Chapter v13c14

**The Bored Eun Seol-ran**

Slender, jade-like fingers opened the window. Bright, cool sunlight streamed through the opening, uninvited, into the woman’s room. Warm, gentle morning sunlight. Her gaze drifted towards the window. She had just woken up.

Outside the window, she saw a bustling city. People rushing to and from. Martial artists, their weapons glinting in the sunlight. Plum blossom patterns on their robes. But none of it interested her.

She looked up, past the busy streets, towards the horizon, where a majestic mountain range stood tall, like a folding screen.

Her gaze fixed on one of the peaks.

Mount Hua, they called it. A famous mountain, known throughout the Central Plains. The Western Peak, one of the Five Sacred Mountains of the Central Plains. And the peak was called Heavenly Martial Peak.

Eun Seol-ran was sulking. Her face was pouty, her expression petulant. Because she hadn’t been allowed to accompany them to the Mount Hua Convention, held on Heavenly Martial Peak. She had been left behind at the Plum Blossom Pavilion. Even the old man with the silver beard had gone!

She understood. It was only natural that she couldn’t go. In fact, it was already a privilege that she had been allowed to come this far. To accompany them to Heavenly Martial Peak, without any qualifications… It was absurd, unrealistic. She had only been able to come this far because of her persistence, using her beauty as leverage, and Bi Ryu-yeon’s generosity. It was an unprecedented exception.

But even though she understood logically, she couldn’t accept it emotionally. And there was a problem, a frustrating problem, that was bothering her.

“I’m bored!”

A sigh escaped her lips, her beautiful face creased with a frown. Her cheeks were hollow, and her lips, red and alluring like pomegranates, were pouty.

A gentle autumn breeze brushed past her, ruffling her hair and caressing her cheek. Her obsidian eyes turned towards Heavenly Martial Peak again.

She imagined the faces of the people who were there, on that peak. A smile touched her lips. But then her face fell again.

“Na So-jeong, who’s always so cold and aloof, but surprisingly innocent, so much so that it’s entertaining just to watch her…”

Dokgo Ryeong, a fascinating woman, sharp as a sword guarding a delicate narcissus, was also absent. And Yi Jin-seol, always cheerful and energetic, with a smile that never faded, was gone too. She was like a ray of sunshine, always spreading joy… Of course, she was going through a difficult time because of Hyo Gong-ja, but Eun Seol-ran was sure she would overcome it.

‘Hyo Gong-ja… No, Gal Gong-ja!’

Thinking of Hyo-ryong, she naturally thought of the man who was connected to him by blood. Her heart sank, a heavy weight settling in her chest. Her smile, bright as spring sunshine, faded, replaced by a cold, wintery pallor.

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she quickly composed herself, tightening her resolve.

‘I promised myself I wouldn’t cry anymore! I can’t cry, Ran!’

She couldn’t cry, bound by her own vow.

The pain of that tragic loss was still fresh, a scar etched into her heart. It wouldn’t fade easily.

There was a knock on the door, and an old man entered.

Han Ro, Eun Seol-ran’s coachman and her invisible bodyguard. He was her protector, a loyal and trustworthy advisor. She trusted him implicitly.

He was carrying a basin of water for her to wash her face. He always went above and beyond, even though it wasn’t necessary. She had tried to refuse, but he had insisted, saying it would arouse suspicion if she didn’t accept his service.

He looked at her profile. She was trying to smile, but the shadow of sadness lingered. A worried look appeared in his eyes.

‘She was so bright and cheerful when she was with the other young ladies…’

Now that she was alone, she had more time to think, and the painful memories, buried deep within her heart, were resurfacing, wounding her fragile heart.

He couldn’t help but worry about her. He hoped she wouldn’t let her grief consume her. But there was little he could do.

“My lady, it’s a beautiful day. Why don’t you go for a walk? I’ll accompany you.”

Eun Seol-ran, who had been sitting by the window, gazing at the blue sky, turned to look at her protector, the man who had been watching over her from the shadows ever since she had left her home. Her eyes were filled with affection and trust.

She nodded, a sad smile touching her lips.

“I apologize for worrying you.”

She bowed her head slightly. She had realized that her melancholy had worried her companion.

“N-Not at all, my lady!”

Han Ro waved his hands dismissively. He always felt flustered in such situations.

Eun Seol-ran quickly composed herself. She recovered quickly. It was a sign of her self-control.

“It’s a beautiful day. The wind from Mount Hua, carrying the scent of greenery, is refreshing. It’s a shame I can’t hear from my friends, but it can’t be helped. Shall we go for a walk?”

“Yes, my lady. That’s a good idea.”

The old man bowed slightly.

* * *

She was turning a corner at a busy intersection. She hadn’t had a destination in mind, so she had been wandering aimlessly.

The bustling crowd, the flow of people, had lifted her spirits. She let herself be carried along by the crowd. Of course, she had covered half her face with a silk veil to avoid unnecessary attention. But that didn’t stop people from staring at her.

Suddenly, there was a commotion on the street.

People’s gazes turned towards the source of the noise. Curses and the clang of metal filled the air. It seemed like a fight had broken out between martial artists. A crowd had gathered around the scene, forming a human barrier, so Eun Seol-ran couldn’t see what was happening.

It was a five-on-one fight. Five burly men had surrounded a young man. Eun Seol-ran, listening to their insults, realized that the young man had been caught in a pointless fight. It seemed the five men were desperate for money, probably to pay their brothel fees from the previous night.

Their exploits seemed to be well-known. Someone in the crowd mentioned that their leader was a friend of a friend of a first-generation disciple of the Mount Hua Sect. It seemed that even such a tenuous connection was enough to grant them some authority in this town, the backyard of the Mount Hua Sect. The young man didn’t respond to their insults. The more silent he remained, the more aggressive the five men became. They thought he was too scared to speak, intimidated by their presence. They had no compassion. They enjoyed bullying the weak. Then the young man’s lips, which had been tightly closed, moved. Eun Seol-ran couldn’t hear him because of the distance and the noisy crowd, but the onlookers standing nearby could see his lips moving.

“Scum!”

That’s what he said.

The five men’s faces flushed red with anger. It seemed like it had been a while since they had been insulted like that.

“You’re dead!”

Blades flashed in the sunlight. But the tense atmosphere suddenly dissipated.

Silence.

Everyone fell silent. The silence spread like a contagion.

What had happened? But Eun Seol-ran couldn’t see through the human barrier.

The crowd parted, and a man walked out. He was unharmed. The young man walked calmly towards a nearby inn. The waiters, bowing their heads respectfully, rushed to greet him.

Eun Seol-ran’s eyes, visible above her silk veil, widened. That gait, that back…

It looked familiar.

“Who is that?!”

Her large, phoenix-like eyes flickered.

“My lady, what’s wrong?”

Han Ro asked, sensing her agitation. Her gaze was still fixed on the direction the man had disappeared.

“My lady?”

He asked again. She finally replied,

“Oh, it’s nothing. I thought I saw someone I knew.”

“Someone you know…? Do you have any enemies from the past?”

He didn’t think she had any enemies, but he had to ask, just in case.

“What?”

She looked at him with a puzzled expression. Han Ro was relieved.

‘He couldn’t be here…’

She found herself walking towards the spot where the man had disappeared, drawn by curiosity.

“It seems like a place that wouldn’t be on good terms with the Plum Blossom Pavilion.”

“Indeed.”

She looked up at a grand inn, as luxurious and extravagant as the Plum Blossom Pavilion.

It was clearly a rival, competing with the Plum Blossom Pavilion for customers and profits. The chances of the two inns being on good terms were slim to none.

“The Wind, Plum, and Guest Inn?”

Eun Seol-ran didn’t know anything about this place, but Han Ro seemed to. He looked around and saw several martial artists guarding a large number of carts.

“My lady, this is the inn where the escorts from the Central Plains Escort Agency are staying.”

Han Ro whispered.

‘Central Plains Escort Agency?’

Of course, she knew what that was.

The best escort agency in the Central Plains. But as far as she knew, there was no connection between that man and the Central Plains Escort Agency.

‘Is he just staying here? Or did I see the wrong person…?’

She couldn’t ignore it. Her suspicions grew.

She had forgotten that curiosity could sometimes lead to danger.

‘Is this really the aura of mere escorts from an escort agency?’

Sharp gazes, a stern demeanor, a restrained energy, and a disciplined unity.

The more she observed, the more suspicious she became. The intensity of their aura was impressive, worthy of the Central Plains Escort Agency. But something felt off. The most suspicious thing was the number of masters. She could tell just by looking at them, even from a distance.

‘Why would they need so many masters to guard something?’

She wouldn’t know until she saw what they were guarding. And that would require some illegal activities. She was pondering this problem when,

Someone noticed her. She had been circling the inn, staring intently, and her beauty, like a white heron among crows, a lotus in the mud, was too conspicuous.

A guard, his face grim and imposing, approached her. She quickly turned away, but it was too late. Han Ro wasn’t with her. He had gone to take care of something.

“Miss?”

She flinched at his gruff voice.

“What business do you have here? I’ve been watching you, and you haven’t left.”

His voice was menacing. She regretted her carelessness. She replied in a soft voice,

“I have no business here. I was just waiting for someone and wandering around. Have I done something wrong?”

“Gasp!”

The guard’s grim face melted like snow under the spring sun, transforming into a gentle breeze. His eyes widened, like a fish out of water. Eun Seol-ran had removed her veil and smiled brightly as she answered his question. Few men could maintain a stern expression while facing the smile of Eun Seol-ran, the Flower Amidst Evil.

And her smile was incredibly potent. It was so alluring that the guard almost lost control.

But her aura, her elegance, was that of a noble lady from a high-ranking family. She wasn’t someone a mere martial artist could approach casually.

‘No personal activities during this mission. No trouble! Any transgression, no matter how small, will be punished severely. Money, women, alcohol, gambling. Abstain from all of it! If you value your life! Of course, I’m looking forward to meeting those who are brave enough to disregard their lives. But let’s save that pleasure for later.’

It was a warning, a threat that any transgression would be met with severe consequences.

‘Tsk! But for a beauty like her, I’d risk my life…’

Gyeok Gwang, the deputy leader of the guards, was terrifying, but the beauty before him was dispelling his fear. His heart filled with reckless courage. Eun Seol-ran shuddered, feeling a instinctive revulsion at his snake-like gaze.

Just as he was about to succumb to his desires,

“My laaaaady!”

Han Ro came running from afar. It was strange to see a master like him running in such an awkward manner… He looked like a sixty-year-old servant, desperately trying to catch up to his master.

The guard was on the verge of giving in to his desires.

“My lady, I-I apologize for the w-wait.”

And without giving her a chance to catch her breath, he turned to the guard, Gok Seong, and started babbling, his voice frantic.

“W-What business do you have with my lady? Did something happen to her? Did she encounter any thugs while this old man was away? Did some pervert try to hit on her, attracted by her beauty, Officer?”

Gok Seong, who hadn’t done anything, but had been thinking about it, flinched.

‘This old man is surprisingly perceptive…’

The annoying old man was still rambling.

“I-If anything happened to her, I have no excuse to offer to my lord. Sob, sob, sob, I’ll commit suicide in front of him for my negligence. Sob, sob, sob.”

His voice was surprisingly loud for an old man.

Naturally, people’s attention turned towards them.

Gok Seong, the guard, was embarrassed. He was being accused of harassing a young, beautiful lady – which wasn’t entirely wrong – in front of everyone.

“What’s going on?”

One of the escorts from the agency, sensing the commotion, rushed over.

‘This is bad!’

Gok Seong’s face fell.

The deputy leader would reprimand him for causing a scene. He would probably be docked a month or two’s pay. And judging from the atmosphere of this mission, he might even receive a harsher punishment. He remembered Gyeok Gwang’s terrifying face. He shuddered, feeling a chill run down his spine.

He still remembered what had happened to the five escorts who had mishandled a single cart. He didn’t want to experience that again.

‘Damn it, I stepped in shit!’

He was having a bad day.

“My lady! Sob, sob, sob! Are you alright?”

Eun Seol-ran, who had covered her face with her veil again, much to Gok Seong’s disappointment, said as she helped the old man up.

“There, there! I’m fine, Han Ro! Come on, get up. People are watching.”

She soothed him with a gentle voice, and the old man, who had almost collapsed to the ground, reluctantly got up, dusting off his clothes. His tear-filled eyes glared at the burly guard.

“You don’t mind if this old man escorts his lady away, do you, Officer?”

He wanted to say no, but the circumstances didn’t allow it.

“G-Go ahead.”

“T-Thank you. Let’s go, my lady.”

The old man bowed deeply and quickly escorted Eun Seol-ran away from the crowd. Gok Seong was left behind, trying to explain himself to his fellow guard.

They walked for a while…

The old man’s back, which had been hunched over with age, straightened like a bamboo stalk. His eyes, which had been filled with innocent tears, now gleamed with a sharp light.

It was hard to believe that he had been crying and wailing like a child just a moment ago.

“We almost got caught!”

Han Ro said with a sigh. Eun Seol-ran hung her head in shame. She felt embarrassed. Han Ro stopped walking. She stopped too.

“They’re watching us closely. Be careful!”

It was a polite, but sharp warning. He didn’t turn around, but she could sense his gaze, sharp as a newly honed blade.

“I’m sorry. I caused you trouble.”

Eun Seol-ran bowed her head slightly, thanking him for rescuing her.

“Not at all, my lady!”

The old man’s face had returned to its usual harmless, innocent expression. They started walking again.

“I have a favor to ask of you.”

The old man pretended not to hear her, continuing to walk. Eun Seol-ran didn’t mind. Her suspicions hadn’t been completely dispelled.

“It seems like it’ll be a starry night.”

“…”

The old man didn’t answer. Eun Seol-ran continued in a low voice,

“There’s something I need you to do.”

The old man nodded almost imperceptibly. It was enough.