Dokgorin, who had returned to the past 18 years ago, had three major goals in mind.
First, to recover her martial arts mastery that had reached the realm of Hwa-gyeong before her regression.
Second, to create the deadly poison, uranium, to kill the Murim Association leader, Weijichun.
Third, to teach martial arts to her beloved Chilbok.
Among these, the most important to her was the third goal: teaching Chilbok martial arts.
Before her regression, Chilbok had never trained in martial arts even once in his life and was a perfect ordinary person.
When she thought about teaching him martial arts, it was already too late for him to learn, and she had given up. After Chilbok’s death, she had continually regretted that decision.
However, now that she had returned to the past 18 years, teaching Chilbok martial arts was no longer impossible.
So, as an excuse to loosen her stiff muscles, she practiced martial arts while checking Chilbok’s physical condition.
The energy flowing through the acupoints would gradually close completely by the time a child grows up if not used often, much like how a child’s Baihui acupoint does.
For this reason, martial artists have trained their acupoints by habitually practicing breathing techniques since childhood.
The saying that martial arts are best learned in childhood isn’t baseless.
“Fortunately, he’s not an ordinary person.”
Upon checking, unlike before her regression, Chilbok’s acupoints were wide open, and despite not being from a martial family, his bones and blood vessels were very strong.
If she taught him directly and solidified his basics, he might be able to raise his martial arts skills to a pretty useful level.
“I don’t need to make him an absolute master like me. As long as he can protect himself in emergencies, that’s enough.”
Basically, she would be there to support him, but since she couldn’t be there 24/7, she couldn’t completely relax.
Having set these goals for her journey, she glanced sideways at Chilbok, who was wide-eyed, taking in the sights, as if it was his first time outside the village.
“How cute~~~”
Grateful that she could see Chilbok’s childhood again, which she hadn’t cherished before, Dokgorin began to plan a grand modification plan for Chilbok.
*
It had already been three weeks since they started their journey to attend the Murim Association leader’s birthday celebration in Shaanxi province.
If they had walked, it would have taken even longer, but thanks to being on horseback since leaving the village, they finally stepped into Shaanxi, beyond the vast Sichuan.
However, not all Shaanxi is the same.
In the remote area where they were currently located, it would take another two weeks to reach Chang’an, where Weijichun’s mansion was.
As a result, after spending all day traveling again, they stopped in front of an old inn around sunset.
“Let’s stay here for the night,” said Dokgoseok.
“Yes, Young Master,” replied the guards.
After the guards dismounted and entered the inn, we followed suit.
“Chilbok, is your butt sore now?” Dokgorin asked.
“Oh, no. I’m used to it now, it’s fine. Lady Rin.”
I said this to reassure Dokgorin, then followed Dokgoseok, who was waving his fan, into the inn.
“Welcome! To the Sohwa Inn!”
At that moment, a cheerful voice greeted us at the door; it was the young innkeeper, Jeomsooi.
“How many people do you have?”
“There’s already a group that arrived before us.”
As Dokgoseok pointed to the guards who had taken their seats first, Jeomsooi exclaimed, “Ah! You came with them!” and promptly guided us to our seats.
“Are you just having a meal, or do you need accommodations as well?”
“We’ll be staying for one night. And since we traveled a long way, please serve us the best dishes this inn offers for our number.”
“Yes! I will prepare them right away!”
With that, Jeomsooi dashed into the kitchen.
Her swift movements showcased skills honed from experience.
With the order complete, I could finally relax.
As usual, the guards sat separately, while I, along with Kyungah, sat at the table with Dokgoseok and Dokgorin.
Huh? Who is Kyungah?
She’s the attendant of Dokgoseok who had first spoken to me.
At twenty-three, she is nearly a decade older than my twelve, so she treated me like a younger brother.
I heard she had a younger brother my age at home.
Thanks to this, even as a newcomer dismissed by the other servants, I felt comfortable talking to her.
Meanwhile, while waiting for the food, Dokgoseok, who had poured himself a cup of tea, suddenly asked as if he had just remembered, “By the way, Chilbok, Kyungah told me you’re really good at math. Who taught you?”
“Me? Math?”
“Yeah, I heard you gave some impressive advice while organizing inventory in the kitchen last time.”
Hearing that made me feel a strange sense of embarrassment, so I scratched the back of my head and avoided Dokgoseok’s gaze.
“That’s all exaggerated. I just did some simple calculations.”
“No need to be too modest. I’ve heard the head chef is in debt to you for that.”
Then Dokgorin, listening from the side, beamed as if she had been praised herself, saying, “As brother said, Chilbok has quite a sharp mind. Without special education, if he’s this smart, he’s sure to become someone great in the future.”
“No, I didn’t say that much…”
Surprised by his sister’s sudden show of favoritism, Dokgoseok made a bewildered expression, but Dokgorin continued to sing my praises, ignoring him.
“It’s awkward for me to say this as the owner, but Chilbok cleans very well. If you see how spotless the place is after he leaves, he’ll surely be a good husband in the future.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Surprised by the subtle madness coming from his sister, Dokgoseok replied with a somewhat sour expression.
This made me feel a bit guilty for some reason.
Just as an awkward atmosphere was about to settle around the table,
“Guests! The food you ordered is ready!”
‘Nice timing!’
Jeomsooi appeared from the kitchen, carrying a mountain of food.
“We have noodles with dumplings, spicy shredded pork, and Kung Pao chicken, all the best dishes we serve!”
With a flourish, Jeomsooi set the dishes on the table.
While I blinked at names of dishes I had never heard of before, Dokgorin kindly explained.
“Spicy shredded pork is made from finely sliced pork, and Kung Pao chicken is fried chicken with various spices.”
“I see.”
Her explanations were so straightforward that I found myself nodding and expressing my admiration unconsciously.
“Anyway, I’m hungry, so let’s eat, everyone.”
As Dokgoseok, sitting in the place of honor, spoke and picked up his chopsticks, everyone who had been waiting to eat promptly followed suit.
As the lavish dinner was about to begin,
“Ugh, I’m tired.”
“Why is there only one inn in this town?”
“Hey! Jeomsooi! Bring some cool water here!”
A group of men in black martial arts attire entered the inn.
Seeing them, I flinched without realizing it, and Dokgorin quietly held my hand under the table and whispered, “Chilbok, focus on your meal.”
Understanding what she wanted to say, I nodded.
They looked like trouble.
It was clear that getting involved with them would lead to no good.
Perhaps because they knew this too, the others in the inn chose to eat quietly, avoiding any interest in the newcomers.
In that situation, as just a servant, I had no power to act, so I buried my face in my bowl.
However, as often is the case in human life, things don’t go as planned.
“Oh, it seems we have some guests.”
“Is he the rich young man out for a stroll in town? Looks delicate and frail.”
“That girl next to him isn’t bad either.”
Since there weren’t many guests on the inn’s first floor, their attention naturally turned to us.
“Tsk.”
Dokgoseok clicked his tongue at the unwanted attention.
Even though we were determined to ignore them, the moment they showed interest, we had no choice but to get involved.
“Young Master, shall we clean up?”
The guards, who had been eating nearby, asked in hushed tones while fidgeting with their weapons. Dokgoseok replied, “I’ll handle it, so stay put,” gesturing for them to remain seated before nonchalantly picking up his chopsticks again.
Just then, the group of ruffians approached our table, chuckling as they spoke.
“You look like you’ve got a bit of money. How about giving some poor guests a meal?”
Their naturalness in begging was a skill they had likely practiced many times.
Seeing their brazen attitude, I was curious about how Dokgoseok would react.
Would he laugh it off and pay them off like last time when he encountered bandits, or draw his sword as a warrior?
Whichever path he took, it promised to be an interesting turn of events.
At that moment, one of the ruffians noticed Dokgorin sitting next to Dokgoseok and whistled.
“Not bad for a kid. Give it a few more years, and she’d be worth putting in a bed.”
It was the very moment that followed.
Bang!!
Dokgoseok, who had been smiling moments ago, slammed the ruffian’s head onto the table with a serious face.
“What did you just say about my sister? You punk.”
