Chapter 57: There isn't a Single Normal Person
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 57: There isn't a Single Normal Person
What the hell…?
I was utterly speechless.
Why is that crazy girl here?
We weren't in Shanxi or Shaanxi. We were in the middle of a nameless mountain range. And yet, Namgung Bi-ah was standing right in front of me.
“What—” I started to ask what she was doing here, but I was cut off as the Mount Hua disciples erupted into a commotion. Swords were drawn in an instant, their bearers converging on Bi-ah, whom they perceived as a threat. The air crackled with Qi. I had to act fast.
There was no time to think.
In a desperate bid to avert tragedy, I raised my voice and shouted.
“I-It’s been a while!”
“…?”
The swords halted mid-air, their glinting edges frozen menacingly.
“Sister Bi-ah!”
Amidst the tension, Wi Seol-Ah, who had been watching, suddenly broke into a run and threw her arms around Namgung Bi-ah.
Namgung Bi-ah seemed momentarily startled, but then she gently began to pat Wi Seol-Ah’s head. Thanks to her height, she easily enveloped the smaller girl in a full embrace.
“Young Master Gu, you know that woman?” Shinhyun asked.
How was I supposed to answer? Should I say we're acquainted?
How in the world did she even get here…?
When we parted ways, I was certain we wouldn't meet again for a long time. I thought our next encounter would be because of the arranged marriage, and only then.
But here? Of all places? A nameless mountain in the middle of nowhere?
Did she come looking for me?
…No, impossible.
Namgung Bi-ah was hopelessly, catastrophically bad with directions. An extreme case. Tell her to go east, and she'd head west. For us to meet here, it would have to be a pure coincidence. The chance of her successfully navigating her way to someone was practically zero. She was literally incapable of it.
“Young Master?”
“Oh.”
I’d been so lost in thought about Namgung Bi-ah that I’d forgotten to answer Shinhyun.
“She is just an acquaint—”
“Fiancé.”
“…Huh?”
[What now?]
Namgung Bi-ah’s sudden interjection silenced everyone.
“…What did you just say?” I asked again, hoping I had misheard.
Namgung Bi-ah tilted her head, looking confused by my reaction.
I must have heard wrong. I must have.
“He’s my fiancé.”
I really hadn't misheard. The stunned silence that followed confirmed I wasn't the only one in shock. I could feel the scorching glares of the other men burning into me.
…For heaven's sake, stop being mesmerized by her looks.
But even I had to admit, Namgung Bi-ah was breathtakingly beautiful. In my past life, I'd had the privilege of gazing upon her exquisite features for a long time, and I never grew tired of it. If I were my former self, I'd probably be drooling at the idea of her being my fiancée.
Even now, with her skin dust-covered and her hair disheveled, her robes tattered and soiled, her beauty remained untarnished. Her two sparkling blue eyes, like diamonds, were fixed solely on me. She wasn't smiling now, but I couldn't forget the bright smile she had shown me before.
So she can smile, after all.
I never once saw her smile in my previous life. The only expressions I'd ever seen on her face were impassive masks as she coldly cut down her enemies.
I hate to admit it.
But she's beautiful when she smiles.
“Sis!” Wi Seol-Ah exclaimed, finally pulling her face from Namgung Bi-ah’s bosom.
“Hmm…?”
“Why did you come here?”
“I came looking for him…”
“Who?”
Namgung Bi-ah slowly pointed a finger directly at me.
…She really did come looking for me?
How?
She was the type of person who would climb a mountain if you told her to take a boat, and forge a river if you told her to climb a mountain. She didn't know the first thing about directions… and yet she found me?
[You idiot.]
Elder Shin, who had been quiet, suddenly cursed at me.
…What's gotten into you all of a sudden?
[You feel nothing even when faced with such a beauty? At this point, it's not that your senses are dulled—you must have been born without them.]
Why are you insulting me when I haven't even done anything?
[Just go die.]
I lightly brushed off Elder Shin's words. What was wrong with this old man suddenly…?
I walked over to Namgung Bi-ah. “Lady Namgung, you truly came here looking for me?”
“Yes…”
“Why?”
“I wanted to see you.”
…What?
What did she just—
[I hope you get struck by lightning.]
Please, just be qu—
[For fuck's sake… Why won't any ghosts take this guy's life—oh, wait, I'm a ghost too.]*
I was completely bewildered by her words.
Is she thinking straight? What is she saying, appearing out of nowhere like this?
“What are you talk—”
“Young Master.” Wi Seol-Ah approached me. Her face was now dust-smudged from rubbing against Namgung Bi-ah’s soiled clothes.
“What.”
“What’s a fiancée?”
“Huh…?”
Her sudden question left me speechless.
What’s a fiancée, she asks? Uh, what is a fiancée…?
Judging by her earnest expression, she genuinely didn't know.
How should I explain this?
“A fiancée is…”
I’d feel bad lying to her. As I struggled to find the right words, a figure emerged from the tall grass.
“…Ugh, my back.”
It was Yung Pung, who had been sent flying earlier. After dusting himself off, he took in the scene.
“…Uh, may I ask what’s going on?”
His eyes swept the area and landed on Namgung Bi-ah. He gasped. When Namgung Bi-ah’s icy gaze turned towards him, he promptly collapsed to the ground.
I stared at him, wondering what was wrong. He seemed to be in a strange state.
“…Huh?”
His cheeks and ears were flushed red, and his eyes were trembling wildly. I felt like I’d seen that expression before…
Oh!
I remembered. It was the same face Gu Jeolyub had made when he first saw Wi Seol-Ah.
Wait… does that mean?
As I stared at Yung Pung, the other Mount Hua disciples rushed to his side.
“Yung Pung! Wake up! What’s wrong with him all of a sudden?”
“Did he hit his head when he was sent flying?”
“You’re telling me he’s unconscious from a bump on the head? This is the guy who was fine after getting whacked with an iron bar!”
“He must be feeling weak. Should we catch a chicken to stew for him?”
As I listened to these absurd suggestions, I heard Elder Shin speak again.
[He’s done for. He won’t recover from this.]
Pardon?
[Look at his eyes. He's already a lost cause. And now that he's laid eyes on such a peerless beauty, his standards have been permanently raised.]
[What a poor guy… ]*
He really is.
Those were Elder Shin’s final words on the matter.
I spoke into the bizarre silence that had fallen.
“…What about our duel?”
No one answered my quiet question.
…For fuck's sake.
* * *
Soon, darkness fell.
The days feel so short, yet why does Shaanxi still feel so far away?
I had no answer.
I took a quick wash in a nearby stream. While I wasn't fond of getting wet, the summer heat made it necessary, and with my Qi, I dried off quickly.
As I made my way back to camp, I noticed a group of men huddled together. At first I thought they were just Mount Hua disciples, but some of my own Gu Clan retainers were mixed in.
What are they doing?
I wondered what they were all staring at so intently. It turned out they were all gazing at Namgung Bi-ah.
[Insane…]
“For god’s sake…!” Elder Shin blurted out, breaking his long silence.
[For god's sake indeed…]
What are you going on about now?
[You idiot, you really feel nothing after seeing that?]*
I didn't need to ask what he meant. I already knew.
Namgung Bi-ah was sitting by the campfire, talking with Wi Seol-Ah. After washing thoroughly, she had changed into fresh, clean clothes. She didn't have any spares, so we'd given her a servant's spare attire, but had it always looked so… refined? It seemed far more luxurious than when the servants wore it.
She had been beautiful even in dirty rags; now, clean and neat, she seemed to glow. Sitting next to Wi Seol-Ah, the two of them looked like a scene from a painting. It was no wonder the men were acting like this.
…It's almost a wholesome sight.
It definitely didn't look bad.
“…Senior, this is the first time I’ve seen such a beautiful person. Are all the women from other regions like this?”
“The Namgung Clan is in Anhui… Isn't Shinmeel also from Anhui?”
“So it's just her, then. She's the only one this beautiful.”
“…Hey, I'm going to tell Shinmeel exactly what you just said.”
“Huh? W-Wait, Senior! Senior!?”
What are these idiots doing?
“Young Master!” Wi Seol-Ah spotted me and waved with a bright smile.
Namgung Bi-ah had already been looking my way since I started observing the group.
Ugh, and I was just about to go to sleep…
Feeling obligated, I started walking towards them.
“What are you two doing?” I asked.
“We were talking,” Wi Seol-Ah said cheerfully.
“About what?”
“About frogs!”
“…Frogs?”
I immediately regretted asking. I'd assumed it would be about whether frogs were tasty or not.
“We saw a frog when we were walking by the stream earlier! It had such a pretty color!”
“Oh… it was about colors.”
…My apologies.
I should never assume. It's always about food with her, but this time I was wrong.
Without a word, Namgung Bi-ah, who was sitting beside Wi Seol-Ah, held something out to me. It was a dumpling.
“What's this?” I asked, taking it.
“Dumpling…”
“What about the fish you're grilling?”
“I heard you like them.”
“…Well, thank you.”
Wait, where did she even get a dumpling? We'd left the clan tens of days ago. How were there still dumplings around?
I took a tentative bite. Thankfully, it wasn't spoiled.
I was grateful for the food, but I needed to ask Namgung Bi-ah something important.
“Lady Namgung.”
“Hmm…?”
“What are your plans now?”
“Huh…?”
“We are heading to Mount Hua. It will be quite some time before we return to the clan after our visit. It's honestly a miracle you found me, but why did you come all this way in the first place?”
“I wanted to see yo—”
“…Stop that.”
[You little brat, I hope you burn to death.]*
I ignored Elder Shin's violent commentary.
Namgung Bi-ah just stared at me blankly.
What is she staring at?
After a moment, she suddenly nodded, as if coming to a decision. Her next words left me utterly confused.
“Come along.”
“Come along? What does that mean?”
She really needs to stop speaking in such fragments.
It was a bad habit of hers, only voicing the core thought in her mind. By now, it was faster for me to guess her meaning than to ask for clarification.
“You mean… until we reach Mount Hua?”
“No.”
“…Then until when—”
“Ever.”
“Pardon?”
“Forever.”
“…And who gave you permission for that?”
What the hell is she talking about?
I was losing my mind. Come along with… me? Forever?
…Why would I ever allow that?
“Why would you come along with me?”
“Because you're my fiancé.”
“What the hell are you talking about.”
Does she think the word 'fiancé' grants her some kind of authority?
I was already getting a headache from this whole situation, and now the problem was confronting me directly.
[Instead of refusing, you should be grateful you're getting something like this handed to you for free. Do you think a face like yours deserves such beauty?]
Why are you suddenly comparing our looks? And what's wrong with my face! I'm not that bad—
[You talk a lot for someone who looks like a praying mantis.]*
…A mantis.
For fuck's sake, I really need to find an exorcist.
“Did you at least inform your clan?” I pressed.
“…”
“…Lady Namgung?”
“…I did.”
She didn't. She absolutely did not tell them she was leaving. Her brief hesitation made that blatantly obvious.
A direct descendant of a Noble Clan, running away from home.
What kind of troublemaker are you…?
Do you think you're Peng Woojin or something!?
“You said you came here looking for me, right?”
“Yes.”
“Why? Do you have some business with me?”
[You actually asked that? Are you truly this dense?]*
Why was this old man so angry anyway…? All his shouting in my head was giving me a headache.
Namgung Bi-ah fell silent for a moment at my question. But her eyes never left me.
What was she thinking about so deeply?
“I…” she began.
But she was interrupted.
“Young Master Gu!”
It was Yung Pung, shouting at the top of his lungs as he ran over. The bright, infatuated expression he'd had earlier was gone, replaced by a desperate, almost negative intensity.
“The duel we couldn't finish before… Let's do it now!”
What's wrong with this guy now…?
That guy isn't normal either.
…I just want to go home.