Chapter 137
“No matter how I think about it, I’m really not suited for this.”
“Neither am I.”
The voices of Deok-gye and Gae-cheol echoed hollowly through the market streets.
It was a town on the outskirts of Cheonghaeseong. As they approached the busier central streets, their voices dwindled, becoming almost ant-like in comparison.
Especially Deok-gye, who kept trembling as he smoothed over his completely bald head.
“My hair… my precious hair that I’ve painstakingly grown for five straight years… If my mother knew, she would surely cry…”
Ye-oil didn’t even look back as she replied.
“They’re dead, aren’t they?”
“…like a rabbit child.”
“A bachelor, you mean.”
“…like a fox wife.”
“You’ve never even held a woman’s hand, have you?”
Heh. Swallowing his groan, Deok-gye gritted his teeth and shouted.
“That’s not the important part! Do you even understand the feelings of a man who suddenly becomes bald overnight? My heart! The heart of a pure old bachelor! It’s breaking in pain!”
“Then you should’ve just died.”
At the cold, cutting words, Deok-gye finally shut his mouth.
“You were given a choice. To die, or to follow me to Cheonma Sect.”
“……”
“Do you want me to kill you now? If you wish, I could even place a gache with a geisha’s jade flower atop your corpse.”
“…Then I’d just end up as a bald corpse with a gache. That’s even worse.”
He never imagined he’d end up playing the part of a rogue monk.
His grumbling voice slowly quieted. Watching Ye-oil, Gae-cheol whispered while walking alongside Deok-gye.
“Hey, Deok-gye. Didn’t you say you were following Wolgeom Ilsal of your own free will?”
“…It was of my own will. Sometimes, though, circumstances force my hand.”
“Then why not make a stronger demand? That way I can chime in too.”
“Really! Demand? Unlike me, the one still dressed like a beggar over there!”
Deok-gye swung a stone slab in frustration, rattling the chains and making a clattering noise that drew the attention of passersby.
“What else should a beggar disguise as, huh? Ahem. I mean, we’re finally returning to Seomseo as the deputy leader of Bubang, so it’d be nice if you’d hurry things along…”
“Wake up from your dream. Now that you know my sister’s identity, you’ll never be free, beggar Gae-cheol. Who told you to put yourself in her debt? Foolishness only leads to suffering, just like with me.”
Ignoring the two men whining in front of her, Ye-oil glanced at Gi-eul, walking alongside her like a bodyguard.
Gi-eul truly looked like a bodyguard.
His jet-black hair was tied up high, wearing black light armor and a sword—anyone could tell he was a warrior guarding Ye-oil.
Noticing her gaze, Gi-eul glanced at her and asked,
“Is there a problem?”
“Say, ‘Lord Jangru.’”
“…….”
“Say, ‘I will serve you loyally, Lord Jangru.’”
Gi-eul looked as if he had seen something filthy, sticking out his tongue but not speaking.
Behind him, a young girl followed quietly.
Small in stature, her face still stiff from tension, she reminded Ye-oil of when she first met Chang-ah.
The girl’s name was Jang-yul.
Yuyu had attached the child in exchange for lending her identity.
[……If I can’t follow, at least let this girl follow.]
[…….]
[If you don’t allow it, I won’t lend you Lord Jangru’s identity. …Really.]
Why on earth this child was brought along, Yuyu only gave a shy smile and said, “I’ll explain later. That way it’s more fun…”
At first, Ye-oil thought the girl might even be Yuyu’s daughter. But no matter how she looked, that wasn’t the case.
After a brief glare at Gi-eul, they arrived at a small inn.
Before entering, the rogue monk Deok-gye approached from behind and whispered to Ye-oil.
“Are you really sure about this, my lady? Even if your face is covered, Namgoong Heemyeong and Taoist Bang-woo both know your voice. What if they recognize you before we reach Sin-gang?”
At that, Ye-oil reached into her sleeve, took out a suspicious-looking vial, and wet her mouth just slightly.
Phht.
A handful of blood splattered onto the ground. Ye-oil cleared her throat slightly and asked Gi-eul,
“How is it?”
“Fine. Your voice will naturally discourage conversation.”
“You must drink the poison every three days.”
“Good to know, just in case.”
Gae-cheol looked pale as he stared at the blood-stained floor.
“…Horrible, Deok-gye. I don’t want to be here.”
“Didn’t my lady hear me? If you don’t like it, die.”
They entered the inn.
When Ye-oil appeared, dressed in a red palace gown adorned with camellias and her face completely covered in white linen, all eyes turned toward her.
From among the crowd, a man spoke.
“This way, please.”
It was Namgoong Jeok-myeong.
He had approached the targets first, explaining (or rather, deceiving) the situation, and now Ye-oil and her ragtag group drew near.
He smiled gently and introduced those at the table one by one.
“You came without delay. On the left is my younger brother, Heemyeong, and on the right is Taoist Bang-woo of the Hwasan Sect. Heemyeong, Bang-woo, this is the lady Jangru of Hangryongmun I mentioned.”
Ye-oil was inwardly surprised.
The aura of the young man introduced as Namgoong Heemyeong was so different from what she remembered.
[If you’re not Soyo… then who are you really?]
She could still vividly recall his youthful face.
Naturally, his height had grown, his features matured, and the gentle but clear eyes of the Namgoong brothers had vanished, replaced by the cold, almost chilling demeanor of a nobleman.
‘He grew even faster than Seol-yeong,’ she thought.
The previously soft roundness of his jaw had disappeared, giving him an almost different appearance.
Was it because the boy she had underestimated now sat at the table alongside Bang-woo? Ye-oil couldn’t help but let out a bitter laugh.
‘Even though Cheon Muryeong’s hand had long been let go, the same foolishness repeats, now as it did before.’
Namgoong Heemyeong’s sharp gaze swept over Ye-oil’s group before he spoke bluntly,
“Is it really true that this story ended with the clan master?”
Across from him, Namgoong Jeok-myeong casually teased his younger brother.
“Heemyeong, why do you doubt it so? I don’t know how many times you’ve asked.”
“It’s hard to believe. How can a party of two suddenly become six in a single day? And….”
By the time his gaze fell on Ye-oil’s linen-covered face, suspicion had already shifted to Deok-gye and Gae-cheol, making him visibly agitated.
As if wanting to interject, Deok-gye coughed loudly and opened his chest.
“Ahem. My apologies to the monk.”
“Monk?”
“Ah, no. My apologies to the rogue monk.”
[Shut up.]
“Eek!”
Ye-oil warned with a hissed note, cleared her throat, and slowly spoke.
“I understand your surprise at the sudden situation, but we also have an important mission.”
Her hoarse voice, barely audible in its original tone, caused Namgoong Heemyeong to furrow his brows.
“Several years ago, a fire broke out in Chwihyangwon, leaving more than half of my face severely burned. I have no choice but to cover it with linen. I apologize for the inconvenience and ask for your understanding for a moment.”
Typically, a hero shows leniency to the weak.
Upon hearing this, Heemyeong’s expression softened slightly, suggesting his nature remained unchanged.
The response came instead from Bang-woo, quietly sipping his wine beside him.
“What is this important mission?”
“Cheon Muryeong.”
Bang-woo’s gaze sharpened.
“A dangerous individual named Cheon Muryeong. We are tasked with eliminating him. We intend to request your cooperation when the crown prince comes to greet you.”
Bang-woo studied Ye-oil silently for a while, then finally asked,
“One more thing.”
“Go ahead.”
“Do you know me?”
“…Who in the martial world doesn’t know Maehwa Ungeom?”
