Chapter 116: Leaving the Tang Clan (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 116: Leaving the Tang Clan (2)
By the campfire.
A man and a woman sat before the crackling flames, warming themselves.
The man wore a magnificent black dragon robe embroidered with gold, while the woman was dressed in the signature green martial arts uniform of the Tang Clan.
"What is this?!"
The woman in green, Yorang, shouted as she glared at Sun-woo.
She was in a foul mood. If they hadn't left the Tang Clan, she wouldn't be sleeping outdoors on this hard, dusty road. She missed her plush bed and resented Sun-woo for dragging her out here.
"What now, brat?"
Sun-woo, the man in the dragon robe, replied indifferently to her complaining.
She chirped her grievances in that warbling voice of hers dozens of times a day, so he had learned to just let it slide. He had tried flicking her forehead and threatening her a few times, but now that she was older and had recovered some of her strength, she didn't listen to him at all, no matter how much he scolded her.
Besides, he couldn't exactly beat the kid half to death just for whining a little, could he?
"If we were still at the Tang Clan, the Great Matriarch would be giving me mooncakes! We’d be eating together! We’d be going to the baths together! We’d be doing everything!"
Sensing an opening, Yorang began to pour out her frustrations. Leading a life on the hard ground without a single mooncake or piece of tang-gwa was simply too much to bear.
"You packed a mountain of mooncakes and tang-gwa before we left!"
Sun-woo knew for a fact that even while she was whining about leaving, she had been quick to pack a large bundle full of sweets.
"How long did you think that would last? I ate it all!"
"How much was in there? You ate all of that already?!"
By his estimate, it should have been enough to last for months, but it seemed this gluttonous spider had devoured the entire hoard.
"I ate way more than that when I was at the Tang Clan!"
"Dammit, I wondered why the food expenses were so high. It was you all along!"
It was true. While reviewing the paperwork, he had been puzzled by the sheer volume of food supplies being purchased. At the time, he’d just assumed the disciples were working hard and needed extra meat, so he let it go. Apparently, Yorang was the culprit.
"I don't care! I'm not listening!"
Yorang covered her ears and started screaming as if to drown him out.
Should I smack her? Or not?
Sun-woo fell into deep internal conflict. Hadn't he been patient enough? Wouldn't one good smack be justified at this point?
A flurry of thoughts swirled through his mind. Of course, he didn't entirely fail to understand how she felt. At the Tang Clan, she slept in a warm, soft bed, was served feasts piled high with meat at every meal, and was constantly pampered with mooncakes and tang-gwa so she’d never be bored.
Having been forced away from such a life of luxury, it was only natural she’d have complaints. But she was taking this tantrum way too far.
They had already come too far to turn back. Three days had passed since they set out, yet Yorang remained a spoiled brat, and Sun-woo’s patience had finally reached its limit.
Sun-woo quietly balled his hand into a fist and began to concentrate his internal energy.
You’re dead meat.
He was about to give her a long-overdue thrashing.
It was then.
Gurgle...
A sound like a distant roll of thunder struck Sun-woo’s ears.
Gurgle, growl...
Sun-woo felt a sense of bewilderment at the rhythmic, repeating sound. He turned his gaze toward the source and saw Yorang’s stomach.
"Hmph. This thing keeps making noises."
Yorang pointed at her hungry belly, her voice losing all its fire as she spoke to Sun-woo.
"Sigh."
Sun-woo let out a long sigh and relaxed his fist. He felt that perhaps he was being too harsh on someone whose mental age was barely that of a young girl.
"Wait here, brat."
With those words, Sun-woo pulled a few pieces of dried jerky from his robe. He skewered them on a branch and began to roast them over the campfire.
Sizzle, sizzle.
The aroma of roasting meat filled the air around them.
Sniff, sniff.
Apparently liking the smell, Yorang kept sniffing the air, savoring the scent of the meat. After a short while...
"Here."
Sun-woo tossed the meat skewer to her.
Snap!
Chomp!
Crunch, crunch.
Yorang caught the skewer instantly and began to devour it.
She whined so much about not wanting to go, but she sure eats well.
Sun-woo let out a small smirk as he watched her. No matter how much she threw a fit or acted out, she looked like an angel when she was eating or sleeping. Her human transformation had been so successful that her beauty rivaled even Tang Seo-yoon’s.
"Give me more."
Before he knew it, she had finished and was holding the branch out toward him. It was a demand for more meat.
"Stop stuffing your face."
Sun-woo flatly refused. The distance to the next village was considerable. They had to conserve their rations as much as possible.
"Hmph!"
Thud.
Yorang threw the branch onto the ground. She was annoyed. She could tolerate sleeping on the hard ground, but being unable to eat as much as she wanted made her lose her temper.
"What the hell is it now?!"
Sun-woo cursed at her behavior. She was eating just fine a second ago; why was she acting up again?
"I'm sick of this! Why did you even bring me along if it was going to be like this? I can't eat what I want, there's no soft bed, and there are no sweets or mooncakes! You said everything would be plentiful if I came with you! But look at this! It's nothing but suffering!"
At Sun-woo’s cursing, Yorang finally exploded. This wasn't just complaining anymore; it was a full-blown rage.
"Dammit, you're a spiritual being! Why are you even pretending to be human? Since when did you start eating mooncakes and tang-gwa? And you used to sleep in a nest, so why are you being so picky about where you sleep?"
Sun-woo didn't back down and fired right back. At her core, Yorang was a beast, not a person. A beast that might go hungry for days if a hunt failed and could sleep anywhere as long as it was safe—so why was she acting like a human and complaining?
"I am a spiritual being who has achieved spirituality! I am not the primitive beast I was in the past!"
Yorang argued back. Her past self and her current self were beings on entirely different levels. If her past self moved purely on animal instinct rather than thought, her current human form was a stepping stone toward becoming a Yokai Immortal. Shouldn't she be treated accordingly instead of being handled like a primitive animal?
"A spiritual being is still a beast!"
"It's completely different! I can think now, and I feel emotions! I'm not like the old me who only moved on instinct!"
Yorang spoke with passion, trying to explain how different she was from her past.
"If you're so different, why are you whining over mooncakes and tang-gwa?"
"They say it's sadder when you have something and then lose it!"
"Who said that?"
"Tang Seo-yoon!"
Sun-woo slapped his forehead. Her debating skills were improving so much he could hardly keep up. The triple threat of stubbornness, logic, and acting like a spoiled child was giving him a headache.
"If you have something urgent to do, you should have just left me there! Why take someone who was living a good life?"
"Dammit, how could I trust you enough to leave you there? And since when were you a 'person'?"
"I don't care! I'm not taking another step! Go by yourself or leave me behind, do whatever you want! I'm going back to the Tang Clan!"
She whipped her body around, turning her back to him. She seemed truly, deeply offended this time.
That damn girl, seriously.
Sun-woo cursed inwardly and approached her. He felt a bit guilty for not preparing enough food, so he intended to soothe her anger.
"Hey."
Sun-woo tapped Yorang on the shoulder.
"Let go!"
But Yorang violently brushed his hand away and shifted further away from him. She seemed angrier than usual.
"Sigh."
Sun-woo let out a breath and moved behind her again.
Grab.
He pulled her into a backhug and wrapped his arms around her neck.
"Wha—what are you doing!?"
Yorang was flustered by Sun-woo’s sudden action. What was he doing, hugging her from behind? Sun-woo had never once treated her warmly until now. So why a hug from behind?
Yorang was overcome with bewilderment. She felt Sun-woo’s body heat against her back and his breath near her ear.
It’s warm.
Yorang found that she didn't actually dislike being in his arms.
It was then.
"Ack!"
She let out a strangled scream of pain.
"You want to die? You going to stop being mad or what?"
Sun-woo had started squeezing her neck with both arms in a chokehold.
"Ack! Gasp! Ack!"
She struggled desperately, but the more she flailed, the tighter Sun-woo squeezed. It wasn't until her face was a mess of tears that Sun-woo finally let go.
"Wheeze... cough..."
Yorang gasped for air, tears streaming down her face. As oxygen finally returned to her lungs, color began to seep back into her pale face.
"What is wrong with you!?"
"You kept annoying me, so I got annoyed too."
Sun-woo stated his feelings calmly. There’s a limit to how much a person can sulk; if someone comes to make peace, you’re supposed to accept it. Besides, seeing her neck so defenseless, his body had simply moved on instinct.
"Grrr! You bastard!"
"Eat shit."
Sun-woo kindly extended his middle finger toward her.
"Where is the shit? Why are you telling me to eat it?!"
"It means I ate it all myself."
"You bastard!"
Yorang’s blood boiled at Sun-woo’s words. Not only had he nearly choked her to death, but he’d apparently eaten all the "shit"—which she assumed was some kind of snack he’d hidden—by himself. Her insides seethed, but she barely managed to suppress it. She knew that if she kept pushing him, she’d only end up losing more.
With a dejected expression, she sat back down in front of the fire and reached out her hands to warm them.
Was I too harsh?
Sun-woo felt a slight twinge of guilt at her reaction. He teased her every chance he got, but seeing her look so downcast made him feel a little bad.
"Sigh."
As if he had no choice, Sun-woo reached into his robe and pulled out a few more pieces of jerky. He skewered them and held them out to her.
"Here."
It was Sun-woo’s way of offering an olive branch.
"You told me to stop stuffing my face!"
But Yorang, her pride wounded, didn't take it immediately.
"So, you're not eating?"
"........."
At Sun-woo’s question, Yorang’s eyes began to waver. It hurt her pride to be swayed by food, but the meat in front of her looked so delicious.
"Then I'll eat it."
Sun-woo made a motion to pull the meat back.
"Who said I wasn't eating!?"
Seeing that, Yorang lunged at Sun-woo and snatched the skewer away. Being angry was one thing, but the meat was another. She decided there was no need to take her anger out on the jerky.
Sizzle, sizzle.
She quickly held the skewer over the fire.
Gulp.
As the savory smell of the roasting meat wafted up, the amount of saliva in her mouth began to increase.
"Unbelievable."
Sun-woo swallowed a dry laugh at the sight. She had been so dejected just a moment ago, yet she cheered up the instant she was given food. And she called herself a spiritual being who had achieved enlightenment?
Still, she looked cute in a way, which brought a faint smile to his lips.
Chomp.
Munch, munch, munch.
The sound of her eating echoed in the quiet night. Sun-woo watched her silently. It had been nearly a month since they started traveling together. Having watched her for so long, Sun-woo could feel it. She was becoming more like a human than a beast.
She had a beautiful face and body; she thought like a human, spoke like a human, cried when she was sad, and laughed when she was happy. It was fascinating, yet it felt strange. She was clearly the monster he had fought a life-and-death battle with, yet now she felt like a person.
In fact, lately, she felt more like a younger sister who never listened to a word he said. It was confusing. He wondered if it was okay to feel this way toward her.
"What are you looking at?"
Perhaps feeling his gaze, Yorang asked him.
"Hey."
"What?"
"What are you going to do once your body is fully recovered?"
Sun-woo asked her out of the blue. He felt the need to address this. Right now, he was her guardian, but he was also the enemy who had killed her husband. It would be a problem if she turned on him once she regained her full strength. Moreover, he realized he had never asked her about her future plans.
"Mmm..."
Yorang seemed to ponder Sun-woo’s question for a moment, her voice trailing off. She was likely organizing her thoughts.
"I..."
Soon, she began to speak. Sun-woo leaned in, curious to hear what she would say.