The Warmth Beneath the Leaves
Moyong Sehui gathered grass and fallen leaves by herself.
She then hauled over large stones from the surroundings and stacked them beside the pile. The Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes watched her with puzzled expressions. Their faces clearly asked why she was piling rocks, but she paid them no mind.
She took out a fire striker from her pack and struck a spark. The dry leaves quickly caught and began to spread the flame. She added twigs to build the fire higher.
“Huu……”
Peng Bogwang pretended to be unaffected, but the moment the fire caught, he was the first to approach it, his face filled with relief. His wounds must have been throbbing painfully. The cold sweat dripping down his face made Moyong Sehui uneasy. His earlier display of manly composure was starting to wear thin.
Moyong Sehui rolled up her sleeves. Now it was time to show the real method of comfortable wilderness camping.
In an era when most martial artists chewed on dried meat and slept on bare ground, Moyong Sehui would have done the same if not for Dan Hyunwoo. Following his instructions, she carved simple traps from wood and set them in several places. She sprinkled glutinous rice flour and dried meat over them, then waited.
“Cluck-cluck!”
Two red pheasants—the wild ancestors of modern chickens—were caught. Jegal Yeon’s eyes widened in shock when Moyong Sehui brought the struggling birds back.
“Sister? How did you catch them? No…… more importantly, how are we supposed to eat them? We don’t even have cooking tools.”
“Just wait a moment.”
With a single swing of her sword, the birds departed for the afterlife. Then, using the technique Jeon Akgwan had taught her, she plucked their feathers with almost divine speed. Hwangbo Gak’s eyes grew round as he exclaimed in admiration.
“Th…… This is practically a divine skill! How can you pluck feathers so quickly……? I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.”
While his gaze remained fixed on her hands, the chickens were stripped bare in an instant. Moyong Sehui hung them upside down to drain the blood.
“Yeon-ah, give me the dried meat and glutinous rice flour.”
“Here you go.”
Still dazed, Jegal Yeon handed over the items as instructed. Moyong Sehui received them and began preparing the food with practiced movements. She finely ground the dried meat, mixed in the glutinous rice flour, added a little water, and kneaded the mixture into meatballs. She then took out a small pot from her pack and placed it over the fire. It fit perfectly atop the stacked stones.
“You even carry something like that around?”
Yang Bicheon’s mouth fell open as he pointed at the pot. He had never expected to see such a thing in the mountains. Moyong Sehui simply nodded instead of answering. She washed the chickens with water, sliced the meat from one, seasoned it with spices, wrapped it in leaves, and set it beside the fire to steam. She did the same with half the meatballs. The fragrant aroma of the leaves seeped into the meatballs and chicken.
The remaining red pheasant went into the pot along with the leftover meatballs and glutinous rice flour. She added the spices she had brought and let it simmer into a hearty soup. The Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes stared blankly, unable to believe their eyes as they watched her swift, efficient movements. How did she know which leaves wouldn’t burn easily? How did she know how to catch red pheasants?
All of this was learned at the Dan Manor. Come to think of it, if I hadn’t gone there, would I ever have learned these things?
Moyong Sehui suddenly thought of Dan Hyunwoo’s face. And of Hwa Yuhwa, Yu Sucheon, and Jeon Akgwan. She shook her head firmly, pushing away the longing, and spoke.
“We need to eat well if we’re going to have strength for tomorrow’s tracking. Let’s eat quickly.”
When she opened the leaves, the fragrant steamed meatballs and chicken appeared. The warm chicken soup had also finished cooking. Everyone except Namgung Cheol rushed forward and devoured the food. He picked at his meal with little appetite. Moyong Sehui sighed as she watched the others eat like starving beggars.
Are they beggars? Does no one cook for them at home?
“Oh! This is truly delicious. The aroma of the leaves…… I’ve never tasted anything like it.”
“Sister, when did you learn this skill?”
Praise poured in from every direction. Even Namgung Cheol reluctantly added a few words while still picking at his food.
“It’s…… edible, I suppose……”
After finishing the meal, they all seemed to feel alive again. Their bodies had warmed in the cold weather. They patted their stomachs and flopped down on the ground.
They’re just going to sleep like that?
Moyong Sehui moved on to the next step of the “truly comfortable camping method” Dan Hyunwoo had taught her.
“Yeon-ah, Seohee-ya, go cut some branches about as thick as your thumbs.”
“Why?”
“Don’t ask, just do it.”
Whoops. Dan Hyunwoo’s way of speaking to Yu Sucheon had rubbed off on her. Jegal Yeon and Dang Seohee returned with the wood, looking only half-convinced. Moyong Sehui drove the branches into the ground, tied them together with vines to form a square frame, and covered it with leaves. The simple shelter that would block the cold dew was complete. Jegal Yeon’s eyes widened. Even the Jegal Clan had no such camping method. But the surprises did not end there.
Moyong Sehui dug into the ground inside the shelter. She placed the heated stones she had used as a pot stand inside, then covered them with soil again, smoothing it flat. These stones would serve as both a pot stand and a source of warmth while they slept.
“Lie down.”
When Jegal Yeon and Dang Seohee lay on the heated ground, their mouths fell open.
“It’s…… it’s warm! How did you even think of this?”
“It’s nothing special.”
Thank you, Master Dan Hyunwoo. Mountain nights were truly cold. Yet lying here, gazing up at the leaf-covered ceiling while feeling the warmth against her back, felt like paradise.
“Oh! This is truly warm. Even my own home isn’t this comfortable.”
The others took turns lying down and voiced the same opinion. Only Namgung Cheol remained standing. At this level, it might actually be better than a mediocre inn—both the food and the quality of sleep. Moyong Sehui smiled with satisfaction, though her face was tired as she drank some water. Feeding and putting these people to bed had completely drained her energy.
That bastard. That evil brat’s spawn. He fell asleep before me and is already snoring. This damned bastard.
Whoops. Yu Sucheon’s speech patterns had rubbed off on her too. Moyong Sehui dragged her exhausted body over and lay down on the warm ground, using her pack as a pillow. In truth, her mind was more exhausted than her body. Dealing with these empty-handed fools while tracking the Jeok Mountain bandits had been utterly draining. Before long, she drifted off to sleep without realizing it. The Five Dragons would stand watch on their own, so they would wake her when it was time.
Some time later, she woke up—not because someone called her, but because of strange groans.
“Huu…… huu……”
At first, she wondered what the sound was. Then she bolted upright. Turning her head, she saw Peng Bogwang breathing heavily. Jegal Yeon, Dang Seohee, and the Five Dragons were already awake, looking helpless.
“Yeon-ah, has Young Master Peng’s wound festered?”
“What do we do? The arrow wound is serious.”
Moyong Sehui pressed a hand to her forehead.
Damn it. I knew this would happen. He had ignored her advice to go to a physician. Did he think it was funny that someone who had nearly died from an iron arrow wound had said that? Even after receiving treatment at a physician’s hall, he had almost died.
Dokgo Jin rolled his crusty eyes and spoke.
“Descending a mountain full of hidden cliffs at this hour is impossible. But leaving him like this seems dangerous too…… This is truly troublesome.”
“It’s fine. A mere arrow wound like this will heal if I apply saliva to it!”
Peng Bogwang still spoke loudly, but his voice lacked strength and his trembling body was drenched in cold sweat. His face began to stiffen. Moyong Sehui rushed over, examined his face and body, then gritted her teeth.
“This isn’t heat from a festering wound.”
“Then…… what is it?”
“……Tetanus.”
“……!”
It must have been a rusty arrowhead. Peng Bogwang’s body began showing symptoms of full-body muscle spasms. His fever and chills had already exceeded what he could endure.
Even if we took him to a physician right now, his chances of survival would be less than ten percent……
Moyong Sehui thought of the divine pill Hwa Yuhwa had given her.
I have to waste Sister Yuhwa’s pill on this bastard who doesn’t listen to a single word? This is insane. What a waste.
It was an unavoidable choice if they were to continue tracking the Jeok Mountain bandits. Her hand trembled as she took out the pill. This was no ordinary medicine! Moyong Sehui handed it to him along with water from her canteen.
“Take it.”
“You…… carry medicine around too? Impressive. But I’m…… I’m fine. I am the son of the Hebei Peng Clan. I can endure this.”
“If you don’t take it…… you’ll die. By tomorrow at the latest.”
“……”
Peng Bogwang nodded and finally opened his mouth. Moyong Sehui had no choice but to feed it to him—his muscles were too stiff for him to lift his hands. He swallowed the pill with the water. Only half an hour later, his chills stopped, his fever subsided, and the muscle stiffness eased. The effect was unbelievable. It was a medicine no clan could ever produce. Jegal Yeon asked, unable to hide her shock.
“Sister! Where did you get this medicine?”
“Karamay in Xinjiang.”
“The place where the Heavenly Demon Cult is located?”
“Yes.”
She had named a place on the opposite side of Hangzhou. Since she had said it was in Xinjiang, where the unreachable Heavenly Demon Cult resided, they would probably try desperately to obtain medicine from there. They would never succeed in their lifetime.
I can’t let this guy enter the Dan Manor. The Jegal Clan is no ordinary place.
Peng Bogwang, whose complexion had returned, spoke.
“I owe you my life. I will definitely repay this debt.”
“Go to sleep. We still have to cross the mountain tomorrow.”
“Thank you…… for everything.”
Peng Bogwang lowered his head. The son of the Hebei Peng Clan, who would rather choose death than bow his head, had done exactly that. His action caused a small stir among the group. Looking at Moyong Sehui, they realized they had not been ready to venture into the martial world.
How shameful.
Sharing the same thought, they all silently returned to their beds. Moyong Sehui lay down again as well, tormented by the thought of the wasted pill.
No matter how many times I think about it, that pill was such a waste.
She soon drifted back to sleep. Strangely, no one asked her to stand watch. Thanks to that, she was able to sleep soundly until morning.
* * *
Morning.
Moyong Sehui stood before the red pheasant tracks she had marked with broken branches the day before. It was time to resume tracking. Yet for some reason, she felt a chill down her spine. When she turned around, she found the Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes following behind her. Namgung Cheol wore an expression as if he had bitten into a bug.
“Why are you standing behind me?”
“No reason.”
Yang Bicheon of the Xinyang Yang Clan answered with a smile. The others were the same. Namgung Cheol, now isolated, was trembling with rage. He looked extremely displeased. The Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes continued following Moyong Sehui regardless of Namgung Cheol’s state.
Why are these people acting like this?
No one spoke to Namgung Cheol. They simply followed behind Moyong Sehui. How was she supposed to interpret this?
* * *
Yu Sucheon, who had been doing chores at the Dan Manor, stared intently at Dan Hyunwoo. From morning onward, Dan Hyunwoo had been teaching Song Wolun the breathing technique while also checking on his family’s martial arts. Yu Sucheon’s lips twitched.
Look at that half-baked magistrate grinning like an idiot. Does it feel that good?
With the eyes of a martial world slave, he could tell that the breathing technique was at least a divine art. And that guy was learning it for free. It made his stomach churn. Wouldn’t it be nice if that bastard tripped and broke a bone? No, the plan was to turn him into wild ginseng.
While he was thinking this, Dan Hyunwoo suddenly gestured for him to come over. Like a proper martial world slave, Yu Sucheon quickly approached using lightness skill.
“Do you have an order for me?”
“I’ll teach you two martial arts as well.”
“Me and Akgwan? Really?”
Dan Hyunwoo nodded. Yu Sucheon felt tears welling up in his eyes. It wasn’t enough to make him cry, but it felt like he was finally being rewarded for his loyal slave-like service. He looked up at the sky with a moved expression.
The world looks disgustingly beautiful today.
“I believed you wouldn’t abandon us. I thought you would finally recognize our loyalty and take better care of us than that magistrate bastard.”
Gratitude soon turned into emotion. The intoxication of having beaten the magistrate and the satisfaction of victory showed complexly on his face. Dan Hyunwoo spoke to the moved Yu Sucheon.
“The household slaves are useless at their work, so it’s annoying. That’s why I’m teaching you martial arts. If I make you work, you get beaten and nearly die. It’s too bothersome to keep saving you.”
“……”
Damn it.