That Dizzy Girl
"You knew my grandson already?"
The Grand Madame looked uneasy.
Jin Ho-un fell into thought for a moment, then let out another hearty laugh.
"Of course. Not long ago, my granddaughter—Eun-chae, right here—found herself in trouble, and the young gentleman came to her rescue. Thanks to him, she made it home safely. I never got the chance to offer a proper word of thanks, so meeting him again like this is a true pleasure."
Jin Ho-un respectfully cupped his fist toward Yi Yeok.
"Once again, I thank you, young master."
The Grand Madame, who had been trembling with worry that Yi Yeok might have caused some trouble outside and picked a fight with the City Lord of Jin, showed visible relief.
"So that's what happened. And you never said a word to your grandmother."
"...Following the teachings of my family's elders, I simply set right an injustice."
The polished eloquence of it was worthy of any great clan's son, and the Grand Madame's face softened with satisfaction. Jin Ho-un, for his part, looked genuinely taken aback, as if wondering whether the youth before him was truly the same rogue from that day.
Despite the presence of the elders, An Eun-chae couldn't hold herself back and stepped toward Yi Yeok.
"I thought I would never see you again."
Yi Yeok stole a glance at the Grand Madame's expression before giving a small, careful bow of his head.
"The feeling is mutual, my lady."
They took their seats and exchanged pleasant conversation. Yi Yeok was doing his utmost to squeeze out some pretext for leaving, while Jin Ho-un regarded him with curious eyes. The Grand Madame was in simply wonderful spirits, and An Eun-chae kept smiling brightly at Yi Yeok, though what she was thinking was anyone's guess.
Noticing her gaze, the Grand Madame grew all the more delighted, as if she'd just received a rare gift.
"Yeok-ah, this young lady seems to find us old folk's conversation terribly dull. Why don't you escort her around and show her the gardens of our estate?"
Yi Yeok shot her a desperately pleading look, but the Grand Madame stood firm as steel and did not budge an inch.
"...As you wish."
Yi Yeok swept straight out of the room.
Unable to hide her delight, An Eun-chae started to follow—then hurried back, gave her bows to the two elders, and finally slipped outside.
Jin Ho-un burst into a hearty laugh.
"She's still young and lacks proper etiquette. I apologize on her behalf."
"Please, say no such thing. She's at that tender age—how could such a thing be a fault? To an old woman like me, it's nothing but charming and endearing."
Jin Ho-un understood her intention to pair An Eun-chae with her grandson. But having already seen Yi Yeok's true face, he couldn't decide whether to leave things be or put a stop to them. Could it be that the Grand Madame had no idea what her grandson was really like?
"Your grandson is truly extraordinary."
"You flatter him. He grew up out in the world from an early age, so there are many rough edges. From here on, there's plenty I intend to drill into him properly."
She meant to personally educate the boy and mold him into a first-rate groom.
"As you know, I have devoted my entire life to the martial arts. Forgive my immodesty, but I prided myself that few in the mortal realm had reached the level I attained. And yet, through that sparring match with your grandson, I learned a great deal. I still have a long road ahead of me, it seems."
The Grand Madame's heart sank.
A sparring match, he called it—but what kind of match could the head of a household possibly have with a boy barely out of childhood? Just as she had feared, there had clearly been some kind of clash.
"So something like that... happened?"
"It was truly remarkable. No matter how devoted I was to my training, ten years would have been my limit—yet he overwhelmed a man who has trained many times that. I saw with my own eyes what talent truly means."
It was completely unexpected. The Grand Madame had already known that Yi Yeok belonged to the Dark Shadow League, but shadow operatives were ones who trained only their stealth and swift movements to the extreme. Against ordinary people or low-level martial artists they were all but invincible, but pitted against a master of Jin Ho-un's caliber, they might as well have been ordinary civilians.
She realized, with painful clarity, how much she still did not know about those eleven years of Yi Yeok's life.
"He is still young and his learning is shallow. He lacks sense. I will see to it that he is properly trained."
Yi Yeok and An Eun-chae walked through the gardens of the Yi estate. More precisely, An Eun-chae was hurrying after Yi Yeok with quick, short steps as he strode ahead with long, unconcerned strides. Behind them trailed So Rim, and Ju-ju, An Eun-chae's maid.
The gardens spread across the vast grounds, rare trees and beautiful flowers blending together in harmony at every turn.
Walking until she was out of breath, An Eun-chae spoke up.
"This reminds me of back then. You know?"
Yi Yeok stopped and looked at her strangely.
"Back then?"
"When you saved me. You were walking just like this, all big strides, and I was chasing after you, gasping for breath. It was exhausting—but looking back on it, I miss it sometimes."
"Honestly, what 'back then'? It barely lasted two weeks."
"I never would have imagined it. That you'd turn out to be the son of a great clan—and not just any clan, the Yi of Wunso City."
While Yi Yeok stared at her blankly, An Eun-chae clasped her hands to her chest like a girl lost in a dream.
"No wonder you were so skilled. Your brother's famous too, you know—a genius of the Yiyun Sect."
"Oh, really? Yi Pyeong's that famous?"
Yi Yeok answered flatly.
"But my skill has nothing to do with this family."
Sharp as she was, An Eun-chae sensed a deep conflict between Yi Yeok and his clan. His long years wandering outside must be connected to it as well. She quickly changed the subject.
"I came here at my family's direction. In a few days, I'll be leaving for the Yiyun Sect from here."
"Not going there yourself?"
"You can't enter a sect that way. Someone from the sect has to come and take you personally."
It was common sense, more or less, but An Eun-chae realized that Yi Yeok deliberately kept himself at a distance from that kind of information.
"Each sect has its own jurisdiction. My main family lives far away, so I couldn't enter the Yiyun Sect. That's why I came to Jin City, where my grandfather lives. Jin City falls under the Yiyun Sect's jurisdiction."
Yi Yeok gave a vague nod. The immortal world, it seemed, was tangled up in complicated affairs after all. Naturally, complicated matters made him sick.
"I suppose so. Don't care."
"You're really not going to join a sect? You achieved Blood Spirit Transformation before even beginning formal training. If you trained properly, you could surely reach an incredible realm..."
"No thanks. What matters is living free."
"True freedom only comes through cultivation."
"How can you be so sure? You're not even a cultivator yet yourself."
An Eun-chae hesitated, then said,
"Still... everyone admires cultivators."
"Even dogs all eat the same crap."
An Eun-chae burst out laughing. Before she'd met Yi Yeok, she would have scrunched up her face in disgust. But she had realized, after parting from him that time, that she kept missing his blunt, sardonic, serpentine wit.
"People live far too much like they're exhausted. Sleeping under the sky, using the ground as a bed. Money is all it takes to live happily. I don't get why everyone makes such a fuss about enjoying wealth and glory."
An Eun-chae looked at him with a strange smile.
"What if, say... I got thrown out of the sect one day? Would you travel with me then?"
"Why would I?"
An Eun-chae fidgeted.
"Well... if I got kicked out of a sect, I couldn't face my family... and I'd have no way to make a living..."
"Enough. Do you know how much of a pain you were last time? You're way too weak."
"Then I'll just get stronger!"
Yi Yeok snorted.
An Eun-chae bristled.
"I will get stronger! I'll train as hard as I can and become one of the Yiyun Sect's finest!"
Yi Yeok waved a hand as if he couldn't be bothered.
"Sure. Give it your best."
"Then... it's a promise?"
"What is?"
"That someday, we'll travel together!"
Yi Yeok stared at her grinning face in disbelief, then shook his head.
"Dizzy girl."