Chapter 161: By Your Side
Thanks to the dedication of the Murim Alliance and the Yangpyo Bureau, Hangzhou quickly regained stability.
While many of the members of the Expeditionary Force sustained serious injuries during the process of destroying the medium, no one lost their lives.
Doyul and Yerin were still recuperating under the watchful eye of a physician.
“Why do I always seem to have more patients to tend to? I think I’ll be the first one to die from overwork,” the physician sighed deeply as he checked Yerin’s pulse.
“My lord, what in the world did you do to end up with a condition like this?”
“Well, it’s—”
“This looks as if you’ve almost gone into ‘Juhwa Ipma’!” the physician scolded.
Doyul flinched at the harsh words.
“Not to mention, Madam’s body has greatly weakened. There’s no way this could have happened unless you meddled with your innate vital energy.”
Yerin couldn’t help but be impressed inwardly.
‘Wow, it seems like the physicians at the Murim Alliance are all top-tier experts.’
How could he pinpoint her condition so accurately?
At that moment, Seol Geom, the Seolgum Brigade Commander, who had been sitting next to them, looked like he might faint as he asked the physician again.
“‘Juhwa Ipma’? Meddling with innate vital energy?”
“…”
“…”
Yerin and Doyul exchanged furtive glances at Seol Geom, who declared with a firm voice, “This can’t go unreported to the elders!”
“Commander!”
“Please!”
Both Doyul and Yerin raised their voices in unison, pleading with him.
It was clear to both of them what the response from the elders would be.
‘You two are the parents of the North Sea Ice Palace!’
‘How can you not care about our concerns!’
‘How could you be so reckless!’
This would likely lead to a month of scolding.
A cold sweat trickled down Yerin’s spine.
– ‘But still, it’s thanks to my contractor and the young palace master that you two safely returned.’
At that moment, Manyeon Bingjeong, who had been quietly observing, puffed out his chest proudly.
– ‘Well, I did break the formation, so I suppose that’s true.’
Yerin forced a smile but didn’t argue.
Manyeon Bingjeong glanced sharply at Doyul, his eyes narrowing.
– ‘By the way, what’s with that expression on your face, young palace master? That’s disrespectful!’
“What did I do?”
Doyul and Manyeon Bingjeong immediately began bickering.
Just then, the leader of the Murim Alliance, the League Master, along with his soldiers, entered the room.
“Ah, I see you two are still getting along.”
“No, we’re not!”
– ‘We’re not!’
Doyul and Manyeon Bingjeong both retorted at the same time.
The League Master chuckled, brushing his beard.
“That’s not how it looks to me.”
“It’s a misunderstanding!”
– ‘It’s a misunderstanding!’
“If you say so,” the leader shrugged and took a seat.
The soldiers who had followed him asked with concern, “I heard you were badly injured. Are you alright?”
“They said it’ll be fine after a period of recovery. Please don’t worry too much,” Yerin and Doyul answered in unison.
“Thank you for your concern,” they both added.
One of the soldiers grew emotional. “I really thought something terrible was going to happen…”
The League Master patted the soldier’s shoulder, smiling.
“I came here to express my gratitude, and now look at you, tearing up.”
“…I see. I’m sorry.”
The League Master gave a nod to the soldier, who bowed in return.
“I sincerely thank you both.”
“Both the Murim Alliance and Hangzhou owe you a great debt,” the soldier quickly added.
The League Master looked at them with a mix of gratitude and regret in his eyes.
“If it weren’t for both of you, we wouldn’t have been able to stop the resurrection of the Blood Demon. And on top of that, I owe you my life…”
“It’s fine,” Doyul responded softly.
“Thanks to you, we were able to stop the Blood Sect’s movements.”
“One thing…”
“That’s the price I’ve paid.”
Doyul glanced at Yerin from the corner of his eye.
Yerin now appeared relaxed, as though the burden had been lifted.
The Blood Demon. Hyun Se-jin.
Doyul’s distant ancestor, and also…
‘The disciple Yerin cherished most.’
Knowing the sense of responsibility and guilt that Yerin carried, Doyul felt a small weight lift from his chest.
‘I’m really relieved that she seems to have found some peace.’
Only then did Doyul allow himself to relax a bit.
“Chief of Jo Yangpyo Bureau and Lady Youngju are quite worried about you two,” the League Master mentioned after some more casual conversation.
Yerin perked up her ears.
“They’re busy reorganizing the Yangpyo Bureau at the moment, but they said they’ll come to visit soon.”
“And how is Lady Youngju’s health?”
“She’s fine, fully recovered.”
“That’s such a relief,” Yerin nodded with a sigh of relief.
Just then, there was a loud commotion outside.
“My lord! Madam!”
Hm?
Yerin and Doyul both blinked in surprise.
– ‘Wait, that voice sounds like Hyuk Min-woo, doesn’t it?’
Manyeon Bingjeong seemed to recognize the voice.
– ‘Ah, he was a sharp one, a surprisingly perceptive fellow.’
At that moment, the door burst open.
“You two, what in the world have you done?!” Hyuk Min-woo burst in with a loud shout.
“Stopping the resurrection of the Blood Demon?! I told you to be more careful!” he continued, his voice filled with frustration.
“W-We’re sorry,” Doyul and Yerin quickly apologized, feeling somewhat overwhelmed by his sudden burst of anger.
“We didn’t mean to do it on purpose…”
Before they could finish, Hyuk Min-woo wasn’t having it.
“And what are you two doing here? Shouldn’t you be attending to the sect?” Yerin tried to change the subject, but Hyuk Min-woo immediately cut her off.
“The sect leader told me to come and check on you,” he said firmly.
The conversation was immediately shut down.
Hyuk Min-woo glared at them.
“You two had better not think you can get away with this. How heartbreaking would it be if the elders found out about this?”
“W-We understand, we understand…”
Yerin and Doyul’s shoulders slumped as they faced the inevitable scolding.
This incident was so significant that it had already reached the ears of the elders.
‘We’re probably going to get an earful when we return…’
Yerin and Doyul both let out a sigh, their shoulders heavy with the burden of the impending reprimands.
Finally, Hyuk Min-woo seemed to calm down a little and asked with a sigh, “So, how long do you two have to recover?”
“Probably about a month before they are mostly recovered,” the physician answered.
“A month?!” Hyuk Min-woo gasped in disbelief.
“Just how badly were you hurt to need a whole month of recovery?” he asked, his voice filled with shock.
“Exactly! Please, have some consideration for us who have to take care of you!” Seol Geom chimed in, subtly supporting Hyuk Min-woo and continuing to speak out against their recklessness.
And then…
“Unnnnnniee!!!”
Bang!
The door was flung open with a loud crash.
A beautiful woman stepped into the room.
It was Jo Youngju.
She ignored everyone else and collapsed into a seat.
Then, she grabbed Yerin’s hand enthusiastically.
“Unnie, I heard you defeated those nasty Blood Sect guys this time? You’re so awesome, unnie!”
With her words, an enormous cheer erupted.
The elegant and graceful lady of the Jo Yangpyo Bureau, whom the chief adored, was nowhere to be seen.
“Uh, uh? No, that wasn’t just me… Didn’t they say you weren’t coming until later?” Yerin stammered.
“Now that you’re awake, how could I just stay still?” Youngju said with a serious expression.
Her overly dramatic reaction left everyone a bit stunned.
“Still, unnie, your health comes first. You know that, right?”
“Uh, yeah…”
“If there’s anything wrong, or if you’re uncomfortable, let me know. I’ll make sure to get herbs or anything else from my father if I have to!”
She clenched her fist in determination.
Yerin let out a helpless laugh.
“Right, it’s reassuring to have you here, Youngju…”
After a long stream of concern for Yerin, Youngju turned her indifferent gaze towards Doyul.
“Well, what about you, my lord?” she asked with a slightly raised eyebrow.
In contrast to her passionate attitude towards Yerin, Youngju’s expression towards Doyul was rather cold.
Doyul frowned and asked, “Isn’t your attitude a bit too different from how you treat my wife?”
“Well, of course. How could you compare the lord to my unnie?”
The most surprising thing was that Doyul readily accepted this answer.
“Well, that’s true. Naturally, you should take care of my wife first,” he said with a nod.
Yerin, who had been listening, raised her voice in disbelief.
“What do you mean ‘naturally’? Why’s that?”
* * *
A month passed.
Having fully recovered, Yerin, Doyul, and Seol Geom decided to return to the North Sea Ice Palace.
“Are you really leaving so soon?” the League Master asked.
“Yeah, you should have stayed for a little longer to rest…” the deputy added.
Both of them quickly agreed.
“We’re sorry, but we’ve already been away from the Northern Sea Ice Palace for too long.”
“It feels wrong to leave the North Sea Fortress under the management of the elders for much longer.”
“…I see, that’s a pity.”
The League Master reluctantly took a step back, but his expression was filled with genuine regret.
“Next time, we’ll really make sure to treat you well.”
“We’ve already been treated wonderfully,” Doyul replied with a smile.
After exchanging some polite words and farewells, Yerin turned her attention to the carriage they were supposed to take.
And suddenly, she froze.
“This… this carriage…”
A lavish, extravagant four-horse carriage was standing before them.
