EP.57 There's No Normal Here! (1)
There's No Normal Here! (1)
‘What’s this
?’
I was at a loss.
Why was that crazy woman here?
This wasn’t Shanxi or Shandong.
It was just a nameless mountain.
But could it really be that I would run into Nangong Bia here?
“Huh
.”
I was about to ask what kind of ridiculous thing was happening, but there was something that came before my question.
A tingling sensation was felt all around.
Seeing the Lingfeng fly away, the Huashan disciples immediately drew their swords.
They must have judged Nangong Bia as an enemy and were trying to subdue or eliminate her.
I didn’t have time to think about what to do.
I couldn’t rush over to protect her, so I decided to shout first.
“Oh, long time no see!”
“...?”
Perhaps my sudden greeting worked, as the swords that were about to strike Nangong Bia stopped.
“Sister!”
Seol-a, who had been watching, ran over and hugged Nangong Bia.
Nangong Bia seemed a bit flustered but gently stroked Seol-a’s head.
Nangong Bia was tall, so Seol-a could easily fit into her embrace.
“Mr. Gu, do you know this woman?”
Xin Xian approached me and asked.
How should I answer this?
Should I just say we know each other?
‘Where did she suddenly come from...’
I thought we wouldn’t meet for a while after we parted.
I thought we might meet once or twice regarding the engagement, but that was it.
To meet her here, of all places
?
In a nameless valley?
‘Did she come looking for me?’
No way, that’s impossible.
Nangong Bia has a terrible sense of direction.
She’s so bad that if you tell her to go east, she’ll go west.
If it was by chance, maybe, but she couldn’t have come looking for someone.
She’s the type of person who can’t even find her way.
“Mr. Gu?”
“Ah.”
I was so lost in thought about Nangong Bia that I didn’t answer Xin Xian’s question.
I needed to answer him and find out why Nangong Bia was here.
“We just know each other a bit
.”
“FiancĂ©e.”
“...Huh?”
[What?]
The surroundings, which had been somewhat noisy, suddenly fell silent at Nangong Bia’s unexpected interruption.
“...What did you just say?”
I asked Nangong Bia, thinking I must have misheard.
Nangong Bia tilted her head, as if to ask why I was asking.
Was I hearing things? It sounded like I was hearing things.
“I’m your fiancĂ©e.”
It wasn’t a mishearing.
I wasn’t the only one shocked; everyone around us fell silent.
Especially the men who were glaring at me, their gazes felt particularly intense.
‘...Don’t be swayed by her appearance, people.’
Even as I said this, I had to admit that Nangong Bia’s appearance was impressive.
I had seen her completed appearance in my previous life, but it never got old. At least, not in terms of appearance.
If I were my previous self, I might have drooled when I heard Nangong Bia was my fiancée.
No matter how messy her hair was, or how dirty and tattered her clothes were, it didn’t detract from her natural beauty.
She still exuded a beauty that was hard to ignore.
Her gem-like blue eyes were fixed on me.
Even though she wasn’t smiling now, I could remember her bright smile from earlier.
‘She can smile, huh.’
In my previous life, I had never seen her smile.
I only saw her expressionless face as she cut down people.
Admittedly, her smile was beautiful.
“Sister!”
Seol-a, who had been rubbing her face against Nangong Bia’s chest for a while, spoke.
“Huh
?”
“How did you get here?”
“I came looking
.”
“Looking for who?”
Nangong Bia slowly pointed at me.
...Really came looking for me?
‘How did she find me?’
She would have to take a boat and climb a mountain for a long time, or conversely, cross a river when she should have climbed a mountain.
She can’t even tell east from west
 really came looking for me?
[Damn it.]
Xin Lao Ya, who had been silent, suddenly spat out a curse.
‘...Why are you suddenly picking a fight?’
[Did you really feel nothing when you saw her appearance? If so, you never had it to begin with.]
‘Why are you sexually harassing me when I’m just standing here?’
[Just go away and die.]
I ignored Xin Lao Ya’s curses.
Why is this old man suddenly picking a fight
.
I approached Nangong Bia and asked.
“Miss Nangong, did you really come looking for me?”
“Yeah
.”
“Why?”
“Because I missed you.”
...What?
What did she just say
.
[Please get struck by lightning and die, damn it.]
‘Please
 just be quiet
’
[Damn it
 Even a ghost wouldn’t take this guy, oh, I’m the ghost.]
Nangong Bia’s words made me slightly dazed.
Is she really sane?
Why did she suddenly appear and start talking nonsense?
“No, what kind of strange talk
.”
“Young Master.”
Seol-a, who had slightly moved away from Nangong Bia’s embrace, approached.
Her face was slightly dirty from rubbing against the dirty clothes.
“Why.”
“What’s a fiancĂ©e?”
“Eh
?”
Her unexpected question left me speechless.
What’s a fiancĂ©e?
What do you mean
?
Her bright eyes made it seem like she really didn’t know.
How should I answer this?
“What’s a fiancĂ©e
.”
For some reason, it felt like I was committing a sin just by answering.
While my lips dried out, trying to think of what to say, someone appeared through the bushes.
“...Oh, my back.”
It was Lingfeng, who had flown away earlier.
He appeared, tapping his slightly bent back, and took in the awkward atmosphere.
“...So, what’s going on here?”
Lingfeng, who had been observing the situation, suddenly gasped when he saw Nangong Bia.
When Nangong Bia’s blank gaze met Lingfeng’s, he suddenly collapsed.
Seeing this, I noticed that Lingfeng’s condition was quite strange.
“...Huh?”
His cheeks were slightly flushed, his ears were red, and his eyes were darting around wildly.
This face looked familiar
.
‘Ah!’
It hit me.
It was the same face as Gou Jieye, who had drooled over Seol-a before.
Oh
 so could it be?
I stared at Lingfeng with wide eyes, and the other Huashan disciples approached the collapsed Lingfeng.
“Lingfeng, snap out of it! Why is he suddenly like this, Senior Brother?”
“Did he hit his head while flying?”
“He was fine even when hit by a cannon, but he lost consciousness from hitting a tree?”
“He must be weak. Maybe a chicken would help?”
While they were discussing rough treatment, I heard Xin Lao Ya’s voice.
[You’re in trouble, he can’t get out of this.]
‘Huh?’
[Look at his eyes, he’s already lost his mind. Not to mention, his standards have probably risen after seeing such a beauty.]
Poor guy
 it’s the end of the world.
Xin Lao Ya stopped talking after that.
In the strange situation, I spoke.
“...So, what about the duel?”
My whispered question went unanswered.
...Shit.
******************
It was already night.
Each day passes so quickly, yet the journey to Shanxi feels so long.
I don’t understand.
I washed my body in a stream.
Being wet is always uncomfortable, but it was summer, and my cultivation technique dried me quickly.
“...?”
“...Hey.”
On my way to the campsite, I noticed a group of men gathered.
At first, I thought they were from Huashan, but on closer inspection, some of Gou’s guards were mixed in.
What are they doing?
I followed their gaze and saw Nangong Bia.
[She’s crazy
. ]
“Surprise
!”
Xin Lao Ya, who had been quiet, suddenly burst out.
[She’s crazy, she’s crazy
. ]
‘Why are you suddenly saying this?’
[You, do you really feel nothing when you see her?]
I knew what he meant, even though I wasn’t sure.
Nangong Bia was sitting quietly by the campfire, chatting with Seol-a.
She had washed and changed into clean clothes.
Since she didn’t have any clothes, she was wearing a servant’s uniform, but did it always look so fancy?
Compared to the other servants, it looked unnecessarily high-class.
Her beauty, which had been hidden by dirt, now shone brightly.
Especially with Seol-a by her side, it looked like a painting.
I could somewhat understand why people were watching from a distance.
‘...But it feels a bit like voyeurism.’
It’s not a good situation, but...
“...Senior Brother, I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as her. Are women from other regions all like this?”
“Nangong family, they’re from Anhui Province
 wasn’t Xin Mi from Anhui?”
“So she is exceptionally beautiful.”
“...Junior Brother, I’ll make sure to pass that on to Miss Xin Mi.”
“Huh? Wait, Senior Brother, Senior Brother!?”
What is he doing?
“Young Master!”
Seol-a, who had noticed me, waved and smiled brightly.
Nangong Bia had been watching me since I started observing the men.
I was just going to sleep...
But the atmosphere made it feel like I couldn’t just leave, so I eventually moved my feet.
“What are you doing?”
“I was talking with Sister.”
“About what?”
“About frogs!”
“...Frogs?”
I was curious, but I already knew what it was about.
It was probably about how frogs taste and their size.
“I saw a frog in the stream on the way here. It was a beautiful color!”
“Oh
 so it’s about the color.”
...Sorry.
I thought it was about eating frogs, which shows how dangerous prejudices can be.
Nangong Bia, who was sitting next to me, silently handed me something. It was a dumpling.
“What is it?”
I asked after taking it.
“Dumpling
.”
“Why a dumpling when there’s fish roasting in front of us?”
“I heard you like it.”
“...Oh, thank you.”
Wait, where did the dumpling come from?
We’ve been traveling for days, so how did a dumpling suddenly appear?
I took a bite.
Fortunately, it wasn’t spoiled.
I was grateful for the dumpling, but I had a question for Nangong Bia.
“Miss Nangong.”
“Huh
?”
“What do you plan to do now?”
“What
?”
“We’re heading to Huashan. It’s a long journey, and it will take a while to return to the family estate. What made you come looking for me?”
“I missed you
”
“...Let’s not talk about that.”
[Damn it, I hope you burn to death.]
I ignored Xin Lao Ya’s cruel curses.
Nangong Bia looked at me with a blank expression.
What does that look mean?
After a moment, Nangong Bia nodded slightly.
I was taken aback by her sudden words.
“Do you want to travel with me?”
“What, travel where?”
Please, don’t just cut off your words like that.
It was Nangong Bia’s bad habit to think and answer only for herself.
In such situations, it’s easier to just go along with it.
“To Huashan?”
“No.”
“...Then where are you going?”
“Straight.”
“Huh?”
“I want to travel with you.”
“...Who’s deciding this