We were literally in the middle of a nameless mountain.
And yet here at this moment, Namgung Bi-ah was standing before me.
âWhat-â
I was going to ask what she was doing here, but others seemed to have different intentions.
But my thoughts were soon interrupted by a commotion among the people of Mount Hua. Drawing their swords, they converged on Bi-ah, who they saw as a threat to their community. The air was charged with Qi, and I knew I had to act fast.
I didnât get a moment to come up with a solution
In a desperate attempt to prevent the tragedy, I raised my voice and shouted.
âI-Itâs been a while!â
ââŚ?â
As the swords paused midair, their sharp edges glinting menacingly.
âSister Bi-ah!â
Amidst that, Wi Seol-Ah who was watching ran towards Namgung Bi-ah and hugged her.
Namgung Bi-ah was momentarily taken aback, but she gently started patting Wi Seol-Ahâs head.
Due to her tall height, she was completely able to embrace Wi Seol-Ah in her arms.
âYoung Master Gu, you know that woman?â
Shinhyun inquired.
How should I answer this?
Should I just say we are somewhat close?
âHow the hell did she appear out of nowhere anywayâŚâ
I believed that we wouldnât meet again for a while when we parted ways.
I thought that maybe we would meet once because of the marriage arrangement.
But here I am, meeting her here of all places?
At a nameless mountain that had nothing in it?
âDid she come looking for me?â
Nah, thereâs no way.
Namgung Bi-ah was deaf when it came to a sense of direction.
She was an extreme case at that.
Sheâs the type of person to go west when she is told to go east, so it would have to be a pure coincidence for us to meet here.
The likelihood of her finding the correct path while searching for someone was slim.
Because she literally wasnât capable of doing so.
âYoung Master?â
âOh.â
I forgot to answer Shinhyunâs question because my mind was occupied with thoughts about Namgung Bi-ah.
âShe is just an acquaintââ
âFiancĂŠ.â
ââŚHuh?â
「What now?」
Namgung Bi-ahâs sudden interruption made everyone quiet.
ââŚWhat did you just say?â
I asked Namgung Bi-ah again, just in case I misheard it the first time.
Namgung Bi-ah tilted her head in confusion, wondering why I was acting this way.
I heard her wrong, right? I must have.
âHeâs my fiancĂŠ.â
I really didnât hear wrong.
It seems like I wasnât the only one in shock, as everyone else became silent as well.
I especially felt the fiery gaze of other men that glared at me.
ââŚStop getting charmed by her beauty for godâs sake.â
Although I said that, even I approved of Namgung Bi-ahâs beauty.
In my past life, I had the privilege of gazing upon Namgung Bi-ahâs exquisite features for a long time, yet never once did I grow tired of her breathtaking beauty.
If it was me from back then, I would have probably drooled if I heard that Namgung Bi-ah was my fiancĂŠe.
Despite her dust-laden skin and disheveled hair, and even amidst the tattered and soiled fabric, Namgung Bi-ahâs beauty remained unblemished.
Her two sparkling blue eyes, reminiscent of diamonds, were fixed solely on me. Though she was not smiling now, I could not help but recall the bright smile that Namgung Bi-ah had shown me earlier.
âSo she can smile too, huh.â
I never once saw her smile in my previous life.
I have only ever witnessed her slash and kill her foes with an impassive look, devoid of any discernible emotion.
I hate to admit it.
But she looks beautiful whenever she smiles.
âSis!â
Wi Seol-Ah who was rubbing her face in Namgung Bi-ahâs bossom for a while, spoke.
âHmmâŚ?â
âWhy did you come here?â
âI came looking for himâŚâ
âWho?â
Namgung Bi-ah gradually pointed towards me.
âŚShe really came here looking for me?
âHow did she?â
She was the type of person to climb a mountain when she was asked to use a boat.
And a person that would travel across a river when she was supposed to climb a mountain.
She didnât even know the basics of directions⌠But she came looking for me?
「You idiot.」
Elder Shin who stayed quiet, suddenly cursed at me.
ââŚWhatâs making you act up all of sudden?â
「You really donât feel anything even after looking at the beautiful girl? If so, rather cutting it off, you probably didnât have one to begin with.」
âWhy are you talking smack when I didnât even do anything?â
「Just kill yourself at this point.」
I lightly ignored Elder Shinâs words.
Whatâs with this old man all of suddenâŚ
I went towards Namgung Bi-ah and asked.
âLady Namgung, you really came here looking for me?â
âYesâŚâ
âWhy?â
âI wanted to see you.â
âŚWhat?
What did she just-
「I hope you get blown to death.」
âPlease⌠Just stay qui-â
「For fucks sake⌠Why donât any ghosts take this guyâs life-, Oh, Iâm a ghost too.」
I became bewildered because of Namgung Bi-ahâs words.
Is she even thinking straight?
What is she saying all of sudden after appearing out of nowhere?
âWhat are you talking ab-â
âYoung Master.â
Wi Seol-Ah approached me.
As a result of rubbing her face against Namgung Bi-ahâs soiled garments, she had inadvertently acquired some dusty marks on her face.
âWhat.â
âWhatâs a fiancĂŠ?â
âHuhâŚ?â
I was at a loss for words because of her sudden question.
Whatâs a fiancĂŠ she asks?
Huh, what is a fianc�
Judging from her eyes, It looks like she really doesnât know.
How should I answer this?
âA fiancĂŠ isâŚâ
I would feel guilty if I lied to her.
While I was struggling to come up with the best answer, a figure emerged from the tall blades of grass.
ââŚUgh, my back.â
It was none other than Yung Pung who was sent flying away.
After patting his back, Yung Pung looked at what was going on.
ââŚUh, may I ask whatâs going on?â
Yung Pung who was looking around noticed Namgung Bi-ah and gasped.
When Namgung Bi-ahâs icy face turned towards Yung Pung, He collapsed on the ground.
When I looked at Yung Pung wondering what was up with him, he looked to be in a weird state.
ââŚHuh?â
Flushed cheeks and ears accompanied the wild trembling of his eyes, I felt like I had seen such a face beforeâŚ
âOh!â
I remember now.
It was the same face Gu Jeolyub made when he first saw Wi Seol-Ah back then.
Wait⌠Does that mean?
While I was looking at Yung Pung, other people of Mount Hua rushed towards Yung Pung who collapsed on the ground.
âYung Pung! Wake up! Why is he like this all of sudden?â
âDid he fall headfirst when he was sent flying?â
âYouâre telling me heâs unconscious because he fell headfirst when this guy used to be fine even after getting smacked in the head by a metal bar?â
âHe must be feeling weak right now. Should we catch a chicken for him?â
While I was hearing some absurd solutions, I heard Elder Shin speak.
「Heâs done. He wonât be able to overcome that.」
âPardon?â
「Look at that guyâs eyes, he already let himself go. Furthermore, he probably has higher standards now that he laid his eyes upon such a beauty.」
What a poor guy⌠indeed he is.
Those were Elder Shinâs last words.
I spoke amidst this bizarre situation.
ââŚSo what about the duel?â
No one responded to my subtle whisper.
âŚFor fuckâs sake.
* * * *
Soon it turned dark.
Each day seems so short, yet why does Shaanxi still feel so far away?
I couldnât answer.
I briefly washed myself at the valley.
Although I was not particularly fond of being drenched, the summer heat demanded it, and with the aid of my Qi, it took me little time to dry off.
ââŚBlah?â
ââŚBlah1.â
I noticed a bunch of men grouped up together while I was making my way back to the camp.
I first thought it was the people from Mount Hua, but some of Gu Clanâs members were also mixed in the group.
What are they doing?
I was wondering what they were all looking at. And as it turned out, they were all looking at Namgung Bi-ah.
「CrazyâŚď˝Ł
âFor godâs sakeâŚ!â
Elder Shin spoke out of nowhere when he was quiet the whole time.
「For godâs sake indeedâŚď˝Ł
âWhat are you saying all of sudden?â
「You idiot, you really donât feel anything after seeing that?」
I wondered what he was talking about, but I already knew the answer.
Namgung Bi-ah was talking to Wi Seol-Ah while sitting in front of the campfire.
After cleansing herself thoroughly, she donned fresh and tidy attire.
She didnât have any spare clothes, so we gave her our servantâs spare clothing, but did that attire always look like that?
It looked way more luxurious compared to when the servants wore it.
She looked beautiful even in her dirty attire, so her neat appearance now made her shine even more than before.
Plus, she was sitting next to Wi Seol-Ah which made it look like I was staring at a painting.
So it was understandable why all of these guys were acting like that.
ââŚIt kind of feels wholesomeâ
It definitely didnât look the best.
ââŚSenior, this is the first time Iâve seen such a beautiful person. Are all other girls like this in other regions?â
âNamgung Clan is in Anhui⌠Wasnât Shinmeel also from Anhui?â
âSo itâs just her thatâs beautiful then.â
ââŚHey, Iâll make sure Iâll tell Shinmeel what you just said.â
âHuh? W-Wait, Senior, Senior!?â
What are they even doing?
âYoung <aster!â
Wi Seol-Ah who found me waved her hand while smiling brightly.
Namgung Bi-ah was already looking at me ever since I started checking those guys out.
Ugh, I was just about to go sleepâŚ
I started walking towards them as I felt like I had to go there.
âWhat are you doing?â
âI was talking to her about something.â
âAbout what?â
âAbout frogs!â
ââŚFrogs?â
I regretted asking.
It was probably something along the lines of frogs being tasty or not.
âWhile we were walking through the valley, we saw a frog and it had a really pretty color!â
âOh⌠It was about colors.â
âŚSorry.
I obviously expected that it would be about eating, thatâs why I should never just assume.
Namgung Bi-ah who was next to Wi Seol-Ah handed me something without saying anything. It was a dumpling.
âWhat is it?â
I asked after first taking the dumpling.
âDumplingâŚâ
âWhat about the fish you are grilling along with itâŚ?â
âI heard that you like them.â
ââŚI mean, thank you.â
Wait, where did she even get this dumpling?
It has been tens of days since we left the clan, but how are there still dumplings?
I first took a bite.
Thankfully, it didnât seem to be rotten.
I was thankful for the dumpling, but I had to ask Namgung Bi-ah something.
âLady Namgung.â
âHmmâŚ?â
âWhat are you planning to do now?â
âHuhâŚ?â
âWe are going to Mount Hua. It will be a while till we return to our clan after our visit to Mount Hua. Itâs honestly astounding you found me, but why did you even come here anyways?â
âI wanted to see yo-â
ââŚStop with that.â
「You little brat, I hope you are burned alive.」
I ignored Elder Shinâs violent comments.
Namgung Bi-ah kept staring at me blankly.
What is she staring at me for?
After a moment, Namgung Bi-ah suddenly nodded her head.
And I couldnât help but feel confused upon hearing her words.
âCome along.â
âCome along, what?â
She really has to stop speaking in short sentences.
It was a bad habit of herâs to only spit out what she had in her mind.
At this point, it was faster for me to guess what she meant by her sentences rather than me asking her again.
âUntil we reach Mount Hua?â
âNo.â
ââŚThen up until what point-â
âEver.â
âPardon?â
âForever.â
ââŚAnd who gave you that permission?â
What the hell is she on about?
I became mindless because of Namgung Bi-ahâs sudden words.
Come along with..Who? Me? Forever?
âŚWhy would I even allow that?
âWhy would you come along with me?â
âBecause youâre my fiancĂŠ.â
âWhat the hell are you talking about.â
Does she think that the word fiancĂŠ holds that much power?
I was already getting a headache because of that matter, but for the problem to directly come at me only made it worse.
「You should try to be grateful when you are handed something like this for free, rather than trying to refuse it. Do you think you deserve such beauty with that face of yours?」
âWhy are you comparing our appearances all of a sudden? And also, whatâs wrong with my face! Iâm not that bad-â
「You talk a lot for someone who looks like a mantis.」
âMantisâŚâ
For fuckâs sake, I really need an exorcist.
âDid you at least let the clan know?â
ââŚâ
ââŚLady Namgung?â
ââŚI did.â
She didnât.
She definitely didnât tell them she was leaving.
Her brief silence was blatantly telling me that.
A direct descendant of a Noble Clan ran away from her home.
What kind of troublemaker are you�
âDo you think you are Peng Woojin or something!?â
âYou said you came here looking for me, right?â
âYes.â
âWhy? You have some business with me?â
「You really asked that? Are you really that dense?」
Why is this old man so mad anyways�
I felt like I was going to get a headache because he kept shouting in my head so much.
Namgung Bi-ah turned silent for a moment because of my question.
Even so, her eyes never left me.
What was she thinking about so much?
âIâŚâ
When she was about to speak,
âYoung Master Gu!â
She couldnât finish.
It was because of Yung Pung who came here shouting his lungs out.
âThe duel we couldnât finish before⌠Letâs do it now!â
The bright happy face he had before was gone and he for some reason sounded desperate.