Chapter 51. Connection (1)

The next morning, at dawn.

As always, I woke up, circulated my energy, finished breakfast, and left the village.

If there was one difference, it was that instead of the ragged martial uniform I had worn until last night, I was dressed in a rather neat, black martial uniform.

Well, I figured it would turn into rags again after a few days of wear, so I wondered if it had much meaning.

That was why I had tried to refuse the kindness of the cloth shop owner.

In any case, we started moving again.

When I taught Sohyang, we moved at a walking pace, swinging our swords together.

It was a peculiar training session, to say the least.

There was no need to correct Sohyang’s posture.

“Stop! Don’t get too engrossed.”

Rather, it felt like I had to interfere with her training.

It was because the girl, whose body and internal energy were lacking, kept falling into a state of selflessness and trying to perform a sword art that was far beyond her limits.

It was less about teaching and more about watching over her to make sure she didn’t hurt herself by overdoing it.

“Your arms seem to have reached their limit. So from now on, I will teach you the Five Elements Steps.”

Similarly, when I taught her the Five Elements Steps, the most basic of footwork, Sohyang memorized and mimicked all the forms just by seeing and hearing them once.

Thud.

And when the genius girl’s strength and stamina finally ran out, it was Nam Geon’s and my turn.

We continued to travel for a long time, training in turns like that.

By the time the sun was setting, we arrived at a new village.

Fortunately, there were no Black Thugs in this village.

After helping Nam Geon with his Iron Blood Golden Skin Art training and finishing my own somewhat lacking training, I finished my bath and went up to my room, only to find the wife waiting for us for some reason.

In the wife’s hands was the spare martial uniform we had gotten from the last village.

“Since you’ve finished your bath, how about wearing these clothes tomorrow? I will wash the clothes you were wearing.”

“There’s no need for that.”

At my refusal, the wife shook her head.

“It’s uncomfortable for me to travel so comfortably alone, and my heart is not at ease knowing my daughter is indebted to you. Please let me do at least this much, chivalrous warrior.”

Since she said her heart was uneasy, it was awkward to refuse.

After that, our journey continued.

One day, the distance between villages was awkward, so we had to sleep outdoors.

I used a skill I had learned in my past life to catch a few rabbits, and the wife cooked them for us.

“Hehet. The lady is a good cook.”

For Nam Geon to say it was delicious, her skills seemed to be truly outstanding.

Nam Geon was a glutton, but he had a precise palate for food. It was just that you couldn’t tell because he was the type to force himself to eat even if it was tasteless.

A strange journey continued.

The words I used to hear often whenever we stopped at a new village were not heard recently.

– I don’t know where these damn beggars came crawling from. Phew.

Sentences like that, filled with pity.

Was it because the wife consistently did the laundry?

Ah. Come to think of it, there was one more change.

Every time I cleaned up some Black Thugs.

“Senior Brother! The lady who was running the stall over there thanked me for teaching the bad guys a lesson and gave me this to eat as a gift.”

“Senior Brother! I got another martial uniform! It seems the elder at the cloth shop here was concerned about your torn clothes and gave it as a gift.”

People kept appearing who would give us something.

I wondered if this too was the power of laundry.

I couldn’t understand why they always gave things to Sohyang instead of directly to me.

Ah. I figured it was probably because Sohyang was easier to approach.

For reasons I didn’t know, whenever I helped someone, people seemed to find me difficult.

In any case, the journey with the mother and daughter was strange in many ways.

“Not bad.”

Honestly, at first, I was a little worried it would interfere with my training.

The journey to find the Black Market was also delayed, so I was concerned in many ways.

But thanks to the wife’s help, my training was not greatly affected.

Of course, the path was twisted because I cleaned up the gambling den and traveled with the wife.

If I had gone directly to find the Black Market, this would have been a road I wouldn’t have even come to.

But, thanks to that, I was able to find and clean up some unplanned Black Thugs.

“Indeed. It’s not like the villains in the world are only the Black Market bastards. It seems I’ve become impatient again without realizing it.”

If I had hastily chased only the Black Market, I would have passed by without even knowing that guys like these were running rampant.

Then wouldn’t the common people here have suffered for much longer?

Thinking this way, I even felt that it was a good thing the path was twisted.

They say life is a blessing in disguise; you can never tell what will happen in a person’s life.

***

A few days later.

We arrived at our destination.

Heavenly Sun Village.

A place I could call my hometown, though I wasn’t born there.

When I went to the inn where I used to work as a waiter, the elder’s eyes grew as wide as lanterns.

“Yuseong!!”

Seeing the startled expression on the elder’s face, a smile unknowingly formed on my lips.

“It’s been a long time, Elder.”

“You’re safe. You’re safe. That’s a true relief. A relief.”

About three months had passed since I left this place.

It wasn’t that long a time, but for some reason, the elder’s eyes reddened.

The elder wiped the corners of his eyes and said with a smile.

“Aigoo. I seem to have become sentimental in my old age. Still, you’ve become quite handsome in the time I haven’t seen you, Yuseong.”

Was it because my clothes were rather neat?

If so, this too was thanks to the wife’s help.

I turned my body and pointed to my companions.

“These are my companions, Elder.”

“Oh, my goodness. Forgive my absentmindedness. Ahem. I am Yang Hwan, the operator of this small inn. You can comfortably call me Elder Yang.”

The elder introduced himself first with courtesy, and I also briefly introduced my companions.

“This is Nam Geon.”

“I, I am Nam Geon. Ni, nice to meet you, Grandpa.”

“This is Mrs. Choi Yeon, and her daughter, Baek Hyang.”

“I am Choi Yeon.”

“I am Baek Hyang. You can also call me Sohyang, Elder.”

After the brief introductions, I got to the point with the elder.

“Mrs. Choi Yeon has some circumstances, and it seems she’ll need to stay here in Heavenly Sun Village for a while, so we came to see you.”

I didn’t mention her gambling-addicted husband.

The elder also didn’t press for detailed circumstances.

“There’s the room that Yuseong used to stay in, so helping you won’t be a problem, but will you be alright staying at the inn with this old man?”

“I’m fine, but I’m just sorry that some baseless rumors might start and cause trouble for you, Elder.”

“Hahaha. It would be fine if I just say you are a niece who lived far away. Who would say anything if you came to seek help from this uncle after being caught up in a misfortune.”

As the elder said that with a kind smile, Mrs. Choi Yeon bowed her head deeply and said.

“Thank you so much, Elder. And, it’s alright for you to speak comfortably.”

“Hahaha. I shall do so. And now that we’ll be living like family, you should also just call me uncle comfortably.”

“Yes, Uncle.”

After things were more or less settled, the elder spoke again.

“With a niece visiting from afar and Yuseong, who I thought had left, returning, I suppose I’ll have to show off my skills a little today. Is there anything you’d like to eat?”

“I’m fine with any kind of boiled meat.”

As soon as my answer was out, Nam Geon’s eyes sparkled as he spoke.

“I, I want to eat something delicious! I want to eat a lot!”

The elder, smiling as if Nam Geon’s stuttering speech was cute, looked at Sohyang and asked.

“Alright. And what about our grandniece, is there anything you’d like to eat?”

Sohyang smiled and replied.

“Anything is fine with me, Granduncle.”

“Hoho. The little one knows difficult words too. That’s enough. Just call me Grandpa comfortably.”

“Yes, Grandpa!”

“Hahahaha.”

After finishing his conversation with Sohyang, the elder headed to the kitchen.

“Uncle. I’ll help you too.”

“You must be tired from your long journey, so rest easy today.”

“I’m really fine. I like cooking, too.”

While they were bickering back and forth about helping, Nam Geon suddenly chimed in.

“Th, the lady is a good cook! I, I. I want to eat the lady’s cooking too!”

Was it because of his whining child-like tone?

Both the elder and the wife burst into laughter and headed to the kitchen together.

***

After finishing the somewhat warm and friendly meal, Elder Yang asked Jin Yuseong.

“Yuseong. How many days are you planning to stay in the village?”

“I’m thinking of leaving tomorrow morning.”

Elder Yang said with a regretful face.

“It’s been a while since you’ve visited the village, wouldn’t it be better to rest for a few days before you go?”

Jin Yuseong shook his head.

“Even at this moment, villains are tormenting innocent people all over Jianghu. Even if I rest here, my heart will be too uneasy to bear it.”

“I see……. In that case, I should prepare some rice balls so you can take them with you in the morning.”

Was it because of Elder Yang’s unmistakably disappointed voice?

Jin Yuseong deliberately averted his gaze and looked at Sohyang.

“As you’ve heard, Nam Geon and I will be leaving the village tomorrow morning. Junior Sister, you must make your decision tonight. Whether you will stay here with your mother or leave with us.”

Originally, he had intended to continue traveling with the girl and teach her martial arts.

But his thoughts had changed slightly on the way here.

It was because her talent had far surpassed Jin Yuseong’s expectations.

“I’m not saying I won’t teach you martial arts. If you train what I’ve taught you so far and build your foundation, I’ll come back in a few months and teach you what to learn next.”

It was because she was a child who would learn on her own if he just stopped by periodically to give a few words of advice or teach her the key points of a martial art.

He also thought it might be better this way than to separate a still-frail and young girl from her mother and drag her along.

After finishing the meal.

Baek Hyang went into the room with Mrs. Choi Yeon and they talked.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I want to go with those two.”

“……Can you tell me why?”

“I want to help Senior Brother Jin and older brother Nam Geon with what they do. I want to find and help people who are struggling like me.”

Baek Hyang thought.

Just as she and her mother were saved by the two chivalrous warriors, she too wanted to be someone’s salvation.

During the journey from her hometown of Gaeri to this Heavenly Sun Village.

She had watched right beside them as Jin Yuseong and Nam Geon disposed of several groups of Black Thugs and mountain bandits.

That sight had looked so brilliant.

However, she hadn’t made her decision based solely on the feeling of admiration.

“And, I’m worried about them. Both Senior Brother and older brother are wonderful people, but they are people who only look at one path. I felt like there should be at least one person to look after them from behind.”

So that the two excellent chivalrous heroes wouldn’t go around in rags.

She wanted to help so that, even if they didn’t receive rewards, they would at least receive fair treatment.

“And I still haven’t finished teaching older brother Nam Geon how to write. I want to keep my promise, Mom.”

Her daughter, who had suddenly grown up so much. No, the daughter she had kept in her embrace, unaware that she had already grown so much.

The mother, who had only now realized her daughter had grown up, tried to hide her sadness and said.

“Alright. I’m sure my smart daughter will be able to help them well. And, I’m sure you’ll grow up to be a wonderful person who can help others, just like the two chivalrous warriors.”

Choi Yeon said so and hugged her daughter tightly. To hide her reddened eyes.

As if she knew her mother’s heart, the girl also did not deliberately raise her head to look into her mother’s eyes.

“I’m sorry, Mom.”

No. The girl also had her head bowed low, hiding her own reddened eyes, as she was held in her mother’s embrace.

“Mom is even sorrier. I’m sorry for being a worthless mother who couldn’t even properly help my smart daughter.”

“No, Mom. It’s all thanks to you. That’s right. Five years ago, when I had a bad cold, you took care of me all day long, didn’t you?”

“You still remember what happened when you were so young?”

“Of course. Oh, and come to think of it, the sweets you made for me three years ago were really delicious.”

The girl brought up old stories.

“Fufufu. Just say the word anytime. I’ll make them for you anytime. Then my daughter. Do you happen to remember that incident?”

The wife also smiled faintly and unraveled old stories one by one.

The mother and daughter retraced their memories together, memories that were both short and long.

Embracing each other. They knew each other’s eyes were red, but they didn’t deliberately talk about leaving.

***

The next morning, at dawn.

“I will visit from time to time. Please take care, both of you.”

“I, I’ll definitely come back.”

“Mother. Grandpa. We’ll be going now.”

After bidding farewell to Mrs. Choi Yeon and the elder, we left Heavenly Sun Village.

“Are you really alright?”

When I asked Sohyang, the girl replied in a resolute tone.

“Yes! I’m fine, Senior Brother!”

I nodded.

She was a resolute and clever child. There was no need for me to meddle in a decision she had made.

“In that case, there’s no need to waste time.”

As always, we moved forward, combining training with travel.

We moved while swinging our swords, and ran while training our movement arts.

Since this area had already been cleaned up, we didn’t encounter any mountain bandits or Black Thugs.

On the afternoon of the second day after leaving Heavenly Sun Village, while moving along a low mountain path for a long time.

I raised my hand and said to Nam Geon and Sohyang.

“Stop.”

“I-is it mealtime already, big bro?”

“Is there a problem, Senior Brother?”

Instead of answering the two’s questions, I gripped my sword and surveyed the surrounding bushes.

Soon, the bushes in a place a little further away shook, and men dressed in black revealed themselves one by one.

One of them.

A middle-aged man holding a spear opened his mouth with a sly smile.

“The kid has good senses. You must be the Ghost Sword Young Master.”

“Seeing as you knew and came looking for me, you don’t seem to be mountain bandits, so what are you guys?”

The man aimed his spear at me and opened his mouth.

“Did you think you would be safe after messing with the Black Market? You brat.”

On the man’s spear, a blood-red Blade Qi had already formed.

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