Chapter 66
Clip-clop, clip-clop!
The carriage raced wildly along the mountain road.
The wooden carriage rattled as though it might break apart at any moment. It was impossible to remain seated, so I had to lie flat on the floor.
“Ugh…!”
Then, suddenly, I heard a short, dying scream from ahead.
I raised my head in surprise, but quickly lowered it again. The horses, their reins having come loose, were running wild.
The carriage was now heading into the mountains rather than along the road.
The carriage swayed several times violently as it crashed into trees and rocks. Then, perhaps because the fastener connecting it to the horses’ yokes had come loose, it seemed to tilt backward before eventually toppling onto its side.
“Ugh!”
For a moment, my mind went blank, and everything before my eyes turned dark. When I came to, I was lying inside the overturned carriage.
I didn’t know how long I had been unconscious. My head was spinning, and my wounds were throbbing again. But there was no time to stay there. I crawled out of the carriage.
When I managed to drag myself into the nearby bushes and lie flat on the ground, I heard signs of people approaching from nearby.
“Found it.”
“Hey, over here!”
I held my breath.
Judging from their voices, they were the bandits from earlier.
“What about that guy? What happened to him?”
“He died a while ago. The arrow went straight into his neck.”
‘So he really did die.’
The sound of the bandits rummaging through something came from nearby. Before long, a disappointed voice could be heard.
“What the hell? He didn’t have much on him.”
“Huh, I thought he’d have at least some gold since he ran as if his life depended on it.”
“We killed a man, and we’re supposed to go back with only this? There’s nothing in the carriage? I could’ve sworn there was someone riding in it.”
“Not really. Even if there was, they’d have run away already.”
“Hmm…”
One of the bandits, still reluctant to give up, began looking around the area. Cold sweat trickled down my back from the tension. If they searched the surroundings, I’d be discovered in no time.
Fortunately, an indifferent voice came from beside him.
“Forget it. It’s not even a particularly good carriage, and it’s not like the guy was some great tycoon. Chasing after the one who escaped is a pain too.”
“Tsk, this isn’t even enough to make a difference…”
In the end, they clicked their tongues and left.
Only after a long time had passed since they disappeared did I finally get up. By then, it was already getting dark.
I wanted nothing more than to collapse and pass out right there, but I had to leave this place as soon as possible. The bandits might come back.
I went back toward the carriage. Just as they had said, a man was lying near the driver’s seat with an arrow stuck in his neck. His eyes weren’t even properly closed, as if he hadn’t realized that he was dying.
I closed his eyes and prayed briefly for his soul. Then I set off again.
“Huff, huff…”
I would walk until I passed out, wake up, and then walk again.
The only reason I could endure it at all was because of the medicine Eom Papa had given me. At least while the medicine was taking effect, the pain subsided.
I chewed one of the small pills without water and hurried onward. After walking for half a day, I came across a small village.
I stopped an elderly man passing by and asked,
“Here… is there anywhere I can get a horse?”
“A horse? Hoga Village is small, so there’s neither a relay station nor a stable. But why does a young child need a horse? Do you have somewhere far away to go?”
“Yes, I have to go to Anhui Province… Is there anything else I could ride? I’ll pay whatever it costs.”
“Anhui Province?”
The old man looked at me, seemingly surprised by how far away that was. Then, seeing my pale face that looked ready to collapse, he clicked his tongue and said,
“How are you planning to get all the way there alone…? Wait here a moment. I do have a donkey, though…”
Before I could say anything, he disappeared.
I didn’t even have the strength to remain standing, so I sat down right there and waited for him. Not long afterward, the old man appeared, leading a donkey.
It already had a saddle on it. The old man handed me the reins and said,
“This one is small and weak, so it was never much use to me, but I think it’ll suit you perfectly. Take it if you need it.”
“Thank you, truly, thank you, sir. Would this amount be enough…?”
I took out the money pouch from my clothes. Fortunately, I hadn’t lost the pouch Eom Papa had given me.
I took out some silver from the pouch and handed it over. The old man nodded and accepted it. At the same time, he handed me a bundle.
“It’ll be a long journey, so I packed some simple food and a clean set of clothes. Take them.”
I opened my eyes wide in surprise. Then I bowed my head and thanked him several times.
Afterward, I mounted the donkey and set off again.
Sure enough, the donkey, being smaller than a horse, suited me better. In fact, I had never ridden a horse even once, and even if I had managed to ride one at a gallop, it would have put too much strain on my body.
The donkey was also more docile than I’d expected and went wherever I directed it. Most importantly…
“Huff.”
Even when I passed out, the donkey didn’t stop.
I raised my body, which had been draped precariously over its back as though I might fall off. The donkey, which had been drinking water from a stream, brayed.
By now, even situations like this had become familiar.
At first, I had set off while riding the donkey with a perfectly clear mind. But the longer I rode, the more exhausted I became, and whenever I let my guard down, I would briefly lose consciousness. It happened over and over.
My bandages had long since been stained dark red with blood. I wiped away the sweat running down my forehead and thought,
‘I don’t have much time.’
My condition was steadily getting worse.
The periods when I lost consciousness were growing longer, and even after traveling only a short distance, my body would be drenched in sweat. I wondered if something terrible might happen if I continued traveling like this…
I shook my head and got off the donkey.
I let the donkey loose and washed my dirty body in the stream. Then I took a fresh set of clothes from the bundle and changed. I tore my dirty clothes into long strips of cloth.
I used the cloth to tie the donkey’s body to my lower body. It was so that even if I lost consciousness again, I wouldn’t fall off.
Once I finished all those preparations, I started riding the donkey again.
“Let’s go!”
‘Just a little longer. Just a little……’
After that, I continued steadily onward.
I would stop by villages along the way to buy simple food, and whenever my body hurt, I would let the donkey graze nearby and rest for a while beneath a tree.
The clothes I’d changed into soon became dirty again. Eventually, even the travel money I’d been carefully saving ran out, so I begged along the way or picked fruit from trees to stave off my hunger.
After traveling for who knew how long, just when I began to feel that it was becoming too difficult to endure…
“We’ve finally arrived.”
“It’s been a while since I’ve been to Anhui. Once we reach Hefei, we’ll unload our luggage and rest from the journey…”
As we entered the official road, I looked ahead while listening to the noisy voices of the people around me.
It was Anhui Province.
***
Arriving in Anhui Province didn’t mean everything was over.
Hefei was located in the center of Anhui Province. I still had to go farther north from here. But perhaps because of the relief of having almost arrived, or because of the hope that I would soon be able to meet the young lady, I felt at ease.
And perhaps the body follows the mind. Once my mind relaxed, my body also seemed to improve a little. Until just moments ago, my consciousness had been hazy, and I had barely any strength, but now my body naturally felt more energetic, and my vision became clear.
‘There’s not much farther…!’
Feeling vitality return to my body for the first time in a long while, I continued forward.
After riding the donkey for several more days…
Soon, I could see the scenery of the mighty Yangtze River flowing proudly. More and more buildings of various sizes began to appear, and lakes flowing throughout the city caught my eye.
It was Hefei… And finding the Namgung Family in Hefei wasn’t difficult.
“Namgung Family? Why’s a little beggar kid looking for them…? Hmm, just keep going straight down this road, and you’ll see some grand halls that stand out from everything else. Head toward those. That’s the Namgung Family.”
There was no one here who didn’t know the Namgung Family.
And just as the man had instructed, I followed the road. Before long, a magnificent building that looked completely different from everything around it stood in the distance. There was no way I could miss it.
Thus, when I finally reached the gate of the Namgung Family, I couldn’t close my mouth.
‘So this is what they mean by one of the Five Great Families……’
On either side of the gate, enormous blue flags, each as large as a giant strongman, fluttered in the wind. The two characters “Azure Heaven” were embroidered in gold thread.
And the gate itself was several times larger than the Xiao Family Manor’s.
Above the gate, a plaque bore four large golden Chinese characters beginning with the character 南, which glittered whenever the sunlight struck them.
If even the gate was this impressive, how magnificent would it be once I went inside? I couldn’t help feeling intimidated.
‘Should I have changed my clothes before coming?’
I wondered whether I should get a room at an inn, wash myself, change into clean clothes, and then come back to visit them. But I didn’t even have enough money for that anymore.
I had no choice but to face it head-on. After taking a deep breath, I carefully approached the gate.
“Is anyone there?”
“……”
“I apologize for coming without notice, but I have something I absolutely must ask about. Would it be possible for me to come inside…”
Only then did the guard standing before the gate, a large man with broad shoulders, turn toward me.
He looked me up and down with his glaring eyes before suddenly becoming irritated.
“What the hell, you filthy little beggar? You think this is somewhere a piece of trash like you can just come and go as you please?”
“Oh dear, of course. Naturally, someone as insignificant as myself wouldn’t be allowed inside. Then I have just one thing to ask, so if you could just…”
“If you want to beg, go somewhere else. Don’t loiter around here and annoy me.”
“No, I didn’t come to beg. I just have a question…”
“If you don’t leave right now, you’re going to get a beating!”
The sight of the large man raising his fist made me flinch. But I couldn’t back down now.
“I’ll ask just one thing, just one! Has a young lady come here?”
“You little brat, are you not going to listen?”
“She would be around fourteen or fifteen, small and slender. She’s also extremely beautiful, but she’ll probably be covering her face. She might be wearing a veiled hat… Have you seen her?!”
“How the hell should I know? Are you really not going to get lost?!”
So had he seen her or not?
I became increasingly anxious. I could see the large man waving his fist threateningly, but there was no way I could pay attention to that.
What should I do? Should I just directly ask whether the young lady from the Xiao Family Manor had come here? But the rumor was spreading everywhere that the Xiao Family Manor had been destroyed. Wouldn’t the young lady have come here secretly?
Then whom should I ask? Who would know? The person who would know whether the young lady was here…
“Namgung Jeong!”
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