Stranded (2)
Namgoong Juhee spat up a bit of blood for a moment, wiped her mouth, and returned to Dang Hwaeun.
What she saw was Dang Hwaeun grunting away as she tried to chop down a tree.
Dang Hwaeun really was delicately raised, no doubt about it. Not only was she failing to cut down the tree, she was just knocking off innocent branches. Figures—looks are the only thing she's good for.
Namgoong Juhee thought that as she opened her mouth.
"You think that's gonna cut the tree?"
"Huh? Oh! Y-you're back! What took you so damn long?!"
What? Is it that surprising?
Her reaction was like she'd seen something she shouldn't have. Namgoong Juhee frowned slightly.
Come to think of it, it was natural to jump if someone snuck up on you while you were focused. If that was her concentration, it was pathetic, but she wasn't exactly competent to begin with.
Namgoong Juhee brushed it off.
"Just went out for some air."
"...Yeah? Then rest a bit more."
"Sun's setting soon. Let's just build the damn house."
Namgoong Juhee hauled the logs she'd sliced over with grunts of effort.
She was great with a sword, but her raw strength was pathetic for a Peak realm master. No wonder she was slow. In fact, she was struggling just to swallow back the blood surging up her throat.
"Hoo...!"
"Hah... hah... It's done, right?"
"Hoo... Yeah. Should've just done a basic A-frame like in the army. What a pain."
"What? You did military service?"
"For a bitch like you? Yeah."
Either way, their hours of wrestling with trees had paid off. A decent-looking log cabin stood before them. They'd roughly covered the roof with branches and leaves, but it was luxurious enough to last a few days.
"Ugh, I'm beat. Let's crash inside. I'm dying of exhaustion."
"Yeah. Me too."
They immediately flopped into the cabin and collapsed.
A thought hit them right away.
"Hey! Is this right? The floor's hard as rock!"
"It's logs, duh."
"Dirt floor would've been better! What the hell!"
There was that old idiom, wa-sin-sang-dam—lying on logs and tasting bile. It meant enduring hardship to never forget resentment or failure, pushing through for revenge or success.
Yeah. Lying on logs was pure hardship.
Her back prickled, the surface was uneven—no restful feeling at all. And it was rock-hard; sleeping like this would have her joints screaming. Laying the logs bare as flooring? Namgoong Juhee's idea had been dead wrong from the start. Though most of her ideas were like that anyway.
"Hey! What do we do? I can't sleep here."
"Coincidence. Me neither."
"That's not the point! Right now...! Wait, no. You stay put. I'll go check for a cave or something."
Huh, unexpected.
She'd figured Dang Hwaeun would bitch about fixing it immediately. But since she'd come back from puking blood, her attitude had softened weirdly. Some change of heart?
Namgoong Juhee grabbed her wrist as she thought that.
"Let go."
Maybe not.
"What're you gonna do out there? Sun's down."
"Sleep here then?"
"Nah. I got a way."
Namgoong Juhee stepped outside and laid her sword flat on the ground.
"Hey, what're you doing?"
"Just wait a sec."
She shaped her sword qi into a shovel and dug up the dirt.
It was a sight that would stun anyone. First, the insane control to mold sword qi like that. Second, using it to dig dirt. Third, that sword was the famed Noksu wielded by master potter Park Yongtaek.
Whatever. The great hero of Korea, Namgoong Juhee, put her army training to use and dug a proper pit.
For trenches: dig in warm, dry spots. Cover the bottom with cloth to block moisture.
"There, done."
"Looks pretty good."
"Right? But one thing left."
"What? ...Hey! Hey, what the hell? Why're you stripping?!"
The key to a survival pit: minimize skin contact with the ground. Moisture steals body heat, plus bugs and germs. So you need cloth on the bottom—and that's why Namgoong Juhee stripped off her outer robe. Dang Hwaeun was frail; she could circulate qi to stay warm.
"Done. You first."
"Your clothes! What about them?!"
"Can't be helped. Hunt some animal nearby tomorrow."
"Ah... no! Don't push! I'm going in! Going—kyaa!"
Namgoong Juhee shoved Dang Hwaeun into the pit and tumbled in after her.
"Hoo... Much better."
"We're sleeping like this?"
"Yeah. Can't lose body heat. It's cool, so no sweat issues."
"Losing body heat means..."
"Can't be helped. Gotta cuddle."
"Hey! Nngh! Don't just grab me like that!"
Namgoong Juhee hugged Dang Hwaeun.
Since sleeping with Hayeon, her aversion to women had eased. We're both girls, so what's the big deal...? Not fully, but her body was female. In an emergency, it couldn't be helped.
Thump. Thump.
Still, the pit was uncomfortable. Breathing sounds, shifting, even heartbeats—no privacy. Better finish that log house quick.
Namgoong Juhee thought that and drifted off. The other one, exhausted too, followed soon after.
. . .
"Grooo...'
Namgoong Juhee dragged her stiff body upright.
Sleeping on dirt sucked, but at least she'd gotten some rest. Enough to swing a sword without issue.
"Bed first. Need a bed."
Simple priorities. Sleep cured all ills; insomnia bred them. Heal or not, proper rest came first—bed was urgent.
Next, spirit herbs. The formation was a treasure trove; a quick sweep would yield some.
Heal up, pop a Tae-cheong Dan, and nothing to fear. Let Ma-geom-dan and Heuk-gwi-bo come at once. She'd sweep them all, get stronger. Strong enough to protect her people—then her heart might finally settle.
Namgoong Juhee stretched with a satisfying snap!
"Bed means hides... Guess I'll scout for animals nearby."
Dressed logs would beat dirt by miles. No need for luxury—just a few deer hides.
"What? You're up already?"
The pussy kitten rubbed her eyes awake.
Namgoong Juhee eyed her up and down.
"What? Why that look?"
Skinny and withered—no hide there. Better keep her as a live stress doll.
Namgoong Juhee looked away.
"Hey! What was that just now?!"
"Nothing. Stay and rest."
"Where you going?"
"Gonna fix up the house. Bed first."
"Then I'm coming."
"You'll just get in the way."
"Ugh! I'm Dang Hwaeun! Of the Sacheon Dang Clan!"
She'd heard that line a million times—no thrill left. Not like she was some elite madam. Bragging about being from Dang Clan? If she hadn't run away, none of this would've happened.
"Do what you want."
"Hmph! Ignore me and you'll regret it!"
Dang Hwaeun rummaged in her pouch. Pulling some escape talisman? If so, straight to Seoul—devour tteokbokki and desserts galore.
"Found it! Know what this is?"
She pulled out a spiral something. She actually brought mosquito coils.
Namgoong Juhee narrowed her eyes in pity.
"Why that look?"
"Mosquito coils? Outta nowhere?"
"Not coils! Look."
Dang Hwaeun snapped her fingers—flame sparked at the tip.
Any martial expert would've yelled "Sam-mae Jin-hwa!" Burning qi for a tiny flame—insanely hard, even top masters struggled. Power? Barely lit paper. Purely ornamental. Perfect for a useless beauty like her.
"Ooh, what's that smell?"
She lit it, and sweet fragrance filled the air. High-end bathhouse vibe— no, richer, more luxurious.
"Dang-mil incense. Can't bathe without it. Brought it special... Ow! Why hit me?!"
"Dunno. So why light it now?"
"Tch... Draws animals thinking it's food."
Even dog shit had uses. Namgoong Juhee patted her head.
Dang Hwaeun grinned, mood lifted. Damn, she's cute.
"Then hide in the pit. Get hurt and no payday."
"I'm Peak realm too!"
"For real? First Peak I've met weaker than me stamina-wise."
"For real!"
Namgoong Juhee and Dang Hwaeun bantered nonsense awhile. Slept well? What to eat back home? Then Dang Hwaeun moped.
"Want honey water."
Like some emperor's dying wish. Was honey water a Chinese deathbed staple?
Namgoong Juhee's mischief bubbled up to tease—
"...Sniff."
Dang Hwaeun's voice got teary, nose sniffling.
Teasing was fun, but don't break the toy. Namgoong Juhee softened her tone.
"Get to Sacheon, I'll stuff you till you burst."
"How?"
"I'm Namgoong Juhee."
"So?"
"That line Dang-sojeo always pulls. See? Hilarious when it backfires."
Dang Hwaeun snorted a laugh.
"Ah, what the hell."
Namgoong Juhee laughed too. Plenty more teasing ahead. And right then—
Kuooooh!
"...Hey, what's that?"
"...A bear?"
A bear appeared out of nowhere.
A fucking huge bear.