The Granddaughter of the Manhyang Escort Agency Hides Her Magic - Chapter 52
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 52
Until now, So Ilbi had been the one doing the threatening and tormenting. That’s why Shin Ah’s warning felt strange to Ilbi, and therefore frightening.
Ilbi gritted his teeth inconspicuously and shook off Shin Ah’s hand.
Shin Ah snorted.
Ilbi, who was scared yet still pretending to be tough until the end, was amusing.
Shin Ah dusted off her hands as if she had touched something filthy and bid farewell.
“We’re leaving first. Let’s avoid running into each other if possible.”
Shin Ah’s retreating figure as she took So Cheondo and Mugyeol and left the Escort Agency was refreshingly carefree.
The remaining two stared blankly at Shin Ah’s departing figure as she laughed heartily, as if their warnings meant nothing to her.
“Let’s see how long you can keep laughing. Ilbi, you know the plan, right?”
So Mando smiled meaningfully. Ilbi nodded.
“You just stay put. Jin Pyosa and I will handle everything.”
Jin Pyosa was the person assigned to protect Ilbi and Mando this time.
Someone So Baekrim had specially arranged for them—a person who would do anything for money.
‘Father, who is this person?’
‘He’s an escort warrior who will be on your team during the Heir Selection Test. Among the Yuwon Pavilion escort warriors, his skills are second to none.’
Mando remembered So Baekrim’s earnest instructions not to stray far from Jin Pyosa and to follow his orders if anything happened, and waved at him as he approached from a distance.
“Jin Pyosa, over here! Why are you so late? Let’s depart quickly!”
Though he had acted leisurely in front of Shin Ah, Mando was secretly worried about falling behind.
Whether protecting the package, stealing it, or just staying in the forest for three days doing nothing, it was clearly advantageous to secure a good position first.
“Let’s take our time. If we go too early, we might end up in a rough situation.”
Jin Pyosa smiled meaningfully.
* * *
So Cheonrim quietly moved his steps, leaving his bed chamber before the rooster’s first crow.
‘Has So Cheondo already left?’
Since it was his first escort mission, Cheonrim had wanted to see him off personally, but Cheondo must have been eager and had already left Biwongak long ago.
It was fortunate that he had said his farewells the night before.
Cheonrim paused for a moment and looked toward the direction of So Cheondo and Shin Ah’s bedrooms.
Thinking that the children weren’t there made Biwongak feel unusually large and lonely. As if no one lived there at all.
‘But they’ll return soon.’
Cheonrim soothed his aching heart and moved again. He moved so quietly that there was no sound of footsteps, not even the rustle of his clothes.
Stopping in front of Ok Chifung’s bedroom, he carefully opened the door and entered.
Snore, snore.
Chifung’s snoring was quite loud.
Looking at him sleeping with his belly exposed, one might believe he was a beggar rather than a Taoist master.
‘He’s sleeping deeply.’
Cheonrim steadied his breathing and headed toward Chifung’s bundle. Just as he was rummaging through his scattered belongings for a while.
“What are you looking for?”
Cheonrim flinched and dropped his hands.
That ghostly fellow.
“When did you wake up? If you were awake, you could have made some presence known.”
Cheonrim turned to look at Chifung. Chifung threw off his blanket and scratched his belly while lighting a candle.
“Look who’s talking? What are you looking for while suppressing even your presence?”
Chifung yawned and approached Cheonrim.
“If you needed something, you should have just asked. What is there that I can’t give you?”
Chifung said while rummaging through his belongings.
Cheonrim had expected Chifung to react this way.
But he had a reason for needing to borrow something without telling Chifung.
‘The young lady said absolutely not to help. She said if it’s known that you helped, the young lady would suffer losses.’
Danmi’s voice conveying Shin Ah’s wishes echoed in his ears.
Though he had told Danmi he would follow Shin Ah’s wishes, he simply couldn’t stay still.
She said not to help, but she didn’t say not to watch.
‘I’ll just secretly watch from behind.’
But even this wouldn’t be good if discovered.
That’s why he couldn’t tell Chifung either, even though he needed his belongings.
“Please pretend you didn’t see me today.”
“That won’t do. You came here because you need this, right?”
Chifung held up black clothes. Cheonrim’s eyes sparkled as he saw the pitch-black clothes, dark as a moonless night.
“How did you know?”
Cheonrim quickly reached out, but Chifung was faster in pulling the clothes away.
A tug-of-war ensued between the one trying to take and the one trying not to give. Since both were serious, their hands moved too fast to be seen.
Chifung was the first to declare defeat.
“Alright. I’ll give it to you, I’ll give it!”
What started as a joke became serious, and he ended up sweating from dawn.
Cheonrim accepted the clothes Chifung offered. After hesitating for a moment, he asked.
“Don’t you have a face mask?”
Ha, Chifung let out a sigh.
He found a black face mask from the corner of his bundle and handed it over.
“You’re going to see Shin Ah, aren’t you?”
Black clothes and a black face mask.
Chifung could clearly see what Cheonrim intended to do.
“I’ll just watch.”
As Chifung stared at him, Cheonrim revealed his true intentions.
“It might seem like I’m making a fuss, but my intuition isn’t good about this. So please pretend you don’t know.”
“You’re asking me to be a blind man with open eyes, but that’s not difficult. Instead, I’m coming with you.”
Chifung made this bombshell statement and changed clothes in an instant. He patted the shoulder of Cheonrim, who stood there dumbfounded.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to change clothes?”
Cheonrim was holding different night clothes in his hands.
“Just how many sets of these clothes do you have?”
Why would Chifung, who came to the martial world without hiding his identity as the second disciple of Mount Hua Sect, have multiple sets of bandit clothes?
Cheonrim became newly curious.
Come to think of it, it was also strange that the second disciple of Mount Hua Sect was wandering the Central Plains without a fixed destination.
“What does that matter? Move quickly. At this rate, we’ll lose track of the children.”
And why was he so happy about secretly following the children?
Though he was his close friend, Cheonrim couldn’t understand Chifung.
* * *
“So we wait here and then ambush them, right?”
A man hiding behind the bushes pulled up his face mask.
“That’s right.”
“You said it’s just three kids. But do we really need six people? It’s not even a kidnapping, just stealing one bundle.”
A man with a beard sticking out from his face mask adjusted his grip on his hand axe and spoke.
“Orders from above are to not injure them too badly.”
“How troublesome.”
It was easier to kill someone rather than injure them just the right amount.
Moreover, they were assassins, not bandits, which made it even more so.
“Must be something really valuable? Considering they hired six of us instead of just one?”
If it was something that valuable, how about secretly taking it for themselves.
It was the moment greed began to stir.
“Drop the interest, you bastard. We just need to do our job well and collect our promised payment.”
The man who was the leader of this group spoke.
Sensing something unusual from his tense tone, the man asked.
“Who’s the client?”
“I don’t know either. That’s why we need to be even more careful.”
Mukgoldan—they were an assassin group composed of skilled individuals, though small in scale.
To think someone had entered their base without leaving any trace, only dropping off a request letter and advance payment before leaving.
The mere fact that someone had visited that place silently meant the client was an incredibly skilled person.
On top of that, the advance payment was a whopping 10 gold ingots, equivalent to one Gold Ingot.
‘A wealthy skilled person. A client we absolutely must secure!’
This was why the Mukgoldan Leader had brought six of his main forces all the way to the treacherous mountains of Seomsu.
“Everyone prepare without making mistakes.”
Human presence could be felt in the distance.
When the leader gave a signal, two moved up into the trees and two crossed to the other side of the path.
The leader spread his Energy Sensing wide and observed the approaching figures, then frowned.
‘They said it was a child, but she’s quite something?’
Three were approaching, and each one appeared to be at least second-rate level.
Though they couldn’t compare to him, if they had sent mediocre fighters, they might have been defeated instead.
The leader sent hand signals to the other assassins to stay alert.
The targeted group was getting closer and closer.
Unaware that assassins lay in ambush, they were conversing in very cheerful voices.
‘Their joy will be short-lived. Poor things.’
The man’s eyes flashed with murderous intent.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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