A Dragon Lives In That Scholar's Deep Spring - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

“No, why are you calling the busy lady like this!”

However, the quick-witted ruffian kicked the support of the table with his foot, causing it to collapse. The ruffian spoke to the merchant, who was barely holding onto the falling items.

“Do you want to pay double from now on? Or triple?”

“Why did you call me?”

The woman who didn’t hear the threat looked at the merchant. Everyone around, including the merchants and the people on the street, realized the situation, but the most important woman remained unaware. The merchant felt frustrated and wanted to shout.

“Oh, no, nothing!”

He shouted, but he couldn’t reveal the crucial information. The merchant reluctantly closed his eyes and lowered his head.

“Just be careful…”

“Yes, right.”

The woman, who had casually nodded her head, took out a bundle of coins and placed it on the collapsing table. The merchant’s eyes widened involuntarily.

“What is this?”

“He said he wouldn’t take any payment, so I thought it wouldn’t be necessary. It’s just heavy.”

She walked away casually, saying she didn’t need the money. However, the ruffian who had followed her for no reason kicked the table one more time, exerting some unspoken pressure.

“You can pay the rent with that money, right?”

The ruffian, who had left the remark that he would take it someday, followed the woman with a smug smile. The remaining merchants cautiously picked up the bundle of coins. Even at a glance, it was enough money to cover the cost of several sacks of rice.

But despite the substantial amount of money, they didn’t feel joy. It was as if they had sold a person.

The merchant sighed heavily with a sense of melancholy.

* * *

It was a matter of course, but even after searching the entire house, Farang was nowhere to be found. In other words, she had simply disappeared.

“Farang isn’t in her room either. Where on earth has the lady gone?”

Sun-yi, who had decided to look for Farang, pleaded with Do-gyeom with tears already in her eyes.

“I’m sorry. I was told to be quiet if she was asleep, and not to make a sound in the main house.”

Perhaps worried that Sun-yi might get into trouble, the head of the household stepped forward in front of her. Do-gyeom lowered his head.

“No, there’s no need to search anymore.”

As Do-gyeom wandered around the house he finally had to admit that Farang had left the house. This was evident because the drawer in his study, where a bundle of coins should have been, was empty.

“It seems like she left without causing too much trouble because she left a clue behind.”

He ran his fingers over the desk as he let out a small ironic laugh.

He had intentionally spilled some ink on the ledger to make it easy to identify the culprit. Could there be any doubt about who it was?

“Should we send everyone out to search for her? She probably doesn’t even know the surrounding streets well, so where could she have gone?”

“Just a moment.”

Do-gyeom placed the ledger back in its original position and fell into thought for a moment.

She had secretly infiltrated all the rooms in the house, including Buyongji, but then returned home. So if that was the case, he needed to anticipate her next move.

“She left, but she wanted it to be discovered as late as possible…”

Could this mean that she might never return? If she had a place she wanted to visit secretly, she would come back quietly like before and remove the hint.

But yesterday, she had been at home all day, drinking heavily, and not taking a nap. It was hard to believe that she had suddenly found a place to go.

“Did she say where she was going? Or did she seem curious about something?”

Taken aback by the sudden question, Sun-yi rolled her eyes.

“That, I don’t know….”

“It’s okay if it’s something small.”

“Yeah. Tell the master about it, even if it’s just a little something!”

The head of the household comforted Sun-yi calmly, and she hesitated for a moment before her eyes widened.

“Oh! She asked about the spring in the inner courtyard!”

“The spring?”

“She asked where it flows from. Oh, and before that, she asked if there was a sea here.”

It was puzzling. She had found both the upstream and downstream of the spring. Could it be that she was expanding her options in case Do-gyeom tried to track her?

…No, that didn’t seem likely. Farang had reasons to avoid being followed.

“So?”

Rising abruptly as if something had occurred to him, Do-gyeom urgently asked.

“So, how did you answer?”

* * *

“Too slow.”

She should have just asked for directions. Going with humans was taking too long, and the pace had slowed down. 

Suspicion began to cloud her mind, and she glanced up, finding the dense trees blocking out the sky, making it hard to see even a single ray of light.

Feeling repulsed by the overwhelming presence of the men around her, Farang felt like she was going to be sick. She decided that it might be better to continue on her own.

“How much farther do I have to go?”

There was water in this mountain too, but Farang couldn’t sense even a trace of the water’s energy that she sought. If she was getting closer, the energy of the water she was looking for should have been growing stronger, but for some reason, it seemed to be diminishing. 

She couldn’t understand why the small spring in Choi Do-gyeom’s house was supposed to be the best option. Farang grew increasingly anxious.

“It doesn’t seem like we’re heading in the right direction.”

“Oh, my lady. The mountain is too treacherous for someone as delicate as you to walk on. Here, have this. It might help.”

A man who had taken it upon himself to guide Farang approached and handed her a water flask. His name was Cheon Deok-i, if she remembered correctly. 

Thirsty and feeling indifferent, Farang accepted it without even opening the lid, but she immediately recognized the familiar scent emanating from it.

It was alcohol.

“Why are you giving me something to drink that only makes me thirstier, saying it’s helpful?”

Once outside, Farang realized that Choi Do-gyeom’s house was in much better condition than she had expected. The state of the water flask was so dirty that she longed for the clean pitcher they used in his house.

“For people like us, when you cross mountains and rivers like this, it’s not water but alcohol that’s the best. Oh, is the water flask too dirty for you to use, my lady?”

Cheon Deok-i laughed heartily, wiped the water flask clean with a handkerchief he pulled from his pocket, and handed it back to her. Farang wanted to drink the water around her if possible, but she resisted. 

It seemed wise to conserve her strength just in case.

“Now, take a sip. This may look ordinary, but it’s actually very precious alcohol, so even I savor it.”

Farang hesitated for a moment. Her mind was indeed wavering. 

Were these humans, who were giving away what they cherished, really without ulterior motives? Such naive thoughts crossed her mind.

She might never have the chance to drink it again once she returned, but should she take just one sip? Farang took a sip of the alcohol. It was much sweeter than the alcohol she had drunk at Choi Do-gyeom’s house.

“…It tastes like they added sugar to the alcohol.”

While there was no excitement when she ate snacks that Sun-yi liked, the taste of the alcohol was new when she drank it. It had a sweet and pungent taste, and something seemed to be hidden in it…

“How is it? Much better than water, isn’t it?”

Farang didn’t see it as she slowly savored the complex and nuanced taste of the alcohol, unlike the alcohol she had drunk at Choi Do-gyeom’s house.

Cheon Deok-i’s smile became strangely intense.

“Anyway, even though alcohol ultimately starts with water, how dare you compare it to water?”

Farang handed over the alcohol she had been drinking to Cheon Deok-i without much care.

“You can have it.”

“I won’t drink it.”

“…Didn’t you just say you savor it?”

“Did I say that?”

She tossed the water flask lightly to him, and Cheon Deok-i chuckled.

“I misspoke. I didn’t say I savor it; I said I savor ‘offering’ it.”

“What?”

For a moment, Farang felt a slightly unfamiliar sensation as if one of her views split into two right before her eyes. Just as she was wondering what this was, it split into three, then four.

“How well must you have been raised to trust people so easily?”

As she tried to focus her vision, Cheon Deok-i grabbed Farang’s wrist. Reflexively, she twisted her arm and pushed back, causing the men around them to draw their weapons.

Already dizzy, Farang found it difficult to even breathe with these aggressive individuals swarming around her.

“This girl, they said she roams around without fear, but it seems she’s stronger than she looks, huh?”

“…This girl?”

She understands that the meaning may not be clear, but even if the words don’t make sense, differences in tone can still be felt. It made her uncomfortable.

“Hey, lady, I’m taking you to a better place instead of Samgaksan, so just stay still.”

“Let go.”

It wasn’t just a matter of bending her arm like before; he was trying to pull her arm out completely. However, some strange force seemed to drain out of her body.

“I promised not to harm people…”

Even if she never saw him again, she wanted to keep the promise to Choi Do-gyeom. She had to keep it. But somehow, it seemed difficult.

“It seems like the water inside you folks might have met the wrong master.”

Farang exerted force on her weakening legs and tightly grasped the hem of her skirt.

“…Isn’t this incredibly poisonous? You should have passed out by now.”

“What are you doing, you can’t catch a girl! Hurry up if you want to have fun!”

Cheon Deok-i, lying on the ground, shouted. Then, he laughed as he looked at Farang, who was struggling to keep her eyelids open, revealing yellowed teeth.

“Hey there, little miss know-it-all, should I teach you a truth that’s not even in the books your masters read?”

Farang tried to gather water, but she couldn’t move a finger. She focused on controlling the water within her.

“Listen well, girl. You better listen to me. That way, you won’t have to debate whether I should spare your life or not!”

As she was about to close her eyes, Cheon Deok-i grabbed her hair and whispered in her ear.

“Listen closely.”

His dirty fingers brushed against Farang’s cheek, tearing apart the fabric itself. 

The mocking laughter of the men filled the air from all sides. With her already sensitive nerves, her head throbbed uncontrollably. 

It was her limit.