Chapter 109
"Ah, ma'am?"
Seomun Da-yeon's eyes widened in shock.
Ma'am! Ma'am, she said!
She was still a maiden who hadn't even reached her twentieth year! Calling a maiden "ma'am"!
This was humiliating.
"Ma'am, you say!"
"I get it, so move aside a bit. I'm dying from the weight."
Only then did Seomun Da-yeon realize what situation she was in. She had covered the man's mouth and buried her head in his chest, so she was practically half-embracing him while mounted on top.
Seomun Da-yeon's face flushed red to her ears as she hurriedly backed away.
"Mmph."
The man sat up and tapped his stiff back.
"What kind of misfortune is this when I was sleeping peacefully?"
Irritation showed on the man's face.
Of course, Seomun Da-yeon could fully understand the man's mood. Even she would be displeased if someone suddenly appeared while she was sleeping well and covered her mouth and grabbed her neck.
More precisely, she would feel not just displeasure but infinite hostility toward the person.
"I apologize."
Being called "ma'am" was unpleasant, but since she had done wrong first, it was right to apologize. Having been born and raised in a prestigious family, she had been taught to thoroughly maintain proper manners.
"What is this all about?"
"…I should naturally explain, but the current situation doesn't seem good for explanations."
While speaking, Seomun Da-yeon observed the man's appearance.
His clothes were ordinary hemp garments, nothing special. What caught her attention was the man's face.
'How should I interpret this?'
He was handsome.
Definitely handsome.
He certainly wasn't at the level of legendary beauties like Song Yu or Pan An, but he had the kind of handsome face that would make you turn your head for a second glance if you passed him on the street.
But what if that handsome face was covered with drool marks and dried eye mucus?
Generally, handsomeness and filthiness don't harmonize well, do they?
While Seomun Da-yeon was pondering how to interpret the man before her, the man stretched.
"Haaam."
After stretching lazily, the man stared directly at Seomun Da-yeon and asked.
"Aren't you leaving?"
"Pardon? Leaving?"
"If you're done with your business, shouldn't you be going?"
Well, that's true.
That's true, but…
"What about you, young master?"
"Me?"
The man chuckled.
"I woke up from sleep, so I should go back to sleep."
Seomun Da-yeon's face hardened slightly.
'Dangerous.'
Although they had passed by unknowingly this time, if they continued to fail to find her trail, the probability was high that those chasing her would return.
This time she had managed to fool them, but when they returned, they would examine the surroundings more carefully. In that case, even if she stayed here, the probability of being discovered was high.
And if they were discovered?
Death.
Those chasing her were ruthless people without blood or tears. They weren't the type to spare unrelated people.
Then the man before her would suffer misfortune while sleeping innocently and without guilt. Because Seomun Da-yeon had led them here.
'I can't.'
Seomun Da-yeon couldn't stand to see that happen.
"It's dangerous to stay here."
"Huh?"
The man tilted his head as if he didn't understand.
"Why?"
Seomun Da-yeon had no choice but to sigh.
Hadn't he seen and heard such things just now, yet still couldn't grasp the situation?
"There are people chasing me."
"They're not chasing me."
"They won't spare anyone who stands out."
"Then just don't stand out."
"That's not easy. Considering their martial prowess…"
"You didn't get caught earlier."
Veins began to bulge on Seomun Da-yeon's forehead.
He wasn't exactly saying anything wrong, but something kept irritating her. Whether it was his tone or the content… having this conversation made her feel something constantly welling up inside.
But now wasn't the time to feel such things. Time was urgent.
"That was just luck. If you continue to stay here, young master, you won't be able to see tomorrow morning's sunrise."
"I don't think I've ever seen a sunrise in my life."
"…"
Not knowing that what the man was saying was truth rather than sarcasm, Seomun Da-yeon could only bite her lips tightly. While it was true that she had caused him trouble, she thought this man's sarcasm was going too far.
But she suppressed her anger again and pleaded.
"Please follow me. Since this happened because of me, I'll take responsibility. I'll help you escape safely."
"Can't I just stay here?"
"No. You can't."
The man frowned with all kinds of expressions. He seemed about to argue more, but seeing Seomun Da-yeon's resolute expression, he sighed deeply.
"I don't know why my luck is like this."
"The situation is absurd, but… let me formally introduce myself. I am Seomun Da-yeon of the Seomun Family."
Seomun Da-yeon lightly clasped her hands and quietly looked at the man. The man stared back at her blankly as if wondering why she was looking at him like that, then seemed to realize the meaning and answered with a low sigh.
"I'm Wei Yan-ho."
The man who identified himself as Wei Yan-ho looked very dissatisfied.
Grumbling, Wei Yan-ho stuffed his blanket into his bundle, climbed down from the tree, and followed behind Seomun Da-yeon.
"Why were you sleeping in such a place?"
"Because I don't like sleeping on the ground."
That's not what she meant by the question…
From earlier, he seemed to answer well, but she had the strange feeling he was giving irrelevant responses.
"Why are you in these deep mountains at this late hour?"
"What about you?"
Wei Yan-ho concisely returned the question with minimal words, meaning that she too was in these deep mountains at this late hour, so what right did she have to interrogate him so persistently.
"I'm here on business."
"I was traveling."
"…Are you saying you climbed the mountain without noticing the sun was setting?"
"That's not it."
"Then what?"
"I was sleeping."
"…"
Wei Yan-ho was telling only the truth, but unfortunately, Seomun Da-yeon couldn't understand his truth.
Seomun Da-yeon interpreted Wei Yan-ho's answer as something like 'I have some circumstances that I can't explain in detail, so just shut up and let's go our way,' and she closed her mouth tightly and took the lead.
Come to think of it, now wasn't the time to have conversations about such trivial matters.
'I lack tension.'
She hadn't completely escaped from danger yet. Considering who was currently chasing her, she couldn't relax until the very end.
Seomun Da-yeon glanced back at Wei Yan-ho following her.
His shuffling gait oozed annoyance.
"Young master."
"Yes?"
"Could you walk a bit more quietly?"
"What we're saying now is probably louder."
"That's true."
Speechless, Seomun Da-yeon turned her head again. It seemed it would be beneficial to avoid conversation with this person as much as possible.
"But…"
"Yes?"
However, Wei Yan-ho didn't let her off so easily.
"Who were those guys chasing you earlier?"
"It would be better if you didn't know."
"Hmm?"
Wei Yan-ho began clicking his tongue.
"Be honest. Did you steal something?"
"Pardon?"
Seomun Da-yeon's face showed bewilderment as she sharply turned her head toward Wei Yan-ho.
"Steal?"
"If someone is being chased by others in the middle of the night, usually… eh, I mean…"
"A thief?"
"Hah, that was something I couldn't say outright, but since you've said it first, I feel more comfortable."
Seomun Da-yeon closed her eyes slightly and drew the character for patience in her mind. She didn't know if drawing patience three times would prevent murder, but it seemed it might prevent her from abandoning the man before her.
"I'm affiliated with the Heavenly Orthodox Martial Alliance, and I was in the middle of a mission."
"Oh?"
Wei Yan-ho scratched his head.
This… it seems like I keep getting entangled with the martial alliance?
Of course, the martial alliance wasn't a bad place, so there was no reason it would be bad to get entangled with them, but such trouble-prone places were exactly what he detested. If possible, it would be more comfortable for everyone if they didn't get involved.
"I'd like to believe you, but…"
Seomun Da-yeon sighed deeply.
"I have no way to prove myself right now. But if you meet those chasing me while acting like this, young master, you'll learn with your body rather than words that I'm right."
"Hmm, that's a bit scary."
Wei Yan-ho shuddered.
Seomun Da-yeon bit her lip slightly seeing Wei Yan-ho's sarcasm. He didn't realize how serious the current situation was. Of course, it was partly Seomun Da-yeon's fault for not explaining in detail, but she also felt bitter that Wei Yan-ho showed no reaction even though she was emanating such a serious atmosphere.
'I shouldn't think like that.'
Actually, Wei Yan-ho was a victim who got unnecessarily involved in her affairs.
If she knew propriety and understood the right path, she should feel sorry toward Wei Yan-ho, not blame him.
"But who did you say the people chasing you were?"
"Please lower your voice."
"That's not difficult, but I think we should know who's chasing us."
Seomun Da-yeon frowned.
Not because Wei Yan-ho had asked something unnecessary, but because she was troubled about whether she should tell him who they were.
No matter how much Wei Yan-ho was an ordinary person who knew nothing about martial arts, he would have heard of the names of those currently chasing her, and in that case, he might become frightened instantly.
If he became frightened, his actions would become more cautious, but he would also become tense and the probability of making mistakes would increase.
"Won't you tell me?"
"…"
"Really?"
Seomun Da-yeon abandoned her worries.
She decided it would be a hundred times better to just tell him and drag along a frightened Wei Yan-ho who kept his mouth shut.
'Despite looking normal!'
How could a man have so little gravity?
Compared to that person from the Zhuge family, he couldn't even be called a man.
"The people chasing us are…"
"Are?"
"People from the Demonic Sect."
"…Eh?"
Wei Yan-ho tilted his head.
"The Demonic Sect? The Demonic Sect was destroyed, wasn't it?"
"Yes. They're remnants of that destroyed Demonic Sect."
Actually, saying it was destroyed wasn't quite appropriate, but there was no need to tell Wei Yan-ho about that. Just hearing the name Demonic Sect would make Wei Yan-ho terrified.
"Then we're in big trouble."
"I've been saying it's a big problem from the beginning."
"No, that's not what I mean."
"Pardon?"
Wei Yan-ho sighed deeply and looked up at the sky.
"Why am I so unlucky?"
"…I'm sorry about this."
How terrified a person involved in Demonic Sect affairs would be was something she could fully imagine.
"No, that's not what I mean."
"Then what are you saying?"
"I wonder what sins I committed in my previous life to wake up from sleep and get entangled with the Demonic Sect. Hey, stop. Your head will fall off."
"My head?"
Seomun Da-yeon couldn't understand what Wei Yan-ho was saying at all. But her feet had instinctively stopped.
"Tsk, what terrible luck."
Wei Yan-ho glanced around briefly, then opened his mouth.
"Come out now. I know who you are."