episode_0148
by fnovelpia
Rattling rattling.
The sound of the carriage’s wheels rolling on the dirt road was constantly repeated.
We were now on a trip to commemorate our wedding.
It was my first long-distance outing since my last outing and market research was canceled due to an unexpected accident.
“Where was the next destination?”
I asked Namgung Hwaran, who was sitting next to me and holding my hand.
Actually, I already knew the travel route, but I spoke to him because I was bored with the monotonous forest scenery.
We planned to start from Suzhou, pass by Tongdong Lake, visit Zhangjiajie, and return by taking the Yangtze River.
It was a very long journey that required crossing provincial borders several times.
She answered with a gentle smile on her face.
“Next, I’m going to see Dongho Dong. It is said that the nearby Agyang market’s lanterns do not go out even at night. Aren’t you curious about how great the view will be while boating at night?”
At least Namgung Hwa-ran, who spoke, already seemed to be looking forward to it.
Since she had mostly heard about the outside world only through stories, it seemed like she couldn’t resist seeing new scenery because it was so fun.
“Have you not seen enough water in soju?”
I mentioned the area we had visited just before.
Suzhou in Jiangsu Province, east of Anhui.
There was a canal running through the city, so it looked like modern-day Venice.
Since I had already gotten tired of going on a boat and seeing the city, I didn’t really understand Namgung Hwaran’s choice to go boating again.
However, Namgung Hwaran held my hand tightly and passionately argued his case.
“It’s different from that! It was nice to see the canal, but there wasn’t much to see in the city itself, right? I heard that Agyang is an incredibly prosperous city!”
Purrr
“That is correct.”
Namgungmu’s voice was heard along with the sound of the horse scraping.
Namgungmu is the leader of Team 2 of the Cheonpunggeomdae and a military officer who had already performed the mission of guarding us once. He voluntarily took on the task of guarding us this time as well.
I think it was quite a shock to be protected by the guard after falling for the bandit’s trap and Tuma.
Since then, there has been talk that the training intensity of the Cheonpung Sword Squad has become much stronger than usual.
“Soho in Anhui, where our Nangung family is located, is also famous for its scenery, but it is true that it is evaluated a little inferior to Dongdong Lake. The canals in Suzhou are certainly worth seeing, but the scenery of Dongdong Lake and Yueyang is even more beautiful.”
“Have you ever been to Dongdong Lake, Chief Namgoongmu?”
I asked him, as if he was making a promise.
Namgoongmu looked into the distance as he rode his horse. It was a vague expression, as if reminiscing about the past.
“This happened when I first set foot in Kangho. At that time, I had just reached the level of a first-class martial artist, and I had nothing to fear in the world. As I was wandering around Gangho Lake, I heard about Dongdong Lake’s reputation and wanted to capture its scenery. So, we headed to Agyang, the most famous area along Dongdong Lake. And he became embroiled in a dispute at the main tower there called Agyangru (岳陽樓). While trying to stop a ronin from harassing a courtesan, a fight broke out. I am… … .”
“So, I fell in love with that courtesan named Hongran at first sight. It is said that he got like that after being beaten up by a rogue and receiving nursing care.”
Jo Won, who was riding a horse next to Namgungmu, interrupted his story that was getting longer.
“Who would have known that Ronin would be a master of the highest order?”
Namgoongmu blushed and muttered.
“Then what happened with him?”
Upon hearing the story of an acquaintance’s first love, Namgung Hwa-ran asked with her eyes shining like a child begging her grandmother to tell her an old story.
However, contrary to expectations, Namgoongmu only smiled shyly.
“What… In the end, I had to return to the Namgung family, and since she was a courtesan tied to the base, I couldn’t be with her from that day on.”
“Ah… .”
Namgungmu calmly answered Namgung Hwaran, who was sighing sadly.
“This story has already been over ten years.”
“The prevailing hypothesis among the team members is that the courtesan did not follow because the leader’s night-time skills were not very good.”
Boisterous laughter erupted at Jo Won’s humorous expression.
Even though it bore the name of the prestigious Sega, the level of buzz among the group of men did not seem to be much different.
Still, the relationship between the swordsmen seemed to be good as Namgoongmu didn’t get angry because he was upset and they laughed together.
I wondered if it would be okay to make such a joke in front of the young lady, Namgung Hwaran, but surprisingly, she too was watching with a faint smile on her lips.
‘Is this the leisure of a married woman?’
Anyway, after the rumor spread that I had forced a new girl into bed for several days on the first night, it seemed like the soldiers belonging to Namgung Family became particularly friendly.
Should I say that it feels like they are acknowledging me as a man even though I am small in size? It was a strange feeling because it was recognition in a different sense than the level of martial arts or direct strength.
“Kuhm… We have to camp soon, so let’s stop laughing and look for a suitable place.”
Likewise, other team members who could not hold back their laughter calmed the team members down.
The escort force for this trip was several times larger than the previous brief trip to Dongling.
To prevent an accident from happening again, three groups from the Cheonpung Sword Troop were dispatched, and above all, the person leading the group at the moment was Namgung Pae, the leader of the Cheonpung Sword Troop.
He was a mature, peak warrior who was evaluated as knocking on the wall of transcendence.
If he was in a position like that, he could choose the mission voluntarily, but he willingly took on this escort mission.
Although it is a long-term escort mission that requires deployment for a very long time, the big advantage is that the compensation is generous and the ability to travel around the world safely is provided.
As can be seen in the case of Tuma, this martial world was a harsh place where no one could predict when and how a martial artist, no matter how high he was, would pass to the next world.
If it were not for this opportunity, it would not be easy to travel comfortably even if you were a fully trained warrior.
Of course, there was also the swordsman’s rule that one must always put Sega first and act accordingly.
The group found a nice flat area located on slightly higher terrain than other places and began preparing for camping.
“I’ll go outside for a moment and come back.”
“Be careful.”
I left Namgung Hwa-ran in the carriage and approached Baek Geon, who was leveling the ground.
He, too, had joined the group as a member of the Cheonpung Sword Corps and was on guard duty.
I called out to him while deliberately walking with big, languid steps.
“Woman, can you just walk a little?”
“Ah, it’s Minho. If a driver walks like this and complains, I can’t use it. Although I am the youngest, I am also an official member of the Cheonpunggeom Team.”
As he said that, Baek Geon’s grinning face was full of composure.
From the perspective of serving the same teacher, even though the person named Sang-hyeong rose up in social status by holding the forbidden jade leaf of the family head in his mouth, he did not show any negative emotions such as jealousy.
To be honest, I was a little worried, but I was glad.
That’s also true, no matter how much I played the role of a good protagonist in the original, it couldn’t become an absolute rule since I was involved.
‘Or did you pick up or eat anything good for your health when you stopped by Jiangsu Province?’
He narrowed his eyes and scanned Bai Qian up and down.
“What, what is it?”
Baek Geon asked in a shaky voice, but I didn’t answer.
‘He’s definitely grown a lot taller.’
Unlike before when he was just a kid, he is now two heads taller than me. He also had a solid physique, and I felt like I was looking at pictures of middle school or high school students who looked like old men that I sometimes saw on the Internet.
It was a fairly drastic change to simply describe it as a martial arts worldview.
‘Still, it looks like he’s taking good care of himself because he’s the main character.’
Although I was curious about what I ate, I didn’t feel like it was a waste or something I wanted.
‘Because I’m not in such need that I have to take away the elixir or martial arts that the priest has on his nose right now.’
“I just thought you had grown taller.”
“Key? ah… … .”
Baek Geon paused at my words.
That’s because I hadn’t grown physically at all since I joined the Namgung family, and Baek Geon, on the other hand, was growing rapidly.
And most people at Sega knew that.
Thanks to you, I also heard that there are various hypotheses going around about my height.
It’s that kind of constitution originally, it’s because the body was perfected at a young age, it’s a side effect of excessive external training, it’s because it’s mixed with the blood of spirit creatures, it’s an aftereffect of an injury from fighting Tuma, etc.
Neither I nor Namgung Hwaran paid much attention, but in fact, people around us made more of a fuss.
On the contrary, Namgung Hwaran seemed to like that I wasn’t growing, and sometimes when she measured my height and checked that it hadn’t changed, she smiled brightly and hugged me.
‘Well, I’m tall enough in real life…’
It’s a martial arts world where the strong man is justice, so I didn’t necessarily feel disappointed about his height.
It was a little inconvenient to have short limbs, but since my body weight remained the same and my weight was reduced, I was able to move lighter and more agile than in reality at times.
Still, for some reason, I felt bad when Baek Geon looked down at me as if he felt sorry for me, so I kicked him in the shin.
Pow!
“Evil!”
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