Chapter 77
Chapter 77
A short while later, Yeon-ryang returned with warm rice porridge in his hands.
Despite my earlier claim of having no appetite, my stomach began sending frantic signals as soon as it caught the scent of food.
Grumble! Grumble!
The loud rumbling, audible even outside the room, made me bite my lip and lower my head.
Oh, geez. How embarrassing.
As I awkwardly pressed down on my stomach, Yeon-ryang chuckled and set down the tray.
"It's alright, take your time eating, Young Miss. Try the rice porridge first, and if your stomach feels better, I'll bring you some meat broth."
"...Thank you."
I nodded awkwardly and picked up the spoon. Hunger is the best sauce, as they say, and the bland porridge went down smoothly.
While I scraped the bottom of the porridge bowl, Yeon-ryang teased Ju-ryeong, waving a small piece of jerky.
He seemed to like Ju-ryeong.
"This little one doesn't avoid me. A peculiar beast. Usually, they do."
Yeon-ryang said, sounding intrigued.
"Do you like animals?"
"I do. Though furry creatures usually dislike me. This is the first time I've been able to touch one like this."
It wasn't that he had a bad personality, but perhaps they instinctively sensed and avoided the Demonic Energy.
I glared at Ju-ryeong, who was rolling on its back and acting cute for Yeon-ryang, and retorted.
"She likes anyone who gives her food. She even likes Poison."
"She likes Poison?"
"More like she absorbs it? She swallows Poison and turns it into her Inner Force."
"So you're carrying around a living antidote? Well, I suppose Young Miss would have many occasions to use Poison."
Yeon-ryang nodded, kneading Ju-ryeong's soft belly.
Neither Yeon-ryang nor I mentioned the Tang Clan by name, but it seemed my identity was already taken as a given.
I put down the empty porridge bowl and met Yeon-ryang's gaze.
"Where is this place?"
"An inn near the Galing River."
"Is it far from Nangjung?"
"Hmm? Not too far if you go by water. A couple of hours? Young Miss, are you trying to go to Nangjung?"
When I didn't answer, he seemed to understand and corrected himself.
"So you came from Nangjung."
Yeon-ryang stared at me, as if telling me to explain the situation. But I didn't know what to say.
That I was framed and kicked out? That I was on the run?
No. I couldn't. There was no need to reveal that I was a fugitive.
Even if he was a Good Role in the novel, he probably wouldn't help me if he saw the bounty on my head.
When I couldn't bring myself to speak, he cheerfully waved his hand.
"Then let me rephrase the question, Young Miss. Do you have any money?"
The question, like something from a back-alley thug, made my expression sour involuntarily.
Was he planning to shake me down with a smile?
When I turned serious, Yeon-ryang panicked and waved his hands.
"Don't misunderstand. I'm not saying, 'I saved you, so hand over everything you have.' I'm just curious about what you plan to do from now on."
"I don't think that's any of my benefactor's concern."
"You'll be concerned soon enough. The guys who were chasing you will be here any minute. They're close by."
So he knew I was being pursued.
I glared and snatched up my belongings from the floor. My hand trembled as I reached for my Hidden Weapons.
My body, not fully recovered, didn't move as I wished, but I couldn't just sit here and be caught.
As I acted as if I was about to rush out, Yeon-ryang held out his hand.
"Three silver coins."
"Pardon?"
"Guys like me from the Unorthodox Faction will do anything for money. If you give me three coins, I'm willing to help Young Miss."
I bit my lip and stared at him.
Unorthodox Faction guys will do anything for money, alright. Usually, they just take the money and run.
Yeon-ryang's words meant he wanted to help. He was giving me a plausible reason to rely on him.
Could I shake off the Wanderers on my own? Wouldn't it be better to take Yeon-ryang with me?
But if the Wanderers managed to win Yeon-ryang over, the situation would only get worse.
In that case, it might be better to reveal the existence of the bounty from the start.
"...Are you aware of how much money is on my head?"
"That's the money you get for selling someone out. This is the money you get for saving someone."
Yeon-ryang said, as if it didn't matter.
It was illogical nonsense, but the tempting offer made my heart waver.
I didn't have the courage to face the group of Wanderers alone.
The memory of the Wanderers' murderous glares made me tremble involuntarily.
One of them had lost an eye and even had a finger cut off, so he must be furious.
Yeon-ryang would be able to protect me from those Wanderers.
Could I just close my eyes and trust him?
Would it be alright to trust the contents of the novel and rely on him?
As I hesitated and bit my lip, someone knocked on the door.
"Great Hero Yeon. I've brought the clothes you requested."
"Thank you. Little Miss So. Could you leave them in front of the door?"
"Yes."
I heard the sound of a woman shyly answering and placing a basket in front of the door.
As the footsteps faded away, Yeon-ryang opened the door, brought the clothes, and handed them to me.
"Change first and then decide. Young Miss. You can't run away in that state."
The stiff Martial attire was made of a much lower quality material than what I was used to. The rough fabric was worse than the clothes I wore as a Maid.
I wasn't sure if the value of silver coins was low or if someone was skimming off the top, but this wasn't the time to argue.
As I shook out the Martial attire, Yeon-ryang quickly turned his back.
"I'll be outside."
"Wait, just a moment."
I hurriedly grabbed Yeon-ryang. My grip on his sleeve was so tight that it left a crumpled handprint.
I knew it was rude, but I couldn't help it. I was scared and didn't want to be alone.
I felt like a Wanderer might jump out from somewhere.
Yeon-ryang, startled, looked at me with wide eyes.
"Yes?"
"Could you, um, not go far and stay by the door? I'm a little..."
Scared.
Yeon-ryang, understanding the unspoken words, chuckled.
"Can I take it that you've accepted my offer?"
I hesitated and then nodded. Yeon-ryang was much better than the gang of demonic Wanderers.
"Three silver coins a day. Food expenses are separate. I'd like three meals a day. I eat a lot because I'm big."
"I'd like to, but I don't have much either. How about this..."
I hesitated and tried to take off my Jade bracelet. But Yeon-ryang stopped me.
"No. You should keep that, Young Miss. It looks like a protective charm, and you'll need it more than I do. We can talk about payment later."
Yeon-ryang ruffled my hair as if soothing a child, then went outside, closed the door, and sat down with his back to it.
He even held his sword upright, embracing it as if to reassure me. He was a thoughtful person.
I felt strangely relieved by Yeon-ryang's shadow cast through the paper window.
I stared at the shadow that stretched long in front of my feet, then quickly changed my clothes.
The black Long robe that Yeon-ryang had found for me fit perfectly. The pockets were small and inconvenient, but they could still hold a few items.
I roughly braided my hair and opened the door. Yeon-ryang, tilting his head back to look at me, shrugged.
"I was worried since I picked it out by eye, but it fits well. That's a relief. But Young Miss, haven't you had your Coming-of-Age Ceremony yet?"
"I have."
"Then it would be better to change your hairstyle. It bothers me a little. I don't want it to look like I'm taking care of a little kid."
He scratched his cheek and mumbled.
What's wrong with my hairstyle? I like my bun.
As I awkwardly touched my hair, Yeon-ryang added.
"I don't know about your hometown, but in the Central Plains, that's a hairstyle only worn by very young children. Um... I don't want people to mistake you for my daughter."
He didn't want to look like a dad. I tilted my head at the unexpected words.
"Aren't you too young to be mistaken for a father? How old are you, Benefactor?"
"Thirty-three."
I widened my eyes at the answer.
He's thirty-three with that face? He looks younger than Dang Young-ho? It's impossible to tell the age of Martial Artists.
"...Wow. I thought you were only a decade older, but there's a much bigger age gap."
"You seem younger than I thought."
Yeon-ryang clicked his tongue. I untied my braided hair and retorted.
"And you're older than I thought. You look young for your age."
He was an old bachelor by the standards here, so it was understandable that he was worried about looking like a dad.
I almost ruined a perfectly good bachelor's chances of getting married.
Yeon-ryang, watching me redo my hair, asked.
"By the way, why did you choose a black Long robe?"
"It doesn't show dirt as easily."
Now I have to wash it.
Yeon-ryang burst out laughing, as if my answer was unexpected.
"Hahaha, Young Miss. You have a different side to you than I thought?"
He thought I'd be a stuck-up Young Miss. I pretended not to hear and picked up Ju-ryeong. Yeon-ryang, who had been chuckling, asked.
"Young Miss, where were you planning to go?"
Dang Geunmyeong's advice not to reveal my destination came to mind, but since I had decided to move with Yeon-ryang, it was pointless to hide it any longer. I answered softly.
"To Junggyeong."
"Do you have any connections there?"
"No."
"You were probably planning to go to Wuhan via the Yangtze River. That's the kind of route a runaway Young Miss would think of. There aren't many cities with as much to see as Wuhan."
"I didn't run away...!"
I was about to raise my voice, but I bit my lip.
I couldn't bring myself to say that I had been expelled.
"Whoa, whoa, don't get angry, Young Miss. It's bad for your health. Either way, you don't want to reveal your identity, right? Then it would be better to go by land."
"By land?"
"Yes. The ports of big cities like Wuhan are always guarded by government soldiers. They'll check your identity tags, and if the news gets to the Beggars' Union, your family will come to catch you right away, won't they?"
They'll come to kill me right away.
Unlike me, who didn't know much about the world, Yeon-ryang seemed to know the situation in the Central Plains well.
"Do you know the way?"
"Roughly. I can guide you if you want. Should I accompany you to Wuhan?"
I nodded, and Yeon-ryang chuckled and stood up.
I inadvertently looked up at him and was startled by Yeon-ryang's size.
I hadn't noticed when I was looking at him from a distance, but standing next to him, it felt like standing in front of a huge wall.
It wasn't that he was fat. It was more like he had a naturally large frame.
Even the Martial Artists of the Tang Clan weren't small, but they didn't have the same feel as Yeon-ryang.
I guess this is what they mean by having good bones.
Seeing my surprised face, Yeon-ryang put his hand to his forehead and pretended to look around.
"That's strange. There was someone here a moment ago. Why did they disappear? Did they sink into the ground or something?"
"Wh-What...! I'm not that small, you know?"
"I can hear you, though. Oops, there you are. Young Miss. I didn't see you because you're so small."
"It's not that I'm small, it's that you're huge! Seriously, what are you, a child...? Oh, geez."
My tongue is getting twisted. What is he even saying? Seriously.
I covered my mouth with my hand and glared at Yeon-ryang. He seemed to find my reaction amusing and burst out laughing. It seemed like he was trying to lighten the mood on purpose.
"Hahaha, alright, I'll say that. Anyway..."
Yeon-ryang licked his lower lip and drew his sword.
Swish!
"We need to welcome our guests, Young Miss."
His eyes turned red.
