episode_0023

As soon as the sun rose, we set off for Seomseong Bunta.

From Sacheon to Shaanxi, it takes a few more days to travel northeast.

The provinces of the Central Plains are as large as a small country, so if you walk normally, it would take at least a month, not just a few days.

If you are a martial artist who can use the Gyeongsin method, you can shorten the period, but even then, it will still take several days.

And coincidentally, from the first day we set off, we ended up spending the whole day outdoors.

It is common to find yourself sleeping out in the open while on the road because you cannot find a place to stay for the night.

“Jin-ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t think there would be even one of those common guest houses… … .”

Yu Ye-hyang made an apologetic expression, her voice trailing off for the first time in a while.

Yu Ye-hyang’s face was shadowed by the crackling light of the campfire.

A trip to Gangho is essentially a trip around this vast central plain on foot. It is not uncommon to spend a day outdoors in the dew.

“Because we left earlier than expected, our schedule got messed up.”

“It’s okay. That was just bad luck, right? And well, this has its own charm, so I like it. I’m not in a position to complain about the bed.”

Yeonjin answered nonchalantly and snickered.

Yeonjin thought it was just bad luck. She just used the martial arts she was familiar with without thinking much about it, and how could she know it was a martial art of the Demonic Cult just by looking at the sword marks left on the wound without even seeing it in person?

If Noh Kang-ho, who has accumulated so much experience, came across the black mark simply out of boredom, it can only be expressed as bad luck or unluckiness.

It was understandable that the schedule had been pulled forward, and it wasn’t unusual to sleep for a day or two without a building to protect against the rain or wind while traveling like this.

“Still… … .”

Despite Yeonjin’s words that it was okay, Yu Yehyang trailed off with a gloomy expression.

She wouldn’t mind being homeless on the streets for a day or so, but Yeonjin is a man. And she hasn’t even shed her boyish ways yet.

No matter how much you try to distance yourself from the opposite sex, you know that men are more sensitive to these things than women. Especially when they’re around Yeonjin’s age.

She had experienced regression and was mentally more than twice her physical age, but she had not yet regressed to Yeonjin.

As she watched the bonfire burning away, Yu Ye-hyang came to her senses belatedly and took off the long robe she was wearing and put it around Yeon-jin.

“… … It’s going to be chilly in the morning. You should at least wear this.”

“Oh, it’s warmer than I thought?”

Yeonjin stroked Jangpo with her fingers as if it was a new experience.

It was a black long coat, but it was thin enough that the inside was slightly visible when the light hit it. It was surprisingly warm, as if I was wrapped in a thick blanket, despite being so thin.

“It’s called Cheonjamsa (天蠶絲). My dear lady, you’ve already reached the level of invincibility in Hanseo, so it doesn’t really matter if you don’t wear it─── W, what?!”

Yu Ye-hyang, who had been explaining calmly, became unusually flustered and raised her voice.

Rather than just wearing the long coat neatly as if wrapping it around a blanket, he naturally raised his voice and stuttered as he brought his face closer to it.

It was a rare sight to see in her who was always so relaxed, but Yeonjin tilted her head and said as she smelled the faint fragrance coming from the long robe made of Cheonjamsa.

“It smells exactly like the usual one. Were you carrying a scented bag?”

“Ah, no… … .”

Yu Ye-hyang’s head quickly turned at the calm appearance.

What? Am I weird? Am I the only one feeling embarrassed? As such thoughts quickly crossed her mind, Yeonjin’s thoughtless remark broke her composure.

“What should I say, a subtle and slightly sweet scent? The scent of flowers the day after rain?”

“Ugh, ugh… … .”

Her face turned bright red, and she stammered, unable to speak for a rare moment.

For a long time, Yu Ye-hyang was unable to speak in refined language, and only uttered sounds that were close to raw moans. She slowly turned her gaze away and barely managed to utter a single word.

“… … Wouldn’t it be embarrassing to smell it like that?”

“Ah.”

Yeonjin, who belatedly accepted the offer, wrapped her long robe around her shoulders like a cloak, and Yu Yehyang, who lowered her gaze to the ground, took off the incense pouch hanging from her waist and hid it between her sleeves.

In an era when perfume technology was not developed, scented sachets, which served as a substitute for perfume, were usually the exclusive domain of men.

Yu Ye-hyang, who liked the scent of bellflowers and used incense bags, and always used bath salts made from bellflowers when she was in school, could be said to be unique for a woman.

No matter how you look at it, any woman who uses a scented bag is a princess of flowers.

Yu Ye-hyang, who had hidden a sachet of crushed dried silver bell flower petals between her sleeves and coughed in vain, added to avoid any misunderstanding.

“Hmm, ahem… … . It was just so sudden that I was momentarily flustered.”

“Really?”

“Even if it’s true.”

Yeonjin stared at Yuyehyang like that.

You can’t cover the sky with your palm. Yeonjin, who had been looking at her for a moment like a puppy that had buried its face in a corner and thought it couldn’t be seen, got up from throwing dry firewood into the campfire.

“… … Huh?”

As Yu Ye-hyang watched her suddenly get up, Yeon-jin sat down next to her, roughly pushing the hanging firewood away with her foot.

“Why are you suddenly to the side… … .”

“Of course we should stick together when it’s cold. I still have a long way to go before I reach the level of being invincible in Hanseo.”

Yeonjin’s face looked very natural as she made excuses that even she couldn’t believe.

I wanted to tease Yu Ye-hyang, who had been flustered and bewildered for no reason since earlier, and I was also being playful.

Darkness has fallen so deep that the only light that can be seen is the small light from a campfire.

Yeonjin naturally leaned her head on his shoulder.

Although her expression was still playful, the expression in the crimson light made Yu Ye-hyang feel like she was not playing a joke, but like the nine-tailed fox from the classic Shan Hai Jing.

A pounding heart, the sight you smelled a moment ago, and now the warmth you feel as you rest your head on my shoulder.

“Ugh… … .”

Something akin to a groan escaped from between the teeth.

The feeling of their lips touching each other, which she had impulsively done the night before, came back to her mind and made her feel distressed.

The only reason she didn’t lose her senses in this situation was because Yeonjin’s expression still had a playful look on it.

Because I understood rationally that that was not the intention.

“… … This joke is too much.”

Even though he says that with his mouth, he maintains a subtle distance by quietly putting his arm around her shoulder and embracing her without actually embracing her.

That was the most Yu Ye-hyang could do in this situation.

“Tsk.”

Yeonjin, who knew her worries or not, clicked her tongue lightly with a sour expression on her face, saying that her reaction was not funny.

Yu Ye-hyang’s expression also turned pale as she saw his attitude, as if he had no idea how much superhuman patience he had just displayed.

* * *

“Hmm.”

He looked around, almost clinging to his sister, without even holding her hand or linking arms.

Even now, a group of Taoist monks wearing Taoist robes were running quickly from afar.

It was only the second day since I left Sacheon, but I felt like I had already encountered them more than ten times. It felt like I saw Taoist priests or Tang sect warriors wandering around here and there about once every two hours.

In addition, sometimes a group of monks could be seen.

‘Probably Army?’

If you are talking about Amipa, it is a sect of nuns who settled in Amisan.

Thanks to the world being slightly twisted, most monks in this world are nuns, and so the Amipa became a sect of monks?

One thing was certain: the entire Sichuan was as noisy as if a beehive had been stirred up.

If they are the Tang clan’s martial artists, the Qingcheng sect’s Taoists and the Ami sect’s monks are the old sect’s martial artists. They rarely venture outside their home territories.

If such old-school warriors are running around in groups, even the common people who don’t know much about martial arts can’t help but wonder what might have happened.

“Are you sure what happened?”

“That’s right. Tangmun, Cheongseong, and Ami are all running around like they’re stirring up a beehive. When have you seen Gupa come down the mountain if nothing happens?”

Considering my lack of energy, I am now taking a break by walking without using the Shinshin method.

Two peddlers passed by on the street, chatting away.

And to be honest, I was a little nervous.

Even though I know in my head that things turned out this way because I was unlucky, I still feel like it’s my fault.

“If they get caught, it’ll probably be a huge mess… … .”

“That won’t happen, so it’s okay, Jin-ah.”

When I turned my head, my eyes met my sister’s.

A smile that seems to reassure me.

Yeah, no matter what happens, if I just stick close to my sister, nothing will happen. No matter what anyone says, isn’t she a heavenly horse? Not yet, though.

As I was thinking that and holding onto my sleeve to feel a little relieved, a group of people who were about to fly past us stopped.

“Oh, Sohyeop? See you here again.”

“Your Majesty?”

A group of people mixed together, including Taoist priests wearing Cheongseongpa uniforms and Tang Dynasty warriors wearing green robes.

It was Dangryung who stepped forward, tilted his head, and then soon made a welcoming expression.

What the heck, why are you here all of a sudden?

Before I could even wipe away my puzzled expression, a sharp-faced Cheongseongpa Taoist priest walked out and spoke.

“Poison Dragon, you and I know each other? If so, then we can talk quickly. We are looking for the most evil demon head who may be hiding in Sacheon. Please cooperate for a moment.”

A Taoist priest who looked strict to anyone would say something sharp in his tone.

I paused, with that ruthless madman right next to me.

“… … .”

I glanced at my sister’s face with only a quick glance, and her expression didn’t look very good.

We’re in big trouble.