CLS-Chapter 106

Chapter 106

Why did that lazy one leave so easily, you ask?

Well, I wouldn’t know.

Huh? Why don’t I know?

Do you see me as someone who has clairvoyance or something?

I only met Wei Yan-ho and traveled with him much later. What happened with Wei Yan-ho before that—I only know from investigations and hearsay.

You don’t understand?

Well, of course not.

Because Wei Yan-ho was originally that kind of guy.

But it’s not entirely Wei Yan-ho’s fault.

From what I observed while watching him, Wei Yan-ho isn’t the type who tries to do things on his own initiative. So normally, he shouldn’t cause any trouble.

Think about it.

How much trouble could someone cause when their only joy in life is lying around in a room killing time?

After all, trouble is something that happens when people meet people, isn’t it?

So Wei Yan-ho, who has few points of contact and extremely low activity levels, shouldn’t normally cause any trouble.

But strangely enough, incidents and accidents never cease around Wei Yan-ho.

Just by quietly staying in one place, trouble storms around him like a hurricane.

When you think about it backwards, it’s pitiful.

Imagine if nothing happened because of you, but all sorts of trouble occurred just because you were there. Actually, it’s because Wei Yan-ho has such a laid-back personality—if it were an ordinary person, they would have had a nervous breakdown long ago.

Huh?

This incident was like that too.

Normally, things shouldn’t get so tangled up like that.

Wei Yan-ho just traveled down the road, but events got all tangled up around him.

What do you mean?

Listen.

***

“…It’s a mistake.”

The word “mistake” might not be appropriate. If a mistake means unintentionally committing a wrong, then this couldn’t be called a mistake.

Because this wasn’t a momentary error, but a failure of calculation.

Wei Yan-ho, who had set out on his journey, had no choice but to realize his error before long. It was unfortunate that he failed to think of the very mistake that anyone who knew Wei Yan-ho could have predicted.

Wei Yan-ho discovered that he faced two problems after setting out on his journey.

The first was his destination.

“Where should I go?”

He had rushed out with the thought that he needed to leave first, but he had nowhere to go.

To be precise, there were plenty of places to go. It wasn’t like he had a fixed destination anyway—he could go anywhere and just lie around. The problem was that he would inevitably have to experience something new wherever he arrived.

The second was…

“When will I arrive?”

Humans are surprisingly among the top animals in terms of endurance. Just by walking steadily, a person can travel a hundred li in a day.

The problem was “steadily.”

Wei Yan-ho had two sturdy legs, but he lacked the perseverance to walk steadily for five shijin a day.

“It’s been three days.”

Three days had already passed since he left Sacred Hand Hall, but he was still wandering around the outskirts of Wuhan.

If he continued traveling like this, it might take more than a month just to leave Hubei.

After walking a little, a cool tree shade would appear, and after walking a little more, a cool stream would appear—how could a person just keep walking continuously?

When he opened the provisions he had thoughtfully prepared in advance and sat in the tree shade, he couldn’t help but feel drowsy. After sleeping like that, a day would pass.

“Ah, this won’t do.”

Wei Yan-ho, who had already spent three days like this and was about to fall asleep again, suddenly raised his head.

‘I might end up stuck to the roadside at this rate.’

If it were like before when his Divine Beggar Technique had reached the transformation stage, a life shared with the roadside wouldn’t have been bad. Just by lying around, money would have rolled in by the bundle, so he could have rolled his way out of Hubei.

But unfortunately, the current Wei Yan-ho’s Divine Beggar Technique had not only regressed but had fallen into qi deviation.

He had eaten and slept well, so he had gained weight and become plump, and his skin was so good that honey seemed to flow from it.

If he tried begging with this face, he’d be beaten to death for sure.

“What a shame.”

Wei Yan-ho clicked his tongue.

But what didn’t exist didn’t exist, and he needed to solve the immediate situation.

Eventually, Wei Yan-ho could reach one conclusion.

Walking out of this place on his own feet was like a dream. So he needed to find people who could transport him instead.

Wei Yan-ho sat in a corner by the main road and began to look for people passing by.

Since this was the road leading out of Wuhan, if he waited, at least one cart would pass by.

“…Not a single damn cart!”

Unfortunately, doesn’t the world have a saying that when you need dog dung for medicine, there’s none to be found?

Wei Yan-ho, who realized for the first time in his life that he had never been lucky even once, suddenly understood. There was no cart in this world that would carry him.

If that weren’t the case, there was no way that not a single cart would pass by after waiting for half a day.

“Should I just sleep here tonight?”

This was Wei Yan-ho who had slept on a cave floor for five years. He might be able to avoid rain, but having lived for five years in a cave full of damp moisture where bugs would pop out from time to time, there was no reason he couldn’t sleep on the roadside.

Just as he was about to give up everything…

Rattle rattle.

The sound of wheels rolling reached Wei Yan-ho’s ears.

“A cart?”

When he quickly turned his head, something was definitely rolling toward him.

The only difference was that it wasn’t a horse-drawn cart but a mule-drawn wagon.

Wei Yan-ho looked at the wagon slowly approaching him and brightened up.

What difference did it make to him whether it was a cart or a wagon in his situation?

Rather than being loaded onto the hard roof of a cart, being carried in the back of a wagon with straw laid out would be much better.

“Hello there!”

Wei Yan-ho jumped up from his spot and called out to the old man driving the wagon.

“What can I do for you?”

“I’m sorry, but could I get a ride to wherever you’re going?”

“Where I’m going?”

“Yes. My legs hurt so much right now that I can’t walk. If you could show some compassion, I’d be grateful afterward.”

“Grateful…”

The old man smiled broadly.

“I wouldn’t expect compensation just for giving someone a ride along the way anyway. But I’m worried our paths might diverge.”

“That’s fine. Just take me as far as you’re going.”

“That’s a strange thing to say. Well, fine. Get on.”

Wei Yan-ho bowed politely at the waist.

“Thank you.”

As Wei Yan-ho climbed onto the wagon with delight, the old man tapped the mule’s rear end.

The mule let out a low cry once and began pulling the wagon again.

‘This is good.’

Lying in the wagon and looking up at the sky, he felt incredibly peaceful. Since his body was moving without him having to move his legs, what could be more enjoyable than this?

“Where are you headed?”

“I don’t have a particular destination. As long as it’s not Hubei.”

“You seem to be a wanderer. Drifting without a fixed place?”

“It’s not exactly like that, but you could say it’s similar. Where are you returning from, sir?”

“I stopped by Wuhan. Now I’m heading home.”

“Ah, I see.”

Wei Yan-ho nodded and didn’t continue the conversation.

“Aren’t you going to ask more?”

“Huh? What more should I ask?”

“Usually when the conversation ends like that, don’t people ask where you live?”

Wei Yan-ho chuckled and opened his mouth.

“I just need to know where you’re going. Many people don’t like it when you pry into such things too much.”

“Hehe, I can’t tell if you’re being polite or impolite.”

“Actually, I haven’t heard that I’m polite very often.”

“You don’t seem to have a rude personality though?”

“That’s right. Strange, isn’t it?”

Wei Yan-ho chatted pleasantly with the old man. But as time passed, he increasingly failed to respond promptly.

He began to doze off.

“You seem very tired.”

“Oh!”

Wei Yan-ho, who had dropped his head significantly, startled and opened his eyes wide.

“I’m sorry.”

“Not at all. Why don’t you just lie down comfortably and take a nap?”

“Oh no, how could I commit such rudeness when I’m getting a free ride? My master said that people must know courtesy and propriety.”

The old man laughed heartily.

“Your master seems to be a very upright person. But courtesy is something that must be mutual, isn’t it? If I say it’s fine, your master wouldn’t blame you either.”

“He’s quite a stubborn fellow…”

“Is he old?”

“He’s very old… I suppose.”

Since he lived long as a ghost, should he be considered old?

“It’s fine. Your master will understand too, so go ahead and take a nap. Watching you like that from behind makes me feel more frustrated.”

“If you insist.”

Wei Yan-ho chuckled and lay down on the wagon floor.

Seeing that the straw didn’t smell, it seemed to have been laid recently. Wei Yan-ho quietly burrowed into the straw. It was warm, and drowsiness crept in.

“Then I’ll be rude.”

“Hehehe, if that’s being rude, then what in this world wouldn’t be rude? I’ll wake you when we need to part ways, so go ahead and sleep.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Wei Yan-ho slowly fell asleep.

“Hey there.”

“…”

“Hey there, wake up.”

“Mmm?”

Wei Yan-ho’s eyes snapped open. The sky had already turned dark.

“I’m sorry, but I think we need to part ways here.”

“Oh no, I slept too long.”

Wei Yan-ho jumped down from the wagon and bowed deeply.

“I’ll engrave the kindness you’ve shown me in my bones and never forget it.”

“…There’s no need to go that far. I just gave you a ride because we seemed to get along. But will you be alright? There are no houses around here.”

Wei Yan-ho smiled brightly.

“I can sleep by climbing a tree, or I can dig a hole in the ground and sleep there. I’m already grateful that you brought me this far—it would be shameless to ask for more.”

“I see. Then be careful on your way.”

“Yes, then.”

As Wei Yan-ho bowed his head once more, the old man smiled and drove the wagon away from Wei Yan-ho.

The old man, who had been driving the wagon for quite a while, turned his head to look back.

“An interesting boy.”

Suddenly, the old man’s eyes flashed with intense light.

“Red Moon.”

“Yes!”

Simultaneously with the old man’s words, a man suddenly appeared as if dropping from the empty air and stood at attention.

“Give me your orders.”

The old man looked quietly at the man called Red Moon, then slowly opened his mouth.

“Investigate that boy’s identity.”

“I will carry it out immediately.”

“And…”

“Yes!”

From the old man’s mouth began to flow a completely different voice, full of authority.

“As the leader of the Red Moon Corps, since you failed to avoid even that boy’s eyes, I order you to one month of house arrest after finishing this task.”

“…I will comply.”

“Tsk tsk tsk, this is interesting.”

As the old man drove the wagon away, Red Moon, who had been prostrating on the ground, raised his head. His eyes held puzzlement.

‘Failed to avoid the boy’s eyes?’

Then did the boy who rode in the wagon earlier detect his presence?

Himself?

It was an unbelievable story, but since it came from the old man’s mouth, there was no choice but to believe it.

‘What is his identity?’

Red Moon looked back toward where Wei Yan-ho had been left with deeply sunken eyes.