A Dragon Lives In That Scholar's Deep Spring - Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The merchant was just about to touch the old woman’s body when a sharp slap accompanied by a shrill voice vibrated through the air. The entire area around the old woman’s body suddenly became silent.

Of course, the mood quickly picked up as the bystanders, realizing the source of the noise was an old woman, went about their business as usual.

“It’s water.”

However, the young lady continued to focus on the words of the elderly woman.

“…Let go of this and explain.”

“Why, do you want me to take it off you?”

The woman’s slender wrists were grabbed and she tried to pull away, but her attempts to help were sharply rejected.

“Never mind.”

“Tsk tsk, can’t even overpower me… Geez!”

The old woman, who had been grumbling, stepped back as if retreating. Then, with trembling hands, she pointed at the ring the lady was wearing.

“That ring… Our late mother placed it in the mouth of the ascending dragon and sent it to the sky 50 years ago!”

It was evident that the old woman was delusional. An ascending dragon, engraved in the evil deeds of a king, wasn’t it a fantastic creature?

To the merchant, the ring the lady wore seemed to be just an ordinary silver ring. The more he heard and saw, the less credible it became.

However, the lady responded with a serious expression on her innocent face.

“The sky? Are you talking about that celestial dragon?”

“Because of that celestial creature! It’s because of the celestial creature!”

“This is because of a celestial creature?”

The merchant, who had been observing the conversation between the lady and the old woman, soon shook his head in disappointment. 

It was truly a pitiful sight. She was an unparalleled beauty, but it seemed that the old woman was half-mad. Otherwise, how could there be a smooth conversation between them?

“It’s the divine wrath of the phoenix. Unless all the divine wraths come together in harmony, mere human strength cannot control the raging fire. If someone recklessly wears it on their finger…”

The pale old woman shivered and stammered with her cloudy eyes as if she was on the verge of passing out.

“They will quickly drain all their life force and face death!”

The lady, who had been consistently composed, looked puzzled.

“There’s no way to remove it?”

It seemed like a hopeless situation. The merchant sighed and continued arranging things on the table while casually listening to the cryptic conversation.

“Even cutting off that lovely finger won’t help. It’s like giving up before regaining the stolen power!”

“…I know that.”

“If even the power of water can’t control the divine wrath, there’s only one solution. Whether you like it or not.”

As if someone nearby was muttering, the old woman chuckled while looking at the space, then suddenly became serious.

“The strong fire constantly dries up the power of water, so you must appease the fire. Capture its heart!”

“How do you capture fire? I’ve already shattered its heart.”

“That dragon was not a suitable vessel for the divine wrath. If it had been chosen by the divine wrath, it could have wielded its power.”

“Then who did the phoenix choose?”

The old woman once again grabbed the lady with both hands and stretched out.

“O, the one who brings spring to this dry land, make a promise first. That you will give water to this parched soil!”

It was becoming an increasingly incomprehensible conversation. The merchant, growing weary of the strange dialogue, attempted to shoo both of them away.

“Please continue somewhere… without interfering with my business!”

“Don’t intervene.”

Somehow, the lady sensed the merchant’s subtle movement and turned her gaze towards him, then commanded firmly. The merchant could only nod his head slightly, feeling as if he were tied up like a puppet.

Seemingly satisfied with the merchant’s response, the lady turned her attention back to the old woman and continued the conversation.

“If it were possible, this land would have been submerged long ago. So, how do you fulfill the wish of the fire?”

“As for fire…”

The old woman’s white eyes flared up once again.

“Grandmother!”

At that moment, a savior appeared for the merchant.

“I’ve told you multiple times not to go out alone!”

It seemed like the granddaughter had come out to look for her grandmother, knowing she was missing, and she separated her from the lady.

“Oh, I apologize. Our grandmother has dementia. Madam, do you have any injuries?”

“No, please continue!”

Despite the cautious apologies from her granddaughter, the lady paid no attention and continued to insist, holding onto the old woman.

“Speak. You promised, so keep it!”

“Hmm? Oh my, you are such a beautiful lady. Won’t you come flower-picking with me?”

However, the old woman continued to mumble as if she were confused, behaving like a dementia patient who had lost her senses.

“What are you saying? You promised to tell me if I promised to make it rain!”

“Geez! Fire is scary, fire is hot!”

“I told you, she’s sick. Please let go of this!”

Embracing the old woman as she appeared to have a seizure and collapsed, the granddaughter confronted the lady with a loud voice. The lady seemed bewildered, perhaps encountering a dementia patient for the first time.

“Just a little while ago, it was clearly…”

“Our grandmother has dementia, so her mind fluctuates. Regardless of what she said, please don’t take it to heart.”

“No, I have to hear it. I haven’t heard the important part yet!”

As the lady reached out her hand, the terrified old woman hid behind the granddaughter, trembling.

“I’m scared! Scared! I want to go home! Scared! We’ll be eaten! Just like our mother was eaten!”

“You shouldn’t listen to someone who’s not in their right mind!”

Finally, the granddaughter, supporting the old woman, left the place as if fleeing. Perhaps she was unfamiliar with what dementia was, looking perplexed, and the merchant offered a subtle explanation.

“Dementia is a condition where one’s mind temporarily wanders and can even run away. I don’t know what kind of conversation that was, but if you follow her, you probably won’t get a coherent answer.”

“….”

Fortunately, it seemed that the lady understood the merchant’s explanation, and she didn’t follow the old woman or create a commotion. She just stood still, looking down at the silver ring she was wearing.

“…Nonsense. I’m stronger. I won’t yield to something like fire.”

As if trying to reassure herself, the lady mumbled softly this time and then asked the merchant.

“How do I get to the mountain with flowing water?”

“Pardon?”

“They said I should go to a big mountain beyond Baekaksan.”

“Ah, are you referring to Samgaksan?”

“Samgaksan? Which way is it?”

“Just over there…”

As the merchant was about to point in a direction, a man interjected, placing his arm around the merchant’s shoulder. He was a ruffian with a sturdy build, apparently confident in his physical strength.

“What business does such a beautiful lady have at Samgaksan?”

The merchant was already feeling intimidated by the ruffian, but the lady showed no concern at all. The delicate girl who had been swaying while held by the old woman seemed to have a stubborn spirit. The merchant didn’t know what to do and nervously looked around.

“Oh, the young lady knows her way around!”

The man, patting the merchant’s shoulder as if he were going to break it, grinned at the lady with a yellowish smile.

“This guy! If the lady was looking for Baekaksan, you should’ve called me immediately!”

While the merchant was annoyed by the spittle flying onto the neatly arranged items, the more pressing issue was the loud-mouthed ruffian whose voice was grating on his nerves. It seemed to have the same effect on the lady, as her delicate brow wrinkled slightly.

However, the merchant, who could not rescue the lady, finally replied with great reluctance.

“Oh, yes… I… I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

“So…”

If he had been more astute, there might have been a chance to escape, but it was already too late. The lady stood her ground and demanded the information she wanted.

“How long does it take to get there? I want to go right away.”

By now, it seemed that the lady was not just lacking in wits but was quite naive. The merchant thought that perhaps the fortune-telling old woman had only given her the enchanting appearance and forgotten to provide her with common sense.

“Oh! Is this fate? We were just about to head to Baekaksan as well!”

The ruffian, exhaling nauseating breath with each word, let out a hearty laugh.

“We know a shortcut, and if you don’t mind, would you like to join us? With us, you won’t need separate escorts.”

The ruffian boasted that the lady was lucky. As he chuckled and gestured somewhere, the lady turned to the merchant for reassurance.

“Is what he’s saying true?”

“Yes?”

This was the merchant’s last chance to rescue the lady. He desperately hoped that the lady would understand from his eyes rather than his words. Unfortunately, his eye sockets were too small to convey the message effectively. 

And the object poking into his back felt sharp and rigid, like a knife.

“Yes, that’s right! He probably knows better than a peddler like me.”

“Is that so?”

The merchant couldn’t tell her to run away, and the lady couldn’t decipher the subtle signals sent by the merchant’s small eyes.

“When do we depart? I need to go quickly.”

“Very well! Let’s hurry. I won’t charge you any fees, especially not from a lady like you.”

“Fees? Do you need fees to go there?”

“No, not exactly… Well, you see, you can just go comfortably! You can go lightly without any belongings!”

“Oh… is that so?”

So, the lady, whose name was still unknown, and the man who was notorious in the area for being the most dangerous and ruthless among the ruffians, set off together. 

The merchant was worried because the lady was already lacking, and it was likely she would face trouble.

“Oh, lady!”

Fortunately, even though the merchant called her softly, the lady turned around. Her clear eyes, as if washed in clean water, focused on the merchant as she inquired about the matter. Looking into those transparent eyes, the merchant’s heart was torn apart by guilt.

“Um, well…”

He had to speak. He had to warn the lady that if she followed that ruffian, she might not only have to pay a toll but also surrender her virtue, or even her life.