Chapter 202: Chapter 202

Upon entering Chengdu of Sichuan, Dan Woo-hyun first secured an inn and laid his body down there.

Having traveled in a carriage for a long time, there were many times he could not lie down properly, and perhaps because of that, the bed he lay on after a long time felt as if he were floating on clouds.

While everyone fell into a sweet sleep, the day soon dawned.

The first one to open his eyes was Dan Woo-hyun.

He checked on So-mi, who was sleeping peacefully beside him, then rose from his spot and sat down near the window.

“Sichuan…”

Chengdu of Sichuan.

It exuded an atmosphere entirely different from the past.

People’s clothing, their manner of speech, and actions.

Many things had changed, and even the blowing wind felt unfamiliar for some reason.

He felt the passage of time.

“I felt it when I went to Anhui last time, but I really can’t get used to it.”

Yet, even this was not a bad feeling.

“Mnh…”

Just then, So-mi wiggled her fingers and let out a groan.

Worried that she might be having a bad dream, he peered down, only for her eyes to slide open and look straight up at Dan Woo-hyun.

“Mmm…”

“Are you awake?”

So-mi got up from her bed with a dazed expression. She rubbed both eyes, trying to clear her mind. However, she was still drunk with sleep, her eyes half-closed.

“Where is…?”

“It is Chengdu of Sichuan.”

“…?”

So-mi tilted her head in confusion.

She wondered why she was in such a place, and then her eyes suddenly flew open.

“Chengdu!”

“Haha, yes.”

Only then did she realize they were sightseeing; she leaped up from her spot, startling the white cat that had been sleeping soundly by her feet, which quickly hid in a corner.

Judging by its tail standing on end, it seemed to have been quite shocked.

Whether that was the case or not, So-mi’s gaze did not leave the window.

“Wow.”

She let out an exclamation of awe and cried out.

“Would you like to go out?”

“Am I allowed to?”

“Why wouldn’t you be allowed to walk the streets?”

“Then I want to go out.”

So-mi moved away from the window with a bright smile.

She washed her face and hurriedly began to change her clothes.

Her heart already seemed fluttered with excitement.

Dan Woo-hyun watched her with a gentle smile.

* * *

It had been quite a long time since the two of them walked the streets like this. So many things had happened in the meantime that even if he wanted to pay attention to her, there had been no time.

Dan Woo-hyun also looked very pleased as he watched the back of So-mi, who was scurrying ahead. Perhaps because of the smile on his lips, the faces of passing women flushed bright red.

That was true regardless of age or gender.

The first place they visited was the market street.

As expected of Sichuan’s Chengdu, the scale of the market street was entirely different from those they had seen so far.

Merchants bound for the Western Regions could be seen, along with escort warriors guarding them.

With vagabonds and martial artists mixed in as well, it was no exaggeration to call it a sea of people.

“Wow… there are so many people.”

So-mi, who was looking around with a dazed expression while holding a skewer bought for her a moment ago in her mouth, opened her eyes wide.

It was because there were so many people that it was difficult to take even a single step.

“Indeed…”

Dan Woo-hyun also nodded in agreement.

Moving forward did not seem easy either.

Dan Woo-hyun took a step forward while holding So-mi close to protect her. In an instant, a light wind blew, and a space opened up among the crowded people.

“I think we can go this way!”

Spotting it, So-mi ran forward quickly. Though he worried she might trip and fall, the excited So-mi did not care in the slightest.

“Be careful…”

In the end, just as Dan Woo-hyun was about to tell her to be careful.

She tripped over someone’s leg with a thud.

“Ah!?”

Just before So-mi could fall to the ground, Dan Woo-hyun, who had approached in the blink of an eye, reached out and caught her.

However, the person she bumped into ended up rolling on the ground.

At that moment, Dan Woo-hyun noticed someone grabbing the hilt of a sword.

“Ugh?!”

However, that person froze in place, unable to draw the sword. He broke out in cold sweat under a pressure that felt as though something were weighing down his entire body.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, yes, So-mi is fine.”

So-mi scratched her cheek with an awkward smile. Looking ahead, she saw the boy who had fallen glaring at her while grinding his teeth.

The boy, who appeared to be slightly older than So-mi, jumped to his feet.

“You little…!”

With a face full of discontent, the boy glared at So-mi. Perhaps frightened by that gaze, So-mi’s expression also turned uneasy. Yet she mustered up her courage and spoke with difficulty.

“Are you okay?”

“What?! Do you even know who I am to do something like this to me?”

At those words, the men standing beside the boy crept forward. While they did not seem to have any specific intentions to act, they radiated an aura sufficient to intimidate a person.

Many people around them backed away without realizing it.

Those who knew who the boy was clicked their tongues here and there.

“They’re in big trouble.”

“Indeed. Of all the people to run into… Tsk, tsk, looks like another person is going to end up dead.”

The sound of tongue-clicking could be heard from all around. People looked at Dan Woo-hyun with pitying expressions.

They thought that since they wouldn’t dare lay a hand on the child, the man who appeared to be her guardian would be the one beaten up.

“Huh?”

However, So-mi, who did not understand the situation, only wore a puzzled expression.

Before long, So-mi erased the fear that had risen to her face and let out a playful laugh while covering her mouth with her hand.

“Hehe, So-mi isn’t a fortuneteller. How would I know your name?”

“Gasp…!”

In an instant, the boy’s face flushed hot. Although it was too quiet to hear clearly, he could sense the surrounding people stifling their laughter.

He trembled with humiliation.

“W-You wench!”

“No! You shouldn’t use such words! They said children should only use good words!”

Lectured out of nowhere, the boy’s lips twitched. Never had anyone spoken to him like this before.

Even if they were martial artists famous for their rudeness.

The boy’s pride crumbled.

“You guys! What are you doing! Are you just going to stand there and watch me get humiliated like this!”

“W-We are sorry.”

The guards hurriedly bowed their heads and stepped forward. Although they were reluctant to lay a hand on a small girl, it was their duty to draw their swords if their master commanded it.

“I hold no grudge against you, but I apologize. Rest assured, we won’t kill you.”

The man who appeared to be the captain of the guards stepped forward.

Clenching his fists and looking at Dan Woo-hyun, he seemed to intend to deal with him instead, assuming he was the child’s father.

Dan Woo-hyun watched this, his face contorting slightly.

At that moment, So-mi stepped in front of the guards and bowed to the boy.

“I am sorry!”

“Huh?”

“W-What?”

So-mi was ignorant of the ways of the world.

The place she lived in during her childhood was a barren slash-and-burn farming village, where there was only a village chief, and high officials or nobility were completely out of the question.

Furthermore, after moving to Yueyang, she met Dan Woo-hyun, and the only person of high status was the county magistrate, who also treated Dan Woo-hyun with utmost respect and always showed only smiles to So-mi; thus, she had only received apologies from others and had never been in a position to apologize.

The only scary person was someone like Sa Do-hak, but even he had become friendly with her recently.

Because of this, there was something Hong Jin-rang had said to her once.

“Listen carefully, dummy. Everyone bows to you because of your father, but you shouldn’t act like that elsewhere. There are people in this world who are higher than your father. If you mess up, it will only make things more difficult for him.”

It was no coincidence that those words came to her mind just now.

That was why So-mi quickly bowed her head.

“So-mi was in the wrong.”

“Ugh…!”

Watching So-mi bow her head in apology, the boy lost his words.

The way she slightly lifted her head and looked at him with a tearful face tugged at his heartstrings.

“What would you like to do?”

The captain of the guards asked the boy.

So-mi had bowed her head and apologized first.

Normally, the boy would have shouted without caring about such things, but seeing him hesitate, the captain judged it right to ask once more.

“C-Cough! N-Next time…”

“Next time what?”

Just then, a sharp voice rang out.

In an instant, the startled boy turned his head.

Among the countless people, a girl stood still.

Although she was not wearing glamorous clothes, she possessed an elegance that could daunt people with her expression alone.

It was not only the boy who was surprised.

Even the guards gulped and hurriedly stepped back.

Moreover, even So-mi was startled, her eyes widening as she looked at the owner of the voice.

“Ji, Ji-yak…!?”

“Long time no see, So-mi!”

Crying out shrilly, Ji-yak rushed toward So-mi.

She hugged her tightly and rubbed her small cheek, feeling So-mi to her heart’s content.

“W-Wait, I can’t breathe!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine! It’s been so long since we met!”

Watching the scene where she embraced So-mi with a truly joyful expression and did not let go for a while, not only the boy but also the guards were astonished.

For that cold-hearted child to show such a bright smile? Moreover, didn’t the two children look incredibly close?

The boy’s face turned pale as if he had met the Grim Reaper.

“Do… do you know each other?”

“Yes! She is my most beloved friend in the world.”

Pulling away slightly, Ji-yak glared at the boy.

Not just a friend, but her most beloved friend in the world.

At those words, the boy’s face turned even paler.

The corners of his lips trembled, and his hair stood on end.

Just then, Ji-yak slowly approached with a refreshing smile. In the boy’s eyes, that expression was as terrifying as the Grim Reaper.

Soon, Ji-yak drew close and touched the boy’s shoulder.

Leaning her face slightly toward his ear, she whispered in a very low voice.

“In a little bit… want to see me?”

A shiver went down his spine!

The boy looked as if he were about to burst into tears at any moment.

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