Chapter 223: Building a Friendship with Seol-hyang - 3
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 223: Building a Friendship with Seol-hyang - 3
"Hehehe."
A blooming smile never left Seol-hyang’s face after she parted ways with Sun-woo.
She was in an exceptionally good mood.
Not only had she met the Sun-woo of her dreams and shared a martial duel with him, but they now shared a secret known only to the two of them.
How could she not be happy?
The world looked beautiful, breathing felt like a joy, and even the air tasted sweet.
"La la la~"
A hum escaped her lips involuntarily.
Soon, she headed toward the barracks assigned to her. As she neared the entrance, she muffled her footsteps.
Everyone would be asleep by now. She didn't want to wake them for no reason.
Tip-toe, tip-toe.
She lifted her heels and tried to sneak into the barracks.
"Where have you been?"
Flinch.
Suddenly, a sharp, piercing voice rang out from behind her.
Seol-hyang trembled instinctively. She slowly turned her head toward the source of the voice.
Standing there was a nun who looked incredibly angry.
"....Bulheo... Sajeo?"
"Yes, you sly little brat! Where on earth have you been?"
She shouted while glaring at Seol-hyang.
"Just a short walk..." Seol-hyang trailed off, her voice weakening under the scrutiny.
"I stayed up waiting for you!"
Bulheo Satae continued, her expression fierce. She was genuinely furious.
The girl who said she was going to sleep early had only just shown up, two hours after the meeting had ended. It was impossible not to be angry.
"What kind of 'short walk' lasts two hours?"
"The full moon was so beautiful, I just got caught up in the moment."
"It’s a crescent moon tonight."
Bulheo Satae pointed a finger at the sky.
"Oh my, when did it change to a crescent?" Seol-hyang asked, feigning ignorance as she looked up at the moon.
"Are you playing with me?!"
Bulheo Satae’s voice rose.
"Seol-hyang, keep the jokes within the Emei Sect. If you keep acting this selfishly, I won't let it slide."
She growled the warning.
"Oh, come on, I'm sorry. I'll make sure to tell you whenever I go somewhere from now on, okay?"
Seol-hyang offered a cheeky, charming smile in response to the growl.
Grind.
Bulheo Satae ground her teeth at Seol-hyang’s slippery, snake-like attitude. It would have been easier if the girl had talked back, but since she apologized so shamelessly, there was nothing left to say.
"Is that how you apologize?!" Bulheo snapped, trying to find any fault she could.
Bow.
"I am truly sorry for causing you concern. I'll make sure it never happens again."
Seol-hyang quickly bent at the waist, offering a deep apology.
Damn it.
Bulheo Satae cursed inwardly. It wasn't proper behavior for a Buddhist, but she hated how Seol-hyang gave her no opening to scold her further.
Seol-hyang was always like this. If the mistake was minor, she’d laugh it off with a joke. If it was serious, she’d apologize and reflect so quickly that it left the other person speechless.
"Whew, fine. As long as you understand."
Bulheo sighed and gave in. She wanted to nag more, but she knew it would just go in one ear and out the other, so she decided to end it there.
"Thank you!"
Seol-hyang gave a refreshing smile and expressed her gratitude.
"Hmph."
Bulheo snorted and marched back into the barracks.
"Hehe."
Seol-hyang watched her senior's retreating back before following her inside.
*
After Sun-woo and Seol-hyang shared their secret, Sun-woo’s daily routine changed slightly.
"Young Master Jang~ Let’s eat together."
Normally, he would have eaten alone or joined the Tang Clan martial artists. But since that day, Seol-hyang had started looking after him constantly.
"I prefer eating alone, My Lady," Sun-woo declined politely. He was worried about being swept up in scandalous rumors.
"Oh, hush! Food tastes better when you eat together!"
However, Seol-hyang seemed completely oblivious to his concerns.
Thud.
She sat down right next to him and began eating her rations.
"Young Master Jang, the potatoes are quite hearty today."
She held up a potato to show him.
Sigh.
Sun-woo sighed at her audacious attitude, but he eventually settled in beside her. He appreciated the kindness of her wanting to keep him company.
In truth, Sun-woo was a complete outsider in this search party. To the Qingcheng and Emei sects, he was a rival they needed to suppress to maintain leadership. To the Tang Clan martial artists, he was an unfamiliar superior.
There was no way he could naturally blend in. Qingcheng and Emei didn't look at him kindly, and the Tang Clan warriors were wary of a master they had never met before.
He was a loner.
In such a situation, he felt a surge of gratitude toward Seol-hyang for trying to take care of him—even if he was worried about rumors.
Munch, munch, munch.
Sun-woo chewed on his steamed potato. The simple, clean taste was surprisingly good.
"Young Master Jang, I got in so much trouble last night!" Seol-hyang chirped from beside him.
"Was it because you returned late?"
"Exactly! Bulheo Satae gave me such a thundering scolding that my ears are still ringing!"
She began mimicking Bulheo Satae with exaggerated gestures.
"And then..."
Seol-hyang continued to chatter away. Sun-woo let out a small chuckle and listened to her rambling. Her complaining was actually quite cute, making it hard not to smile.
Their conversation lasted until the end of breakfast.
*
"Sajeo! The carriages are leaving!"
Un-hye shouted loudly toward Seol-hyang, who was standing in the distance. It was time to depart, yet Seol-hyang was still chatting away by Sun-woo’s side.
"Oh, I guess it's time to go."
Hearing Un-hye, Seol-hyang turned back to Sun-woo.
"Please... go ahead."
Sun-woo spoke with a hint of exhaustion, seemingly worn out by her constant chatter.
"Then I'll see you this evening!"
Seol-hyang waved and ran toward the carriages.
"This... evening too?"
Sun-woo repeated her last words, his face turning pale. The thought of enduring that chatter again in the evening clearly filled him with dread.
Patter, patter.
After saying goodbye to Sun-woo, Seol-hyang dashed to the carriage and quickly hopped inside to claim a spot.
"The window seat is mine!"
She declared to the empty space as she sat down.
"Huh?"
She blinked in confusion. The carriage was empty.
"Yes, sit there."
A cold voice drifted in from outside.
Shiver.
A chill ran down Seol-hyang’s spine.
"Bul... Bulsok Sajeo?"
"Yes. You and I will be traveling alone until lunch."
Seol-hyang’s face went pale. Traveling with Bulsok Satae, whose mere presence felt suffocating, made her feel like she was going to get indigestion from the breakfast she’d just eaten.
"I... I'll go to another carriage..."
"Unfortunately, the others are full."
"Then I'll ride on the roof!"
"Stop talking nonsense and sit down."
At Bulsok’s command, Seol-hyang slumped into her seat with a frown.
"Where are the others?"
"I told them to ride with Bulheo until lunch."
"They're all going to die."
Seol-hyang shook her head. Riding with the rigid and prickly Bulheo Satae would surely shorten everyone's lifespan by ten years.
"Departing now!"
The coachman’s voice rang out from the front.
Rumble, rumble.
The carriage began to move.
"What are you thinking?"
As soon as they started moving, Bulsok Satae spoke while staring at her.
"What do you mean, what am I thinking?" Seol-hyang replied innocently.
"I mean, what are you thinking, getting so close to Jang Sun-woo?"
"Can't members of the Sichuan Alliance and the search party be friends?"
"You two look far too intimate for that."
"Is that a problem?" Seol-hyang asked with a bright smile.
"Of course it is." Bulsok shook her head firmly.
"Why?"
"He has a fiancé named Dok Seo-si. How can you act so close to him?"
"Oh, come on. Do you really think I approached him out of romantic love? It’s just a feeling of friendship."
Seol-hyang tried to play it off with a joke.
"You're a terrible liar."
Bulsok glared at her with cold eyes.
"I've watched you for ten years. Do you think I wouldn't notice those feelings?"
"It's really not like that! This is unfair!" Seol-hyang protested.
It was true she liked him, but she didn't think it was romantic love yet. Why was she being cornered like this? It felt so unjust.
"Then why do you keep approaching him?"
"Just to get closer..."
"Why do you want to be close?"
"Because he's cool!" Seol-hyang finally blurted out her true thoughts.
"What exactly about him is cool?" Bulsok asked, looking genuinely baffled.
"Isn't he?"
"To me, he's not at all."
Bulsok revealed her honest opinion of Sun-woo. His features weren't bad, but she couldn't forget that vacant, dazed look in his eyes when she first saw him.
"That's because you have no eye for men, Sajeo."
"What?!"
Bulsok snapped back. Unlike those born into the Emei Sect, Bulsok had lived in the secular world and had even been married at a young age. And she had no eye for men? What kind of nonsense was this from a girl who had never even held a man's hand properly?
"He’s not even thirty yet, but he has the skill to suppress those arrogant Rising Stars of the Dragon and Phoenix in an instant. His looks aren't bad either, his chest muscles are firm and bulging, his arm muscles are clearly defined and ripped, and even his thighs are sturdy! How could he not be cool?"
Seol-hyang’s eyes sparkled as she poured out her thoughts on Sun-woo. Her face even began to flush as she visualized him.
Seeing this, Bulsok frowned deeply. To anyone else, she looked like a girl deeply in love, yet she seemed to be the only one unaware of it.
"Whew..."
Bulsok sighed. She was worried about Seol-hyang liking someone who already had a fiancé.
"Seol-hyang."
Bulsok called her name with a heavy expression.
"Yes?"
"Give up."
"I told you, it's not love! It's admiration!"
"Don't even admire him."
Bulsok’s tone was resolute.
"What?!"
"No love, no friendship, no admiration. Do not harbor any feelings for him."
"What does that even mean?"
"It means don't even pay attention to him."
"But why!" Seol-hyang asked, getting worked up.
"Because you're the only one who will end up hurt."
Bulsok spoke calmly. Jang Sun-woo was a man who could be called the greatest of the Rising Stars. If Seol-hyang had feelings for him, her family would surely support her—if not for the existence of his fiancé, Tang Seo-yoon.
Unfortunately, he did have a fiancé. It was a relationship that could never be. The Seol Clan, one of the Five Great Merchants of the Central Plains, would never allow their precious only daughter to become a second wife. Nor would the Tang Clan be happy about their son-in-law taking another wife.
That was why Bulsok ordered her not to harbor any feelings. In the end, she would be the one left with a broken heart. Bulsok cared for Seol-hyang like a daughter and didn't want to see her in pain. That was why she maintained such a stern attitude.
"I don't want to."
Seol-hyang shook her head in refusal. Not even admiration? Not even friendship? It was ridiculous. How could a person control their own feelings like that?
"I'm not a Main Sect Disciple. Don't try to control my emotions!"
"You may not be a Main Sect Disciple, but you are still a disciple of Emei. And you joined this search party as a disciple of Emei."
Bulsok stared at her with cold eyes.
"I will say it once more. I am telling you this as the leader of the Emei delegation. Do not get close to him."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then I'll have no choice but to force you."
"Do you think you can beat me?"
Seol-hyang snorted. Although Bulsok held the rank of Elder, she was only at the Upper Stage of the Peak Realm. She couldn't possibly force Seol-hyang, who had reached the Middle Stage of the Super-Peak Realm.
"I might not be able to beat you, but Bulheo is a different story."
Seol-hyang’s face crumpled. Bulheo was indeed a formidable opponent for the current Seol-hyang. She was on the verge of the Transcendent Realm, and in terms of martial arts, she was even above the Sect Leader, Guwol Shin-ni. There was no way Seol-hyang, at the Middle Stage of the Super-Peak Realm, could stand against her.
"Hmph! Do whatever you want!"
Furious, Seol-hyang raised her voice and turned her head away. It was a silent protest, signaling she would no longer speak.
`I'll have to ask Bulheo for a favor soon.`
Seeing Seol-hyang’s attitude, Bulsok fell into deep thought. It seemed she would have to swallow her pride and ask Bulheo for help.