Chapter 59
Chapter 59
Ch. 59 .｡.:✧ The Road to Anhui - 5 ✧:.｡.
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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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The sun beat down mercilessly, but In-ho walked on, oblivious to the burning rays.
He wasn’t thinking about where he was going, how much further he had to walk, or how long it would take.
He couldn’t think.
“…”
That night, watching the pyre consume the bodies of his friends, he had wept uncontrollably.
The deaths of those he had shared laughter and tears with had left a gaping hole in his heart.
In his thirty-odd years of life, he had never truly experienced loss.
He closed his eyes, and their faces appeared before him.
Yeon-hwa, her head severed from her body. Mae-hwa, her face half-melted by poison. The Head Administrator, his chest caved in, his eyes wide open in death.
The memories made him nauseous, filled him with a bitter rage.
But he couldn’t erase them, couldn’t bury them.
Their ashes, scattered by the wind, had left an indelible mark on his soul.
A hollowness, a sense of emptiness.
‘Did the Head Administrator feel like this, with a hole in his chest?’
He wondered. But there was no answer.
He trudged along the uneven dirt road.
He stumbled several times, his foot catching on loose rocks, but Namgung So-yeon, clinging to his arm, kept him from falling.
“Whoa! Be careful! You’re so spaced out…”
Pulling his arm closer as she spoke, Namgung So-yeon tightened her grip.
She subtly pressed his arm against her chest and glanced at him coyly, as if hoping for a reaction.
But he remained unresponsive, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.
It had been like this ever since they left the Cult.
He walked like an automaton, only stopping when she told him to rest.
He responded to her attempts at conversation with monosyllabic answers, her subtle seductions met with indifference.
What was wrong?
Had he fallen out of love with her?
Namgung So-yeon shook her head.
No.
He was still in shock.
Poison Demon Jegal Hwi’s poison was notoriously potent. Not only was it deadly, but it was also said to affect the mind.
“The poison… he’s still affected by the poison.”
‘Oh, you poor thing. What have they done to you?’
The thought of In-ho suffering filled her with a wave of tenderness.
“Young Master Kang~”
She called to him, her voice sweet and gentle.
“Yes.”
He responded.
He had been using formal speech until now, but her persistent “corrections” seemed to be working. He was slowly reverting to his usual way of speaking.
Her “education” was proving effective in bringing him back to “normal.”
But it wasn’t enough.
The ‘real’ Kang In-ho wasn’t like this.
“Young Master Kang, I love you.”
“…Me too.”
His reply was flat, emotionless, like a pre-programmed response.
So-yeon pouted.
“Say it properly~”
“I feel the same way about you.”
“Young Master…”
“…”
Her voice was laced with a warning, but he refused to budge.
“It seems you need another lesson today.”
“…I love you.”
He immediately complied, not wanting to face another “lesson.”
So-yeon, charmed by his obedience, licked his neck.
-Lick, lick
‘Ah… wouldn’t it be wonderful to sink my teeth into his neck and drink his blood?’
She quickly shook her head, dispelling the thought.
The cravings were coming more frequently now, especially when she was near him.
“Young Master Kang, the sun is getting strong. Let’s set up camp in those woods over there.”
The sun was still high in the sky, but she decided to call an end to their journey for the day.
They reached the woods, and So-yeon quickly set up camp.
They passed the remaining daylight hours in conversation, or rather, So-yeon talking and In-ho giving perfunctory responses.
Night fell.
Namgung So-yeon, noticing In-ho’s fatigue, announced that she would prepare a nourishing meal to restore his energy.
She disappeared into the woods, and In-ho silently prayed that a wild animal would attack him while she was gone.
But his wish went unanswered. He remained unharmed, and Namgung So-yeon returned sooner than he expected.
“Your good little So-yeon has prepared dinner~”
She had something slung over her shoulder.
It looked like a bundle of cloth, but…
“Nothing tastes better than the blood of a young woman. I even brought some for you, Young Master Kang~”
It was a person.
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