Chapter 394: I Don't Feel So Good (1) |
Mi Hyoran cherished dreams.
Unlike the twisted, ever-changing nature of reality, her dreams offered a glimpse into a world brimming with hope and light.
Even the occasional nightmares, though excruciatingly painful, showed her happiest past.
Yet, these dreams were tinged with sadness as well.
They offered a fleeting taste of joy, only to snatch it away upon waking, leaving her with an echoing emptiness.
This was one of those moments. Mi Hyoran knew she was dreaming; of course she knew. Her friend, she knew she could no longer see in the waking world, stood before her, a vision exclusive to the realm of dreams.
-It’s a flower!
-Kyaaa! It’s a bee!
-Hyoran! Biyeon is running away!
…
The scene was not one Mi Hyoran particularly wanted to see, yet she couldn’t tear her gaze away.
-Hyoran?
During that mess of a situation, the white-haired lady approached her, a bright smile on her face.
It was the same radiant smile she always wore, one that could melt away even Mi Hyoran’s infamous coldness. That was the power this girl held. Perhaps that was why even that man tried to smile at her.
-Hyoran! Look, it’s a flower!
Mi Hyoran couldn’t understand the girl. It was clearly no ordinary flower, yet seeing such a happy smile on her face, she accepted it anyway.
-Young Lady Mi! That’s a poisonous herb! Throw that away right now!
A woman with black hair and a cold aura shouted from nearby. She wore a light blue outfit and, despite her icy expression, possessed a fiery personality.
It was the White Phoenix, Moyong Biyeon.
The white haired girl turned towards Moyong Biyeon, who promptly began to scream and run away.
-Are you crazy! Wait! Don’t bring the bees hereeee!
-It’s a flower!
-I know that already, so stop coming this wayyy!
Mi Hyoran smiled, covering her face with a fan. The scene resembled a silly theater act, yet it instilled a sense of stability within her.
She looked at the white flower in her hand, the one the white-haired girl had given her, the one Moyong Biyeon had warned was poisonous.
But Mi Hyoran knew it wasn’t. She was certain the white-haired girl wouldn’t give her such a thing.
Carefully, she placed the flower in her pocket.
I’ll learn the name of this flower later.
Perhaps she found it beautiful; she even considered growing it herself.
Mi Hyoran calmly took in the scene before her—a vast, cloudless sky, a large, sprawling forest, butterflies flitting about, and the chirping of crickets in the distance. Would anyone believe this tranquil place was the Abyss? Even she found it hard to believe.
How had she ended up in this place, feared by everyone? Yet, she wasn’t worried. It had been like this back then. Was it because she was young? Or because she was with others and didn’t care? Likely the latter.
She had believed that everything would be fine as long as she was with them. It was a time when she let her immaturity take control, a contradiction to her usual self. She dreamt of this past from time to time because she missed it.
This was why she felt sad. She knew she couldn’t see this sight anymore. The current Mi Hyoran was aware that she was dreaming, and that’s why she tried her best to take it all in. It was one of the few welcoming sights in her current life.
The white-haired girl, who had been chasing Moyong Biyeon, suddenly turned and walked towards Mi Hyoran.
“Hyoran,” she called, her pinkish-purple eyes shimmering like gems as her white hair waved. “Are you happy?”
Mi Hyoran paused, her reflection in the girl’s eyes revealing her shock.
“What do you…”
“I’m happy as long as Hyoran is happy. Are you happy?”
Mi Hyoran wondered if she was hearing this because it was a dream. Strange emotions filled her mind, and she found herself unable to respond.
Was she happy? At the very least, she could have said no, but she needed to think about what happiness was. What was happiness?
Was she hearing this question in her dream because she had been thinking about it recently? From her own friend, no less.
After a moment of silence, Mi Hyoran spoke.
“I’m trying my best to be.”
Then she asked,
“Were you happy?”
The girl smiled but gave no response. Mi Hyoran knew she wouldn’t. Ultimately, this fabricated world was born from Mi Hyoran’s own desire. As Mi Hyoran set aside her disappointment and looked at the scenery, the white-haired girl spoke again.
“It’s not your fault, so you can be happy.”
“…!”
Mi Hyoran froze. Something felt strange for this to be a dream. Just as she reached out towards the girl, her pupils shaking, a distant voice invaded her ears.
“Captain.”
And with that, Mi Hyoran woke up.
A dark ceiling greeted her. Night hadn’t ended yet. After checking the time, Mi Hyoran slowly rose. Despite having just woken up, her eyes were wide open, a testament to her determination to always remain outwardly calm. Even if she felt dizzy inside, she had to look sharp on the outside. That was the mindset she needed as Captain of a merchant association.
What dream was it?
She felt like she had dreamt of something important, but she couldn’t remember… Disappointment welled up, but she pushed it aside and looked to her side.
“What is it?”
Next to her, a man in black, wearing a mask, knelt on one knee, facing her. It was Mujin, one of her escorts.
“…A guest has come to visit you.”
“At this time?”
“Yes.”
Mi Hyoran frowned. A guest coming at this hour without prior notice was not only disrespectful, but she also hated people who acted without planning. However, she didn’t show any anger because Mujin, who knew her well, had woken her up. He would have taken care of this kind of thing himself, knowing it was disrespectful. Since he woke her up anyway, it meant that the guest was important. Mi Hyoran understood this, so she didn’t say anything further.
“Where is the guest?”
“…She is waiting outside.”
Mi Hyoran nodded and started walking. After tidying herself, she went outside to see who the visitor was. Who could it be? Someone who would visit so late. A few people came to mind, but there wasn’t anyone that Mujin wouldn’t handle himself. This only made Mi Hyoran more confused.
Creak-!
She stepped outside. A small lake in the backyard of the inn greeted her, the moon’s reflection shimmering on its surface. A beautiful sight. As she admired it, she realized she wasn’t alone.
“…Ah?”
Mi Hyoran reacted as soon as she saw the other person. She couldn’t see her clearly due to the shadows, but she knew immediately who it was.
“Ahaha.”
The person laughed, a unique, cheerfully high-pitched laughter.
“How…?”
Hearing the laughter confirmed Mi Hyoran’s suspicion. It was someone she knew.
As Mi Hyoran reacted with a rare, shocked tone, the guest began to walk towards her, awkwardly scratching her cheek. The shadows slowly receded, revealing a woman with wavy black hair, wearing a light blue outfit.
Because she was a martial artist, she hadn’t aged as much as Mi Hyoran. Mi Hyoran felt both envious and nostalgic, for the woman looked the same as she had in the past.
“Young Lady Mi.”
“…” Mi Hyoran’s pupils shook at the title she hadn’t heard in decades.
“It’s been a while.” Her shoulders stiffened as the woman greeted her awkwardly.
The woman nervously greeting Mi Hyoran was none other than a blood relative of the Moyong Clan, and a friend who had been interested in the same man as her in the past, the White Ripple Sword, Moyong Biyeon.
Moyong Biyeon stared at Mi Hyoran, who stood frozen like a statue, then she spoke. “Could we have a conversation?” Her tone was shaky.
Mi Hyoran stood silent for a moment, then slightly nodded. The two went inside the inn.
***
“I’m sorry.”
I was met with a sudden apology as I ate breakfast. I gazed at the girl who apologized to me as I took a bite out of a dumpling. She had short black hair and wore a black outfit. It was Peng Ah-hee.
“Uoughwa?”
“…Sorry for interrupting you while you were eating. Can you speak after you are done eating…?”
I gulped down everything in my mouth.
“What are you saying? What’s with the sudden apology?”
When I asked why she was doing this in the morning, Peng Ah-hee spoke, avoiding eye contact.
“I heard… something happened between you and my Lord.”
“Oh.” Is she referring to yesterday?
It seemed she was referring to the incident in the streets last night with the Lord of Peng…
However, I tilted my head.
“It wasn’t me that was involved, though?”
If anything, it was Gu Yeonseo and the White Ripple Sword. I didn’t have a big problem, but Peng Ah-hee continued, a disappointed expression on her face.
“I apologized to Young Lady Gu as well… I’m sorry.”
It seemed she had visited Gu Yeonseo, too. So, Peng Ah-hee was cleaning up the mess her father, the Dao Emperor, had left behind.
She seems perfectly fine… so why does that old man act like that?
It was truly mysterious how the Dao King’s children were perfectly normal while he wasn’t.
Peng Ah-hee was the closest to normal, and Peng Woojin… definitely wasn’t normal, but at least didn’t have a nasty personality like the Dao King.
With that thought, I responded,
“I’ll say it again, but you don’t need to apologize to me.”
“…Okay.” Peng Ah-hee’s expression didn’t improve, but what could I do?
“He… He isn’t normally like that. He just became a bit worse recently…”
Peng Ah-hee said, as if making an excuse.
However, I understood what she meant.
If the Dao King had displayed the same nasty personality yesterday as he had when I broke off the engagement between our clans, things wouldn’t have been so calm.
It seemed like something might have happened to him recently, though I wasn’t that curious. It wasn’t something I was concerned about since it was their problem. I just had to make sure there wasn’t any more conflict between us. I might also become angry if I got involved with him again.
As someone who had met many people like him, I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold back for long. Who knows what I’ll do if I involve myself with the Dao King again?
I also knew it would be problematic to pick fights with one of the Lords from the Four Noble Clans, so it was best to avoid him as much as possible.
In that sense, it was valid to say that the Dao King was nothing more than poop to me. After all, you avoid poop because it’s dirty, not because it’s scary.
“Don’t worry about it. Just eat.”
“…”
“I can tell you starved yourself.”
“It’s fine if I starve a litt—“
“You never know when you’ll collapse if you do that. Just sit down and eat already.”
I was being honest.
I’ve seen too many bastards lose their lives from not being able to fill their stomachs. It’s foolish to starve when you have the choice to eat.
Peng Ah-hee still hesitated, so Tang Soyeol and Wi Seol-Ah, who were next to her, pulled her in and made her sit down.
Namgung Bi-ah was still asleep, and Moyong Hi-ah hadn’t come yet. I’ll have to see her soon, too. It was around time I had to inject heat into Moyong Hi-ah.
But she knew that better than I did, so wouldn’t she come to me anyway? But what if she doesn’t? Do I have to go visit her? I honestly didn’t want to. It was obvious that the White Heavenly Sword was going to be by her side.
Sigh…
Why are these old men giving me so much bullshit?
For some reason, all of the Lords from the Four Noble Clans were out to get me.
Namgung Jin was a bit different now, but the White Heavenly Sword was literally trying to hunt me down, and the way the Dao King glared at me didn’t give me the best feeling.
In that sense, perhaps the Poison King is… the best relatively to other Lords?
When I had that thought, I saw Tang Soyeol differently. Her tastes and appetites might be weird, but she was normal otherwise, like Peng Ah-hee.
Just as I was about to nod, Tang Soyeol spoke as if she had noticed I was thinking about her.
“Oh, right, Master Gu.”
“…Um, yes?”
I stared at her, dumbfounded, as if she had stopped me in my tracks. Tang Soyeol smiled brightly, her usual expression.
“It’s about our trip to Sichuan.”
Oh, it’s for Sichuan? Thank goodness.
I did need to plan for it soon.
Just as I was about to respond, she continued,
“Because of that, my father said he wanted to meet you. Are you free today?”
“…”
My mouth naturally closed.
She was referring to the Poison King. …The Poison King wants to see me?
As chills ran down my back, Tang Soyeol continued.
“He said we’ll be treating you to a meal! We’ll take you to a tasty place!”
“…Oh…”
The Poison King was preparing food for me. Nothing about that was strange, but I felt nervous because of his title.
I’m just mistaken, right?
I had to pray that I was.
***
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