Chapter 169: So-so's Secret (1)
Entrance to the military camp in Jangan Fortress.
Three children were surrounding something huge.
“Sister So-so, give me a ride in Darong.”
When So-so gently pulled the leash, the Mountain Lord fell down on the ground. Then Baekah grabbed the fur and started climbing. Judging by how familiar it was, it wasn’t like he had ridden it once or twice.
“Hold on tight, Baek.”
“Yes, sister.”
A white elephant was standing next to him, holding a circular wooden barrel.
“Let’s go out quickly. Today we’re going to go to that mountain.”
So-so nodded, grabbed the leash and walked ahead. To get out of the castle, you have to pass by a private house. Every time that happened, it always attracted the attention of the residents, but I was able to avoid it by being cautious. But today was a little different.
“Oh my god. What is that?”
“This is my first time seeing this beast? It looks really sturdy.”
Several residents passing nearby approached with curious expressions.
It was too big to be called a wild animal, and it also looked gentle. A jester’s hat and a saddle with a chick embroidered on it. Moreover, isn’t there a girl who looked about five years old riding on his back? Residents were more curious than cautious.
“This is Darong. Isn’t he cute?”
So-so smiled brightly and tried to get out quickly. It was because my father told me not to play with Darong in the castle. The problem was that there were too many people today.
After Janganseong was declared the capital of the Son Dynasty, population movement increased significantly.
“Stay still. I’ve seen a beast like this before.”
An old merchant blocked the Mountain Lord’s path and pretended to know. The people around him watched him with expectant eyes.
Someone who couldn’t contain his curiosity urged him.
“What kind of animal is it?”
“Do you see the yellow fur and red eyes like a deer? Even the curves of the back that form a peak. This is a camel from the West.”
“You have a great eye! I’ve heard of it too. Haha, I can’t believe I saw camels here.”
The surrounding residents began to gather, making noise. There was no hole in sight. There was nothing I could do when it came to this.
So-so took out a raw chicken from the bucket Baeksang was holding and threw it. The Mountain Lord’s mouth opened wide as if he had been waiting.
Up!
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The Mountain Lord chewed one chicken two or three times and swallowed it right away.
At that moment, the residents were shocked and their eyes widened. Because I saw the teeth of a terrifying beast. And I knew for sure. It was not a camel, but an unbelievably large and ferocious beast.
“Eggmonina!”
“Ho, are you a tiger?”
“What, what’s so big?”
Residents were stepping back and widening the distance between each other. And chaos was unfolding as new people flocked in, wondering what was going on.
So-so said, stroking the Mountain Lord’s face to reassure them.
“It’s okay. I’m holding the rope here~”
the Mountain Lord was a highly intelligent spirit being. It never moved unless requested by So-so.
However, the pale-faced residents did not believe that. There was no way that a small girl would look safe just because she was clutching a leash or something.
“Well, don’t lie.”
“Isn’t this something we should run away from?”
The residents had to be reassured before the commotion grew any further. So-so stretched out his finger and shouted.
“Dalong, get down!”
As soon as the Mountain Lord finished speaking, he fell flat like a puppy in the front yard.
I couldn’t help but be amazed by the sight of a wild animal listening to people. The noisy residents gradually regained their senses and began to monitor the situation.
Before we knew it, the number of people gathered had exceeded hundreds. The number was still growing.
Baek-ah must have been uncomfortable with people’s gaze, so he slid down from San-gun’s back.
Then someone clapped their hands and said.
“I guess he’s raised by a theater troupe?”
Occasionally, performing clowns act like trained beasts. After hearing it, everyone seemed to be nodding their headed in agreement, as if it was plausible.
A few people spoke cautiously with curious expressions.
“Baby, can you do something else?”
“Please show me more.”
So-so, who was embarrassed, gently held out his left hand as if he was embarrassed. Then he slowly turned his small palm over and said.
“Dalong, lie down!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the huge tiger lay down on its stomach. When So-so climbed on top and tickled him, he purred as if it felt good.
The residents who were watching the scene burst into laughter at the same time.
“Fuha!”
“Fuhahaha!”
“Hahaha! What am I looking at?”
No one was afraid anymore. As if the current situation was fun, I wanted something else to see.
“Haha! Is there anything else?”
So-so, who came down from the Mountain Lord’s boat, put her hands on her waist and looked at the white elephant.
“Are you ready?”
The white elephant nodded and flew chickens one by one into the sky from the wooden barrel it was holding. Then, the Mountain Lord, who was lying down, stood up, jumped up and started to eat.
My heart pounded every time the huge beast moved, but that tension made the residents even more excited.
As soon as the Mountain Lord’s meal was over, enthusiastic applause broke out everywhere.
“Wow!”
“Waaaa!’
“It was really great!”
The children seemed embarrassed and bowed their headed to the adults and tried to leave.
At that moment, someone snapped their fingers and shot something into the sky. It was a coin. It was a practice to do when watching a play by great clowns.
The white shark moved the empty wooden barrel and quickly snatched it up.
Clink!
“Thank you.”
As soon as the child said hello, three coins flew out again. At that moment, So-so quickly moved his right hand.
Papapot-!
There were three coins between So-so’s fingers that had stopped moving.
“Hehe, thank you~”
The residents cheered again at the miraculous movement.
“Wow!!!”
“It’s really amazing!!!”
That was the signal.
Coins flew in from all directions as if they had made an appointment. So-so and Baeksang were excited as they frantically snatched it up.
Because the number of residents gathered was so large, the amount was enormous. It seemed as if coins were raining from the sky.
It was only when the Mountain Lord’s rice bowl was about 3 full of coins that the residents began to leave one by one.
“Come back next time, guys.”
“Haha. I had fun today.”
The faces of the residents who went their separate ways were full of smiled.
The children moved to a quiet corner of the castle and put their headed together.
“So-so, look at this. There are so many people gathered.”
Baeksang held out the container and showed it to So-so. I have never seen so many coins before.
So-so put his hand in and split the coin in half.
“We’re rich now. You get half.”
“No, I’m fine.”
“……why?”
When So-so asked with wide eyes, Baeksang turned his head as if he was not interested.
“You said you need to save a lot of money. I don’t need it.”
“Do you really want me to have it all?”
“Yes. How much more do I have to save?”
After thinking for a moment, So-so took out a handful of coins and placed them in Baekah’s hand.
“Maybe it’s enough already. I need to go somewhere. Let’s play tomorrow.”
“Okay, okay.”
“Goodbye, sister~”
So-so returned to the military camp and tied up the Mountain Lord behind Wolf Fang Squad’s barracks. Afterwards, I took the silver I had collected and headed somewhere.
It was Yangju Mountain near Janganseong. It was to meet Master.
It didn’t take long to arrive because we ran with light air.
As I arrived near my destination, I could softly hear the clear and refreshing melody of Seven String Zither. And when So-so approached within a dozen pieces, the sound suddenly stopped. Next, a voice filled with profound inner power was heard in the child’s ears.
“Seeing your heart beating fast, I guess something good is happening.”
So-so came rushing in and quickly opened the door and went in. Then, he snuggled up in front of her, who was sitting in a quiet place, and her eyes sparkled.
“Master, when are we going to change our hermit?”
Yeon Seo-hwa was puzzled. This was the child who came to visit this morning and played notes and practiced martial arts together. I couldn’t understand why they kept coming back to exchange money.
But the worries did not last long. There was no particular schedule anyway.
She quickly nodded and stood up.
“Well, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to change now. Shall we go together?”
So-so held her hand and smiled brightly.
“Yes, I like it!”
***
Taewoongbang Jangan branch.
Now this place was turned upside down.
Suddenly-!
The secret door opened and a clerk came rushing in.
“Ji, branch Commander, he has arrived.”
“who?”
“He is Taewoongbang’s biggest customer. He came with his daughter.”
The quick-witted branch Commander immediately guessed who the clerk was referring to.
An unexplainable anxiety appeared on the branch Commander’s face. This was because Ouyanghoe, who was thought to be her rival, had recently disintegrated.
The person who arrested Ouyanghoe Huiju was the captain of Wolf Fang Squad, who was rumored to be related to her. And I even heard that her daughter took the lead in doing the behind-the-scenes work.
From Taewoongbang’s perspective, it was not only its largest customer, but also a risky subject that had to be extremely careful.
“…Why is he suddenly doing this?”
“They say they exchange silver.”
“how much……?”
“It’s seven taels.”
The price of silver has soared through the roof. This was because the production of silver coins had been halted for several years, and the mass purchase of silver coins led to a shortage, which was compounded by the instability of existing currency.
However, exchanging only seven taels was not something the branch Commander could care about. Nevertheless, he was a customer who could not be passed over in vain.
“Bring them here as politely as possible… No, I will pick them up myself, so get ready.”
“Yes, branch Commander.”
After speaking, the branch Commander suddenly disappeared.
The clerk was busy making preparations. First, a high-end tea was taken out of a cabinet decorated with gold leaf. And everything the child might like was brought out, including rare snacks imported from the West via the Silk Road.
When preparations were completed, the branch Commander appeared again.
“I will take you this way.”
The branch Commander, who craned her neck and bowed like Zara to guide us, could not have been more polite.
A woman with an expressionless face was trotting along behind the branch Commander.
The warriors waiting at the entrance had tense expressions on their faces. The slow steps had a proud and dignified spirit, as if they were trampling on the world.
At that time, a pretty child holding the woman’s hand relieved the tension.
“Wow, what is this?”
So-so looked around and couldn’t close his mouth in shock.
It was amazing that there was a space like this in Taewoong’s room, but most of the flashy and expensive luxury items were things I had never seen before.
The branch Commander smiled as brightly as he could.
“It’s called ivory. It’s called the molars of an animal called an elephant. If you want it, I’ll give it to you as a gift.”
So-so thought for a moment and shook his head. It was funny to carry around an ivory as big as one’s own body.
“It’s okay, mister.”
The branch leader nodded and quickly ran over, pulling out a golden chair with a dragon engraved on it and saying.
“Isn’t that so? Now, sit down here. Madam, please sit down too.”
So-so, sitting in the chair, felt strange. Unlike the last time I came alone, the treatment was completely different.
So-so, who was resting his chin on the desk and shaking his legs, stared intently at the basket on the desk. Inside was a handful of what looked like beads wrapped in paper.
“What is this?”
The clerk waiting behind me quickly came over and explained.
“This is candy brought from the West. Come and try it. It’s a rare thing that can’t be found now.”
So-so absentmindedly picked one up, peeled off the paper, and stuffed the red-colored hard candy into his mouth. At that moment, the child’s eyes widened like a surprised rabbit.
“delicious!”
It was a sweet taste I had never experienced before. There was a candy called Tanghulu in the central region, but the quality of the candy in the western region was different.
“Haha, right? Eat as much as you want.”
So-so nodded, stretched out his hand and picked up the candy in the basket in one go. And I packed it all away in my arms.
“Hehe. Thank you.”
The branch Commander and clerk were smiling, but their hearts were bitter. How would a child know? Now that the silk road was blocked, candy from the western region was more expensive than the same weight of gold.
A happy smile appeared on the lips of Yeon Sung-hwa, who was watching So-so. At that moment, the branch Commander’s eyes lit up. Because now was the most appropriate moment to talk to her.
“I heard that you came to exchange silver coins…”
“It’s not me, it’s this kid who will make the exchange.”
First, I had to check the market price.
With a pounding heart, So-so opened his purse and took out all the silver he had collected. I was very curious how much it would have risen so far.
“…1800 cat?”