[BotB] Chapter 35

"I have something that would suit a pretty miss like you perfectly! This is a leopard fur!"  Her legs stiffened and she came to a halt as the man, energized by her reaction, shouted.  "This leopard fur is a luxurious item that would belong in a wealthy household, and I have just one piece! It would suit a pretty miss like you; try putting it against your body."  The long black fur that the man held up looked very familiar to Sohwa. The fur, with traces of front and back legs, was that of a black marten. She wondered why it hadn't been seen lately, perhaps it had gone off to market...  

"How pretty would it be to wear it over a jacket?" The man, with a hint of a smile on his lips, hurriedly searched his stall for fear of losing a potential customer. Through his eyes, the young lady, dressed in a silk jeogori, seemed like the daughter of a noble house. 

"Indeed, I have something that would suit you perfectly, miss. If you make a garment out of this, it will be incomparably soft and warm!" 

What the man confidently presented was the skin of a red fox, intact from head to tail. Upon seeing the complete form of the skin, she felt a wave of nausea. 

"Ugh." 

"What's wrong? Don't be like that, just feel how soft this fox fur is... Miss! Miss!" 

The young lady, her mouth covered, stumbled backward and fled from the marketplace. 

*** 

Having barely reached a well, the young lady leaned against a willow tree, gasping for breath. 

"Ha, ha, ha..." 

The sight she had just witnessed was so gruesome that her appetite vanished. She could no longer bear to stay in a human village. She couldn't stay a moment longer. 

'I'll head to Cheonmun Mountain.' 

That renowned mountain was composed of a vast range and countless peaks. 

'Could there really be no place for a small fox like me in that vast territory? There are rumors of a fierce tiger that roams those mountains as if it were its own yard, playing the role of a spirit, but I've heard such stories before, even though I might be as ignorant as a deaf person...' 

'Oh dear, there are tigers everywhere.' 

She sighed. Still, there would be plenty of fresh prey there, so they probably wouldn't bother with a scrawny fox like her. 

As the exhausted young lady quietly waited her turn, it came. 

"Miss, are you looking to drink some water?" 

The small well was crowded with people. A young man turned to her and asked. 

"...Yes." 

She replied politely, and the man scooped up a bucket of water and offered her a full ladle. 

"Here, drink first. You don't look well." 

The man seemed to be from the village. The young lady thanked him and carefully took the ladle to drink. 

"You look like a stranger. Don't attempt to go up that mountain today or tomorrow." 

The man pointed to Ihwang Mountain. The young lady, who had just run down from that mountain, was puzzled. 

"What's the problem?" 

The man looked around as if sharing a great secret and whispered. 

"Do you know that a tiger lives on that mountain?" 

The young lady's eyes widened in alarm, but she shook her head as if she knew nothing. The man, looking frustrated, continued. 

"There have always been strange rumors about that mountain. It's so treacherous that villagers avoid it. But recently, a gravekeeper claimed to have seen a tiger." 

The gravekeeper, who lived on the gentle slopes of the mountain, was old and infirm. He had been raising a few goats and deer near his home, but one day they started to disappear until none were left. 

Enraged, the gravekeeper wandered the foothills and came across the remains of the devoured animals and then encountered the tiger. 

"The tiger's yellow eyes were fierce, and it was as large as a house, with extraordinary agility. The ninety-year-old gravekeeper said he'd never seen such a creature before as he wet himself with fear coming down the mountain." 

"I see. But why should I avoid climbing the mountain just today or tomorrow?" 

The young lady looked toward the cloud-covered Ihwang Mountain and asked. The man replied with a suddenly cheerful voice. 

"The court has sent a tiger hunter." 

Her eyes widened in shock. 

"...Excuse me?" 

She turned around, looking bewildered, and the man responded with a slight smile. 

"A professional tiger hunter! They were sent out this morning. Strong men with fierce eyes, carrying long rifles on their shoulders." 

The young lady's eyes shook uncontrollably, and her trembling fingers dropped the ladle. 

"There are more than a dozen of them. With that many, they could catch the tiger, couldn't they?" 

The man laughed heartily as the young lady stared blankly at him before turning to run. 

"Miss, where are you going? Oh, that mountain is dangerous! You could get shot by mistake! Miss!" 

***