Chapter 161: Growing Pains
Baek Seol-ah was, by nature, far from being sociable.
Because she kept her distance from people due to the terrible Yin-Cold Qi, which could be called the family curse, she was not accustomed to interpersonal relationships; and because she suffered from horrific pain periodically, her personality was also dark.
She herself knew that well.
Therefore, in her childhood, she had loathed her white hair, which was the proof of her Yin-Cold Qi and felt like the culprit behind everything. It would not be an exaggeration to say she had hated it.
Until she met Yeon Cheong-un, who looked at her white hair with envious eyes, calling it beautiful for the first and only time.
Baek Seol-ah learned for the first time then.
That this loathsome and hateful thing could become an object of yearning and envy.
Humans have an instinct to protect themselves.
Baek Seol-ah, too, did not want to be hurt anymore. She wanted to continue being envied.
In that way, Yeon Cheong-un became a standard for Baek Seol-ah.
She always wanted to be an object of yearning in front of Yeon Cheong-un.
She strived to be the perfect older sister he could trust and lean on.
She had certainly been like that until now.
“Uaaaargh!”
Baek Seol-ah rolled around while clutching her head with both hands.
It was because the memory of what happened last autumn flashed through her mind.
“My dignity as an older sister is ruined…”
The incident where she, filled with jealousy, snatched Yi Hwa away and threatened to get angry at Yeon Cheong-un, was still at the level of a mental trauma.
Sometimes, it even appeared in her dreams. Naturally, on those days, she would kick her blankets and stay up all night.
It was a relief that she had not shown Yeon Cheong-un her wild, crazy state of calling Yi Hwa a stray cat; otherwise, she might have become completely unsalvageable.
However, her stomach ached just from what had already transpired.
She still had not been able to talk about that incident frankly with Yeon Cheong-un.
They had buried it as if the incident itself had never happened.
She knew herself that it was merely escaping reality.
It remained in Baek Seol-ah’s own memory, and it remained in the memories of others.
Above all, the biggest problem was that it remained in Yeon Cheong-un’s memory.
Most of all, she was afraid of facing Yeon Cheong-un after that incident.
“Should I ask for advice?”
If it was something she could not resolve on her own, external advice might help.
As she pondered who would be good, her father, Baek Jin-seong, first came to mind, but she soon shook her head.
Consulting her father about such a matter was somewhat embarrassing. She also felt an unknown danger.
“Mother, I have something to consult you about.”
In the end, the person Baek Seol-ah chose was her mother, Han San-wol.
To Baek Seol-ah’s worry, Han San-wol gave a simple solution as if it were no big deal.
“Hmm! I had no need for it since my husband proposed to me, but our Han family has a foolproof method of catching a son-in-law passed down for generations.”
At Han San-wol’s boast, anticipation appeared on Baek Seol-ah’s face.
It felt a bit like a deceiver bragging, which twisted her stomach, but it was well worth enduring.
“You just have to release the Clear Jade True Qi of the tenth stage and tell him to become your man. It is a sure-fire way that all our ancestors succeeded with.”
“……”
This will not do.
This advice is useless.
“Father was a saint.”
“Huh?”
“It’s nothing.”
Retracting herself after receiving her mother’s unhelpful advice, Baek Seol-ah realized.
If she had not met the warm light that was Yeon Cheong-un, she too would have surely ended up no different from her mother.
Fighting to survive amidst bone-chilling pain, resentment toward the world because of it, and loneliness made ending up like that inevitable.
“At least thanks to Father, she acts like a human… wait?”
Feeling her father Baek Jin-seong’s greatness anew, Baek Seol-ah suddenly realized one more thing.
“……I am afraid.”
Baek Seol-ah still wore a hard shell around her heart.
She had only stripped off a part of it toward Yeon Cheong-un.
In some sense, her problem was bigger than her mother Han San-wol’s.
At least Han San-wol’s self-righteous side transformed into recklessness.
To stand by Yeon Cheong-un’s side, she had to shed this shell.
She feared that change.
She was so terrified of their good relationship becoming distorted.
“……Is this what it means to become an adult?”
As one comes to know more, see more, and understand more, one’s fears also grow.
Baek Seol-ah felt a bitter taste spread in her mouth.
The part of her sacrificed freshness tasted of pitch-black burnt ashes.
***
Putting aside the actions of Uncle Baek Jin-seong, who had suddenly caused this event, the priority was to deal with the immediate problem and set a direction.
‘Would it work if I just hid everything?’
The reason the escort agencies of Hubei were gathering in Samyang County was because of the Baek Family Escort.
They wanted to find a reliable center in a difficult and arduous situation and band together tightly.
In other words, since their interest in other things would wane, wouldn’t it be fine if he hid the sensitive matters well and appropriately shifted the burden onto the Baek Family Escort?
“There is no way it will be that easy.”
However, he quickly set aside the optimism based on wishful thinking.
“Just look at how much about me has already been revealed.”
The incident that took place in the courtyard of the Jungshin Merchant Group became the talk of the town for a while.
Although the ones at the center of it were the Bright Fate Escort Agency and Senior Jang Mun-gyeong, the Seamless Heavenly Robe who helped them, my name as well as Baek Mu-ho’s name also became known to some extent.
Considering the time passing through autumn, winter, and then spring, it was more than enough time for the rumors to spread far and wide.
“First of all, they will definitely try to drag me into this…”
The incident of the Defeng Yin Clan was also highly likely to have spread knowingly or unknowingly.
Because the nature of the matter was what it was, the elders kept their mouths shut to some extent, but there was no way such a place disappearing overnight would pass quietly.
“Then the stories of the Divine Monk and Adept Heu-do are also highly likely to be brought up…”
Under such circumstances, there was no way his name wouldn’t come up.
By this point, he understood why the escort agencies of Hubei were flocking to the Baek Family Escort.
“If it really weren’t for Sister Seol-ah’s family, I would just…”
Although he felt a desperate urge to fling everything aside and run away, thinking that it was his karma for the things he had done so far, he could not do so.
“Whew…”
His heart felt heavy as he thought of Sister Seol-ah.
A strong, beautiful, yet fragile person.
I too am immature, but she is a person just as immature as me.
“It’s okay. I can wait.”
Ignorance is the privilege of the young. It is another name for youthful vigor.
However, I was not young. I am in a position where I must not be young.
Even if he knew that hard times lay ahead, he had to hold on firmly and keep his place.
He was already all too familiar with enduring hardships.
While he was gathering his mind in his own way, a tickling sensation suddenly rose on both his cheeks. It seemed to be Sang-hwa’s own way of comforting him.
“……”
Yi Hwa, who noticed that as sharp as a ghost, stared at him intently.
“Are you jealous again?”
“……I am not.”
“You are.”
For some unknown reason, Yi Hwa behaved like a child uniquely when it came to Sang-hwa.
“Sigh, you kids.”
He placed one hand on Yi Hwa, and the other on the back of his own head, stroking them.
Only then did he see Yi Hwa’s expression calm down a bit.
“Let’s go. For a while, it seems we will be busy with other things instead of training.”
***
At first, he thought of hiding as much as possible to avoid annoying tasks.
However, after piecing together the current circumstances, he judged that now was actually the time to reveal it.
“This will be a good opportunity to properly lend strength to the Bright Fate Escort Agency as well.”
He was not helping simply because he felt sorry for the plight of the Bright Fate Escort Agency.
It was purely in the hope that even one more talented person would encounter the Sixteen Forms and open their eyes to the righteous martial arts.
The Bright Fate Escort Agency had to become a gateway for the righteous path.
It was a gathering place for most of the escort agencies in Hubei. If something happened here, its impact would inevitably be huge.
It was the perfect place to make the name of the Bright Fate Escort Agency known.
If they could secure safety by clearly showing that the Bright Fate Escort Agency had a formidable backer, and as a bonus, let it be known that the Sixteen Forms was a training martial art recognized by the Divine Monk and Senior Jang Mun-gyeong, it would be a perfect conclusion.
However, for this, the martial arts of the Bright Fate Escort Agency had to show a certain level, but he was not too worried about this part.
‘Senior Jang Mun-gyeong said Escort Leader Myeong Il-seo’s martial arts have become quite decent, right?’
Senior Jang Mun-gyeong, who was highly interested in the Sixteen Forms, had frequently dropped by the Bright Fate Escort Agency over the winter.
He said that Escort Leader Myeong Il-seo, who had built his foundation through the Sixteen Forms, had achieved significant accomplishments thanks to the occasional guidance from Senior Jang Mun-gyeong who dropped by.
Making such rapid achievements with the Sixteen Forms, which could be called a righteous martial art, was impossible without bone-shattering effort.
He was already looking forward to seeing how much he had grown.
On the other hand, there were things that had to be actively hidden despite this situation.
“I am sorry, but I would like the people of the Demonic Cult not to leave the residence for a while.”
“We receive your command.”
Old Man Jong, the monster Vajra Iron Demonic Sovereign who was on par with the Divine Monk, bowed his head politely at his instruction.
Seeing him obey unconditionally as if the option to refuse never existed from the start made him feel even more apologetic.
Perhaps noticing this, Old Man Jong smiled quietly.
“Our greatest joy is serving the Heavenly Demon. We are the kind of people who find more joy in a single word of command from the Heavenly Demon than any treasure in the world. Whatever the instruction, it does not matter. Please just drive us like cattle or horses.”
Whether to call this loyalty or fanaticism.
‘It’s burdensome.’
Yet, they were people he could not lay down.
As long as he inherited the lineage of Master Heavenly Demon and kept Yi Hwa by his side, they were people he had to carry.
‘What can be a reward for the loyalty they offer?’
At that moment, an unknown urge welled up inside him.
“Let’s climb the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains together someday.”
The words born of that urge slipped out of his mouth of their own accord.
The aftermath was huge.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The demons, each of whom was an extraordinary master, performed the five-body throw, slamming their heads on the ground.
“We will dedicate our lives!”
Dozens of demons instantly unleashed a storm-like momentum.
And then they dispersed like mist.
It was truly a grand sight.
Yi Hwa watched it with a proud face.
‘It’s really burdensome, seriously…’
Though he himself regretted the words he uttered a little.
***
With the request to the Demonic Cult people as the last thing, he finished preparing to welcome the guests from outside.
Around the time he hoped that the reconciliation between the escort agencies would take place quietly without any problems.
“Already?”
A group of travelers pulling carts could be seen entering the village.
On the flag hoisted on the cart, the characters Daejin were engraved.
“Oh! It looks like we are the first to arrive?”
“It’s obvious that it will be hard to find a place to sleep if we are late, so this is good.”
Conversations flowed from among the procession.
While most of it was general small talk, there were also people sharing an unusual story.
“If all the mountain bandits gather in one place, merchant groups won’t even need to look for escort agencies, so our livelihood will be cut off? Ay! Don’t worry! If that happens, I’ll set up a mountain fortress myself and rob all those merchant groups that put on airs! Well, I’ll collect a particularly cheap toll from the Daejin Escort Agency!”
It seemed there was a crazy guy in that escort agency.
For some reason, the reconciliation between the escort agencies did not seem likely to happen quietly.