Sohui and Hoyeon
As we went deeper inside, a man I didn’t recognize came out to greet us.
“Welcome to the Jegal Clan. You must be the famous North Sea Divine Dragon, yes?”
“That’s right. I’m Han Yugang, from the Ice Palace. And this is Paeng Hoyeon, who came with me from Hebei.”
“So you’re Miss Paeng. Then the rumors about you...”
The man trailed off and glanced at Sohui for a beat.
“Ahem. I should introduce myself properly. I’m Jegal Gongmyeong, Sohui’s cousin, and the successor of the Jegal Clan.”
Jegal Gongmyeong?
It was a name that sounded oddly familiar and, at the same time, like it belonged to someone incredibly smart.
Feels like I heard that name in my past life...
My memories of that life had grown hazier over time, and I couldn’t quite pin it down anymore.
“Please, come inside first.”
We followed Jegal Gongmyeong’s lead to the reception room.
Once we sat down, Paeng Hoyeon tried to take the seat beside me too.
But Sohui hurried over and sat down right next to me first.
Paeng Hoyeon smiled as if she found that interesting, then shifted her seat and came around to face me.
“So, what brings you to the Jegal Clan?”
“I came after receiving a letter saying Sohui had recovered, because I wanted to see whether she was really all right.”
At my words, Sohui flushed bright red and lowered her head.
The way she muttered that she wanted to see me was a little cute.
“That’s a relief. It doesn’t seem like there’s any urgent business, so please, talk comfortably. I’ll excuse myself.”
Jegal Gongmyeong let out a relieved breath, as though he’d been worried my sudden visit meant some sort of trouble, then left the reception room.
With him gone, the room took on a strange atmosphere.
“So, Sohui, are you feeling better now?”
“Yes... I think I’ll be able to start going out again soon.”
“That’s good.”
“By the way, why did Miss Paeng come with you? Don’t tell me the two of you are actually promised to marry...”
Sohui’s question caught me completely off guard.
Could it be that the rumor about me becoming the son-in-law of the Paeng Clan spread all the way here, and Sohui’s misunderstanding because of it? Was that the rumor mentioned in the letter?
Since I didn’t answer right away, Sohui’s expression turned cold in an instant.
“Of course not! It’s true that Hoyeon did ask me to marry her, but I’ve kept refusing.”
“Hoyeon...?”
Sohui’s face darkened rapidly.
“I’ve been staying in Hebei since before coming here, so we got close and started using first names...”
It seemed she was properly sulking now.
That was when Paeng Hoyeon cut in.
“But isn’t it true that Miss Jegal still hasn’t promised to marry Yugang, either? Then isn’t it still up in the air?”
At Paeng Hoyeon’s words, Sohui’s face twisted into a frightening expression I’d never seen before.
“I haven’t promised to marry him, but we’re...”
Sohui fumbled for words.
“Then what are you to each other?”
“Yugang-oppa is... my beloved, that’s what!”
With her face burning red, Sohui sprang up and stormed out.
Her declaration that I was her beloved somehow left me feeling strangely pleased, and I rose to follow her.
Then Paeng Hoyeon called after me.
“People can change their minds, you know!”
She sounded petulant and a little spiteful, and it was honestly kind of cute, but Sohui came first right now.
I caught up to her quickly.
“Where are you going?”
“I don’t know!”
“Wait, let’s talk for a second.”
When I kept after her, Sohui finally stopped and turned around.
“Why are you running away?”
Sohui’s face was scarlet, whether from the sprint or from embarrassment, I couldn’t tell.
“Because it’s embarrassing.”
“You mean it’s embarrassing for me to be your beloved?”
“That’s not what I mean...”
“I was really happy when you called me your beloved, though.”
“So the rumor that you became the Paeng Clan’s son-in-law is a lie, then?”
“Of course it is. I came to clear up a misunderstanding, since it seemed like you were taking it the wrong way.”
“That’s a relief.”
Sohui looked relieved and dropped down onto a seat.
I quietly sat down beside her.
“I wish I hadn’t left you behind back then.”
I started talking about what I hadn’t been able to say that day.
“That wasn’t your fault, though.”
“I took you somewhere dangerous just because I was having fun.”
“I went because I wanted to follow you. And you came to save me right away, too.”
“If I’d been even a little later, something terrible could have happened.”
Thinking about that day made my regret swell little by little, and I felt my mood sink.
“I already said I’m really fine now! Don’t be like that. Come with me instead.”
Sohui led gloomy me somewhere else.
We kept walking in one direction until an opaque barrier blocked the way ahead.
The Jegal Clan was probably surrounded by a formation, and that opaque wall must have been part of it.
Sohui stepped closer to the barrier and began shifting the stones and branches around it.
Then a tiny gap opened in the wall, and that gap widened just enough for us to pass through.
“Wow... this is a formation?”
“Amazing, isn’t it?”
Sohui looked proud of herself as she pulled me along and led me outside.
Beyond the formation, instead of the foot of Mount Bokryong where I’d expected to emerge, we were standing at the very top of one of its peaks.
From the summit, the whole of Mount Bokryong spread out beneath us in a single glance, and the view was breathtaking.
“This is incredible.”
“But... nothing really is going on between you and Miss Paeng, right?”
“Of course not. We’re really just like close siblings. She did propose to me, though...”
“You definitely turned her down, right?”
“Obviously.”
Sohui seemed a little reassured.
It really did seem like coming here in person had been the right choice.
We spent a long while looking out over Mount Bokryong and chatting about small things, and by the time it grew late, we returned to the Jegal Clan.
When we got back, Paeng Hoyeon was waiting for us, looking thoroughly annoyed.
“Even so, I’m still a guest, you know. Isn’t it a little much to leave me alone?”
Apparently, after we’d gone out, she’d been sitting in the reception room by herself the whole time.
“Sorry... I forgot.”
“If you’re sorry, then play with me alone next time.”
At her words, Sohui blocked me off.
“That’ll be difficult. I’ll probably be busy.”
“Busy with what? It’s not like you had urgent business here anyway!”
Just like that, the two of them started glaring at each other.
I had no right to speak, so all I could do was keep my mouth shut.
“You already have a beloved, so it’d be awkward to spend time alone with another girl.”
“We’re not even engaged yet.”
“We will be soon!”
“Then when are you doing it?”
While their staring contest continued, Jegal Gongmyeong opened the door and came into the reception room.
“I came because dinner is ready, but... it looks like I’m interrupting something?”
Jegal Gongmyeong smiled thinly as he spoke.
The news that dinner was ready could not have sounded better to me.
“We can’t delay a meal. Let’s go quickly.”
I slipped out of the reception room as if fleeing.
Paeng Hoyeon and Sohui finally paused their rivalry for a moment and followed me to the dining hall.
Once we were seated, Jegal Gongmyeong opened the conversation.
“A letter arrived from the Martial Alliance a little while ago.”
“From the Martial Alliance? What did it say?”
Sohui asked with clear curiosity.
“It said they seem to have found the hideout of the man you encountered in Sichuan last time.”
If it was the man I’d met in Sichuan, then it had to be the one who fled with the Jiangshi research journal after using demonic arts that day.
“A letter saying they found him? Not that they caught him?”
Paeng Hoyeon asked, sounding baffled.
“A summons to mobilize against the demonic lord came with it as well. His martial skill probably isn’t dangerous, but there was a report that the hideout is overflowing with unknown Jiangshi.”
“Jiangshi, huh...”
If they were the same level as the Jiangshi I’d fought in Tang Ak’s secret lab, they wouldn’t be much of a problem.
Honestly, I was confident I could cut them down even more easily now.
“So they’re probably gathering volunteers to face them, both for the symbolism and so the younger generation can gain experience.”
They used Jiangshi and demonic arts, but not at a level that could truly threaten the martial world, so it seemed they wanted to show everyone that the entire world of martial artists was uniting to root this kind of evil out.
“By the way, we also received a letter asking Han-gongzi to take part.”
Jegal Gongmyeong smiled and handed me the letter.
I took it and opened it.
The sender was the Alliance Lord.
Han Yugang should come to the Martial Alliance, as I need you to lead this campaign to wipe out the Blood-Sucking Demon and provide the younger generation with a firm center.
It was a short message, very much in the Alliance Lord’s style, with nothing but the essentials. The fact that he wanted me to come and steady the situation made me feel oddly proud.
It must mean I’d been recognized by the Alliance Lord that much.
“Oh! As expected of you, oppa! If the Alliance Lord says that, you’re going, right?”
Sohui chimed in from beside me.
“I should. I owe that Blood-Sucking Demon a debt.”
“This’ll be fun! The younger generation is gathering? I’m going too!”
Paeng Hoyeon sprang to her feet, excited as if she were headed to a party.
And so, for now, we decided to spend the night at the Jegal Clan.
The next morning, I was woken by a noisy commotion at the front door.
“What’s all the racket?”
When I opened the door and stepped out, I saw Paeng Hoyeon and Sohui waiting there.
The two of them were already bickering away since morning.
“What are you doing here?”
“Miss Jegal kept insisting on following us all the way to Anhui Province.”
“I’m going to see my father! I’m not going to fight... but I can still go with you, right?”
I’d thought Sohui was pretty grown-up until now, but seeing her squabble with a friend her own age made her look adorable.
“Then she can come with us.”
At my one line, Sohui smiled a victor’s smile.
I’d wondered whether Jegal Gongmyeong would come with us too, but he said he was staying behind because his martial skill wasn’t especially strong and he had plenty to do at the Jegal Clan.
And so, the three of us set out for Anhui Province.