Chapter 94

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Cheong-ra spent the night with his eyes half-open. It wasn't particularly unusual, as he never slept well due to his insomnia. A familiar lethargy from lack of sleep permeated his entire body. As he cleared his mind through energy circulation, he felt ashamed of his useless fantasies from the night before and sternly rebuked himself, resolving to start anew.

Wi Je-ho, Hwan-hong, and Nam Gang-ryong had not returned even by breakfast time. Unable to suppress his worry any longer, Cheong-ra asked Dang Ran-yeong,

"Shouldn't we go out to look for the three of them?"

"They'll manage and come back on their own."

Dang Ran-yeong maintained a completely indifferent attitude. His nonchalance, as if he wouldn't bat an eye even if the three were dead or injured, hurt Cheong-ra's feelings for no reason. Didn't he worry at all about people he had spent more time with than Cheong-ra?

Far from worrying, Dang Ran-yeong was being lazy, barely eating his breakfast. He seemed either intensely preoccupied with some thought or simply bored with everything. This heartless man... As Cheong-ra was looking at him reproachfully, Dang Ran-yeong suddenly narrowed his eyes. He looked Cheong-ra up and down.

"Beauty, are you planning to go out with your hair like that?"

"What? My hair... what's wrong with my hair?"

Naturally, there were no expensive mirrors or dressing tables in the village chief's house. This meant it was difficult for Cheong-ra to check his appearance accurately. Thinking how messy it must be for Dang Ran-yeong to point it out, Cheong-ra hurriedly turned around. He secretly took out a small mirror from his bosom and checked various parts of his hair.

"The collar at the back of your neck is also flipped, and there seems to be something on your elbow and behind your ear..."

"Where? Where?"

"Oh, and the ties of your lower garments don't look good either."

"...!"

As Cheong-ra was struggling to tidy up his unseen back as much as possible, he belatedly realized that Dang Ran-yeong was teasing him. He glared at him in exasperation, but the other was smiling with satisfaction after thoroughly teasing Cheong-ra.

Cheong-ra felt both dumbfounded and somewhat embarrassed. Had Dang Ran-yeong ever teased him like this before? Looking at the other suspiciously, Cheong-ra left the village chief's house.

This small village, which was self-sufficient with crops from fields reclaimed from the mountainside, had already begun its busy day before dawn. Seeing the village that was too busy making a living to have enough manpower to search for the missing children left a bitter taste in his mouth.

'In the end, we didn't find the children in the Blood Cult's mountain fortress yesterday.'

Feeling regretful, Cheong-ra looked around the village in detail. Half hoping to find traces of Yeon Jeok-san, and half wanting to discover Geum Sa-cheon's whereabouts. At that moment, his eyes were once again drawn to the water bowls shimmering faintly on the rooftops. Unable to contain his curiosity, Cheong-ra stopped a passing woman.

"Madam, what are those water bowls on the roofs for?"

The middle-aged woman, startled at being stopped by a stranger, glanced at the sword at Cheong-ra's waist and then answered willingly.

"It's almost the full moon, isn't it? We're welcoming the moon."

"Welcoming the moon?"

"Yes. If you put water in a bowl and place it on the roof, you can receive the moon's good energy. Drinking the water that's been out all night is good for health and brings good fortune."

Hearing the woman's words, Cheong-ra understood. The Central Plains were so vast and populous that folk beliefs varied by region and even by village. Some worshipped tree spirits, others river spirits, others the Dragon King, and so on, with countless varieties and methods.

But was it his imagination, or had he been encountering things related to the moon more frequently lately? It was probably because moon-shaped accessories were in fashion.

"Thank you for telling me. I have one more question: have any other outsiders besides us come to this village recently?"

It was a question with Yeon Jeok-san and Geum Sa-cheon in mind. Fortunately, perhaps because the village was small enough for outsiders to be immediately noticeable, the woman nodded right away. However, she just glanced around without answering, so Cheong-ra took out his money pouch. Only after he offered payment did the woman quickly answer.

"Go all the way to the right from the village entrance."

"Thank you, madam."

After expressing his gratitude, Cheong-ra headed to the place the woman had indicated. It was an old, shabby-looking house with a young child playing in the front yard, sucking their fingers. Though the already missing children were regrettable, at least no more children would go missing now that they had eradicated the Blood Cult members yesterday. Cheong-ra patted the head of the child approaching him with curious eyes and called out loudly,

"Young Master Geum, are you here?"

If it was Geum Sa-cheon, he would come out, and even if it wasn't Geum Sa-cheon but Yeon Jeok-san, he would come out upon hearing Cheong-ra's voice. Fortunately, the person who appeared, opening the door, was Geum Sa-cheon.

"Ah! Young Master Baek, you're safe."

Geum Sa-cheon's face, though welcoming Cheong-ra gladly, didn't look very good. Blood-stained bandages were visible beneath his loosely worn upper garment. Cheong-ra hurriedly stepped inside and asked,

"Are you injured?"

"Shamefully, while chasing the Blood Cult members, I was hit by an arrow that came from somewhere. The injury was quite severe, so I couldn't pursue them any further."

Geum Sa-cheon smiled bitterly. The arrow must have been the work of the one called Yao Guang. He soon asked with a brightened expression,

"What happened to those Blood Cult bastards in the mountain fortress yesterday?"

"Unfortunately, we couldn't find the missing children, but all the Blood Cult members are dead. Such incidents won't happen again."

"That's truly fortunate."

Even hearing this answer didn't bring complete joy. It was because he thought how nice it would have been if the missing children had been in the mountain fortress. Geum Sa-cheon continued,

"I've long known of Moonlight Flashing Sword's reputation, but to think you single-handedly eradicated a mountain fortress full of Blood Cult members, it's truly amazing."

At Geum Sa-cheon's words, Cheong-ra felt ashamed. All he had done was watch over the fleeing Blood Cult members from the mountain fortress. The eradication of the mountain fortress was Dang Ran-yeong's solo achievement, and it was hard to bear hearing it praised as his own.

"No, it's not something worthy of such praise."

However, due to Dang Ran-yeong's warning and the fact that Geum Sa-cheon was a member of the Martial Arts Alliance, he could only give such an answer. Geum Sa-cheon, perhaps taking it as modesty, smiled despite his pale face from pain. He grabbed Cheong-ra's hand and said,

"I would be truly delighted if Young Master Baek would join me."

"Hmm, are you proposing that I join the Martial Arts Alliance, Young Master Geum?"

"You could say that. The Alliance Leader would also be very pleased to welcome Young Master Baek."

Cooperating with Dang Ran-yeong until the World's Greatest Beauty Contest, then parting ways and going to the Martial Arts Alliance. And then helping to eradicate the Blood Cult. It seemed like a pretty good plan. Nevertheless, Cheong-ra couldn't agree immediately and after pondering for a moment, nodded.

"Alright. But I can't join right away. I haven't finished what I need to do yet."

"Ah, I was planning to rest and recover for a while anyway due to my shoulder injury. Then, I'll see you at the Martial Arts Alliance next time, Young Master Baek."

Geum Sa-cheon seemed slightly disappointed but soon hid it with a refreshing smile. They continued to converse, and Cheong-ra could see an upright nature and strong spirit in his eyes and voice. Thinking they could become good friends if they worked together, Cheong-ra promised future plans with him before leaving.

Instead of returning directly to the village chief's house, he walked around the village, looking for any hidden Blood Cult members and checking which routes Wi Je-ho, Nam Gang-ryong, and Hwan-hong might return by. He also paid attention to any signs or gazes secretly observing him, but found no new clues.

As he was wandering around without much result, a light drizzle suddenly fell from the clear sky. It was fascinating to see rain falling while the sun was shining brightly and the clouds looked white and fluffy, so Cheong-ra gazed at it blankly from under the shade of a tree. Then, the thoughts that had occurred to him during his conversation with Geum Sa-cheon filled his mind again.

'Before I knew it, the time we have together is coming to an end...'

The distance from here to Beijing wasn't too far. So the time they had left together was probably about two or three months. A short time if you think it's short, a long time if you think it's long. He tried hard to suppress the growing feeling of regret.

'He is a man bound to be missed.'

Not just any man, but one who seemed to embody the object of Cheong-ra's constant dark fantasies. Who else in the world could be as handsome as Dang Ran-yeong and overwhelmingly stronger than himself? Even if there were such a person, how could they torment him as he desired? As he was feeling regretful due to these thoughts, something else came to mind.

The luxurious and beautiful Pavilion of Golden Fragrance that he frequented, the beautiful moonlit nights they had seen together during their journey. Things like the wine cups they had shared under the moonlight... Or the intensity of the gazes they occasionally exchanged.

Now that he thought about it, Cheong-ra wasn't just attracted to Dang Ran-yeong's forceful aspects. If he had only tormented him, it wouldn't have been this pleasant. After ruthlessly subjugating Cheong-ra each time, Dang Ran-yeong would bestow rewards like sweet rain.

'And why does he play pranks like today? As if we were close, making me feel unnecessarily unsettled.'

Cheong-ra sighed deeply and steeled his heart.