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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Returning Home (1)
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Afternoon, with sunlight blazing so fiercely it seemed to scorch the earth.
A massive zelkova tree revealed its majestic form before the two men crossing the field.
Its trunk was so thick that three or four grown men would have to link hands to encircle it, and its height must have been at least ten zhang.
"Guardian Spirit."
Sima Geon gazed at the zelkova tree, his face filled with nostalgia.
The villagers called the tree at the village entrance by that name, gathering every year to hold rituals and treating it as sacred.
The Guardian Spirit was also the neighborhood kids' favorite playground. He too had dragged his younger siblings there every chance he got, playing wildly beneath it day after day.
"Whoa! What a tree—this thing's huge!"
Cheol Woo couldn't hide his awe as he stared up at the tree soaring into the sky.
Zelkova trees could be found in every village, but he'd never seen one this enormous.
"That's why they call it the Guardian Spirit."
"Oh, the Guardian Spirit! Is this the one the captain mentioned sometimes?"
Cheol Woo looked at the tree with renewed interest and asked.
"Yeah."
Sima Geon grinned brightly and approached the children playing under the tree.
The kids eyed the strangers warily.
"No need to be scared. We're not bad guys."
Sima Geon spoke gently, but the children's guard didn't drop.
It was because Cheol Woo, following behind him, looked the very picture of a villain.
Sima Geon smiled at the kids edging away from him.
"He might look fierce, but he's not a bad guy. Though he can get pretty bear-like when he's mad."
At the word "bear," the children widened their eyes and scrutinized Cheol Woo—only to look even more terrified.
Sima Geon inwardly kicked himself for saying something unnecessary and asked in the gentlest voice he could muster.
"You kids are from Peach Blossom Village, right?"
"You know our village?"
The biggest boy asked, still eyeing him suspiciously.
"Of course. This tree is Peach Blossom Village's Guardian Spirit. I used to live around here when I was little."
"Ah!"
The children seemed somewhat relieved that the stranger not only knew the village name but also that the tree was their Guardian Spirit.
As the mood lightened a bit, Sima Geon quickly pressed on.
"There's a small pond to the north of the village, right?"
"Yes."
"And a thatched hut a little ways to the left of that pond. Well, it might not be thatched anymore."
"That's right."
The boy nodded vigorously.
"That's my house."
"Really?"
One of the kids they'd been talking to widened his eyes in surprise.
"Yeah, really."
Right then, the little girl clutching the boy's sleeve piped up in a sharp tone.
"You're lying."
"Lying? Why do you say that?"
"That's Grandma Ado's house. Grandma Ado doesn't have a dad or a big brother."
"Could be an uncle."
The boy nudged the girl's arm. She shook her head firmly.
"Never heard anything about an uncle. This guy's lying. Let's go."
The girl shot Sima Geon a fierce, wary glare and tugged the boy's arm.
The boy got dragged along in a daze. The other kids, who'd been watching anxiously, turned and bolted too.
Sima Geon couldn't bring himself to stop them. A grim thought struck him: the house by the pond, his childhood home, might be empty of family.
Moments later, he hurried off in the direction the children had fled.
"Whew! So sweet, really sweet. Now I get why they call it Peach Blossom Village, Captain."
Cheol Woo spat out the peach pit and reached for another.
True to its name, peach trees dotted the village surroundings, laden with ripe fruit ready for harvest.
Cheol Woo rubbed the peach in his sleeve and held it out.
"Try one, Captain."
"No thanks."
"Oh, sorry."
Seeing Sima Geon's hardened expression, Cheol Woo sheepishly lowered his hand. But he soon glanced around slyly and took a bite anyway.
"Mmm!"
As Cheol Woo savored the burst of fragrant juice, Sima Geon's steps quickened.
Reaching the pond, Sima Geon caught his breath and slowly turned his head.
A dilapidated thatched hut.
The house of his dreams.
It's exactly the same.
A smile tugged at his lips as he saw his childhood home unchanged from memory.
"This the place?"
Cheol Woo wiped his mouth and asked.
"Yeah."
Sima Geon nodded and strode toward the house without hesitation.
That's when it came—a gruff voice from behind.
"Who goes there?"
Sima Geon turned.
A middle-aged man stared at him coldly.
Villagers began gathering behind the man, their numbers swelling past ten in moments.
Sima Geon spotted the little girl clutching the man's sleeve and understood instantly. She'd run to the adults, crying that suspicious strangers were chasing them.
"This is Grandma Ado's place. What do you want here?"
The man spoke threateningly. He held back only because of Cheol Woo's menacing look and the peach in his mouth—if not, he'd have been ready to throw punches.
"It's not like that. This place is..."
As Sima Geon tried to clear the misunderstanding, he trailed off, studying the man's face closely.
"Uncle... Jang?"
At the familiar tone, Jang Lok blinked in confusion.
"The village headman's house, right? Uncle Jang?"
"Y-Yes, but who might you be...?"
As Jang Lok answered cautiously, Sima Geon rushed forward and seized both his hands.
"Uncle, it's me. Sima Geon, who used to live here."
Jang Lok tried to pull free but couldn't budge, his face uncomfortable.
"Sima... Geon? Who's th—"
Suddenly recalling something, Jang Lok's eyes widened like saucers.
"S-Sima Geon? The little kid from back then?"
"That's right. It's me, Uncle."
"No way!"
Sima Geon swept back the hair from his forehead for Jang Lok's stunned gaze.
"My God!"
Jang Lok gasped, clapping a hand over his mouth at the lightning-shaped scar on the man's temple.
"Recognize me now?"
Sima Geon's voice rose naturally.
"That scar... from when little Uk hit you with a rock as a kid..."
"Yes. You remember. After losing that fight, the punk smashed me with a stone out of nowhere."
"Right, that's it. So you're really the boy who left with the escort caravan twelve years ago and vanished?"
Jang Lok stammered, his face a mix of disbelief and joy.
"I was hauling goods for Eunseong Escort Agency. You tried to talk me out of it several times, saying it was dangerous, Uncle."
Jang Lok pulled Sima Geon into a fierce hug.
"You rascal! Where have you been all this time? What the hell happened?"
Sima Geon said nothing, just hugged back tightly.
The sudden turn of events left Jang Lok's daughter Jang Min—who'd been glaring daggers from behind her father—and the villagers who'd rushed over believing the kids utterly bewildered.
"You're really Geon?"
A middle-aged man who looked about Jang Lok's age asked in a trembling voice.
Sima Geon patted Jang Lok's back, glanced at the man, and nodded vigorously.
"Yes. You've gotten old too, Uncle."
"You remember me."
Wang Gae said, his eyes reddening.
"How could I forget you all? I remember every blade of grass, every rock in this place."
Sima Geon's eyes were already misty as he looked at the gathered villagers and scanned his surroundings.
"Little Hyeong?"
Sima Geon asked, startled.
"Yeah. Four or five years ago, I think."
Jang Lok tilted his head, but Wang Gae shook his vigorously.
"Four or five? It's been exactly six years this year."
"Heh! Already? Time flies."
Jang Lok let out a hollow laugh.
"When you vanished like that, your family lost their minds. It was heartbreaking to watch. But they never gave up hope, insisting you'd come back for sure."
"Then why did they leave for the capital?"
Sima Geon asked, his voice heavy with worry.
If the family who'd clung to hope of his return had abandoned their home, there had to be a serious reason.
"The youngest got really sick."
"The youngest... You mean Jin-ah?"
He thought of his baby sister, so precious he could've put her in his eye without pain—the four-year-old with braids who chased after him.
"Yeah. She was healthy as could be, then suddenly fell ill after turning eight. She started wasting away, getting weaker by the day. Your family, the whole village—we tried everything to figure out what was wrong, but nothing worked. We dragged her to every doctor we could find, but none could diagnose it."
"So they moved to the capital."
"Exactly. Figured a big city would have better physicians than this backwater. And the medicine wasn't cheap. They bought every remedy out there, and the costs piled up. Sold the cherished ox, even the house eventually. Sold everything they could, but it still wasn't enough. In a rural place like this, farming's the only income, and that's barely enough to scrape by—no real money in it."
The more Wang Gae explained, the more Sima Geon's heart ached for his family's desperate struggles.
Seeing Sima Geon fight back tears, Wang Gae and all the villagers looked at him with pity.
After composing himself, Sima Geon gave the worried villagers a faint smile.
"It's okay. I'm fine, and my family will be too. Don't worry. I'll save Jin-ah, no matter what. I'll spend ten thousand gold if I have to—I'll cure her myself. And I'll make up for all the filial duty I missed. Our mother, who raised us four siblings alone through all the hardship. I'll make sure she lives better than anyone."
Sima Geon smiled brightly, vowing not to the villagers, but to himself.
"Geon-ah."
Jang Lok called in a subdued voice, thick with sorrow and pity.
Sima Geon's heart sank.
Jang Lok's expression was gravely serious.
"What? Is there something else I need to know?"
Sima Geon forced a bright tone to shake off the dread.
"..."
Jang Lok hesitated, unable to speak. Sima Geon grabbed his arm.
"Why're you doing this? You're scaring me."
"Well..."
"Tell me. What is it?"
Sima Geon's face twisted in anguish.
"Your mother..."
Those two words sapped the strength from his grip on Jang Lok's arm.
That night, Sima Geon wept and vomited blood in the room Jang Lok had given him.