Looking for the Runaway Heavenly Maiden - Chapter 86

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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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86.

Yet the formation array encompassing the entire Manor was unmistakable. This array bore a closer resemblance to the Patriarch’s aura.
Yeonhwa pondered whether this place might have been where the Patriarch once dwelled long ago.
With the human woman he had loved so dearly.
Hand Ogeong would know, but she saw no reason to ask.
She merely waited for him to disrupt the formation array and grant them passage into the Manor.
How much time had elapsed in that silence? At last, Hand Ogeong whispered softly.

“It is done, Princess.”

Yeonhwa moved forward and asked.

“What of Cheongan?”
“He appears to be guarding the entrance to Yerim’s chamber. I shall deal with him.”
“Was it not only Eul who remained?”
“It seems they left another to monitor Yerim.”
“Unnecessarily so? Then Cheongan need not have been left behind.”

At Yeonhwa’s question, a thought flickered through Hand Ogeong’s mind—surely. It was entirely plausible.
If they could introduce even a single moment of hesitation.
Their eyes met. Hand Ogeong understood. Yeonhwa harbored the same thought.
Then it was better to avoid confrontation if possible.
Hand Ogeong pointed toward a certain Window on the first floor.

“The Study is there, on the first floor.”

Yeonhwa nodded and made her way toward the window. Hand Ogeong bounded up to the second floor in a single leap.
Yeonhwa placed her hand gently against the glass. Ripples emanated outward from her touch, and she was drawn inward as though the manor itself were pulling her through.
The dim study was suffused with the subtle fragrance of aged paper, the scent lingering in the air like a whispered memory.
The study was as expansive as the archives of Baekokgyeong. It seemed nearly every significant tome had been gathered here.
Suddenly, a distant memory surfaced in Yeonhwa’s mind.
There had been a place where Gihyeongrang, after being acknowledged as the Patriarch’s child and permitted to dwell in the Heavenly Realm, would come and go as though it were his own home.
It was the archives of Baekokgyeong.
For a time, Gihyeongrang had sequestered himself there, immersed in books from dawn until dusk.
What books had he read, I wonder?
What dreams had he harbored while turning those pages?
Had he dreamed of his half-divine form ascending to become a complete deity?
That dream should have been crushed from the very beginning.
Yet no one had noticed.
Yeonhwa set aside such meaningless thoughts and closed her eyes in silence. She released her power to seek out Seon Igyeong, the one whose blood would resonate with her own.
Light radiated from beneath her feet, spreading to fill the entire space.
And finally.
A low hum resonated through the air.
A single book lodged among the shelves suddenly tore free and soared into the void.
The book descended gracefully and came to hover before Yeonhwa. She opened her eyes.
A pristine white cover. The characters inscribed upon it vanished in an instant.
She reached toward the book, and it settled gently into her hands.
The pages turned of their own accord, flipping rapidly through the tome.
Then, with a soft whisper, the pages stilled. The book began to glow.
Something emerged from the luminous pages, floating upward. Yeonhwa grasped it carefully.
A bronze mirror.
It reflects all worlds and grants passage to any realm one desires.
Past, future. Or perhaps… illusion itself.
What Seon Igyeong now reflected was an ancient illusion.
A distant past. A forgotten future.

“Your Highness!”

A voice that pierced her ears snapped Yeonhwa from her daze.
She realized the book was no longer in her hands. Seon Igyeong had shattered Gihyeongrang’s barrier on her own.
After securing Seon Igyeong, Yeonhwa turned to face the source of the voice.
That was the moment.
Kugung. The sound of something collapsing.
Yeonhwa’s gaze suddenly shot upward. The ceiling was already cracked.
The Manor was crumbling.
At the same time, something wrapped around her waist. Strong arms.
Her vision shifted in an instant. The Manor, now reduced to ruins, lay before her eyes.

“…What is the meaning of this? Where is Yerim?”
“She is not in the Manor.”
“Did you not say Cheongan was here?”
“My apologies. I failed to secure her.”
“Hand Ogeong.”

Yeonhwa looked up at the man holding her. His expression was stricken.
Considering all the circumstances, the conclusion he had drawn was likely no different from her own.

“You believe this is a trap.”

After a moment of silence, the answer came.

“…Yes.”
“From the beginning?”
“It does not appear so.”
“So Cheongan was not the surveillance—the Manor itself was the trap.”
“More importantly, Your Highness, we must return at once. There is only one reason such a trap would have been laid.”

The faces of two boys and a girl flashed through Yeonhwa’s mind.
Her heart sank. Though it was a place difficult to find, with Gihyeongrang as he was now, there was nowhere he could not reach.
Yeonhwa hastily drew a formation on the ground. It blazed with light, enveloping them both.
When the light faded, no one remained.

* * *

I suppose I should be grateful that there’s a cave in a place like this.
After catching my breath for a moment, I lifted my front paw and drew a formation at the cave entrance—a barrier formation that could hide us, at least temporarily.
I desperately hoped this formation would work properly. I prayed the adults would return before Gihyeongrang found us.
The completed formation shimmered with light before fading away.
Outside the cave, darkness was so thick that I couldn’t see even an inch ahead. Within that darkness, vicious creatures were flying about.
Demons.
After gathering dry grass to create a suitable resting place, I carefully lowered Cheonhaerang onto it.
Then, shifting into human form, I kindled a fire within the cave. A sphere of blue flame drifted lazily, illuminating the interior.
Sitting beside Cheonhaerang, I placed my hand upon his forehead. It was still burning like a coal.
Had he overused the Heavenly Talisman? His body seemed unable to withstand the strain.
Yet even so, the spiritual ghost’s carapace remained intact, still protecting him.

‘First, I need to bring down this fever.’

I wished I were Hyunmu. Unfortunately, I was Baekho, and I could not command the power of water.
Yet I could not simply abandon Cheonhaerang to this state.
Rising to my feet, I surveyed the cave. Perhaps a place like this would have a spring somewhere.
I ventured deeper into the cave and soon reached its end.
Fortunately, as I’d hoped, a small spring pool lay at the cave’s terminus. The water was deeper than I expected, yet clear enough to see the bottom.
It was a spring that felt somehow mystical.
I removed the shirt I was wearing and tore off one of the sleeves.
Then I fashioned a vessel from the fabric, filled it with water, and submerged the torn cloth piece.
Watching the cloth grow damp and saturated, I picked up the vessel and made my way back to where Cheonhaerang lay.
I set the vessel beside him, draped my shirt over his body, and wrung out the wet cloth before placing it against his forehead.
The cold fabric quickly grew lukewarm. Fevered breath escaped between his lips.
Was this the right approach? I hesitated briefly, but in this situation, there were no other clear options.
To truly reduce the fever, I would need to wipe down his entire body, but I lacked the courage to do so.
After changing the cloth several times, the heat in his forehead seemed to have diminished slightly.
I placed my hand briefly against his damp forehead before withdrawing it, then carefully grasped his hand. It was still burning.
If I claimed to feel no anxiety like before, that would be a lie.
But I believed in Cheonhaerang. Just as before, White Bird would surely awaken.
For now, all that was needed was time.
Time for Cheonhaerang to awaken, and time for the adults to return.
I only prayed that the interval between them would not be long.
The cool air of the cave brushed past my arm, yet I felt no chill at all.

* * *

Yerim blinked blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling looming above her. This was not the bedroom where she had been staying.
Confused, she pushed herself upright and surveyed her surroundings. This was not the Manor she knew.
Yet it did not appear to be that estate either.

“What is this?”

She murmured softly to herself.
Last night, Gihyeongrang had not returned. So she had fallen asleep alone.
What happened after that?

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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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