Chapter 189: An Unsatisfactory Act (4)
It had been a week since we left Hanam and started heading towards Shanxi.
Long trips were always painfully tedious, and this one was no different.
True to form, my daily routine never changed.
During the day, I would either doze off with Wi Seol-Ah using her shoulder or Namgung Bi-ah using her knee as a pillow, or I’d spend time idly chatting away.
When I say ‘chatting,’ most of the time, it involved me teasing Gu Jeolyub.
Honestly, that was the only entertaining thing I had going on.
When evening rolled around and it was time to give my voice a break, I would train.
Namgung Bi-ah tended to train alone rather than with others. She seemed pretty focused on attaining enlightenment.
As for Tang Soyeol, she also appeared to be training, but honestly, it felt more like she was watching me from a distance rather than participating.
In the end, my days consisted of training with Muyeon and rolling Gu Jeolyub around for fun.
Boring.
bored noise
[You used to seek peace, but now you’re saying you’re bored, huh?]
So what’s peaceful about this? This is clearly torture…
The carriage trudged on, relentless in its journey to Shanxi.
We had now entered a forested area, and the winding terrain and dense mountains slowed our progress even further.
“Young Master! Ah!”
I opened my mouth in response to Wi Seol-Ah’s call.
Just then, a piece of yakgwa popped into my mouth.
Sweet.
While I wished she’d finally stop feeding me, I kept my mouth shut and began chewing on the yakgwa.
Only after seeing me eat did Wi Seol-Ah also pop another piece into her mouth.
These days, she’s been quite persistent about feeding me.
Usually, Wi Seol-Ah wasn’t greedy about much, but when it came to food, she was a different story.
For some odd reason, she seemed intent on fattening me up lately.
Meanwhile, I’m trying to help her regain the cheek fat she lost.
I was hard at work trying to help Wi Seol-Ah regain those lost cheeks, yet she was somehow shedding weight despite how much she ate every day.
What’s going on here?
“Why is this happening?”
“Hmm? What’s up?”
“…Never mind. Just finish what you were eating.”
After hearing my words, Wi Seol-Ah casually grabbed another piece of yakgwa and popped it in her mouth.
I watched her for a moment before gently closing my eyes.
[What do you think?]
Suddenly, Elder Shin’s voice cut through my thoughts.
About what?
[I’m asking why you’ve heightened your senses even while complaining of boredom. What do you think of those guys?]
I let out a sigh at Elder Shin’s words.
I’ve been on edge thanks to them for a while now.
How long are they planning to follow us?
It had already been a week.
Some unknown individuals had been trailing our carriage from a distance.
Who could they possibly be?
There were far too many familiar faces to consider, making it a puzzling situation.
Chances were high they’d tagged along after my big performance at the tournament. However…
They seemed more like spectators than anything else, and for now, they didn’t seem intent on attacking.
But after a week, my patience was starting to wear thin.
[Usually, you’d have beaten them up by now. You’ve really held back this time.]
This isn’t just one or two troubles I’ve caused lately, so I’m trying my best to hold back.
But above all, it felt like there was something off about the whole deal.
It felt oddly familiar.
“Maybe they’re starting to make a move. I think I’ll just observe until today.”
“Hmm? What did you say, Young Master?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. By the way, can you give me that?”
“Oh!”
I asked because I noticed Wi Seol-Ah holding a yakgwa, but she flinched and distanced herself just a tad.
Why was she acting this way now when she was just feeding me without a fuss?
“This is the last one…”
Oh, so it was because it was the last piece.
Seeing Wi Seol-Ah curl her body slightly, as if reluctant to part with it, made my playful side kick in.
“So…”
“W-Well…”
“Don’t want to give it to me?”
“N-No! That’s not it!”
“Then hand it over.”
When I assertively responded, I saw Wi Seol-Ah’s face crumple into a pout.
Seeing her slowly extend the yakgwa to me while looking ready to cry filled me with strange delight.
[You’re getting joy from a yakgwa? Kid, did you frolic in bitter food or something?]
She’s adorable.
As I snatched the yakgwa from her hands, Wi Seol-Ah’s eyes widened in shock. She clearly hadn’t expected me to actually take it.
The way she looked at the yakgwa with longing was simply dramatic.
Feeling I’d had enough fun, I casually returned the yakgwa to Wi Seol-Ah and closed my eyes.
Phew!
Wi Seol-Ah let out a sigh of relief.
“Aah! Sis!”
But suddenly, she screamed with a tremulous voice.
Apparently, Namgung Bi-ah, who had been sleeping next to her, woke up and quickly snatched it.
“Th-That was the last one!”
“Darn it…”
“That’s so unfair! You won’t use me as a pillow anymore!”
I could hear Wi Seol-Ah whining, but she’d likely give in and let her use her lap again soon enough.
After all, this had been happening for days now.
…So chaotic.
With that thought in my head, I closed my eyes again.
The sky had finally darkened.
We parked the carriage near a valley and began setting up camp.
It seemed like the Tang Clan had also finished their preparations, as Tang Soyeol appeared like it was her cue.
I regarded Tang Soyeol, whose face was now visibly pale.
At first, I was curious about her expression, but after seeing how she was throughout our long journey, it became apparent she was prone to motion sickness.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m…ugh.”
Her response was anything but fine.
At that point, she could have easily used Qi to steady herself, yet Tang Soyeol insisted on not doing so.
She claimed there was a certain charm to motion sickness.
What kind of nonsense was that? But since she wanted to stick to that reasoning, I had nothing to say.
“Ugh! Are you planning to train and then come back?”
“Maybe? Do you want to come?”
“Nah, I’ll be resting.”
I glanced around and noted that Namgung Bi-ah had vanished somewhere with her sword, and Wi Seol-Ah and Hongwa seemed engaged in some other task.
“Where did that guy go?”
“Who- Oh.”
Tang Soyeol’s expression sank as she realized I was talking about Gu Jeolyub.
Wasn’t that just a tad harsh?
“Maybe he ran away…?”
“Run away as a martial artist during training? How dare he!”
“I think even I would run away if someone treated me like you do.”
[Tsk tsk… no tenacity that one.]
Well, it’s not like I treated him all that sternly—kids these days really lack grit…
Wait… isn’t that something Elder Shin often says?
After realizing that the thought mirrored something Elder Shin frequently said, I quickly dismissed it. I couldn’t afford to entertain the same thoughts as this stuffy old man.
[What? What did you just call me, punk?]
Setting aside Gu Jeolyub, I couldn’t even spot Muyeon. Did he go off on patrol?
I just hope he doesn’t stray too far.
If I mentioned to Muyeon that someone was following us, he’d immediately set off in a defensive posture.
And we all know how those kinds of encounters usually end.
However, I felt it was right to drop him a hint at this point.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Have a safe trip!”
Rather than heading towards the runaway Gu Jeolyub, I intended to seek out Muyeon.
I enveloped my body in Qi and scanned the forest.
Other guards from the Gu Clan were stationed not too far off.
And within that group, Muyeon…
Where the heck is he?
Oddly, he wasn’t visible. I strained my senses, but he still didn’t show up?
As I began to feel uneasy, I was about to investigate further when—
“Young Master.”
I heard Muyeon’s voice from behind me.
When I turned to respond, there he was, standing right in front of me.
“Why are you here right now?”
“Hmm?”
Muyeon tried to engage me in conversation, but I merely observed him, not offering a reply.
“Are you okay, Young Master?”
“I see.”
Muyeon approached me with a look of concern, but I suddenly launched a punch at him.
BAM!
“…Ugh!”
The air crackled as my energy burst forth with a loud crash.
Muyeon barely ducked out of the way in time, a shocked expression on his face.
“Young Master! What’s the meaning of this?!”
“How interesting, you can use martial arts. You didn’t seem like the same guy I met last time.”
“What are you talking about?!”
Stretching my body, I quickened my pace but refrained from summoning any flames.
I didn’t want to cause a scene.
Muyeon tried to reach for his sword amidst my continuous barrage, but with a single flick, I sent his weapon flying.
CRACK!
An unabashed kick crushed his legs as he dropped to the ground.
“Gah… ugh!”
I quickly covered his mouth to muffle his screams.
His eyes, reflecting confusion, showed a mix of betrayal, fear, and despair.
Yet, my gaze remained impassive.
What could I say?
I had been wondering what they wanted by trailing me over the last few days, and now I found out it was for this nonsense. Such a waste.
“Guh! Guh!”
The guy still putting on an act really resembled Muyeon on the surface, but I saw the red light flickering around him.
That energy was the very same as the one I sensed from the guy wearing Heeyoung’s face.
And that could only mean one thing.
This wasn’t Muyeon.
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