Book 28 Chapter 2

Horandro Kang

-Mother-daughter reunion

Shoot!

Rain is falling. It rained even though the sky was blue and clear.

This happened after the ascension of a single water dragon, accompanied by the terrifying Dragon Power Wind.

When the dragon's ascension was over and the raging waves had subsided, the fishermen in the vicinity began to gossip about how they had witnessed the dragon's ascension and pointed in its direction. They didn't want to incur the dragon's wrath. None of them thought it was the work of a man.

The fishermen, bowing in their boats, were stunned to see a boat sliding across the surface of the lake through the dripping rain at a limited spot. Scattering to and fro against the ship's junk were the wreckage of the sunken ships that had been devoured by the ascended dragon just moments before.

Even the most skillful sailor is helpless when caught in a whirlwind like the one just before. All they can do is bask in the immensity of nature and be torn to pieces, which is why their astonishment is so great. They couldn't understand how a ship could slip away from the very spot where a natural disaster had swept through.

"A ghost ship?

The fishermen of Dongjing Lake could only watch the ship pass by with their mouths agape.

He pinches himself vigorously on the cheek.

The people aboard the suspected ghost ship were not ghosts at all; they were Bi Ryuyeon, who had just rescued Na Yerin and escaped from the Heavenly Pavilion.

The shock of losing Tang Wenhye had subdued the mood on board the ship.

They've lost a colleague they thought they'd never lose. One of them, the one they thought they would always have, is gone, forever.

It was so unexpected that everyone just stood there in a daze, forgetting to express their anger or sadness.

If the great brother Bi Ryuyeon hadn't single-handedly blocked the attacks of him, Xu Tian, and the first ten thousand, they would have all perished by suicide.

Namgung-san's heartbreak was especially great, and he squatted down with self-pity and guilt, not saying a word.

"Don't feel so bad, Sang, it's not your fault."

The lesser spirit gently patted Namgungsang's shoulder, comforting him.

"No, it's my fault."

Namgungsang shook his head.

"Temporary, yes, but I, and no one else, was the leader of the envoys, and I was also the leader of the main troupe. Once in charge, I have a duty to lead them well."

But as you can see, the results were disastrous.

"You've fought well enough, so don't be so hard on yourself, don't give yourself any more whiplash."

Watching from the sidelines, her heart ached even more. But whether he knew her feelings or not, Namgungsang shook his head and continued.

"It's not the role of a captain to always be the first to fight. A captain must be able to recognize when to fight and when not to fight, but I…… I couldn't stop Tang San, who was recklessly charging, so I ended up……."

Namgungsang was unable to continue. The pain was too much.

"I am responsible for my inexcusable failure to lead my coworkers."

The melancholy was beginning to creep back into his face. Qin Lie looked at him and sighed.

"How do you like……?"

In response to the Southern Palace Lord's question, Qin Lie sighed heavily and spoke in a bitter tone.

"He hasn't woken up yet because he's been given a blood transfusion, and I'm worried that he might be too traumatized to wake up."

"Well done. You're probably in too much of a state for your mind to handle, and I'd rather you were unconscious."

Namgungsang, a twin like Dangsam, had some idea of what it was like to lose one of the twins.

He'd felt a similar sensation when he'd heard that Nan Gongshan had been seriously injured. Of course, the intensity of the sensation was dozens of times weaker than what Tang San felt, but it was still a chilling sensation at the bottom of his heart, as if a part of his body was being ripped away.

"When do you want to wake him up?"

"Let's leave it to marinate for now."

Everyone was mentally exhausted from escaping their own deaths. In this weakened state of mind, if Tang San were to cry, rant, and rave, reminding them of Tang Wen Hye, everyone would be caught up in the emotional whirlwind.

"That's not good, it's just going to make you more mentally damaged and more drained.

Still they floated on Dongjung Lake. The wind was carrying them forward, but they were still in the middle of enemy territory. It was a place where anything could happen, and they couldn't afford to weaken themselves further than they already were.

They hadn't even had time to mourn the death of a colleague or friend yet.

It wasn't until we made our way out of here and arrived at Kanghor Land that we met up with Yin Dao, Ice Sword Nosa, Ami Goddess Qin Yueqiao, and Divining First Sword Yue Yunsheng.

He'd already lost one; another had lost his right arm forever. His sister was in a coma from her injuries, and an old friend had swallowed a poison to save her and was now addicted. There was no way he could allow any more tragedies to soak his workshop in blood.

"Never!

I didn't want to feel this terrible sense of loss and grief again.

"What would my big brother say if he woke up?

I figured a punch in the face would loosen up the knot in my stomach.

But the big brother was still lying on Na Yerin's lap pillow, unwilling to get up.

My brother-in-law lying down and me giving him a lap pillow.

How many people would believe that Na Yerin, the Ice White Peak of Heaven, would do such a thing for them? But Na Yerin's expression remained silent.

* * *

It was somehow familiar.

'Before you know it…….'

She was surprised that it was somehow familiar after only doing it twice.

The idea of lending her lap as a pillow to a sleeping man was unthinkable. Wasn't she the kind of woman who didn't even want the hem of her dress to touch another person?

But now, she was running her fingers through the hair of the man who had fallen asleep on her lap. She even stroked it gently.

He still hadn't opened his eyes. He must have been very, very tired.

I'm lying down and my bangs are still covering my eyes.

Not many people have seen the back of those bangs.

"If I remove this hair with my hands right now, Ryuyeon won't be able to rebel at all, will she?

Na Yerin thought as she ran her fingers through Biyouyan's bangs.

All she had to do was move her hand slightly to the left and right a few times, and her face would be revealed to the world.

"Just a little?

Despite the naughty thought, Na Yerin could only smile. It would be disrespectful of Bi Ryuyeon's wishes, and she didn't want to playfully steal a peek into his eyes.

As she thought about it, Na Yerin gasped inwardly.

"Why am I doing this?

This was not the mindset of the old Na Yerin, the Bingbai Feng. The old Na Yerin would never have thought of this. She tried to avoid feeling and overthinking whenever possible. It was her way of protecting her heart.

But when I met Bi Ryuyeon, the ice began to melt, one by one, and something was about to come out.

It was like something had changed inside of him.

'What a joke…….'

Something the old her would never have imagined.

Na Yerin gazed up at the sky as she rearranged her hair, which she had been trying to get rid of from side to side.

The sky is blue.

Clouds drift freely in the wind. A bird flies across the sky.

High and high, toward the edge of the blue sky.

It felt as if a shackle had been loosened that had held her down for a long time, a hard, tough shackle that had held her back in the past.

It seemed like she could fly now.

High, very high.

Fortunately, there were no more tracks. A cold moon was rising over the horizon on the other side of the dusky lake.

The boat with Bi Ryuyeon's group sailed away from the busy marina to a less populated shore.

When we pulled up to the dock, there were a lot of eyes on us, so I had already identified a good spot to park the boat.

Beneath the rising moon, in the darkness, stood a man.

Sleek contours. A figure that exudes grace just by standing.

As soon as she saw him, Na Yerin's face lit up with delight. Na Yerin launched herself at the person before the ship had even touched the dock.

"Mother!"

Waiting for their return on the dock was Ye Qing, a beautiful woman whose face was reminiscent of the cold moonlight of a crescent moon.

Her skin was once as white as the moon, but now it was as pale as the waning moon. She had been standing here like a ghost for hours now, not taking a single step.

She was not a fan of prayer. She believed that people should be able to solve problems in this world through their own strength, and that it was too lazy to ask the heavens for help before they had even tried.

But so far, all she could do was pray, alas. So she prayed. For hours on end. Waiting for them to bring her daughter, praying to the heavens over and over again.

How can a mother whose daughter has been kidnapped be at peace? Ye Qing's heart was very uneasy as she waited.

"Is this going to be okay, or is it going to be bad?

It was a tough experience that I don't want to taste again.

That wasn't the only thing I was worried about.

She couldn't imagine how deeply this would scar her daughter's heart again. That's what crushed her heart the most.

"Are you okay, are you sure you're okay?"

Ye Qing's voice was filled with worry as she asked and asked and asked.

"Yes, Mother, I'm fine."

It wasn't a bluff. No matter how expressionless her daughter was, her mom could tell. And somehow, she felt like she was more expressive than before.

"Really, even though you were taken by him?"

But again, I ask if it's not reassuring.

"Don't worry, Mother. I'm not afraid of him anymore, because nothing happened."

Na Yerin's words were gentle, but powerful.

'This child…….'

Ye Qing was stunned.

When she returned, her face was brighter than she had ever imagined. Not a shade of color.

Instead of being scarred, he seemed to have come out the other side.

Bluffing? No. It wasn't a bluff.

What the heck happened in that short time…….

'It's different…….'

I could tell because I'm a mom. I'm a mom who's been around since she was a little girl and watched her grow up.

That something in her had changed. That she had come back much stronger. That she no longer needed protection.

"You're strong, daughter."

Na Yerin smiled slightly, then looked back with a warm gaze.

"Yeah, it's all because of him."

Ye Qing's gaze followed Na Yerin's in surprise. Then,

Puck!

Suddenly, in the direction of Na Yerin and Ye Qing's gaze, a dull thud rang out from the ship ahead of them, followed by the sound of shouting.

What in the world is all this fuss about breaking up an emotional reunion with my daughter?

Ye Qing's brow furrowed spontaneously.

The commotion on board the ship was punctuated by someone's panicked voice.

"Dae, Dae, what the hell are you doing?"

And the condescending voice that follows.

"Can't you tell by looking at it? It's a hole in the ship."

Sure enough, the boat her daughter was on was slowly tilting to one side.

"I mean, why poke a hole in a perfectly good ship!"

"Evidence destroyed!"

"Boo, the wounded can't even swim, what are we supposed to do?"

"You're on your own. I'll go first, since the boat won't sink all the way to the shore."

A figure flew toward Ye Qing and Ye Lin from the sinking ship. It was Bi Ryuyeon, a young man dressed in a black robe with loose sleeves and long bangs.

As he brushed off his sleeve, Na Yerin naturally moved to stand beside him with a gentle smile, the "him" in "thanks to him" necessarily referring to this guy.

'Because of him? I can't believe how easily the words 'because of a man' came out of this kid's mouth…….'

As a mother, how could she not be surprised. Ye Qing's eyes stare at Bi Ryuyeon as if to dissolve her.

The man who caused this change in his daughter.

'Did I mention that the name is definitely Bi Ryuyeon…….'

Normally, I'd be quick to dismiss a horse's bones, but if he's a good influence on Yerin, I think it's worth keeping an eye on him.

Of course, her husband would be completely against the idea, as he's a horse's ass, a man, for better or worse, but as a mom, she had to think about her daughter's future. She has a relatively normal way of thinking, unlike her husband, who says things like, "Isn't being a daughter supposed to mean living with your dad for the rest of your life, without marriage or anything?

Of course, she had pretty much given up, as she had never thought her daughter would be capable of marriage, let alone a relationship. Her daughter was so disgusted with men that she had no intention of forcing her to marry unless it was a match made in heaven.

But for once, he dared to claim that he was important to Yerin. He was even claiming to be more than that. What's amazing is that she doesn't deny it. It means that she has accepted this man in her heart on some level.

In any case, it was definitely a good sign to see such a change in my daughter, who in the past had a phobia of all men and was reluctant to even approach them, let alone touch them.

Ye Qing's gaze swept over to Bi Ryuyeon.

"Is she really going to be the vessel? Or is she just a pretty face?

The child had been captured by 'that bastard', and Na Yerin had sworn that she had saved him, so he was not a bluffer.

'This child should have a man's eye, just like his mother…….'

Whether this guy is a real exhaust or a fluke remains to be seen, but for the time being, I decided it wasn't a bad idea to leave it alone.

It was a motherly decision.

But by no means had he fully embraced it yet.

Never.

Why was her mother staring at Ryuyeon? It's like she's trying to dismantle him from head to toe, but she's not really angry at him or pushing him away.

Before the emotional afterglow of the mother-daughter reunion had worn off, a suspicion grew in Na Yerin's mind.

She vividly remembered her mother filling in for her with two unyielding swords when her father was too busy to chase away the men who came after them. But now, even though Bi Ryuyeon was standing so close to her, almost shoulder to shoulder, her mother was turning a blind eye.

"How am I supposed to think about this?

To tolerate this level of "access" is to say that…….

Then he realizes something and is surprised.

"Why am I bothering with this now?

Na Yerin shook her head inwardly, surprised that her thoughts had gone so far. Her face felt slightly hot, but fortunately, out of old habit, she kept her face expressionless. Her skin hadn't turned red either, thanks to the Han Sangok Spirit God.

Hagiya, even if her mother turned a blind eye, she still had the impenetrable wall of her father, so it wouldn't change much for the time being.

A father who loses his temper and reason when his daughter's work is involved. A troubled but caring father.

"By the way, what happened to your father?"

She had heard through Bi Ryuyeon that her father, Na Baiqian, had traveled to the Black Heavenly Blind for her. Somehow, she had to tell her father that she was safe. It was impossible for her to send word to him with her thunder hawk, so she had put it off until now.

"Oh, by the way, I haven't told your dad yet that you're back safely, so I'm going to send him a backsum right now."

As Ye Qing took the new flute from her arms and blew on it, a pure white hawk swooped down from somewhere in the sky and landed on her right arm. It was a white-feathered falcon, unlike the blue-feathered thunder falcons that Ye Qing and Bai Chen had raised together. It was also an elegant and proud female.

"It's not too late to do it now."

Ye Qing scribbled a short note, then tucked it into the telegraph on Bai Xiu's leg.

"I beg of you, White Sailor, I can only rely on your two strong wings now. Please deliver this news to him as soon as possible."

Ye Qingyu lightly kissed the bird's beak and sent it flying into the sky.

As if to answer her words,

peeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

With a high-pitched cry, the white sum flew off into the darkening sky.

Little did anyone here realize at the time that this backsum would not return.

-All done.

That's what everyone was thinking.