Chapter 180 (1/2)

Chapter 180: Chapter 53

There was no smoke at all from the place that Yoni pointed toward, which suggested that it was a safe haven for them.

“Let's go in that direction then. How far is it from here?”

“I have no idea…”

“We can arrive there before sunset, though.”

“Yes, master.”

“Can you walk?”

“Sure, I can.”

With a smile, Yoni moved her legs with little difficulty.

Obviously, she had no difficulty with walking itself.

“Do you want me to carry you on my back?”

“No thanks, master.”

“Use this one, then.”

Kanghyok handed her a sword he put down on the ground.

Though it was short, she could use it as a cane. In particular, she could use both for her balance.

“You mean this one?”

“Yes, use that as a cane.”

“Oh, I see.”

She really used it as a cane for convenient walking now.

After they walked for some distance, they were out of the woods now.

And they saw rice paddies and fields before their eyes.

Though they didn't see anyone, they saw no burning smoke or bodies.

“You mean that village?”

“Yes, I remember it was a large village.”

“Wow, you're right. It's quite large.”

At a glance, there were about 500 houses in that village.

Though many j.a.panese invaders stormed this time, they could not invade such a large village.

“Looks like we are good to go there. But we still better remain careful.”

Yoni stuck out her head to look around and whispered, “Shall we move after sunset?”

“That sounds good.”

“Yeah, we might be noticed easily when we move about now.”

Even if he got caught, he could run anyway, but Yoni could not.

As he confirmed there was a village nearby, he thought he would be better off taking some rest there.

“I wish we carried some food,” said Kanghyok.

“I guess I have some.” She put down the bundle on her back.

Each soldier was given something like C ration before they left last night, and Yoni received one.

But the food inside was just of poor quality.

It was made with an unknown flour, with a strange color to boot.

“What's this?”

“It's powder made from pine needles.”

“Pine powder? Can we eat this?”

“Yes, it looks like it's mixed with rice powder.”

“Aha…”

How could a human being like him, not a pine caterpillar, eat pine powder?

Kanghyok was speechless for a moment.

‘Wow, she looks like she's enjoying it very much.'

Yoni was revelling in it with delight.

Grrrrowl.

Kanghyok was getting hungrier and hungrier now.

Yoni, who was relis.h.i.+ng it deliciously, directed a silly smile at him after stopping for a moment.

Then she handed some of the powder to him with her dirty hand.

“Try this, master.”

“Oh… okay.”

He had no other choice but to take it.

He couldn't ask her to go out for hunting, nor could he himself go out as he had never hunted game.

“Whew!”

With a little sigh he put the powder into his mouth quickly.

“Ugh!”

The moment he had the powder, he gave a short scream because it got stuck to the roof of the mouth.

“Cough, cough!”

“Are you okay, master?”

She quickly patted him on the back.

“Give me some water, Yoni.”

“I've got only this one.”

It was the saline solution she gave to him.

Little did he expect he would drink it too when he gave it to her a moment ago.

‘Dang it!'

Grumbling a bit, he received the sap from her.

“Uhh…..”

As expected, it tasted terrible.

Without the powder in his mouth, he would have spit it out.

“Master, you have to eat it if you want to survive.”

“I know…”

“If you chew it, it will taste sweet.”

“Let me try…”

Kanghyok reluctantly ate the pine powder.

The sun was already high in the sky.

“Shall we move?”

“Sure. Are you okay?”

“I feel much better than before.”

She looked better with new bandages around her thighs.

“Fortunately, your joints were not injured. Let's go now.”

They cautiously walked out of the wood to head for the village.

There was n.o.body seen around the village.

But there was something strange there.

It was not the typical village in the areas.

“Wait a moment.”

“Why, master?”

Kanghyok hid behind the wall of a house at the entrance of the village.

“Don't you feel something strange around here?”

“What?”

“I just feel…”

“You mean it's too quiet here?”

“No, what I mean is …”

It's possible that quietness prevailed in the village, for everybody could lock the door and stay inside.

The village people here might have heard about the rumor that the j.a.panese raiders ambushed a nearby village last night.

Naturally, they might have been scared and stayed put inside their houses.