Heavenly Inquisition Sword Novel - Chapter 217
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C217. Why Aren’t You Eating?
Han Chaeyeon also became interested when she saw the vajra.
“What is that? It looks familiar. Where have I seen it before?”
“Unni (Older Sister), he picked it up this morning in Jowon Village. Old Shim doesn’t know its name either,” explained Ha Sobaek, turning the vajra into something found in Jowon Village that morning.
Shim Tong didn’t bother correcting her, knowing it would be useless; they would likely claim he had a heavenly dream, just like the village chief.
At that moment, Yak Daemong, who had finished negotiating, approached Lee Cheolsan’s group. He glanced at the object on Shim Tong’s waist and said:
“What you have there is called a vajra.”
“Vajra?” Shim Tong, who had never been near a temple, blinked at the unfamiliar name.
“Yes, it’s said that Indra used this weapon to defeat the Asuras. The one you have appears to be a single-pointed vajra, called a dokko. If it had nine points, it would be a kukko.”
“And they defeated the Asuras with this?”
“Ha! According to Buddhist mythology, yes. It’s said that the vajra is so strong that it can cut and pierce anything. Did you say you found it in Jowon Village?”
“Why? Is there a problem?”
“No, it’s just that I’ve never seen a temple near Jowon Village. It seems to be a very old item. If you ever decide to sell it, please let me know.”
If it had been found in a temple, it would make sense, but it didn’t make sense for a simple mortal to have such a large vajra. Those carried as amulets were much smaller.
“I’ll think about it.”
Shim Tong’s expression softened suddenly at Yak Daemong’s suggestion. What had once been a bothersome burden could now be something valuable, so it was only natural.
Before selling it, he planned to show it to Yeon Jeokha. Thinking about Yeon Jeokha’s reaction to his incredible story made him smile.
——————
Henan Province.
Zhengzhou City.
Seokjang Village.
At noon.
A young man entered the village. It was Yeon Jeokha, who had come to visit his maternal family. After two days of searching, the sight of the village made him forget his fatigue. The village, located at the foot of Mount Bangsan, had about fifty houses. Thanks to the warm midday sun, there were quite a few people on the streets.
Yeon Jeokha approached the most approachable-looking man he saw.
“Excuse me, sir. May I ask you a question?”
The middle-aged man directed his gaze to the sword at Yeon Jeokha’s waist.
“Yes, go ahead.”
Thinking he was speaking to a member of the Murim, the man adopted a more formal tone.
“I’m looking for the house of someone named Yi Wooseok. Do you know where it is?”
“Oh, yes. It’s the house at the start of Mount Bangsan. It’s a good place to clear the mountain or gather firewood. But why are you looking for Yi’s house?”
It seemed that in a small village, additional questions were inevitable. But Yeon Jeokha wasn’t so sensitive to etiquette as to notice.
“Oh, it seems we’re relatives, and I came to visit him.”
The man, named Seok Woondae, tilted his head, confused.
“Is he a relative from your father’s side or your mother’s?”
“From my mother’s side. Why so many questions, sir?”
Seok Woondae blushed at Yeon Jeokha’s observation.
“Oh, no. It’s just that I haven’t seen anyone from outside in a long time. Well, go ahead and make your visit.”
Seok Woondae ended the conversation hastily and left.
“Wow, what a curious guy.”
The hurried way the man left left a lasting impression on Yeon Jeokha. He waited for Seok Woondae to disappear before heading towards Mount Bangsan.
The house the man mentioned was right at the foot of the mountain, meaning it was quite far from the others. It was a rather rustic house, with a poorly maintained wooden fence and a door that swung slightly in the wind.
He knew that his maternal family’s economic situation was so bad that they had sold his mother, but he didn’t expect it to be this severe.
Clicking his tongue, Yeon Jeokha pushed the door open and entered.
“Is anyone home?”
A little girl came running out of the house at the sound of his voice. She couldn’t have been more than six years old. The girl, thin and nervous, looked around before speaking with a frightened face.
“Who are you?”
“Me? Just a traveler. Aren’t your parents home?”
“They’re up on the mountain gathering firewood.”
Only then did Yeon Jeokha notice the pile of firewood in a corner of the yard.
“Do they gather firewood to sell or to use?”
“For both. Why do you ask?”
Yeon Jeokha’s expression changed, impressed. The girl seemed smarter than he had thought.
He sat comfortably on a makeshift porch.
“When will your parents return?”
“Soon. You shouldn’t sit there.”
“Don’t worry about me.”
“But you shouldn’t sit like that in someone else’s house. Aren’t you a traveler?”
Yeon Jeokha observed the girl with a new perspective. She spoke with surprising clarity for her age.
“Little one, how old are you?”
“Twelve.”
“…”
Surprised, Yeon Jeokha examined the girl’s face. She looked like she was six or seven years old, not twelve.
“Wow, you’re very young for your age.”
“No, it’s just that I don’t eat enough.”
The girl, named Yi Sihwa, replied with a resentful look. If it weren’t for the sword at the stranger’s waist, she would have already chased him away with a good dose of curses.
“No, seriously, you look much younger. When you don’t eat, you just look thin, but you actually look younger.”
“Why don’t you just leave? Did you come to see my sister?”
“Sister? Do you have a sister?”
“Surely you came to see my sister. She’s getting married soon, so you’d better leave.”
“How old is your sister to be getting married so soon?”
“Sixteen.”
“Why is she getting married so young?”
“Well, it’s because…”
Yi Sihwa fell silent, unable to explain that her sister was getting married because they were very poor.
“What’s wrong? Did she have a problem?”
“Don’t say nonsense. My sister isn’t like that.”
“Then is it a love marriage?”
“No.”
“Then why is she getting married so soon?”
“You don’t need to know! Just leave, ahjussi!”
Yi Sihwa, annoyed, momentarily forgot about the sword at the stranger’s waist.
“Hey, I’m not an ‘ahjussi.’”
“Then what are you?”
“Is your father’s name Yi Wooseok?”
“Yes, why?”
“Then I’m your cousin. Your older cousin.”
“We don’t have relatives, neither on my father’s side nor on my mother’s. Where did you come from?”
“From somewhere. What’s your name?”
“Yi Sihwa. It doesn’t seem true…”
Despite her words, Yi Sihwa looked at Yeon Jeokha with a mix of hope and skepticism. Secretly, she wished this well-dressed young man was truly her cousin so that her sister wouldn’t have to marry like this.
A cold gust of wind made Yi Sihwa, standing in the doorway, shiver. Seeing her, Yeon Jeokha said:
“If you’re cold, go inside. I’ll wait here.”
“I can’t leave a guest outside.”
Yi Sihwa shook her head. She couldn’t fully trust him to leave him inside. But she also didn’t want to seem rude.
Finally, she decided to continue talking from the door.
“Achoo!”
Yi Sihwa sneezed, revealing that she was enduring the cold.
“Wow, you really are cold. This can’t be.”
Yeon Jeokha stood up and dragged the pile of firewood to the center of the yard.
“Hey! Don’t touch that! It’s firewood my dad is going to sell!”
“Who sells this? They’re just branches.”
To Yeon Jeokha, those branches were useless. He sat down in front of the pile and began using his flint.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t spark a flame. He felt the little one watching him, which made him even more nervous. At that moment, he missed Shim Tong, who always took care of these things.
Frustrated, he threw the flint.
“Damn it! I can’t do it!”
Yi Sihwa, who was anxiously watching, let out a laugh.
Yeon Jeokha threw the flint in anger and returned to the pile of firewood. He grabbed a branch and, using his fire control skill, ignited a flame.
“Ah, there it is!”
He placed the branch in the pile, which quickly started to burn. Yi Sihwa, watching the scene, let out a sharp cry.
“No! That’s firewood to sell!”
“Don’t worry. I’ll bring you better firewood.”
Hearing this, Yi Sihwa, though reluctant, stepped down from the porch and sat by the fire. She trusted her cousin’s promise and gathered more wood from the yard to feed the fire.
Soon, the fire grew large enough to be visible from afar. Some people, seeing the smoke, came running, thinking the house was on fire.
Yeon Jeokha took some jerky from his backpack and began roasting it. As they ate together, someone suddenly opened the door.
“Hey! What are you doing in my house? And you, Sihwa! Why are you with him?”
Yi Sihwa shrank back in fear.
“Sister, I… Say something, ahjussi.”
Yeon Jeokha, with his mouth full of jerky, slowly stood up. In front of him, a young woman about sixteen years old looked at him with furious eyes.
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