Chapter: 427
About three days passed.
Before we knew it, we had left the mountains and forests and were starting to see villages with people in them.
At this point, a sense of stability began to emerge in people’s hearts.
Since our purpose was transportation, the journey had been filled with tension in case of any potential attacks.
Now that we had reached the area where the influence of the Tang clan extended, there should be no problems with transportation.
Those who had never been able to show their emotions now had expressions that seemed to let out a relieved sigh.
Some even cracked some lame jokes.
In an effort to conserve their strength, they engaged in sparring, something they had never done before.
As expected, watching a fight was amusing, and the thrill of it was quite satisfactory.
Every time I saw this, I was reminded that the trip was nearing its end.
Only…
Contrary to the comfort everyone else felt, the problem for me was that I was harboring more complex feelings.
Kkwuk.
I redirected my energy.
The energy that escaped from my dantian flowed through various parts of my body.
‘Tsk.’
I had been constantly monitoring my physical condition, yet there was no progress at all.
This issue arose after I hatched an enemy with a magic stone.
The energy that had escaped back then was gradually being restored, but the pace was incredibly slow.
It wasn’t just me who noticed; Paejon was equally aware.
Once my training was disrupted, he scolded me for what I was doing.
‘Shit.’
At my age, to be scolded like that. The feeling of inferiority was no joke.
Shaaaaa…
While I was feeling down, a snake poked its head out from my sleeve and examined me.
“What are you looking at? Because of you, all my plans have gone awry. What are you going to do?”
Shaaaa…
Seeming to understand, it licked my finger as if apologizing.
I sighed repeatedly while observing it.
‘Oh my, what a joke.’
I was venting my frustration on a monster, and what a sight it was! It was funny that the one I was blaming was the very creature I hatched.
I gazed out the window, still rubbing my throbbing forehead.
The carriage was still moving, the scenery changing continuously.
Considering that, I thought about what lay ahead.
We’d arrive at the Tang Clan shortly.
If that happened…
‘First, let’s go eat some White Horse Stone.’
Originally, I was supposed to arrive at the Tang Clan, unpack, and then follow Jamryong to view the Shaman Ghost Ship.
Afterward, I planned to visit Paega following Paewoocheol.
The original plan was to finish all that and then go for the White Horse Stone next.
Now, however, I had to prioritize getting the White Horse Stone.
‘My physical condition is terrible.’
The issue lay more within rather than physicality.
The energy that had depleted could not be restored in a single go.
As a result, there were significant issues when using my martial arts and the Tuapacheonmu.
‘Ugh…’
Additionally, I hadn’t been able to adjust to the instability that arose from the rapidly changing situation.
At present, the priority was to consume the White Horse Stone and refill my energy.
Shaaaa.
The snake continued to flick its tongue at me.
“What is it?”
This little snake seemed to do nothing but pester me.
Char?
It tilted its head while staring at me, flicking its tongue.
Is that all it does?
“This is better.”
Better than that annoying old man who was always grumbling about being hungry.
I would’ve tossed it out if it were trying to suck my energy just because it felt hungry.
At least this guy didn’t seem to drain any energy at all.
It only occasionally craved monster meat.
‘It’s a strange creature.’
It wouldn’t eat regular food but only feasted on monster meat.
I was baffled as to why it was such a picky eater; monsters are usually known for devouring anything in sight.
‘Should I consider it not too bad?’
If it had craved magic stones, I’d have found that troublesome, but I’d rather it ate meat.
Besides, the meat of monsters was what one typically obtained while hunting for magic stones.
It’s not like it was whining about being hungry.
There was a day it sprawled out, and I wondered why it did—turns out it was just hungry.
It didn’t ask for food, so I had no idea it needed any.
‘When has raising a monster ever crossed my mind?’
I had never raised even a regular beast; it’s no wonder I was clueless about how to handle this.
“Did you hold back because you were afraid to speak?”
Shaaaa…
The sight of it lowering its head as if intimidated was really troubling me.
The memory of being hungry yet unable to ask for food surfaced.
‘…This is irritating.’
Each time that happened, annoyance flared up inside me.
It reminded me too much of my own past self, and that was far from pleasant.
“Next time, just say something. I’ll feed you; how about that?”
Shaaa.
It’s not about fetching food for it; it’ll be more about feeding it while I’m at the White Horse Stone.
I have no intention of raising it.
I nodded my head in agreement.
It seemed pleased, flicking its tongue even faster.
I waved at it in disgust.
“Hey, come on! You’re getting your slobber everywhere!”
As I shouted, it jumped in surprise and quickly dove back into my sleeve.
Is this little thing really a monster? Why does it freak out so easily?
As I wiped the spit off my hands, I heard a voice from above the carriage.
“Oh! I guess we’re almost there!”
It was the voice of the White Lotus Sword, who had been lying on top of my carriage.
I wasn’t sure why she had ditched the comfortable carriage just to be up there, but at the sound of her voice, I craned my head out the window.
Then I saw something in the distance.
I wrinkled my brow slightly at the sight.
“Seriously… It was a pain in the ass getting here.”
By the time we set out, it had been spring.
Now, as we arrived, it had inevitably turned to summer.
Was it a coincidence?
It felt like it had been summer when I’d arrived years ago too.
Of all the timings, it happened to be the same season.
As I thought about it, I chuckled.
Back then, I was at best a third-rate fighter, but in just a few years, I had reached the level of Hwagyeong, and my reputation in the Central Plains had changed quite a bit.
Should I say it was a refreshing realization?
‘That can’t be it.’
I was merely aware of the passage of time.
I comfortably leaned back against the chair and took a deep breath.
Finally, after months of travel, we had arrived at the county where the Sacheondangmun is located.
I remembered coming to Sacheon to seek the epitaph of Geumcheonyeon-ga.
It was strange that I didn’t recall much; there were several incidents around that time.
As we set out, I’d also discovered Wi Seol-ah hiding in the carriage.
That was the first time in this life that I’d met Namgung Bi-ah.
Just seeing Namgung Bi-ah made me so shocked.
I was inwardly wondering why that crazy woman was here.
In a way, wasn’t that the time when many things had begun to change?
It was also then that my relationship with Wi Seol-ah began to shift in earnest.
At that moment, my relationship with Namgung Bi-ah also took a completely different turn.
The changes that had been small began to evolve dramatically.
That time aligned perfectly with when I first set foot in Sacheon.
Creeeak.
A massive door swung open.
It looked to be twice the size of an average door. Compared to the old gates, it was considerably larger.
The door to my home was so tall that even an elder or my father would have to bow to walk through it.
As the door opened, rows of people lined up inside.
“Congratulations on your return, Master.”
– Congratulations!
As soon as the Poison King appeared, a cheer erupted.
…Wow.
Seeing all the servants come out, clapping and cheering, made me wonder, what is this…?
‘What on earth is going on?’
That’s all I could think.
Even the busy workers had come out; what on earth were they doing?
Looking at the reactions of the Poison King and Dang Soyeol, it seemed like a natural reaction.
Is this what’s normal…?
‘Is it because my father always keeps things simple that I’m not accustomed to this?’
Observing the unchanging expressions on Mo Yong-hee and Namgung Bi-ah, it seemed that most of the other houses welcomed the return this way.
Thud thud thud thud.
As I walked, I could hear an odd noise.
It was the sound of Dangdeok gritting his fists forcefully.
I confirmed this and immediately sent a message.
– Chill out.
Hearing my order, Dangdeok trembled and relaxed his hands.
It’s only natural for someone to react like that in a den of enemies, but it didn’t involve me.
I needed to carefully give orders, so I wouldn’t get revealed and cause a nuisance.
‘If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve told him to wait outside.’
Well, since I was already here, what could I do?
I turned my gaze from Dangdeok back to the front and saw a few white-haired old men standing, facing me and the Poison King.
‘They must be the elders.’
It looked like they were from the Tang Clan.
“Congratulations on your return, Gaju.”
The Poison King nodded lightly at the elders’ greetings.
From that, I could glean something.
‘The Poison King seems to wield considerable power.’
It was apparent that the position of the household head held by the Poison King was remarkably significant.
If the elders’ council in a clan holds strong power, the attitude of either the elders or the head of the household would not be like that.
For instance, in the case of the Namgung clan, the elders held considerable power.
‘To be precise, it’s the power of the Heavenly Deity.’
The absolute authority does not rest with the head of the household.
The strongest place with ongoing issues is the Namgung clan.
‘In the case of the Tang Clan, the process here might be a bit lighter…’
While it isn’t a clan entirely focused on commercial aspects like the Mo Yong clan, it certainly holds significant weight.
The Tang clan was known as the Iron Clan.
They were responsible for supplying the highest quality ironware throughout the Central Plains.
Because of this, the influence that the Tang Clan held wasn’t just limited to strength, as anyone could see.
Let’s set that aside for now.
‘I want to get in quickly.’
First off, I wanted to unpack and take a break.
I was mentally and physically drained, and I needed to rest comfortably on my first day here.
Just when I was pondering how long this welcoming ceremony would last…
“It’s dragging on. When will it end?”
Someone shouted those words, causing my companions standing behind to look over in shock.
Someone had audibly voiced what I had been thinking.
Did they really just say that? I couldn’t help but admire their guts.
That would be the White Lotus Sword for you.
‘That woman is definitely a lunatic.’
To actually say that in this atmosphere…I would never have dared to.
“I’m starving to death. Ugh…”
“Auntie, please…”
As the White Lotus Sword kept sighing and talking, I could see Mo Yong-hee trying to stop her with her reddened ears.
To be honest, it was somewhat refreshing.
While Mo Yong-hee continually urged the White Lotus Sword to hush, I focused on the Poison King.
I figured it was about time for the speeches to conclude.
At that moment, as the elders added their remarks, the Poison King’s shoulders twitched.
It seemed some crucial conversation had taken place.
Swish.
As the Poison King raised a hand, the noise of the cheers surrounding him quieted instantly.
If he could’ve wrapped it up like that, he should have done it ages ago.
As I looked at him with a disgruntled expression, the Poison King turned his head toward me and spoke.
“You must have faced a long road to get here. Thank you for your hard work.”
The atmosphere felt somewhat heavy, as if welcoming someone with a slight pressure behind it.
“We’ve already prepared rooms for our guests. How about you get some rest today and meet me at the banquet as the sun sets?”
A banquet, huh.
It wasn’t exactly something that piqued my interest.
If he was saying it so formally, it likely meant I shouldn’t miss it.
Unlike the grand welcoming ceremony, this conclusion felt somewhat anticlimactic.
The Poison King asked for our understanding and then disappeared somewhere with the elders, while the remaining group followed the servants to their designated quarters.
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