Light Novel: Volume 17 Episode 25
Manhwa: N/A
“Excuse me, may I sit here?”
Seo Yul-hee’s words caused all the temporarily hired escorts to fall silent. They only looked at each other for cues.
After all, she was the young miss of the Spirit Sword Manor.
Considering the special status that the Spirit Sword Manor held in Yunnan Province, sitting with her was bound to be intimidating.
Especially when the martial artists of the Spirit Sword Manor, seated at a distance, were glaring at them with menacing looks.
Although they couldn’t look out for her due to Seo Gun-hwi’s orders, his gazes seemed to warn that if anyone as much as laid a fingertip on Seo Yul-hee, they would face dire consequences.
Gulp!
A dry swallowing sound came from someone’s mouth.
After looking at the temporary escorts with disappointment, Seo Yul-hee shifted her gaze to Pyo-wol and Do Yeonsan.
Unlike everyone else, they were the only ones who didn’t seem to care much about her.
A man with skin as white as snow and a face more beautiful than a woman’s, and a boy with lively eyes, the two were Pyo-wol and Do Yeonsan respectively.
They merely chewed on their rations, not even paying the slightest bit of attention to Seo Yul-hee.
Seo Yul-hee deliberately sat next to them and said,
“I’ll sit here.”
At that moment, Do Yeonsan lifted his head to look at her.
Seo Yul-hee introduced herself first.
“I’m Seo Yul-hee. How about you?”
“Do Yeonsan!”
“I’ll just sit here for a while.”
“Suit yourself.”
Do Yeonsan replied nonchalantly.
To the people of Yunnan, Seo Yul-hee might have been a significant figure, but to him, she was just one of countless passing faces.
She wasn’t anyone particularly impressive or special.
That’s why he could interact with her so casually.
Grumble!
At that moment, an embarrassing noise came from Seo Yul-hee’s stomach.
Seo Yul-hee’s face turned beet red.
She was overwhelmed with embarrassment.
It was true that she had thrown a tantrum, but it wasn’t because she wanted to.
Her digestive system had simply been weak since she was a child causing her to be prone to stomach issues. Because of this, her mother was especially careful about what she ate.
Her stomach had a hard time digesting coarse foods like dry rations, that’s why she had refused to eat, but Seo Gun-hwi had dismissed it as her being childish and throwing a fit over side dishes.
It hurt to think that her only brother didn’t understand her.
Grumble!
Once again, a sound echoed from Seo Yul-hee’s stomach.
Embarrassed, she buried her head between her knees.
It was then.
Tap, tap!
Do Yeon San lightly tapped her on the shoulder.
When she looked up, Do Yeonsan was offering her a piece of jerky. He had bought it before joining the Great Pearl Merchant Group.
“Eat!”
“Huh?”
“Didn’t you say you haven’t eaten yet?”
“I can’t digest meat if it’s too tough.”
“Really?”
Do Yeonsan suddenly gripped and squeezed the jerky.
The jerky immediately turned tender under the immense pressure.
“This should be easy enough for you to digest.”
Do Yeonsan handed the now soft jerky to Seo Yul-hee.
Surprised by the softness, Seo Yul-hee looked back and forth between the jerky and Do Yeonsan.
“You’re amazing.”
“It’s nothing.”
“Thank you!”
After expressing her gratitude, Seo Yul-hee tasted a bit of the beef jerky.
The dried meat was so tender that it was hard to believe it was beef jerky.
Seo Yul-hee chewed the beef jerky with a happy expression on her face.
The piece of beef jerky was gone in no time. Then, Do Yeonsan took out another piece of jerky from his bag.
He applied some pressure to make the jerky softer and handed it to Seo Yul-hee.
“Thank you!”
Seo Yul-hee expressed her thanks again and ate the jerky.
Having finished the remaining beef jerky, her stomach felt somewhat full. She didn’t feel any discomfort whatsoever in her stomach.
A smile naturally spread across Seo Yul-hee’s face.
It felt as if the pain caused by Seo Gun-hwi was somewhat healed.
Seo Yul-hee asked Do Yeonsan,
“But how did you do it?”
“What?”
“How did you make the jerky so tender?”
“It just happened when I tried.”
“Are you a hidden master or something?”
“Not exactly that much–”
“No! In our Spirit Sword Manor, there aren’t many martial artists with your skills. You’re truly amazing!”
Seo Yul-hee spoke excitedly, her face turning red.
Feeling embarrassed, Do Yeonsan just scratched his head.
He wasn’t used to this kind of situation.
Having such a beautiful woman treating him without any formality was unfamiliar.
After talking for a while, Seo Yul-hee’s gaze turned to Pyo-wol, who was next to Do Yeonsan.
She had been so focused on Do Yeonsan that she hadn’t noticed until now how Pyo-wol’s face was even more beautiful than hers.
“Wow!”
She couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement.
“Your brother is really… your brother, right?”
“If you’re asking if he’s a man, then yes.”
“Who is your brother? I’ve never heard of a man as beautiful as your brother. Look at this hair, it’s crazy. How can it be so shiny…”
Seo Yul-hee kept on exclaiming in admiration.
Her voice was so loud that it attracted the attention of Seo Gun-hwi and his subordinates who were some distance away.
From where they were, they couldn’t see Pyo-wol’s face, so they couldn’t understand why she was making such a fuss.
Seo Yul-hee laughed and chatted incessantly beside Pyo-wol and Do Yeonsan. Seeing her like this, Seo Gun-hwi put his hand to his forehead.
“When will she ever grow up…”
The state of Jianghu was rapidly changing day by day.
In such unpredictable times, one always had to maintain their wits and carefully observe their surroundings.
He had neither the patience nor the time to indulge his younger sister’s whims.
He wished more than anything for his sister to grow up strong. Seeing her laughing and chatting with mere escorts made him upset.
Cha Yun-pyeong carefully said,
“Do you want me to fetch the young miss?”
“Just leave her be.”
“But–”
“If they are escorts of the Great Pearl Merchant Group, they won’t harm Yul-hee. Just let her be.”
“Understood.”
Ji Muhyeong, who had been observing from the side, spoke up,
“I’ll tell them to show respect to the young miss.”
“No.”
Seo Gun-hwi flatly refused.
‘Ugh! He’s so stubborn. Why is he so inflexible?’
Ji Muhyeong involuntarily showed a frustrated expression.
Because he felt uneasy, the night felt unusually long.
* * *
The people of the Great Pearl Merchant Group woke up even before dawn to prepare for departure.
The bonfires that had kept them warm all night were extinguished, and the horses and oxen were harnessed to the carts.
Breakfast was once again simple and dry.
Though the food was bland and unpalatable, no one complained. All except Seo Yul-hee.
Having returned to the Spirit Sword Manor warriors before sleep, Seo Yul-hee approached Do Yeonsan as if it were a given when mealtime came.
Do Yeonsan handed her a piece of tenderly prepared jerky.
“Thank you!”
Just like the previous day, Seo Yul-hee sat beside Do Yeonsan and chewed on the jerky.
“Hehe!”
She was in such a good mood that she hummed a little tune.
It was then.
Seo Gun-hwi, who had been preparing to leave, approached the spot where Seo Yul-hee was.
He first gave a bow to Pyo-wol and Do Yeonsan as a greeting.
“My name is Seo Gun-hwi from the Spirit Sword Manor. I apologize for any trouble my sister may have caused you–”
Suddenly, Seo Gun-hwi stopped talking.
He was speechless the moment he saw Pyo-wol’s face.
‘What kind of man has such a face…’
For a moment, a frown crossed his face.
He found it hard to understand the fact that a man with such an appearance was merely a temporary escort.
More than anything, it was the aura he felt from Pyo-wol that disturbed him.
An atmosphere as deep and still as stagnant water.
He had never felt such an aura from any other martial artist.
At least among the martial artists he had met, Pyo-wol was the first with such an aura.
At least among the martial artists he had met, Pyo-wol was the first with such an aura.
Despite probably knowing Seo Gun-hwi’s status, he didn’t seem intimidated or anxious.
He was either very confident in his martial abilities, or he was the type to be extremely insensitive to external stimuli.
Seo Gun-hwi thought it was most likely the former.
Ever since he saw Pyo-wol’s face, warning bells had been ringing in his head.
Seo Gun-hwi cautiously asked,
“Could you perhaps tell me your name, Master?”
“No, I just want to leave quietly.”
At Pyo-wol’s refusal, Seo Gun-hwi’s eyebrows twitched.
This was the first time that he had identified himself first, yet the other party refused to reveal his identity.
“This guy–”
Cha Yun-pyeong, who was behind Seo Gun-hwi, became angry and tried to draw his sword. However, Seo Gun-hwi raised his hand to stop him, so he had no choice but to sheathe it again.
Seo Gun-hwi apologized.
“I’m sorry. My subordinate is overly motivated, and acted out of line.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“I’m glad you understand, then, can you answer just this one question for me? I know you joined as a temporary escort, but was it because of us?”
“I didn’t even know the Spirit Sword Manor was here until I joined as a temporary escort.”
“Then, you’re not from Yunnan.”
“That’s right! I only joined because the Great Pearl Merchant Group’s destination was the same as mine.”
“I see.”
Seo Gun-hwi nodded slightly.
It was common for mercenaries to purposely join an escort service or a merchant group with the same destination.
The escort service or merchant group would obtain protection at a cheap price, while the mercenaries would get food and accommodation in return.
Such mutual benefits occurred frequently in Jianghu.
“So, your final destination is Chengdu as well?”
“That’s right.”
“I see, then I won’t pry any further, but I want you to promise me one thing.”
“What is it?”
“Don’t give my sister any false hopes. She’s a naive child who doesn’t know the ways of the world. I’d like her to realize on this trip just how cold and terrifying the world can be. So, don’t fill her head with rosy delusions.”
“I will.”
Pyo-wol nodded obediently.s
Even if Seo Gun-hwi hadn’t asked, Pyo-wol wasn’t particularly interested in paying attention to Seo Yul-hee.
Perhaps pleased with Pyo-wol’s response, Seo Gun-hwi slightly smiled.
“I apologize for the inconvenience. I’ll take my leave now. If you ever change your mind and want to talk, come find me at the front.”
“Are you going to move with the Great Pearl Merchant Group as well?”
“I think it will be more convenient to move with the Great Pearl Merchant Group at least halfway to our destination.”
“I see, so Chengdu is not your final destination.”
“Unfortunately, no, but I think we can still travel up to Xichang together.”
Xichang was a city located in the southern part of Sichuan Province. It was a strategic point where major roads intersected.
Once they went there, they could go anywhere in Jianghu.
Seo Gun-hwi didn’t reveal his final destination, but it seemed they would be traveling together for at least a few more days.
“Then I’ll see you later.”
After bidding farewell, Seo Gun-hwi left.
Cha Yun-pyeong followed Seo Gun-hwi and whispered,
“Can we trust that man?”
“In Jianghu, is there anything more foolish than trusting someone you’ve met for the first time?”
“Then?”
“It’s always better to watch a suspicious person closely than to keep away from them.”
“Ah!”
Cha Yun-pyeong couldn’t help but exclaim.
He had found it odd how Seo Gun-hwi, unlike his usual self, was treating a stranger with such courtesy. Seo Gun-hwi had deeper intentions all along.
‘As expected of the young master.’
It wasn’t just because he was the son of the Spirit Sword Manor’s sect leader that he had risen to the position of young leader, the one next-in-line to inherit the sect.
His exceptional skill in martial arts and his profound wisdom were such that no one could match him, earning him the recognition of the sect leader.
Such was the case with this mission.
Sect leader Seo Mun recognized Seo Gun-hwi’s outstanding abilities and gave an order.
He was to personally assess the situation in Jianghu.
Up until now, the Spirit Sword Manor had remained as if it was both present and absent, neutral and silent. But Seo Mun knew that they couldn’t maintain this neutrality forever. Hence, he sent his son, Seo Gun-hwi, to gauge the situation and make a judgment.
Seo Gun-hwi took a surreptitious glance.
He saw Seo Yul-hee excitedly talking to Do Yeonsan.
“Tsk!”
The sound of his tongue clicking in disapproval escaped his lips.
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