CHAPTER 23………………………………………..
“Is this your first time seeing snow?”
At the sage’s question, Gahwa nodded.
“I’ve seen snow piled in Hwajoo before, but the place I grew up in never had any.”
Jooan was surrounded by rivers, but being at the center of the nine provinces, it had a mild climate all year round.
So seeing snow was quite rare.
“That’s a shame. If it had snowed on the hills, you would have witnessed its true beauty. Well… walking would have been harder with snow up to your heels, though.”
“Up to my heels?”
“Yes, in Hwajoo or Sangju, it often piles up to the waist. That’s part of the joy of traveling. Experiencing new things, just like this snow. The world is vast, and there’s a mountain of things to see and experience. Just like this mountain trek. Isn’t that so, Gong?”
“Yes. Thanks to it, this trek has been very rewarding.”
Gahwa nodded in agreement.
It was indeed a trek that had offered much—both inwardly and outwardly, in many ways.
Especially a reminder to never give one’s heart too easily.
“……”
Gahwa pressed her lips together, reaffirming her resolve, and stretched her legs again. Soon, a fork in the path leading down toward Moju appeared.
One way led to Taean, the sage’s destination, and the other to Pyeongang.
Gahwa’s party chose Pyeongang.
Passing through there would save three days compared to going via Taean.
“It’s unfortunate, but it’s time to part ways. Gong, thanks to you, we managed our tasks smoothly and crossed the hills safely.”
The sage stood at the fork, frowning slightly as if reluctant to leave. It was time to separate.
His destination was Taean, while Gahwa’s group was headed for Pyeongang.
Soso, perhaps already attached to him, turned her head away for no particular reason.
“Hmph, finally I can walk comfortably!”
“Hey, otter.”
“Not otter, sea otter!”
“Yes, otter. Don’t be a burden to Gong.”
“E-hee!”
At that, Soso’s shoulders trembled with anger. The sage snorted and looked at the dragon.
“By the way, Gong, what will you do with this otter?”
The dragon, taking a step back, lazily raised his eyes as if annoyed.
“You said the yokai could leave these hills. Is that really possible?”
“If it weren’t possible, I wouldn’t have said it was.”
The dragon spun the leaf he was holding and then looked away.
Seeing that he had no intention of continuing the conversation, the sage scratched his cheek awkwardly and looked at Gahwa.
“Seems like Gong doesn’t plan to tell me.”
“Looks that way.”
“Even Gong treats me this way—already cold just because we’re parting!”
The sage wiped away imaginary tears, pretending to be upset. Gahwa narrowed her eyes slightly.
With lingering suspicion, she had no intention of being swayed by the sage’s display.
She answered flatly.
“We’re parting anyway.”
“But… we might meet again. No one knows what the future holds.”
“But didn’t you say the world is vast? So the chances of us meeting again are slim.”
“Hmm… I did say that, but…”
The sage lingered, looking regretful as he watched Gahwa and her party.
Gahwa motioned for him to stop.
“Are you not going? Didn’t you say your party is waiting?”
“That’s true, but I’m reluctant to part like this. I’ve grown quite fond of both of you over time. Haha.”
“What can we do? Since we’re parting, we’ll have to cut off that attachment completely.”
“Gong… you’re so cold-hearted.”
With a deliberate sigh, he approached Gahwa slightly and bowed his head. Then, in a whisper just for her, he said:
“Still, I like you, Gong.”
Startled by the unexpected words, Gahwa flinched. After saying that, the sage stepped back.
“Then, let’s meet again sometime.”
From afar, he waved as he walked off.
Watching him, Soso pulled her eyes wide and stuck her tongue out, while Gahwa debated whether to see him off but only gave a brief bow.
“Tch.”
A clicking sound came from behind. Gahwa turned to see it was the dragon.
He tilted his head and stared at her, clearly displeased.
“What’s bothering you?”
“I think I warned you.”
Even in his muttering voice, his dissatisfaction was clear. Gahwa shrugged.
“We’re parting anyway. But…”
“But?”
“Should we just let him go like that? Aren’t you still suspicious?”
Gahwa concluded that the sage was not the culprit. He might be hiding something, but there was no proof he was responsible.
Just as Gahwa hadn’t trusted him fully, he hadn’t trusted her or the dragon, so he kept things to himself.
Thus, she couldn’t believe he took the piece of the Yeouiju.
But the dragon was different. From their final conversation and his current gaze, it was clear he still harbored suspicion.
“Indeed, I am.”
“What’s the reason?”
“I said I saw the divine artifact vanish myself.”
“You’ve visited the hills many times. Perhaps you saw it then.”
“No. You can’t. Unless the sealing formation breaks, you can’t enter the shrine.”
“!”
Gahwa’s eyes widened in surprise.
“That means you saw it after the seal was broken…”
“Yes. So the one who took it, or someone related to them. But it doesn’t matter.”
The dragon raised his gaze to Gahwa, eyebrows arched. A hint of a smile flickered across his eyes.
“If the culprit is the one who took the piece, we’ll meet again.”
‘Ah.’
Only then did Gahwa understand why the dragon had let the sage go so easily.
A single piece of the Yeouiju did not reveal its true power. Only when all nine pieces were collected could its full potential be realized.
So if the sage were the culprit, they would meet again someday.
Gahwa glanced at the path leading to Taean.
She secretly hoped they wouldn’t meet again, just leaving it as a pleasant encounter. But as the sage said, no one could predict the future.
There was no need to worry yet. She had to focus on what needed to be done now.
“Soso.”
Gahwa lowered her head and called Soso nearby. One task remained before leaving the hills.
Getting the yokai Soso safely out of these hills, which were covered with the Eight Trigrams Formation.
For that, the dragon’s help was necessary. Gahwa gently held Soso by the shoulders and pushed her forward.
“Eek!”
Suddenly shoved in front of the dragon, Soso braced her legs.
“What are you doing!”
She had been wary of the dragon ever since it revealed its aura. She had avoided going near it, sticking close behind Gahwa. But they couldn’t stay like this indefinitely until the Yeouiju was fully gathered.
They needed to improve their relationship.
“It’s fine.”
Gahwa pushed her forward gently. Soso struggled, but it was impossible to resist Gahwa’s strength, more than twice her size.
Finally, Soso closed her eyes tightly and was pushed in front of the dragon.
It mirrored the first time Gahwa saw the dragon. She wasn’t as scared, though.
But the dragon remained the same.
That same bored expression, staring at Soso. Clearly, like before, it wouldn’t act.
Gahwa tapped Soso’s shoulder. The yokai cautiously opened one eye.
“Uh-ugh!”
Seeing the dragon up close, Soso panicked. Gahwa patted her back to calm her and gestured toward the dragon’s cheek.
As expected, the dragon just looked.
Though one eyebrow shot up, expressing mild displeasure, it was tolerable.
“See? He won’t get angry even now. No need to be too scared.”
“R-Really?”
“Yes, really.”
This time, Gahwa lifted Soso’s hand to poke the dragon’s cheek. The dragon’s remaining eyebrow arched in response.
It was letting them off, for now.
Gahwa quickly withdrew her hand and gently pinched Soso’s nose.
“See? I told you.”
“Y-Yes, but…”
“So stay at ease. We have many days ahead of us together.”
“Many? How many?”
“Well, at least six months, I’d say.”
Soso’s shoulders drooped at that, realizing the one she feared wasn’t who she had expected.
Gahwa looked up at the dragon.
“Can’t you suppress your aura since the child’s scared?”
“Didn’t I say to show it last time?”
“We’re almost out of the hills.”
“Do you think there are no yokai where humans live?”
“Even in the villages?”
“More than you think. Yokai are everywhere. Especially among greedy humans.”
Which meant…
Gahwa’s eyes widened.
“Are you saying there were yokai even in Jooan? Even inside the palace?”
“Why else would 80% of rumors in the marketplace be about yokai?”
‘I thought they were just rumors…’
It was true—the world only reveals what you see. Gahwa’s eyes rolled in disbelief.
If there were yokai in the palace, it meant they could encounter yokai anywhere in this country.
She needed to prepare more thoroughly.
‘I want to be stronger. Strong enough to protect myself, to protect Soso, strong enough to avenge my mother.’
Gahwa lifted her head.
“I want to become stronger.”
“With your own power?”
The dragon asked, indifferent. Gahwa shook her head.
She would find her own way. She grasped the hairpin at her neck.
“I will become stronger on my own.”
Pleased with that answer, the dragon straightened his posture. His gaze lingered briefly on the hairpin.
“That’s good. There’s still time, no need to rush.”
Indeed, there was still time, at least until the Yeouiju was fully gathered.
‘Yes, for now. First, focus on what must be done.’
Gahwa stood.
“First, we need to get out of these hills. How will we do it with Soso?”
“That’s easy.”
The dragon pointed to the hairpin in Gahwa’s hand.
“Have that otter carry it while leaving the hills.”
“This hairpin?”
“Yes. Its power rivals a diamond cudgel, maybe even several times stronger. Having it neutralizes the formation’s power while leaving the hills.”
“So this is such a powerful item?”
Gahwa looked at the hairpin in her hand. She had thought it was just a memento from her mother, never imagining it held such power.
Thinking back to when the sage coveted it, she now understood.
“You didn’t reveal it to the sage on purpose.”
“Yes, no need to show its power unnecessarily.”
The dragon flicked his fingers calmly, and the swirling energy around them dissipated instantly.
“Ugh.”
Soso exhaled deeply from below, finally able to breathe freely. The dragon glanced at the hills and then turned away.
“Now, let’s head to Gang’an.”
