Chapter 44
“What’s this? You promised to show me something cool!”
Just having slipped out of the chaotic melee, Yoo Eunhyeon rushed Su Hwa-seon and Ju Yu-ryeon away from the spot so they wouldn’t get in the way anymore, then took cover nearby.
Ju Yu-ryeon pouted at him in clear displeasure, but Yoo Eunhyeon simply gestured silently toward the Hongryu Sect disciples.
“Look at those guys fighting so stylishly. What do you think? They seem pretty interested in you.”
“……I’m sorry, kid.”
Ju Yu-ryeon made a face like she was utterly fed up and apologized to Yoo Eunhyeon. Honestly, the Hongryu disciples reeked of oil from head to toe; anyone could tell they were nothing but pure vanity. Yoo Eunhyeon knew all too well that Ju Yu-ryeon despised that kind of person.
“Still, aren’t we obligated to help them? These people came to lend a hand.”
Su Hwa-seon, who had been watching the fight, asked in concern.
Yoo Eunhyeon glanced at the group locked in battle.
“They don’t look like they’ll fall that easily.”
“But that doesn’t mean they’ll win that easily either.”
Both statements were correct. The fighters were evenly matched; they were merely nibbling away at each other’s minor wounds without anyone landing a decisive blow.
Now that Yoo Eunhyeon had reached the level where he could gauge an opponent’s strength just by watching them fight, he knew these people were no ordinary Murim warriors.
“If it looks too dangerous, I’ll step in. Whatever.”
Su Hwa-seon and Ju Yu-ryeon didn’t need to say anything, and neither did Yoo Eunhyeon. While living at Uiseon Suga, his disposition had quietly drifted toward the middle way.
To be precise, he simply no longer felt the need to meddle in Murim affairs. Even so, it still bothered him that these Hongryu disciples, despite their nauseating presence, had abandoned his group to die.
“I don’t think those types of hotheads exist out here.”
But Ju Yu-ryeon had a different take. Sure enough, the fight was quietly winding down.
The Seolim O-gul group, having confirmed the Hongryu disciples weren’t to be underestimated, were now slowly withdrawing and preparing to flee.
“You lot! Trying to run away?”
“Strategic retreat! Remember this! Until we meet again, keep your necks nice and safe!”
Speaking those words, the Seolim O-gul turned and bolted. Ju Yu-ryeon shrugged as she watched.
“They were never the type to risk their lives fighting. If the opponent isn’t easy pickings, they’ll run.”
Exactly as she said. Seeing the Seolim O-gul flee, the Hongryu disciples burst out laughing loudly.
“Heh heh heh! The cowards! They’re running as if they’ve seen a ghost!”
“I guess they really had no intention of chasing after us for ‘peace in the Murim.’”
The Hongryu disciples merely sneered with words, but judging by their relieved sighs, they shared the same fear.
If the opponent flees, that’s fine. Yoo Eunhyeon would have done the same.
“Everyone, the villains have fled.”
With the fight now over, the Hongryu disciples approached Yoo Eunhyeon’s group while wearing that nauseating smile.
“Ah, yes… thank you for your help.”
Just as they drew near, Su Hwa-seon and Ju Yu-ryeon once again hid behind Yoo Eunhyeon. Especially Ju Yu-ryeon, who, because of what he had said earlier, refused to even look at the Hongryu disciples.
“Heh heh. No need to thank us. Seeing those villains roaming around like that was unbearable. Are you all traveling together?”
At the word “brother,” Yoo Eunhyeon’s mouth twitched. At the same time, Su Hwa-seon covered her lips and turned her head away. They apparently mistook Su Hwa-seon, Yoo Eunhyeon, and Ju Yu-ryeon for siblings.
“Yes. That’s right.”
From Yoo Eunhyeon’s perspective, the words were shameless, but since they would never meet these people again after leaving this place, he simply nodded without bothering to clear up the misunderstanding.
“The situation in the Murim has been unstable lately. When traveling far, it’s best to travel with guards or avoid paths with few travelers.”
“Thank you for the advice. I wish I could repay you somehow, but this is all we have.”
The help had been given and received. Yoo Eunhyeon pulled out five taels of silver from his pouch and pressed them into the Hongryu disciple’s hand. Five taels was not a burden for him.
“We weren’t hoping for a reward. And five taels is still a modest sum.”
“It was only right to help….”
“Um… how about this instead? We don’t know exactly where you’re heading, but in exchange for the silver, we’ll escort you part of the way.”
“Escort?”
Yoo Eunhyeon wanted to refuse outright, but he knew it would be rude to say so here.
Of course, the Hongryu disciples kept glancing sideways at Ju Yu-ryeon and Su Hwa-seon, and the escort they spoke of seemed no more than a bribe.
“I’m sorry, but that’s not possible.”
Yoo Eunhyeon looked flustered, so Su Hwa-seon stepped forward. All eyes turned to her, and she stood tall.
“I’m the mother of this child.”
“Oh… I see. My apologies, ma’am.”
“Hehe. No need to apologize. Since you looked at me younger, I should thank you. And the child here who can’t raise her head in shame must be traveling for the first time and is embarrassed around men.”
Ju Yu-ryeon was too ashamed to lift her head around men. Yoo Eunhyeon thought this was the most ridiculous nonsense he had heard in a while.
Still, he stayed silent and listened to Su Hwa-seon without showing his face.
“A conservative girl like her would hate living with any man but her husband. And we’ll reach our destination in about one time unit, so you needn’t worry.”
Saying so, Su Hwa-seon secretly pinched Ju Yu-ryeon’s side. Ju Yu-ryeon buried her face in Yoo Eunhyeon’s back in embarrassment, nearly clinging to him.
Even the Hongryu disciples clicked their tongues in dismay, realizing their bribe would be harder to swallow than they thought, and they finally accepted only the silver and turned away.
“Since the Seolim O-gul have fled, you should be fine for now. May your paths be smooth.”
The Hongryu disciples bid farewell and left.
Yoo Eunhyeon finally pried Ju Yu-ryeon off him; she had been so tightly clung that he was almost carrying her.
“Now let go.”
“Why? It’s comfortable. Let me carry you like this?”
“Sounds like a lucky line.”
“What’s wrong with that? Better than getting into trouble. If I’d opened my mouth even a little earlier, I might have been sick.”
Ju Yu-ryeon stuck out her lip, and Su Hwa-seon nodded.
“It seems the Murim situation is truly unstable. Without any guarantees it won’t happen again, it’s best to stay disguised until we reach home.”
“That does sound wise.”
“By the way… Eunhyeon, you gave away five taels. Are you okay with that?”
“Money? Of course. We have plenty.”
There was naturally no need for money at Uiseon Suga, and the silver from selling the hoan stone was still more than enough.
“Where did you get that much money? I don’t remember giving you such a big allowance… Did you take money from home?”
“What are you talking about? No. Just a second… I did have some money to bring home?”
Yoo Eunhyeon shook his head, as if denying the idea, but suddenly understood Su Hwa-seon’s meaning and looked up. She nodded as if it were obvious.
“You’re the one who farmed all this time and thought I was running some charity? No, I saved everything.”
“Eh? But you never gave me allowance before.”
“What do you need allowance for? Have you ever asked for it?”
“……”
Unable to say a word to Su Hwa-seon’s reply, Yoo Eunhyeon fell silent. When he thought about it, he had indeed never spent allowance money, but she had never asked for it either.
He had lived his whole life farming on the mountain; what money would he need? For anything truly necessary, she would simply give it to him without him having to ask. So he had never actually requested an allowance.
“Even now, you don’t need a lot of money, right?”
“That’s true. I just took it.”
Explaining briefly how he had obtained the hoan stone, Yoo Eunhyeon nodded.
He wasn’t greedy, and if they were traveling, money would be needed. But once they reached home, as always, a large sum would probably not be required.
“Hmm. Seeing you scatter silver around like this won’t do. You don’t seem to realize how rare money is. Put it all away with me. I’ll return it later.”
“Eh?”
Yoo Eunhyeon stared blankly for a moment at Su Hwa-seon’s bold outstretched hand.
But contrary to his expression, his hand moved on its own toward the hand Su Hwa-seon was offering.
“Wait!”
Ju Yu-ryeon suddenly grabbed him and dragged him to a corner with Su Hwa-seon, then whispered urgently.
“Do you really believe that?”
“Whether I believe or not doesn’t matter.”
“From my long experience, once that kind of money goes to your mother, it’s gone forever. When I was little, ‘I’ll hold your allowance’ worked, but that doesn’t fly anymore, right?”
“Is that what it was?”
Yoo Eunhyeon’s face showed he had just realized the hidden truth, and Ju Yu-ryeon gently closed her eyes and placed her hand on his shoulder.
“You’re still too pure in the world. Even though I watch over my auntie, I don’t want to give this advice, but my memories stirred me too much, so I’m advising you out of conscience.”
“Um… now that I think about it, maybe I should keep some money. Experience is experience. It’s not a waste even if it all disappears.”
Even if the money disappeared, he wouldn’t feel too bad since it was free.
But because of that, he realized it might not be a bad idea to hold onto it for the future, even if he planned to burn through it all.
Moreover, when he had only been farming in the mountains, he hadn’t realized, but ever since descending into the world and getting dragged around by Ju Yu-ryeon, he had started thinking that small pleasures like this weren’t so bad after all. If one is going to enjoy something, it’s best to prepare in advance.
‘That would require money.’
Having convinced himself this way, Yoo Eunhyeon kept the money in his pouch.
“Since it’s a surplus, I’ll keep it.”
“Yu-ryeon, look at this. C-cough. Interfering with raising a son?”
Ju Yu-ryeon looked away to avoid meeting Su Hwa-seon’s glare. Yoo Eunhyeon, unable to watch, cut in.
“Don’t fight. It’s not showing off mother-daughter conflict… Are we really getting married like this?”
“C-cough. That’s not the issue. Right. Since it’s not money from home, do as you please. You’ll need money anyway.”
Regardless of what had happened, the commotion had ended too lightly to even call a crisis.
Yet with just that short incident, the three realized one thing.
That the Murim of today was nothing like the old days.