IBTYDOTCID – Chapter 85

When we reached the mouth of Soheungan Ridge, Dang Choye bit into a candy fruit and said,

“This is the first time I’ve traveled solely through the mountains. It’s nice not having to run into disciples from other sects. Plus, the shade is cool.”

I nodded in agreement. Running into other sect members while wearing a sword usually meant pointless tension.

And if we took busy roads, our whereabouts would probably spread through the Beggar’s Union or the Hao Alliance within half a day.

It’s not like we were going to commit crimes or anything. But still, better to move freely.

Of course, there were downsides. To travel through the mountains, we had to give up comfort. Hyangah had gotten motion sick again and dozed off, crouched awkwardly in her seat.

Dang Choye glanced down at her with a soft look and gently covered her with a thin outer robe.

“For me… these last few months have been the happiest in my life. Even if I count everything I learned growing up in the Dang Clan, it doesn’t hold a candle to what I’ve learned from you, Young Lady Yeonhwa.”

“That’s odd. I don’t think I’ve taught you anything.”

“You did. You expanded my world. No one’s ever done that for me, and I doubt anyone ever will.”

I suddenly couldn’t sit still. My nose felt weirdly itchy, and my skin was crawling all over. Apparently, I’m weak to heartfelt praise from my elders.

Dang Choye must’ve sensed my discomfort, because she smiled knowingly.

“I liked you so much, I hoped we could become family. But now that I think about it… we don’t have to be family.”

“……”

“Of course, it’d be nice if we were bound together for life. But even if not, I want to stay your lifelong friend.”

Good god. A woman this gorgeous was basically confessing to me. In my last life, this would’ve been laughably impossible. A noble daughter of the Sichuan Dang Clan, shyly asking to be my lifelong friend?

I was so stunned I just nodded.

“Uh… of course. That’d be great.”

“Thank you.”

Since waking up as Moyong Yeonhwa, I’d apparently become a magnet for all kinds of wooing. Is this how all orthodox sect people live, constantly blushing and catching feelings?

And then, a horse screeched so loudly it rang in my ears. The carriage lurched. Hyangah jolted awake with a start.

“My lady! A-are you alright? What’s going on?!”

Even in chaos, she checked on me first. Such a loyal little knight. I calmed her and opened the side window.

Honestly, I hadn’t expected bandits around here. This area belonged to water bandits, not mountain ones… but yeah. Life rarely goes how you want.

“Black Ring bastards.”

“B-Black Ring? You mean bandits?”

“Yep.”

“Oh, that scared me. So we’ll be fine this time too, right? My lady, are you going out again?”

She seemed reassured quickly, probably because she’d seen us trounce mountain bandits a few times. Hyangah wasn’t a martial artist, so she didn’t even really know what Black Ring meant.

Dang Choye, on the other hand, tensed up the moment I said these were Black Ring-affiliated bandits. As the daughter of a martial clan, she understood exactly what that implied.

Only bandits with actual skill were allowed to set up mountain strongholds under the Black Ring banner.

As she shot me a worried glance, I shook my head quietly. Then I grabbed my swords and got ready to go out.

My stamina still wasn’t great, but if I could just cut down one or two, that was already a win for the group.

Dang Choye said calmly,

“Be careful.”

“I will. Don’t worry.”

Even if the bandits were from the Black Ring, we had a bunch of Moyong Clan elites with us. It shouldn’t be a problem—as long as no one got seriously hurt.

When I stepped out of the carriage, the others were already armed and ready. And yeah, these bastards gave off a much stronger aura than the random riffraff we’d fought before.

Well, no surprise. If they had a stronghold near Black Dragon River, they weren’t total amateurs. Might be a bit of a hassle.

I exhaled slowly, crossed my twin swords. As expected, the master of worried concern—Dang Iheon—opened his mouth to say something, but I cut him off first.

“If it gets bad, I’ll fall back. Satisfied?”

“…Alright.”

At that moment, the guy who looked like their leader boomed out, practically shaking the mountains.

“You fools! How dare you raise your blades in Black Ring territory! Laughable and pathetic! Judging by your little sword belts, you’ve just barely learned to fight, but today I’ll show you how vast the world truly is!”

If it were me, I’d have interrupted that speech before he even finished. But, as always, the orthodox lot are too damn polite—none of them so much as snorted.

Hold it in. Hold it in. Hold it in… I had to hold it in…

“Man, mountain-dwellers love acting like they know the whole world, huh? Do you even know who the emperor is right now? Or do you not even know what an emperor is?”

Ah, fuck. I didn’t hold it in.

Every pair of eyes, ally and enemy alike, turned to me. But hey, trash-talking before a fight is just part of warming up. How the hell am I supposed to resist?

Moyong Jegeom let out a loud, ahem, clearly startled by my mouth.

And the bandits, now publicly humiliated by some random young girl, turned red and purple with rage. Their faces looked ready to explode.

“You bitch…! I don’t know what you’re relying on, but I’ll rip you to pieces!”

“Whoa, you say that and you’re gonna die.”

“What?”

The guy blinked at me in confusion, and right on cue, my trusty Moyong clan war machines—Moyong Wi and the others—started radiating killing intent like crazy. Even the huge bandits flinched.

I smiled sweetly.

“If you’d thought I had backers, you should’ve swallowed that insult. Ah… right. I forgot you live under a rock.”

Mockery is about repetition, people. Learn that.

One of the bastards pointed a giant iron mace at me. It looked like it weighed at least five hundred pounds and was covered in spikes.

The guy was ridiculously fast for his size. He charged. At the same time, Father, my brothers, and even Dang Iheon all moved as one. The rest of the bandits scrambled to block them.

Good. I cracked my neck, tightened my grip on both swords. No way he could dodge if I just aimed clean for—

“Watch out!”

“…Huh?”

Someone flipped through the air and landed in front of me. No joke, a full somersault. Completely unnecessary.

This dramatic idiot fluttered in like a silk peacock and parried the bandit’s iron mace.

Clang! Crashh!

Sparks flew everywhere. Naturally, everyone turned to stare.

I squinted at the guy’s back, then craned my neck around to see his face. And before I could stop myself, I muttered,

“…Is he fucking serious?”

I thought he was just some rich kid who half-assed martial arts—

“You cur! To swing such a brutish weapon at a helpless maiden—are you not even human?!”

It was Sahyeon. Playing knight in shining armor.

He was really into the role, too. With that performance, he looked exactly like some delusional chivalrous hero from a bad wuxia drama.

“What the hell are you? Get lost if you value your life.”

The bandit snarled, but Sahyeon didn’t flinch. He spun his sword in an unnecessarily flashy arc and got into stance.

It was basically a damn stage show. Also—how the hell did he get here? Did he follow me all this way from that stupid note?

The sudden commotion near me made my family nervous. Dang Iheon looked downright suspicious.

I considered stepping in before Sahyeon made it worse, but nope. He dove right in. Swords started flying, and a full-on brawl exploded.

“Hyaaaaah!”

Long story short—I never got to fight.

Sahyeon kept twirling around me, shielding me like he was the lead in some tragic romance folktale. It was absurd.

And as I got dragged around like a damn prop, I realized something:

This bastard is genuinely crazy.

* * *

After everything calmed down, everyone converged on me and Sahyeon like it was choreographed. He, now looking perfectly composed, tidied up his disheveled robes and offered a polite bow.

“My apologies for the interruption. I am the fourth son of the Shandong Ak Clan, Ak Huhyeon. Upon witnessing a defenseless lady being attacked, I instinctively intervened. Now that I see your party is filled with skilled warriors, I realize my help wasn’t necessary and feel rather embarrassed.”

His words were smooth as silk. Moyong Wi still looked wary, but since the guy technically saved his precious youngest daughter, he offered a proper greeting in return.

“I am the head of a small martial clan. We were simply traveling together when we ran into these bandits.”

Apparently, Moyong Wi didn’t feel like dropping the big-name card. Sahyeon nodded like that explanation made perfect sense.

“There usually aren’t many bandits in this area, but it seems some Black Ring scum decided to make trouble. Vile, despicable bastards.”

“The young hero saved my youngest daughter. I must offer thanks. If there’s anything you wish, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“No, no, of course not. I could never ask for reward for a righteous act. I’ve never been taught to expect such things. Your thanks are more than enough.”

“I insist. It would ease my conscience. Please, don’t decline.”

Sahyeon gave the world’s most dramatic, embarrassed refusal. Of course, he hadn’t done this for reward—he just wanted to make an impression.

And as expected, right when it seemed like he’d turn it down again, he added:

“Well, if I may… I do have a small request.”

“What is it? If it’s within my power, I’ll help.”

“I’ve been staying at Soheung Temple to study in peace, but I was summoned back home and now I’m returning. If our paths align, and it isn’t too much trouble, may I travel with you partway? It’s lonely journeying alone.”

…What the hell?! He wants to come with us? I was supposed to pretend not to know him!

I accidentally stared right at him out of sheer shock. And of course, as soon as he mentioned Soheung Temple, Moyong Wi’s eyes lit up. What a fucking coincidence, huh?

“So you’ve been studying at Soheung Temple? That’s quite far. How’d you end up there?”

“I’m embarrassed to say, but I was overwhelmed by the expectations placed on me as the heir of a small clan. I used ‘studying’ as an excuse to leave on a martial journey. I wandered wherever the road led and ended up there.”

Honestly, that didn’t even sound that weird. Martial artists do go on pilgrimages like that all the time.

As I stood there like a stunned fish, I glanced over at Dang Iheon, who’d gone totally silent. He was staring at Sahyeon with deep suspicion.

Shit—come to think of it, didn’t the Dang siblings run into Sahyeon during the lantern festival?

Dang Iheon spoke slowly.

“Your explanation is plausible, but there’s something I need you to clarify.”

Asking that to someone who just risked their life to help us was a bit rude. But Sahyeon answered calmly, without a hint of offense.

“The world’s a dangerous place—it’s only natural to be cautious. Ask whatever you like.”

“You recognize me, don’t you? We’ve met twice before. You even spoke to Yeonhwa. So why are you pretending not to know us now?”

He had a point. A very good point. Especially since he mentioned me, and now Moyong Wi and Moyong Muhyeok were staring me down with frozen, suspicious expressions.

Their voices practically dripped with doubt as they asked,

“Is this true?”

Ah… fuck. I’m screwed.

My heart pounded like a war drum.

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