Chapter 284

The coachman, surprisingly a real one at that, seemed to enjoy charging a bit extra and decided to take the long way around instead of the faster route, but aside from that, the journey was pretty smooth.

And it was an incredibly dull trip.

I’m so bored I could die.

Stuck inside the carriage due to the rain, and that Seol lady just wouldn’t say a thing, so she wasn’t helping with the boredom at all.

Her face is cute, and she’s completely drenched, so there’s a little entertainment in that.

But I was really sweating it out, trying to endure the heat after stopping the ice technique to prepare for some shady events.

By the time the first, second, and third days rolled around, it seemed I could no longer bear it. Suddenly, Seoliri plopped herself right next to Qing.

Then she grabbed Qing’s hand and pressed it against her own cheek.

“Huh?”

What’s this? Is she trying to tempt me like this?

But Seoliri looked like she had stepped into a sauna all on her own.

Sweat was dripping off her chin and soaking into her palm, making it rather gross.

“If you’re gonna stick your hand on someone else’s face, shouldn’t you at least wipe off the sweat first?”

“It’s you again.”

Qing deciphered the three characters.

I guess if I’m holding hands with her, there’s no avoiding the sweat, so what’s the difference if I wipe it or just stick it on there?

Qing’s hand was chilly.

The ‘Supreme’ in ‘Supreme Hand-to-Hand Combat’ meant true invincibility.

She had weak defense when she was at a late peak, but now she was fully clad in ‘Divine’ protection, at that level.

Though, with that defense, she had lost her warmth.

Yet, for someone exhausted by the heat, her coldness was quite a relief.

“If it’s too hot, you can use the ice technique.”

“That’s dangerous.”

“But I’m here.”

“A warrior should protect themselves.”

“Oh.”

That was the most commendable thing Seoliri had said so far.

It’s true; relying solely on my internal strength to stay cool while leaving everything else to others isn’t the mindset of a proper warrior.

But Qing preferred it if Seoliri continued to exist uselessly, as she always had.

The number of bad guys in this world is limited; if there are many who can strike, won’t my share decrease?

“Where. Yup.”

Qing placed her hand firmly on Seoliri’s nape and activated the ‘Ice Woman’ technique.

Seoliri shivered violently, then hunched her shoulders, letting out a sound.

“Haah…”

Guess she was feeling pretty good.

Is it nice? Then I’ll stop here.

With this, she wouldn’t get spoiled.

When Qing stopped the chill, Seoliri looked at her with a somewhat regretful expression.

Qing just pretended not to notice.

So she didn’t push for more, just sending her sad eyes without demanding anything.

Seoliri might be useless, but she had at least a little sense of shame.

If Qing bought her something, she would offer thanks and wouldn’t ask for anything herself. So if she felt regretful, she would just languish in that regret.

As Qing was holding a tavern for her, if they were to kick her out and part ways, she’d be stuck waiting for Qing outside in the rain.

Oh.

It finally dawned on Qing.

Right. She’s not even a proper traveling companion.

She’s just clinging to me, the only clue in finding Seolga.

Hmm. Well, she’s cute, that’s good.

And even if she’s silent, when asked, she surprisingly gives proper responses.

“Lady Seol, I’m bored. Can you tell me a bit about the North Sea? What’s it like there? Is it really cold?”

“Nope.”

Qing was taken aback.

How can she say no to a simple question about whether it’s cold?

It took Qing a moment to understand that Seoliri was outright rejecting the request to talk about the North Sea.

There I am, in a hot, humid carriage with her sweaty hand still stuck to the nape of her neck, and my irritation was definitely on the rise.

“Like, what’s the deal with you? We’re on this journey together, chatting, eating, oh wait, we’re eating together. What’s up? You don’t want to talk to me? You don’t want to be around me? Is this just some forced situation we’re in?”

At that, Seoliri’s eyes widened.

Then she answered with an expression that was oddly melancholic.

“That’s not it…”

“Then what is it? You don’t want to talk to me right now.”

“No, it’s not that.”

“So, you want to talk to me?”

“No.”

Qing’s eyebrows shot up in disbelief.

Then Seoliri hurriedly added:

“But I don’t dislike it.”

So she wasn’t avoiding conversation, but she didn’t particularly want it either.

But talking about the North Sea was a no-go.

Qing glared at Seoliri.

Seoliri always met Qing’s gaze, but this time she seemed to subtly look away, maybe staring at her nose or lips.

Seoliri is such a simple-minded person; just watching her makes me reflect on myself.

Is this some sort of self-reflective therapy?

With that, Qing calmed her irritation to ponder more.

What’s up with her? Is she ashamed of her hometown?

I realized asking if it’s cold in the North Sea could have been a bit rude.

Asking a local who sells potato soup if they really plant potatoes in every little piece of yard wouldn’t get a great response either.

I heard later that they actually do plant them but can’t say anything and just gets angry.

Or maybe asking someone from the Tangerine Island if they have lots of tangerines, or questioning a friend from the harbor if they really only sell boiled chicken soup and flour noodles.

Something like that.

Hmm. The North Sea must have its own attractions, or they wouldn’t live there.

Asking if it’s cold right off the bat might have been a bit impolite?

“Okay, then is it alright to talk about something else? Lady Seol, what kind of food do you like? Surely you have some preferences?”

“Hot food.”

“There’s more than just one kind of hot food, right?”

“Hmm. Congee.”

“And?”

Now she clammed up again.

Qing’s eyebrows shot up again.

Seoliri hastily added:

“But I don’t know its name…”

“Ah.”

Seoliri was a total broke.

Moreover, unlike Qing, who was somewhat bright but lacked refinement, when I think about Seolga or Je-gal, they are smart but totally lacking in dignity; perhaps Seolga has the most dignity among them.

At least when she wasn’t making lewd comments.

Either way, being a beggar with no friends wouldn’t give her any clue about fancy foods in the martial world.

I imagine when it rains, she just eats whatever is there when it comes out.

“Hey, if you don’t know, just ask next time you find something tasty, ‘Wow, this is really good!’ and tag me. You’ve got to know what your favorite food is.”

Upon hearing this, Seoliri blinked her eyes.

Then she bowed her head.

Well, at least she has some sense of shame.

With that pretty face, I could let it slide. Really.

Just when Qing was about to give her another pass, the carriage jolted violently.

“Coachman? What’s going on?”

“Ah, it’s probably the rain messing the road up. I’m doing my best, but here we are, the road hasn’t been maintained at all from here on, so it’s unavoidable.”

“Oh. Right.”

There’s nothing Qing can do if the road is bad.

The coachman isn’t a road worker.

“Hang in there a bit more. We should reach the next town in about half an hour. It’s already past dinner time, and it’s a very generous town, so you’ll be satisfied. Hehehe.”

So while the vehicle shook side to side and up and down, it felt like I was sliding back on a steep slope.

This was supposed to be a good environment to have a chat with Seoliri, but with all this shaking, I was about to bite my tongue just trying to hold my position, and it was surprisingly tiring.

Of course, Qing had a sense of balance beyond what a human should, so it wasn’t too much of a strain on her.

Seoliri, though, was wobbling this way and that, bumping into the wall of the carriage, flopping around like a straw doll.

Qing thought to herself.

What kind of Supreme Warrior can’t handle a little carriage bumping?

Just because she has reached a peak doesn’t mean she’s a total flop, right?

But Seoliri is a tracker from the North Sea.

Seolga didn’t have a low level either, and since he didn’t come to capture her, she must be stronger.

It’s odd, though.

Do they typically send such a clueless, useless girl to catch a runaway?

Seolga was no slouch, but if they simply sent her alone, they would have trouble finding her, let alone winning.

Maybe Seolga was only a low-level nobody when escaping.

They could think a Supreme Warrior could easily take her down.

But if Qing was involved, they probably wouldn’t send out someone useless like Seoliri.

She had no clue about anything, but trying to act all tough in catching criminals?

Ah!

Suddenly, it clicked for Qing.

Since she was just idling around at the Ice Palace, they probably sent her out here to experience the martial world while learning a thing or two!

Since being part of the Martial Alliance wouldn’t put her in significant danger, this was a way to learn about the culture in the Central Plain.

Anyway, while the carriage was rocking left and right, as if trying to distribute some seasoning to the passengers inside, the coachman’s skill could be said to be quite impressive for not letting anyone tumble.

Qing completely shifted to one side to ogle at the clumsy sight of Seoliri, who was struggling to keep her balance.

Time stretches long when inconvenient, and after what felt like an eternity, Qing heard sounds from outside with her superhuman hearing.

– Stop! Ah! Is that Zhang Ga?

– Hehe. It’s me.

– Why are you so late?

– Oh, don’t get me started. It’s pouring like mad, the road’s such a mess! The fact that the carriage hasn’t collapsed yet is already a miracle. Hehe.

– Well, that much is true. Hey, open the door!

Looks like they arrived at the village.

A generous town, indeed.

To be honest, it wasn’t all that great.

Qing didn’t really care if a town was nice; what mattered was the quality of food and accommodation.

After all, even if the place is stingy, if you throw them money, they’ll be generous anyway, but if the food is cheap and plentiful but tastes horrible, it feels like a waste of a meal.

Gradually, as they rolled into the town, the shaking of the carriage eased.

Not long after, they stopped.

Oh. Already stopping?

The tavern was right near the entrance of the village then.

What a perfect location.

The door burst open, and immediately a musty smell wafted out.

Uh oh. This doesn’t look good. It stinks already.

Just as Qing began to worry about the tavern’s quality, the coachman rushed on.

“We’ve arrived! You should get inside the tavern now.”

“Is there no other tavern? This one already smells bad. Is it a decent place?”

It’s pretty standard for coachmen to take customers to specific taverns for a kickback.

So they usually direct them to some tavern that’s paying them instead of a quality one.

“Ah, I’m sorry. There’s only this one tavern in a small village like this. Now, you’ve struggled up the mountain road, so you should take some rest.”

“Oh. Right. Well.”

There’s only one, so what can I do?

When Qing got down from the carriage, she was met with a strange sight.

Rather than a stable, it was a wide space just supported by posts with no walls, what do you call this, a storage shed? Whatever the purpose, it was one of those space for unclear usage.

Surrounding the carriage, a crowd of men with bare torsos swarmed in from every direction.

“Coachman?”

The coachman quickly rushed in among the men.

“Hehe, ladies, this is the Gamsan Stronghold, home to the elders of the Green Forest. You must be quite hungry after the long journey, and the elders of the Green Forest will feed you until your stomachs burst! You’ll be full for ten months after this. Hehehe.”

One hefty man lightly tapped the coachman’s back of the head, bursting into laughter.

“Just listen to this guy. Says we’ll be full for ten months! Hahaha, that’s why I like Zhang Ga. Yeah, he’s quite the find. Wow, the most beautiful ladies are here!”

Only then did Qing realize what was happening.

This coachman, what a schemer!

He has led them straight into a bandit’s den!

Oh. I should have noticed this sooner.

What kind of village sits at the top of a mountain, winding up some mountain roads?

Villages are typically located near water at the bottom of a mountain!

Unless they’re fortified against taxes or something.

I was too distracted watching Seoliri wobble everywhere that I didn’t think it through.

That coachman! How daring…!

If only he had given me a heads up, I could’ve been prepared.

What’s going on? Is today my birthday? Buddha’s birthday? Or some flat-nosed person’s birthday?

Is today some kind of Christmas?

Why does it feel like a prank from a movie, shouldn’t it be in July, no, was that August?

Anyway, a shocking surprise like this.

This is too much gratitude to handle.

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