Spirit Soaring to the Heavens
That night, Cheongwol dreamed.
In the dream, an old man stood before her, and when she looked more closely, she realized he was none other than her grandfather.
"Grandfather!"
Delighted, she ran toward him at once, but something was wrong.
No matter how desperately she quickened her steps, the distance between them would not close. If anything, he only seemed to grow farther and farther away.
She tried to draw up her inner energy from her dantian so she could launch herself with lightness skill, but it was useless.
Her stubborn qi would not budge, and Cheongwol had no choice but to run while panting for breath.
"Grandfather! Please, wait! Don't go!"
Her heart throbbed as though it might burst, and her legs burned with pain as though they might snap.
Even so, Cheongwol did not stop.
He was her only blood relative.
She had to reach the arms of the family she missed, even if it were only once more.
And yet, perhaps because he felt guilty for his granddaughter having to bear such a cruel burden, her grandfather only wore a sorrowful expression as he continued to retreat from her.
"Grandfather! Grandfather!"
Before she knew it, Cheongwol had become a small child, sprawled on the ground as she wept.
Even knowing no one was there to wipe away those tears, she cried anyway.
She cried because her heart ached, and she cried until there were no tears left in her to shed.
"Cheongwol, Miss Cheongwol!"
At the frantic call, Cheongwol opened her eyes.
The one who had pulled her up from that deep sorrow was none other than Ak Seo-ah.
"Did you have a nightmare?"
She must have been startled herself, yet Ak Seo-ah looked utterly at a loss, her face full of concern.
"...Sorry. I guess I was being noisy."
"That's not the issue. What in the world did you dream about to cry like that?"
"It wasn't a nightmare. If anything, it was... a good dream."
Cheongwol grabbed the water flask beside her pillow and drank deeply, then thought of her grandfather's face from the dream.
She had seen a face she missed again, even if only in her sleep. Whatever the content, wasn't that more of a good dream than a nightmare?
"Is that so? Then that's a relief, but..."
They had not even known each other a full day, and yet Ak Seo-ah was looking at her with truly earnest concern.
Hwi was like that too. Or was Hwi a little more prickly?
Remembering her first meeting with Seomun Hwi, Cheongwol wiped the moisture from her lips with the back of her hand.
"Want some too?"
She wasn't especially thirsty, but Ak Seo-ah did not refuse the offer and took the flask from her.
"Thank you."
Watching Ak Seo-ah carefully take a sip, Cheongwol let out a small laugh.
I think I understand now why Senior Brother Unhak was always so good to me.
When she had first gone to the Kongdong Sect, she probably looked to Unhak exactly the way Ak Seo-ah looked to her now.
"It feels like the sun will rise soon. I don't know how long it'll take to reach the village, so should we get ready and head out?"
Truthfully, dawn was still far off in the deep hours of morning, but Ak Seo-ah nodded again.
"Understood. It hasn't been the most refreshing place to sleep, what with it being a bandit stronghold and all. And we still have to carry that chest, so it'd be better to leave quickly."
After keeping people awake with her sleep-talk, she claimed it hadn't been refreshing?
And on top of that, she had actually remembered to bring the chest along?
Before she knew it, Cheongwol pinched Ak Seo-ah's cheek.
"...Miss Cheongwol?"
"You're irritating. Not much. Just a little."
Between steep cliffs on either bank, the rapids surged and roared.
Carefully keeping herself from being swept away, Cheongwol followed the river until, at last, a waterfall worthy of being called a masterpiece of scenery appeared before them.
"Cheongwol, Miss Cheongwol! Look over there! It seems to be that famous waterfall!"
Even from quite a distance, the cool wind blowing from the falls was already tickling the tips of her ears.
"I'm not sure, but I think you're right. If we keep going this way, a turquoise lake should appear."
"A turquoise lake! I want to see it right away!"
Cheongwol smiled at Ak Seo-ah's excitement and nodded.
"We've come all this way. There's no reason to just pass it by. Let's take our time and look around as we go."
"Understood!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Ak Seo-ah sprinted toward the waterfall.
Cheongwol had no idea what exactly she had understood, but after spending the last three days with Ak Seo-ah, she had grown somewhat accustomed to the woman, so it hardly bothered her anymore.
As long as she's kind, that's enough.
Whether she had given up or simply decided to think positively, Cheongwol watched Ak Seo-ah's receding back with a fond expression.
Half a shichen later, a vast turquoise lake spread before them exactly as Cheongwol had said it would.
"This is truly amazing. How can lake water be so clear..."
As Ak Seo-ah said, the lake was so transparent that the bottom could be seen at a glance.
Sunlight shattered across the waves, scattering like silver dust, and that light tinted the stones beneath and the scales of the small fish swimming through them in pale silver.
Still, if there was one more unusual thing they did not know...
"Gah! Spit, spit!"
It was that the water making up the lake was saltwater, and incredibly salty at that.
No, more importantly, who just drinks lake water?
Watching Ak Seo-ah already soaked to the knees in the lake, Cheongwol gave a hollow laugh.
Then, from somewhere nearby, a low, gentle chuckle drifted over.
"You must be here for the first time. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Ohwahae is made of salt."
While the two of them were still distracted by the lake, a middle-aged man they had not noticed approach was now standing beside them, speaking up.
"I run a small inn by this lake. It happens to be mealtime, so would you guests care to ease your hunger at my establishment?"
His words were polite enough, but he seemed to be the proprietor of an inn trying to lure in customers.
But where was the attendant? Why was the innkeeper himself doing the hawking?
"No, we were just..."
Cheongwol had begun to refuse, feeling something distinctly off, when suddenly there was a splash behind her.
"Ah!"
Turning around in alarm, she saw Ak Seo-ah sitting on the lake bottom, soaked to the skin.
"The stones on the bottom were too slippery. I had no choice."
Perhaps sensing Cheongwol's ominous mood, she hurriedly put on a pitiful expression and tried to excuse herself.
"Shall I show you to a table?"
The innkeeper asked cautiously again, and this time Cheongwol had no choice.
"...Yes. Please. And bring something dry to wipe off the water too."
"Of course."
Unlike what she had feared, the inn was merely somewhat old-looking; it was spacious and clean.
"Have you perhaps tried the cuisine of Sichuan before?"
At the innkeeper's question, Cheongwol and Ak Seo-ah both shook their heads.
"I've never had it before."
"Neither has this one."
The innkeeper nodded as though he had gotten the gist of it.
"Then I'll tell the cook to make it as mild as possible. What would you like to order?"
"Hmm... Just bring enough to fill us up. It's not dinner, so please leave out anything too greasy."
"In that case, I'll have one plate of Shrimp Fried Rice and two plates of Guoba brought out. Shrimp Fried Rice is a dish of shrimp stir-fried in oil, and Guoba is food made by scraping up the crisped bottom that burns onto the pot while rice is being cooked. Will that be acceptable?"
Even after the explanation, Cheongwol still had no clear idea what the dishes would be like until she saw them, so she simply nodded.
"Yes. Please do that."
"Very well. I'll bring them out shortly."
Once the innkeeper left the room after taking their order, Ak Seo-ah, wrapped in the dry cloth, carefully glanced at Cheongwol's expression.
"Miss Cheongwol. Are you angry?"
Cheongwol shot her a sidelong look, then turned her gaze away again.
"I'm not. I would've been if the inn had been shabby."
"That's a relief. I thought Miss Cheongwol was angry with me..."
"But if the food tastes bad, I'll be angry. Without a doubt."
"..."
At Cheongwol's cool words, the spring of delight that had just bloomed on Ak Seo-ah's face withered at once, tension returning in its place.
The sight was so absurd that Cheongwol let out a faint laugh.
"I'm joking. Do you really think I'd get angry over something like this?"
"...Really?"
"I told you, didn't I?"
Only then did Ak Seo-ah relax, letting out a relieved breath.
"Miss Cheongwol really does enjoy teasing people."
"Only because it's fun to tease you."
"You make it sound like I'm the only one... Surely you mean me?"
Seeing Ak Seo-ah puff up her cheeks, Cheongwol raised the corners of her mouth in mischief.
"I won't tell you."
Then, as she had learned from her master So Gayul, she rested her chin on her hand and slowly looked around.
The table was worn by time, yet polished so cleanly it showed no stain.
The window frame was faded with age, but still looked sturdy.
Even though the ceiling was low and a little dark, it had been kept so orderly that not a speck of dust could be seen.
The inn's interior had clearly been tended to with care every inch of the way; there was not the slightest sign of disorder.
It's managed quite well. But then why is there no one here except us? It's remote, sure, but I heard it was fairly famous in Sichuan.
Just as Cheongwol was sensing that something was off, the door slammed open with a bang, and black-clad men with swords at their waists flooded into the inn.
As the first men who entered cast sharp glances around the room, their steps were heavy and their aura bristled with killing intent.
"We'd like to take care of some guests here."
The man standing at the very front swept his eyes over the room once, then called out to the innkeeper without so much as glancing at Cheongwol or Ak Seo-ah.
There were about ten black-clad men in all.
Yet they did not look like people who had come to satisfy their hunger.
Every one of them gave off a vicious air, and their faces were hidden beneath low-brimmed bamboo hats.
"..."
The innkeeper stared at them for a long while, then lowered his head as though all the strength had drained from him.
After that, he walked slowly over to Cheongwol and Ak Seo-ah.
"I know how shameless it is for me to say this, but... I think we'll have to close for today. So..."
That something was wrong was obvious from the innkeeper's tightly shut lips and the fear in his eyes.
But before Cheongwol could even answer, Ak Seo-ah sprang to her feet and raised her spear high.
-CRASH!!
The spear tip slammed hard into the wooden floor, and the heavy reverberation shook the air inside the inn.
At once, all the black-clad men fixed their gazes on her, and she straightened her shoulders as if to mount her momentum and shouted even louder.
"No! This one will absolutely eat here! No matter what happens!"
Her spirit soared high.
And her actions never hesitated by even a hair.
That posture indeed made her worthy of calling herself a follower of the righteous path of heroes.
"..."
The only problem was that Cheongwol was glaring at her with an even sharper look than the black-clad men.
"There... isn't exactly another inn nearby either..."