Chapter 37 – The Goblin Village

Chapter 37 – The Goblin Village

The longer the hesitation, the shorter the courage became.

San-ho did not contemplate any further and immediately packed his belongings. He did not know what was at the end of this road, but it did not matter what it was. If only he could find the answer to the question.

While he was preparing spare clothes and other necessities in the annex like that,

Tang Hwa-seon, who dropped by briefly before his departure, suddenly held out his hand.

“Hand it over.”

“Yes? What?”

San-ho's eyes widened.

Without a word of reply, Tang Hwa-seon snatched the money pouch that was in his hand. Then, leaving only a couple of silver coins, he shook out the rest and took them, did he not?

“…?”

Unbelievable.

Even if it was a world where they would slice off your nose with your eyes wide open, to have his money pouch plundered right in front of his eyes?

Having encountered the first robber of his life, and inside the Tang Clan annex at that, San-ho opened and closed his mouth in disbelief.

“Why is that…”

“If you go out into the Jianghu carrying this much money, is that not a vacation rather than a Jianghu journey?”

No, what on earth do you mean by that…?

The Family Head is saying that because he does not know, but Namgung Yeon even plundered his family's spirit medicines when he ran away from home, you know?!

San-ho, feeling a surge of anger, glared up.

“Father. How can one go out into the Jianghu without money?”

“Indeed, a Jianghu journey is about directly observing and feeling the lives of the common people, and practicing righteousness and chivalry. If you do the right thing, what is necessary will follow. A Jianghu journey where one does not feel lack is meaningless.”

Ah.

Good heavens.

One of the things that San-ho could absolutely not understand was penniless travel.

Someone once said. Penniless travel is the romance of youth.

Without a doubt, San-ho thought otherwise.

Romance? That all comes from money. How much do you need?

To go out into the harsh Jianghu, and they only hand over a few pieces of silver. He could absolutely not accept this baffling and absurd situation.

What was the use of being a young master of the Five Great Families? He had no money!

However, Tang Hwa-seon, with a shameless face, proudly bragged about his exploits, saying that in his day he went out empty-handed and lived for three months on gratitude, or that he plundered a Green Forest stronghold entirely and received a bounty.

‘Do you not know the saying that hardship in one's youth leads to arthritis in old age…?’

San-ho had not told anyone the purpose of his Jianghu journey yet.

Since his information was lacking, he had to use the given situation to his maximum advantage.

‘It can't be helped. Then let's at least pack some items.’

He gave up on the money pouch and tried to pack the gifted spirit medicines, but Tang Hwa-seon shook his head.

Are you really going to be like this?

“…No, then please give me just a bit more.”

In the end, San-ho came to be positioned somewhere between a young master of a prestigious family and a member of the Beggars' Sect.

***

And now.

The third day of the Sichuan Tang Clan's young master's first venture into the Jianghu .

Only three days after leaving the family's boundaries, San-ho, wandering the forest path looking considerably disheveled, had only one thought in his head.

Hungry.

How long had it been since he last felt hungry?

Delicious and warm food, snacks that were always prepared, a cozy blanket… Clutching his starving stomach, the things he had taken for granted all this time came to mind.

Indeed, humans were certainly creatures of adaptation.

How long had it been since he enjoyed meals prepared by others and a comfortable daily life, yet he was already feeling discomfort? If he recalled his past life where he had lived like a tough weed, this was nothing.

On the road leaving Chengdu in Sichuan and heading toward Guangan , San-ho shuddered at the sorrow that washed over him instead of his nearly empty money pouch.

However.

In fact, San-ho was currently facing a problem more serious than money.

Turning the map in his hand this way and that, San-ho let out a low sigh.

“Where on earth is this? Sigh…”

The path starting from Sichuan and heading toward Chongqing .

Seeing the sun rise and set, the direction seemed to be roughly correct, but a proper village had not been seen for days.

Since the Earth was round, he kept walking forward, but for some reason, the mountains only seemed to grow deeper and deeper.

‘A village needs to appear for me to find an inn.’

Finding a single book in the vast Central Plains was harder than finding a grain of sand in a desert.

If he blindly searched the Central Plains without information under the pretext of finding a secret manual, there was a high probability that he would not find it within his lifespan even if he underwent rejuvenation three times.

Therefore, San-ho thought of a place where he could gather as much information as possible.

Precisely, an inn.

Since ancient times, information gathered where people gathered.

The Murong Clan also said they had heard rumors regarding the secret manual from a martial artist they met at an inn in Wutai. A place where storytellers who spread rumors from mouth to mouth gathered. San-ho planned to prioritize visiting inns that seemed to have some scale.

Of course, that was once he escaped this mountain path.

Just then, the end of a paved road caught the eyes of the lost San-ho.

“Uh?”

The fact that there was a built road meant…

‘This means a village is here!’

Finally. San-ho let out a cheer internally and quickened his steps.

***

Since everywhere his steps reached was not a bustling area, he had to rest when he stopped by a proper village. Buying necessary items or satisfying his hunger was only possible if there were shops.

However, this village near Guangan had so few people walking the streets that it felt desolate.

“No… does this neighborhood not even have a single proper inn?”

Not only that, but the red lanterns of the inn were covered in thick dust as if they had been turned off for a long time. Even at a glance, there were barely any open shops, and even if there were, they were only for the local residents, not for passing outsiders.

‘Tsk. Why is the atmosphere like this? Besides, I feel like someone keeps watching me.’

San-ho looked around at the gaze he had vaguely felt since entering the village. However, there was no suspicious person or gaze stubbornly following him.

‘…Am I just self-conscious?’

It was probably nothing. San-ho, brushing it off lightly, moved his feet to find an inn.

How much time had passed like that?

“There really isn't one?”

To think that not a single place was in business despite having walked around the neighborhood once to find an open inn.

Although they said one had to pass through a fairly deep mountain to get here, this place was close to Chongqing, so foot traffic shouldn't be that rare.

“Mister.”

Just then, a youthful voice was heard.

……Mister?

Me?

At the title he was hearing for the first time since his reincarnation, San-ho turned his head toward the source of the sound.

The owner of the voice was a young child who looked to be about five or six years old.

A tiny child who did not even reach his waist was looking up at San-ho with round eyes.

“…Me?”

When he asked back just in case, the child nodded.

Tsk, right. If there was more than a ten-year difference… then he was a mister…

Muttering bitterly to himself, San-ho lowered his posture to meet the child's eye level.

“Yeah. Why did you call me?”

“Who are you, mister?”

“Just a passerby. Um, but by any chance, is there an inn in business here? It would be nice if lodging was also possible.”

San-ho, who had not been able to find proper lodging for days, asked in a gentle voice.

“Why an inn?”

“Because this mister is hungry…”

“Hmm… our house is over there, though.”

Was the child inviting him to their house?

San-ho tilted his head slightly.

“But, mister…”

“Yeah?”

Looking around, the child lowered their already small voice even further and whispered cautiously.

“…Are you alone?”

“…?”

What?

San-ho stared intently at the child.

…Do normal kids ask this kind of thing?

It was at the moment he was about to ask the reason for the slight chill he felt.

“Oh, oh my! Good heavens!”

“Mommy.”

A woman who came running in a hurry from afar suddenly scooped up the child and bowed her waist repeatedly.

“I-I am sorry. The child is young, so… I am sorry, I am sorry!”

“It is fine…”

“I am sorry, I am sorry!”

The woman disappeared, fleeing with a pale face.

“…?”

What on earth is this situation?

Anyone would think he had threatened to kill them…

Thinking he had unintentionally scared them, San-ho glanced down to inspect his attire.

This was because he had heard that there were commoners who blindly feared martial artists, no matter if they were orthodox sect members.

‘Hmm. I don't think that's it.’

To avoid revealing his identity, he had not worn clothes with the family crest, and since he did not use a long sword, he had no weapons visible on the outside. At a glance, he looked like a young master of a decent family.

San-ho tilted his head in wonder.

“Anyway… there are no inns in business, right? *Sigh*, resting here is out of the question.”

I hope it's not too far to the next village.

San-ho stopped looking around further and pulled out the folded map once again.

He noticed that the atmosphere of the village was somewhat strange, but it did not seem like they needed help. Besides, he thought that digging deeper was none of his business.

‘The road ahead is long, so long.’

Passing by the village he had barely found and entering the quiet mountain path again,

A strange presence was felt nearby.

‘Hmm?’

Before long, as if they had been waiting, rugged-looking men popped out of the dark mountain path one by one.

Bushy beards, hair wrapped in bandanas, rough and hardened eyes, and tanned leather clothes.

Additionally, each of them held a weapon in their hands in a disorganized manner.

San-ho's eyes widened when he saw the men who looked somewhat familiar.

Could this be the legendary…

“How dare you try to pass through here. You young brat, you fear nothing indeed.”

Wow.

They must be the real Green Forest…!

Is there anyone who reads wuxia novels who does not know the Green Forest? A bandit group spread all over the Central Plains' martial world. To San-ho, who had never left Sichuan Province, they were definitely a fascinating sight.

San-ho, facing the Green Forest for the first time, spoke with sparkling eyes.

“Wow, this is my first time seeing bandits. How fascinating.”

“…?”

“Is that real tiger skin?”

“Huh?”

“Did you catch it yourself? I wanted to try catching one too.”

“………”

What kind of guy is this?

The bandits, who were approaching threateningly, stopped in their tracks in disbelief and stared at San-ho.

Naturally, in a way, San-ho was not afraid of them.

Of course, it was true that they looked rugged and rough, but real fear did not come from a fierce appearance.

“Ah, but I'm asking just in case.”

It is said that eagles drop their chicks from cliffs to teach them how to fly.

Was that impressive to them?

Thanks to Tang Hae-soo and the Hall Leaders who subjected humans to that eagle training method, San-ho knew better than anyone what 'real fear' was. At the very least, real fear did not wear tiger skin clothes.

“You are bandits, right?”

“…What is this…”

At any rate, San-ho, who had survived that hellish training, was generally highly adaptable, did not panic even if strange things occurred, and ultimately remained unbroken like a weed that kept growing no matter how many times it was pulled.

What did that mean?

It meant that he had become fearless enough to wonder if the pattern on their clothes was a tiger pattern or not, even when facing bandits.

“Because it would be a big deal if you weren't.”

…What would be?

The rugged men narrowed their brows in confusion.

In fact, by this point, the situation was already beginning to flow in a strange direction.

Was that not so?

If someone is threatening you with a weapon, and you suddenly ask, 'Excuse me, but what is the material of the clothes you are wearing?'

“…Is he crazy?”

“Brother, that guy… I think he's smiling.”

“What kind of bastard is he?”

With a high probability, the one who panics is the opposing side.

Facing a type of human they were meeting for the first time in their lives, the bandits fell into temporary confusion. What is it? Is he not alone? Does he have a trick up his sleeve? Or is he just crazy?

Their eyes gleamed red as they tried to identify the crazy guy.

Yet, San-ho, who was actually watching that sight,

‘Wow, are they threatening me? Will they take me to their stronghold now? If I go… will there be food?’

San-ho's eyes were shining now in a completely different sense from theirs.

‘Is there a bounty…?!’

To say it again, real fear does not come from a rugged appearance.