WBDS CH 03

Chapter 3

“Phew… so hot.”

It must’ve been summer, because just walking a little made sweat drip down her back.

In my old body, I could ignore this kind of heat with inner energy control…

So-ye grumbled to herself.

On top of that, her legs were short, so the distance she could cover for the time spent walking was pathetic.

She wandered around the Tang family village (Tangkata), half out of curiosity.

Deep down, she was hoping for something.

Sure, this was supposedly just where the branch family lived, but still—this was the famous Sichuan Tang Clan.

But after just a short walk, So-ye came to a conclusion:

“Yep. The Tang Clan’s ruined, huh?”

Even if it was the branch family’s quarters, everything looked too shabby.

The pillars were split from damp, the roof tiles were broken, and the ground was cracked in places.

It looks neat enough from afar, but it’s like no one has done proper maintenance for ages.

Maybe the watery rice porridge she was always fed wasn’t just because of her health—maybe the clan really couldn’t afford more.

That thought gave her chills.

No, no. People say even when a rich family collapses, the wealth lasts three generations. That has to be true.

She shook her head hard, driving away the frightening thought.

“Huh?”

She spotted someone slipping quietly out of a rather large building.

From their clothes, they looked like a servant of the Tang Clan.

But their movements were suspicious.

Their shoulders were hunched, their eyes darting nervously around, and they tucked something into their waistband like they didn’t want anyone to notice.

So-ye’s eyes sparkled.

A thief recognizes another thief.

Of course, she had no plans to confront him—her body was just a child’s, after all.

Anyone caught doing something bad hates witnesses. Best to avoid unnecessary danger.

She began backing away toward the nearest corner.

Then she realized—Wait, my legs are too short!

As if fate were against her, the servant turned his head and spotted her.

The moment their eyes met, So-ye threw herself to the ground.

“Ahhh! Ouch!”

She flailed her arms and legs, kicking up dust so it looked like she had just tripped while running.

“…Who’s this—wait, Lady So-ye?”

The servant frowned and hurried over.

“What are you doing here?”

So-ye wanted to say, Isn’t it obvious? but that wasn’t the kind of thing a child would say.

So instead, she let out a wail.

“Waaaah! It hurts! Nanny, nanny!”

Looking uncomfortable, the servant quickly picked her up.

Just then, another voice cut in.

“What’s going on?”

So-ye glanced up, tears hanging from her lashes.

A middle-aged woman with a commanding presence had appeared.

“Branch Leader.”

The servant bowed quickly, still holding So-ye.

“Hic… it hurts!”

The servant pressed So-ye’s head into his chest, then answered carefully:

“Ah, the young miss said her room felt stuffy, so… I was just taking her outside.”

Oh? He’s good at making excuses.

So-ye could feel his heart pounding hard—clearly, he was terrified to run into this “Branch Leader.”

“You’re tending to a sick young lady, yet you’re careless.”

The Branch Leader clicked her tongue.

Sure enough, So-ye’s knee was scraped and bleeding a little.

Maybe I fell down too hard on purpose…

“I’ll send medicine. Take her back to her quarters.”

With that, the Branch Leader turned away.

“Thank you, Branch Leader.”

The servant bowed again and hurried off, clutching So-ye tightly.

“Whew…”

After walking a while, he finally stopped, thinking they were far enough. He set her down roughly.

“Ugh, what a mess.”

He didn’t even look at her injured knee—he was more annoyed about the dirt and tears staining his clothes.

So-ye deliberately sobbed harder, her shoulders shaking.

“You never step outside, so what came over you today… ah, forget it.”

He shook his head, muttering, then tugged her by the wrist.

“Ouch!”

This time, it wasn’t an act—his grip really hurt.

He frowned. “Your legs work fine. Stop pretending.”

“It hurts! Nanny!”

“Nanny, nanny—always nanny! Then don’t leave your room in the first place. How did you even sneak out that far?”

He grumbled to himself, then added irritably: “Quiet down. Your crying is giving me a headache.”

Just then—

“You!”

Nanny Sa Gong-hee stood right in front of them.

“How dare you treat the young miss so rudely!”

The servant’s face went pale and he bowed quickly.

“Nanny.”

“Oh my! Did you fall, young miss? I was wondering where you went.”

She hurried to pick So-ye up.

“The Branch Leader said she would send medicine.”

The servant lowered his head and spoke softly.

“I understand.”

Gong-hee turned coldly, holding So-ye tight.

With her arms around her nanny’s neck, So-ye peeked over at the servant still bowing low.

Wow… he’s awfully polite now. Guess it’s just me he thought he could push around.

She tilted her head, thoughtful.

In the end, she was carried back to her room.

There, Nanny Gong-hee treated her scraped knee with the golden wound medicine the Branch Leader had sent, then wrapped it in a thick bandage.

It was so thick it looked almost like a finger.

“When did you sneak out?”

Gong-hee pinched So-ye’s cheek lightly, then sighed and stood up.

“I’m going to wash these clothes. Don’t you dare leave the room again today!”

She warned her over and over before leaving.

So-ye knew she’d be watched even more closely now—future escapes would be harder.

Still…

It wasn’t a wasted trip.

She pulled something from her clothes and placed it on her palm.

The very thing she had picked up earlier.

It was a rather rough-looking scented pouch.

So-ye scratched her chin.
It’s been a while since I picked someone’s pocket.

Still, her skills hadn’t gone completely rusty—she had pulled it off easily enough.

Though, with these short arms, it was a bit close. If Nanny hadn’t shown up when she did, I might’ve dropped it.

The pouch likely held whatever the servant had stolen earlier.

When she pressed on it, she felt something shaped like a slender bottle.

“What’s this?”

Opening the pouch, So-ye found a tiny gourd-shaped bottle, about the size of a child’s finger.

She tilted her head in confusion.

Don’t thieves usually go for money? Or maybe jewelry?

After all, the whole point of stealing was usually wealth.

So thieves tended to target items that were easy to sell.

Of course, here in the Tang Clan, even poisons could be considered valuable.

But poison was hard to sell—too dangerous, too easy to get caught with, and likely to draw pursuit.

Besides… this bottle’s empty.

Just lifting it told her there was nothing inside.

Why would someone go to the trouble of stealing an empty bottle?

Part of her wanted to know just out of boredom. But another part couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling.

People don’t risk themselves for no reason.

If I really wanted to confirm, I’d have to open it.

But that was dangerous.

She was just a child now, and hadn’t she only just recovered from poison recently?

If she got poisoned again, she might not survive.

Sure, as a direct Tang heir, my body probably has some tolerance to poison…

But So-ye wasn’t about to gamble with her second life.

This time, she needed to treasure it.

Maybe I should test the servant instead.

By now, he had surely realized that the pouch was missing.

The real problem was figuring out how to run into him again.

She knew his face, but not even his name.

Still, he clearly recognized her—so that was something she could use.

So-ye scratched her chin again.

Finding one person in this huge Tang family village… that’s going to be a lot of work.

But her worry turned out to be unnecessary.

Their reunion came much sooner than she expected.