Three Thousand Court Ladies - Chapter 74

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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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Chapter Seventy-Four
“It’s here.”
Sam-cheon found the storage room at once, moving through the passage without hesitation as though she knew the way by heart. The escape itself unfolded with an ease that bordered on suspicious.
And Buyeo Hui resented that smoothness.
Upon reaching their destination, Sam-cheon withdrew a key from her robes—one she’d obtained from I-re’s belongings after searching through the scattered garments nearby.
The key fit the lock perfectly.
When Sam-cheon opened the storage room door, Ju-hong came into view, suspended upside-down from a beam by rope.
Sam-cheon lowered her voice.
“It’s Sam-cheon. Don’t make any noise.”
Ju-hong’s eyes snapped open at the sound. Upon seeing Buyeo Hui standing behind Sam-cheon, relief washed over her features.
“Your Highness—you’re unharmed.”
Her voice came out fractured.
“I’m going to cut the rope. Your Highness must catch her so her head doesn’t strike the ground.”
Buyeo Hui turned with a puzzled expression. The person before him was Ju-hong. Even suspended as she was, it seemed a simple matter to free her arms first.
“Both her shoulders are dislocated.”
“…I understand.”
Sam-cheon freed Ju-hong’s arms, then cut through the rope connecting to the beam. With Buyeo Hui supporting Ju-hong’s shoulders, she descended smoothly to the ground.
The moment her feet touched the floor, Ju-hong realized Sam-cheon had spoken truly—her bones were indeed out of alignment. Her right shoulder troubled her, as did her left wrist.
Without a word, Sam-cheon seized Ju-hong’s left wrist and twisted it sharply.
Crack.
With the sound of bone settling back into place, the wrist’s angle corrected itself. Ju-hong rotated it experimentally, marveling at the result.
“You’ve grown quite skilled at setting bones.”
In the beginning, Sam-cheon’s inexperience had caused Ju-hong considerable pain. Fortunately, the technique had improved with practice.
Ju-hong flexed her wrist several times before adjusting her right shoulder herself. A series of unsettling pops echoed out.
Sam-cheon closed her eyes slowly, then opened them. They had come this far without major incident.
“Now we’ll climb that wall, circle far to the west, then descend southward. Prince Tae and his escort are advancing from the south, so that’s the only way to avoid them.”
Buyeo Hui nodded lightly in acknowledgment, then glanced back at Ju-hong.
“If you grow weary, let me carry you.”
“Your Highness, my legs are perfectly sound.”
Ju-hong demurred, stepping back.
Sam-cheon cast the two of them a brief glance, then moved ahead.
“I’ll lead the way.”
This time too, Sam-cheon moved like someone who knew the path. She hugged the wall, scanning their surroundings, while Buyeo Hui and Ju-hong followed close behind.
Ju-hong positioned herself at the base of the wall and clasped her hands to form a foothold. The gesture was clear—climb. But Buyeo Hui’s expression darkened, and instead he vaulted over the wall in a single, effortless motion.
The agility of his movement caught Sam-cheon slightly off-guard, and Ju-hong flushed with embarrassment.
“You’ve trained in Martial Arts, after all.”
Sam-cheon whispered as she pulled herself atop the wall.
She had meant to get her bearings, but trees surrounded them in all directions. Dense darkness had settled thickly, and discovery seemed unlikely.
The problem was that this was uncharted terrain for her.
Ju-hong was the last to leap up. The three of them stood in the darkness for a moment, silent.
Sam-cheon pointed in a direction with her finger, then dropped down. The instant her feet touched ground, she crouched low.
Buyeo Hui followed, but caught his foot on something—a stone skittered, and a sharp crack echoed out.
The stillness shattered.
Sam-cheon immediately grabbed the back of Buyeo Hui’s head and pressed it down firmly.
‘Were we discovered?’
Holding her breath, she pressed against the wall, eyes darting as she listened. No sound of alarm came from within. Sam-cheon exhaled quietly, then withdrew her presumptuous hand, gauging the darkness.
Buyeo Hui, startled as well, said nothing.
Ju-hong, landing last, swallowed hard.
The three of them slipped into the darkness and moved forward without direction.
How long had they been walking? The forest seemed endless, and Sam-cheon was growing exhausted.
“When we return, I’ll have to spend more time training in the Yeonmujang. I’m always fleeing these days.”
Buyeo Hui turned to look at Sam-cheon. Her exhaustion seemed less physical than mental—a weariness of spirit.
“Let’s rest for a moment.”
“It’s fine.”
“I’m tired.”
Sam-cheon scanned the surroundings and spotted a rock where Buyeo Hui could rest.
“Your Highness, sit there. No one’s pursuing us, so we have time to catch our breath.”
Buyeo Hui settled onto the rock and spoke to both women.
“Everyone sit and rest.”
But Ju-hong quietly stepped back.
“I’ll scout the area.”
“Are you certain? Your arms still seem uncomfortable.”
“They’re fine now.”
Ju-hong rotated her shoulders to demonstrate.
“Don’t go far.”
“Yes.”
As Ju-hong melted into the darkness and vanished, only Sam-cheon and Buyeo Hui remained.
Buyeo Hui seized the moment, reaching out to grasp Sam-cheon’s wrist. Her gaze turned toward him of its own accord.
“How many times have you dreamed this, exactly?”
Once again, Buyeo Hui seemed troubled by his own actions. Before, when there was no time to speak, he could defer the conversation. This time, that wouldn’t work.
She decided to be honest.
“…There were some failures. But this place—I haven’t seen it in the dreams.”
“Your brother wouldn’t have harmed you. Especially if he saw you as Gye-san’s strategist. Even if he’s dull, he’s capable of basic calculation. So it would be my death and Ju-hong’s, then.”
Sam-cheon said nothing.
“And you can only see your own death.”
Buyeo Hui’s gaze grew intense in a way that made Sam-cheon uncomfortable, so she looked away.
“You have a habit of recklessness, and I wish you’d break it. But you refuse to listen, which troubles me greatly.”
“Everyone’s safe—isn’t that reason enough to praise me?”
“You’ve been hurt.”
Buyeo Hui’s eyes settled on the back of Sam-cheon’s hand. The hair tie wound around it to stop the bleeding was stained dark with blood, making the wound appear severe, though the pain was bearable.
“This is a small price to pay.”
“When we return, things will change.”
What will change?
Before she could ask, the world fell silent. The chirping of insects ceased, and even the wind stilled.
Sam-cheon tapped Buyeo Hui’s arm twice, signaling him not to move. Then she peered through the undergrowth.
Torches were approaching from the distance.
‘Could it be Prince Tae?’
As despair began to creep in at the thought of another failure, a banner pattern caught her eye. The emblem visible beyond the flickering torches—was it…?
‘The Baek Clan’s crest.’
The problem was that she couldn’t tell whether the banner’s bearer was Jung-buIn Baek or Prince Tae. She was deliberating whether to flee when Ju-hong’s voice came from behind.
“Jung-buIn Baek appears to be moving. To be safe, I’ll make contact first. If anything seems amiss, run.”
Without waiting for Buyeo Hui’s response, Ju-hong dashed forward and stopped at a distance, waving her arms.
The approaching column stirred with commotion upon spotting her.
At Ju-hong’s cry, the group split apart, and from the rear emerged Jung-buIn Baek mounted on horseback.
Sam-cheon finally allowed herself a breath of relief.
They had survived.
It was the fruit of eighteen attempts.
Since early morning, volunteers had lined up in rows before the Gyeon-hwon Army. Though the call was for fifty recruits, more than ten times that number had arrived, creating daily chaos.
Yong-yong, seated in the interview tent, let out a sigh.
“I’m an interviewer now, of all things…”

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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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