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“Hey, sasuk…How bad is your meter?”
Baek Cheon startled, unconsciously holding the wrist covered by the white bandages, checking if it was still covered before letting out a sigh.
“I guess it's not strange that you notice.”
Although it was common sense to hide your soulmates' danger meters in your wrists, due to the close relationship between the sect's disciples, almost everyone knew each other's level after countless days of half-naked training and shared showers. Only Baek Cheon continued to stubbornly cover his with thin silk gauze even when washing in the river. Cheong Myeong would have been the last person to overlook this information.
“It must be bad if you are covering it up all the time,” he thought out loud. “A soulmate is someone who complements you, so it is frowned upon for colors to go beyond yellow, but sasuk, when they say 'dangerous', there are many ways to be dangerous.”
Baek Cheon gently touched the knotted ends of the bandage, frowning as if conflicted.
“If it was just yellow or red, it would be fine…” Baek Cheon untied the knot, unraveling the gauze until the pale arm was bare, only a bar of contrasting colors in the middle, completely filled to the edge. “However, it is black.”
"Ah..."
Cheong Myeong's carefree expression fell, changing into a stoic mask similar to the one he wore when he was about to jump into a fight.
The shade of your soulmate's danger metric had nothing to do with the other person's safety, but was instead a warning about the danger they posed to others, ranging from green, yellow, orange, red, and black. Most people were in the green, representing normality; someone who could fight but wouldn't use force unless it was self-defense. Those with a tone like that showed their wrists casually.
Cheong Myeong could bet anything that the soulmates of the Hyeon generation had this color!
Those who wore the color yellow were not uncommon, but they tended to remain discreet as they exposed their partner to uncertainty due to the statement it represented: if you mess with me, I will use force. Death counts were usually just a few towards the end of their lives.
Most of the cultivators were in this realm, even children like Jo Geol and Yoon Jong.
The color red, on the other hand, represented ruthless killers, soldiers who have gone to war, and some cultivators, mainly those from evil factions.
Still… If Cheong Myeong had to judge him, he would say that Baek Cheon and Yu Iseol would be this color, just because of the death count. After all, with their strength, they would have to constantly rush to the front lines to wipe out the greatest number of enemies.
The color black, on the other hand, was almost unheard of. The last time someone took him, it was the partner of a ruthless general who laid waste to villages, killing women and children alike. The worst criminals were put into that category, and people who had such a soulmate rarely wanted to show their mark, not only because of society's opinion, but as a way to protect themselves from being found by said soulmate.
If someone unscrupulous and obsessive met someone who was 'made for you', it would rarely end well.
With a deep breath, Cheong Myeong forced his shoulders to relax and curl the corners of his lips slightly upward, showing his optimism. Even if it was a worry, it must not be for Baek Cheon, but for Cheong Myeong. So now he would have to calm the situation with Baek Cheon and then do his own investigation.
“Sasuk can have a soulmate like that,” he pointed to the wrist that Baek Cheon was hastily hiding again. “And you still shouldn't worry. I won’t let them touch a hair of yours.”
Cheong Myeong took his job as protector of the Hwasan sect seriously. The children, the young and the old, all depended heavily on him. Cheong Myeong took them under his wings like a dragon guarding his treasure, counting the heads to verify that everyone was there and blowing smoke from his nostrils when a possible threat came too close.
As long as they are in Hwasan, no harm will befall them, that much could be assured at least.
“Thank you, Cheong Myeong.” Baek Cheon smiled weakly, worried. “It's hard to show it as it is, however, I'm not worried about that either.”
“What else is there to think about? Maybe the elders will worry, but you don't have to say it.”
Cheong Myeong doesn't think the elders would have asked about the meter, they were too respectful and considerate for that.
"It is not like this. I think if his meter is that high, he will be in danger too.”
Cheong Myeong let out an incredulous giggle.
“This Dongryong… You are crazy.”
Baek Cheon just laughed, wiping his face with a towel before standing up to leave. His smile was brilliant, almost creating its own halo of light around him, like a gemstone reflecting the sun. Anyone who saw him would agree that he is the most beautiful person in Shaanxi. Of course, Cheong Myeong would have to worry about his soulmate despite how carefree Baek Cheon seemed to feel in that regard.
“Let's get back to training,” Baek Cheon suggested, stretching his arms above his head as if trying to look carefree again. “Anyway, I already have an idea who it is.”
Cheong Myeong bowed his head silently, following Baek Cheon two steps behind, bewildered.
Hm, did he hear right?
No, that couldn't be.
Who could this Dongryong know who has peak level danger?
Besides Cheon Ma, and perhaps Jang Ilso, Cheong Myeong couldn't think of many people who deserved such a level.
Although Jang Ilso could very well stay in the color red, hmm….
Baek Cheon ignored the dark aura that surrounded Cheong Myeong on the way back to the training ground, blissfully unaware, wondering what the meter on Cheong Myeong's wrist looked like.
What would be the color that would represent Baek Cheon.