Chapter 38

After finishing my conversation with Wi Geum-myeong, I headed to the training ground.

Wi So-rang was sitting alone in the shade.

Her usual lively appearance was nowhere to be seen, and she sat there dejectedly, her shoulders drooping.

I walked over and asked.

“Why are you sitting like that? Did your shoulders fall off?”

“Sajae!”

Wi So-rang jumped up and ran over.

“You got scolded by the Patriarch, right? I am sorry. It is because of me.”

The child’s eyes were filled with apology.

“I wanted to keep it a secret from the Patriarch, but he found out.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for. The talk went well.”

“Talk?”

At my words, Wi So-rang made a puzzled face.

“You asked me to teach you martial arts. He told me to do it.”

“Really? You are lying!”

“It is true.”

Wi So-rang’s eyes widened in an instant. It was a look mixed with surprise and joy.

Considering the Patriarch of the Iron-Gold Wi Clan’s personality, it was a reaction I could understand.

“Do not get your hopes up too much. Three days is the longest it will be.”

“Three days? That is way too short…”

“It is enough. First, let us talk about this.”

I crouched down and met Wi So-rang’s eyes.

The more important the conversation, the more effective it is to say it while looking directly into someone’s eyes.

“There are three main problems with you, sajeo.”

“Okay!”

I was about to raise my fingers one by one and explain when I asked Wi So-rang a question first.

“It is complicated. Do you want to hear it?”

“No!”

I liked how simple she was.

“Then just trust me and follow along. You can do that, right?”

“Yeah. I am good at doing what I am told.”

“Good. Then let us go.”

“Where?”

“To Silver Cloud Pavilion.”

Soon, two carriages began to move.

One was a temporary carriage without any banner, and the other was Wi So-rang’s carriage with the character “Six” on its flag.

On the way, I explained the full story to Im Yeon.

For the next few days, I would be spending several hours each day with Wi So-rang. She alone had over ten escorts, so there would be plenty of commotion. So I asked him to make sure no troublesome issues occurred.

“Understood, Young Lord.”

Im Yeon answered in a reliable tone.

We arrived at Silver Cloud Pavilion.

I had Wi So-rang wait a moment and spoke with two people.

One was a man who handled various jobs inside Silver Cloud Pavilion. I asked him to find some shabby clothes that Wi So-rang and Im Yeon could wear.

The other was the cook.

I asked him to cook something.

With a few quick chops and clatters, freshly made hot dishes were soon placed on the table.

Thinly sliced grilled pork, boiled chicken seasoned with vegetables, and fried rice with a savory aroma that tickled the nose.

This well-balanced and harmonious meal was what you could call a “growth set meal.”

The first of Wi So-rang’s three problems was her diet. She was weak because she had not been consuming nutrients in a balanced way.

With this growth set meal, I was going to smash through her nutritional deficiency in one blow.

“Wow, this looks so good. Can I really eat this?”

Wi So-rang’s eyes went round.

I answered with a smile.

“Of course.”

“I will eat well!”

The meal began.

At first, Wi So-rang picked up her chopsticks carefully. Gradually, the speed at which her chopsticks moved increased.

Before long she began inhaling food until both cheeks were full.

“Eat slowly. What will you do if you get an upset stomach?”

“Im fhine. My ftomach if ftrong.”

What is she even saying?

When I tilted my head, Im Yeon whispered softly.

“She seems to be saying her stomach is strong, so it is fine.”

“Ah, I see. Thank you.”

Im Yeon and the other escorts had already finished eating before coming from Little Dragon Pavilion.

They were standing inside and outside the room, guarding us.

After quite some time, Wi So-rang patted her belly with a satisfied expression.

“So, how is it? Do you feel a bit more energy?”

“Yeah. A lot!”

“Sleeping well and eating well are the basics of training. If those are not met, you can forget about growth.”

“I see. Then why did the Patriarch make me eat only greens…?”

Wi So-rang asked in a low voice.

‘Because greed clouds a person’s eyes.’

Wi Geum-myeong has many things he wants to achieve by using Wi So-rang.

Because of that, he mistakenly believes he can solve fundamental and complex problems through a restricted diet and forced training.

“Well, he must have had his reasons.”

However, I glossed over it without explaining these things.

I could not badmouth a father in front of his child.

“Young Lord, I have brought the clothes.”

At that moment, someone came in from outside carrying clothes for Wi So-rang and Im Yeon.

Wi So-rang asked.

“What is this?”

“Something you are going to wear.”

“And this is?”

“Something Guard Im will wear.”

I smiled at Wi So-rang and Im Yeon, who held the clothes side by side with puzzled faces.

I had soothed the stomach, so now it was time to soothe the mind.

---

The main compound where the Demon Cult’s key personnel resided.

Outside of it was the city of the Divine Cult, boasting a population of several hundred thousand.

Among that city, we went to the market street closest to the main compound.

The streets were crowded with people.

Noodle stalls, cloth shops, inns and various other stores were lined up along the road.

“Woooow.”

As if to take in everything on the street, Wi So-rang’s eyes moved quickly.

It was just an ordinary street, but to her it seemed everything was fresh.

That was only natural.

Wi So-rang was the treasured young lady of a prestigious clan and disciple of the Heavenly Demon. How often would she get to come outside the main compound.

At most, she would have passed through the marketplace quickly in a carriage.

‘This is the second problem.’

Wi So-rang is crushed by the pressure.

Because of that, she was growing impatient with a stagnation that was natural for her current state.

That in turn became even greater pressure and created a vicious cycle.

‘It must have been when this brat was about fifteen.’

In my previous life, there had been rumors that she had run away from home.

When she reappeared after several months, Wi So-rang had changed quite a bit from before.

The stagnation she had experienced for so long had also been broken.

Perhaps temporarily getting away from what had been weighing down on her had given her a chance for enlightenment.

Bringing her out here had been precisely for that reason.

The mind has to be emptied for there to be room for something new to enter.

‘Good thing I made her change clothes.’

Wi So-rang was wearing slightly worn and faded clothes.

I had dressed her like this so she would not draw unnecessary attention, and fortunately it was working as intended.

I also wore the shabby clothes I had used before coming to the Demon Cult.

Only some of the escort warriors accompanied us openly, and only Im Yeon walked with us. The rest blended into the crowd and guarded us covertly.

“Relax. Stop glancing around so awkwardly.”

“M-my apologies. This is my first time doing ‘jumho’.”

Jumho was short for stealth escort.

It was a term for escorting someone in secret while concealing one’s identity.

“You might end up doing it often, so think of this as practice in advance. Act natural.”

“Yes, Young Lord. I will act natural, yet guard with full vigilance.”

“Sajae, look over there. There are kids.”

At that moment, Wi So-rang tugged at my sleeve.

Her gaze was fixed on one spot.

It was a scene of children around her age playing with their friends.

“That looks really fun.”

Her tone sounded envious.

I asked her.

“Sajeo, do you have any friends?”

“No.”

“You have never played in places like this either, have you?”

“No. I have never been to any market but the True Demon Market.”

“Then you have not eaten this either, I bet.”

I bought some candied hawthorn skewers from a nearby stall.

When I handed one to Wi So-rang, her eyes rounded.

“What is this?”

“Something you eat.”

“How?”

“You just lick it or bite it.”

It seemed she was seeing it for the first time in her life, as she looked at the candied hawthorn skewer very curiously.

For some reason, Im Yeon was the same.

“Guard Im, do you want one too?”

“I-I am fine.”

“What do you mean fine. You look like you want one. One more candied hawthorn skewer, please.”

I bought one more and handed it to Im Yeon as well.

Wi So-rang and Im Yeon licked the candied hawthorn skewers in a slightly awkward manner.

“It’s sweet!”

“T-this taste is…?”

Their eyes widened at the same time.

I could not help but laugh.

The two of them enjoyed the candied hawthorn skewers in their own ways.

Wi So-rang crunched down on hers with big bites, while Im Yeon nibbled hers bit by bit.

Still, as the elder, when some of the candy stained the corners of her mouth, she carefully wiped it for her.

“I am not a baby.”

“Ah… I am sorry. I did it without thinking.”

“In times like this you should just say thank you. It is because it got all over your mouth that she paid attention.”

“Is that how it is? Got it. Thanks, Guard Im.”

“N-not at all.”

Yes, this is how a good kid should be.

“Oh? Look over there.”

After finishing her candied skewers, Wi So-rang pointed somewhere. It was an area that was particularly crowded.

We went closer.

Peeking through the gaps between people, I could see the circus troupe putting on a performance.

“Ugh. Ugh. I cannot see anything.”

Wi So-rang hopped up and down.

She could have jumped much higher using light footwork, but perhaps understanding that she needed to hide her identity, she did not.

“Ugh. I want to see too.”

Her voice was full of regret.

Looking at her, I asked.

“Want me to let you see?”

“How?”

“Like this.”

I lifted her up and put her on my shoulders.

“Wooow, I can see so well. Thanks, Sajae.”

I wondered if I really had to go this far, but seeing how excited she was, I endured it.

They flipped through the air or slashed at a torso with a sword that then snapped.

Watching the various acts, Wi So-rang’s mouth hung wide open.

“No, you cannot!”

“A-ah, you must not!”

I turned my head toward where the high-pitched voices came from.

Im Yeon was watching the show on tiptoes.

‘…And you said you would guard with full vigilance?’

I had not noticed until now, but the two of them suited each other surprisingly well.

“S-sajae, that person must have the Vajra Indestructible Body. He broke the sword.”

“It is truly astonishing. There are certainly many eccentric experts in the world.”

Their pure reactions brought a smile to my face.

As we looked around various parts of the market street like that, before we knew it the sun had started to set.

It was time to go back.

“Sajeo, how do you feel?”

“The best. It was the most fun day of my life.”

“In your ten-year life?”

“Yeah, hehe.”

Seeing Wi So-rang’s bright smile, I smiled as well.

However, her expression suddenly darkened.

“Sajae, I am worried.”

“About what.”

“I am happy that I had fun playing, but I feel like I did not train nearly enough.”

I felt a little sorry for Wi So-rang.

This kid, who looked enviously at other children playing, considered a life of training all day long to be a normal daily routine.

So I calmed her anxiety.

“You did not play today, Sajeo.”

“I did not play?”

“Right. You were training.”

“No way. That makes no sense.”

Wi So-rang giggled.

She seemed to think I was joking.

“Have you never heard that rest is also a part of training? If you push your body or mind too hard, they both wear down the same. You have to fill them up like this from time to time.”

“Ah, is that how it is? Do you also rest like this sometimes, Sajae?”

“I am an exception.”

I simply smiled at Wi So-rang, who looked curious about the reason.

For me, rest was a luxury. After what I had gone through in my previous life, how could I rest leisurely?

Of course, I had tried to rest for half a day not long ago.

But I had not been able to because of Heuk Un-hwi.

“Sajae.”

“What.”

“Next time, can you do a playing training session with me again?”

Wi So-rang asked while clasping my hands with both of hers.

She was so cute that before I knew it, I was patting her head.

“Once in a while I will play with you.”

“Really? Thank you. But Sajae.”

“What now?”

“Would you move your hand? Since when does a sajae get to pat his sajeo’s head in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?”

“…Sorry.”

I quickly took my hand away.

Honestly, she is subtly sensitive about hierarchy.

She beamed a smile.

“I was scary just now, right?”

“Yeah. A little.”

“Next time I will say it in a way that is not scary.”

I patted her head again as she spoke as if doing me a favor.

Her eyes narrowed at once.

“Sajae!”

“You said you would not say it in a scary way.”

“Sajaaae↘”

“Whoops. That really is not scary at all.”

“Hey. Are you making fun of your sajeo?”

Tak. I smiled at Wi So-rang as she slapped my hand away.

“What are you making a fuss over this for? You stayed still when I let you ride on my shoulders.”

“That is that and this is this.”

“So it is only fine when it is convenient for you?”

“Right. Hehe.”

Honestly, this part of her is childlike too.

“Tomorrow let us go ride a boat.”

“A boat? I love it!”

Seeing the simple Wi So-rang become happy in an instant, I thought.

‘It would be better if you did not like it. Tomorrow is going to be very hard.’

While we were looking around the market street, I had perfectly worked out a way to break through Wi So-rang’s blocked advancement.

The boat was necessary for that.

“Let us go back now.”

“Okay.”

And so, we got into our carriages and returned to our respective residences.