Shelter from the Rain

"Let's rest here until the rain stops." "Sounds good!"

The floor inside showed clear signs that someone had lit a fire before. It looked like other travelers had stopped here to rest too. Probably a hunter's hut built for shelter.

Clack. I stacked fresh firewood over the old ashes, making it look decent enough. Whoosh. The dry logs from my inventory caught fire easily.

"It's raining, so how about some ramen?" "Yay!"

I pulled out the pot and set it over the flames, feeling like we were out camping. "Water!" "Good!" "Ramen!" "Good!"

Baek Seol and I bantered back and forth while the ramen cooked, and soon the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠cozy smell filled the entire hut.

"Let's eat." Creak. Just as I was about to ladle some broth for Baek Seol, the hut door swung open.

"Didn't expect company." The newcomer removed the bamboo hat from their head and met my gaze. It was an elderly woman, her face etched with deep wrinkles.

"I came to wait out the rain. Mind if I share the space?" "Neng. We're just here to dodge the rain too. Come on in, it's cold out there."

"Heh heh. Much obliged." She approached slowly, one hand pressed to her stooped back. Though small in stature, her eyes held a depth that felt like staring into an endless ocean.

"I made some food. Help yourself." "This old body hasn't eaten in a while, so I won't refuse."

The old woman settled beside me without hesitation. When I handed her a bowl of ramen, she reached out with rough, time-worn hands.

"Grandma, eat while it's hot." "Heh heh. Such a pretty young lady with a kind heart too."

"Here, Baek Seol, time to eat." "Yay!"

I poured some broth into a small dish, and Baek Seol hopped down from my head in a flash.

"Oh my. A spirit beast? Such pure energy." "Huh? You mean our Baek Seol?" "Heh heh. Baek Seol... No name suits the little one better."

She was just a tiny rabbit, but the old woman saw right through her. Definitely no ordinary person.

Slurp. She finished speaking and deftly maneuvered her chopsticks, bringing noodles to her mouth.

"This isn't ordinary instant noodles you'd find in some remote place. Your cooking skills are quite impressive, young lady."

"It's just the MSG flavor. By the way, Grandma, feel free to speak casually. My name's Ga-eul. Han Ga-eul." "Heh heh. Very well. That suits me better too. This old one's name is Hyanghyang."

"That's a really pretty name." "Haha, it's been years since anyone said that."

She laughed heartily.

"Oh, thank you!" "Heh heh. I'm the one who should be thanking you for such generous hospitality."

She handed back the empty cup. I had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lost count of how many times she'd refilled it. She drank like it was plain water. Glug. "Here you go." "Thank you, dear." "It's made with blue honey, so it'll be pretty sweet. Is that okay?" "This old body loves sweets, just like children do."

Slurp. She drank it down despite the heat.

"Oh, right. Grandma." "Hmm?" "This might be a bit forward, but your back looks really uncomfortable, doesn't it?" "It is."

She didn't seem to have trouble moving, but her back was badly hunched.

"Want me to take a look at it for you?" "I didn't know you were versed in medicine." "Haha, not really, but I can still help. Could you lie down over here?"

The back of the narrow hut had a raised section like a bench. I pointed to it, and the old woman stood up with a smile.

"If lying on your stomach is uncomfortable, you can lie on your side." "Very well."

Her expression was like a grandmother watching her granddaughter's antics.

"Grandma, relax and breathe out comfortably." "Huuu—"

The moment I finished speaking, her body loosened up. Even someone who used their body daily couldn't control it this precisely. I could move her body like it was an extension of my own hands and feet.

"This might sting a little." Light flowed from my hands as I activated the skill. A combination of massage and healing magic. Basically, a healing massage.

No matter how carefully I adjusted, moving bones would inevitably strain the surrounding muscles. When I placed my hands on her back, she turned to look, sensing something.

"That is?" "Umm..." I didn't know how to explain the light coming from my hands. From our conversation so far, this world seemed similar to the martial arts novels people talked about.

"Were you a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠child of the Kunlun Sect?" "No, that's the Taoist side, right? This is... immortal arts? Something like that. Different from Taoist magic." "Oh my, how fascinating." "Neng. Shall I start then?" "Please do."

The old woman's head turned back around. "Breathe out comfortably." "Huuu—"

Once more, her body relaxed. Crack! "I'll have you breathe out again." "Huuu—" Crack! I could see exactly how to realign everything. It looked like someone had forcibly shifted her bones out of place. Even taking a direct hit from a hammer wouldn't do this much damage, yet she'd been moving around without issue all this time. Impressive.

"One last time. Breathe out comfortably." "Huuu—" Crack! "Heal."

Just in case, I cast healing magic over her entire body.

"Grandma, I'm done. That was quick, right?"

The old woman rose without a word, her hunched back straightening completely. "Heh heh..." She moved her body this way and that, letting out a bewildered laugh. "Even my knees that used to ache whenever it rained feel fine now... I don't know the last time my body felt this light."

"Really? That's great." She lifted her legs and moved them, a small smile forming. "That poisoned dagger the old man from the Tang Clan threw got stuck in my knee. It's been decades already." "R-really? Uh... He must be a really bad person." "Heh heh, I smashed his skull in, so no need to worry."

I couldn't tell if she was joking or serious. "You handled it fairly, I guess."

Whether she meant it as a joke or not was unclear. "I have urgent business, so I must be going. Child, I'm sorry to accept such a great favor and leave so hastily." "It's fine. Just be careful not to get hurt again." "Yes. I'll keep it close to my heart and protect it."

The old woman rummaged through her robes and handed me something. It looked like a long, slender accessory the size of a finger, engraved with her name, Hyanghyang.

"Is this made of jade?" "Yes. Keep it safe, and if anything happens, show it to them." "Neng. Thank you." "Well then, I'll be on my way."

She seemed truly busy, disappearing quickly from the hut.

"She was a strange grandma, wasn't she?" "Eung!"

Hyanghyang stopped walking once she was a good distance from the hut, and dozens of people dropped down around her. "Heavenly Blood Unit, listen." "Yes!"

At her single word, the people called the Heavenly Blood Unit knelt and bowed their heads. "There is a girl with peach-colored hair inside the hut. Keep your distance and watch over her, but if anything happens, protect her with your lives." "Yes!" "I will move through the secret passage. Carry out your orders."

The moment Hyanghyang finished speaking, the dozens of people vanished without a sound, as if they had never been there.

Creak. Hyanghyang opened the massive door and walked inside as casually as if entering her own bedroom. Waiting to greet her was an old man seated on a pitch-black jade throne.

"What brings the Supreme Elder here?" "I greet the Heavenly Demon." Hyanghyang's back slowly bent as she entered roughly.

"Enough. Since when has the Blood Demon bothered with formalities?" "Heh heh. Is it not the Heavenly Demon, the sky of our cult?"

Hyanghyang's back straightened as if nothing had happened, a smile forming on her face. The Heavenly Demon was so startled he felt his heart drop.

"On my way here, I met someone with remarkable medical skills." "Then, that back of yours...?"

Instead of answering, Hyanghyang nodded to the Heavenly Demon. "That child called her power immortal arts." "Immortal arts..." "Hope has come for Jinmyeong." "Haa..."

At Hyanghyang's words, the Heavenly Demon realized he had let out a deep sigh without meaning to. "You know it too, Supreme Elder. That child's condition isn't like a normal wound that hurts. I dragged in the beard of someone called a divine doctor, but there's been no improvement in years." "In my eyes, that child is Jinmyeong's last lifeline."

The Heavenly Demon frowned at Hyanghyang's words. "Then why didn't you bring them along?" "She said she came to gather herbs for her grandfather." "The Divine Cult has an abundance of rare medicinal ingredients."

The Heavenly Demon was dumbfounded by Hyanghyang's words, which seemed wiser than his own. "After talking with her, she knows nothing about the martial world. You want me to drag such a child to the Divine Cult? Are you telling the current Heavenly Demon, who owes her a favor, to do that?"

Whoosh! A terrifying aura began surging from Hyanghyang's body. "Ugh. Fine, so calm down. We're both getting old together."

At the Heavenly Demon's words, Hyanghyang's aura scattered instantly. "Heh heh, there's a forty-year difference, yet you say we're getting old together. And to us it's the Divine Cult, but to others it's the Demonic Cult." "Are you saying that to the Heavenly Demon standing right in front of you?" "Getting stubborn in our old age together."

The Heavenly Demon felt like his blood pressure would rise and he'd ascend before reaching his natural lifespan. 'That old monster came back even healthier. She's really going to ascend at this rate.'