Yeong Chunhwa

Chapter 6

It was a sight difficult to believe even as I witnessed it with my own eyes. How could someone subdue all those bear-sized bandits without even drawing a sword? Who on earth was this man?

“Ugh…!”

As the last resisting bandit collapsed helplessly, the man slowly looked around before sheathing his long sword back at his waist. The bandits lay sprawled around him like pinwheels, but except for the man who had tried to attack Yun-seo, none were dead. He had subdued them all in one breath without taking a single life.

Standing alone amidst the chaos, he resembled the protagonist of a heroic novel, causing Yun-seo to inadvertently let out a sigh of admiration.

Though it was a very faint sound, it must have reached him as the man turned around. Yun-seo, who was peeking out from behind a tree in an almost prone position, caught his breath as their eyes met.

Below his neatly tied black hair, his forehead drew a clean line that connected with his dark, refreshingly defined eyebrows. His sharply slanted eyes resembled well-honed swords, yet they conveyed nothing vicious or vile. Rather, they mysteriously captured and held one’s gaze, making it impossible not to stare endlessly into those pitch-black pupils.

He was a cold yet beautiful man, as if sculpted from moonlight. Though dawn had already broken, Yun-seo felt an illusion that moonlight was shining upon him, and remained entranced until the man’s lips parted.

“Admirable courage.”

When the man’s voice smoothly reached him, Yun-seo finally came to his senses. He awkwardly stood up, reattached the dagger to his waist, and dusted off his palms while the man carefully examined him from head to toe.

“From the looks of it, you’ve never swung a sword before. Why didn’t you run away instead of intervening?”

Whether it was genuine curiosity or criticism was unclear, but no other emotion could be read from the man’s cold voice. Not having expected to meet someone else in a place like this, Yun-seo shrugged with a somewhat melancholy feeling.

“If I had known your martial arts were so exceptional, I wouldn’t have intervened. I just…”

“Just?”

“I suppose I didn’t want to create something to regret.”

Yun-seo honestly expressed his feelings with a sigh. Looking back now that the situation had calmed, he realized he hadn’t wanted to add to his list of regrets. Already a traitor to the throne and leaving his family behind, he didn’t want to ignore someone in danger.

Even so, it was merely a pitiful act of goodwill. How contradictory. Yun-seo swallowed a bitter smile and nodded his head.

“Anyway, thank you. You saved my life. But… what will happen to them?”

The man hadn’t killed the bandits… Ah, one had died. Right before his eyes. The situation had been too urgent earlier to pay much attention, but recalling it now made him feel nauseous.

However, if not for this man, he would be the one crossing the River Sanzu by now. Yun-seo calmed his breathing and looked around with a somewhat disgusted expression.

Since the fallen bandits weren’t dead, they would certainly cause trouble again once they awoke. While pondering deeply how to handle them to prevent further victims, the man pulled out a pouch from his chest.

“We’ll light a wolf smoke signal.”

“Will the magistrate’s office come when they see the smoke?”

“Yes. Gather some firewood.”

While obediently turning around to collect branches, Yun-seo suddenly realized he was following the man’s orders without question and hesitated. Though it was natural to help someone who had saved his life, the man’s naturally commanding attitude bothered him.

As Yun-seo gathered firewood, he glanced at the man. Judging by his fine silk robe, the man was either of high status or wealthy. Generally, wealth meant high status, but the man wore no official hat. Either he deliberately chose not to wear one, or he was a “white body” – a nobleman without office.

Being a fugitive himself, Yun-seo needed to be careful. He lowered his eyes and approached the man, placing the gathered firewood nearby.

The man took out a tinder and flint to start a fire. Having never used flint before, Yun-seo attentively observed his movements.

“What did you just put in there?”

“Wolf powder.”

“Wolf powder?”

“Wolf excrement. Why do you think it’s called wolf smoke?”

“Did you add it because the firewood wasn’t enough?”

“Adding wolf powder makes the smoke rise straight up. The magistrate’s office will recognize that something’s wrong.”

“Do you always carry that with you?”

If it was meant to alert the magistrate’s office of trouble, was he an official? Or was this something ordinary travelers must carry? Having never read about this in books, Yun-seo waited curiously for an answer, when he suddenly felt the man’s steady gaze and looked up.

Those dark, deep eyes that resembled cavities examined him intently, making the back of his neck stiffen. The lingering gaze tracing his eyes, nose, and lips seemed to leave a path on his skin. Just as he grew tense, not understanding why the man was looking at him this way, the gaze was withdrawn.

“It’s not a bad thing for a traveler to carry. It’s not like this is the first or second time I’ve encountered such situations.”

His words seemed absolutely true – from confronting the bandits to lighting the fire now, the entire process appeared extremely familiar to the man.

A traveler, he said. Come to think of it, there was no one else around him. If he were of high status, he should have at least one servant attending to him…

“Ugh…”

“Aah!”

Just then, a bandit lying beneath Yun-seo groaned and grabbed his ankle. Startled, Yun-seo struck the bandit’s head with his bundle. The bandit went limp again. As Yun-seo was sighing with relief, a sudden idea flashed in his mind, and he grabbed the man’s wrist, pulling him in the opposite direction.

Even while running, he noticed how firm the man’s wrist felt. The current situation – dashing through an unfamiliar place with a stranger – didn’t feel real.

Though they hadn’t run far, Yun-seo was already gasping for breath like a newborn puppy, repeatedly looking back.

When they had gone far enough that the sprawled bandits were barely visible, his legs gave out. Before he could steady himself, his knees buckled, and as he began to fall, he released the man’s wrist, thinking they couldn’t both go down.

“Ah…!”

Covering his head with one arm and squeezing his eyes shut to brace for impact, he instead felt his arm being strongly gripped as his body was pulled backward. Something firm supported his lower back, holding him up. Yun-seo’s eyes flew open, and he hunched his shoulders, holding his breath at the handsome face right before him.

He found himself unconsciously counting each of the man’s ink-black, luxurious eyelashes until the man raised an eyebrow, bringing Yun-seo back to his senses, and he pushed him away.

“I catch you when you can’t stand on your own, and this is the thanks I get?”

“I… I apologize. My legs gave out.”

“Are you done running away?”

“…Yes. Even if they wake up, they won’t be able to chase us immediately.”

Outwardly, he pretended to have fled out of fear of the bandits’ retaliation, but Yun-seo had another motive. If news of his escape had spread and a wanted notice was issued, the government troops would certainly not be welcome. He could simply leave before they arrived, but if this man informed them of his whereabouts, it would be disastrous.

That’s why he deliberately ran with the man, but the man didn’t seem particularly interested in the bandits’ disposition. That was fortunate, if anything.

While the man surveyed their surroundings, Yun-seo calmed his rapid breathing and rubbed his tired eyes. Having walked without sleep and then encountering a band of thieves, he was extremely exhausted.

How much further did he need to go? Would he be able to leave safely? Could he guarantee that something like this wouldn’t happen again? With every path unfamiliar, he couldn’t help feeling lost and afraid.

Lost in such thoughts, gazing blankly at the seemingly endless road ahead, the man spoke:

“Where are you heading alone at this hour?”

Though the question came naturally, Yun-seo couldn’t readily answer. He pretended to straighten his disheveled clothes while stealing a glance at the man.

“I’m on my way to see my aunt. And… where are you heading, sir?”

“To Yehang.”

“Yehang? Do you mean the Yehang in Yeju?”

The man didn’t answer, but his silence was as good as confirmation. Yun-seo hid his surprise. Yehang was also his destination.

“It seems you’re going there too.”

“…”

“That’s quite a journey.”

Notes: 

Wolf smoke signal/Wolf powder – A method using wolf excrement mixed with firewood to create a straight smoke signal that alerts authorities of trouble

White body (백신/baeksin) – A term for someone of high status who doesn’t hold official office