Free Web NovelThe winter forest after sunset had a sinister air to it.
Whenever the wind blew, the frozen branches knocked together and made bleak, hollow sounds.
I had been warming my hands over the campfire when I looked up in puzzlement.
Yeon Ryang, his back to the fire, was staring into the dark.
“Why are you sitting like that?”
“So I can see an enemy coming. If your eyes get used to the light, you can’t see the ones hiding in the dark.”
“Ah.”
I gave an awkward little response and hunched in on myself.
He looked used to sleeping outdoors like this.
Or used to being ambushed.
The moment I realized again that he was a seasoned martial artist, the anxiety came rushing back. My stomach churned as if something were pressing down hard beneath my sternum.
Can I really trust him?
The group of wandering martial artists had become one patch of fresh dirt, but that did not mean the pursuit aimed at me was over.
Other drifters could still come after the bounty offered by the Yuzhou Merchant Guild, or the blood relative of mine whose betrothed I had supposedly killed could send assassins instead.
And I could not rule out the possibility that Yeon Ryang himself might turn into the kind of wandering martial artist who hunted that reward.
To him, I was no different from an unredeemed lottery ticket. My safety rested entirely on his whims.
Just because Tang Jung’s Ten-Thousand-Poison Pellet had returned to me did not mean Yeon Ryang, who had once been on the side of good, was guaranteed never to become a villain.
I stole glances at him and fidgeted with my fingers. I could not stop wondering what his real intention was, when he had been the one to step forward first and offer help. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
Yeon Ryang, who had been gazing silently into empty space, tore out a fistful of dried grass and then drew his sword.
I rolled my eyes, wondering what on earth he was doing, and let out a dry laugh.
He was crudely twisting the grass together and using it to wipe whatever grime was clinging to the blade.
...That was the first time I had ever seen someone clean a sword with grass.
Still, there was nothing better than tending weapons to pass a tedious stretch of time. I looked away and untied my own pouch, then started maintaining my hidden weapons.
I sharpened the dulled edges on a whetstone and wiped them down with an oiled cloth. By the time I had finished oiling the last one and shaken it dry, Yeon Ryang murmured,
“You’re deft with your hands.”
At some point he had turned around. He was looking at me with open curiosity.
“Would you like me to sharpen yours too?”
“I’ll decline, Young Lady. No swordsman hands his sword over to someone else.”
“Ah. Right.”
The words That’s not a sword, it’s a neglected iron club rose all the way to the tip of my tongue, but I kept them there.
Yeon Ryang’s sword was chipped in places and rusted besides. It looked so dangerous that just brushing against it might give you metal poisoning.
The truly astonishing thing was that he had cut through a man’s neck in one stroke with that blunt wreck of a blade.
For an instant, the sound of something rolling across the ground flashed through my mind, and the fine hairs on my arms stood up. I hurriedly shook the thought away.
There was no point dwelling on that scene. I needed to think about something else.
Biting my lip, I counted my hidden weapons again and realized one Butterfly Dart was missing.
I thought I must have made a mistake, but when I counted again, the answer was the same. One spot was empty.
Ah... Tang Chohui had given me that one.
It was a shame, but I did not have the luxury of going back to look for it. I gave a bitter smile, organized the weapons, and tucked them back into my clothes.
Yeon Ryang, who had been propping up his chin and watching me, asked,
“First time in the martial world?”
“As you can plainly see.”
When I nodded without resistance, Yeon Ryang gave a crooked grin, as though he had expected that answer.
“That’s what I figured. Your internal energy is more than twice what someone your age ought to have, but you look like you’ve got no real combat experience at all. I thought maybe you were some precious little thing raised on scraped-clean spiritual medicine.”
I was not exactly some treasured hothouse flower, but Grandfather had made sure I was always well fed with one thing or another.
“Still, having that much internal energy and not even using a quarter of it is a little tragic, don’t you think? Young Lady. The spiritual medicines you swallowed must feel wronged.”
“...I know, so please be quiet.”
“If you don’t want to turn into pearls around a pig’s neck, shouldn’t you train a little harder?”
I said I know, so stop roasting me. Yeon Ryang, this man really is a fact-bomb thrower.
When I shot him a glare, Yeon Ryang leaned backward and pretended to flinch in fear.
“Yikes. One more word and I’ll end up with a poison needle in my forehead.”
“You really do have an aggravating way of talking.”
“As if. You misunderstand me, Young Lady. It’s hard to find an unorthodox faction bastard as refined as I am.”
If by refinement he meant weaponized provocation, then yes, he was refined beyond all reason.
I laughed awkwardly and stared at him.
He was being so excessively friendly that it only made me more suspicious, and my mouth went dry.
After clearing my throat, I spoke in a flat voice, drawing a line between us.
“I’d like to talk about your fee again.”
“Go ahead. How far did we get last time?”
“Three silver coins a day...”
“Right. Two silver coins a day. That’ll do.”
Yeon Ryang cut me off and smiled warmly.
It was less than the amount he had named at the start.
Startled, I wetted my lips and met his gaze.
There was no scheme visible in those black eyes.
Nothing but pure goodwill.
That only made it more frustrating.
I parted my lips, then pressed a hand to my forehead and frowned.
“Why?”
“What do you mean, why?”
“At first you said three. You’ve seen what kind of situation I’m in, so if anything, you should be raising the price, not lowering it. Unless you mean to put me at ease and then sell me off, why do you want to travel with me at all?”
At my sharp question, Yeon Ryang blinked as though I were saying something strange.
“You said you didn’t want to die.”
“What?”
“You said you didn’t want to die.”
“...What?”
“I felt the same way at your age. I didn’t want to die. Every single day, I wished someone—anyone—would appear and help me live.”
His voice was low and even as he spoke.
“It just reminded me of that time... that’s all. There isn’t any other reason. Though not letting your guard down is a good attitude, Young Lady. Smart of you.”
Chuckling under his breath, Yeon Ryang looked up at the sky.
The smile was still hanging at his mouth, but there was ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ no laughter at all in his eyes.
For a moment, I could not speak.
If I had not known about Yeon Ryang’s past, I would have dismissed it as a ploy meant to reassure me.
But I knew what had happened to him after he was abducted by the Demonic Sect.
He had seen his younger self in me as I lay dying.
That version of himself from back then, enduring those horrific trainings in the Demonic Sect and wishing with all his heart that someone—anyone—would save him.
Yeon Ryang fell silent. As if trying to shake off the bitter memory, he kept clenching and unclenching his fist.
In the brief glimpse I caught of the back of his hand, the veins stood out blue against the skin.
“KYUU...”
Cane padded over and rubbed his face against Yeon Ryang’s hand, as if to comfort him.
“There now, little furball. What a good one you are.”
Yeon Ryang stroked him, acting cheerful, but his voice was faintly roughened.
My lips parted, then closed again. Pretending not to notice, I turned my gaze back to the campfire. Maybe it was the flames burning so hot, but my face felt feverish.
I thought I might understand his feelings a little.
Just a very little.
Yeon Ryang studied my expression, then spoke gently, the way someone might soothe a much younger sibling.
“In any case, you should get some sleep, Young Lady. You didn’t eat much today, and if nothing else, you ought to sleep well while you can.”
“...Yes.”
I answered obediently and carefully lay down.
I closed my eyes, but naturally, sleep did not come.
The only thing that grew clearer was the crisp crackle of sparks flying from the fire.
*****
When I opened my eyes again, it was dawn, with starlight still lingering in the sky.
Startled by the fact that I had actually dozed off, I jerked upright. Cane let out a small cry, as if asking whether I was awake.
“KYUU.”
The campfire was still there. So were our belongings.
But Yeon Ryang was nowhere in sight.
Where had he gone? Don’t tell me he went to turn me over to the Yuzhou Merchant Guild...
Breathing hard, I searched frantically for some trace of him, then relaxed when I sensed his presence in the distance.
He had only stepped away for a little while.
Relieved, I straightened my clothes. Cane scampered up onto my shoulder as if it belonged there.
I gave his head a light stroke, then walked toward the place where I could feel Yeon Ryang’s presence.
Beyond a screen of bare branches, I caught the sharp gleam of sword energy.
Yeon Ryang’s sword, cutting through the darkness of the forest, looked like the wingbeats of a bird of prey taking flight.
So he was training.
I hurriedly tried to step back, but Yeon Ryang noticed me and lowered the sword at an angle.
“You shouldn’t spy on another martial artist’s training, Young Lady.”
“Ah. I’m sorry.”
Even after I apologized at once, he still looked displeased. Frowning, he slid the sword back into its scabbard.
“You’d do well to be careful about that elsewhere. One wrong move and you could get silenced for good.”
“S-sorry.”
“Well, I’m a refined bastard from the unorthodox side, so I’ll be generous and let it go.”
Yeon Ryang answered lightly and stretched, his face playful again, as though he had never been annoyed in the first place.
“More importantly, you’re up early. I thought you’d sleep longer.”
“I slept enough. Did you get any rest, Benefactor?”
“Yeon Ryang.”
“Yes?”
“Call me Yeon Ryang. If using my name feels awkward, you can call me Brother instead.”
At the outrageous suggestion, I raised my eyes sharply. Yeon Ryang only laughed under his breath.
“Young Lady, if you look at me like that, as though I’m some rogue, I’ll feel hurt. How much older am I than you? I’m not trash, and I’m not harboring filthy intentions toward you.”
“The title is crawling with filthy intentions.”
“I’m not interested in children. Besides, outside, wouldn’t it be less suspicious if we looked like siblings?”
That was a reasonable argument.
After a moment’s thought, I nodded.
“All right... Brother.”
“Good. Much better.”
Satisfied, Yeon Ryang jerked his chin toward the stream.
“Then come on, little sister. You must be hungry, so let’s catch some fish.”
“Fish?”
“We should eat before we move, shouldn’t we? There aren’t any homes around here. It’ll probably be tomorrow evening before we can rest at an inn.”
Then he started smashing the frozen surface of the stream with his scabbard.
CRACK.
With each sharp impact, holes shaped like the scabbard punched clean through the ice. Beneath them, I could see fish darting away in panic.
“How many should we catch?”
“Hard to say. They’re small, so it’d probably take five or six to fill us up. Though we’d be lucky to catch even one. I’m hopeless at fishing.”
“Ah. I see.”
I nodded and picked up a few stones of a suitable size from the ground.
For better or worse, fishing happened to be one thing I was confident at.
“Young Lady. No, little sister. What are you planning to do with those rocks?”
“Fish.”
“...What?”
Yeon Ryang narrowed his eyes as if he had just heard something deeply absurd.
Without a word, I stretched out my hand toward the stream.
