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Chapter 04
“It’s alright, Miss. You can simply learn it again.”
Despite Yu Eunsol’s gentle reassurance, Geum Seolha’s gloomy expression did not improve.
“You learned the Thousand Character Classic very early before, so it shouldn’t be difficult.”
Geum Seolha pulled a miserable face.
‘That’s the original Geum Seolha’s story.’
Her situation was very different.
‘The Thousand Character Classic? I barely memorized the Chinese characters that appeared on exams.’
Of course, she had forgotten even those long ago.
Geum Seolha sighed. So she really had to learn all of this?
The moment she habitually wiggled her toes, pain shot through the splinted ankle. The vivid sensation reminded her of reality once again.
‘I’ve been here for over a week, and nothing has changed.’
Which meant this situation was truly real. Geum Seolha sighed again. She couldn’t live as someone who couldn’t even properly read.
“Read it to me one more time, Eunsol.”
“Of course. Alright, let’s start again.”
Watching Yu Eunsol’s hand carefully as she slowly wrote out the strokes of the Chinese characters like she was teaching a small child, Geum Seolha began memorizing them by rote.
Fine then. A mere Thousand Character Classic. I’ll master it quickly.
Yu Eunsol smiled at the sight of Geum Seolha passionately reciting the text. Geum Seolha glanced at her and spoke.
“Eunsol, you should rest too. You’ve barely slept properly while taking care of me.”
“Being by your side is rest for me, Miss.”
Geum Seolha shook her head.
“How is that resting? I’ve never even seen you properly lying down on a bed.”
She glared at Yu Eunsol.
From the moment they had first met in the marketplace until now, both Yu Eunsol and Ha Dowoon had been excessively devoted to her.
‘Even though they don’t take care of themselves nearly this much.’
Knowing how Yu Eunsol and Ha Dowoon often skipped meals or ate carelessly while looking after her, Geum Seolha let out a sigh.
“You need to take care of your health. At this rate, you’ll end up bedridden too.”
“Then you should stop studying for today as well, Miss. Your body hasn’t fully recovered yet.”
“I think I’m fine.”
Yu Eunsol firmly shook her head at Geum Seolha’s insistence.
“Your fever hasn’t completely gone down yet.”
“My head isn’t throbbing, and I don’t get dizzy every time I walk.”
Naturally, she wasn’t burning up with fever either. Geum Seolha tilted her head.
Wasn’t she perfectly fine at this point?
“Your standards are far too high, Miss.”
“This?”
Any modern person lived with headaches and dizziness as chronic conditions.
‘Actually, I think my body feels healthier now than it did back then.’
Geum Seolha repeatedly clenched and unclenched her tiny hands.
Was it because she had become younger?
“Miss.”
At the stern voice, Geum Seolha quickly started thinking.
Either way, she was getting restless from lying around all day.
‘If that’s the case, it’d be better to memorize the Thousand Character Classic while learning about this place.’
She needed to persuade Yu Eunsol somehow.
Geum Seolha’s eyes sparkled as she found a topic that would make Yu Eunsol soften.
“Listen, Eunsol.”
“Miss.”
“You said it would be better if people didn’t find out that I’ve forgotten not just my memories, but also how to read and all sorts of common knowledge.”
Of course, she had already made several mistakes, so rumors were probably spreading anyway.
“That still doesn’t mean you need to push yourself when your body hasn’t recovered.”
“I’m only doing this because I have nothing else to do. If it were difficult, I would’ve asked to rest long ago.”
Geum Seolha shrugged, insisting that it truly wasn’t any burden.
“If I want to avoid my beloved cousins bullying me or harming me like you worry they will, shouldn’t I at least know how to read properly?”
She sneered coldly.
Not that knowing how to read would actually save her from them, but Yu Eunsol always became weak whenever this subject came up.
“You told Dowoon that if my appearance had been just a little worse four days ago, you might not have recognized me.”
At Geum Seolha’s teasing grin, Yu Eunsol pressed a hand to her forehead.
“I only said it like that. There’s no way I wouldn’t have recognized you, Miss.”
“It’s fine. Anyone would’ve thought I was a beggar.”
Even she herself had nearly cried, thinking she was a genuine homeless beggar with no home or food.
Geum Seolha nodded as though she completely understood.
Yu Eunsol’s face reddened at the irritating sight.
“Miss!”
“And you said all that was because of schemes by my cousins, right?”
As Geum Seolha raised her hands dramatically, her sleeves slipped down, revealing scratches scattered across her arms.
“They tormented me that badly even when I could read and knew all the common knowledge. If they find out I’ve forgotten everything and become an idiot, won’t they torment me even worse?”
“…”
“What do you think, Eunsol?”
“…At least eat first before continuing.”
When Yu Eunsol finally raised the white flag and surrendered, Geum Seolha’s face brightened.
“Alright.”
“Then I’ll go check on the meal preparations.”
“Okay, take your time.”
Sitting on the bed, Geum Seolha waved goodbye.
After Yu Eunsol left, Geum Seolha finally found herself alone and let out a deep sigh.
“My name is Geum Seolha, and this place is the Geum Family Manor.”
Geum Seolha knew a supporting character with that name from a martial arts novel.
“No matter how I look at it, this really seems like Heavenly Martial Emperor.”
A look of despair spread across her face.
Of all the countless martial arts novels, why did it have to be Heavenly Martial Emperor?
Countless martial arts novels shared certain common themes: horrific massacres and wars.
From those tragedies emerged protagonists with tragic pasts who embarked on satisfying revenge journeys and heroic adventures.
And beside such impressive protagonists, there were always numerous women who fell in love with them.
“Geum Seolha is just one of the fish in the protagonist’s pond.”
Geum Seolha was a woman who fell for the protagonist of Heavenly Martial Emperor, Yeon Socheon, and provided him with financial support.
“Well, I don’t really care how much money she gave him.”
The problem was that the Geum Seolha in Heavenly Martial Emperor became entangled in the affairs of the martial world while helping with his revenge.
As a result, she repeatedly faced life-threatening dangers and ultimately died.
“After going through all that suffering, Yeon Socheon’s actual wife is someone else anyway.”
The meeting and relationship between Geum Seolha and Yeon Socheon had been fairly dramatic, but they couldn’t compare to his encounter with Seonu Hui, the granddaughter of the master of the Medicine Immortal Sect.
Geum Seolha sighed heavily.
“I wish all of this were just a coincidence.”
Too many things matched up perfectly for her to ignore.
“Grandfather is the head of a merchant guild, right?”
She folded one finger at a time as she listed the facts she had gathered.
“My name and Grandfather’s name are the same as the characters in Heavenly Martial Emperor.”
The family history of losing her parents at a young age.
The uncles and cousins who seemed determined to make her life miserable.
“The Geum Family Manor and the Geumrin Merchant Guild too.”
Everything overlapped with the novel.
Nearly all of her fingers had folded down.
“I’m doomed.”
Geum Seolha let out a hollow laugh.
Why were bad premonitions always correct?
One coincidence could be dismissed, but once there were two, three, or more, denial became impossible.
“The only good thing is that if this really is the world of Heavenly Martial Emperor, it seems to be much earlier than the original story.”
Even that wasn’t much comfort.
According to what Yu Eunsol had told her, she was currently eight years old.
“That means I’ve probably already met that protagonist bastard.”
Geum Seolha crossed her arms with a displeased expression.
She understood that this was now her reality, but understanding and accepting were two different things.
“Wait. Do I really have to live according to the original story?”
Her eyes suddenly sparkled.
If following the original plot meant death, then…
“Can’t I just run away?”
Geum Seolha sank into thought.
What kind of place was a martial arts world?
A place full of people who would grab a sword and charge into battle to avenge their parents, sworn brothers, or friends.
Was such a world ever peaceful?
“Absolutely not.”
She shuddered.
The key to living a long life was avoiding martial artists altogether.
But running a merchant guild in a world like this?
“If you cross a mountain, you’ll meet bandits. If you cross a river, you’ll run into the Yangtze River Waterway Gang.”
And they certainly weren’t the only thugs extorting money from people.
The martial world perfectly embodied the saying that the law was far away while blades were close at hand.
“And if I happen to meet some arrogant young master from an orthodox sect or noble family, I’ll probably see all kinds of nonsense.”
Martial artists were obsessed with how strong someone’s martial arts were and how powerful their sect or family was.
If she worked as a merchant in front of people like that…
“I’d be lucky if all they did was look down on me.”
Living as a merchant in such a world meant abandoning one’s pride from the very beginning.
After imagining the situations she would inevitably face, Geum Seolha shook her head vigorously in horror.
“No way.”
She had vaguely heard from Yu Eunsol that her parents had left behind a considerable inheritance.
“I’m taking that money and running.”
The best course of action was to stay as far away as possible from anything dangerous.
Geum Seolha had absolutely no intention of following the original story or risking her life.
“I’ll give Eunsol and Dowoon their share too and tell them never to even look at the Geumrin Merchant Guild again.”
Even if she left, she wanted to protect the people who had cared for her.
She wasn’t heartless enough to leave them behind when she knew the Geumrin Merchant Guild’s future was doomed.
“Anyway, if this really is the world of Heavenly Martial Emperor, I’m definitely escaping before the original story begins.”
It was a vow she repeated because she knew all too well that once the original plot started, neither the Geumrin Merchant Guild nor Geum Seolha herself would remain safe.
