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Chapter 183: A Winter That’s Not Cold

A winter that’s not cold.

What a bright day it is!

Perhaps it’s because I prefer a day like this, with clouds scattered about, to a completely clear sky.

Today felt especially beautiful.

‘How can we be visiting Shaolin again during all this?’

I had originally planned to wrap up the tasks I intended to finish, and it was about time for me to start my departure.

But this job had set me back a whole day.

‘But I can’t skip it now.’

With those eager eyes looking at me, I couldn’t find a reason to complain.

Right now, my arms were bound.

“Young Master! Look over there!”

One arm was occupied by Wi Seol-Ah.

“What now?”

“It’s a sparrow!”

“…Looks tasty?”

“…Young Master, you eat sparrows?”

Is there anything I can’t eat…?

Wi Seol-Ah held on tightly as if she would never let it go.

Hong-Wa tried to take it away, muttering about her habits.

But I blocked her.

‘If that was the case, I should have covered my face with noodles instead.’

It was my mistake for zoning out.

Maybe it was due to the relief from the restraints; Wi Seol-Ah was grinning the whole time.

Yeah, that was enough to make me feel better.

The other arm was held by Nangong Bi-ah.

Unlike Wi Seol-Ah, who was tightly hugging me with her whole body, Nangong Bi-ah simply clung to the sleeve of my shirt timidly.

In her furtive expression, I could tell she was somewhat anxious.

She couldn’t meet my gaze as she usually did.

Tang Soyeol’s cheeks were puffed slightly, likely miffed that she couldn’t join in, but she didn’t seem inclined to say anything.

I dismounted from the carriage, and after a brief walk, the stairs leading up to Shaolin, where we had arrived last time, came into view.

“Looks like they did some work on the stairs compared to last year.”

Tang Soyeol remarked.

“I think there were some cracks… They must have fixed them already.”

“Have you been here last year too?”

After a brief moment of silence, Tang Soyeol continued.

“I briefly spoke with the Sect Leader.”

Talking about Cheonan, perhaps.

Judging by Tang Soyeol’s expression, it didn’t seem to be anything particularly memorable.

Or perhaps it wasn’t a pleasant experience.

Noticing the slight problem with her expression, Tang Soyeol quickly put on a smile.

Unlike Wi Seol-Ah and Nangong Bi-ah, who seemed to be carefree, Tang Soyeol managed her expressions excellently, having lived as a descendant of an esteemed family.

“It was nothing major, Prince. You don’t have to worry!”

‘Worry? I wasn’t worried…?’

I unconsciously touched my cheek, wondering if I had made a grimace without realizing it.

Gently.

My left arm was being pulled back a bit.

It was Nangong Bi-ah tugging at my sleeve.

“Why…”

I glanced at her as if asking why, but Nangong Bi-ah only gazed silently at me.

‘What’s going on?’

Suddenly.

A brief silence passed.

Nangong Bi-ah released her grip on my sleeve.

Then she carefully wrapped her arms around my arm. Was this what she wanted to do?

As the distance between us shrank, her unique scent brushed against my nose.

Did she put on something? It felt different from usual.

[Heh. This world is such a mess.]

I thought that was what she might say.

I had planned to stay quiet today.

Ignoring that for now, I gazed into Nangong Bi-ah’s blue eyes.

‘We’re making proper eye contact.’

It seemed like she had been a bit taller when we first met.

Looking at her now, I felt that I had grown a bit more, even if just slightly.

Could she feel that?

‘…Could I grow a bit more?’

A gentle breeze passed by.

The growth of a martial artist tends to be rapid.

Thanks to the energy I held in my lower dantian during my growth period, my physical body was developing into one suitable for martial arts.

But the differences varied from person to person.

Thinking back to my previous life, I wasn’t particularly tall.

‘I was shorter than my father.’

Considering the Gu Clan generally had shorter heights, my father and the Elder were rather exceptional.

Even though I was of the martial artist lineage, why was I different?

‘This life is different; I wish I could grow a little taller.’

It wasn’t purely an aesthetic wish, but I hoped to surpass six feet at the very least to utilize martial arts more comfortably.

The length of one’s body wasn’t everything, but in martial arts, being bigger tended to be an advantage.

Gently.

As I pondered how to achieve that, I felt Nangong Bi-ah’s grip on my left arm tighten.

“…Again.”

Nangong Bi-ah, seeming displeased, turned my head towards her with her hand.

“…You’re thinking about something else…?”

“ ”

“Focus…”

She frowned slightly as if warning me, and she looked genuinely beautiful.

So much so that I couldn’t help but divert my gaze.

For some reason, I felt like I was differentiating myself from her.

Thanks to that, the grip on my arm seemed to tighten even more.

I could feel the soft touch even more clearly.

[Do you know that you’re doing this?]

‘Are you going to scold me again?’

[I’m not the kind to simply curse the moment I speak!]

Isn’t that what I usually hear…?

I can’t recall ever reading about a great being in history without some flow of colorful language.

[…Sigh.]

Was it because I seemed to read her thoughts? Shin Noya let out a sigh.

He must know his own rough demeanor.

[In any case….]

He’s trying to gloss over it smoothly.

‘…Yes.’

[When I was still alive, there was a woman hailed as the most beautiful in the world.]

Suddenly? Out of the blue, Noya started talking about the woman who had been considered the prettiest at the time.

[She was truly a beautiful woman. Not only was she beautiful, but she was also skilled in martial arts.]

‘Is that so?’

[Her family was exceptional too, making her nearly a perfect woman.]

He spoke in a slightly nostalgic tone.

There could be some reason he was reminiscing, but I wondered why he brought that up so suddenly.

[But, as cruel as this land is, not everything ends well.]

In a slightly subdued voice, Noya said that.

[Take care of her.]

‘…Yes?’

[Whatever it is, having too much of anything turns toxic. That girl’s beauty is a prime example.]

At Noya’s words, I glanced towards Nangong Bi-ah.

Once again, she seemed to exist in a world apart from everyone.

Wi Seol-Ah was no different.

Though she was still growing, soon enough, she would shine bright enough.

‘That isn’t the crucial part right now.’

I genuinely didn’t understand why Noya brought this topic up now.

He seemed like someone who often shared valuable insights despite his seemingly casual demeanor.

[That kid has already gained fame, hasn’t she?]

He couldn’t be talking about me. That’s not something that would arise in this situation.

[Her nickname, as well as being called the brightest beauty in Anhui.]

I’ve heard that something like that is sometimes said.

It seemed that Nangong Bi-ah didn’t care much for it, but it was evident people were drawn to her now, especially after that event at the sparring stage.

‘If that’s the case, why did you have me teach her?’

She seemed to wish to hide her presence, yet she had danced the sword dance in front of so many people.

People were already calling her the Sword Dance Hero.

Whether that title would stick was uncertain.

‘That was quite an extraordinary display.’

It seemed her stunning appearance had played a part as well.

Thanks to that, she was gradually gaining recognition even among the higher echelons of the Central Plains.

The flower of Nangong was being praised as the best in the region.

‘You want me to take care of her?’

Even if Noya didn’t mention it, I was already thinking that way.

I had to protect her.

Unlike my previous life.

“…Sigh.”

Noticing that my body had tensed, Nangong Bi-ah tilted her head curiously.

She seemed about to ask something.

“The guide claims they will lead the Cult Leaders.”

Thanks to the calm figure that appeared, she couldn’t.

“Wow!”

Wi Seol-Ah exclaimed happily while looking at the guide with sparkling eyes.

…I hope she didn’t mistake that for a haircut.

“Young Master! That uncle’s head is shining…! Ugh…!”

I hurriedly covered her mouth, fearing she would shout something outrageous.

She might not have shouted, but I was sure the guide heard it too.

However, he smiled as if it was fine, and proceeded to guide us to Shaolin, just like yesterday.

“…That was close.”

No matter what, saying the guide had a shining head in front of everyone was a line I couldn’t cross.

‘I’ll have to teach her not to say such things next time.’

Even if she were afraid of creating trouble, I should reinforce that in her mind.

As it had been yesterday, the tour didn’t differ much from what was expected.

We saw the Buddha statues and stone carvings.

Strolling around for a bit, we stopped by the lake to glimpse at the Baiya fish, and time had flown by.

‘This time nothing happened.’

Unlike when Cheol-Yeong had spoken to me last time, this time there were no signs of anything unusual.

In fact, the Baiya fish didn’t seem to be swimming in this direction at all, which was different from that day.

The guide seemed flustered since it was his first time experiencing something like this.

But everyone else appeared unaffected.

They were probably not inclined to admire pretty fish.

Wi Seol-Ah’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the fish, but when I sensed the answer that would come if I asked why she looked that way, I held back.

‘…I shouldn’t let her say that they look delicious.’

Nangong Bi-ah seemed to find it somewhat amusing, as her usual vacant expression shifted to one that felt alive, as she surveyed the surroundings.

Was she intrigued by Shaolin?

Or was it that she thought it looked rather mundane?

If I had to choose, the Hwasan Sect had a more mystical appearance.

[Huh? Why suddenly Hwasan?]

‘Isn’t that so? It’s supposedly the Gu Sect… but it smells more like sweat than flowers, and there are training tools scattered across the ground.’

One can’t just categorize it as a dojo…

[That too is for the noble cause of dedicating oneself to martial arts….]

‘Don’t try to pretty it up with grandiose excuses, Noya…’

[…]

Despite that, it seemed Noya recognized that point and refrained from offering any further justifications.

“Next, let’s….”

Amidst all this, I glanced at the figure quietly guiding us with a warm smile, named Hee-joo.

Fortunately, there wasn’t any energy emanating from her, suggesting she wasn’t of the same kind as the rough one.

For reference, the troublesome kid named Hee-young, whom I had rescued, had been hidden in a cave on a distant mountain from Shaolin.

I couldn’t tell how many days had passed, but since there didn’t appear to be any significant issues with her body, it seemed it was only a couple of days at most.

‘How much betting did I have to do to find that out…?’

Hearing that she was hidden somewhere on the back mountain made it uneasy to leave her alone.

Thanks to that, I faced a rather tedious return as I had to come back later.

Nevertheless, as long as I got her back, that was the important part.

‘Given that Shaolin hasn’t changed much, it seems everything is alright?’

I’m not sure how much an event involving a child can affect Shaolin, but from how quiet it has been, it seems they managed it fine.

Or perhaps that rogue had already set things in motion to ensure nothing happened from the start.

‘Would someone like that continue to stay in Shaolin?’

I couldn’t say for sure.

Thus, I had to be more cautious.

Whoosh!

As I exchanged idle talk while walking, a strong wind blew suddenly.

“Wow!”

Wi Seol-Ah seemed to press closer to me, perhaps trying to shield herself from the wind.

My body wasn’t particularly large, so I couldn’t shield her from it, but it seemed to have been enough for her.

“The wind is so strong!”

“True.”

“But it’s not cold!”

That much is true; I had been circulating heat around me a bit.

Wi Seol-Ah’s beaming smile pushed herself further into my side.

“When I lived with Grandpa, you know?”

I didn’t push her away as I carefully hugged her with one arm, concerned that she might be cold.

“Because it was cold in the forest.”

Was she speaking of the time when it was just the Sword Sovereign and her?

She had mentioned they lived in the forest for quite some time.

Given that Wi Seol-Ah was rather younger for her age, that would certainly have an impact.

“It was really cold. I didn’t like winter.”

If the Sword Sovereign had used his powers, he could have blocked the cold to some extent.

But certainly, he wouldn’t be able to equal someone who practiced fire techniques.

Wi Seol-Ah spoke with her slightly reddened nose looking at me.

“But this winter isn’t cold!”

The strength of the arms wrapping around my waist grew stronger.

“I hope next year isn’t cold either…!”

What she said was purely innocent, yet it stirred a strange feeling within me.

“…Yeah. That would be nice.”

So surely, I couldn’t predict how much help I could be carrying her luggage, but if I could do more, that would be great.

I wished for her to live a more comfortable life than before.

The more I wished, the more likely it would reach her.

Despite Shaolin’s immense area matching its massive sponsorship, only certain areas were accessible to outsiders.

Since the pathways had been well-prepared for aesthetics, it didn’t take long before we reached the end, just as it had yesterday.

It wasn’t a very long period, so I wondered if we should go somewhere else, but thankfully the children were all smiling.

“It was fun!”

Wi Seol-Ah exclaimed brightly, and Nangong Bi-ah nodded slightly.

With Tang Soyeol having been here often enough, it seemed she didn’t enjoy it as much as the others at first.

“Gu Gongja!”

Tang Soyeol called out to me.

“Are you feeling a bit hungry?”

“A little? I haven’t eaten anything yet.”

Having started my training immediately after waking up, I hadn’t had time for breakfast, so I was indeed feeling a bit hungry.

With my reply, Tang Soyeol smiled as if she had been waiting for this.

“Then I know a great place. Would you…?”

“Is it Gu Yangcheong?”

Tang Soyeol seemed to have something to say, but before she could continue, someone interrupted her.

Due to that, Tang Soyeol bore a fierce expression now that she couldn’t hold back.

But the moment I turned to see who it was, her lips sealed shut.

An elderly man covered in wrinkles stood before us.

However, attached to his head was a long scar that reached down his face, coupled with an immense size and bulging muscles that looked like they could burst at any moment.

‘…Geulgeuk Cheonbong?’

I recognized him too.

He was a well-known figure in the Central Plains, ranking just below the Sect Leader at Shaolin.

‘What would someone like him want with me?’

I hurriedly bowed out of reflex.

Although it was sudden and surprising, he had initiated the greeting first by clasping his hands in a bow.

“Yes… I am Gu Yangcheong.”

Geulgeuk Cheonbong slowly raised his posture and spoke to me.

“The Sect Leader wishes to meet with you.”

With the old man’s words, I mentally clicked my tongue.

Whatever it was, it certainly didn’t look like a simple errand.

 

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