NOVEL NEXT Chapter 151
“Didn’t he say to go to Shinfeng?”
“…Yes. That’s what he said.”
Should I believe this, or not?
It’s hard to simply believe the words of an enemy from before, and there’s even the possibility of a trap. So even if his words were true, it would be awkward to follow them blindly.
However, if his words were correct, even despite the possibility of a trap, it would be worth going.
If there’s no one at Won River, there is still the chance in the worst case that he might send another expert during the delayed time. He could even overwhelm us with sheer numbers.
“What do you think?”
“I…think it’s worth checking out once. Given that it seemed he knew my father, and since he didn’t kill us intentionally, it doesn’t look like he’s trying to deceive us.”
So, Mok-kyeong didn’t feel anything suspicious.
I, meanwhile, with Hye-ryeong dozing off on my lap, absentmindedly pinched her cheeks as I thought.
Should we go? Or not?
I still have decision-making authority, but we’re a team.
Up until now, without objections from the two of them, I’ve been making all the major decisions, but since this is Mok-kyeong’s matter, it’s not something I can decide on my own.
“…I think it’s best if we go. Thankfully, if we’re already in Shinfeng, we’re only about a day’s journey, no?”
“A day.”
In terms of our route, Won River might be a better destination to aim for compared to Shinfeng, but it shouldn’t matter much.
I nodded to Mok-kyeong’s suggestion, making eye contact with Hye-ryeong, who had lazily opened her eyes and was looking up at me.
“Ahhh… Don’t touch my cheeks…”
Her cuteness was too much.
As I removed my hand from her cheeks, Hye-ryeong slowly regained her posture, still toying with her cheeks.
“Unnn…”
“Hye-ryeong.”
“What…?”
“…There’s a stream nearby, you should go wash up.”
“Can I not go with you…?”
“What do you mean by that.”
“Your eyes have some sleep in them, too…”
Does she still have one foot in dreamland?
I glanced at Mok-kyeong, who was quietly breathing beside me, and shook my head.
“Perhaps as a precaution… can we all go together?”
She’s at the peak of martial arts skill, yet she’s pretending to be weak.
“…Alright, let’s go.”
Anyway, we need to wash up, so someone should hurry and come back already—I won’t look at Hye-ryeong’s side if that’s the problem.
I stood up and extended my hand to Mok-kyeong.
“Yun-gong?”
“Can you walk on your own with that body? Will it be alright?”
“…Please, I entrust myself to you.”
Perhaps as a woman, she feels a bit reluctant to make physical contact with a man. As her hand hesitated, I turned around in front of her and squatted.
“Yun-gong?”
“Come on, climb on my back.”
“N, no, I’m fine.”
“You’re struggling to control your internal energy right now.”
Even though the external wounds mostly healed due to the martial practitioners’ great restorative abilities, her internal injuries are still present. Every step taken must feel painful, so she probably shouldn’t attempt walking this far without assistance.
“Come on, hurry up and climb on.”
“M, Miss Hye-ryeong?”
“If you don’t get on soon, I’ll carry you myself!”
Hye-ryeong, what the heck are you talking about?
Reluctantly but still hesitant, Mok-kyeong finally entrusted her body to me.
…Thinking of her as a woman makes this feel a bit strange.
In this slightly awkward atmosphere, I carried Mok-kyeong towards the stream.
—
“Yun-gong, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, really.”
If I tire out from this, I’ll lose my title as a knight. During my years as a squire, I used to march every day with a backpack as heavy as my own body, so it’s not that difficult by comparison.
The weight is evenly distributed.
Plus, with my enhanced physical abilities as a super grand master, carrying someone like Mok-kyeong wouldn’t even bother me if I use light movement techniques.
“Uncle, if the map is correct, we should be arriving near Shinfeng soon!”
“Good work sticking to it.”
We’ve been running for two days straight. We should reach there before the news of that ambush spreads.
Upon arriving in Shinfeng, I began to slowly go over the plans I’ve come up with thus far.
First, we need to find out if Haowen Branch is located here. And then find the location of the Saxuefang Branch. Apply publicly for martial contests.
And… Miss Mok-kyeong assassinates the Head of Saxuefang.
However, I’m concerned that knowing the level of the Saxuefang Patriarch, it’s not easy to guarantee victory.
In the original story, Mok-kyeong had already achieved super grand master status and killed the Saxuefang Patriarch within five strikes, cutting off their head, and hanging it in the marketplace.
But now, even though Mok-kyeong is close to the peak, she is still on the grand master level.
In the worst case, she might lose her life.
Should I step in?
…No.
If I get involved, it won’t count as proper revenge.
The most I can do is create an environment where no one interferes.
Or maybe secretly break the Patriarch’s arm so they can’t fight.
Of course, that would be difficult, but… nonetheless, let’s think about it after Miss Mok-kyeong fully recovers.
With these worries in my mind, after running for several more hours, towards the end of the day as the sun turned crimson, we arrived at Shinfeng.
“Just an ordinary city.”
“…Yeah, that seems so.”
Shinfeng is on the outskirts of Zhongyuan, and it’s not a hub of commerce, so there’s no way this city could possess the splendor of a major city in the Central Plains.
“Yun-gong, please let me down.”
“Are you sure you’ll be alright?”
“Thank to Yun-gong’s careful care, I think I’ll be fine as long as I don’t overexert myself.”
If she says so. Carefully, I placed her down on the ground. Mok-kyeong stood alone, straightened her clothes, and closed her eyes.
“I feel like my body is mostly recovered.”
“Let’s at least visit a healer, just in case.”
“I’m fine.”
“I’m not fine, so let’s go.”
“…Yes.”
Avoiding the gaze of Mok-kyeong, who looked at me with a heated face, I turned to look at Hye-ryeong. Hye-ryeong was watching me with a complex expression.
Why is she like that?
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing.”
Rarely cutting off everything at once, Hye-ryeong urged us to quickly enter Shinfeng. Since I was thinking the same thing, I lightly nodded and returned my gaze to Mok-kyeong for the last time.
“I’m fine.”
“If you have trouble, just say so. I’ll carry you again if necessary.”
“I, I’m fine.”
“Alright… then let’s go.”
We moved together simultaneously.
—
“…It’s not a very deep wound, so if you keep applying the medicine properly, it should heal quickly.”
“Thank you, Master.”
“Heheh. I’m just doing my job; there’s no need for thanks. Have a good day.”
It’s certainly relieving to receive confirmation from the local healer in Shinfeng that everything will be fine. As I tidied up my clothes, I walked out of the clinic with Mok-kyeong waiting outside.
“Let’s go to the inn. Hye-ryeong is probably waiting for us there too.”
“…Yes.”
On the way to the inn, we didn’t talk at all. It felt like it was difficult to have a casual conversation now that we were alone. Numerous events happened that made it harder to start normal conversations.
It’s also our enemies’ base now.
There’s no room for leisure, but a time to stay alert.
After walking for a while, I glanced at Mok-kyeong. Our eyes met.
“…Yun-gong.”
“…We’ve been found.”
“…What do you intend to do next?”
There are still people out and about on the streets.
Even if those people have minimal sense, they won’t attack us right now.
But sitting still is not a great choice either—they’d definitely know we’ve noticed their surveillance by now.
So…
“It would be better if Hye-ryeong notices.”
“There must be someone watching Hye-ryeong, so she probably noticed.”
She’s not one to miss things, so it’s probably true.
Though, I told her to order some food just in case; will we end up starving?
That bothers me a bit.
“Miss Mok-kyeong. Tonight we’ll eat dinner at the Saxuefang Patriarch’s house.”
“Using the opportunity of being invited, feeding the Saxuefang Patriarch some food shouldn’t be bad either.”
…Rice with beans in their eyes.
Her voice was filled with freezing intent. Thankfully, I’m not her target for vengeance, hence the relief.
The martial practitioner who’s growing like bamboo aiming to take revenge could be terrifying if she ever came after me.
“You don’t move around too much. You’re still recuperating.”
“…I’m fine.”
“You need to conserve your strength to fight against the Saxuefang Patriarch.”
Anyway, the five experts that the Saxuefang sent our way probably represent their best fighters.
Pretending to know nothing, we returned to the inn and positioned ourselves at the entrance.
“Hye-ryeong!”
“Uncle!”
…Hye-ryeong appeared from inside the inn, her entire body stained with blood.
“Some strange people attacked!”
“Who knew they’d send invitations so enthusiastically? Is this the typical way of the evil sects?”
If it were my old days in the first rate stage, it might have been hard, but with Hye-ryeong now at the grand master level, they really should’ve brought more reinforcements.
“Hye-ryeong. Since we’ve been invited, might as well take a visit. Is there anyone still alive over there?”
“Umm… just a moment!”
Hye-ryeong went back inside the inn for a second, then dragged out a man with a pale face by his collar.
He looked like an alien from outer space with legs bending backwards.
“Please, don’t kill me…”
“Tell me where Saxuefang is and I’ll let you go.”
“I, I’ll tell you! Just… please save me from this… witch!”
“I’m not a witch!”
“EEK!”
What did you do to him? Though extremely curious about what happened inside, instead of going in, I pulled out a money pouch and threw it to the inn owner shivering in the corner.
“Use that to repair the place. Don’t worry about Saxuefang.”
“T, thank you…”
Let’s go then.
“Hye-ryeong, bring him along properly.”
“Alright!”
“T, that way…”
Then let’s go check out the face of Saxuefang Patriarch.
Together with our new companion, we traversed the city.