I gestured to Yoo Seolhwa.
“Let’s go to my room.”
“Yeah, he doesn’t have any bad sleeping habits, so you’ll be able to sleep comfortably.”
Yoo Seolhwa looked at us alternately and asked.
“…Why are you doing this for me?”
We answered with a deep sigh.
“We didn’t know we were so weak either.”
“That’s right. I really didn’t know.”
“Go and sleep. You must be tired.”
Yoo Seolhwa hesitated and got up from his seat. We lay side by side on the floor in my room. I yawned and said.
“Sleep well, Seolhwa.”
Yoo Seolhwa, who was awkwardly glancing at the ceiling, looked back at me. He looked at me for a long time and whispered in a small voice.
“……Sleep well.”
But already asleep, I didn’t notice it.
* * *
“Now, shall we continue yesterday’s topic and find out what The Ten Most Prestigious Sects are?”
The next day, as soon as my break time arrived, I ran to Soseo. Soseo spread out a brown scroll.
“Would you look at this first?”
The scroll was none other than a map. I looked at the map like Soseo told me to.
“I marked the location of The Nine Sects here.”
“…Is that so?”
“I also wrote down your name, so please read it out loud.”
“Yes.”
I’m so glad that I got a language patch as soon as I got into this body. I would have been in big trouble if I hadn’t been able to speak or read the text. I read the names of The Nine Sects as they were shown.
“Shaolin Temple, Diancang Sect, Wudang Sect, Mount Heng Sect, Mount Hua Sect, Zhongnan Sect, Kongtong Sect, Kunlun Sect, Emei Sect.”
“Okay, those are the Nine Sects. And this.”
Soseo put another dot on the map.
“The Beggars’ Gang is also part of The Ten Most Prestigious Sects. The Beggars’ Gang is a sect solely made up of beggars.”
“Huh? Beggars?”
I doubted my ears.
“Beggars? As in the people who beg on the street?”
“Yes, those beggars. So it’s better to be careful of what you say outside. The Beggars’ Gang’s people are really everywhere. Beggars of the Beggars’ Gang are begging here, too. Have you ever met them?”
“……Are they the beggars who wear knots around their waists?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
It was only after seeing those beggars that Myoryeong first mentioned begging. I asked carefully.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Qtja tjqqfcr lo sbe yfu cfza ab atfw ktfc sbe vbc’a yfibcu ab atf Dfuujgr’ Xjcu?”
“Ktfgf’r j tlut qgbyjylilas bo yflcu atgfjafcfv, gluta? Pa’r ilxf sbe’gf agslcu ab rafji atflg glmf ybki.”
Qbk, atja’r j gfilfo. P regnlnfv yfmjerf bo ws qglvf! Cr fzqfmafv, la kjr gluta ab tjnf ja ifjra j ilaaif yla bo qglvf, cb wjaafg tbk vloolmeia atf rlaejalbc lr.
“They’re really a Righteous Sect? The beggars?”
“Of course. They are also all martial artists too, and they have their own martial art. And they all become fierce if somebody touches their rice bowl.”
I was relieved. I was able to see that the Beggars’ Gang is like an information guild made up of beggars thanks to Soseo’s detailed explanation. As a bonus, I realized that different sects and different families teach different martial arts. Soseo raised his brush again and said.
“Should we talk about the Five Great Families now?”
“Yes!”
“I told you yesterday, didn’t I? The Five Great Families are five families that are part of the Righteous Sects, along with the Ten Most Prestigious Sects.”
I nodded intently. Soseo picked up his brush again and said as he drew a dot on the map.
“Hebei Peng, Namgoong family, Moyong family, Sacheon Dang, Jegal Family. These are the Five Great Families. Unlike the sects, these families are characterized by only people from the same bloodline. The Ten Most Prestigious Sects and the Five Great Families are famous among the Righteous Sects, so you have to keep them in mind.”
I don’t know much about martial arts, but I think I’ve heard this somewhere. I paused while repeating Soseo’s explanation.
“Wait, you just said Hebei Peng, right?”
“Yes.”
According to the map, Hebei is definitely a place’s name. Then…. I asked in a trembling voice.
“Peng? You have the same last name as them?”
Soseo smiled without saying anything. The laughter reminded me of what I said when I heard Soseo’s name.
‘That surname is so cute! It reminds me of enoki mushrooms!’
I’ve been sweating for a while. Soseo tilted his head.
“Are you okay? What’s wrong with your complexion all of a sudden…”
“I’m sorry!”
How dare I not recognize you…! But I really didn’t mean it in a really bad way! I knelt down.
* * *
I once saw a scene in my favorite RoFan novel where the commoners did not recognize the noble protagonist’s true identity and treated him very rudely. While reading that scene, I thought.
“Why don’t they recognize that he’s from a noble house? Isn’t it obvious?”
Yeah, I didn’t recognize Soseo. Yeah, I didn’t know he was a noble child. I should never look down on characters who don’t recognize nobles ever again.
“Myoha, It’s fine, really. You don’t have to be so sorry.”
I knew he was a son from a well-off family, but I didn’t know he was from such a good one. I should have realized it when even the old owner bowed to him. Soseo comforted me while I was depressed.
“I was rather happy. You were nice to me even if you didn’t know my family status.”
“…….”
Was I that nice? I just spoke to him like I speak with others. I asked.
“Should I use honorifics from now on?”
“Well, it is polite…”
Soseo shook his head after thinking for a while.
“No, forget it, it’s alright. For now.”
What do you mean, for now? I looked at Soseo with puzzled eyes. Soseo put the scroll in my hands.
“I’ll give this to you. Do you have any other questions?”
“Oh, I actually do. What’s the North Sea Ice Palace?”
“North Sea Ice Palace?”
Soseo looked at me with a confused stare.
“How do you know the North Sea Ice Palace when you don’t even know the Ten Most Prestigious Sects?”
I can’t say that I remembered it because the wording is similar to Great Duke of the North. I made something up.
“I just heard it somewhere.”
“There are other famous righteous forces outside the Central Plains that are like the Nine Most Prestigious Sects and the Five Great Families. One of them is the North Sea Ice Palace.”
Martial arts novels are difficult to understand, so I only read a few pages, but in the beginning of “Murim’s Tale,” it was clear that the protagonist had something to do with the North Sea Ice Palace. I held my head tightly. It would have been easier if I couldn’t remember at all, but it was annoying because I felt like I might or might not remember. What was it again? While I was thinking hard, Soseo called my name.
“Myoha.”
“What is it?”
“I’m here now for a reason, but one day I’ll go back to Hebei.”
“Yes, you should go back. That’s where your home is.”
Soseo put his hand on mine.
“When that time arrives, do you want to come with me?”
I shook my head right away.
“Sorry, I can’t go.”
“……What? Why?”
That’s not realistic at all. I replied.
“I’m not alone.”
I have a younger sister, Myoryeong, who is also my childhood friend. Myoryeong will have a hard time again if I move to a different place when we have only just managed to adjust here. And crucially, I don’t want to bother Soseo anymore. Soseo’s expression became cold the moment I said that.
“Then do you think I’m suggesting this to you because I am?”
“What?”
I immediately shook my hands.
“What do you mean? Absolutely not.”
I’ve never really thought about it like that, what are you talking about? I tried hard to say no, but Soseo’s expression didn’t ease at all. Soseo got up from his seat.
“Please leave for today.”
“……Soseo.”
Soseo turned his back to me without replying to anything. I had no choice but to go out. I paused. Wait, going out like this won’t change anything. If I just leave now, Soseo will have to stay in a bad mood until tomorrow, and I will feel so guilty I won’t be able to sleep properly. It is true that I was careless with my words. I summoned the courage to call Soseo.
“Hey, Soseo.”
“I asked you to leave.”
“Let me just say a word.”
“…….”
Soseo glanced at me.
“What is it?”
“That…!”
I paused once more. I made a mistake again. I had so many things I wanted to say but I asked you to say just one word. But now I can’t ask him to say many words instead of just one. I thought hard, and finally I realized.
No matter how long a sentence is, if you don’t break it, it’s just one word.
“I’m so sorry. I was just trying to say that I can’t go because I have a younger sibling. I never had any intention of doing that. I don’t know why you thought that, but please understand how I feel. Why would I think you’re alone… Huh.”
My lung capacity…If I go back to my world, I definitely cannot be a rapper. As I was taking a moment to catch my breath, Soseo burst out laughing.
“Haha.”
I looked at Soseo with wide open eyes. Soseo bent over and laughed for a long time. Honestly, I know I was awkward just now. I understand. I couldn’t say anything.
“Oh, as I expected, it’s so much fun.”
Soseo, who had been laughing for a long time, said, wiping away the tears around his eyes.
“Myoha, come to Hebei with me.”
Phew, I’m so glad he’s not mad. I replied with relief.
“No way.”
* * *
“What do you think? Is anyone there?”
“No one.”
One sunny morning, Myoryeong and I squatted down to look next door. It’s been two weeks since Seolhwa started to live with us. Thanks to eating and resting well, his wounds healed very neatly, but his father still hasn’t even shown his nose around the village. It would be nice if he didn’t come back, but I’m also nervous because he hasn’t shown up. At this time, Seolhwa said.
“He’s not coming back.”
“What?”
We looked at Seolhwa. As if it had nothing to do with him, he said.
“He ran away because he thought I was dead.”
“…….”
“Since he has no money and no house, he might have ended up dead in the streets.”
We couldn’t say anything. Seolhwa went inside the house, saying that he would bring us something useful. We quickly followed him. Seolhwa’s house was many times older and messier than mine. Seolhwa searched the house for a long time, then asked, holding two decent chairs in his hand.
“Can I sell this?”
I quickly took a chair out of his hand.
“Of course. They look fine, so I’ll be able to sell them at a good price.”
“Yes, speaking of which, let’s go sell them right away.”
Myoryeong also picked up a chair. I told Seolhwa, who was trying to follow us.
“Seolhwa, we’ll just sell them on our own. You shouldn’t go somewhere crowded.”
Seolhwa, who was often mistreated for having white hair, couldn’t say anything. Myoryeong also helped.
“Yes, we’ll be right back. You’re guarding the house.”
“…But they’re heavy.”
“Hey, what are you talking about? They’re not heavy at all.”
We left the house while lying through our teeth. The chair looked even more worn and unsightly when seen under the sunlight. I can’t believe this is the most intact thing in that house. I could see how badly Seolhwa lived. It was obvious that we wouldn’t get a penny, so we threw away the chairs in a random place and went back.
Nah, I bet that chair must have something special in it (or am I overthinking it?).
Btw, thanks for the chapter.
❤
I love how the mc doesn’t hold back what he thinks which doesn’t cause misunderstanding like in typical novels would. He is very sincere as well and being realistic for his sis and the protagonist