After bringing a shovel from the storage room, it took us a solid half a day to gather the bodies and bury them in the ground.
As I helped Dokgorin in every way possible, I quietly prayed for the peaceful rebirth of the Dokgo family, for whom I had received so many favors.
“What are you going to do now?”
In response to Kyungah’s question, who had been observing the whole process, Dokgorin rose from in front of the makeshift gravestone made of wooden boards and answered.
“I’m going to stop by the village for a bit before heading to the family estate. We can’t just leave other people’s bodies lying around, so we need to pay them to bury them.”
“…I see.”
After muttering that, Kyungah squeezed the necklace that Dokgoseok had given her as a gift in front of his gravestone and soon broke into a bright smile.
“I’m thinking of returning to my hometown.”
Upon hearing that, Dokgorin said nonchalantly.
“That’s good.”
“If, as you all say, the Young Master wanted me to be happy, then I’ll do my best to be happy. Plus, I plan to look after the Madam and the child in her womb as well.”
I was taken aback by those words.
“The second young master had a child?”
“Yeah. I didn’t tell the family, but she got pregnant not long ago. I was planning to mention it when I came for the lady’s birthday. But now, with everything that happened…”
“Fortunately, the bloodline of the Dokgo family isn’t completely cut off.”
I said that while sneaking a glance at Dokgorin, who seemed a bit stunned upon hearing for the first time that she had a niece.
“Come visit Hyunleung anytime with the lady. I’ll introduce you to our Madam. She lives right next door.”
“What’s my niece’s name?”
At Dokgorin’s cautious question, Kyungah shrugged and replied.
“It’s Cheol-i. Dokgo-cheol. The Young Master personally named him, wishing for him to become someone greater than himself.”
“Cheol-i….”
Dokgorin nodded her head after repeating her niece’s name in her mind.
“Then I’ll go see her later. I’m curious about what my niece looks like.”
“Alright. Then I’ll head off now. You both need to stay healthy, okay?”
“Yes. You too, Kyungah.”
After saying that, Kyungah waved her hand and left.
It would probably be a long time before we met again.
Once we parted ways with Kyungah and were left alone, Dokgorin said to me.
“Then let’s go, Chilbok.”
“Yes, Miss.”
“…How long are you going to keep calling me Miss? We’re not in a hiring relationship anymore.”
“True, but ‘Miss’ has just stuck in my mouth.”
At that, Dokgorin looked at me with an expression of disbelief, then sighed quietly and said.
“Alright, do as you please.”
*
Before heading to the four thousand family estate, we briefly stopped by the village to explain the situation to the residents.
After that, Dokgorin bowed her head to the villagers and asked if they could take anything valuable from the ruins but to please bury the bodies of their relatives.
The villagers, who had benefited greatly from the Dokgo family, couldn’t possibly refuse such a request, allowing us to depart from the village with ease.
“Miss, how long will it take to reach the four thousand family estate?”
“If we walk, it’ll probably take about a week.”
“Then we need to gather as much food as possible.”
“That’s true. We could catch and eat wild animals if necessary, though.”
Before officially setting out on our journey, we went around the village shops to purchase necessary supplies and food.
In case of emergencies, we had the versatile jerky we brought from our secret training grounds, so we only bought some of that and a couple of other essentials.
The village merchants were shocked when we tried to pay them and refused to take our money, which indirectly showed how well the Dokgo family had treated them.
After going around various shops, the last place we visited was Elder Eom Baekhyun’s clinic, from whom we had received assistance ever since I first possessed this body.
“The little rascal has grown quite mature while I wasn’t watching.”
“I’ve grown older too.”
“Here, take it without needing any payment.”
Elder Eom Baekhyun said as he handed us the golden healing medicine we ordered.
Then, looking at Dokgorin beside me, he spoke with a somber expression.
“It’s truly unfortunate about the family affairs, Miss. I’m sure all the villagers feel the same way as I do.”
“…Thank you.”
“If you ever face difficulties, feel free to return to Sang-am. Everyone will surely welcome you back warmly.”
After saying that, Elder Eom looked at Dokgorin, his face filled with worry, and then turned to me.
“Chilbok, take good care of the lady.”
“I intended to do just that.”
I responded, packed the golden healing medicine, and thanked Elder Eom once more before leaving the clinic with Dokgorin.
*
The four thousand family estate.
One of the major families representing the Sicheon region.
While the Dokgo family, based in Sang-am, was also sizable, it couldn’t compare to the four thousand family estate, which even had a village called Dangata nearby.
A notable characteristic of the four thousand family estate is that it exclusively uses poison and dark arts in the righteous sect, which is why they are often perceived as sinister figures among righteous sect members.
At the pinnacle of this family is the sixth head of the Dangmun family, Dokwang Tang Hochang.
One of the legendary ten masters of the world, known for his expertise in various forms of poison, as his name suggests.
In the original work “Cheondokmanya,” Tang Hochang tries to understand the profound sadness of his granddaughter, Dokgorin, unlike other martial artists who are unaware of her plight, but ultimately fails.
In other words, in the original, he could be considered one of the few allies Dokgorin has.
“Whew, whew.”
On the way to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, after leaving my hometown of Sang-am.
I was curious about why it’d take a week to travel within the same Sicheon region, but experiencing it firsthand made it clear.
There were just too many mountains in Sicheon.
Just as it seemed like the downhill part would offer some relief, there came another uphill; having barely crossed one peak, another rose ahead, with the little flatlands available being incredibly short.
Finally, after puffing through the steep inclines, a vast ridge unfolded before my eyes.
The phrase “a mountain upon a mountain” came to mind, seeing countless mountains wrapped in a sea of clouds.
“Wow.”
As I stared vacantly at the view, Dokgorin, who had just reached the hilltop, stopped in her tracks at the same sight.
“Miss, should we eat here before we go on?”
“Are you ready to eat already?”
“We’ve been on the road since morning at the inn, quite a bit of time has passed. It’s not odd for my stomach to start growling now.”
“Alright then, let’s do it your way, Chilbok.”
Thus, we had an early lunch.
We sat on a rock at the ridge and ate rice balls.
They were filled with pickled vegetables, so they were perfect to eat without any side dishes.
After devouring the rice balls in no time, we leaned against each other to take a sweet break.
While I was resting with my eyes closed for a while,
“Chilbok.”
“Yes?”
“I’m saying this now, but thank you for staying by my side.”
“…Really saying that now, huh?”
“I felt like if I didn’t say it now, I wouldn’t get another chance. I’m usually a little shy about such things.”
Dokgorin said as she took my hand.
Even though I had my eyes closed, I could clearly feel her warmth.
I gathered my thoughts a bit and then spoke up.
“The reason I stayed by your side is partly due to my worry for you, but ultimately, it’s for myself as well.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I know why Kyungah wants revenge. She must be unbelievably frustrated. Just because they have power, those scoundrels trampled over valuable things without a second thought, and she couldn’t resist at all.”
So, I felt pathetic toward myself.
Why couldn’t I have prepared more diligently?
Why did I live such a carefree and peaceful life?
Why didn’t I stay vigilant despite feeling uneasy?
Why, why, why,
Only late regrets continued to swirl in my mind.
If I had shared this information with someone else instead of keeping it to myself, perhaps I could have saved even one more person?
Of course, I couldn’t deny that they were like natural disasters.
Even with Weijichun absent, Dokgojin, a master of Hwa-gyeong, could solo attack and annihilate the Dokgo family.
But as various hypotheticals kept popping into my mind, I wondered if perhaps I could have saved them.
This must be what they call guilt.
“So this is my way of atonement.”
Atonement for simply flowing along with the currents of life, even while knowing everything.
I quietly muttered that in my heart, opened my eyes, and looked at Dokgorin next to me.
Perhaps sensing my gaze, she opened her eyes and looked at me.
Would it ease my heart if I revealed all my secrets to her here?
Giving into such impulsive feelings, I honestly confessed to her the most important secret I had kept hidden until now.
“I actually knew about the things that would happen in the future.”
