Book 11 Chapter 16

What is love?

"How about Jinseol? Are things going well with the person you like these days?"

Eun Seol-ran asked Lee Jin-seol with a smile. Eun Seol-ran was the only one among them who brought up topics like dating, love, or men.

That's why Lee Jin-seol liked Eun Seol-ran. She didn't dislike being with Na Ye-rin and Dokgo Ryeon, but they were about a million years away from such topics.

'Men? Useless things!' Dokgo Ryeon had told her one day. It was a statement that perfectly captured Dokgo Ryeon's gaze towards men. The group had stopped for a moment to rest.

They were on the road from Xiangyang, Hubei Province, to Gucheng, at quite a high elevation. A little further from here, they would enter the territory of the Wudang Sect.

Because the elevation was high, the scenery of the lower ground came into clear view. The land was a golden wave of ripe grain in late autumn. Gentle ripples stirred across the golden sea in the autumn wind.

"Hurry and tell me. Come on, come on!"

Eun Seol-ran urged.

"Well, that…"

Lee Jin-seol blushed and subtly glanced towards Hyoryong. He was engrossed in a conversation with Jang Hong next to him.

'Why is that old man so talkative?'

Lee Jin-seol became angry for no reason. Her beautiful eyebrows shot up.

"I don't know. Lately, I guess I like men more than women. Hmph!"

Lee Jin-seol turned her head, pouting. She had been quite upset lately because Hyoryong hadn't been paying much attention to her. For Hyoryong, it was to be mindful of others' eyes, but such reasons didn't work on Lee Jin-seol, who was a principle-first, action-oriented person.

Eun Seol-ran smiled as if she already knew, without even hearing the answer. Lee Jin-seol had a very easy-to-understand personality. That's why she felt so cute.

"Are things going well with Young Master Bi these days?"

The arrow of questioning now turned to Na Ye-rin. She had ended up here because she was caught by Eun Seol-ran, but she had never imagined being asked such a question out of the blue.

"What? What are you talking about…?"

Na Ye-rin asked, flustered.

"Come on, don't try to trick me. I have a good eye for people, you know. Honestly, you're interested, right? You like him, don't you?"

Eun Seol-ran sounded like a judge telling her to confess honestly because she knew everything.

"I'm not interested."

Na Ye-rin replied curtly. However, Eun Seol-ran noticed the subtle stir hidden beneath that expressionless and curt demeanor. It was a very faint stir, but she knew that for this ice princess to show such emotion was a significant event.

As expected, Eun Seol-ran was a difficult opponent for Na Ye-rin. Her words always had a peculiar power to fluster Na Ye-rin.

"Oh my! You really are interested, aren't you? Actually, everyone is dying to know what happened in that darkness for those 44 days after Huanmadong collapsed."

Na Ye-rin was momentarily flustered by the mention of Huanmadong and vehemently denied it.

"W-who would be curious about something like that! Something so trivial!"

"Oh? That's absolutely not true. More than two-thirds of the male escorts here are already going crazy wondering about it. Some people would think it's worth a thousand gold pieces if only they knew what happened in there."

'If I could offer a thousand gold pieces, finding Ryu Yeon might be the fastest way!'

Na Ye-rin thought subconsciously. The success rate would probably be 100%.

"And one girl right before my eyes is also wondering about that with a pounding heart."

"Hehehe!"

The dream-filled girl Eun Seol-ran pointed to was Lee Jin-seol. Lee Jin-seol, who had been participating in their conversation, scratched the back of her head and smiled shyly, sticking out her tongue.

Na Ye-rin shook her head as if to say she was an incorrigible child.

"Did something really happen in there?"

Eun Seol-ran continued to ask teasingly.

"Nothing like what Young Lady Eun imagines ever happened."

To Eun Seol-ran's surprise, Na Ye-rin's firm answer made her clap her hands with delight.

"Oh my, if nothing like that happened, then something else *did* happen!"

Naive Na Ye-rin was no match for Eun Seol-ran in such matters. She hadn't become an investigator for the Black Demonic Alliance for fun.

"Th-that…"

Without even waiting to hear Na Ye-rin's excuse, Eun Seol-ran continued.

"So, even though nothing happened on the surface, there was a change within yourself, is that what you mean?"

Her words were like a sharp dagger piercing Na Ye-rin's heart. Did Eun Seol-ran also have mind-reading abilities like herself? Na Ye-rin's flustered gaze met Eun Seol-ran's. Eun Seol-ran smiled brightly as their eyes met.

"That look seems to be asking how I knew. I could never read Ye-rin's expressions before, but today, emotions are frequently showing on your face. You've definitely softened a lot since that day. Even if you don't want to admit it, the facts don't change. Why is it only when someone's name comes up? You're usually so cold, I thought you were carved from ice."

Na Ye-rin felt a jolt at the fact that she was being perceived that way. Lately, she had a strong feeling that her emotions were rebelling against her. Why did others feel it when she didn't?

"If you ask how I know, it's simple. It's only natural for emotions to change when a man and a woman spend 44 days alone together in a confined space. Regardless of the form it takes, a change is bound to occur. Especially when you're on the brink of life and death."

There was no fault in Eun Seol-ran's observations. Not satisfied yet, Eun Seol-ran delivered the final blow.

"I heard it. I heard Ye-rin affectionately call Young Master Bi 'Ryu Yeon.' Who else could possibly be called by name by the cold Ice Princess Ye-rin? And in such a sweet voice."

A triumphant smile flickered across Eun Seol-ran's face.

"Oh my, Unni! Is that true?"

Lee Jin-seol exclaimed in surprise and asked.

Dokgo Ryeon, who had been listening, looked as if she would immediately go and lop off that guy—Bi Ryu Yeon—if it were true. Her protection of her junior sister was so devoted that it sometimes went too far. To her, Bi Ryu Yeon was not the first man to bring sunshine to her junior sister's cold heart, but a malicious spirit leading her astray.

"…"

Ye-rin remained silent. The cold Ice Princess had no counterargument to Eun Seol-ran's coherent words. And she had no intention of stopping her. Eun Seol-ran's words made her feel as if her own confused emotions were being neatly sorted out.

'Is that really true?' The doubt she had held was replaced with 'Maybe it is true' after hearing all of Eun Seol-ran's words.

'But is it really true?'

She still wasn't sure about that.

A smile touched Eun Seol-ran's lips as she looked at Na Ye-rin, who was lost in thought. She seemed much more human and humane now than her usual self, which was as cold as shards of moonlight. Na Ye-rin's appearance seemed to amuse Eun Seol-ran greatly.

"I'm telling you this as a woman who was once consumed by the passion of a terrible love, so you can believe me. My first love ended in tragedy, but Ye-rin is just beginning. Fall in love. No matter what sadness, pain, or anguish it brings, love is beautiful. It's worth trying. You might not realize it yet, but someday you'll feel that what exists within your heart is love. A mysterious uninvited guest who has crept up beside you."

As she spoke, Eun Seol-ran's gaze was directed not at the present but at a distant past. A lonely smile, like that of a barren early winter, hung on her lips.

"Does Unni not have a fated lover?"

Perhaps because she was still young, Lee Jin-seol, who hadn't fully grasped the atmosphere, chose a topic that was quite unsuitable for the moment.

"Jinseol!"

Na Ye-rin tried to stop her, but it was too late. A sad and lonely smile spread across Eun Seol-ran's lips, her eyes filled with a wistful gaze.

"I did. There was once someone who was like my entire world, but I can no longer meet him. He loved to travel, so he went to a place where I can no longer meet him. A very far away place. Leaving me alone here."

'It hurts…'

Na Ye-rin felt a moment of heart-wrenching sadness and regret flood into her chest. What was it that made her frozen heart feel so poignant? Clearly, Eun Seol-ran was at the center of that cause. But she couldn't bring herself to ask her about that love. How deep a wound had that love left in Eun Seol-ran's heart? What was she seeing now?

No one answered.

"Huh? Oh my? Why is everyone's mood so down and gloomy? Lift your faces. Your faces! Anyone would think someone had died."

Realizing her mistake after inadvertently dampening the mood, Eun Seol-ran tried to salvage the situation. To get so caught up in a story like this… it seemed the wounds in her heart hadn't fully healed yet.

As if shaking off her sadness, Eun Seol-ran spoke in an even brighter voice.

"That man might be a good man. It's not something an ordinary person could do to move the Ice Princess's heart this much. I can't be sure if he's a good man, but I can guarantee he's an interesting man."

Eun Seol-ran raised her jade-like transparent finger and pointed towards Bi Ryu Yeon, who was gazing towards the horizon. Bi Ryu Yeon was looking intently at something in the distance. And a short distance away stood Mo Yong-hwi, alone. He was still a beautiful youth, so much so that calling him beautiful was an understatement. The word 'perfect' seemed to exist for him.

"Don't be too sad, Unni! You have Young Master Mo Yong. He's a top-tier groom candidate. A difference of three to four years in age is nothing. I'm sure Young Master Mo Yong wouldn't reject a beauty like Unni."

Lee Jin-seol said spiritedly. It was her way of comforting. A smile bloomed on Eun Seol-ran's lips once more. This time, it was a gentle and warm smile, like early spring.

"That's right. He's a top-tier man. What woman wouldn't want to capture such a wonderful man? He must have made countless women shed tears. You're a bad person. Of course, not intentionally. Hohoho!"

"Kyahaha!"

Eun Seol-ran and Lee Jin-seol burst into laughter at the same time.

"Hahaha! What's so amusing that you'd give me the honor of joining, even as a mere mortal?"

The one who interrupted their conversation was Shin Yu-seong, the protagonist of the Azure Shadow Sword and one of the Four Strongmen from the previous Huashan Gathering. His gaze was focused on Eun Seol-ran, suggesting that she was his tentative target.

"I'm sorry, but this is a place where secret conversations between women are happening, so men can't join."

Eun Seol-ran politely refused with a smile, without a hint of displeasure.

"Hahaha! Did I make a mistake then? In that case, would you grant me the honor of speaking with a beautiful lady later, Miss Eun?"

"I'm sorry. I'm quite shy. But if you seem more attractive than that person, I might consider it."

"Hoho? You mean that person over there?"

Shin Yu-seong looked at the person with a look of interest. Eun Seol-ran's jade finger pointed at Mo Yong-hwi.

"Yes! That person."

Na Ye-rin, Lee Jin-seol, and Dokgo Ryeon couldn't fathom what she was thinking.

"Very well. Just watch. I will prove to you that I am a more dashing man than him."

He seemed confident. There weren't many men in the current martial arts world who could openly challenge the Seven Virtuous Sword, Mo Yong-hwi.

"I'll look forward to it!"

A smile that predicted a storm formed between Eun Seol-ran's red lips.

Kukukukuku!

The sound that shook the earth lightly vibrated the air. Following the source of the sound, her eyes spotted a dust cloud stretching from the distant mountain to their location.

"They're coming back now."

Bi Ryu Yeon turned his head and directed his gaze towards the source of the mysteriously beautiful voice. It was Na Ye-rin.

"How strange! Ye-rin coming forward first!"

Bi Ryu Yeon said with a joyful laugh. Frankly, he was extremely happy. It had never happened before. Then Na Ye-rin urgently changed the subject.

"Will they succeed this time?"

Na Ye-rin asked in a pained voice. The members of the Vermilion Bird Brigade were lucky to receive her concern. A group of people was now rushing fiercely towards Bi Ryu Yeon and Na Ye-rin. However, the dust cloud was divided into a front line and a second line.

What started with 16 people had now increased one by one, reaching nearly 30. The speed difference between the skilled and the unskilled had caused them to split into two groups. The leading group consisted of 20 people, 16 of whom were Vermilion Bird Brigade members. They were now accustomed to running.

The leading group members flashed past the two like warhorses. A huge gust of wind swept past the two.

The first one was Namgung Sang. He upheld the dignity of the Vermilion Bird Brigade leader. Namgung Sang was getting stronger day by day without even realizing it himself. Although he didn't seem to be aware of it.

"Huff huff huff!"

Namgung Sang, who arrived in a state on the verge of collapse, panted and anxiously looked at the incense burner.

'Is it… success?'

Not only Namgung Sang but also dozens of other eyes that rushed in followed the incense stick. The incense was still burning well.

The remaining incense was one, two, and a half.

"Waaaaah!"

A cheer erupted.

Tears welled up in their eyes. They had finally won their battle against themselves, nature, and the malice of Yeom-do. Tears were about to well up from the emotion. The training in Yeom-do had been that difficult.

"Hmm…"

Yeom-do looked at his disciples, who were on the verge of collapse, a mixture of exhaustion, joy, and ecstasy on their faces. The flesh on his cheeks twitched. Was he forcibly suppressing his joy? Yeom-do, glancing alternately at the incense stand and his disciples, said indifferently, contrary to his feelings.

"You're finally a bit faster now. It seems you've finally shed your caterpillar skin."

It was a harsh remark. The surroundings suddenly became quiet as if cold water had been thrown on them.

"…But I'll praise you. Well done!"

Was this one word of praise so difficult to give? He quickly turned his head away. If he looked any longer, he felt he might burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"Waaaah! We did it! We did it!"

The Vermilion Bird Brigade members hugged each other and celebrated. They wouldn't have to run until their hearts burst anymore. They had succeeded in making the round trip to the summit of the distant mountain before three incense sticks had burned out.

On their way to Huashan, they had to run whenever they saw a mountain in the distance. This was to strengthen their stamina and internal energy. None of the mountains Yeom-do chose were easy. There had been a continuous series of failures. They had exhausted too much energy reaching the summit, and there wasn't enough strength left for the return. But surrender was not allowed. The challenges continued. And they finally succeeded.

While the Vermilion Bird Brigade members rejoiced, shouting victory songs after winning a brutal battle that was almost as fierce as a bloodbath, someone quietly got up and disappeared into the forest. But no one paid attention to him, so no one noticed his disappearance. Except for one person.

'Huh? Where is that guy going?'

Bi Ryu Yeon's eyes didn't miss that fact. It was Yoon Jun-ho, who was being teased as a coward by those around him.