Book 11 Chapter 10
Reunion
A sharp sword flashed in the air.
And something called flesh, or meat, was brutally chopped under the blade. The sword’s owner had no blood or tears.
*Swish!*
*Gush!*
*Slice, slice, slice!*
Once! Twice! Three times! Four times…
How many cuts later…
Thick and vivid red!
Blood flowed like a stream between the sword marks. A handful of entrails spilled out.
*Heh heh!*
A grim smile formed on the lips of the monster holding the sword. He cruelly reached out and brutally pulled out the protruding entrails.
“Heh heh heh!”
The monster licked the red blood on his hands with a grim smile. It was a horrific sight.
*Whoosh!*
Fierce flames blazed cruelly.
“10 servings of Five-Spice Braised Pork are here.”
With the chef’s cry, a waiter rushed in with the dish.
“Why so late? Were you going to bring it after my stomach stuck to my back?”
Yeom Do grumbled fiercely. There were still more than 40 servings of food to be brought. The kitchen was in a complete war to handle the large volume of orders.
“Heh heh… Sorry, customer! I’ll bring it right away, right away.”
Frozen by Yeom Do’s terrifying aura, the waiter kept bowing and chuckling.
“Hurry up.”
Yeom Do said, his eyes flashing with a ferocious glint. The waiter trembled with a chilling fear. It was absurd for an ordinary person to directly meet the gaze of a master like Yeom Do.
It was a miracle he hadn’t wet himself.
This was not a very common, ordinary inn found anywhere. It was the best inn in Samyang City, which they had sought out as soon as they entered. It was a place that proudly hung a sign as first-class, unlike those third-rate establishments where water often leaked from the flimsy ceiling during rain, causing floods.
Soonpyeongru!
The representatives of Cheonmu Academy, with ample budget, had decided to make this their lodging for the day. And as they had just received their food, pressured by Yeom Do, who looked like he might eat someone if they were any later.
“Where is Ryu Yeon?”
Yeom Do tilted his head as he looked around the almost private dining room.
“He went out to look around the town.”
Hyo Ryong, sitting with Mo Yong Hwi and Jang Hong, replied.
“Tsk! He must have gone out chasing Ye Rin again.”
Yeom Do muttered softly.
‘That child still seems to avoid people.’
It was impossible that Na Ye Rin had left the group to look at something. She seemed to have a hard time fitting in with this group. Na Ye Rin intentionally avoided places with a lot of people, even if they were fellow students. For Yeom Do, it was easier to manage people that way. Especially during meal times. He no longer wanted to see the unsightly sight of travelers staring at Na Ye Rin and spilling their soup or stew on their clothes instead of their mouths.
“Hwi! Sang! You two go out and find them. I hope they don’t cause any trouble…”
However, Yeom Do himself knew how futile that wish was.
“Yes!”
Mo Yong Hwi and Namgung Sang immediately stood up and went outside.
“Um… I’ll go with you.”
A moment after the two went outside, Wi Ji Cheon, who had been fidgeting, finally couldn’t stand it any longer and stood up, saying, “I’ll go with you.” He absolutely could not just stand by and watch the two meet. All sorts of fantasies swirled in his head.
“Why you?”
Yeom Do asked with a bored expression, looking surprised.
“That is…”
Yeom Do didn’t give Wi Ji Cheon a chance to speak and just said,
“No need. Sit down!”
It was a tone that did not allow refusal. Wi Ji Cheon had no choice but to sit back down with a dejected look. His cheeks puffed up as if he couldn’t suppress his anger. He was clearly cursing Yeom Do profusely in his mind. Whether Wi Ji Cheon was upset or not seemed to matter nothing to Yeom Do.
“Why are there so many individual actions lately? Come on, let’s eat!”
Yeom Do said gruffly and quickly picked up his chopsticks.
“He’s avoiding me again!”
Her graceful steps, which had been light, faltered.
“Ye Rin, why do you keep avoiding me? You’ve been noticeably keeping your distance since leaving Huanma Dong. What is the reason?”
Na Ye Rin turned her head to look at Bi Ryu Yeon. Her face was covered with a white veil to avoid the attention of others. Without this, an enormous number of men would constantly proposition her. But such an act was as futile as covering the sun with the palm of one’s hand. Her beauty was too outstanding to be hidden by a piece of veil.
Bi Ryu Yeon approached Na Ye Rin and moved his hand to grab her wrist. At that moment, Na Ye Rin, with the instinct of a martial artist, dodged Bi Ryu Yeon’s hand and instead grabbed Bi Ryu Yeon’s wrist using Jinna-su (Qin Na Shou, trapping hand technique). Bi Ryu Yeon never intended to grab Na Ye Rin’s wrist in the first place. However, Na Ye Rin was not yet aware that she had fallen into a trap.
Bi Ryu Yeon, whose wrist was held by a heavenly beauty, should have been overjoyed, but instead, he had a dejected expression.
“Sob sob sob, Ye Rin. What do I do now?”
“……?”
Na Ye Rin couldn’t understand why Bi Ryu Yeon suddenly burst into such feigned tears and choked up.
“Is… is something wrong?”
“Sob sob sob, I’m married off now.”
Na Ye Rin was still unable to comprehend.
“What’s the reason?”
Bi Ryu Yeon’s choked sobs intensified. He looked as if he had fallen into despair.
“In my carelessness, I was caught by an outsider woman. My purity has been defiled. How can I get married to someone else now? Sob sob sob.”
Na Ye Rin showed a bewildered expression at Bi Ryu Yeon’s desperate choked sobs.
“This is the first time I’ve heard that a man loses his chastity when his wrist is held by a woman. I’ve heard stories about ordinary women losing it when a strange man holds their wrist, but…”
Bi Ryu Yeon’s choked sobs stopped at Na Ye Rin’s question.
“What are you talking about! That’s only knowing one side of the story. Men and women are equal! So we must share joint responsibility! It’s unfair if only men do it!”
In an instant, as if he hadn’t been sobbing, Bi Ryu Yeon asserted his opinion forcefully and without hesitation. Then, he added with a smile,
“So you have to take responsibility.”
Na Ye Rin couldn’t help but chuckle at Bi Ryu Yeon’s words, which were without a hint of hesitation.
“My goodness, you’re such a helpless person.”
With a wry smile, the tension eased, and the awkwardness disappeared.
“Now, can you tell me what the problem is? You have to take responsibility for me.”
Bi Ryu Yeon was still insisting on the responsibility issue, stubbornly arguing. Na Ye Rin thought she might be able to talk now.
“Ryu Yeon… I’m scared.”
Finally, Na Ye Rin began to speak in a low voice.
“What are you so afraid of?”
Na Ye Rin’s past nightmare, which she had temporarily forgotten due to the illusion of Huanma Dong, or rather, had tried to consciously forget, had returned. Along with it, her misandry showed signs of relapse. She hadn’t realized it when they were together in the collapsing darkness, but after leaving that place and encountering various men who bothered her again, she had felt it clearly. That’s why she had even avoided Bi Ryu Yeon. After the Huanma Dong incident, she had become more sensitive to the various influences flowing in, making it very difficult for her to be among people. And there was one more reason why Na Ye Rin was avoiding Bi Ryu Yeon.
“Because I don’t feel like myself. When I’m with you, I become a completely different person from my usual self. It becomes difficult to maintain composure and coolness. It feels like I’m not myself. I’m so afraid of that fact.”
Although Na Ye Rin’s face was half-covered by a veil, even the snow-white veil couldn’t completely hide her beauty. Instead, it only emphasized the mystery of her beauty.
Bi Ryu Yeon looked directly into her deep eyes, like the endless night sky. Bi Ryu Yeon was the only man who could look into her captivatingly deep eyes without any hesitation. Everyone else quickly averted their gaze when their eyes met hers. It felt as if their hearts were being read. And that was the truth.
Her complexion was very dark. It was clear she had been agonizing over this. Bi Ryu Yeon said without hesitation,
“Isn’t that appearance also Na Ye Rin’s own appearance? You are fine just as you are now. A changing self is still your own self, no matter what. Wouldn’t a self that doesn’t change for a lifetime be too boring? And don’t worry just because you are different from others. You don’t have to be uniformly the same as everyone else. How boring! That would be too ordinary and monotonous. Change is natural. So don’t try to consciously resist it.”
No one had ever said that to her before.
“And today, you remembered to call my name, so I’ll be satisfied with that. So don’t forget to take responsibility for me later.”
Bi Ryu Yeon smiled slightly. Na Ye Rin felt a warm and comforting warmth in her heart. Bi Ryu Yeon continued to speak,
“So don’t worry and suffer alone. Ye Rin, you are not alone. Why do you think you are alone? I am here to share your heavy burden. I give you permission. Ye Rin deserves to be the happiest in this world.”
“Ryu Yeon…!”
Bi Ryu Yeon’s words echoed in Na Ye Rin’s heart like magic. It felt like the spring sunshine. Na Ye Rin felt the winter snow that had piled up in her heart slowly melting. It was as if warm rain had fallen on her desert-like heart, moistening the earth, and a sprout of regeneration was budding in the barren land of dry emotions. And it was a very mysterious and unfamiliar feeling for her. It felt like a frozen river of ice, caught in a swirling snowstorm, was melting.
“Don’t worry. And just say it. No matter what the problem is, I will make it disappear from this world in the blink of an eye. Even if it’s the Jade Emperor or the King of Hell, I’ll break them down with a refreshing victory! What’s the big deal!”
Bi Ryu Yeon, who spoke such terrifying words with a bright, innocent smile as if it were nothing. Even Na Ye Rin flinched at Bi Ryu Yeon’s confident and outrageous remarks.
‘No, there’s no need to make them disappear,’ she thought, but she didn’t dare to stop his burning will. An elegant smile graced her lips.
“Oh? You finally smiled.”
Bi Ryu Yeon smiled too. Even though her face was veiled, it was no obstacle to Bi Ryu Yeon’s eyes.
“……?”
Na Ye Rin unconsciously brought her hand to her mouth.
‘Smiling?’
Clearly, her lips were smiling. Once again, without realizing it, she had done something she wasn’t aware of.
‘Why does this always happen when I’m with this person?’
For her, it was still a puzzle to be solved. The conversation was interrupted for a moment, and a river of silence flowed between them. The current situation seemed very awkward. Bi Ryu Yeon felt the need to change the topic as soon as possible. Perhaps his wish had reached the heavens!
“Why are you doing this? Please move aside!”
It was a beautiful voice like rolling pearls. The two people’s gazes turned to the source of the melodious voice. Bi Ryu Yeon and Na Ye Rin looked ahead and saw a commotion in the middle of the wide main street.
It was definitely a voice she had heard somewhere before.
‘Who is it?’
“Hey! We just want to have some tea and chat, why are you so resistant?”
“Why are you doing this? Let go of me!”
A woman forcefully shook off the hand of a man trying to grab her wrist. The woman clearly expressed her refusal, but the men, as if their ears were completely blocked, paid no attention.
“Why are you holding back? We’re not going to do anything bad to you. So you don’t need to be so wary. We’re not bad people!”
It was a cliché remark always used by bad people. One of the men next to him chimed in.
“We are all descendants of the Eight Great Families. You won’t be harmed by associating with us. Why don’t we have tea and chat for a while?”
Family background wasn’t meant to pick up women. This man seemed to be gravely mistaken.
“We’re not going to do anything bad, so don’t worry!”
This was the same thing rapists and criminals always said. If things had gone as they said, would this world have become so harsh?
“Gentlemen! Please stop. Our young lady is in distress.”
The woman’s coachman stepped forward to try and stop the men.
“A subordinate shouldn’t step forward! How presumptuous!”
A young man in white silk robes shouted at the coachman, looking down on him. His eyes conveyed, ‘How dare you, a lowly person, step forward so brazenly!’ It was the gaze of those who had not learned to respect others. The coachman’s face, which had been clearly flustered just moments ago, suddenly stiffened, and his eyes emitted a cold glint.
“Wh-what? Are you, a lowly person, trying to attack us?”
The young man in white robes, startled by the coachman’s cold glint, realized his mistake and became enraged. An inexplicable unpleasantness gripped his heart. The coachman, emitting increasingly cold air, started to take a step forward, but the woman’s hand stopped him. The woman shook her head. The coachman sent her a look of protest. But the woman’s will was firm.
Familiar faces came into her sight.
Na Ye Rin’s brow furrowed slightly.
Several men were “hitting on” one woman. Looking at the attire of the men “hitting on” her, they didn’t seem like ordinary neighborhood thugs or common ruffians. The expensive-looking swords hanging at their waists clearly indicated they were martial artists. And the excessively flamboyant silk robes that enveloped their entire bodies suggested they were scions of rather well-off families.
“Judging by their appearance, they are clearly scions of martial arts families, but such rude behavior…”
Na Ye Rin’s brow furrowed slightly.
‘Huh? Ah… no!’
Seeing her brow furrowed slightly, Bi Ryu Yeon became furious.
‘Even if it’s the Jade Emperor or the King of Hell, I’ll break them down with a refreshing victory.’
He hadn’t expected the time to fulfill that promise to come so soon. Bi Ryu Yeon seemed intent on actually carrying out that promise. He strode forward.
“Take those dirty hands away now. You’re bothering the young lady!”
“Who are you?”
It was such a cliché villain’s line, so overused that it felt utterly unoriginal.
“Huh? The young lady?”
Bi Ryu Yeon’s eyes widened (though no one could see them). Na Ye Rin was equally surprised. They hadn’t expected to meet someone here, so their surprise was even greater.
“Oh my!”
The woman with the melodious voice, and the protagonist of the unfortunate current situation, spotted the two and rejoiced.
“Ryu Yeon, Ye Rin!”
It was Eun Seol Ran, also known as Sa Jung Hwa.
Wanting to “hit on” a beautiful woman is a basic desire of almost all men, whether in the past or present, or rather, a behavior based purely on instinct. This symptom is especially severe in rough and ill-mannered men.
It was unlikely that wild thugs and scoundrels would stand idly by when faced with a beauty like Eun Seol Ran, who would make men’s eyes pop out. If anyone thought so, it was a delusion that overestimated the meager patience of wild thugs.
And seeing these well-dressed young gentlemen surrounding her, it seemed they were the final victors of this competition(?).
“You insolent fellow! You! Don’t you see us?”
They couldn’t stand it any longer as their presence was ignored for so long in a casual greeting, and they shouted.
“Fellow?”
*Creak.*
Bi Ryu Yeon’s head slowly turned with an unpleasant sound. It felt like the sound of a rusty door opening.
“You have a very ill-mannered mouth. I think I need to teach you some manners.”
A deep smile formed on Bi Ryu Yeon’s lips.
“You, do you know who we are to dare to provoke us?”
A young man in white silk robes with ornate embroidery stepped forward, his face betraying his displeasure. It was the same one who had just insulted Eun Seol Ran’s coachman. This group of ruffians numbered five in total. Judging by that arrogant face, he seemed to be a scion of a prominent martial arts family. Bi Ryu Yeon, after roughly surveying their appearance from top to bottom, replied,
“Well, looking at your appearance, it seems like a bunch of idiotic young masters who mistake the power of their family and background for their own strength, without having to boast about it individually.”
But what of it? That was all Bi Ryu Yeon had to say.
“You, you bastard! Such insulting words!”
Bi Ryu Yeon’s words, which hit the mark, made the faces of the five turn red with emotion. However, their barking was like a deaf wind to Bi Ryu Yeon’s ears.
“We can’t let this slide!”
“Kneel and apologize until your forehead is broken! Otherwise, today will not be fun.”
The five shouted in unison, their voices filled with anger.
“Hoo! Is it a world now where speaking the truth is considered an insult? How harsh the world has become. Tsk tsk tsk.”
Bi Ryu Yeon remained unfazed by the murderous anger emanating from the five. He had an attitude of, ‘What dog is barking over there?’ His nonchalant demeanor poured fuel on the young masters’ burning anger. But Bi Ryu Yeon acted as if it had nothing to do with him, whether the mad dogs raved or not.
“Huh?”
Then, as if he had thought of something, Bi Ryu Yeon suddenly counted the men’s heads with his fingers.
“By the way… one, two, three, four, five!”
He couldn’t count any further even if he wanted to. Bi Ryu Yeon’s head tilted. He looked as if he had encountered a problem he couldn’t solve.
“Huh? No matter how I count, there are only five. If it’s the Eight Great Families, there should be three more, right? Where are the other three?”
Bi Ryu Yeon, who didn’t hesitate to treat them as less than human beasts. He hated seeing those who didn’t deserve it acting cocky.
“You, you bastard…”
Finally, the anger of the five, or rather, the five beasts, exploded.
“We alone are enough to tear you limb from limb.”
*Clang!*
“A duel!”
The young man in the center drew his sword and shouted. Suddenly, a chilling energy flowed from Bi Ryu Yeon’s hidden eyes. The young man in white robes flinched at the sudden surge of cold air.
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
“Huh?”
Voices filled with surprise burst from the five simultaneously.
“What are you doing playing around?”
A young man in green lightly patted the shoulder of the young man in yellow next to him.
“Haha… What about you?”
The young man in yellow also chuckled awkwardly and patted his shoulder.
“Hahaha, and you?”
The young man in white next to him also patted his back.
“People are so mischievous, hahaha!”
The young man in yellow patted both their shoulders simultaneously. Their mouths were constantly laughing, but their faces were stiff, not smiling. The sharp aura that Bi Ryu Yeon had exuded along with his laughter had made them retreat three steps from where they originally stood. However, they had no idea why they had retreated three steps.
“Heh heh, cook cook cook!”
Suddenly, Bi Ryu Yeon started to giggle as if he found something very funny. Na Ye Rin intuitively realized that Bi Ryu Yeon was very angry. When he was truly angry, Bi Ryu Yeon always laughed like that.
Angering him, as has been said many times, was a terrible disaster.
“This brat draws his sword carelessly! Can you truly bear the weight of that sword tip? You, who are content with the halo of your family?”
A grim sneer flowed.
“Ugh…”
The young man in white robes was speechless, as if he had become mute.
“Ryu Yeon, stop. Judging by the mark, he seems to be a scion of the Namgung family. It’s not good to stir up trouble any further.”
Na Ye Rin recognized the mark embroidered on the young man in white robes’ clothes and tried to stop Bi Ryu Yeon. However, it had the opposite effect.
“Pfft! Puahaha!”
Bi Ryu Yeon finally burst into laughter, unable to hold it in.
“Heh heh! I knew the Eight Great Families were thoughtless, but a child of the Namgung family… Have you perhaps heard the name Namgung Sang?”
At that moment, the young man’s hand holding the sword trembled slightly. When his mind was agitated, even his sword trembled, a sign of extreme immaturity.
“How do you know him? He is my cousin and one of the people I respect the most.”
The young man’s name was Namgung Ho!
Namgung Sang was the person Namgung Ho respected and wanted to emulate the most among his peers in the family. Of course, Bi Ryu Yeon could not understand the young man’s feelings at all. Bi Ryu Yeon looked at Namgung Ho with an overbearing posture.
“Heh heh heh, so you were a failure. Is this then a struggle to show off the decadence of a failure?”
Being at that age and acting like this was the same as failing the Cheonmu Academy exam. The reaction people have when they hear what they least want to hear is only one.
“You bastard! I’ll kill you.”
Namgung Ho, enraged, rushed forward. His sword emanated a sword light. However, Bi Ryu Yeon didn’t even bat an eyebrow. Bi Ryu Yeon found it truly absurd. And frankly, it was pathetic.
“You dare to provoke me… What guts! But you, a mere unhatched egg, dare to attack? Come back after training for another three thousand years!”
Bi Ryu Yeon smiled in a friendly manner. What cute guys they were! So much so that he wanted to stomp on them with his foot!
“Seriously, your sword, body, and mind are all out of sync, yet you dare to attack me? You have quite the nerve.”
As Bi Ryu Yeon said in a pathetic tone, Namgung Ho’s skill was truly pathetic. However, that was from Bi Ryu Yeon’s perspective, not necessarily how others saw it.
Bi Ryu Yeon lightly dodged Namgung Ho’s thrusting sword, approached him slightly, and tripped his leg. He then fell face-first onto the ground without a chance to regain his balance. Namgung Ho had to swallow a mouthful of sand.
“Tsk tsk tsk, you can’t even hold your balance with just a trip…”
Bi Ryu Yeon clicked his tongue as if it were pathetic. He felt pathetic for playing with them.
“Since this seems like fate, as a senior in life, I will teach you a lesson. The bitter lessons and strict rules of the martial world!”
Bi Ryu Yeon shouted grandly.
“If you are not strong, you die! This is the strict rule of the martial world. Remember that sometimes, even family background doesn’t work. If you don’t want to experience firsthand what it means to die an unnatural death.”
Bi Ryu Yeon said, looking down at Namgung Ho, who was sprawled on the ground like a frog. Namgung Ho’s entire body burned with shame.
“You, you, you scoundrel!”
Seeing his companion fall, another of the Eight Great Families’ young masters, enraged, took advantage of Bi Ryu Yeon’s distraction and thrust his sword at him. He was also a direct descendant of the Je gal family, one of the Eight Great Families, but seemed to be the type with a thick conscience who didn’t care about cowardice.
However, one doesn’t need eyes to see all things. Depending on one’s training and its extent, a person can perceive things without relying on their eyes.
The sound of the wind, the vibration of the air, the cold killing intent – all these natural information sources kindly told Bi Ryu Yeon the direction from which the sword was coming. As Bi Ryu Yeon slightly twisted his body, they all harmlessly cut through the air. It was truly a pathetic sword technique.
And with a slight strike to his wrist, Je gal Mu shamefully dropped his sword.
“What is this? You don’t even have the basics!”
While bewildered, Bi Ryu Yeon didn’t forget to punch him in the stomach. This was just the beginning. As the two were defeated in an instant, the remaining three, forgetting all about their pride and reputation, rushed at Bi Ryu Yeon simultaneously. One with a sword, another with a saber, and the last with his fists.
“How cowardly.”
At Eun Seol Ran’s words, Na Ye Rin nodded slightly.
At this moment, a man was contemplating various methods of knocking people down.
“Is it this?”
As Bi Ryu Yeon fiddled with it, the head of Hwang Eui Sa Won, who had fiercely punched him, turned with a snap, and his body drew a swastika. He was a direct descendant of the Jinju Eon family, known for their fist techniques, and his skill was recognized by his family, but he was merely a toy in Bi Ryu Yeon’s hands.
*Thwack!*
*Thump!*
With a kick from Bi Ryu Yeon, Peng Yeon Woo of the Ha Buk Peng family, who had swung his saber to break his leg, spun in the air clutching his stomach.
“Or is it this?”
*Thwack!*
Gongson Seung Woo, a direct descendant of the Gongson family, slammed his face into the ground.
“No! It could be like this. There’s no need to bind your thoughts with stale prejudices and stereotypes.”
Bi Ryu Yeon’s hands moved busily.
*Crack!*
*Crunch!*
“Aargh!”
“S-stop! Please…”
Meanwhile, screams continued to erupt. However, Bi Ryu Yeon seemed indifferent, closing his ears and focusing only on his task. Didn’t someone say that a person engrossed in something is beautiful?
It was truly a metaphysical posture. A difficult form that not even a celestial yoga practitioner could achieve. The fact that humans could create such bizarre shapes by intertwining themselves was even awe-inspiring. The ability to entangle people’s hands and feet so complexly without breaking a single joint made people feel a sense of reverence for what humans could achieve. However, Bi Ryu Yeon did not seem satisfied.
‘What shape would be a true sprawl? How can I clearly distinguish it from falling?’ Bi Ryu Yeon’s 고민 continued.
“It’s difficult, it’s difficult!”
Bi Ryu Yeon muttered softly, like a high monk in deep meditation, engrossed in profound contemplation. At that moment, Namgung Ho, who was among those sprawled on the ground, felt like crying. He was so unfortunate. It was as if all the misfortune he should have encountered throughout his life had come crashing down on him at once. As he was thrown, he collided with a fruit crate, and with the fragrant scent of fruit, Namgung Ho lost consciousness.
“Wh-what is this…?”
Namgung Sang asked, looking at the grand mess unfolding around him. Mo Yong Hwi also looked at Bi Ryu Yeon’s creation with an incredulous expression. Finding Bi Ryu Yeon was very simple. As soon as they left the inn, they just had to head towards the most chaotic place.
“What are you… doing?”
Namgung Sang asked with eyes full of worry. Causing such a commotion would bring no benefit.
“Huh? Me? I was doing some rescue work here. As always, saving human lives seems to be a difficult and cumbersome task.”
Bi Ryu Yeon said, pretending to wipe the sweat from his brow.
“Are you talking about… that young lady over there?”
Namgung Sang’s hand pointed to Eun Seol Ran, demanding an explanation. He, too, knew who she was. He just couldn’t figure out why she was there. Bi Ryu Yeon slowly shook his head.
“No, the ones I saved are these eggs lying all over the floor.”
“What? What do you mean…?”
“I mean, literally, I saved young lives from being shattered today. Isn’t that right, Grandpa?”
Bi Ryu Yeon suddenly turned his head to the old coachman who had tried to stop the young masters who were “hitting on” them. The old man driving Eun Seol Ran’s carriage was momentarily startled by this sudden question, but then burst into laughter.
“Ho ho ho, what would a humble coachman like me know? By the way, thank you for your help, young master!”
“Is that so? Then let’s leave it at that for now.”
Eun Seol Ran looked at him with a strange gaze at Bi Ryu Yeon’s amused reply.
‘What did this old coachman do?’
Namgung Sang was still unable to comprehend the current situation. Dozens of question marks danced amicably in his head.
Just then. A young man, who had been buried face-first in the fruits of a nearby fruit stall, wobbled to his feet. No one knew when he had been shoved there. His white robes, which had been as white as snow, were now dyed in various colors due to the crushed fruits. As he seemed to have barely regained consciousness, he touched various parts of his body while looking around, and it seemed as if his entire body ached from his bones.
The young man, who was frowning in hellish pain, looked around and saw a familiar face, and approached him with joy. He must have seemed like a savior in his eyes.
“B-Brother!”
Namgung Ho called out to Namgung Sang in a pathetic voice, and his face was too colorful to be considered normal.
“Isn’t this the second son of your second uncle, the second Ho! What happened to you?”
Encouraged by Namgung Sang’s concerned question, Namgung Ho pointed at Bi Ryu Yeon and shouted, desperately hoping he would retaliate.
“So that guy…”
*Thwack!*
Namgung Ho, who had barely regained consciousness from hellish pain, was silenced again by Namgung Sang’s gentle and appropriate action.
‘Surely… he didn’t hear me?’
He quickly glanced at Bi Ryu Yeon. He seemed to be busy talking with Mo Yong Hwi and Eun Seol Ran. Was it a success?
[What happened?]
Just then, a telepathic voice reached his ears. Namgung Sang was startled as if he had seen a ghost.
[Yes? Hahaha, nothing happened. Nothing! Of course, really.]
The flustered Namgung Sang made excuses with all his might.
“Is that so?”
Only when the older martial brother’s head returned to its original position could Namgung Sang breathe a sigh of relief.
“Phew~!”
Namgung Sang’s swift action, which dramatically saved his cousin from a life-threatening situation, deserved praise. Of course, Namgung Ho couldn’t understand it.