Previous | Table of Contents | Next
“Blindfolded Tag.” I was certain that a smart kid like Zhuge Woo-Hui wouldn’t carelessly choose without some tricks up her sleeve. However, trying to win at all costs in a fight against a 5-year-old was stupid. In this situation, I considered it an adult’s virtue to gracefully lose a game, so I accepted her suggestion. “Alright, let's do it.” “Come here.” Zhuge Woo-Hui guided me to a sandy area a little distance away from the workbench, and then she picked up a fallen branch nearby and drew a large circle on the ground. “You can’t go beyond this line.” “Got it.” “Cover your eyes with this.” As she placed the branch on the ground, Zhuge Woo-Hui took out a silk handkerchief from her bosom and unfolded it wide. It was large enough to wrap around a child’s head, serving as sufficient blindfold. She then extended the handkerchief to me to ensure that everything was in order. “Can you see anything?” “No, I can’t.” “Do you want to be the seeker first?” “No, this time it’s your turn.” “Then you blindfold me.” As requested, I covered her eyes with the handkerchief and guided her to the center of the circle. She counted ten seconds and then started looking for me. “Should I begin searching now?” “......” Unlike the number game I proposed earlier, “Blindfolded Tag” seemed to have no room for tricks or loopholes. As I crouched on the edge of the circle, holding my breath, I began to observe Zhuge Woo-Hui’s every move. I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of confidence led her to choose this particular game. But it took less than five seconds for my eyes to widen in horror. “Sueu-huu...” The sound of even breathing came out of the mouth of the little girl who was standing motionless. And in the next moment, her eyes, tightly covered with silk, concealed beneath the soft fabric, pointed directly at me. Startled, I hastily moved to another spot, but every time I did, she would turn her direction as if she could see, and precisely pinpoint the place where I was located. “Gotcha.” “What’s this? Can you see?” “Well?” Suddenly, she removed the blindfold and began covering my eyes with a determined expression on her face. However, to my surprise, the view inside the handkerchief remained as dark as before, just as I had previously confirmed. I felt a sense of curiosity, much like when watching a magic show on TV. And to add to that, Zhuge Woo-Hui’s mischievous provocation further fueled my competitiveness. “One, two…” I counted out the numbers and simultaneously opened another vision inside my eyelids. Now that the soap-making experiment was over, I didn’t expect to have any use for the ‘streaming’ feature that I had neglected for a while. But now it made its reappearance. Pressing the camera icon on the top right corner of the screen, followed by the ‘Start Live Streaming’ button, the image of Zhuge Woo-Hui hiding in the corner of the circle filled my eyes. On the other hand, instead of the angelic smile she had shown me all along, her face was now adorned with a disdainful expression that I found it hard to believe it was the same girl. While I had noticed glimpses of her being a skilled pretender earlier, I never expected her to have such an expression on her face immediately after covering my eyes. But thanks to that, I felt less guilty in my conscience, so in a way, it was a fortunate turn of events. Even though it was frustrating, I couldn’t help it. Looking back, even in my past life, I was a merciless older sibling who never let my younger sibling win a game. Thump, thump, thump- “.....!” Caught off guard by my swift advance, Zhuge Woo-Hui hastily evaded me, visibly flustered. Unlike me, who clumsily took hesitant steps, her feet moved without making the slightest noise, light and graceful like a feather. However, it was not enough to stop me as I could clearly see what was ahead of me. Soon, she was cornered, her arms flailing, and she ultimately lost her balance and stumbled slightly forward. At that moment, a flash of conflict arose in the girl’s eyes through the streaming screen. However, despite her excessive pretense, she was not a bad child at heart. She gave me a look of utter incomprehension, but in the end, she didn’t lie. “I stepped over the line.” But what she did immediately after her defeat, as she sulked and lost her temper, was something even I didn’t see coming. “Geez.” “Hiyah!” In an instant, as her fist came flying towards the screen, I instinctively flinched, and Zhuge Woo-Hui, venting her frustration, pinched my neck. “Ahhh!” “You can see, right?” “No…?” “You can see. You avoided it because you can see.” “No, it’s just that I was surprised when you suddenly said ‘Hiyah!’ And you were the one who tied this.” When I pointed at the handkerchief that covered my eyes, Zhuge Woo-Hui stopped pinching me, untied the knot on the blindfold, and showed me a pouting face. “You’re just a child from a merchant family, have you already learned martial arts?” “Martial arts? No?” When I shook my head in response to the sudden question, Zhuge Woo-Hui’s look of suspicion resurfaced. She seemed to be trying to ascertain the truth of my words, scanning me up and down for a while before slowly stepping back and whispering. “I lost again. Tell me your wish.” “What wish...?” I was about to decline and give up, but a thought suddenly crossed my mind, so I changed my words. “How did you find me when you had your eyes covered earlier?” “You did it too.” “I just happened to find you.” “Liar.” I couldn’t tell the truth even to Zhuge Woo-Hui. No one would believe that I was actually a reincarnated modern person and that I could still access YouTube when I close my eyes. Especially in this era where people don’t even use electricity, it was hard to expect them to understand YouTube. On the other hand, as I continued to laugh without replying, Zhuge Woo-Hui grew tired of asking and stopped interrogating me. “Are you sure it’s not martial arts?” “Is there really such a thing?” Just yesterday, I had strongly rebuked Hang-ah, who was vehemently insisting on the existence of martial arts with spit flying from her mouth, telling her not to talk nonsense. Still unable to believe in the existence of martial arts practitioners capable of shattering rocks and soaring through the sky, I asked Zhuge Woo-Hui to show me her martial arts in return for winning the two bets. “Is that really all?” “Yeah.” As I nodded, she entered the circle once again with an unimpressed expression.
Read the latest chapters at https://novelworldtranslations.blogspot.com
Soon, she began to move her slender arms and legs in strange movements, which seemed weird for a child. “Like this?” It was a heartwarming sight, reminiscent of a daughter imitating the dance of an idol on TV, but it wasn’t quite what I had pictured in my mind. “I heard from Hang-ah that martial arts masters can soar through the sky and shoot gusts of wind. Did Hang-ah lie?” “I’m too young to know Ascension Martial Arts. I also don’t have much internal strength (neigong).” “Internal strength (neigong)?” “You really don’t know, or are you pretending not to know again?” It seems I was firmly branded as a liar. She grumbled and headed back toward the center of the circle. This time, she knelt down on one knee and firmly placed both hands on the ground. Soon, her breathing slowed down just like it did during the previous game of blindfolded tag. “Hoo…” A moment later, a cold glint flashed in her eyes from within her half-closed eyelids. In that instant, a faint cloud of dust began to rise around her cupped palms, which had been resting quietly against the ground. “Huh?” I was left speechless by the mysterious scene unfolding before my eyes and circled around Zhuge Woo-Hui in awe. However, no matter how wide I opened my eyes and examined the area around the circle and her body, there was no sign of any trickery to be found. I finally realized that what Hang-ah said yesterday was true. And maybe the place where I was reincarnated might be a completely different world, different from ancient China. Even if only half of what Hang-ah said was true, it would be impossible for a Shaolin master to lose to a mixed martial artist. It was also hard to believe that there was not even a trace of genuine martial arts in the modern era, given that it was widely known even amongst common people. But why is it that the history I learned from YouTube about China seems to align with the history of this world? However, at this moment, the immediate mystery before me was more important than unsolved questions. What is martial arts, and can I learn it too? Just when I thought my childlike innocence had vanished with my elementary school graduation, a surge of nostalgia suddenly stirred within me. And in that moment, a weary sigh pierced my ears, jolting me out of my trance. “Haah, haah... Are we done now?” “Huh? Yeah, thanks. Good job.” I smiled and nodded, and only then did Zhuge Woo-Hui brushed off the dust on her and stared at me. “I... I told you.” Seeing her openly expressing her disappointment, I couldn’t help but feel sorry. Contrary to my original plan of intentionally losing this round, I ended up exerting myself and winning against a 5-year-old girl. However, both the soap-making process that she was curious about and the secret behind the blindfolded tag were things I couldn’t reveal. As I pondered how to console her, I noticed a large plank placed on the soap-making table, and my eyes lit up. “Woo-Hui.” “Yeah?” “Do you know what slime is?” *** “Eek! Ah! Hehehe.” “Ouch, that’s it.” “Ahahaha! Stop it, idiot!” Following the maidservant’s lead to the manor’s courtyard with the Zhao Family Patriarch and his wife, Zhuge Shin doubted his ears at the sound of children’s laughter in the distance. Is this really the voice of the niece that he knew? She was an exceptional child even within the Zhuge Clan, and was even recognized by the outside world. Despite her inherent arrogance from a young age, she was well aware that revealing it would not do her any good. Because of this, she always acted humble and courteous in front of others, putting on a facade. But today, for some reason, she was laughing with a pure and innocent voice that matched her age. For a moment, he suspected that even this might be his niece’s trickery, but when they reached the courtyard, he realized he was wrong. “Hey, look here.” “Ah! Hey, you!” Seeing Zhuge Woo-Hui covered in sticky liquid and chasing after a boy, Zhuge Shin couldn’t help but smile. Zhuge Woo-Hui noticed them a bit late and when she did, she moved her small feet and approached them, Zhuge Shin smiled and said. “I’m glad I brought you here.” “Haah, haah, Uncle.” “Now you're starting to act like a kid. Stop causing trouble and let’s go.” “Yes~.” Only then did the little girl, who had poured something she was holding with both hands into the wooden barrel, began preparing to return home, dusting off her clothes and grabbing a handkerchief. However, as the little girl was heading over, she suddenly turned and ran back towards the son of the Zhao Family Patriarch and tiptoed. “Huh?” “...Playing with you is fun.” At his niece’s sudden behavior, the Zhuge Shin had no choice but to hurry toward the Zhao Family Patriarch and his wife. “I apologize. Our young lady still lacks manners.” “She's just a child, it’s fine.” Meanwhile, the girl who had startled the adults with her erratic behavior remained nonchalant. “I'll come again, Hui.” “Ah... Uh…” “Goodbye Patriarch Zhao and Madam Zhao. Let’s go, Uncle.” “Ha…” Concerned by his niece hurriedly leaving with a visibly reddened face, Zhuge Shin clutched his forehead, feeling a throbbing headache coming on. He then went past the Zhao Family, glanced at the boy who was still frozen, and left the Zhao Family behind. Right at that moment, a faint whisper from behind caught his attention, making him stop in his tracks. “Did you do well without making any mistakes?” The voice was so faint that it was barely audible even to Zhuge Shin’s martial arts-enhanced hearing. It seemed excessively cautious to be speaking out of concern for his father. Nevertheless, Zhuge Shin could understand that it might be due to a sense of caution towards Murim people, and he could even appreciate the extraordinary maturity of the child’s thoughts. However, the Zhao Family Patriarch’s next action was far from normal. Rather than replying, he tapped his child’s shoulders as if to stop him. This meaningful gesture only served to pique Zhuge Shin’s curiosity. There must be something more to it. His mind spun rapidly, quickly processing the information he had seen and heard on this trip to the Zhao Family. The sudden emergence of a prominent craftsman in the Zhao Family which had made its fortune solely through trade, the clever young boy who had captured the heart of his niece, one who was exceptional even within the Zhuge Clan, The unmistakable pride contained in the gazes of the Zhao Family Patriarch and his wife as they looked at their child, and the equipment in the courtyard that seemed to be tailored to the child’s height… A deep smile formed on Zhuge Shin’s lips as he concluded his thoughts.
Previous | Table of Contents | Next
Comments
Post a Comment