Chapter 52
Papapa!
A fierce sound of something cutting through the air brushed past her ears.
So-ah, who flew a dozen zhang with every step and floated in the air, drew a horizontal line in the night sky like a single cloud.
‘Ah…!’
It was a beautiful sight.
Wang So-yeong, who was on So-ah’s back, exclaimed in admiration inwardly, and then asked softly.
“You, aren’t you tired?”
She couldn’t help but think that.
Because So-ah really didn’t seem human.
There are many people with excellent lightness skill.
Those who have reached the realm of Treading on Snow Without a Trace, Bow Body Ejecting Shadow, or Golden Carp Leaping a Thousand Waves.
But no matter how much of a master of such lightness skill they were, they could not run at the same speed for a full ten days.
Even an outstanding famous horse cannot maintain the same power as it did at the beginning, so what more could be said of a human?
But So-ah far surpassed such laws of nature.
No matter how much he ran, flew, and moved forward, So-ah’s figure remained the same as it was at the beginning, maintaining full speed.
Wang So-yeong, who had no way of knowing that the secret lay in So-ah’s usual creed and life philosophy of ‘infinite stamina,’ clicked her tongue and asked the question.
“It’s tiring. Am I not human?”
“But how can you perform the footwork at such a constant speed?”
“It’s mental strength, mental strength. You’ve never heard of infinite stamina, body remodeling, right?”
“What’s that?”
“There is such a thing. The boys and girls of our Central Plains train under that banner. Well, it’s a story limited to the kids under me.”
“Ah! You said you were a martial arts instructor, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Hoho! Are your disciples strong?”
“What do you think?”
“Since your martial arts are outstanding, they must be strong, right?”
“No. They’re still pathetic brats.”
“Aha…”
“But, you know.”
In the middle of the conversation, So-ah kicked the ground even more powerfully, and,
—Papang!
He leaped into the sky with the momentum to reach the moon.
“When they train like this for a year or two, they’ll change. They’ll become quite useful brats, right? Hehe.”
As he thought of the students of the Human Division, a smile bloomed on So-ah’s face.
‘I wonder if they’re missing the club-beating by now?’
He even spread the wings of his crazy imagination.
Of course, if Han Baek or Byeong-il had known about So-ah’s imagination, they would have cursed at him.
‘What’s he talking about… all of a sudden.’
Wang So-yeong thought it was strange to see So-ah laughing foolishly while saying incomprehensible things, but she just let it be and opened her mouth again.
“Hey, Jin So-ah.”
“Huh?”
“Thanks for carrying me. I’ll give you some extra pay when this is over.”
“What?”
“Because I am generous, hoho.”
So-ah grinned.
It seemed he didn’t dislike Wang So-yeong’s relaxed appearance, which was completely different from when they first met.
“So-yeong-ah.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
“What did you say?!”
“…”
Papang—!
So-ah flew even faster.
Like a meteor falling in the night sky, the figures of the two were imbued with starlight.
***
The Great Desert.
The landscape of the desert, where all four directions were covered with sand.
A feeling of desolation and at the same time, pathos was felt.
But So-ah didn’t even have the leisure to feel such emotions.
“Aww… finally, phew!”
“Is this really possible? We’ve already arrived at the Great Desert?!”
23 days.
So-ah’s group arrived at the Great Desert a full seven days ahead of schedule.
The originally expected time of one month was already a crazy level.
But they had shortened it by seven days, so it was obvious how much of a forced march they had insisted on without even looking.
“This is really damn tiring. Hey, Wang So-yeong.”
“Huh?”
“You’ll have to pay an additional fee after this request is over. Since I even acted as a rickshaw puller.”
“I said I would. Well, I’ll pay.”
“You promised?”
“I said I would! But how much?”
“You’ll have to pay three gold ingots.”
“What? Hey! Even if I chartered a luxurious four-horse carriage from the North Sea and ate and slept in the best accommodations wherever I went, it wouldn’t cost that much!”
“But you couldn’t have come to the Great Desert this quickly.”
Even at So-ah’s blatant demand for money, Wang So-yeong couldn’t help but snicker and nod.
Because it was certain that no matter what means she used, she couldn’t have come to the Great Desert this quickly.
It was an arduous march.
To the point where even So-ah thought about taking a few days off in the middle.
Moreover, to make matters worse, when they arrived at the Great Desert, his stomach was churning and his head was spinning, as if he was suffering from a kind of endemic disease.
‘This is the first time I’ve experienced this since I trained with my grandfather.’
He was reminded of the fact that even the great Jin So-ah had times when he was tired.
Nevertheless, So-ah was proud.
‘Thanks to this, I feel like I’ve broken my limits.’
It was because his stamina had improved even more through this journey.
‘No matter what, stamina is the best. I’ll have to push my junior sister and junior brother even harder when I get back.’
Perhaps if Moyong Hwa or Moyong Su had heard that, they would have trembled like an aspen tree and been seized with fear.
An hour later…
“Ah… Jin So-ah, carry me.”
Had getting a piggyback ride become a habit?
As they walked through the desert, Wang So-yeong whined as if she was about to die.
“I’m about to die too.”
“My stomach is churning. I feel like I’m going to throw up.”
“It’s an endemic symptom. If I had known this would happen, I would have brought an acupuncture kit.”
“You know how to do acupuncture too?”
“Of course. I have a knack for medicine.”
Wang So-yeong’s eyes widened like lanterns.
‘What on earth is this kid? There’s nothing he can’t do…’
In the North Sea, those who had learned medicine were not common.
Since it was outside the pass, the medicine of the Central Plains had not been transmitted much, so being a doctor was considered the best profession in the North Sea, where a wealthy life was guaranteed.
So, Wang So-yeong couldn’t help but be surprised by So-ah’s versatile talents.
“You really can’t do anything, can you? How about you live in the North Sea instead? My father would greatly value someone like you.”
“Pfft… hey! I’m expensive. I’ll think about it if you give me three gold ingots a month.”
“Even the emperor probably couldn’t give that kind of monthly salary.”
“So don’t talk nonsense.”
Although it was a difficult situation, the two continued to be engrossed in a useless conversation.
Because if they didn’t talk, they were so tired that they really wanted to just sit down.
Just then.
“Huh? A golden… spot?”
A small thatched house with a red flag came into So-ah’s field of vision, which was close to clairvoyance.
“A spot? Where? Where?”
“About 300 zhang away.”
“What? Hey! You’re lying. Are you an eagle? A vulture? What 300 zhang…”
“I’m telling you, it’s real.”
“Whatever.”
For a moment.
Grab!
Wang So-yeong’s pupils shook.
As if it was too much trouble to explain, So-ah had just wrapped his arm around her waist and performed the Swift Whale Steps.
—Papang!
Behind So-ah’s figure, a fierce sand dust rose like a storm.
‘This kid… why does he treat me so… roughly?’
Although Wang So-yeong was dumbfounded, the corners of her mouth were turned up towards the sky.
***
“See? I was right, wasn’t I?”
“Wow… So-ah, you… you really have the eyes of an eagle, the eyes of an eagle.”
“You should believe people.”
The distance of 300 zhang was truly a stone’s throw for So-ah.
So-ah’s group, who had arrived at the thatched house with the flag of the <Golden Spot> in an instant, let out a sigh of relief.
‘Let’s rest a bit.’
‘Aww, what a relief.’
They were hungry and above all, thirsty.
So-ah shouted abruptly from the entrance of the spot.
“Is anyone there?!”
At that, a little later, an old woman with a bent back came out and greeted the group.
“You must be outsiders. It’s been a while since I’ve had outside guests. Now, now! Don’t just stand there, sit over here. Have some water first.”
At the old woman’s guidance, So-ah and Wang So-yeong sat down with smiling faces and gulped down the water.
“Phew… now I feel like I can live.”
“Grandma. Are you running this place alone?”
So-ah asked.
At that, the old woman nodded and answered.
“That’s right. But how did you folks come all the way to this Great Desert? Are you merchants?”
“Yes. We came to sell something.”
“What kind of thing?”
“Ah! There is such a thing.”
As So-ah said with a slight smile, Wang So-yeong looked at him with a questioning gaze.
Just then.
[So-yeong-ah. Pretend you don’t know and just stay still.]
Wang So-yeong heard So-ah’s sound transmission.
[Why? What is it?]
[This grandma is not ordinary.]
[What do you mean by that? She just looks like an old woman.]
[Look at her stride.]
Wang So-yeong at first didn’t understand and tilted her head, but soon moved her gaze to the ground.
At that, just as So-ah had said, the old woman’s footprints were clearly left, and the stride was as regular as if measured with a ruler.
[Gasp…]
[It’s a good thing. Since it’s a sandy desert, her footprints were left, so I was able to notice. Such a regular stride is proof that this grandma’s body is quite trained. She’s not just an old woman.]
Just then, the old woman’s words came out again.
“Hohoho! I’m curious what kind of thing it is, young man. Merchants sometimes come and go here, but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a Central Plains person. Moreover, you don’t seem to have any particular luggage, so what are you going to sell?”
The old woman asked persistently.
A fun idea came to So-ah’s mind just in time.
“That’s… it’s stolen goods, so it’s a bit hard to say.”
“Stolen goods?”
“Yes.”
“Hohoho. That makes me even more curious. Don’t be like that and tell me. Who knows? I might be able to arrange a suitable trading partner.”
‘That’s it!’
So-ah was overjoyed.
While doing so, he looked around with an anxious face as if someone might see, and then cautiously opened his mouth.
“Grandma. This is a secret… but actually, I’m a great thief.”
“A great thief?! Are you saying that a handsome man and a beautiful woman like you are thieves?”
“Originally, a smooth face is essential to steal other people’s things and commit fraud.”
“Hohoho! Of course, of course. That’s right. So. What are the stolen goods? What on earth did you steal?”
“The Great 환 Pill.”
For a moment, a wisp of light flashed in the old woman’s gaze.
“Th-Is that really true? The Great 환 Pill? You mean the Great 환 Pill of Shaolin?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a treasure of Shaolin. How could you steal it?”
“It’s a long story…”
So-ah used his maximum imagination and spun a plausible lie.
The gist was that while he was working as a waiter after joining the Hao Sect, he had entered the room of the escorts who had the Shaolin’s escorted item, that is, one Great 환 Pill and two Small 환 Pills, which were to be transported to the White Martial Academy, while they were drunk, stole the escorted item, and fled to the Great Desert.
It was roughly like this.
Although the plausibility was a bit weak, So-ah’s storytelling and acting skills were so vivid that even Wang So-yeong, who was listening, was at a loss for words.
Just then.
“Hohoho, hohohohoho!”
The old woman burst into a loud laugh.
“Amazing, truly amazing. The Great 환 Pill! To steal the treasure of Shaolin in such a way! You’ve met a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
The old woman, as if she was overly emotionally invested in So-ah’s lie, was happy as if it were her own business.
“Grandma. But for someone who runs a spot alone in this desolate desert, you seem to know a lot about the Great 환 Pill. Your knowledge is amazing. It’s as if you’ve been active in the martial world. Haha.”
So-ah hinted at the old woman with narrowed eyes.
As expected, the moment the old woman heard those words, her expression changed rapidly and she curled up the corners of her mouth sinisterly.
“Kekeke! Isn’t it obvious? I am the fifth protector of the Great Desert, the Mad Wind Sand, the Black Rose.”
‘Gasp…’
Goosebumps rose on Wang So-yeong’s body.
Although she had a feeling that something was suspicious about So-ah’s words, she had never imagined that the old woman would be a person from the Mad Wind Sand.
But So-ah,
“Oh?! That’s awesome! Hahaha!”
On the contrary, he burst into a laugh of joy.
“Kekeke. Little brat. What are you so happy about? Don’t tell me you’ve gone mad after hearing the name of the Mad Wind Sand?”
“Mad? What do you mean? I’m happy. The Mad Wind Sand is an unknown organization whose base is not even known, but to meet a person from the Mad Wind Sand so easily, it feels like I’ve hit the jackpot. Well, something like that.”
At that, the old woman’s bent back straightened, and a dagger flew out from her bosom.
“You crazy brat. Meeting a protector of the Mad Wind Sand means that you will be robbed of everything. But what does it matter? Keke. I’m sorry, but I’ll have to share that once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of yours. Hand over the Great 환 Pill now. If you don’t want to die, that is. Kekekekeke!”
The old woman stared at the empty air and laughed like a madman.
The Great 환 Pill!
The best treasure of Shaolin, a spiritual medicine that would double one’s internal energy just by eating it. Just imagining it must have been incredibly enjoyable.
But when her gaze moved back to So-ah.
—Taktak!
Her eyes were strangely distorted.
“Ah! What is this?”
It was because the figure of So-ah, who was holding a small club in his hand and tapping it, had come into view.
“Grandma! I’ll give you a question, do you want to try and answer it?”
“What?!”
“Does my club-beating have a senior discount or not? Try and guess.”
“What?”
“If you get it right, I’ll give you the experience of shitting blood.”
(End of Chapter)