Chapter 131

Worriedly, Poong Ran woke up from her thoughts at the sound of Sima Mantian calling her.

“…Ran-ah?”

She flinched and hurriedly replied.

“Ah! Yes… I-I’m fine!”

She mentally hit herself in frustration.

‘Stupid! I’m so stupid!’

She had finally gone out with the Young Master, but she couldn’t even say anything. She felt pathetic.

“I’m sorry… I mean… it’s just…”

Tears welled up in her eyes again. Words that didn’t match her feelings spilled out.

“I’m sorry… It must be boring being with me.”

“Huh?”

“I can’t even tell interesting stories. I just nod along when the Young Master talks.”

She had messed up.

Normally, she wouldn’t act like this. Saying something like this out of the blue would only make things awkward.

Later, she would be in a situation where she’d be punching her pillow, wondering, ‘Why did I say that?’

Her mind went blank, and her body moved on its own.

“I-I’m sorry! I’ll go back first— Ah?!”

And then, as she ran, she tripped over a rock and fell with a ‘thud!’

Her face turned red at the thought of making such a mistake, especially now.

It wasn’t the pain that embarrassed her. It was just too embarrassing!

On top of that, the hair accessory that had loosened from the fall…

Plop-!

…fell into the nearby pond.

“Ha… haha…”

Ran could only feel a sense of despair.

Not only had she made a fool of herself in front of the person she liked, but she had also dropped a precious hair accessory with sentimental value into the pond.

Today was truly the worst day.

…Or so she thought.

Sima Mantian quickly approached and helped Poong Ran.

“Ran-ah! Are you okay?”

He was startled when she suddenly ran off and fell, but…

At least she didn’t seem hurt, which was a relief.

“Ah… yes… thank you.”

Unable to look at Sima Mantian’s face, she bowed her head deeply as she answered. After helping her up, he said,

“Wait here for a moment.”

In the gentlest voice possible, he comforted her trembling shoulders.

“…Yes?”

Without hesitation, he stepped into the pond, bent down, and searched for the hair accessory.

Fortunately, the pond wasn’t deep, and since it hadn’t been long since it fell, he found it easily.

“Young Master! Your clothes?!”

Feeling guilty for getting his clothes wet, Poong Ran hurried over, but…

“It’s fine. Clothes can be washed, but memories can’t.”

Sima Mantian smiled brightly, as if it was nothing, and handed the accessory back to her.

He didn’t really care about things like clothes, but…

Honestly, he wanted to look cool in front of the girl who liked him.

“And this reminds me of the cherry blossom branch I picked for you before. I’m glad you liked it.”

Poong Ran’s green eyes widened.

‘He remembered…’

The fact that it wasn’t just her own memory made her feel like she had become someone special to Sima Mantian.

Happiness welled up inside her.

But at the same time, anxiety also arose.

“Why…?”

With a sorrowful expression, she looked at Sima Mantian.

“Why are you so kind to me?”

It was a selfish feeling.

But she wanted to know if the Young Master’s feelings for her were out of pity or affection.

Even though she was too scared to confirm it, she still asked, then bowed her head again.

Sima Mantian and Poong Ran.

A gentle breeze blew between the two.

…What should he say?

After a brief moment of thought, he decided to answer step by step.

“I’ve said this before. Even if the author thinks it’s boring, if the reader finds it interesting, then it’s interesting. It’s the same with you.”

“You might think you’re boring, but I enjoy being with you.”

He stepped out of the pond and looked directly at Poong Ran.

“This might sound out of the blue, but… I’m actually scared of getting close to people too.”

“Huh?”

It really was out of the blue, but hearing such unexpected words from the always confident Young Master, Poong Ran raised her head and looked at him.

“It can’t be helped. I’m human too. I’m scared of being rejected after trying to get close. It’s only natural.”

He continued with a light laugh.

“Well~ I tend to brush it off quickly because of my personality, though.”

After glancing at the cherry blossom-like accessory in his hand, he took another step closer, closing the distance.

“You think our relationship is just based on my kindness, but I think differently.”

Poong Ran didn’t step back.

“It’s because you accepted me. You responded to my greetings, laughed at my silly jokes. That’s how our relationship started. Human relationships are like that. They don’t work if only one side is trying.”

“Hmm~ I might be rambling, but what I want to say is… I like you more than you think.”

He reached out and handed the accessory back to her.

“So, to put it in novel terms… I won’t be leaving anytime soon. Will you keep spending time with me?”

After saying that, he seemed to realize how embarrassing it was.

“Haha~ I’m like this.”

Poong Ran’s heart raced wildly at Sima Mantian’s playful smile.

“You… have to take responsibility…!”

In one swift motion, she reached out and grabbed his hands. Their hands, different in size, warmth, and softness, touched.

“You have to take responsibility for those words! You can’t take them back!”

The girl’s overflowing emotions conveyed her honest feelings.

“Absolutely! Absolutely! You can’t leave halfway! We’re together for life!”

After pouring out everything she had held back, she realized how strong her emotions were.

“Ah… well…”

With a red face, she let go of his hands and reattached the accessory to her hair, smiling with a mix of embarrassment and happiness.

“Haha… I’m like this too.”

With a shy expression, she firmly conveyed her feelings.

“But it’s the truth.”

A warm breeze blew between Sima Mantian and Poong Ran as they smiled at each other.

A heartwarming atmosphere.

…And then, a man approached them, muttering.

“Just when the atmosphere is warm, a villain appears and kills the main characters or supporting characters… You see this kind of development a lot in recent novels.”

“If it’s overused, it becomes cliché, but when done well, it definitely raises the tension of the story.”

A man with a neat appearance and a sword at his waist.

“So here—.”

Jang Do, the Blood Church’s executive, approached with a shamelessly harmless expression and drew his sword towards Sima Mantian.

“Devour them, Pure Hook.”

The greedy demon blade revealed itself from its sheath.

From below to above.

A powerful sword draw, like a calligrapher swinging a brush.

Calligraphy Sword Technique – Turbid Flow

A rough, ink-like energy burst from the sheath, forming a massive slash that engulfed Sima Mantian.

“……?!”

An unexpected sneak attack in a peaceful situation.

But instead of a startled mind, his trained body reacted.

With both hands, he quickly grabbed the head and end of his staff, channeling energy into it.

He used the staff’s shaft to block the blood slash.

‘Hold on, Tagujang!’

‘Ta… Tagujang?!’

The sudden violence overwhelmed Tagujang!

Crash-!!

Fortunately, Tagujang held. Sima Mantian wasn’t cut.

But the problem was…

‘What kind of power is this?!’

Blocking in an unstable stance, Sima Mantian’s body couldn’t withstand the impact and was sent flying.

Whoosh-!!

He soared into the sky.

The tingling sensation running up his arms, the wretched feeling of floating.

In real-time, as he flew through the air.

Sima Mantian looked at Poong Ran’s green eyes and thought.

What he needed to do right now was—

“I’m fine! Run away!!”

Reassure Poong Ran. He had to land safely and save her.

“Young Master-!!”

As Sima Mantian flew away, Poong Ran was left alone, surrounded by…

“You should give up hope that someone will come to save you.”

Jang Do and the Blood Church members, emitting eerie red energy, surrounded her.

They must have killed people on their way.

Red blood dripped from their hands and weapons.

“To hide a tree, use a forest. To hide a person, use a city.”

Boom boom boom-!!

A series of massive explosions erupted, and black smoke rose from various places near the Martial Alliance.

Flames raged chaotically, burning buildings.

“To hide an accident, create a bigger one. With the Martial Alliance under attack, one missing girl won’t be noticed.”

They attacked the Martial Alliance to kidnap the girl with the blood of the Gandharva.

A plan so inefficient it was almost comical.

But they did it.

If they were sane, they wouldn’t have joined the Blood Church in the first place.

“The Blood Demon wants the pure blood of a Gandharva maiden. We won’t touch a hair on your head. So just come quietly—.”

“Ha! Haha!”

Poong Ran’s angry laughter, filled with disbelief, cut off Jang Do’s words.

“I just confessed my feelings to the Young Master— I confirmed his feelings— Really— Really—.”

She grabbed the hem of her fluttering skirt and tore it with her hands.

Rip-!

“I’m so pissed. I feel like Yama is going crazy.”

Yama, also known as Yama Heaven or the Hell King’s Heaven, is where the King of Hell resides.

In other words, ‘Yama is going crazy’ means she’s so angry she could kill.

Or kill someone.

The rough words coming from the mouth of a cute, innocent girl made Jang Do and the Blood Church members freeze for a moment.

Yes, Poong Ran was definitely a cute girl.

…But she wasn’t just a cute girl.

Two Blood Church members stepped forward.

“We’ll just break an arm or a leg.”

They spoke carelessly.

Thud-!!

Something white swung, and the first Blood Church member’s head was crushed. The second member’s jaw was shattered as his head was jerked upward, and he collapsed.

Jang Do’s eyes narrowed at the unexpected situation.

‘Legs? …A kick.’

Poong Ran spoke coldly and cheerfully to the Blood Church members.

“Don’t get hit by kicks. It’s common sense, even in the Goryeo Watermelon Song. Though if you had common sense, you wouldn’t be in the Demon Sect.”

Her white legs and shoes didn’t have a single drop of blood on them, showing how fast she had kicked.

The wind blew, and petals fluttered.

With no need to hide her identity, she removed her top and spread her wings wide.

“Let me introduce myself properly. I’m Poong Ran, daughter of Poong Baek, the head of the Poong Mountain Sect under the Sima Family.”

She lifted her torn skirt and bowed with a relaxed expression.

“Whatever your purpose, you’ve harmed the Young Master. I’ll eliminate you thoroughly.”

People often mistake Gandharvas for fairies.

Beautiful appearances with wings, serving gods. They’re similar but slightly different.

The role closer to fairies, serving gods, isn’t Gandharvas but Kinnaras.

Though Gandharvas are a peaceful, good-natured race.

That doesn’t mean they’re weak.

Originally, Gandharvas were the gods’ guards, the heavenly army.

When angered, they could even kill Yakshas.

They are combat birds.

***

Here’s a pretty illustration of Poong Ran!

Her long legs and thighs are charming! Thank you to the ant-human artist who worked on this!!

Originally, I thought about using it as a novel illustration, but the expression was a bit ambiguous, so I’m posting it separately!