I Only Choked on Noodles, Why Am I Here?! [BL]

Chapter 47: Chapter 47 – Young Master

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Han Yan lowered his gaze.

The object was roughly the size of two fingers and felt surprisingly cool even beneath the afternoon sun.

Its shape resembled an irregular jade token, yet it was clearly not jade.

The material was unlike anything Han Yan had ever seen.

Its surface possessed a faint silver-white luster that seemed to shift whenever the light touched it.

Tiny patterns covered every inch of the object.

The lines were extraordinarily intricate, twisting and interweaving like flowing rivers.

At first glance, they appeared random.

Yet the longer one looked, the more one felt there was a hidden order behind them.

Near the center rested a small symbol.

Han Yan could not recognize it.

The symbol resembled an ancient character yet looked nothing like any writing he knew.

For the briefest moment, it almost seemed as though the mark shimmered.

When he blinked, however, it returned to normal.

The token itself was unexpectedly light.

Despite being no thicker than a few sheets of paper stacked together, it felt remarkably sturdy.

Han Yan gently rubbed the edge with his thumb.

The surface was perfectly smooth.

Not even the finest craftsman in the county should have been capable of creating something so flawless.

"What is this?" Han Yan asked.

The old man merely smiled.

"A little gift."

"It may be of some use to you in the future."

His tone was casual, as though he were handing over nothing more than an ordinary trinket.

Yet for some reason, Han Yan felt that the object in his hand was anything but ordinary. It felt strangely warm against his palm.

Before he could ask further, the old man turned and began walking away.

After taking several steps, he suddenly paused.

The bustling noise of the marketplace continued around them.

Merchants called out to customers.

The sounds of bargaining rose and fell without end.

Yet the old man’s next words seemed to cut through all the noise.

"Young man."

Han Yan looked up.

The old man did not turn around.

His hands remained clasped behind his back.

"Fate is a wondrous thing."

"Since you helped this old man today, consider it a karmic connection between us."

A faint smile appeared on his weathered face.

"We shall meet again."

His voice was neither loud nor soft.

Yet every word landed clearly in Han Yan’s ears.

Before Han Yan could reply, the old man resumed walking.

His figure gradually disappeared into the sea of people.

Han Yan stood where he was.

A moment later, he frowned slightly.

Something felt strange.

The old man had not been walking particularly fast.

Even if he wished to leave, he should still be visible somewhere among the crowd.

Yet after only a few breaths, there was no trace of him whatsoever.

It was as though he had vanished from the world.

Han Yan’s gaze swept across the busy street several times.

Still, he found nothing.

The marketplace remained lively.

People continued moving back and forth.

Everything appeared completely normal.

Only the old man had disappeared without a trace.

A thoughtful look flashed through Han Yan’s eyes.

After a moment, he lowered his head and looked at the object resting in his palm.

Under the afternoon sunlight, the silver-white token emitted a faint glow.

The intricate patterns covering its surface seemed almost alive.

For an instant, they appeared to shift slightly before returning to normal.

Han Yan blinked.

When he looked again, the patterns were motionless.

As though nothing had happened.

"...Strange."

Muttering to himself, he carefully stored the token inside his sleeve.

No matter how he looked at it, the object was far too unusual.

As for the old man’s words...

Han Yan shook his head.

The world was vast, and people came and went like drifting clouds.

Meeting once could already be considered fate.

Meeting again would not be so easy.

With that thought, he stopped dwelling on the matter.

Carrying the basket of chirping chicks, he turned and headed toward the place where he and Wei Jun had agreed to meet.

By the time Han Yan returned to the agreed meeting place, the afternoon sun had already begun its slow descent.

The marketplace remained lively, with merchants calling out their wares and customers moving between the crowded stalls.

Not far away, Wei Jun stood beneath the shade of a large tree.

The moment he spotted Han Yan, he raised a hand and waved.

"Brother Han."

Han Yan walked over.

Wei Jun’s gaze immediately dropped to the small bamboo basket hanging from Han Yan’s arm.

Inside, twenty fluffy chicks huddled together, chirping softly from time to time.

A smile appeared on Wei Jun’s face.

"So you’re done buying everything you wanted?"

Han Yan nodded.

"Mm."

Wei Jun glanced at the chicks again.

His smile gradually faded.

Something felt wrong.

His eyes swept over Han Yan once more.

There was no sack of grain.

No bundles of cloth.

Other than the newly purchased bow strapped to his back and the basket of chirping chicks in his hand, Han Yan carried almost nothing.

Wei Jun’s confusion deepened.

"Wait..."

He frowned.

"Where are the things you bought?"

Han Yan calmly replied,

"Behind you."

Wei Jun blinked, completely baffled.

Behind him?

How could that be?

"Behind me?"

Wei Jun stared at him in disbelief before asking.

Frowning, he turned around to see what Han Yan was pointing at.

At that exact moment, the sound of wheels creaking over the dusty road reached his ears.

Creak—

A large carriage slowly emerged from the crowd.

The horses were well-fed and strong.

The carriage itself was spacious and finely crafted, far superior to the ordinary ox carts commonly seen in the village.

Several passersby instinctively stepped aside.

Wei Jun stared.

The carriage came to a stop directly beside Han Yan.

Before Wei Jun could react, a young servant jumped down from the carriage and hurried over.

Another servant remained by the carriage, keeping watch over the goods loaded inside.

The servant bowed respectfully.

"Young Master."

His voice carried neither arrogance nor impatience.

Instead, it was filled with courtesy.

"Our master instructed us to escort Young Master home. Since all of Young Master’s purchases are being delivered to your residence, it is only natural for us to bring you along as well."

Han Yan’s eyes flickered slightly.

He had known the shop would send people to deliver the goods to Hangul Village. After all, there was no way for him to carry everything back himself.

However, he had not expected them to prepare a carriage for him as well.

The servant smiled politely.

"The other goods Young Master purchased in the market have also been loaded onto the carriage. If Young Master is ready, we can depart at any time."

As he spoke, he respectfully took the basket of chicks and the wrapped bow and arrows from Han Yan’s hands.

The servant then glanced at Wei Jun.

For a brief moment, confusion flashed across his face.

He looked at Han Yan again.

"Young Master..."

He hesitated before asking,

"Is this gentleman accompanying you?"

Wei Jun nearly choked.

Young Master?

Since when had Han Yan become a young master?

And what exactly had he purchased to receive such treatment?

Han Yan nodded.

"He’s coming with me."

The servant immediately smiled.

"Then please board the carriage."

Only after hearing those words did Wei Jun finally recover from his shock.

He looked at Han Yan.

Then at the carriage.

Then back at Han Yan.

Then back at the carriage.

His expression became increasingly complicated.

"Brother Han..."

He lowered his voice.

"Exactly how much did you buy?"

Han Yan answered honestly.

"Eh just a little."

Wei Jun’s mouth twitched.

Just a little?

A little that required an entire carriage?

He suddenly felt that Han Yan’s definition of "a little" was very different from everyone else’s.

The servant politely lifted the curtain.

Han Yan stepped inside first.

After a moment of hesitation, Wei Jun followed.

Before he boarded, one of the servants stepped forward and politely took the items he was carrying.

"Allow me."

The servant placed them inside the carriage before stepping aside.

Only then did Wei Jun climb aboard.

The interior of the carriage was surprisingly spacious.

Several large sacks and wooden boxes had already been loaded inside.

Bags of rice and flour were stacked neatly in one corner.

Bundles of cloth occupied another.

There were jars of oil, seasonings, dried noodles, kitchen supplies and countless other items.

Wei Jun fell silent.

His eyes slowly widened.

For a long moment, he did not know what to say.

Han Yan sat calmly as if nothing was unusual.

Meanwhile, Wei Jun felt as though his understanding of poverty had just been challenged.

The carriage soon began moving.

The noisy marketplace gradually disappeared behind them.

Fields stretched across both sides of the road.

The golden sunlight spilled over the farmland, creating a peaceful scene.

The chicks occasionally chirped from their basket.

Apart from that, the journey remained quiet.

Wei Jun wanted to ask countless questions.

How much money had Han Yan earned? Surely it wasn’t from the things they had sold together today, could it?

Where had all the silver come from then?

Had he discovered some hidden treasure?

Yet after opening his mouth several times, he ultimately said nothing.

Everyone had their own secrets.

Since Han Yan did not explain, he would not pry.

The carriage rumbled along the road in silence.

As the sun slowly descended toward the horizon, the familiar outline of Hangul Village finally appeared in the distance.

Many villagers stopped what they were doing and looked over curiously.

Carriages were a rare sight in the village.

Most families relied on their own feet. Even ox carts were a rare sight in the village.

The only ox cart in Hangul Village belonged to a villager who made a living by taking people to the town market and back for a few copper coins.

A horse drawn carriage entering the village naturally attracted attention.

"Whose carriage is that?"

"Did some wealthy merchant come to the village?"

"I’ve never seen it before."

The villagers gathered along the roadside and watched as the carriage slowly made its way through the village.

Then someone suddenly recognized the figure sitting inside.

"Wait... isn’t that Han Yan?"

"Han Yan?"

"You’re right! It really is him!"

Shock immediately appeared on several faces.

Han Yan’s house was located near the foot of the mountains on the edge of the village.

Since the carriage had to pass through much of Hangul Village to reach it, plenty of villagers caught sight of the scene.

The farther the carriage traveled, the more attention it attracted.

Whispers quickly spread through the crowd.

"Why is Han Yan riding in a carriage?"

"Could it be carrying goods?"

"Just what did he buy?"

The villagers’ voices were not quiet. Their questions and guesses reached Wei Jun’s ears clearly.

Hearing them, Wei Jun couldn’t help but think inwardly, Of course it’s carrying goods. Did they think Han Yan brought an empty carriage back?

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