Mistaken for a Fairy
ch17

[Ominous Rumors]

In the past, when Seo-yeon had leisure time, she would absentmindedly carve sculptures, endlessly stroke Baek-ho's fluffy fur, or occasionally go down to the marketplace to enjoy the scenery.

However, since settling in Daesil Mountain, much had changed.

She pondered day and night about how to teach her disciple in a way that was even a little easier and more enjoyable.

She didn't just ponder.

She returned to her beginner's mind and steadily refined her carving skills. What was this beginner's mind? It meant imitating the clumsy actions and postures she had when she had just started carving.

Seo-yeon was about the same age as Hwa-ryeon when she first started carving, so she thought that referring to her actions at that time would help her teach.

However, trying to imitate a child made her body stiff and creaky. In the end, Seo-yeon had no choice but to change her teaching method to correcting Hwa-ryeon's posture.

If asked what the biggest change was among the things that had happened, it would definitely be the construction of a large workshop next to her house. It was only called a workshop; it was still more like an empty warehouse. Seo-yeon planned to store materials for carving here and pile up her sculptures as before.

She still had plenty of money left, but she couldn't just live idly like this forever. She had to prepare diligently from now on if she wanted to occasionally taste delicacies and dress her disciple in fine silk clothes.

'I have to work to make a living.'

Naturally, she started going to the marketplace more often. The only materials available in Taesil Mountain were stones and trees. And that wasn't all. The stones were all gigantic, strange rocks bigger than grown men, and most of the trees were hard pine trees, which were not suitable for beginners.

Seo-yeon didn't know this and suffered a lot when she was young. She had cut her hands several times, so she didn't want her disciple to go through such painful experiences.

"Hwa-ryeon, are you ready?"

"Yes, Master."

"Okay, let's go."

She always went to the marketplace with Hwa-ryeon. Yuheon and Baek-ho were firmly guarding the house, so it was safe, but how could she raise a child only indoors? Seo-yeon thought that letting her see the world while walking around was the way to raise a child properly.

At times like this, Yuheon would subtly approach Hwa-ryeon and send her a telepathic message.

-

I want to eat sweet fruit. Get me some.

-

Didn't I buy it for you last time? I don't want to pester Master like a child again. Please get it yourself, Yuheon.

-

Then you can find your own greens from now on. I can't keep following you around, can I?

-

......I'll get it for you.

-

Good job. Get me some candy too.

*****

The first thing Seo-yeon did when she went out was to stop by the Ilwol Trading Company. The Ilwol Trading Company was a small to medium-sized company known only to those in the know in Henan, but she often stopped by to look around because the items they brought in were unique.

Snakes, scorpions, silk, salt, ornamental stones, etc. The variety of items on display was comparable to that of a major trading company, making it fun to look around.

"What are you looking for today?"

"Do you happen to have clay? The more, the better."

"Well, we happen to have some that we got a while ago. Would you like to take a look?"

Seo-yeon stared at the lumps of clay, which were slightly smaller than her torso. The hardened clay had simple patterns and uniform colors, but it was also easier to carve. It seemed perfect for Hwa-ryeon to use as a material.

"I'll take them all."

"Thank you. It would be inconvenient for you to carry them like this, so did you bring a cart or a porter? If not, we can prepare one for you."

After paying, Seo-yeon left the Ilwol Trading Company, saying that she would return when the cart was ready.

"Um, that. Master."

"Yes."

Hwa-ryeon said abruptly.

"I suddenly want to eat sweet fruit."

Seo-yeon stared at Hwa-ryeon, who was rolling her eyes. She couldn't make eye contact, so she must have been embarrassed even after saying it.

"Eat as much as you want. I'll buy you some candy and fruit."

With those words, Seo-yeon picked up Hwa-ryeon. She was wearing a bamboo hat, so instead of giving her a piggyback ride, she held her in her arms. At the same time, Hwa-ryeon felt her whole body heat up.

Her appearance was that of a young child, so no one thought it was strange, but Hwa-ryeon was clearly a grown adult inside.

"Ugh!"

She didn't want to do this because she knew this would happen. Hwa-ryeon cursed Yuheon more than a hundred times in her heart. The more she did, the redder her face became. Of course, Seo-yeon thought it was just the shyness that young children usually feel and ignored it.

Seo-yeon's steps had already reached the old man selling candy. The old man looked back and forth between Seo-yeon, who was wearing a veil, and Hwa-ryeon, and said with a smile.

"Is she your daughter?"

"She's a child I'm teaching."

"You mean your disciple? No wonder she's so beautiful. You must have been a female warrior."

It was easy to misunderstand. In this era, if a woman taught something, most people would think of martial artists first.

If she tried to correct him, she would have to tell the whole story, so Seo-yeon nodded vaguely in agreement. But was that the beginning of it all? The old man slowly approached and whispered softly in Seo-yeon's ear.

"Well, I don't know if you know, but the atmosphere has been uneasy lately. This neighborhood doesn't seem to have any problems yet, but thirty children have already disappeared without a trace in the lower neighborhood."

She wondered why he was coming so close to tell her this, but it was a much more serious story than she had thought. It was never easy for kidnapping to be rampant in Henan, a large city, let alone a rural area.

"I'm a wandering merchant who travels around, so I heard the news, but the people here don't know yet. Of course, you'll take care of it, but I'm just nosy."

"It sounds like things are very serious."

"I heard that even the prominent sects of Henan have gathered, but they haven't been able to find out the cause. So please be careful."

Seo-yeon nodded after receiving the candy.

She was thinking something else in her mind. She felt that the matter would be resolved soon, as the Shaolin, the great mountain in the orthodox faction, was firmly supporting them.

Perhaps reading her expression, the old man added an explanation.

"I heard it as a rumor, so I'm not sure, but I heard that the Abbot of Shaolin has been in Seclusion for over a month. That's why Shaolin's response is delayed."

"Is that so?"

This time, she was a little surprised. Perhaps because her reaction was good, the old man spat out all sorts of stories like a delighted person.

Originally, Henan was a land that even the unorthodox factions dared not covet because Shaolin and the government were firmly established.

But the situation was not good. The government was focused on expanding its territory and didn't have the capacity to pay attention to this, and Shaolin was unable to project its influence as before because the Abbot was in Seclusion and most of the Arhats were performing their respective duties outside of Henan.

"It will be fine if the Abbot returns, but when the head of a sect or organization goes into Seclusion, it usually lasts for several months or even years. We commoners are just worried about that."

She wondered if he had no one else to talk to, so he was telling her even this kind of story.

Hwa-ryeon, who was immersed in the story, had already eaten a piece of candy, so Seo-yeon bought a few more.

As she listened, she realized that the old man was a natural storyteller. She even had the illusion that he enjoyed talking to people so much that he was selling candy because of it.

"But, what kind of weapon do you use? Usually, martial artists carry swords, but I'm just curious."

It was too late to make excuses, so Seo-yeon vaguely said that she used a dagger. Carving knives were also daggers, so it wasn't a complete lie.

"You don't have a sect, do you?"

"No, I don't."

"A one-person secret sect, I guess. Thank you for telling me."

Seo-yeon went straight to the fruit store, bought a few pears, and then returned to the Ilwol Trading Company.

When she entered the company, a large man was waiting in front of the luggage filled with lumps of clay. He said he would prepare a cart, but it was luggage. Seo-yeon made a puzzled expression, and the man added.

"I heard you were traveling on mountain roads, so I prepared it like this. There are three more porters besides me, and it's included in the cost you paid, so you don't have to worry."

Seo-yeon nodded obediently, as she could feel the man's experience from his face.

*****

Seo-yeon didn't leave right away. She bought brushes for writing books, ink, and paper for practice. She bought everything from the Ilwol Trading Company, so the porters stood silently and waited. She didn't plan to write a book right away, and she was going to focus on practicing writing for a while.

As she spent time like that, dusk fell. Seo-yeon packed food from a nearby inn and shared it with the porters before finally moving on.

It had been a long time since she had walked the night road without Yuheon's help. She had only done that when she was very young.

Seo-yeon was originally a cautious person. This was by no means the same as being fearful. If you hold your head up straight even in front of martial artists who are openly drawing their swords, that is madness, not courage.

She only seemed somewhat cautious when compared to martial artists, but compared to ordinary people, Seo-yeon was definitely on the courageous side. Seo-yeon was the one who had lived alone in the mountains with a tiger as big as a house when she was a young girl.

Why am I suddenly talking about this?

"......"

Because she encountered people carrying weapons in the deep mountains.

Judging by the clothes they were wearing, they were not bandits. In the first place, bandits in Henan were absurd. But that didn't mean the situation was okay.

If she was lucky, they would just be a group of escorts who had taken out their weapons because they were bored, and if she was unlucky, they would be the human traffickers she had heard about from the old man selling candy during the day.

If she was alone, she would have pretended not to see them and ran away, but she couldn't do that in front of Hwa-ryeon. She didn't want to show her young disciple an incompetent side of herself as a master.

She also knew from long experience that it was not good to show her back to people with weapons.

So Seo-yeon started by managing her expression.

They say that when you have something to protect, your personality changes, and that was exactly what Seo-yeon was doing now.

The man in the front was the first to speak. He said in a wary voice.

"......If you're passing by, just pass by. I don't want to make unnecessary noise."

Because they couldn't read Seo-yeon's presence. They felt as if Seo-yeon had suddenly appeared out of thin air.

'A master.'

They had sensed the presence of the porters and Hwa-ryeon, so they thought there were only four of them, but they were flustered because there were five people in front of them.

Seo-yeon took a step forward, watching the men's reactions. She passed the bonfire where the men were gathered, and just as she was about to pass them completely, the man who had stepped forward at first spoke again. He still had his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"That way is Taesil Mountain. If you're thinking of going down the mountain, it's better to go around."

Seo-yeon only nodded instead of answering, and continued walking in the direction she was originally going.

It was the direction of the Myriad Image Interception Formation.

"That place is─."

The man who was about to stop Seo-yeon closed his mouth. He blinked his eyes in surprise.

Because Seo-yeon was fine.

Not only that, but Hwa-ryeon, who was holding Seo-yeon's hand, and even the porters who were following behind, seemed fine.

"......How?"

Had the formation disappeared in the meantime? The man stared at Seo-yeon's receding figure with distrust, and then ordered the subordinate next to him.

"Follow them."

How could he refuse? The designated subordinate nodded and took a step towards the boundary of the formation.

And disappeared without a trace.

The man's eyes shook. Seo-yeon and her party were still moving in and out of the formation as if nothing was wrong.

"......This is driving me crazy."

"Leader, what should we do?"

"What do you mean, what should we do? Find the guy who disappeared first. He must be wandering somewhere around the border."

Seo-yeon stared at the bewildered martial artists and then disappeared. The martial artists could only watch Seo-yeon like a dog chasing a chicken.