Looking for the Runaway Heavenly Maiden - Chapter 76

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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76.

“Ugh, don’t go killing the beasts though. The stench of blood is making me feel sick.”
“You bastard, aren’t you frustrated? Eul keeps acting like he’s something special. Using the Master as an excuse.”
“Then try beating him yourself.”
“What?”

At those words, Mu turned to face Byeong with a fierce expression. Despite the sharp gleam in Mu’s eyes, Byeong merely shrugged and spoke as if it were nothing.

“I’m just saying, if you win, the Master would probably acknowledge you more than Eul.”
“Are you saying I’m weaker than Eul?”

Mu looked ready to pounce on Byeong at any moment. It was Yueul who stepped between them.

“Yeah, that sounds good. I was already sick of this blood stench anyway. I could use you as a way to vent some frustration.”

Yueul regarded Mu with a cold, hardened gaze.
Mu glared back at Yueul with a snarl, but ultimately didn’t rush at him.
He simply kicked angrily at one of the beasts before leaving the area.
Yueul let out a small sigh as he watched Mu go, then cleaned up the corpses of the beasts. The stench of blood that had lingered at the tip of his nose faded away.

“He can’t even win, yet he’s always like that.”

Byeong spoke as if Mu were pathetic.
Mu was always the same. He never dared to fight, yet he was always full of complaints.

“Right. I’d like to fight once too, but he always avoids it.”

Yueul was sincere. He genuinely thought it wouldn’t be bad to beat Mu down and eliminate him.
After all, if Mu disappeared, his power would be absorbed into him anyway, so it didn’t really matter.
Honestly, excluding the Master, even if all the power of Cheongan were combined, none of them could defeat him.
That’s what he had been created to be.
But it was the Master who stopped him from absorbing Cheongan’s power, saying he might still need these subordinates.
He hadn’t expected there to be so much chatter though.
Still, with two of them gone, the noise had decreased somewhat.
Yueul brought up the real reason he had come here.

“Gyeong was eliminated last night.”
“What? How? By whom?”
“Who else? There’s only one person it could be.”

At Yueul’s answer, Byeong immediately recalled someone.
The Jade Emperor. Hand Ogeong.

“How did he find this place?”
“The Flaming Eye Seal exists for a reason. It wasn’t difficult.”
“Then this location will be exposed too?”

The Forest behind the grand estate. This forest connected to the Archery Range on the back mountain of Seonhwa High School.

“For now, it should be fine since Master is here.”

That meant the moment Master left the estate, it would be discovered.
When Master leaves to offer his heart to the Evil Spirit, that’s when Hand Ogeong will strike. If he targets that moment….
Just imagining it made Byeong’s body tremble with dread.
Among the Cheongan, only Eul could stand against Hand Ogeong.
Which meant he too could be eliminated by Hand Ogeong.
Thinking he must stay as close to Master as possible, Byeong asked.

“What did Master say?”

Yueul recalled Master’s appearance when he reported.
The room was filled with thick incense, and a woman lay sleeping peacefully beside Master. Yueul knew exactly who that woman was.
The Celestial Maiden Yerim. He’d thought it was merely a passing indulgence, but perhaps it wasn’t.
Why would Master listen to his report with Yerim at his side? What if she overheard?
Could Master truly trust Yerim to that extent? No, that didn’t make sense. The Gihyeongrang Yueul knew was not an emotional man.
But then, why now?
Yueul couldn’t understand, but he chose not to voice his confusion.
Instead, he finished his report and left after Master’s instruction for all the Cheongan to remain near the estate for the time being.

“He said not to worry too much.”

Though Master hadn’t said those exact words, Yueul couldn’t allow the Cheongan to become unsettled, so he offered a vague reassurance instead.

“Will it be alright?”

The Evil Spirit’s seal would break soon anyway.
Moreover, the Evil Spirit had grown far more powerful than it was in the old days.
Even before the seal completely shattered, it had already manifested a fragment of itself, and that fragment’s power was formidable.
All I needed to do was buy time until the Evil Spirit’s seal broke.
Yueul nodded, even as he anticipated that Hand Ogeong might eliminate several more of the Cheongan in the days to come.

“Yeah, it’ll be fine.”

But that night, the Ren of the Cheongan was eliminated.

* * *

Cheonhaerang gazed quietly at his own hands.
The Evil Spirit’s fragment he had seen during the day remained vivid in his mind.
The sensation of gripping the Sword of Spiritual Dao and piercing the fragment with it lingered still.
It felt as though the power of all creation had gathered in the blade.
It was overwhelming.
So I was afraid and terrified, yet certainty bloomed within me—I could eliminate this fragment.
But even that was likely not the full extent of the Sword of Spiritual Dao’s power.
My sister had finally told us the truth.
The Jade Emperor had gone to eliminate the Cheongan, and Yerim had gone to recover the Seongyeonggyeong from Gihyeongrang.
Never mind the Jade Emperor—Yerim was far too reckless.
Even if they had been lovers once, how could one know what Gihyeongrang’s heart held now?
Who knew what Gihyeongrang might do? Why would she take such a reckless gamble?
Did she have such confidence that Gihyeongrang wouldn’t kill her?
A man like that. Gihyeongrang.
Honestly, I couldn’t believe it—a hollow laugh escaped me. The fact that Gihyeongrang had dated Yerim still felt unreal to me.

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

A subtle body wash fragrance tickled the tip of Cheonhaerang’s nose. He emerged from his deep reverie.
Lifting his head, Jiho stood before him, looking down at him.
Cheonhaerang stretched both arms toward Jiho.

“Huh?”

Jiho looked at Cheonhaerang with a puzzled expression. Cheonhaerang broke into a bright, carefree smile like a flower bud blooming.

“Yeah.”
“…?”

In an instant, Cheonhaerang pulled me—bewildered as I was—toward him.
Before I could even process what was happening, I found myself sitting on his lap.
The realization of my position struck me like a thunderbolt, and my cheeks flushed crimson.

“W-what are you—!”

But my words died in my throat.
The two arms encircling my waist were far too strong, and the forehead pressed against the nape of my neck burned with an intensity that was almost unbearable.
At first, I thought he might be running a fever, but that wasn’t it. It was my own body that burned with heat.
Whether it was the warmth radiating from being so close to Cheonhaerang, or simply the lingering heat from my bath, I couldn’t tell.

“Jiho.”

His low voice resonated through my ears. I answered quietly.

“Yeah.”

The words didn’t come immediately. They came after a brief silence.

“I was honestly terrified.”

Cheonhaerang’s voice was calm. But I could sense the fear mixed within it.
She wasn’t unafraid either.
It was a suffocating yin energy and oppressive presence.
However, when I discovered the Evil Spirit’s fragment drawing closer to Yeonhwa, I couldn’t think of anything else.
I had to save Yeonhwa immediately. I wasn’t sure if I could do it, but I had to try.
So I fired the arrow at once. I hadn’t known that Seowangmo’s bow would be so effective against the Evil Spirit.
Without hesitation, I rushed forward alongside Cheonhaerang.
My hands trembled when I saw the fragment wearing the Patriarch’s form, watching us.
But I couldn’t stop, and I tried to follow Yeonhwa’s command.
However, Cheonhaerang was faster. He rushed forward without hesitation.
The power of the Spiritual Sword was formidable.
I belatedly noticed that Cheonhaerang’s hands were trembling.
He was afraid, yet he overcame that fear.
To protect.
I felt proud of Cheonhaerang for that.
Forgetting the embarrassment of sitting on Cheonhaerang’s lap, I smiled and stroked his hair.
Just as Yeonhwa had done for him.

“Still, you did well. You were amazing, Cheonhaerang.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
“Then give me a reward.”
“Huh?”

Cheonhaerang lifted his head. Our eyes met.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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