your family crest, I guess not."
"Man's clothes? Ah, I just wear this. This was the only outfit they sold at the fabric store that fit my leg length."
...What. I'm jealous.
I pouted and glared at her.
Perhaps it was because of her androgynous appearance. She looked like a fair-skinned boy on the verge of adolescence.
Judging from the structure of her muscles and the Qi felt when she moved, it was clear that she was a well-trained Martial Artist.
But she was somewhat dim-witted.
"Haaam. I'm sleepy after eating. Can I sleep?"
"Would you? What do you take us for, coachmen? Sit up straight."
"Okay."
She answered obediently and sat up straight. I sighed and tapped the floor of the carriage.
"You're going to get into big trouble like that. How can you trust me enough to ask if you can sleep? What if you get into trouble while you're sleeping?"
"Eii. If you were planning to do that, you wouldn't have fed me."
Yang Gyo-jin, who answered nonchalantly, seemed to have no thoughts at all.
I'm going crazy. What should I 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 have an identity plaque. Wouldn't they lend me some if I went to the battlefield?"
"Which battlefield does your family trade with?"
"Hmm. The Continental Battlefield, maybe? Or the Golden Battlefield? I'm not sure."
"How are you going to borrow money if you don't even know..."
Whether I knew or not, it didn't seem right to just release her in this state. I sighed deeply and took out a money pouch from my sleeve.
"I'll lend you some, so pay me back later. If you save it, you can last for half a month. Contact your home as soon as you arrive in Yueyang and get some money."
"Thank you. You're a good person. I knew I had a good eye for people!"
"I'm not giving it to you, I'm lending it to you. Pay me 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?"
"...Hmm. No. Pay me back when we meet again."
I guess we'll run into each other again someday.
I chuckled and gave Yang Gyo-jin some travel expenses. Yang Gyo-jin, who was excited, waved her arms.
"Thank you. I'll use it well!"
Then, she fiddled with Ju-ryeong's front paws and hummed, before saying something out of the blue.
"Ah, I'll tell you in advance, I'm not very smart."
"Huh?"
Suddenly?
As I blinked blankly at her sudden self-reflection, she added.
"I'm not smart enough to beat around the bush. So tell me if what I say sounds strange. I'm not trying to scratch you. No malice. Really."
"O-Okay. I understand."
"I'm saying this because I want to get along with you, So-hye. I'm just saying things, but a lot of people get upset."
"What did you say?"
As I asked, bewildered, Yang Gyo-jin scratched her cheek and replied.
"Hmm... Not long ago, my mother got angry, asking when I was going to stop playing with swords and start training in spear techniques."
"Yeah."
"So I said, my mother can use the spear, so why should I care? Then my mother kicked me out."
Does her mother not like her using swords? Since it's a spear-fighting family, she might be upset.
Thinking that, I nodded, then asked just in case.
"...You're not the Young Clan Leader, are you?"
"I am the Young Clan Leader. I'm my mother's only child."
"What? If you're the Young Clan Leader, what about the family's martial arts if you use a sword?"
"That's my mother's problem to think about. I'm not the Clan Leader, so what."
"You're the Young Clan Leader, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then you're going to inherit the Yang Clan, right? How can you talk like it's someone else's business? Don't tell me you answered your mother the same way?"
"Oh. You sound just like my mother. It's okay. My mother is healthy. She'll be alive and well until I bring her a grandchild, so she can be the Clan Leader until my child becomes the Young Clan Leader. Then I don't have to be the Clan Leader."
What kind of nonsense is this?
I started to worry about the blood pressure of the Yang Clan Leader, whom I had never even seen.
"...It's not just your words that are the problem. Yang Gyo-jin. Your mother must be burning up inside. I see why she kicked you out."
"You think so too? The Chief Steward said the same thing."
"Yeah. Be good to your mother."
"Huh? Okay."
Yang Gyo-jin, who nodded, didn't seem to know what the problem was at all.
She's not a bad person, judging by the fact that Ju-ryeong isn't wary of her...
Should I say she's not bound by common sense, or that she's ignorant...?
I swallowed a hollow laugh and rubbed my face.
I picked up the wrong person after all.
\ \ \
It was night when we arrived at the inn, and the snow had stopped.
After confirming that the Jeomsoi had put the horses in the stable and covered them with thick blankets, we slowly entered the inn.
Yeon-ryang, seen in the bright light, did not look well. The dark circles under his eyes made him look like he hadn't slept in days.
I worriedly grabbed Yeon-ryang's sleeve.
"Brother. You're not feeling well right now, are you? Do you want to go up first?"
"Not feeling well? I'm fine. I'll be fine after I sleep."
His voice was a little hoarse as he answered.
He's pretending to be okay, so he must be really unwell. Is it a side effect of the Mountain Air Poison? He's not the type to catch a cold in this kind of cold.
I frowned and pushed Yeon-ryang's back.
"That won't do. Brother. Go up quickly."
"I said I'm fine. Let's have dinner together..."
"No. Go up now. Immediately."
"...When did our sister become so fierce? I should go up before I get hit in the back. Have dinner."
"Okay. I'll send up some porridge."
"Okay. Okay."
Yeon-ryang chuckled, nodded, and went up the stairs. As I stared at his retreating figure with a troubled expression, Yang Gyo-jin asked in a whisper.
"Is your brother sick?"
"You could have said that better. 'Brother'? What's with that?"
"Ah. Then, older brother?"
"Yeah. Call him whatever you want. Eat dinner on your own. I'm going up too? Ju-ryeong, come here."
I need to boil the Hundred-Year He Shou Wu before anything else.
As I reached out and called Ju-ryeong, the little guy, who had been in Yang Gyo-jin's arms, scurried over and perched on my shoulder.
"What. Am I eating alone?"
Yang Gyo-jin seemed a little sad, but quickly regained her composure and waved at me.
"I can't help it. Tell your brother to get some rest. Good night. See you tomorrow."
"You too."
I nodded, asked the Jeomsoi for some porridge, and headed to the second-floor guest room.
When I opened the door, Yeon-ryang, who had been lying on the bed, raised his upper body and looked at me.
"Have dinner with your friend. Why did you come up?"
"I came up to brew some medicine. Let's take the He Shou Wu that Beopgong Monk gave us now. Lie down, Brother."
"Haha, okay. Did you have fun with your new friend?"
"New friend, my foot. That kid is a little weird. I should have thrown her away like you said."
"She'll get better with time. You were like that at first too, you know."
"I wasn't that bad, stop saying that."
"Okay, okay. Let's just say that."
Yeon-ryang, who pretended to agree with a smile, lay back down on the bed. He slowly opened his mouth as he watched me lay out the medicinal herbs.
"So-hye."
"Yeah."
"In Jianghu, you shouldn't trust people without being wary... But you shouldn't avoid associating with people either."
At his serious voice, I stopped my hands and looked at Yeon-ryang. He continued softly.
"As long as we're human, no matter how strong we become, we'll be lonely on our own. Even if you come out into Jianghu, hold a sword, and stain your fingertips with blood, you have to mix with people to live like a human. So I hope you don't deliberately avoid it."
"..."
"Because a Martial Artist who can't belong to the world is just a human butcher. Your brother hopes that you'll meet a lot of people, and break up a lot too. I hope you do."
Yeon-ryang's eyes, which were giving advice calmly, were full of affection for me. Yeon-ryang, who gave a gentle smile, added.
"Except for that Taoist bastard."
"...Brother. You really hate the Jinseong disciple."
The Jinseong disciple, he's really got on your bad side.
I stifled a laugh and nodded.
"Yeah. I will."
"So get along with Lady Yang. If she's a little weird, just think she's always been weird."
"What? Ahahaha, that's even weirder, Brother."
I burst out laughing and took out a dagger to prepare the Hundred-Year He Shou Wu.
Yeon-ryang, who ate the porridge brought by the Jeomsoi and drank the herbal medicine, couldn't overcome the effects of the medicine and fell asleep.
When I pressed down on his crumpled brow, Yeon-ryang twitched his eyebrows. Ju-ryeong was sleeping next to him, snuggled up against his side.
The little guy seemed to think of Yeon-ryang as a warm hot pack.
"Good night, Brother."
"...Hmm."
Yeon-ryang, who mumbled in his sleep, was making all sorts of faces.
I watched the two of them sleeping peacefully and quietly slipped out of Yeon-ryang's room.
