Chapter 74
“Yes, Father!”
I leapt down from the carriage.
We were in Akju.
The carriage, having left the Namgung estate, sped through Anhui and entered Hubei.
If we continued west like this, we would eventually reach the Sichuan Tang family estate.
“We’ve come quite a way.”
The carriage had stopped along the way to rest.
Just like when we traveled to Anhui, we sometimes stayed at Tang family medical houses scattered around, or rented good inns.
Father seemed worried that I might be uncomfortable sleeping, but…
“I guess I’m the kind of person who sleeps as soon as my head hits the pillow.”
I slept soundly without fuss, making his worries unnecessary.
“Ugh-cha.”
Stretching my arms and legs, I felt Father suddenly grab my arm.
He pulled and stretched me upward.
“Whoa! What are you doing?”
“I’m helping our daughter grow taller by stretching her out.”
“Is this some kind of spell or technique?”
“Just giving it a pull, that’s all.”
After tugging my arm once more, Father let go.
“If there’s anything you want to eat, tell me. I’ll get it for you.”
“Then that! That sesame pancake!”
“Will one be enough?”
“Of course not! I need three.”
Father nodded.
After paying the vendor, he handed me one pancake.
“You’re small-handed, so if you try to hold all three at once, two will surely fall. Eat this one first, then I’ll get the next.”
“Yes, Father. But can you also get Choyo?”
“Choyo, come here. I’ll give you one too.”
At Father’s command, Choyo, who had been hiding like a shadow nearby, appeared and received a sesame pancake.
I bit into the pancake and looked around the city of Akju.
Who knew when I’d get another chance to go out, so everything was a fascinating sight to me.
“Can I walk around and look at things?”
“Not alone.”
“What if I’m with you, Father?”
“That’s fine.”
“Then let’s go together.”
Holding Father’s hand, I walked slowly.
Along the way, we saw beggars, merchants selling goods, and clusters of lively scholars chatting. There were also people tending horses and other animals.
As expected in a crowded place, there were plenty of interesting sights.
“Who’s around here again…?” I asked.
“What do you mean?”
“The sects or families that protect this place. Everyone here looks so healthy.”
Father nodded.
“In Hubei’s Mudang Mountain, there’s the Mudang Sect, and here in Akju is the Cheonhwa Mountain Estate.”
“I’ve heard of Cheonhwa Mountain Estate.”
“The master there is an outstanding swordsman, one of the Ten Swords of the World.”
Hearing Father speak, my memories became clearer. I had definitely heard of him before I died.
“The master holds the lowest rank among the Ten Swords, I think.”
Even if he’s ranked last, he’s still one of the Ten Swords. Not someone to underestimate.
“And if I recall, he’s quite advanced in age too, isn’t he?”
After finishing my first sesame pancake, Father handed me a second.
I ate it while continuing to observe my surroundings.
“Huh? There’s a bridge over there?”
I decided to explore under the bridge, shoving the rest of my pancake into my mouth in one bite.
I dusted my hands and looked up at Father.
Standing next to him was Jo Yeopyeong, his loyal guard.
“Sir, about that…”
“What is it?”
Father spoke briefly with Jo Yeopyeong.
I watched them, then glanced at the nearby bridge.
He seems busy; maybe it’s okay to explore on my own a little? I won’t go far.
I gently tugged Father’s sleeve and pointed to the bridge.
“You may look around.”
Father softly pushed me forward.
I went with Choyo to the pond bridge.
“Miss, be careful not to fall in.”
“You know I fell into a pond before, right?”
“Your master and the young sir told me twice already.”
“So the word’s out…”
“Yes.”
Choyo and I chatted as we approached the pond.
Then—
Splash!
I heard the sound of water splashing.
It wasn’t the small splash of a carp; it was loud and clumsy.
“What’s that sound?”
Choyo and I ran to the railing and looked down.
“Save me!”
A boy my age was flailing in the water.
His face was pale blue, and he kept sinking and surfacing, clearly unable to swim.
He must have fallen in!
But that wasn’t the only problem.
Opposite him, a water snake hissed threateningly.
“Danger!”
The boy saw it too, his face turning even paler.
Choyo leapt onto the railing, ready to jump in.
But—
‘If she jumps in with that snake, she’ll be in danger too.’
Even if the snake’s venom could be neutralized, if the panicked boy grabbed Choyo’s neck, they’d both sink.
I knew from experience what happens when you fall into water.
Calling Father from afar would take too long.
‘No, I have to act.’
I paused briefly, then whistled, channeling my internal energy into it.
This was the basic form of the poison-controlling sound technique I learned from Grandfather, Nine Heavens Poison Flow Sound (九天毒流音).
It stimulates an animal’s hearing painfully, driving it away.
Having trained with multiple venomous creatures, I could use it easily.
As expected, the water snake hesitated, twisted, and swam away past the boy.
“Now, Choyo!”
Without hesitation, Choyo jumped in and pulled the pale boy out of the pond.
“Cough, hack! Cough!”
The boy coughed up water in Choyo’s arms.
I quickly followed Choyo down to the bridge’s base.
“Are you okay?”
The boy nodded while continuing to cough up water.
I looked at Choyo.
“You okay?”
“Yes.”
She shrugged. Rescuing one child from water seemed effortless for her.
“That could have been bad. There’s no one else around here.”
We were the only ones who heard the boy’s cries.
Then I saw Father running toward us from where he had been talking with his guard, Jo Yeopyeong.
Seeing Choyo and the boy, drenched, Father frowned.
“What happened?”
“This boy fell into the pond, and Choyo rescued him.”
“Miss drove away the water snake, so I could enter the pond and save the young master,” Choyo explained.
Young master?
I looked at the boy’s clothes. Choyo was right—he wore high-quality silk.
He must be the son of a good family.
But why was he alone in the pond?
Father glanced at the boy, then at Choyo, nodding in approval at her.
“You alright?”
“I didn’t go into the water.”
“That’s a relief. Don’t stand near the pond unnecessarily—it’s dangerous.”
Father spoke firmly.
By then, the boy, still coughing up water, lifted his head and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.
He looked at me, Father, Choyo, and Jo Yeopyeong in turn.
I stared at him, then asked,
“Are you okay?”
“Gasp… Green silk robe!”
The boy’s eyes widened.
“Could it be… the Sichuan Tang family’s…?”
“Yes.”
“Th-thank you for saving me!”
He hurriedly got up and bowed.
He was taller than me by a head, though to fifteen-year-old me, he was still a child.
‘Still taller than me, but calling him a child feels odd.’
He continued coughing for a moment but then collected himself and spoke politely.
“C-cough! Once more properly… Cough! I offer my thanks! Thank you for saving me. I am Yu Jaheon, the only son of Yu Pyeonghyeok, head of Cheonhwa Mountain Estate.”
“Hmm?”
The only son of the head of Cheonhwa Mountain Estate?
