Mistaken for a Sage! 1
But how the hell did you already pull off Hwajoyeom lololol?
This makes zero sense.
"Heh heh, no more need to chirp kyu kyu with that tiny mouth of mine."
Not being able to speak human words had been a real hassle.
But now, with Hwayeong Art, I could transform into a human body anytime, so talking was no longer an issue.
Anyway. While I was admiring this new small, cute body from every angle,
I suddenly remembered that little kid who'd been desperately searching for those flowers earlier.
"Oh, right! This isn't the time to be lounging around!"
Why had I learned Hwayeong Art in the first place?
To help that poor kid, obviously.
If I went through all that effort to master fire arts but couldn't even help her, it'd all be for nothing.
Worried she might have already left, Lin hurriedly dashed back toward the field of GeukyangCheonYeomhwa.
"Ugh... where'd all the flowers go...?"
Phew~ Luckily, the girl was still wandering around the flower field, not gone yet.
A little later, and it'd have been a total waste.
Before it got any later, Lin thought he should hurry and help her, stepping forward.
"Ahem, ahem... Um, are you... looking for these?"
"?"
Cautiously. So as not to startle her, he approached very slowly.
His hands were already full with a bouquet of GeukyangCheonYeomhwa clumsily bundled together.
To look as friendly as possible, he even tried smiling.
She was just a young child, after all—she might be wary of strangers like me.
Fortunately, the efforts seemed to work.
At least she didn't scream or run away the moment she saw me.
But the result was a bit different from what I'd expected...
"S-Sage...?"
"Huh? Sage? What's that...?"
"I-It’s the Sage! P-Please forgive my rudeness...!"
"No no, what are you—!? Sage?? I'm not a sage, just a traveler passing by...?"
"This lowly one has committed a grave sin! I didn't realize this was the Sage's field and...!"
"Uh... umm...?"
Somehow, I'd ended up with a massive misunderstanding.
(Roughly: pic of a super mysterious ultra-cute loli walking with a bouquet, radiating ethereal vibes)
She straight-up calls me a Sage and starts kowtowing lol, is this for real...?
What about me screams "Sage"?!
Wait, are the clothes that bad?
I'd just whipped up something that came to mind from xianxia dramas since I didn't have anything handy.
Guess since all the xianxia I'd seen were wuxia dramas, it ended up a bit off.
"Ahem, um... anyway, whether I'm a sage or not aside for now... here, take these. You needed these spirit herbs, right?"
"Ah... really? Can I even dare accept something of the Sage's...?"
"No;; I'm not a sage, and I just stumbled on this flower field by chance too. Strictly speaking, you found it first?"
"S-Sage...!"
Aigoo;; that's not it...
My attempt to clear up the misunderstanding only seemed to solidify it further.
The girl's eyes were already brimming with unmistakable awe and deep yearning for a sage.
It was so severe, I couldn't even imagine how long it'd take to undo this.
So, misunderstanding or not... I decided to just let it slide for now.
Being called a sage wasn't exactly unpleasant, after all.
Well... honestly, it felt kinda nice in its own way?
I handed her the bouquet and asked,
"So, what were you planning to do with these flowers?"
"Oh, that..."
With that, the girl cautiously began explaining her situation.
Her name was Seorin.
Born the daughter of an ordinary farmer, she helped her parents day in and day out—a total mortal life.
She'd grown up her whole life in a tiny human village nearby, never even seen a city, let alone ventured this far into the forest. Just your average girl.
"This is your first time coming out here?"
"Y-Yes... The adults said it's dangerous around here—no protective formations or spirit beast tamers like in the cities. They said fierce yoju lurk in this forest... I never would've come if I didn't need the herbs..."
"I... see. So, why the herbs? Is someone hurt??"
"Well..."
The herbs were for Seorin's parents.
They'd always been frail, and in trying to fetch good ginseng from the mountains to brew for her since childhood, they'd ended up badly injured by accident.
Her father was a well-known hunter in the village, but even famed hunters were helpless against ferocious yosu.
"A yosu showed up terrorizing people?"
"Yes... A Bingdamwa that's made its home by the stream in the lower village for a few months now. It was quiet at first, but once it settled in, it got hungry and started coming closer to snatch people..."
"Hmm..."
Bingdamwa—probably a giant toad yosu.
With "ice" in the name, likely a water or ice-type...
*Slurp*—could eat that.
An ice-powered toad? Sounds delicious!
Far from fearing the yosu terrorizing the village, Lin was licking his chops.
"Ahem, about that Bingdamwa... I don't know much, but I think I could chase it off."
"R-Really, Sage?"
"I'd have to see it first to know for sure... but even if I'm no sage, I’ve got some mystical tricks up my sleeve. If it's weaker than me, I can handle it."
"We'd be eternally grateful! But I've heard that Bingdamwa is no pushover. What if the Sage gets hurt...?"
"We can check it out first. If it's too strong, we just run."
He spoke cautiously, but Lin didn't think the toad yosu was that tough.
He could tell just from the story, without even seeing it.
Think about it.
If it were that strong, why bother coming near the village to eat people?
Yosu that reach a certain realm instinctively seek out spirit-rich natural treasures or other yosu.
No need—or reason—to keep preying on aura-less mortals, let alone non-cultivators.
So its persistence meant it hadn't reached that level.
Or it was injured enough to need easy pickings.
Either way, Lin figured it was doable.
"Mind if we head to your village first? My powers might help the injured too."
"Ah..! Y-Yes! I'll guide you right now, Sage!"
Checking the injuries and gauging the yosu's level firsthand wasn't a bad plan.
Bonus if he could heal their wounds too.
And so,
guided by Seorin, Lin quickly reached the village she'd described.
It was a fair trek by human standards, but for a yoju like Lin, it was practically next door.
The moment they arrived, Lin faced the villagers' bewildered reactions.
"I-It’s a Sage!" "What?" "Sage...!"
Somehow the rumor had spread already—who knew how—and adults and kids alike lined up at the entrance, bowing deeply.
Which meant clearing up the misunderstanding would take quite some time...
"Argh, I'm not a sage, I said!"
Yet the more he denied it, the bigger the misunderstanding(?) grew, for some reason.