“The path seems a little different from when we came to the valley.”
Jin Geum-ryeon said, walking along the wooded path guided by So-cheon, Master Gokju’s attendant. He looked down and saw fallen leaves scattered by the wind, piled up in colorful heaps, with purple wildflowers blooming sparsely at his feet.
So-cheon hesitated for a moment, then calmly replied, “That can’t be. The people of Illusion Valley always use this path. It’s autumn, so the foliage is more colorful, which might make it look different from a few days ago.”
“Hmm, is that so?”
Jin Geum-ryeon thought that made sense and quietly followed So-cheon.
“But it doesn’t really look like a path that people use often.”
He continued to look down as he walked. Surely, if people had walked here often, the grass would be trampled and the soil exposed, but the ground he was stepping on was covered in lush green plants.
Jin Geum-ryeon suddenly stopped and bent over deeply. The sound of footsteps behind him faded, and So-cheon also stopped and turned around. Jin Geum-ryeon was holding a purple wildflower, looking at it.
“Isn’t this flower poisonous?”
So-cheon seemed to freeze for a moment when he saw it, but quickly put on a smile and took the flower from Jin Geum-ryeon.
“It’s aconite. It’s known as a poisonous plant, but it’s also used in medicine. If a skilled person uses it well, it can relieve pain and improve blood circulation. In fact, it was also used as an ingredient in the medicine that Young master An took.”
Jin Geum-ryeon nodded slightly at those words, putting his hands behind his back.
“Indeed, Master Gokju is truly attentive to An. Even though I met An first, I can’t even compare to him.”
Then, looking up at the sky, which was completely covered by trees, he continued, “But I don’t know why you’re doing this to me.”
As he finished speaking, Jin Geum-ryeon drew his sword, and a Hidden Weapon flew from somewhere, hitting the sword and bouncing off with a clang.
So-cheon, his expression changed, took out an iron flail from his chest and rushed at Jin Geum-ryeon, swinging it menacingly.
The iron flail whistled around Jin Geum-ryeon’s head. Jin Geum-ryeon skillfully dodged it, slowly backing away.
“Do you have some kind of grudge against me?”
“We are simply following Master Gokju’s orders.”
“Hmm…”
As soon as So-cheon finished speaking, six assassins appeared from the bushes, each holding their own weapons.
“Go!”
At So-cheon’s shout, they all rushed at Jin Geum-ryeon. As expected of those who handle poison and Hidden Weapons, they threw Hidden Weapons and poisoned needles that Jin Geum-ryeon had never seen before. Even a slight graze would probably cause poison to spread through his body, leading to his death.
Jin Geum-ryeon quickly dodged a dagger and slashed the shoulder of one of the assassins. A short scream erupted.
“To keep me in check like this, Master Gokju must really cherish An.”
Although one person was injured, there were still at least six assassins left, including So-cheon. Jin Geum-ryeon memorized the positions of each assassin in his head, swinging his sword to deflect three poisoned needles at once.
“If Young Master Jin swears to leave forever, we will retreat cleanly.”
So-cheon tried to swing his iron flail, aiming for Jin Geum-ryeon’s weak spot, but Jin Geum-ryeon had already jumped high, dodging and landing on a thick tree branch.
The spot where Jin Geum-ryeon had been standing just moments ago was shattered.
“Oh, really?”
There was no emotion in Jin Geum-ryeon’s voice as he said that. Now that he was on the tree, looking down at the branches, he saw that the trees growing around him were none other than lacquer trees.
“We’re just trying to scare you. I commend Young Master Jin’s courage.”
So-cheon replied kindly, stepping on the tree and jumping up after Jin Geum-ryeon.
“Isn’t Illusion Valley technically affiliated with the orthodox sects? Why are you doing this?”
Jin Geum-ryeon’s sword and So-cheon’s iron flail clashed several times. So-cheon had hoped that the knots on his iron flail would make it difficult for Jin Geum-ryeon to wield his sword smoothly, but for some reason, Jin Geum-ryeon’s sword seemed to be lubricated, slipping past without getting caught and occasionally threatening So-cheon.
So-cheon narrowed his brow.
“As I said before, we only act on Master Gokju’s orders.”
“If you kill me, who is from the same orthodox sect, your reputation won’t be good.”
At those words, So-cheon chuckled softly.
“If a disciple of a reclusive master takes a wrong turn and dies from poisonous plants, who would care? They would just blame the disciple’s lack of skill.”
The remaining assassins also jumped up onto the tree, chasing after Jin Geum-ryeon.
Jin Geum-ryeon skillfully dodged the Hidden Weapons being thrown at him and kicked one of the assassins who got too close, knocking him off the tree. Jin Geum-ryeon’s eyebrows twitched once at So-cheon’s condescending voice.
“Haha, the Master of Illusion Valley is even more unscrupulous than I thought. To treat a friend’s disciple like this, how aggrieved must that reclusive master be.”
Without batting an eye, So-cheon leaped forward, thrusting his iron flail at Jin Geum-ryeon.
But Jin Geum-ryeon also dodged quickly and nimbly, then seized an opportunity to strike her sternum hard with the hilt of his sword. At that moment, another Hidden Weapon flew in, and as Jin Geum-ryeon dodged, So-cheon lost his balance from the impact of the sword hilt and fell from the tree.
Fortunately, he didn’t plummet, but his sternum throbbed, and he couldn’t move for a while, crouching down.
One of the assassins quickly approached So-cheon and checked his injuries.
“I’m fine. Don’t let him get away!”
“I was originally going to leave quietly, but seeing Master Gokju go this far, my bad temper is acting up again. Since you want to get rid of me so badly, I have to meet your expectations, don’t I?”
Jin Geum-ryeon shouted, his voice echoing loudly through the forest. Then, without looking back, he used his Light Body Skill to start returning the way he had come. Various Hidden Weapons rained down behind him as the assassins chased after him.
*
Ak Mujin passed through the Welcoming Water Pavilion gate, guided attentively by Seo Moon-gwang.
He vaguely thought that Seo Moon-gwang would return him to his bedroom in the west wing where guests stayed, but Seo Moon-gwang lightly strode past the west wing and headed towards the main building.
Huh? Is he going to the reception room?
Ever since Ak Mujin had looked into the depths of Seo Moon-gwang’s eyes, he had been so dazed that he hadn’t had time to think properly about where he was going.
“Now, be careful of the threshold and come in slowly.”
Seo Moon-gwang watched Ak Mujin enter with a warm voice, then started walking down the hallway. But he wasn’t heading towards the reception room.
Ak Mujin followed Seo Moon-gwang’s guidance for quite a while longer, and finally, they arrived at the door of a bedroom located at the deepest part of the main building.
“This room is a gift from me.”
“A gift, you say…?”
With a click, the door opened, and Ak Mujin finally came to his senses, blinking once and looking into the room.
The room in front of him was much larger than the bedroom in the west wing, and it came with all sorts of precious treasures and even an adjoining room, clearly indicating that it was the residence of the main host.
Another question mark popped up in Ak Mujin’s head, but Seo Moon-gwang entered the room first, pulled out a chair attached to the table, and said to Ak Mujin, “Your Qi and blood are disrupted, so it’s not good to stand for too long. Sit here.”
“No, no. I… This room…”
Ak Mujin didn’t know what to make of this ‘gift.’
Looking at the huge bed with heavy, thick silk curtains, the luxurious carpets, and the various precious treasures, no matter how he looked at it, wasn’t this the residence of the mistress of the house?
He was very confused. Clearly, Ak Mujin was about to leave, and Seo Moon-gwang had understood his feelings and promised to cooperate with his plan.
But instead of preparing to send Ak Mujin off, Seo Moon-gwang had closed off Illusion Valley and moved his luggage from the west wing bedroom to the main building, which clearly meant something else.
Ak Mujin felt goosebumps on his back. A bad premonition flashed through his mind.
Seo Moon-gwang’s attitude right now was…
No, no, this is not what he wants.
“Organize the musical instruments well so they can be taken out at any time, and keep the silks so we can have clothes made once we measure Young master An’s size.”
While Ak Mujin was dumbfounded and looking around the bedroom, Seo Moon-gwang was busily ordering the servants to move things around. They placed high-quality silks, shoes, jade ornaments, gold, flutes, Go boards, and then backed away, leaving Seo Moon-gwang and Ak Mujin alone in the bedroom.
“I hope Young master An likes this residence.”
Ak Mujin stared blankly at the table in the middle of the room. On top of it, all sorts of items brought by the servants were piled up like a mountain.
As he slowly examined them, he realized that these were… yes. These were items that immediately brought to mind the word ‘betrothal gifts.’
Ak Mujin’s head spun.
Get a grip. He had to get a grip.
He became quite anxious and thought that he had to express his intentions as soon as possible. So, he looked straight at Seo Moon-gwang and said, “Master Gokju. What does this behavior mean?”
“Young master An. I…”
“I am about to leave. But for you to do this, I can only think that you have other intentions.”
Ak Mujin barely managed to calm his trembling voice and spoke clearly so that he could hear him. Seo Moon-gwang seemed surprised for a moment, but then glided towards Ak Mujin, who was still standing at the doorway.
As his hand reached out to take Ak Mujin’s hand again, Ak Mujin was startled and pulled his hand away.
“I didn’t mean to make Young master An angry. I just wanted Young master An to be comfortable until you left…”
“No, I’m not angry. I just feel like leaving now.”
“Young master An.”
Ak Mujin was impatient. So, he quickly turned around. But before he could, Seo Moon-gwang’s arm reached out and pulled Ak Mujin’s chest into his embrace, pulling him into the room.
Ak Mujin’s body was sucked into the bedchamber, and the door closed in an instant. He opened his eyes wide and looked back at Seo Moon-gwang.
“Master Gokju!”
“It’s still dangerous to go outside. What if someone like Young Master Jin clings to Young master An again?”
“That’s impossible―”
“It’s better for you to Nourishing Yang your body here, Young master.”
Seo Moon-gwang’s voice was as sweet as honey as he said those words, but Ak Mujin’s shoulders trembled as he felt Seo Moon-gwang’s breath tickling his neck.
Seo Moon-gwang seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, then spoke slowly, slowly, in a low voice.
“…But still, it would be troublesome if you had a child before you left.”
Seo Moon-gwang’s other hand, which was not holding Ak Mujin’s chest, gently caressed his abdomen. At that touch, Ak Mujin felt goosebumps all over his body and couldn’t move at all.
What.
What is this development?
This… is this crazy bastard a character collapse?!?!