Looking for the Runaway Heavenly Maiden - Chapter 78

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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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78.

I blinked blankly, my eyes unfocused. My mind was still hazy with sleep.
Tap. Tap. The sound of something being struck felt distant.
I turned my head slowly to look beside me. Cheonhaerang was breathing softly, deep in slumber.
I had been sleeping with Cheonhaerang continuously for several days now. I had tried to drive him away, but seeing his face, I simply couldn’t bring myself to do it.
It was the same on the day I kissed him. He looked up at me like a pitiful puppy caught in the rain.
How could I possibly turn him away for something as trivial as embarrassment?
Even if the result has become like this….
Still, sleeping beside Cheonhaerang has become quite familiar to me now.
Rather, my anxiety has eased, and I’ve found a sense of stability.
Even if it troubled me, Cheonhaerang suffered at my side.
Sometimes Cheonhaerang would whimper as if caught in a nightmare. At those moments, I would quietly hold his hand.
Each time, Cheonhaerang would become calm again.
Seeing him like that, I couldn’t bear to leave his side.
I carefully brushed back the strands of hair that had fallen across Cheonhaerang’s face, then rose from the bed.
Worried he might catch a cold, I pulled the blanket up to his neck and stepped out of the room.
The sound of rain falling outside pierced through my ears.
I walked toward the window in the living room. I drew back the curtain and gazed outside.
Rain was falling quite heavily, enough to blur the entire world.
With rain coming down like this, where could the Jade Emperor be staying?
When would Yeonhwa return?
Yeonhwa went out every night and returned early in the morning. She said she was inspecting the School.
She explained that darkness shrouded the night more than light, making it easier for Evil Spirits to gain strength.
I was deeply worried that something like last time might happen again, but fortunately, nothing unusual had occurred so far.
Rather, it was strangely quiet and peaceful. Like the calm before a storm.
Yeonhwa seemed to have resolved not to hide anything from us anymore, and she told us everything.
She also informed us of the progress. The Jade Emperor had eliminated Jeong and Eul from the Heavenly Realm.
But since then, there had been no news. Yeonhwa told us not to worry too much.
She said the Jade Emperor was the second strongest after the Patriarch.
I couldn’t tell if her words were true or not, but I decided to believe them anyway. At this point, there was nothing else I could do but trust the Jade Emperor.
The Evil Spirit was quiet. Even Gihyeongrang was quiet.
This silence made anxiety creep up on me, but I didn’t show it.
In truth, everyone must be feeling this same unease.
Whoooosh.
The sound of rain grew more intense. Watching the heavier downpour, I opened the window.
The scent of rain pierced my nostrils. The wind carrying the rain was cool.
Yeonhwa said there was no way to prevent the Evil Spirit’s seal from breaking.
If I had the Heavenly Realm’s Treasure, I could have done something with the Spirit Sword, but that treasure didn’t exist.
There was no word from Yerim, who had been ordered to retrieve the Heavenly Realm’s Treasure.
In fact, it was questionable whether the Heavenly Realm’s Treasure could even be retrieved.
Just as Cheonhaerang carried the Eight Trigrams Seal and Spirit Sword on his body, Gihyeongrang must be carrying the Heavenly Realm’s Treasure in the same manner.
There was no way to retrieve it except through Gihyeongrang’s death.
When I brought up this question to Yeonhwa, she said something.
That a Celestial Artifact could only be carried that way if the artifact recognized its owner.
Yeonhwa believed the Heavenly Realm’s Treasure had not recognized Gihyeongrang as its owner.
Originally, the Patriarch had given the Heavenly Realm’s Treasure not to Gihyeongrang, but to Gihyeongrang’s mother.
Above all, Celestial Artifacts distinguish between good and evil.
Was that possible because they were divine objects?
In any case, there was nothing more I could say beyond that point. So I accepted it.
After all, right now there was nothing to do but trust Yerim.

“Aren’t you cold?”

Warm comfort enveloped me along with a familiar voice. I felt a blanket draped across my shoulders.
And the Young Man’s strong arms wrapping around my waist.
I was getting used to it now.

“Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah. Why did you wake up so early?”
“You woke up early too.”
“How could I sleep longer without you here?”

Cheonhaerang spoke in a whining tone and rested his head against my neck. Cool rain and wind tickled past him.

“Then should we go back to sleep? It’s still this early.”

At my words, Cheonhaerang shook his head as he was.

“No. I just want to stay like this. I want to wait for my sister too.”

Yeonhwa still hadn’t returned home.

“Then let’s sit down. Your legs must hurt.”

Saying so, I led Cheonhaerang forward.
Cheonhaerang sat on the sofa first, and I settled between his legs.
He held my waist firmly, as if unwilling to let go.

“You must be tired today.”

Since that day, we had been training daily in the space Yeonhwa had prepared for us.
My archery skills had improved dramatically. Every shot found its mark.
Shooting while running was no problem, nor was shooting through empty air.
Perhaps it was thanks to Seowangmo’s bow. In the past, no amount of practice would have yielded such results, yet here I was, improving at such a pace that it amazed me.

“Then should we rest today? It’s raining too.”

At Cheonhaerang’s words, I gazed out the window at the steady patter of rain.
Even with rain like this, that space wouldn’t be much affected. Yet his suggestion oddly appealed to me.

“…Should we?”
“Then let’s stay like this all day, Jiho.”

With that, Cheonhaerang pulled me deeper into his embrace. His hair brushing against my neck tickled me.
Was it because his arms were so warm? Or perhaps because I had woken earlier than usual?
My eyes began to close gradually. My eyelids grew heavy.
As my vision slowly blurred, my consciousness began to fade.

At the sound of soft breathing, Cheonhaerang lifted his head. Looking at me, he found me nodding off.
He couldn’t help but smile. Perhaps it was an inevitable result.
It seemed the rain had caused me to wake earlier than usual.
Carefully lifting me so as not to wake me, Cheonhaerang headed toward the bedroom.
After laying me on the bed and pulling the blanket up to my neck, he emerged to find his sister entering through the entrance.
Going out every night and returning early in the morning, his sister’s complexion could hardly be called good.
During the day, she was the one who supervised our training.
With a Heavenly Being’s body, she could endure several days without sleep, but rest was still a necessary thing.
It was needed to recharge her strength.

“Sister, welcome back. Nothing unusual today, right?”
“Yes. You’re up early, Cheonhaerang.”
“Yeah. I think the rain woke me.”
“It is raining quite heavily.”
“That’s why, Sister….”

I won’t scold him for it. Still, Cheonhaerang felt cautious and carefully broached the subject.

“It’s raining today and you’re tired, unnie. Couldn’t we just rest for one day?”

Perhaps because of the rain, Yeonhwa’s body felt heavy and sluggish.
For the past few days, I hadn’t been able to sleep properly, and even at night I couldn’t relax my guard.
I had already eliminated two from the Heavenly Realm. It was unsettling, but there was still no special news from Hand Ogeong.
Then surely I could rest for a day. Yeonhwa found Cheonhaerang’s suggestion very appealing.
After all, this peace might last only a single day.
So Yeonhwa smiled readily and nodded.

“Alright, let’s do that. I’ll get some sleep in my room then. You can manage meals on your own, right?”
“Yeah!”
“Good. Then I’m going in.”

Yeonhwa entered her room.
Patter. Patter. The house was filled with only the quiet sound of rain. After closing the window, Cheonhaerang tried to enter his own room as well.
But that was the moment. Tap tap. A sound came from something tapping the window. It was different from the rain.
Cheonhaerang looked at the window. A small, pure white bird was tapping against it.
For some reason, Cheonhaerang felt compelled to let the bird inside, so he opened the window he had just closed.

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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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