Sowol Inn - Chapter 19

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 19
“That’s right.”
“But why do people think the child is my brother’s daughter? Sigh… I knew this would happen. You always said that once you give something, you can never take it back.”
So Hye opened her mouth to launch into more complaints, then thought better of it and closed it again.
“Let me examine the child first.”
So Wol nodded and brought Riri closer to So Hye.
“Sorry for calling you when you’re busy.”
“Sorry? Of course I came when you called. This is the first time you’ve ever asked for me first.”
So Hye reached out with a smile and gently grasped Riri’s wrist.
Riri seemed a little shy with strangers, but didn’t whimper, perhaps because she was nestled in So Wol’s arms.
Soon a faint blue-green glow emanated from So Hye’s fingertips.
Thin strands of Internal Energy seeped slowly into Riri’s body.
But why was it—
The longer the Pulse Diagnosis continued, the graver So Hye’s expression became.
So Wol, catching the tension, swallowed hard.
“What’s wrong?”
“The Acupoint Sealing has come loose, like you said. But her Qi Channels have widened a bit.”
“Widened?”
“Yes. What exactly happened?”
“Riri used some force.”
“Riri? You’ve already given her a name?”
……
So Wol avoided her gaze and pretended not to hear.
So Hye sighed in resignation.
“Fine. You’ve had her for several months already—she needs a name, at least.”
So Hye stroked Riri’s hair and asked wearily.
“How much force are we talking about?”
“The Inn was knocked around a bit?”
“That’s all?”
“……The forest, too. A little.”
“The forest?”
So Hye’s frown deepened, and So Wol began to explain.
“Just a few trees were uprooted.”
“A few? How many?”
“I’m not entirely sure. When a whirlwind tears through, you’re not exactly counting trees.”
As So Wol fumbled for words, he caught So Hye’s look and finally laid out the whole story.
How Riri had cried and exerted force while he was out gathering supplies.
How Baekya, startled by the commotion, had grabbed the child and fled into the forest to escape prying eyes.
How a massive whirlwind had torn through the forest, reducing it to ruin—only to settle the moment So Wol took Riri in his arms.
So Hye listened calmly, then stroked her chin thoughtfully.
“When her emotions flare, her Qi runs wild. That’s what’s happening.”
“That’s what it looked like that day.”
So Wol adjusted his hold on Riri and nodded.
Riri, oblivious to it all, simply tugged at the fabric of his collar.
“I can reseal the Acupoints, but I’m not sure the same method will work next time.”
So Hye glanced between Riri and So Wol, choosing her words carefully.
“I can patch it temporarily, but we need to find a real solution. This is beyond what I can handle alone.”
She rubbed her forehead, her frustration evident.
“Did Beopgong know what kind of child this was when he entrusted her to you? That crazy monk is putting you through hell… I really ought to give him a piece of my mind.”
So Wol let out a soft laugh, but So Hye’s expression remained tense.
After staring down at Riri for a moment, So Hye seemed to reach a decision and spoke.
“Why don’t I take Riri with me instead?”
“You? Take her?”
“Yes. I’ll bring her to Master and see if we can find a real answer. It would be better that way.”
So Wol shook his head firmly.
“That won’t work. You’d draw too much attention taking her.”
“But Master doesn’t leave the Dang Clan compound. Taking her to me is the safest option. I’ll keep Riri hidden in the annex and summon Master separately—no unnecessary rumors will spread if we’re careful.”
So Wol paused to think, then shook his head again.
“Even so, not yet.”
“Why not?”
“Beopgong wouldn’t have entrusted the child to me without reason. I can’t simply send her to the Dang Clan on a whim. Besides, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t take her there.”
“Why not?”
Instead of answering, he lowered Riri into the cradle and disappeared into the back of the kitchen.
The moment So Wol vanished from sight, Riri’s lip trembled.
“Whimper…”
“Wait, brother. If you make the child cry—!”
“This much is fine.”
So Wol emerged from the kitchen at once and lifted Riri into his arms with practiced ease.
The tears that had been threatening to spill from Riri’s eyes dried the moment she settled against So Wol’s chest, and her small frame stilled.
So Hye, whose lips had been pressed together, blinked hard against the corners of her eyes.
“The child follows you alone.”
“She’s used to it because I’m always with her.”
“Familiarity doesn’t account for everything like that.”
So Hye smoothed the tousled strands of hair from Riri’s forehead as she spoke.
“A child knows who feeds her, who holds her, who comes running first when she cries. She understands all of it.”
“…”
“She may not have words, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t know.”
Then she fixed her gaze directly on So Wol.
Her dark blue eyes were heavy with worry.
“Brother. Raising Riri won’t be easy. You know better than anyone what happens to a gifted child in the Martial World.”
So Wol smiled bitterly.
So Wol—kidnapped at four years old for nothing but his natural talent.
The first thing he learned in the Demonic Cult Training Hall was not letters or courtesy, but how to kill.
“I know.”
He spoke softly, his gaze drifting down to Riri.
“That’s precisely why I don’t want this child to grow up as someone’s tool.”
So Hye said nothing more, her lips pressing into a thin line.
Yet the shadow of concern remained in her expression.
“I know it’s selfish, but… I hate seeing you suffer.”
“Is that so.”
“You’ve endured enough hardship already. I wish you could live comfortably now.”
So Wol laughed quietly.
“I’m comfortable enough. Does your brother go hungry? Is he ailing? A man of the Demonic Cult living like this is hardly suffering. I have a warm place to rest my body without worry, don’t I?”
“Still…”
“Baekya handles all the heavy work anyway. Stop your fretting.”
“Fine. I’ll spare you the lecture. Let’s resume the Acupoint Sealing.”
So Hye clicked her tongue and waved her hand dismissively. So Wol shrugged and brought Riri closer to his sister.
* * *
So Hye left the Inn about an hour later.
His sister had drained a bowl of soup completely and unleashed a torrent of unsolicited advice before suggesting that So Wol consider coming to stay in the Capital City instead, attempting to persuade him one last time.
But when So Wol only smiled without answering, she turned reluctantly and took her leave.
After seeing So Hye off, So Wol remained standing at the gate for some time.
Would it have been better to send her to the Dang Clan?
The thought flickered briefly, but he shook his head.
He couldn’t send Beopgong’s child elsewhere on his own authority.
More than that, Riri wouldn’t consent to being parted from him now.
He swallowed a sigh and lowered his gaze.
Riri was looking up at So Wol with bright, round eyes.
“Yon-seok. Don’t make trouble. Thanks to you, I just got an earful from my sister.”
“Kyaha!”
Despite the gruff rebuke, Riri burst into delighted laughter.
“What’s funny? What would you know about it?”
So Wol chuckled and gently tapped the bridge of Riri’s nose.
“Ah!”
“What’s wrong? Are you hungry?”
“Wuah!”
“Bored, then? Shall we take an evening walk around the Inn?”
With that, So Wol began to stroll with Riri through the grounds surrounding the Inn.
“Look, this is a willow tree. And that one there is a pear tree.”
“Mm?”
“That’s the well over there, and that’s the Zhang family’s house. Madam Wang—the one who looks after you so often—she lives there.”
“Brother?”
“You ought to be grateful to Madam Wang. It’s no small thing for someone else to clean up after you.”
So Wol scolded him, but Riri answered not with words—instead, he gnawed on So Wol’s collar with fierce little bites.
“That’s not food.”
As So Wol pried the fabric from the small mouth, he felt the surprising strength in Riri’s grip.
“……You’ve grown so much already.”
Murmuring this, So Wol sprang lightly onto the Inn’s roof.
When the cool night breeze brushed his cheek, Riri seemed charmed by the sensation and fluttered his hands.
So Wol settled onto the roof’s edge, cradling Riri in his arms.
Beneath the moonlight, the village spread out before them in a single, perfect view.
Each time the night wind stirred, flower petals scattered like snow, and from somewhere distant came the faint croaking of frogs.
Spring had arrived in full.
Yet there had come no letter at all from Beopgong, who had promised to retrieve the child come summer.
“Damn that cursed monk. Just let him show his face. I won’t go easy on him.”
So Wol ground his teeth, and Riri’s eyes widened as if to ask what was wrong.
So Wol quickly patted Riri’s back.
“Did I frighten you? I’m sorry.”
Only then did Riri’s expression ease, and he brought his finger to his mouth, sucking softly.
It was then that the frogs’ song ceased abruptly.
At the unfamiliar presence, So Wol’s eyes sharpened.
He drew Riri closer into his embrace, extending his Qi Sensing outward.
From somewhere, he felt a persistent gaze.
It was not directed at him.
Someone was watching Riri.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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