Chapter v14c12

Eun Seol-ran’s long, dark eyelashes fluttered like leaves in a gentle breeze. Her perfectly arched eyebrows twitched. And finally, her eyes, deep pools of mystery, slowly opened. She was awake.

“Miss Eun, are you alright?”

“W-Where… am I?”

The princess, finally awakened from her slumber, looked around in confusion.

“Miss Eun, you’re on Heavenly Martial Peak, at the Red Plum Valley, where the Mount Hua Conference is being held. This is the infirmary. We’re glad you’re awake.”

Mo Yong-hwi answered politely, cutting off Bi Ryu-yeon. He was trying to hide it, but the strain of the past few days was evident on his face.

“Heavenly Martial Peak…?”

The Red Plum Valley, where the Mount Hua Conference was being held? She couldn’t understand how she had ended up here. Was she dreaming? Or was she still lost in a daze? Everything was a blur. She had been in Huayin County…

But her thoughts were interrupted.

“Oh my, Young Master Mo! What happened to you?”

Eun Seol-ran turned to Mo Yong-hwi, her voice filled with concern. She had noticed the white bandages covering his body.

“It’s nothing serious. Just a training injury. A sign of my inexperience.”

He brushed it off, but his last words were laced with bitterness.

“A training injury? That’s unusual for you.”

She knew him to be meticulous, almost obsessive, about his training. He was always careful. It was unlike him to get injured during training.

He had been injured while carrying her to safety, but she had been unconscious and unaware of his sacrifice.

He was tormented by guilt and self-reproach, blaming himself for her ordeal. The pain of his emotional wounds far outweighed the pain of his physical injuries. She sensed his turmoil, but she chose not to pry.

“Don’t you remember anything? About being kidnapped?”

Bi Ryu-yeon asked, seeing her confusion. It was the first question he should have asked.

“Ah!”

She remembered.

“You remember now?”

“Yes, it’s coming back to me.”

She spoke as if it were a distant memory. But as she focused, the events of the previous day became clearer.

“I must express my gratitude. Thank you for saving me.”

She bowed her head, her sincerity evident. What would have happened to her if they hadn’t risked their lives to rescue her? The thought sent shivers down her spine. She knew how difficult it was to rescue someone from a different sect, especially at the risk of their own safety.

“But why did you go to the Wind Breeze Inn?”

“The Wind Breeze Inn?”

She asked, confused. He repeated himself, enunciating each syllable clearly.

“The Wind Breeze Inn!”

“Ah, yes! The Wind Breeze Inn! The one where the Central Plains Courier Service was staying! I went there.”

“The Central Plains Courier Service?”

Jang Hong pushed his way through the crowd, his interest piqued by the name.

“I heard it from Han Ro. He said the Central Plains Courier Service was staying there.”

“Hmm…”

Jang Hong crossed his arms, deep in thought. He didn’t have any concrete evidence yet, but his instincts told him that this was an important clue. The appearance of the Heaven and Earth Assassins meant that the Shadow of Calamity, the suspected mastermind behind them, was closing in. He couldn’t afford to overlook any detail.

“Why did you go there?”

Bi Ryu-yeon asked. She shook her head.

“I don’t know… I was following someone… Ow!”

She cried out, clutching her head. A splitting headache pierced her skull.

“Sister!”

“Miss Eun!”

“What’s wrong?”

“What happened?”

They all rushed to her side, their voices filled with concern. Mo Yong-hwi, his heart pounding, turned pale.

“Pant… Pant… Pant…”

She finally caught her breath, her face relaxing.

“That’s strange,” she said, her voice confused.

“What is it?”

“I can’t remember. If I was following him, he must have been someone important. Someone I knew.”

That part of her memory was blank, as if it had been erased. And every time she tried to recall it, a searing headache assaulted her. It felt like something was blocking her access to that memory.

“Someone tampered with her memory!”

Bi Ryu-yeon said, his eyes narrowed. What had he seen?

“No way…!”

Yeomdo and Mo Yong-hwi exchanged glances.

“A mental restriction!”

They exclaimed in unison. Bi Ryu-yeon nodded.

“Correct!”

“W-Who would do such a thing…?”

A mental restriction was a dangerous technique that could have severe side effects. It was so risky that it was considered taboo in the martial world. It could leave the victim mentally impaired or even drive them insane. To use such a cruel method on a delicate woman… It was unforgivable.

“There’s one bastard who’s capable of such a thing. It must be that damn enemy of ours. This is the second time we’ve crossed paths with those bastards.”

Hyo-ryong said, his voice filled with hatred, his teeth gritted.

“The Heaven and Earth Assassins!”

They all exclaimed. It was possible. The Soul Summoning Technique, the ultimate technique of the Heaven Assassin, could control the victim’s mind.

“First my brother, and now Miss Eun…”

Both his brother and his lover had been mentally violated by the same person. It was a cruel twist of fate.

“I should have killed him when I had the chance… If only we had more time…”

Hyo-ryong said, his voice laced with regret. They hadn’t engaged the assassins in a fight to the death because they were outnumbered and because they were in a hurry to get back in time for the morning roll call. He was still furious that he hadn’t been able to avenge his brother.

“I’ll give him the most agonizing death imaginable when I see him again!”

Mo Yong-hwi swore, his voice filled with hatred. It was rare to see him so emotional.

“Don’t forget that I have a prior engagement with those bastards, my friend!”

Hyo-ryong said, his voice cold. He was looking at the green headband in his hand, his brother’s headband, which had been repaired by Yi Jin-seol. It wasn’t perfect, but the care and effort she had put into it were evident.

He was still wearing his hair loose, even though he had regained his senses. It was easier to hide his face that way. He had a reason to keep his identity a secret. And he felt like he shouldn’t wear his brother’s headband until he had avenged his death.

‘Heaven and Earth Assassins! Curse you!’

His hatred for them ran deep. But he wouldn’t let his desire for revenge jeopardize his friendship with Mo Yong-hwi.

“But… I’ll leave you a piece of the action!”

“Thank you!”

Mo Yong-hwi was grateful for his friend’s consideration.

“That’s strange…”

Bi Ryu-yeon said, frowning. He had been deep in thought.

“What’s strange?”

Mo Yong-hwi asked.

“There are easier ways to silence someone. Why use a mental restriction, which is so complex and risky?”

There was only one easier way.

“Are you saying she should have been killed?!”

Mo Yong-hwi shouted, his voice raised in anger. They all stared at him, surprised by his outburst. He had been unusually emotional since the previous night, as if he had lost his usual composure.

“Calm down! Of course not! It would be a cosmic tragedy to lose such a beauty!”

His concern extended beyond the martial world.

“I apologize. I overreacted.”

Mo Yong-hwi calmed down and apologized. Bi Ryu-yeon had saved their lives, after all. He had been out of line.

“There are two possibilities. Either they had a reason not to kill her, or they fell for her!”

“What?!”

Fell for her? What was he talking about?

“It’s not surprising. She’s beautiful. And it would be a cosmic crime to kill such a beauty. It would go against the will of the universe.”

It was a typical Bi Ryu-yeon statement.

“But one thing’s for sure.”

“What’s that?”

“She saw or heard something she shouldn’t have, something they didn’t want her to know. And it’s likely that she knew the person. She said she was following someone when she was attacked. He must have been someone famous enough to pique her curiosity, but not someone she was close to. Someone she knew, but kept her distance from!”

Bi Ryu-yeon’s voice was firm and unwavering.

“What makes you so sure, Ryu-yeon?”

Jang Hong asked.

“She didn’t follow him openly. She waited until nightfall and followed him secretly! She wouldn’t have done that if they were close. He must have been someone important, someone who shouldn’t have been in a crowded street filled with martial artists!”

His deduction was surprisingly logical, and they were all impressed. Even the impulsive Bi Ryu-yeon had a brain. It was a miracle, a cosmic wonder, the Vermillion Bird Squad members thought.

“Then we need to be careful!”

Jang Hong said after a moment of thought.

“Careful about what?”

“If the enemy is who we think it is, they won’t give up so easily!”

They all knew who he was talking about, even though he didn’t say the name. They avoided mentioning it, because it was an ominous name. And they were right to be worried. The Shadow of Calamity was persistent. They had been terrorizing the martial world from the shadows for a century.

‘Beware the Shadow of Calamity!’

Hyo-ryong remembered his brother’s last words. It felt like a snake was coiling around his neck, its forked tongue flicking in and out.

“Even though this is Heavenly Martial Peak, a sacred ground for martial artists, we can’t let our guard down.”

“Hmm…”

They all nodded in agreement.

‘I’ll protect her this time!’

He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. He was stronger now. He wouldn’t let the same thing happen again. Mo Yong-hwi swore to himself.

“Alright, that’s enough chatter. She’s still recovering. Trying to force her to remember while she’s under a mental restriction will only make things worse. Let her rest.”

Yeomdo said, sounding like a responsible master for once. They realized that they had been keeping her awake for too long.

“Let’s go!”

He led the way out of the room, and the others followed. Eun Seol-ran bowed her head as he reached the door.

“Thank you for saving me, Master!”

He waved his hand dismissively, without turning around.

“It was nothing. And I was just a bystander! You should thank that young man over there! Especially the idiot who’s covered in bandages. He’s probably dying for a kiss! Hahahaha!”

“Master!”

Mo Yong-hwi’s face turned crimson, but Yeomdo was already gone.

“Young Master Mo!”

Eun Seol-ran stared at him, her eyes wide. She noticed the bloodstains on his bandages. So those injuries…

A wave of warmth surged through her.

“I…”

She started to speak, but he cut her off.

“I-I’ll be going now!”

He fled, his lightness skills impressive. He couldn’t face her.

“Young Master Mo!”

She called after him, but he was already gone.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk! Even the renowned Seven Absolute Swords, the successor of the Sword Saint, is helpless against a beautiful woman. What a waste of a title!”

Jang Hong shook his head, looking at the empty doorway.

“I guess ‘woman’ isn’t one of the Seven Absolutes!”

“What a useless title!”

He had missed a golden opportunity to impress her. He clearly needed more training.

“That’s just like him! He’s ‘Mo Yong the Innocent’ for a reason!”

Bi Ryu-yeon, who had been teasing Mo Yong-hwi with Jang Hong, delivered the final verdict. The upright young man had earned himself a new nickname.