Chapter 254
“What urgency drives you to push yourself so harshly?”
So spoke Seo Mun-Hwarin as she sat at my bedside, where I had collapsed from exhaustion after training with my sword.
When I had first drawn my blade, it had been bright daylight, yet before I knew it, the sun had set, and now the night sky was obscured by Seo Mun-Hwarin’s face.
White hair spilling downward. Crimson eyes filled with both worry and strictness. That was the sky I looked up at.
A sky that could be covered with just the span of a hand.
I don’t remember what I said in reply to Seo Mun-Hwarin. It was a long time ago, and memories that aren’t especially vivid are often pushed aside by stronger ones.
So I must’ve said something meaningless. Something like… life is supposed to be harsh.
That’s the kind of person I was back then. Rather than being consumed by rage, it was more accurate to say I was twisted.
I had confidence that my sword could cut through every problem in the world, yet I was plagued by anxiety because I didn’t know what to swing it at.
Confidence and anxiety—concepts that shouldn’t mix—blended into a dull, tasteless poison. If I didn’t swing my sword, I felt like I wasn’t improving. If I didn’t train myself to death, if I slowed down even a little—
The thought began to creep into my mind that I might be cut down just like those who had fallen to my sword.
That’s likely why I could only fall asleep after swinging my sword in a way closer to self-abuse than training.
Of course, Seo Mun-Hwarin probably saw straight through that side of me.
“Hmph. That may be true. But not all lives are like that.”
“Come with this one for a bit, won’t you? The timing happens to be right. There’s something this one wants to show you.”
“Eii! No more complaints, get up already!”
Even though I didn’t want to lift a single finger, she forced me to my feet, infusing me with inner energy.
She grabbed my wrist firmly and started pulling me somewhere.
To a secluded stone wall in the corner of Ironblood Hall. Unlike the carefully maintained living quarters, this place was entirely neglected, the stone partially collapsed.
Weeds had begun to grow through the cracks, and when it rained, puddles formed, drawing in all sorts of insects and wild animals.
A place that, every time I saw it, made me grumble more about the stingy master of the Black Lotus Sect. That is, until now.
The outer wall at night looked completely different.
Though the weeds growing between the rubble remained the same, countless tiny lights flickered above them.
Tiny insects flashing somewhere between green and yellow.
Fireflies.
“What do you think? Beautiful, is it not? Those mere day-flying bugs shine like this at night.”
“Surely your life will also, someday… huh? But why are these things, normally found deep in the mountains, appearing in a place where people live?”
“That’s not the point. But if you must know, it’s because no one does live around here.”
“Ahem. So? I’d like to hear your thoughts now.”
Seo Mun-Hwarin pressed me for an answer in her usual unbothered tone, as though she already knew what I’d say.
I probably gave a half-hearted response. No matter how beautiful a scene may be, it’s hard to appreciate it sincerely if your heart is not at ease.
But Seo Mun-Hwarin was my direct superior, a martial master at the Flowering Stage, and someone who always taught me something whenever she had the chance.
Even if it didn’t move my heart, I could at least recognize it with my mind as something beautiful and nodded in response.
Well, even now I’m no good at lying, but I was even worse at it back then—so she probably saw right through me.
“You don’t seem too impressed. Feels like you’re just saying that to please this one.”
Yet Seo Mun-Hwarin smiled gently at me.
From when I lay in the training yard to this moment now, this was why I couldn’t remember what I had said.
Because strong memories naturally overshadow the small ones.
“Still, this one is truly pleased by your heart.”
“If this one is thinking of you, and you are thinking of this one—what could be more beautiful than that?”
She nodded proudly, as though she had just said something meaningful.
Bathed in the dreamy light of the fireflies, Seo Mun-Hwarin said those words.
And, amusingly enough, that scene stepped deeper into my heart than any landscape ever had.
Yes, Seo Mun-Hwarin was that kind of person.
Someone who could make flowers bloom in winter, who drew fireflies to abandoned places, and who needed just a hint of emotional connection to be content.
Despite her high martial level, she could genuinely rejoice over small things.
The light of the fireflies still failed to move me.
Her impressive-sounding words, likely prepared with care, didn’t either.
But the warmth of the small hand that had pulled me from the cold ground, the pure smile she wore, the memory of that night—Seo Mun-Hwarin herself—
Those, I would never forget.
Because, as she said, I had seen something beautiful.
***
“Ah.”
Perhaps because I had dreamed of the past for the first time in a while, my head was hazy, and the boundary between past and present felt blurry for a moment.
Of course, like any long dream, a few blinks later and it quickly faded.
“Mmnh…”
Seo Mun-Hwarin was moving her lips, as if dreaming of eating something.
Sleeping soundly beside me, Seo Mun-Hwarin was in the same thin sleepwear as yesterday, but somehow it didn’t seem so provocative now.
Maybe it was because the morning sun was streaming in through the window, or maybe it was because of the faint trail of drool at the corner of her lips, or maybe it was because her cheeks looked particularly soft today.
Whatever the reason, the difference between this sleepy Seo Mun-Hwarin and the one from my dream was stark.
As I recalled what happened the night before, a wry smile formed at the edge of my lips.
“I didn’t expect it to still be this visible.”
I glanced down at my arm.
Red marks bloomed here and there. To the casual eye, it might look like a rash or a nasty case of insect bites.
And surely it wasn’t just my arms—my entire body likely looked the same.
Of course, I hadn’t actually caught a disease or been bitten by bugs.
They were all traces left by Seo Mun-Hwarin’s lips.
No, to be exact, marks left by her relentlessly sucking on my skin with those lips.
“Huu…”
Letting out a deep sigh, I looked at Seo Mun-Hwarin again. I really shouldn't have told her to do as she pleased.
“Muhuhu…”
Murmuring in her sleep with a wicked smile—now that I looked closely, it seemed different.
Wasn’t she dreaming of eating something… but actually in the middle of leaving more marks on my body?
A sudden chill ran down my spine.
Though I hadn’t gone further than what I had promised Tang Sowol, I still wondered if this was really okay.
Shaking off the complicated thoughts with a shake of my head, I poked Seo Mun-Hwarin’s cheek and spoke.
“Senior Seo Mun-Hwarin, wake up.”
“We’ve got a lot to do. We need to report the subjugation of the White Mountain King, meet up with Seol Lihyang and the others who went ahead, and—most importantly—we need breakfast.”
After several pokes, Seo Mun-Hwarin slowly sat up.
Yawning once, she rubbed her eyes and nodded.
“Awake, this one is…”
Still looking groggy, Seo Mun-Hwarin glanced at my face—and then at the red marks left uncovered by my clothes—and her eyes widened.
“H-Huhp!”
Covering her mouth, she tried to hold in her breath. Her eyes darted around wildly before she suddenly gave a cheeky smile.
“You said we have a lot to do?”
***
“Then it’s important to prioritize. Shall we eat first? Go to the authorities? Or… continue what we started last night?”
“Let’s eat first.”
Seo Mun-Hwarin looked momentarily stunned by my firm answer. Her lips pouted slightly, though she obediently nodded.
After eating breakfast at the inn we stayed at overnight, we asked the innkeeper for directions to the nearest city.
The place we had stayed in was a small village at the foot of the mountain. Though patrol soldiers passed through occasionally, there was no proper government office.
I planned to use the massive axe of the White Mountain King, which I had prepared in advance, as evidence of the Red Forest Gang Leader’s death, and also borrow some paper and manpower to notify the Tang Clan of our safety.
“Cheon… Hwi??”
“Looks like we’re in luck.”
On the way, we encountered Seol Lihyang and the others, looking ragged.
They must have had a similar idea and were heading to the nearest city. Though their purpose was probably to ask for help, not to report a subjugation.
“Cheon Hwi…!”
Tears welled in Seol Lihyang’s eyes as she rushed toward me. I handed the cumbersome axe to Seo Mun-Hwarin and opened my arms wide.
Squeeze.
It wasn’t so much a hug as it was a death grip. It felt like she was trying to choke me out.
As I gently patted her back, I quickly scanned the rest of the group.
Thankfully, it didn’t seem like anyone had died, but more people were injured than I expected. Something must have happened on the way down the mountain.
Seol Lihyang could barely speak, gasping for breath, but finally loosened her grip after calming down a bit.
“Are you alright now? Don’t worry. As you can see, both I and Senior Seo Mun-Hwarin are fine.”
“Fine?! You call this fine when you’ve got red blotches all over your skin?!”
“…Ah.”
Seol Lihyang mistook the marks Seo Mun-Hwarin left for some kind of affliction. Not without reason.
“I saw it. Right before you brought down the mountain—you couldn’t see properly, right? The King of Assassins’ hidden weapon was coated in poison! And for a poison to affect you, it must have been serious!”
“Well, that’s true.”
My vision had blurred, and my focus broke. The weapon was poisoned.
It’s just that… these marks weren’t caused by the poison.
“Let’s hurry… Hurry to the Tang Clan. You’ll be treated quickly there.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
“What? What do you mean? No time to find a doctor—we need to go now. Here, I’ll carry you! Relax your body, Cheon Hwi!”
Seol Lihyang, whose limbs were longer than Seo Mun-Hwarin’s but still shorter than mine, tried to lift me onto her back.
I chuckled awkwardly and shook my head.
“I’m saying this because it really isn’t necessary. The poison’s already been neutralized. These marks… are just from mosquito bites.”
“It’s not even summer—it’s still chilly! How could it be mosquitoes?”
“Exactly.”
“Mosquitoes strong enough to bite through the skin of a Flowering Stage martial artist?!”
“Must’ve been a mosquito at the Flowering Stage too.”
I gave a small laugh and looked toward Seo Mun-Hwarin. She awkwardly turned her gaze to a distant mountain.
Then Seol Lihyang, watching us with a sidelong glance, suddenly opened her eyes wide in realization.
“Don’t tell me, Cheon Hwi, you…”
“Wait.”
I quickly covered her mouth with my palm and spoke in a quiet voice.
“A lot’s happened, but the White Mountain King and the King of Assassins are both down. It’s truly over now.”
“Mmff!”
“More importantly, I hear things didn’t go smoothly on your end either. Care to explain what happened?”
“Puhah!”
After I removed my hand, Seol Lihyang gasped for breath and looked between me and Seo Mun-Hwarin with an exasperated expression before letting out a deep sigh.
“The surviving members of the Red Forest Gang attacked us as we escaped. They knew the mountain paths better than we did, so we couldn’t shake them.”
“Makes sense. We’ve been climbing these mountains a lot lately, but still, we can’t outmatch bandits when it comes to terrain knowledge.”
“Yeah. So we had no choice but to fight. But then assassins joined the fray too.”
“…Huh?”
Since the King of Assassins was here, some of Sal Valley’s assassins must’ve accompanied him. But that would mean they were outnumbered even if their overall level was similar.
And if they were assassins, they would’ve ambushed, so casualties must have been high…
Yet somehow, there hadn’t been a single death.
Someone must’ve pushed themselves too far.
As I reached out to check if she was truly unhurt, Seol Lihyang raised a hand to stop me.
She wiped away her lingering tears, then lifted her chin proudly.
“So I took them all down.”
“…?”
“I’ve reached Sub-Perfection, after all.”
“…?”
Seol Lihyang said this as she puffed out her chest.
At a glance, her posture looked even more assertive than Seo Mun-Hwarin’s.