I Didn’t Say I Am Going Yet! (1)

Peace had returned to Mount Yangju.

Ten days after the incident, Yu Jinsan visited the bandits again.

Yu Seol, who was asleep, was on his back. The bandits’ base was noisy, but there was no sign of her waking up.

The entire place was filled with bandits training their martial arts.

“Hiyaaah! Hiyaahh!”

“Hiya!”

Yu Jinsan, who was watching them, shook his head when he heard these familiar voices.

“You are here, Elder?”

It was Pungho, the Black Mountain Blade leader.

“It seems like the bandits of the current time are practicing martial arts.”

“We never know when the Wudang Sect might strike us again, right? It’s something that cannot be helped if we want to survive. How do you feel watching this?”

“All the techniques are one-way and focus solely on killing.”

“These are the martial arts that the military officials have taught us to use on the battlefield. It’s a little different from the actual Murim.”

“It specializes in group combat. Plus, the techniques are so straightforward. It isn’t difficult for warriors above a certain level to understand it.”

“Then, may I ask for your help?”

Yu Jinsan shook his head as he chuckled.

“I am too old for that now. And I refuse to waste my energy unnecessarily.”

Pungho looked flustered at that and scratched his head.

“All I asked was for one favor.”

“But I am sure you will need the martial arts of Murim. With the way things are now, there will be a limit to how effective this will be.”

“Do you have any good plans?”

Yu Jinsan didn’t answer but turned his head and asked.

“How is the Wudang child doing?”

“She is quiet. But it seems like she is suffering from a loss of spirit.”

“It surely must be difficult to adapt to something like this when one steps into the Kangho. How about her food?”

“Like you said, we haven’t fed her anything other than the usual dumplings.”

“You did well. Now I need to meet her. There is something I need to prepare.”

After exchanging a few words with Pungho, he strolled around the bandit manor.

Being situated in a mountain basin, the view was quite breathtaking. There was also a plum tree forest nearby.

After a long walk in the cool breeze, he felt rejuvenated.

While he was wandering around, a familiar bandit approached him and bowed his head.

“The preparations are complete.”

The moment Yu Jinsan nodded his head, Yu Seol peeked out from behind him and said,

“Sanggu.”

Sanggu blinked in surprise and then broke into a wide smile.

“Hahaha! Elder, the child remembers my name. She truly is remarkable.”

“Of course, she is remarkable. Whose granddaughter do you think she is?”

Following his directions, Yu Jinsan entered a small hall.

It was a place he had visited once before. The place where the prisoners were held.

Creeeaaak!

As the door opened, the bandit standing guard bowed his head. Behind him were thick iron bars, and a woman kneeling on the ground.

“How are you faring now?”

It was Hyun Hee, the second-class disciple of the Wudang Sect, who glared at Yu Jinsan with hateful eyes.

“If you do not release me, you will all live to regret it.”

Yu Jinsan, seated on a chair, moved his granddaughter forward and held her.

“Of course we will. But wouldn’t we regret it just as much if we released you? We’ve already killed ten Taoists of the Wudang Sect.”

“You evil murderers.”

“I cannot agree with that, though. Aren’t you the ones who initiated the attack on us? Regardless of the reason, I cannot sit idly by and let my people die.”

“But…”

Hyun Hee couldn’t continue.

“We lost many people to you. Isn’t this the nature of Murim? This is a world where might make right. If you feared death, you should not have entered Kangho.”

Hyun Hee closed her mouth and continued to glare at Yu Jinsan.

“…”

“Please understand that I cannot release you. If there is anything uncomfortable about your stay, please let me know.”

Uncomfortable? Being alone in a den of bandits was scary enough.

Her eyes were full of questions. What were this man’s intentions?

“…?”

“You remind me of my youngest daughter-in-law. Looking at you, it seems like you haven’t eaten properly.”

As the old man spoke in a gentle tone, the expression on Hyun Hee’s face softened.

The sight of him holding the baby and smiling kindly made her lower her guard.

“…Have you been eating just dumplings for the past 10 days?”

Yu Jinsan looked at the bandits standing behind him with a sad expression.

“Feeding only dumplings is a bit much, even for a prisoner. Bring me some proper food now.”

“Yes, Elder.”

The bandits were about to leave, but then they made their way since about a dozen bandits began to enter, each carrying a plate.

Braised duck, chicken porridge, lamb stew, and even fruits. Food that even the bandits wouldn’t normally touch was being brought to the prison.

Hyun Hee was shocked. Her mouth watered at the tantalizing smell.

But she felt something was off.

It was then that Yu Jinsan spoke to the bandits…

“I hope you can eat in peace for the first time in a while. Please have her chains taken off and just leave the door open.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Clack!

After 10 days, both her hands were finally free. Hyun Hee couldn’t even hide her joy.

She looked around because this was her only chance to escape. And it wasn’t like Yu Jinsan didn’t know it.

Creeaaak!

It was the sound of a part of the iron window being pulled. Yu Jinsan did it with one hand.

Hyun Hee immediately changed her mind because this elder had incredible strength. She realized that escaping was futile.

“I promise that nothing will be forced on you. You don’t have to eat them either. But after one meal, this food will be removed again.”

She was worried about the food in front of her. It hurt her pride to eat it, but it felt like she would lose her sanity if she didn’t eat it.

It was then that Yu Seol began screaming and shaking.

“Meat!”

“My granddaughter seems hungry now. But this isn’t our food, child. What do we do?”

There was so much food that she couldn’t possibly eat it all alone.

She looked into Yu Jinsan’s eyes, avoiding eye contact as she spoke.

“P-please have some.”

“Haha. Thank you.”

Yu Jinsan picked up a piece of the duck meat and put it in the child’s mouth.

Yu Seol continued to munch on them.

“Dasdy!”

Hyun Hee, who was watching, gulped.

“There’s about half an hour left, and you don’t have to eat it. Thanks to that, my granddaughter gets to eat all of this. Hehehe.”

It was then that her stubborn resolve finally collapsed, and she rushed forward to grab the chicken leg.

Her eyes were truly intoxicated by the taste of it.

Her entire mouth was stuffed with chicken, but her hands were still reaching for more food.

“Eat slowly. There’s no rush.”

Yu Jinsan’s words weren’t reaching her ears.

As she hastily ate the food, her eyes began to water. The food was that delicious.

When the time came, the bandits entered, as if they had been waiting, and began to take away the food.

She, who wasn’t full yet, watched the food being taken away with a sad look.

“How did it taste?”

“…J-just to eat.”

“Fine then. If you’re done, then follow me. Of course, if you don’t want to, you can stay here.”

Hyun Hee looked confused. What were this old man’s intentions?

But her worries didn’t last long. In any case, she had no choice. It felt like she would go insane if she didn’t step out of the prison now.

Yu Jinsan had her surrounded by bandits, and then they moved, guarding her.

Yu Jinsan held his child and pointed to a place.

“Enter there and freshen up.”

Hyun Hee opened the door to a cabin in shock.

It was a bathhouse with warm steam rising. Red petals were scattered in a clean bathtub.

In addition, there were clean clothes on one side to change into.

“Wh-what is this?”

“I suppose you didn’t have the opportunity to wash properly. I apologize for not paying enough attention until now. I won’t force you, so if you don’t want to, simply close the door.”

Wasn’t she renowned for her cleanliness, even within the Wudang Sect? This was the part she struggled with the most here. There was no reason to decline.

“N-no….”

It felt almost dreamlike. As she submerged herself in the warm bathtub, she gasped at the sensation.

Strangely enough, she thought this might be the happiest moment of her life.

After about an hour, the bandits came knocking on the door. It was disheartening, but she couldn’t resist. After changing into fresh clothes, she hesitantly stepped outside.

As expected, the old man was waiting there with the child.

“Hehehe. People can appear different at times. How does it feel to be outside for the first time in a while, while experiencing this cold wind?”

“It’s pleasant….”

“It would be a joyous thing if we could appreciate the preciousness of time, which we couldn’t enjoy before. It must have been a while since you last went out, so please take a walk.”

Hyun Hee followed the instructions of Yu Jinsan and the bandits, and headed towards the Plum Forest behind the bandits’ base.

There, several neatly dressed bandits had arrived earlier and were frolicking about.

“You seem quite skilled.”

The words slipped out of her before she realized it. But she quickly closed her lips and composed her expression.

“Hmm. I think you have an appreciation for music. Do you play any instruments?”

“The Pipa.” ^[TL/N: A traditional Chinese plucking instrument]

“Hahaha. If I get the chance, I will gift you one.”

Before she knew it, the remaining caution in her heart had crumbled. As the walk concluded, Yu Jinsan and her began to converse more.

And after everything was finished, they reached their final destination, which was the prison where she was held earlier.

“I hope you had a good day today.”

The bandits brought out some things.

The dirty Wudang uniform she had on before being caught was now a chain binding her wrist.

Hyun Hee’s eyes twitched at the sight.

She would have to step into the prison again, a fate she hated more than death itself.

“Now, quickly extend your wrist.”

“…”

It felt as if everything she had was lost once more.

She hid both hands behind her back, as if refusing to surrender them.

“What’s this now? Please understand that you’re a prisoner, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Now hurry up and hold out your hand.”

Hyun Hee looked desperate. She continued to avoid giving Yu Jinsan her hand.

“So, should I be asking for something in return? You treat me well only to lock me up again?”

“Didn’t we already discuss this? I said nothing would be forced. Come on now, do you want to make this old man out to be the villain?”

Hyun Hee’s face paled as she stepped back, only to hit the wall.

“I-I was wrong…”

“What do you mean? You haven’t done anything wrong.”

“If you want to lock me up again, it would be better to kill me!”

Her emotions trembled wildly, as if she was confused.

Yu Jinsan sighed, his face troubled.

“If you wish, you can enjoy the same privileges as today, every day even more. But wouldn’t it be fair for us to expect something in return?”

No matter how much she thought about it, she had nothing more to give.

‘…No!’

She glanced at the bandits with suspicion. Contrary to her expectations, none of them looked malicious or evil.

Yu Jinsan, sensing her thoughts, smiled kindly.

“There’s no need for what you’re thinking. The bandits have rules. If anyone crosses them, I won’t forgive their actions.”

“Then, what…?”

Instead of answering, Yu Jinsan swiftly extended his right hand.

Puak!

Thinking it was a sudden attack, she was shocked and was unable to avoid the attack.

“Please understand. We will return tomorrow, so if there’s something you need, think it over and let us know.”