Chapter 207
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 207
Chapter Title: Why Aren't You Asking? (2)
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"So how'd you end up in the desert?"
"I was planning to stay home. But events kept popping up against my will. If it weren't for that guy this time, I wouldn't have come out at all. You think I'm crazy enough to leave my rabbit-like wife and daughter behind?"
What about your son, though?
Taejin, you jerk~~~~!
Yukchil and Cheolho just felt sorry for him. But they soon remembered their own situations and cursed Taejin under their breath.
"Whatever it was, that's regrettable."
"Next time I see him, I'm gonna give him a real scolding about not eating random crap."
"Eating anything on an unfamiliar road like that—talk about lacking caution. I've dealt with a few customers like that myself. I still don't get why they eat it after being told not to and then regret it."
"Exactly. Wanna grab a drink?"
"Don't we need to hurry?"
"If a drink slows us down, what can you do? That's life."
"Indeed."
He wanted a drink.
Reasons could always be found.
Plus, it was refreshing.
Mujin immediately set up a drinking session. A little alcohol didn't get him drunk. It was basically like drinking more water. Still, booze had to be enjoyed ice-cold.
"Cool it down."
"I'm exhausted right now."
"Then die."
"...Fine. I'll do it!"
Drinking it when a thin layer of ice formed on the liquor was divine. The seasoned horse meat served as the perfect side dish. One glass turned into two, then three. As the wise leader who believed liquor should be learned from adults, Mujin filled Cheolho's glass too.
"He's still in his teens."
"Yesssss!"
Makho was startled and took another look at Cheolho. No matter how many times he scanned from bottom to top, Cheolho seemed older than him or at least the same age. Living in the desert had naturally aged his own appearance beyond his years. At this point, it was the final evolution of presbyopia.
Crack!
Buoyed by the booze, Cheolho surged with anger and tried to stand—only to pass out. Just as he was about to start drunkenly complaining, Mujin knocked him unconscious. He didn't tolerate drunken antics. For a healthy drinking culture among all ages and genders, effort was required.
'He's in his teens?'
Bukgung Hye was just as shocked as Makho. She'd assumed Cheolho was around her uncle's age, so when Yukchil called him "hyung," she couldn't hide her surprise.
The outdoor temperature had dropped a bit. It was time to move again.
He dismantled the ger and stepped outside.
The sun still hung in the sky but was sinking. The baked sand radiated heat, but it would cool soon after sunset. Deserts heated up fast and cooled just as quickly. They planned to travel before full nightfall.
Haa, haa!
Unlike Mujin, who'd rested comfortably, Bukgung Hye was out of breath from squeezing every last drop of her inner energy. She'd never used it so continuously before.
"And you're out of breath from that? Back in my day, I could use Samadhi True Fire all day and still pull off Air Step the next morning without a hitch."
"...That's impossible!"
Makho happened to be looking elsewhere at that moment.
Mujin casually stepped on empty air.
"Watch closely."
Ruuuumble!
As Mujin stepped down in midair, a ridge in the desert sank with a thud!
A giant's footprint was imprinted, crushing the space beneath.
Bukgung Hye gaped vacantly at the sight.
Whoa, that scared me!
As the startled Makho turned around, Mujin whistled nonchalantly as if nothing had happened.
Makho looked puzzled.
"Didn't you hear a strange rumble just now? I swear there was a vibration."
"I didn't hear anything. You guys?"
"Me neither, Master."
"We're not deaf. We'd notice a rumble like that right away."
Yukchil might not have, but Cheolho synced well with Mujin. Of course, the self-hypnosis that he'd get beaten if he didn't was essential. His head-tilting expression and actions looked genuine.
"No, how could that be?"
"You drank too much."
No way a few drinks caused hallucinations, but ganging up to gaslight one person was easy. Especially since sudden rumbles didn't just happen. Sometimes extreme heat caused illusions or phantom sounds, though.
'Damn these guys! What the hell are they doing?'
Tasting blood, they were pranking people. There were things to do and things to avoid in a situation like this, yet they did it anyway.
As Makho tilted his head, turned, and led the way, Bukgung Hye frustration-thumped her chest.
'You're being tricked!'
She should tell him the truth, but Bukgung Hye kept her mouth shut.
It was Air Step, albeit crude, and one step had crumpled a desert ridge. She couldn't bring herself to speak up in front of that.
Besides, his temper was foul. Complain about being tired, and he'd seriously ask, "Want me to kill you?"
'What if that nonsense is true!'
Even with overflowing power, normal people didn't pull stunts like that.
Absolute experts usually minded their dignity, but this guy ignored it completely.
'What the hell is he?'
She lived in the North Sea but wasn't completely cut off from Central Plains news. At his age, rivaling the Twenty Supremes of Shenzhou would make him famous. Hell, he could be called the next best under heaven without issue.
"Ah, I don't wanna go."
He genuinely looked annoyed at having to move. Too casual—way too casual. Could an absolute expert lack that much dignity?
One question nagged above all.
'Why isn't he asking?'
He'd been dragging her along, only asking her name. People naturally want to know someone's background when traveling together.
Why was a lovely girl like her being pitifully chased? Did she even have family?
He should gently probe her story step by step.
'Not curious?'
Her tangled history with those trying to kill her was the stuff everyone wondered about. Yet he treated her like a mere fan. She hadn't crossed the desert suffering like hell to be a fan.
I'm a person, not a fan!
A lovely one, at that.
"Um?"
"Wanna die?"
Who in the world wants to die! Why threaten murder just for asking? She wasn't the hot-tempered type, but this pissed her off.
Bukgung Hye calmed her rising anger and asked steadily. Not that she had other options.
"Aren't you curious about who I am?"
"What would knowing change? Do I have to pry into every detail? What, are you the emperor's secret daughter or something? Even then, he's just the emperor."
...Gasp!
Bukgung Hye swallowed hard. His blunt talk exceeded imagination. They said people insulted the emperor where he couldn't hear, but to do it so openly? Repeating his words here would doom the Nine Clans.
"Your words are too much."
"Relax. If I get pissed, the emperor dies by my hand. You think otherwise?"
Mujin swung his fist casually toward a spot a hundred away. A massive sand pillar erupted skyward.
Whoosh!
Now Bukgung Hye was scared to even ask. He flexed his power at the drop of a hat, like he was dying to show off how amazing he was.
Whoosh!
Makho turned at the sound again, but the con artists had pulled off the perfect crime.
No one on his side to reconstruct the scene.
'I'm a woman, you know!'
Didn't he know how to treat a lovely lady? Yet he doted on his own family while bullying others' daughters. The world had such ruthless scum—chilling.
Wait.
He doesn't know my face.
Fueled by unprecedented snubbery, Bukgung Hye's defiance flared. It might be impulsive. He'd learned she was female but hadn't seen her remove the face covering. She was curious what reaction her bare face would get.
"Um?"
Bukgung Hye removed her mask, revealing her true face. Flawless clear skin, sharply defined features. Like untouched glacial beauty from the North Sea depths. Slightly exotic, making her all the more mysterious.
Ah!
Yukchil, Cheolho, and Makho were entranced by Bukgung Hye's real appearance. Desert or Central Plains, man was man universally. How many could see that face and not admire it? Any who didn't were eunuchs.
'Of course.'
Perfectly normal male reactions. She was renowned as the North Sea's top beauty. She wanted to be valued for skill over looks, but what could she do? Born that way.
The star of the show, however, was indifferent.
"What're you doing?"
"Pardon?"
"I called you—spit it out. Wanna die?"
"No, it's just..."
This was no vibe for "First guy to see my face and act like this." His irritated glance was pure annoyance, not feigned disinterest to draw her out.
Just plain irritation.
Bukgung Hye had called without specific words, just blocked. She'd never met a man responding like this. Eunuch, then? Impossible with three kids.
"If you have something to say, say it quick. It's hot."
Mujin complained of heat despite not minding it, leaving Bukgung Hye stumped. No room for compromise—just mountains of obstacles. Hard to even babble nonsense. He threatened death casually.
Sob!
Alone with no one around, loneliness and despair surged, bringing tears to Bukgung Hye's eyes.
A new realization.
She wasn't emotional, yet containing the sorrow was hard. What had she done wrong to deserve this treatment? Everything felt resentful.
That moment.
Chill!
A eerie cold pierced her mind. Her senses sharpened, legs trembling. Goosebumps from toes to scalp.
A calm voice began listing facts. Bukgung Hye's face paled with each word.
"You live easy, huh. Think crying solves it? With that half-hearted resolve, you sure ran out bold. If so, stay cooped in the palace waiting to die. And never cry in front of me again. Next time, I won't hold back like now."
Gasp!
This was "holding back"?
Few men weren't swayed by a beauty's tears—especially pitiful ones fighting them back. They usually offered comfort unconsciously.
He exuded terrifying killing intent.
Sniff!
Terrified, Bukgung Hye's tears vanished as she froze solid. Unless bloodless and tearless, who imagined killing intent over tears?
'Whoa, beauty means nothing when he's mad!'
'Master, she's still a woman.'
Yukchil and Cheolho were stunned by Mujin's ruthlessness. Bukgung Hye holding back tears looked like a fragile ice flower. Any man should pity her, not yell.
'Too harsh!'
She hadn't left the palace willingly. At least ask her reasons instead of cornering her.
Wait.
Had she ever said she left the palace? She'd glossed over it unnoticed. He knew her.
"You knew I came from the North Sea Ice Palace?"
"Obviously. Who else uses the North Palace name with ice arts but the Ice Palace?"
"Then you know why I left?"
"You've mastered the Ice Palace's ultimate arts, so at least direct lineage. If you're being chased by the leadership, that says it all. You're the palace lord's child, and he's on death's door, right? How's my deduction?"
Bukgung Hye was speechless.
Spot-on reasoning. No need for elaboration. No wonder he hadn't pried—he knew. She was dancing in his palm. Recalling her solo suffering made her seethe with rage, not sorrow.
"You knew all along and toyed with me!"
"Toyed? Why should I answer your every question? Strictly speaking, I'm your lifesaver—and potentially your dad's."
"What do you mean?"
"For direct lineage to come out personally, the palace must be in shambles. Makes sense. They don't want to lose what they've grabbed. You want to prove your place as rightful owner."
"No! I just want my father to recover!"
"Same thing. Think he'll hand over power nicely once he wakes? It'll be a blood purge. Don't play dumb—you know it. And you hold grudges too. Forgiven them?"
As if.
Wishing parental recovery was natural, but power was separate. Realistically, she couldn't yield it even to survive.
"What do you mean by my father's benefactor?"
"Use your head. You really don't know?"
"No."
"Don't ask what you know."
Mujin didn't ask if she wanted the Ice Crystal or something else. But heading to the hidden compartment based on rumors meant the same goal.
'She failed, huh.'
-Without your help, he'd have died. And if the Sword Empress hadn't taken the Ice Crystal, no rumors.
History had twisted. Internal strife threatened the palace lord's replacement; Bukgung Hye came to the desert to turn it around.
But if the Sword Empress absorbed it quietly, this meeting never happens.
'What if the North Sea Heavenly Lord lives?'
-Unlikely to change.
'True. Direct lineage venturing alone means most limbs are cut off.'
-Don't assume. This won't happen in the future. They couldn't predict it.
If they'd seized real power, no need to drag time. Giving a chance meant seeking legitimacy. Wanting rightful inheritance.
'A sliver of hope?'
-Hope could turn to despair. But she won't quit till checked.
No need to hesitate.
The conclusion was set anyway.