Not Yours (2)
I had thought we would head straight up after reaching Huayin County, where the Mount Hua Sect was located.
But by the time we arrived, night had already deepened, so we hurriedly found an inn.
Perhaps because Huayin County centered around the Mount Hua Sect, the moment a cultivator wearing plum blossom robes appeared, not only the waiter but even the innkeeper came out to welcome us.
Thanks to that, we were able to get rooms without any trouble.
After finding us a good inn, Sinhyeon and the others left several second-generation disciples behind, saying they would come to get us tomorrow, and headed up Mount Hua first.
When I asked if it wouldn’t be better to go right away because of the fiend, they said this was safer.
I had no idea what that was supposed to mean, but since they told me to do this for now, I agreed.
I was tired anyway, and had no confidence that I could suddenly climb that towering mountain, so I kept my mouth shut and decided to rest.
“Your dumplings are here~!”
As I sat at the table, the dishes we had ordered one by one began to arrive.
There was no need to look at anything else. I first filled my stomach.
I had picked up and eaten two or three dumplings and was chewing when Wiseora handed me a cup of water.
Lately, she seemed particularly intent on trying hard at something.
“Thanks, but you should eat too.”
“I-I’m full.”
“…?”
When I stared at her as if asking what kind of ridiculous lie she was telling, Wiseora puffed out her cheeks.
Finding the sight amusing, I pressed both of Wiseora’s cheeks.
Pwoo-! A comical sound came out.
The sight was so funny that I burst out laughing, and Wiseora immediately sulked.
“Y-You…!”
“Sorry, sorry. I won’t do it again.”
It was a lie.
Of course I would do it again next time. It was too much fun.
As I teased Wiseora, someone appeared beside me carrying food and sat down.
It was Yeongpung, holding a bowl of noodles.
“…It’s a shame. I should have recommended somewhere more delicious.”
Was he talking about the place he had mentioned before, supposedly serving the best dumplings in Shaanxi?
It was honestly a bit disappointing, but I wanted to finish things quickly and return even more, so it didn’t matter.
“Are you sure it’s all right not to go up with them?”
When Sinhyeon and the others had gone up to Mount Hua first, Yeongpung had volunteered to stay by my side.
I could understand him staying because the fiend was important, but it didn’t seem as though that was the reason.
“It’s all right…”
There was an indescribably uneasy emotion in Yeongpung’s eyes.
It didn’t seem like something I should pry into, so I pretended not to notice for the time being.
When I looked at Wiseora after deciding I had eaten enough, she was still busily putting something into her mouth.
Namgung Bia quietly placed something into her bowl, and Wiseora responded with a nasal “Hmph!”
Lately, it had been like this all the time.
The problem was that afterward, perhaps because she felt sorry, Wiseora would sneak glances at Namgung Bia.
If she was going to act like that, why did she do it in the first place…?
Wiseora pretended not to like it, but quietly ate the food placed in her bowl.
She seemed completely torn.
It looked as though something was bothering her, and she was trying to act as if she disliked this and that.
But perhaps because she was softhearted, she couldn’t even do that properly.
[Isn’t she rather cute? She’s so obvious.]
‘…Hmm.’
As I watched her fail to get anything to go the way she wanted, I unconsciously placed my hand on Wiseora’s head.
In truth, what I had said before was just an excuse. I had simply wanted to touch her.
The moment my hand made contact, Wiseora’s body trembled.
Thinking she might dislike it, I immediately tried to pull my hand away.
Snatch!
Wiseora stopped my hand from leaving with her own.
‘…This means she wants me to continue, right?’
I didn’t think she disliked it, so I gently stroked her head.
As I touched her soft hair, a fluffy smile blossomed across Wiseora’s face.
[You really are a man, after all.]
‘What are you talking about all of a sudden?’
[Are you pretending not to know? For all that, your heart is honest.]
When I focused on Old Man Shin’s words, I realized my heart was pounding harder than usual.
Was my body reacting differently from my mind?
I tried to ignore it and continued stroking her hair, when I felt someone’s gaze from somewhere.
“…Huh?”
Namgung Bia was peeking her head out from beside Wiseora and staring at me with vacant eyes.
More precisely, she seemed to be looking at the hand stroking Wiseora.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“…”
Namgung Bia didn’t answer.
She merely watched my hand in silence.
It was rather burdensome.
Namgung Bia slowly lowered her gaze.
As her head naturally dipped, the crown of her head came into view.
[…Oh.]
Old Man Shin let out an inexplicable exclamation of admiration.
“What are you doing…?”
After watching her for a moment, I suddenly wondered, “Could she want me to stroke her head?”
Surely not. But if that wasn’t the case, there was no reason for her to suddenly act this way.
‘No way.’
Wondering if that might really be it, I extended the hand that had been stroking Wiseora toward Namgung Bia.
I hesitated for a moment, but I thought I might as well try.
“Ah…”
Wiseora let out a disappointed sound.
Just as my outstretched hand was about to touch Namgung Bia’s head—
“Who did you say was on the second floor?”
The sound of someone climbing the stairs toward us rang out.
“That voice…”
Yeongpung flinched beside me.
When I withdrew my hand upon hearing someone approach, Namgung Bia turned her head toward the stairs.
Judging by Yeongpung’s reaction, was it someone he knew?
The clothes of those who came up the stairs were familiar.
They were the same as Yeongpung’s, after all.
‘Are they from the Mount Hua Sect?’
Could Mount Hua disciples come down from the mountain at this late hour?
I didn’t know much about sects, but it seemed like something that might cause trouble.
“…What? Who else is here besides us…?”
The young man leading the group stopped short when he saw us.
More precisely, he stopped after seeing Yeongpung sitting beside me.
Yeongpung likewise rose immediately upon seeing him.
“…Senior Brother.”
‘Hmm.’
Since Yeongpung called him Senior Brother, he seemed to be another third-generation disciple.
He was the first third-generation disciple I had seen apart from Yeongpung.
Now that I looked at him, he was clearly a relatively young man compared to the second-generation disciples.
“…Yeongpung.”
The young man appeared briefly flustered when he saw Yeongpung. Why was he so startled at meeting someone from his own sect?
“Senior Brother, is something the matter?”
“Because someone was here…”
The disciples following behind him likewise stopped short when they saw Yeongpung.
What was with this atmosphere?
As the strange tension continued, the young man asked Yeongpung,
“…Did you finish the task well?”
“Yes…”
“Where are the other senior uncles?”
“They had matters to attend to, so they went on ahead. Senior Uncles Sinbyeok and Sinseok are on another floor.”
“I see…”
“…”
“…”
The conversation abruptly ended.
I might have been somewhat oblivious, but even I could tell this was an extremely uncomfortable situation.
[Good heavens. You knew you were oblivious.]
‘…Old Man Shin.’
Yeongpung hesitated for a moment, then looked at me and quickly regained his composure.
“Ah, this is Young Master Guyangcheon of the Gu Clan. He is an important guest of Mount Hua.”
Only then did the young man look in my direction.
No, to be precise, he first looked at Namgung Bia, then Wiseora, and only afterward at me.
What the hell was with this guy…?
“Um, yes… I am Yeongseong, a third-generation disciple of Mount Hua.”
Yeongseong’s voice trembled.
Especially in the way he kept sneaking glances at Namgung Bia, he reminded me of Yeongpung.
[Stop looking only at that child and pay attention to your fiancée.]
‘What?’
At Old Man Shin’s sudden words, I looked toward Namgung Bia. She was glaring at Yeongseong.
…Glaring?
That empty-headed girl was glaring at someone?
It was extremely subtle.
Still, I had watched her for quite a long time, so I could notice the change in her expression. It was so slight that someone seeing her for the first time would never know.
But she was definitely glaring at him.
Perhaps realizing that he had made a spectacle of himself, Yeongseong cleared his throat and spoke again.
“There must be a reason the senior uncles entrusted you with the guests…. Since you say they are here as well, we should go greet them.”
“Yes…”
“Then we will be going first. Rest comfortably.”
I returned Yeongseong’s formal salute.
The disciples moved off the moment the greetings ended, and their departure seemed to carry all sorts of meaning.
I could sense it even from Yeongpung’s expression, which looked somewhat downcast beside me.
Only then did I remember what Yeongpung had said to me before.
‘The other disciples don’t particularly enjoy sparring with me.’
I recalled Yeongpung speaking to me with a shadowed expression. Was he being ostracized? The Sword Dragon of Mount Hua…?
As if reading my thoughts, Old Man Shin’s voice reached me.
[…It is something he suffers because his talent is too great.]
‘…What?’
[In a lake where only carp have swum, a dragon has appeared. Do you think they could easily mingle?]
It wasn’t difficult to understand what he meant.
Yeongpung was an exceptionally talented senior brother—and judging by his age, probably almost the youngest among them.
He had attained the position of Plum Blossom Swordbearer at an age far younger than any of them, so of course they would find him burdensome, or perhaps be jealous and unable to look kindly upon him.
Was that why he was being subjected to something resembling ostracism?
Tsk, tsk. I heard Old Man Shin click his tongue.
[Even so, for him to end up like that…. There’s no way the people above don’t know about this. What a fine state the sect is in. It wasn’t like this in my day…!]
‘Why do you always circle back to that?’
[Sheesh…. Tsk, tsk.]
Though Old Man Shin continued clicking his tongue, there was pity hidden in his voice.
I sighed inwardly at the sight and secretly glanced at Yeongpung.
As expected, his complexion seemed somewhat darker.
Yeongpung noticed me looking and gave me an awkward smile.
“Please continue your meal!”
His voice tried to sound bright, but the meal ended soon afterward.
I had already eaten enough and was full.
Namgung Bia also tended to eat little.
Wiseora was fairly perceptive as well, so she stopped eating once the atmosphere grew strange.
After the meal, Yeongpung left for where the second-generation disciples were staying.
I also rose and started toward my room, but Namgung Bia blocked my way.
“Miss Namgung?”
I called out, wondering what was going on. Namgung Bia continued looking at me as though she had something to say, but hesitated and didn’t speak.
[Boy, just extend your arm.]
‘What?’
[Don’t strain that head of yours when it can’t come up with anything. Just reach out your hand.]
At Old Man Shin’s words, I extended my hand.
His voice sounded as though he would get angry if I didn’t do as he said, so I obeyed for the moment.
As I slowly reached out, Namgung Bia’s eyes widened.
As my hand approached, Namgung Bia even lowered her head.
Just as my fingertips were about to touch her, another hand suddenly darted out and stroked Namgung Bia’s head.
It was Wiseora’s pale, white hand.
“…?”
As Wiseora thoroughly ruffled her hair, Namgung Bia showed a moment of bewilderment. But when she realized it was Wiseora, she lowered her knees even further instead.
Namgung Bia was tall for a woman, while Wiseora was still small. Perhaps she felt sorry seeing Wiseora standing on tiptoe.
After touching her for a long while, Wiseora stepped away from Namgung Bia.
Namgung Bia raised her head again once Wiseora had moved back.
Wiseora spoke with a proud look on her face.
“I did it for you!”
At that, Namgung Bia gently stroked Wiseora’s cheek.
Namgung Bia looked at me again with her vacant expression. Had she really blocked my path for this?
“…Next time…”
Namgung Bia began to say something, then closed her mouth.
It seemed there was more she wanted to say, but she didn’t say it. Instead, she slipped into her room.
What on earth was that about?
[Did you see her ears?]
Old Man Shin suddenly cut in.
‘Her ears?’
[Your fiancée’s ears were bright red.]
Namgung Bia’s ears?
She had ducked her head so deeply that I hadn’t noticed anything like that.
I was wondering what she had wanted to do when—
“I like Big Sister, but…”
“Hm?”
Wiseora, who had been standing there blankly, was muttering something to herself.
“But I’m not going to give it to her.”
Her voice sounded unusually firm.
She seemed to be saying something strange all of a sudden as well, so I was about to ask what she meant when—
“Good night!”
Wiseora quickly called out to me and scampered away.
She was probably heading to the room where the attendants were gathered.
“…What?”
I stood alone in the space where both of them had disappeared.
Their behavior kept changing little by little as time went on, as though they had both been overcome by the heat. It wasn’t easy to adjust.
After standing there blankly for quite some time, I also found my room and went inside.
I was too tired for my head to work properly.
The moment I entered, I buried my face in the soft bedding I saw before me.
Before I knew it, I had made it this far.
Now, all that remained was to finish the job and return.
There were still important things to do, such as going back up to return the spirit artifact and seeing my younger sister.
But I decided to think about those tomorrow.
First, I needed a good, long sleep.
[Whew.]
I heard Old Master Sin sigh, but I didn’t have the energy to ask why.
I could ask him after I woke up….
With that thought, I soon succumbed to the wave of drowsiness and fell asleep.
******************
Chirp! Chirp!
I slowly opened my eyes to the sunlight streaming through the window and the birdsong announcing morning.
I must have slept exceptionally deeply, because I hadn’t had the nightmare that usually haunted me every night.
Thanks to that, I was able to wake up feeling refreshed and invigorated.
How long had it been since I’d slept this comfortably?
I raised my sluggish body and moved it around, hearing every joint pop.
“…Ah, that feels good.”
“Did you sleep well?”
It was a voice I heard while still half-asleep.
Naturally, I assumed Old Master Sin was asking me that.
“Yes. Did you sleep well too, Old Master?”
“Of course. Perhaps it’s because I’m old and do nothing but sleep these days, but I always sleep quite well.”
“What do you mean? What kind of sleep does a ghost even—”
I stopped speaking and clamped my mouth shut.
Something was strange.
Had Old Master Sin’s voice always sounded like this?
Usually, it felt as though his voice resonated inside my head rather than reaching my ears.
But today, it was exceptionally clear, and the voice itself felt different.
‘…What is this?’
While I was still too groggy to properly grasp the situation, Old Master Sin appeared.
[…It isn’t me.]
…What?
Cold sweat began to trickle down my body at his words.
A chill ran down my spine as I turned my head toward the source of the voice.
An old man sat there, wearing a benevolent smile.
…In none other than my room.
“Who… are you?”
The old man let out a low chuckle at my question.
“I have lived for quite a long time, but this is the first time I’ve ever been mistaken for a ghost….”
At every word the old man spoke and every slight movement he made, the energy within my dantian stirred.
[…This is bad.]
At the same time, I heard the flustered voice of Old Master Sin. It felt as though the plum blossom energy I had been desperately holding back was beginning to seep out.
Could it have been my imagination?
The sunlight streaming through the window seemed to carry with it a faint fragrance of plum blossoms.
The old man calmly stroked his beard.
As I gradually woke up, I began to feel it more distinctly.
This scent had not drifted in through the window.
The fragrance of plum blossoms filling the room was coming from that old man.
“Child, I heard Guryun sent you here.”
The name of Elder Yi flowed naturally from the old man’s lips.
I swallowed dryly, hiding my cold sweat.
Seeing me like that, the old man smiled faintly.
Then he lowered the hand that had been calmly stroking his beard.
Only then could I see the plum blossom emblem embroidered across the old man’s chest.
The moment I noticed it, my eyes shook rapidly, as if struck by an earthquake.
Despite my trembling gaze, the old man introduced himself.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Dohwa, the Sect Leader of Mount Hua.”
I swallowed a gasp at his words.
…Why on earth was this man in my room?