Chapter 3

Chapter 3

No matter where one searched in Yueyang, there was no place more splendid than this manor. Even if it were the house of the wealthiest person in Dongting Lake, he could confidently boast that it was not as good as this.

That was how outstanding Dan Woo-hyun's skill in building houses was.

It was a handiness that made it impossible to think of him as someone who had lived by the sword. It was to the extent that one might think his true calling was a carpenter rather than a warrior.

In the spacious yard of the manor, there was a large pond that had been dug out. It appeared that he had scooped up and filled it with water from Dongting Lake, and he had managed to do all of that by himself.

Lotus flowers floated gently on the pond, and inside, fairly sturdy fish swam and played.

These, too, were things he had caught by fishing.

Right in the center of the manor's yard, a giant pine tree stood proudly.

Since it was a massive tree that had lived for a thousand years, its height was truly immense, to the point where the shape of the pine tree could be seen even from outside the walls.

Thanks to that gorgeous and grand pine tree, the manor looked even more elegant. It played a role in making anyone who saw it feel that this manor was by no means built carelessly.

In addition, behind the building that could be called the main pavilion, a small training ground was prepared, and next to it, a space that could be called a kitchen was set up.

The time it took to build all of this was only three days; he had accomplished a task that would take normal people months to complete, even if they mobilized all their laborers, with extreme ease.

And now, as if Dan Woo-hyun was still not satisfied, he was hammering.

Bang, bang!

Hwa So-mi snuffed her running nose back in and silently watched Dan Woo-hyun.

It was not that she was trying to do anything in particular.

Although they were small hands, she was there to run errands, wishing to be of even a little help to Dan Woo-hyun.

It was not because she had nothing else to do in the manor.

She watched Dan Woo-hyun like that for a long time.

Intently, piercingly; if simply staring could make a hole in a person's body, Dan Woo-hyun would have hundreds of holes all over his body by now.

In the end, unable to endure the boredom, Hwa So-mi spoke up.

“Mister.”

“What is it?”

“What are you making?”

She muttered softly, hesitating.

Knowing that he disliked being disturbed while working, she did not know how many times she had hesitated over whether she should speak or not.

For the young Hwa So-mi, it was a remark that required a great deal of courage. In truth, although she had been watching from the side, she could not grasp what Dan Woo-hyun was making.

To her eyes, it looked like a simple tub.

“It is a tub for taking a bath.”

“A bath…?”

“Yes, washing your body.”

Hwa So-mi quietly stood up from her spot.

Come to think of it, she realized that he had brought quite a lot of water from Dongting Lake a little while ago. At first she wondered what it was for, but now she seemed to know.

A bath, of all things.

“Stop right there.”

“…….”

Dan Woo-hyun called out to Hwa So-mi, who was trying to run away.

Hwa So-mi, who was sneaking away like a cat, froze in her tracks. For her, a single word from Dan Woo-hyun carried a weight as heavy as a thousand pieces of gold.

“I bought clothes by selling the wild boar and wood we got yesterday. To wear new clothes, of course your body must be clean.”

“A-Ah, you look cool even without washing, Mister.”

“I may be, but you are not.”

“No, I'm not! So-mi is also completely clean!”

Dan Woo-hyun snorted.

Clean?

She had slept on the bed he had painstakingly made for just one day, yet it was covered in old dirt.

And who knew how long ago her clothes had been washed; the black stains looked as if they would never come off.

Just look at that face.

The marks of running snot were clear, and all kinds of dirt were smeared on her face. Even the bruises from being beaten had not subsided yet, making it hard to tell whether the child was a boy or a girl.

Dan Woo-hyun began to pour the water scooped from Dongting Lake into the tub. Watching this, Hwa So-mi swallowed hard. She was struck by an anxiety that she might freeze to death if she took a bath on such a cold day.

She felt like she would really die.

The child dashed forward and ran as fast as she could.

She headed straight for the manor's main gate in an instant. She was fast, to a degree that could not be believed of such a small body. However, feeling as if someone was pulling her from behind, she was dragged all the way back to where Dan Woo-hyun stood.

“Huh? Huh?”

Hwa So-mi opened her eyes wide, bewildered by the absurd situation. However, her thoughts could not linger any longer.

Suddenly, with a loud splash, a cold sensation swallowed her entire body.

Glub, glub!

She flailed and struggled frantically several times, but Dan Woo-hyun's strength was so great that she could not escape at all.

“Puhah!”

“There is no way the dirt will come off just by soaking you in water.”

Dan Woo-hyun reached out his hand and quickly wiped the child's face. Every time he did, black, dirty water dripped down his hand.

He stripped off all of her worn-out clothes. Hwa So-mi, suddenly naked, was startled, but Dan Woo-hyun was not a strange man who would feel lust at the sight of a mere child's body.

He washed every nook and cranny of her body.

In an instant, the water turned dirty. Since a foul smell even wafted from it, he was at the point of needing to plug his nose.

It was the kind of water that, although he was touching it, he absolutely did not want splattered on his body.

“Just how long did you go without washing for it to be like this?”

“I… I don't know! Sniff…”

Dan Woo-hyun's rough hands never stopped, and Hwa So-mi eventually sat down with a crying face.

An hour later, he pulled out Hwa So-mi, whose eyes had become like those of a half-dead fish, and shook the water off her body.

Because she had made such a fuss while being bathed, even Dan Woo-hyun was soaking wet.

After finishing changing Hwa So-mi's clothes, Dan Woo-hyun changed into a newly bought white robe, though it was not of very high quality. Hwa So-mi stared intently at him as he undressed without hesitation.

“What is all of that?”

She was asking about the scars on Dan Woo-hyun's body. There were so many cuts and stab wounds that just looking at them was enough to make one turn their eyes away.

Yet Hwa So-mi did not look away.

It was a level of composure that made it hard to believe she did so out of childhood ignorance.

Dan Woo-hyun chuckled.

“They are wounds of glory.”

“Glory? Is it something you eat?”

“No, do not associate everything with food.”

“My mom said so. That eating well and sleeping well are the best things in the world.”

Of course, she was not wrong.

Because eating well meant one was wealthy, and sleeping well meant one stayed in a good house.

“Haha, it is indeed true. But this is different from that. Shall I say they are the traces left behind by a journey to become the best?”

“The best? By any chance, a carpenter?”

“…….”

In Hwa So-mi's eyes, Dan Woo-hyun was undoubtedly a carpenter.

There was no way he could make things this well otherwise.

Not to mention this house, looking around the room, there was nothing that had been bought; everything was crafted solely by Dan Woo-hyun's hands.

Just looking at this, Hwa So-mi was convinced that Dan Woo-hyun was a carpenter with skills that stood second to none.

“I am… not a carpenter.”

“Mister, you weren't a carpenter? Then what are you?”

“Just because one is good at working wood does not make them a carpenter. I was just slightly better at using a blade than others.”

“A blade? A cook? But the food you prepared was all either grilled or eaten raw…”

“Hahaha…”

“Ah! You became a beggar because you couldn't cook.”

Hwa So-mi cast a pitying look, as if she was deeply (?) convinced.

It seemed she understood it in a way that, although he was good at catching things, he could not actually cook. Thus, he could not work properly as a cook and eventually ended up as a beggar.

“I was not a cook either.”

“Then tell me a little more.”

Letting out a low hum, Dan Woo-hyun sat down at the table.

How should he explain it?

He had wandered the world holding a blade and killing people. But could that be called a profession? No matter how much he thought about it, he was at a loss for how to explain.

Since he had not exactly earned money from it either.

And to truthfully say that he had killed people, Hwa So-mi's innocent face weighed on his mind. Because he wanted to be an honorable person more than anyone else in front of this child.

In the end, he had to gloss over it.

“Nothing good will come of knowing, so let us leave it at that. That aside, do the clothes fit well?”

“Yes! It is my first time wearing clothes like this!”

Jumping up from her seat, Hwa So-mi spun around. She seemed to like the clothes very much. Although they were not expensive clothes made of silk, they were made using reasonably high-quality fabric from the market street.

Consequently, they were quite expensive.

To the extent that he had spent most of the money earned from selling wood and leather to buy that single set of clothes.

“It is a relief they fit well. I was worried they might not fit…”

Plop.

Hwa So-mi plopped down onto the chair and swung her feet back and forth. Then, she stared intently at Dan Woo-hyun with her round eyes.

Although it was impossible to tell what she wanted to say, her speckless, clear eyes held only Dan Woo-hyun.

“It is fine even if they do not fit. Even if I wear cheaper clothes than this, or even if I starve… So-mi is fine. As long as I am with you, Mister, everything is fine.”

Dan Woo-hyun looked at So-mi with a blank stare.

Her innocent expression and tone… there was no pretense in them.

When had he ever heard such sincere words coming straight from the heart?

Assuredly, not once.

Those who approached him did so without exception to obtain something or to take his head. Every single word they uttered plunged like a dagger deep into Dan Woo-hyun's chest.

Thus, So-mi's single word touched his heartstrings.

Unconsciously, he turned his gaze away.

He could not look straight at Hwa So-mi.

Perhaps this child also had a purpose. However, it would not be for self-interest, but simply the desire to be together.

That, too, might perhaps be considered a benefit this child could gain from Dan Woo-hyun. But it was not something that harmed Dan Woo-hyun.

That was why his heart was drawn to her even more.

He could not help but care.

He thought that if it was indeed this child, she might be able to fill the empty void of a thousand years of time.

Dan Woo-hyun unconsciously smiled and turned his gaze back.

“A young thing speaks so grandly.”

“My mom always said that So-mi is young but has an old head. I don't really know what those words mean…”

“It means you are like an old soul.”

“What is that? Is it something you eat?”

She tilted her head again.

She seemed truly unable to understand.

Dumbfounded, Dan Woo-hyun could only chuckle.

This child associated everything only with food. He thought that it was probably because she had starved for a long time.

He reached out his hand and stroked her head.

As if it felt good, Hwa So-mi closed her eyes and smiled broadly.

“It would be nice if we could live quietly like this.”

“We can!”

“Haha, yes, it would be really nice if we could.”

Dan Woo-hyun took in the scenery visible outside the window. A breeze blew in through the open window. The wind gently wrapped around Dan Woo-hyun and seemed to stop, remaining motionless.

Dan Woo-hyun knew better than anyone else.

That a human who lived off the blade could never escape that fate. The wind blowing toward Dan Woo-hyun right now lingered at the tip of a blade.

He wished.

That this wind would never flow again.

He did not care if his martial arts regressed.

He only desperately hoped that this peace would not be shattered.

That was the only wish Dan Woo-hyun had right now. He was more satisfied with this present moment than with his past, blood-spattered, violent life.

Dan Woo-hyun, wearing a broad smile, spoke.

“Now that we are all cleaned up, shall we go up the mountain?”

“Great! Today So-mi will feed you something delicious. Hehehe.”

Dan Woo-hyun once again stroked the head of Hwa So-mi, who was smiling broadly.