By Zephyria 
HF 72
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“Did an arrow injure your face?”
As Ho-yeon hurriedly tried to examine the wound, Howi pressed his hand against his jaw as if stroking it, then pulled away. The ragged piece of flesh snapped back into place as if glued. The gesture was so nonchalant that Ho-yeon wondered if he had seen it wrong.
However, he had clearly seen the parted skin with his own eyes. Furthermore, the area that had reattached showed a boundary line, like an old scar.
“Y-your face, just now…”
“Do you not know of the human-skin mask?”
Ho-yeon had suspected it might be a human-skin mask, but the man chided him as if he were foolish for not knowing. He lowered the leather pouch he had raised and moistened his lips.
“I didn’t know you were wearing a human-skin mask. But why…?”
Before he could finish asking the reason for this unexpected situation—
“Why does the young master dye his hair?”
“Because my natural hair color is too conspicuous.”
“Similar reason.”
Since he likely didn’t have white hair like some ice palace inhabitants, he must have had a scar on his face so severe that it would be unforgettable to anyone who saw it. The face Ho-yeon had seen of Howi until now was not real. It was a complete shock.
He wanted to see the man’s true appearance, but it must have been hidden on purpose. He didn’t want to do something that might hurt the other person just to satisfy his own curiosity.
“Could I have some water too?”
The desert was far away from here, but Ho-yeon looked as thirsty as if he were standing in the middle of a sandy wasteland. Howi handed the leather pouch to Ho-yeon. Gulp, gulp… Since he had to conserve the water, Ho-yeon let his Adam’s apple bob only in small sips.
“Thank you.”
Ho-yeon shook the leather pouch to make the sound of splashing water, as if to show he hadn’t drunk much. Howi stuffed the pouch carelessly back into his bag and resumed walking.
“You may use lightfoot technique. I will follow well.”
“I won’t rest until the sun sets. What about your internal energy?”
“I think I can manage that much.”
Ho-yeon answered confidently, claiming he could hold out until then. For some reason, the way the man gazed at him felt as if he were questioning whether Ho-yeon could actually keep up.
“I will follow once you depart.”
Even if he happened to fall behind, he didn’t think the man would abandon him again.
Ho-yeon diligently chased after Howi, who ran ahead toward the grasslands. He could clearly feel that the man was adjusting his speed considering Ho-yeon’s level. However, Ho-yeon felt a needless anxiety about whether the man even knew which direction they were heading.
“Do you know the way to the North Sea accurately?”
“You would know it better than I. Since you are from the North Sea.”
Howi slowed down further, as if telling Ho-yeon to take the lead. Ho-yeon waved his hands.
“No. It’s not that I know the way, I was just curious if we are heading north…”
By now, his breathing had regained some composure compared to when he first deployed the lightfoot technique. Even so, he couldn’t hide a slight panting.
Mu-gyeong was certain that Ho-yeon had received no proper training, as he didn’t even know the simple method of gauging direction. Judging by the position of the rising sun, the direction where the shadow pointed forward was north.
Suddenly, the clear face entered his sight. Since they had their backs to the sun, Ho-yeon’s skin didn’t seem to sting enough to make him open his oiled-paper umbrella.
“If we keep running like this, how long will it take to reach the North Sea?”
Ho-yeon didn’t stop talking, not only when he was on horseback but also while running.
“We should arrive within fifteen days.”
Ho-yeon’s face brightened. It was certainly a shorter time than when he went to the demon sect.
“Tae-pyeong probably found the hundred thousand great mountains well, right?”
“Unlike the young master, he should be good at finding directions.”
Even though it was practically an insult, Ho-yeon gave a faint smile.
“I guess the people of the demon sect take after the Sect Leader.”
Mu-gyeong turned his head to look at Ho-yeon. His cheeks, exposed to the wind while running, were flushed red. The wind had created a face that Mu-gyeong often saw when the boy was held in his arms. Feeling the gaze, Ho-yeon quickly added.
“It’s not that I know the Sect Leader incredibly well, but unlike how he treated me well, his words were a bit harsh.”
“Treated you well.”
At Howi’s words, which were close to a mutter, Ho-yeon paused for a moment.
“He wasn’t exactly tender or sweet, but… still, he sent me back to the ice palace safely. Moreover, he even gave me such a great guard. I’m glad I could leave the demon sect with only good memories.”
He was treating it as a completely passed connection. It was then that Mu-gyeong twisted the corners of his mouth.
“By the way, Mr. Guard.”
Ho-yeon spoke in a worried voice, as if he had just remembered something.
“The Sect Leader won’t give you a severe punishment for teaching me lightfoot technique, will he? Just… how about we keep it a secret between the two of us?”
Ho-yeon curved his eyes beautifully as he looked at Howi running beside him. It was because a blade of grass from the prairie had brushed against his eye, but combined with the smile lingering on his lips, he looked like someone who could bewitch almost anyone.
“Now that I think about it, I won’t have any reason to meet the Sect Leader again, so there’s no need to keep it a secret.”
As the sun began to set, Ho-yeon could look at Howi more comfortably than before. The sunset that dyed the entire prairie was seeping into those pitch-black eyes.
Though they weren’t burning red eyes like Mu-gyeong’s, Ho-yeon felt a bit nervous at the somehow familiar gaze. This was because a bleak energy lingered around him, to the point where he wondered if he had made a slip of the tongue.
Since the man lacked expression, it felt even more so. But perhaps the reason was the human-skin mask.
Could he be a man capable of making surprisingly diverse expressions if the skin were peeled away? Not only that, but he must feel stifled since he had been wearing it ever since leaving the demon sect.
“I am truly fine with whatever you look like.”
Thus, he indirectly told him that he could comfortably take off the human-skin mask in front of him.
“It would be better for your well-being not to make promises you cannot keep.”
What does he take me for? Among favors and grudges, Ho-yeon never forgets a kindness.
“I always repay the kindness of my benefactors.”
The Sect Leader… was someone who deceived him, so there was no need to repay any kindness.
But wasn’t it good until he burned the letter? The fact that their relationship became strained was entirely Cheon Mu-gyeong’s fault. He was the one who did wrong, yet he was the one who cast him out to the ice palace.
No, it’s a good thing, so why do I keep dwelling on his cold treatment? It must be because I received help from his yang energy. Thanks to that, my middle dantian found stability, so I don’t seem to shiver from the cold every night.
Ho-yeon, who slept first and woke up late, had no clue that he was sharing body heat with Cheon Mu-gyeong.
“And how do you intend to repay the favor?”
“Do you perhaps want money? Then I will speak well to the Palace Master and make sure you are taken care of sufficiently.”
“You’re nothing but a ice-fish.”
Ho-yeon knew that comparing a person to a fish was not meant in a good way. It meant being dim-witted. Since he was the benefactor who taught him lightfoot technique, he replied softly so as not to sound argumentative.
“I follow the lightfoot technique quite well as you taught me, so I don’t think I’m… an ice-fish.”
“A mind that forgets who gave the gold pieces is indeed an ice-fish.”
It wasn’t that he had forgotten, but most of the people Ho-yeon had seen since leaving the cave loved money even if they already had plenty.
“Even people who have a lot seem to like having more.”
“What I need is not something like wealth.”
It had been dozens of days. For the first time in the dozens of days they had traveled together, Howi spoke of himself. Ho-yeon’s curiosity peaked, and he waited for the following words, but the man only remained silent as if he had nothing more to say.
After that, Ho-yeon also stopped prying and kept his mouth shut. It was because he felt his internal energy gradually depleting and was exhausted.
* * *
“I will stand guard for you.”
Having finished meditative breathing to recover the internal energy depleted by the lightfoot technique, Ho-yeon hovered around Howi. Howi, who had lit a fire in the middle of the prairie, merely gestured with his chin toward the ground, as if telling him to just go to sleep.
Mu-gyeong was a being who could run for three days and nights without strain. For one who had reached transcending demonicity, the depletion of internal energy did not exist.
However, Ho-yeon interpreted the reason why he didn’t perform meditative breathing similarly but differently. Since he had run to match Ho-yeon’s meager lightfoot technique, his internal energy must still be full in his dantian.
Ho-yeon curled up on the ground, saying he would sleep first. Despite having no blanket to spread or cloth to cover himself, Ho-yeon soon fell fast asleep with his mouth slightly open.
It was because his overworked body could not overcome the fatigue, despite the meditative breathing. He usually fell asleep quickly, but today it was exceptionally fast.
When Cheon Mu-gyeong grabbed Ho-yeon’s arm and lifted him, he followed the touch, completely devoid of strength. He pulled the limp body into his embrace as he pleased.
The white body crumpled beautifully as he kneaded it, like soft snow. The acorn-colored hair had also lost its color and turned grayish, perhaps because of the use of internal energy.
How much had he calmed his fire energy by touching and kneading Wi Ho-yeon as he pleased?
The sound of horse hooves crossing the moonlit prairie was heard from afar and gradually grew closer. The corners of Cheon Mu-gyeong’s mouth curled up crookedly, and a red glint settled in his eyes.
Urkan.
As if welcoming someone who sought out their own place of death, he released the suppressed demonic energy.