A Winter That Is Not Cold. (4)
It is a wonderfully clear day.
Perhaps it is because I personally prefer days with a few clouds like this over a cloudless
sky.
Days like today looked especially beautiful.
‘To visit Shaolin again in the midst of all this...’
Originally, since I had finished all my scheduled tasks, I was thinking of slowly departing
around today.
Because of this matter, my schedule was pushed back by a day.
‘Still, I couldn't not go.’
Even if it was just because of those expectant eyes, I had no words to refuse.
Right now, both my arms were tied up.
"Young Master! Look over there!"
First, one arm belonged to Wi Seol-ah.
"What, what now."
"Sparrow!"
"...Looks delicious?"
"...Young Master, you eat sparrows?"
Is there anything you can't eat...?
Wi Seol-ah was holding on tight as if she would absolutely never let go.
Hong Wa tried to peel her off, asking what kind of habit that was.
But I stopped her.
‘If it was going to be like this, I should have put a veil on her.’
It was my mistake for letting my guard down.
Perhaps thanks to being freed from the stifling garment, Wi Seol-ah kept a beaming expression.
Yes, seeing that was enough.
The other arm belonged to Namgung Bi-ah.
Unlike Wi Seol-ah, she wasn't locking her arm with her whole body.
She was just timidly holding onto my sleeve and following along.
From her occasionally visible subtle expression, I could tell she was somewhat nervous.
It was the same with her avoiding my gaze, unlike usual.
Dang So-yeol seemed displeased about not being able to join in, her cheeks slightly puffed out.
But it seemed she wouldn't bring it up.
After getting off the carriage and walking for a short while, the stairs leading up to Shaolin Temple,
which we had arrived at last time, came into view.
"It looks like they did some construction on the stairs compared to last year."
It was Dang So-yeol's words.
"They seemed to have some cracks... It looks like they already fixed them."
"Did you come last year too?"
At my question, Dang So-yeol paused in silence for a moment before continuing.
"For a moment, I had something to discuss with the Abbot."
Was it about Cheon-an?
Judging by Dang So-yeol's expression, it didn't seem to be a particularly memorable anecdote.
Or it wasn't a very good anecdote.
Did Dang So-yeol notice her expression was slightly problematic? She quickly smiled.
Certainly, unlike Wi Seol-ah or Namgung Bi-ah nearby.
Dang So-yeol and Moyong Hui-ah, who had lived as proper bloodlines of prestigious families, were
excellent at managing their expressions.
"It was nothing, Young Master. You don't need to worry!"
‘I wasn't worried...?’
Thinking I might have made a strange expression again without realizing, I stroked my cheek with my hand.
Squeeze.
My left arm was pulled slightly backward.
It was because Namgung Bi-ah tugged on my sleeve.
"Why."
I looked at Namgung Bi-ah as if asking why she did that.
But Namgung Bi-ah just quietly looked at me.
‘What is it?’
Srk.
An inexplicable silence passed for a moment.
Namgung Bi-ah let go of my sleeve.
Then, she carefully wrapped her arms around my arm. Was this what she wanted to do?
Perhaps because the distance grew closer, Namgung Bi-ah's scent brushed the tip of my nose.
Did she spray something? It feels different from usual.
[Haha. Dog-like world.]
I figured he would say that even if I didn't.
He clearly said he was going to stay quiet today.
Ignoring that for now, I looked into Namgung Bi-ah's blue eyes and thought.
‘Our gazes meet.’
When we first met, I think Namgung Bi-ah was a bit taller.
Looking at it now, I was slightly taller. Very slightly, but still.
Was it because I felt that?
‘...Could I grow a bit more?’
A slight breeze blew.
A martial artist's growth is quite fast.
During the growth period, the internal qi nurtured in the dantian urges growth, developing the body to
be optimal for martial arts.
But that difference varied from person to person.
Recalling my past life, I wasn't that tall.
‘I was shorter than my father.’
Considering that the Gu family generally had short statures.
My father and Elder Yi were exceptionally unusual.
Even though they're of the same martial combat lineage, why am I like this?
‘Since it's different from my past life, I hope I can grow a bit taller.’
It wasn't simply a desire for appearance, but a hope to be at least over six chi tall to use
martial arts a bit more comfortably.
While the length of the body isn't everything, for the martial combat lineage, being large was
more helpful than being small.
Squeeze.
While I was thinking about how to do that, strength entered my left arm, which Namgung Bi-ah was holding.
"...Again."
As if displeased, Namgung Bi-ah moved my head with her hand to face her.
"...Are you... thinking about... something else...?"
"..."
"Focus..."
Namgung Bi-ah said with a frown, as if telling me not to do that.
She was seriously, incredibly beautiful.
No wonder I couldn't endure it and averted my eyes.
Was it because I averted my gaze? More strength went into the arm she was holding.
Thanks to that, I felt the soft sensation on my arm even more strongly.
[Do you know that?]
‘Are you going to swear at me again?’
[You rotten brat, do you think I swear whenever I open my mouth?]
Was he not...?
For a great Daoist written in history, I don't think I've ever seen him speak without swear words
mixed in.
[...Ahem.]
Perhaps because he read my thoughts, Old Man Shin cleared his throat.
It seemed he knew his own mouth was rough too.
[Anyway...]
Trying to sneakily move past it.
‘...Yes.’
.......
[When I was alive, there was also a woman called the Number One Beauty Under Heaven.]
Suddenly? Old Man suddenly brought up a story about the most beautiful woman of that time out of
nowhere.
[She was truly a beautiful woman. She was beautiful and skilled in martial arts, after all.]
‘I see.’
[Her family was great too, so she was an almost perfect woman.]
Somehow, his voice was soaked in nostalgia.
I could understand reminiscing about the past, but why bring it up so suddenly?
[However, as the cruel land of Murim is, the ending wasn't always good.]
With a slightly subdued voice, Old Man said so.
[Protect her well.]
‘...Excuse me?’
[Anything excessive becomes poison. That child's appearance is like that.]
At Old Man's words, I glanced at Namgung Bi-ah.
As always, she seemed to live in a world of her own.
Wi Seol-ah was the same.
From now, they were still growing, but in the future—and not long after—they would radiate
light.
‘That's not the important part right now.’
I honestly didn't know why Old Man went out of his way to bring it up.
Even if he usually seemed to speak roughly, he was the type to bring up stories that were
helpful to me.
[Did the child not gain fame?]
He probably wasn't talking about me. Those weren't words for the current situation.
[Not to mention her moniker, she's called the Number One Beauty of Anhui.]
I had heard people say that every now and then.
But Namgung Bi-ah didn't seem to care at all whether they did or not.
Her appearance already drew people's eyes, and she showed such a side at the arena, so how
could she not attract attention?
‘Then why did she ask me to teach her?’
She seemed to want to hide her presence, so I went to the trouble of teaching her.
Yet with so many people at the arena, she completely let loose and performed a sword dance.
People looked at Namgung Bi-ah and called her the Sword Dance Maiden.
It was unknown whether that would become her moniker.
‘It is at an excessively high level, though.’
It must have stuck along with her outstanding appearance.
Thanks to that, not only among the late rising experts, but she was gradually becoming known
throughout the Central Plains.
The saying that the Flower of the Namgung Family was the best in the Central Plains.
‘Protect her well?’
Even without Old Man saying that, I intended to.
I must protect her.
Unlike my past life.
"...Hmph."
Noticing the strength entering my body, Namgung Bi-ah tilted her head.
She was about to ask something.
"I am Ui-ju, who will guide the benefactors."
She couldn't because of the figure who appeared with calm steps.
"Wow!"
Wi Seol-ah reacted brightly, looking at the monk called Ui-ju.
...She didn't just say that looking at his head, did she?
"Young Master, that uncle's head is shining...! Mmph...!"
Sure enough, she was about to say something that would cause a huge scene, so I firmly covered
her mouth.
She couldn't shout it all out, but the Ui-ju definitely heard it.
However, he revealed a smile as if it was fine, and after the same introduction as yesterday,
he moved his steps toward Shaolin first.
"...That was almost a disaster."
No matter what, to say someone's head is shining in front of a monk.
That was something even I couldn't bring myself to say.
‘I need to educate her later.’
I have to tell her out of fear she might cause an accident somewhere.
I mean, keep those thoughts to yourself.
Just like Shaolin yesterday, the tour wasn't much different.
We saw the Buddha statue, and we saw the stones.
After wandering around appropriately, stopping by the lake to see Baek-ah's fish once, time
flew by.
‘Nothing happens this time.’
Unlike that time when Cheol-yeong spoke to me, this time there was no feeling at all.
Rather, unlike that day, Baek-ah's fish wasn't thinking of coming this way.
The Ui-ju was flustered, saying this was his first time experiencing something like this.
But everyone had an expression that said they didn't care.
It was because they weren't the kind of people to get sentimental over seeing pretty fish.
Wi Seol-ah did beam with sparkling eyes while looking at the fish.
But I held back from asking why she was looking with those eyes, because I could predict
the answer that would pop out.
‘...It shouldn't be a statement like "because it looks delicious."’
Namgung Bi-ah seemed to be secretly enjoying it; she put away her usually blank eyes and was
looking around with eyes that felt somewhat lively.
Is Shaolin fascinating to her?
It didn't look that fascinating, though.
If I had to nitpick, the Huashan Sect looked a bit more fascinating.
[Hm? Why is Huashan suddenly coming up?]
‘Isn't that right? For something claiming to be one of the Nine Great Sects... It smells
more of sweat than flowers, and training tools are rolling around on the floor.’
How is that a Daoist sect...
[That too is a sublime dedication to the sweat of a martial artist...]
‘Don't try to forcefully dress it up to look cool, Old Man...’
[...]
Even so, it seemed Old Man knew that wasn't it either, as he didn't make any more excuses.
"Next is..."
I briefly observed the man named Ui-ju, who was guiding us with a benevolent smile in the
meantime.
Fortunately, seeing no trace of qi, he didn't seem to be the same kind as that bastard.
For reference, the child named Hee-young, whom that bastard had hidden away somewhere, I found
and saved.
The bastard had hidden Hee-young in a cave in the back mountain a little far from Shaolin.
I don't know how many days had passed.
Judging by the fact that there didn't seem to be any major problems with her body, it hadn't
been many days.
‘I don't know how much internal qi I used to find her...’
Because I had even heard that she was hidden somewhere in the back mountain, I felt uneasy
just leaving her there. That was the reason.
Thanks to that, my return was delayed, and I had to face a situation where I was scolded
even more.
Regardless, saving her was enough.
‘Seeing there's no major change to Shaolin itself. Is it okay?’
I didn't know how much of an impact the incident regarding the young monk would have on
Shaolin.
At least, judging by the fact that no rumors were heard, it seemed they had cleaned it up.
Or maybe that bastard had schemed things from the start so nothing would happen.
‘Would such a guy stay in Shaolin any longer?’
It wasn't something I could say no to.
That was why I had to be more careful.
Whooosh!
While moving our steps, mixing in light chatter, the wind blew strongly.
"Eek!"
Perhaps trying to avoid the wind, Wi Seol-ah pressed closer to me.
Since my body wasn't that large, I couldn't block the wind.
But it seemed that was enough for Wi Seol-ah.
"The wind is blowing so hard!"
"It is."
"But it's not cold!"
Of course, I was circulating heat slightly around the surroundings.
Wi Seol-ah smiled radiantly and dug a little deeper into my embrace.
"You know, when I lived with Grandpa."
Instead of pushing Wi Seol-ah away, I carefully wrapped one arm around her.
I thought she might be cold.
"It was cold because it was a forest."
Was this the story of when she lived alone with the Sword Sovereign?
They said the two of them lived in the forest. And for quite a long time, too.
The fact that Wi Seol-ah seemed younger than her current age was probably due to that
influence.
"It was really cold. So I hated winter."
If it were the Sword Sovereign's power, they could have used internal qi to block the cold.
Still, it would be inferior to a martial artist who uses fire techniques.
Wi Seol-ah says to me with her slightly reddened nose.
"But this winter isn't cold!"
The strength in the hands wrapping around my waist gradually increased.
"I hope it's not cold next year too...!"
It was something Wi Seol-ah simply said out of pure innocence.
But to me, it made me feel some kind of swelling emotion.
"...Yeah. That would be nice."
I don't know how much of your burden I, who am lacking, can carry for you.
If I can, as much as possible.
So you can live a more comfortable life than before.
The more I do, the higher the probability my wishes will reach.
I sincerely hope so.
Although Shaolin boasts a massive area fitting its enormous donation money.
The places outsiders could enter were limited.
Since they had prepared the path with pretty things to see.
It ended in a rather short amount of time, just like yesterday.
Because it was a rather short time, I wondered if we should go somewhere else.
Fortunately, the kids had satisfied faces.
"It was fun!"
At Wi Seol-ah's bright exclamation, Namgung Bi-ah nodded slightly.
As for Dang So-yeol, she had probably visited quite often herself, so she wouldn't have
enjoyed it that much from the start.
"Gu Young Master."
Dang So-yeol called me.
"Are you perhaps a bit hungry?"
"A little? Since I haven't eaten anything."
Since I had been dragged out right after finishing training without even eating breakfast,
I was a bit hungry, just as Dang So-yeol said.
At my words, Dang So-yeol grinned as if she had been waiting for this.
"Then I know a delicious place, if perhaps..."
"Are you Gu Yang-cheon, the benefactor?"
Dang So-yeol was about to say something to me, but someone intervened in the middle and
cut off her words.
Because of that, Dang So-yeol revealed a fierce gaze as if she couldn't stand it this time.
But the moment she saw who interrupted her, she firmly shut her mouth.
It was an old man full of wrinkles.
However, he had a long scar running across his head, and possessed a muscular body over seven
chi tall that looked like it would burst.
‘...Gyeol-geuk-cheon-bong?’
The old man was someone I knew too.
He was one of the Hundred Great Experts of the Central Plains, and arguably the person right
below the Abbot of Shaolin.
‘What business does such a person have with me?’
I first hurriedly took a respectful stance.
His sudden appearance flustered me, but he was the first to perform a Buddhist greeting, so
I responded accordingly.
"Yes... I am Gu Yang-cheon."
Gyeol-geuk-cheon-bong slowly raised his posture and spoke to me.
"The Abbot wishes to see you, benefactor."
At the old man's words, I clicked my tongue inwardly.
I didn't know what it was, but it was the appearance of something that looked bothersome,
to say the least.