Chapter Text
The twilight sun spills over the horizon, filtering through the tall trees and casting long, dappled shadows on the clearing where Aeri’s group had made their camp for the night.
The air is heavy with stillness, broken only by the distant hum of the cicadas and the first of her party members stirring awake. For just a little bit longer, she wants to keep this peace.
Grey eyes remain fixed on the rising horizon, plum-blossom sword cradled close to her chest and legs dangling freely over the tree branch, dozens of feet above the rest of the world below.
It had been months since she had left the Mount Hua Sect, hiding herself away in isolation training to find some sort of clue toward enlightenment. The time for her return had come far sooner than Aeri would’ve liked, prompted by the preponement of the Mount Hua-Southern Edge Conference.
The letter that the Sect Leader Hyun Jong had sent her lays flat against her heart, his concern for her and his imploration to return home as soon as possible immortalized in long, broad brushstrokes.
She hadn’t bothered wasting time crafting a reply.
But now that she thinks of it, it might have been smarter to do so.
“Um, Blossoming Blade-nim?”
She twitches at the title, eyes flickering down towards the owner of the hesitant voice and landing on a gangly, middle-aged man dressed in expensive clothing. A little ways off, she can see the rest of the escort finalizing the preparations to depart for Hua-Um, and her lips part in realization.
I’ve been rude.
“Blossoming Blade—Oh my goodness!”
In a flash, Aeri drops down from the tree branch she’d been perched on and keeping watch for the night, landing gracefully on the ground right beside the shocked man.
“I apologize for delaying you, Sir Hwang.” She says calmly, brushing the non-existent dirt off her robes as she straightens back to her full height. “We can depart whenever you are ready.”
“Ah, no, no!” To his credit, Hwang Jonghui composes himself very quickly, shaking his head and waving her off with a polite smile. “No, Blossoming Blade-nim, I wished to call you down to break your fast. We are making good time, so please don’t worry!”
Aeri twitches again at the title, electing to ignore it as she tilts her head in suspicion. “Are you sure?”
“I am sure.”
He flashes her a reassuring smile, herding her towards where a generous spread of food had been prepared for her. It is not humble by any means, as it should be for a lowly escort, and she is sure it is likely the same food that had been prepared for him and his family.
“My family and I are indebted to you, so please do not feel burdened.” He says firmly as if to explain when she gives him a questioning look. “This is the least we can do for a disciple of Mount Hua!”
Aeri stares at the food, grey eyes lingering a tad bit longer on the rolled omelet than they should have. Her stomach protests vehemently and a wry smile curled across her face.
“Thank you. I won’t let it go to waste.”
The grain pills had not been kind to her fussy stomach.
“Yes, please! Take your time enjoying the food, young Taoist!”
The reason why this man who was old enough to be her father was speaking to her so respectfully was part of the reason why Aeri wishes she’d written a letter to Hyun Jong about her return. The young swordswoman had been accompanying her fellow disciples back home when they’d come across Hwang Jonghui and his family caravan being attacked by bandits.
Aeri had made quick work of them, of course, but had sent off her juniors ahead to not delay their return to the sect and had instead elected to stay back to escort Hwang Jonghui and his family to their destination in Hua-Yin. It was fortunate they were heading in the same direction, though the bulk of their goods meant a much slower pace than Aeri is used to.
Thankfully, she only has to escort them till Hua-Yin, so if she runs at top speed afterward, she should not be more than a day late.
Hwang Jonghui’s men had been kind enough to lend her a horse, but Aeri has no intention of continuing with it past Hua-Yin since she’s faster on foot, and she wishes to spare the poor horse the torment of climbing the steps of Mount Hua.
After a light breakfast, the woman packs what few belongings she has before slinging herself up on the back of her steed. The horse, a temperamental black stallion aptly dubbed Tempest, snorts standoffishly at her humble offering of a carrot, making her smile.
“My, how spoiled.” Aeri chuckles, before producing one of the apples she’d saved from breakfast and presenting it to the picky horse. “Here, here. Now will you be good to me today as well?”
Tempest lets out a loud huff in response, too preoccupied with chewing his apple to pay her much attention.
“You know what? I’ll take it.”
She chuckles again before grabbing his reins and ushering him to her usual position in the escort— to the left of Hwang Jonghui’s carriage. In the case of an emergency, her priority was to secure him and his family before neutralizing the threat. It was a fairly obvious conclusion to Aeri, but the shock and disbelief on Hwang Jonghui and his escort captain’s faces had made her doubt herself for a moment.
“You’re really good with that horse, Aeri-ssi.”
Grey eyes flicker down towards the carriage, spying on the veiled woman sitting inside through the window. Madam Hwang offers her a gentle smile, one hand resting on her daughter’s hair who’s fast asleep in her lap. The woman had gotten a terrible shock during the attack and had refused to let her young daughter, Jieun out of her sight since. That was why she was particularly kind to Aeri since Jieun was the first person she’d saved upon arriving.
Aeri offers her a light smile.
“It’s more like the horse is good to me, Madam.” She says modestly, chuckling a little when Tempest snorts in agreement. “See? I have done nothing special.”
“I see, modest and kind,” Madam Hwang hums agreeably before her eyes narrow. “And you’re sure you have no plans of getting married?”
Ah, this.
As if on cue, Hwang Jonghui sits up straight like he’d been shot with lightning, completely abandoning the documents he’s been absorbed in so far. Aeri avoids the couple’s gazes awkwardly, ignoring the knowing chuckles from the rest of the escorts.
Make no mistake, Aeri is grateful for the kindness Hwang Jonghui and his family have been extending to her, yes, but she’s less than enthused about how it has suddenly warped into the couple tag-teaming to bring her into their family via marriage.
Madam Hwang had even sought Aeri out personally at one point to inquire about her personal ‘tastes’ in men.
Aeri had blinked at her for a moment, then smiled serenely and told her the same thing she does now.
“I am but a lowly person devoted to the way of the Tao, Madam.” She says, watching Hwang Jonghui deflate instantly in amusement. “The path of the sword is the only one I wish to walk on.”
“You do that—” However, Madam Hwang was not deterred. “—but it’ll be nicer if there’s someone walking that path with you, right? Like a lifelong companion, like a nice, respectable husband—”
Such was the lament of Aeri’s existence.
A lament far more desirable than others out in the world and so she is incredibly blessed, yes, but nevertheless this is the trial Aeri is made to bear through the entire way home. The moment they reach Hua-Yin, Aeri pretends to be ignorant of all of Hwang Jonghui’s subtle tricks, ruffles Jieun’s hair once and all but flees the group before she falls prey to Madam Hwang’s ferocious determination.
Both were well-meaning of course, with Madam Hwang having taken care of Aeri akin to how a mother would a daughter over the course of their journey, but Aeri was quick to tire of this relentless pursuit about her marital status and her preferences.
She’s not sure how to explain to Madam Hwang that growing up as the only woman in a sect full of sweaty, smelly martial artists concerned only with muscles and swordsmanship has turned her off to the concept as a whole.
The sword doesn’t sweat. It doesn’t stink either. And it most certainly does not compare the size of its length.
So Aeri will stick to it, thank you very much.
“Besides,” She sighs, coming to a sharp stop in front of the steps of Mount Hua. “As if the Sect Leader would ever allow it.”
More than twenty years ago, the current Sect Leader had found a newborn girl abandoned on these steps and had taken pity on her, bringing her into the sect. He was the one who had given her the name Aeri, after the silvery hue of her eyes.
Since there hadn’t been any women in Mount Hua at the time, she’d been the living embodiment of how it took a village to raise a child— because in her case it quite literally did.
Even now, she can vividly recall the memory of being pawned off to Elder Hyun Young at every opportunity, much to his chagrin. He had been just as shameless though, because he’d bribe her sasuks into babysitting her in exchange for skipping training. Said sasuks were a little too happy to comply, which is the primary reason why Aeri learned how to gamble at the tender age of six.
Of course, this means even more problems for Aeri’s sanity.
‘Forget Hyun Jong,’ She thinks idly as she drops down into a low stretch, readying herself for the steep climb up. ‘Elders Hyun Sang and Hyun Young would riot. Though the latter likely because of the cost of the ceremony rather than the actual union.’
Her adoptive father and pseudo-uncles have always been protective over Aeri, for as long as she can remember. Granted it’s not a lot—courtesy of a good-old concussion when she was younger—but safe to say, it had made them even more paranoid about her safety.
It had taken her months to convince them to let her go out to Kangho for the first time. If Aeri had told them the truth about everything that had happened to her during the course of those six months, she’s sure they’d lock her up and never let her take another step outside the sect again.
The dark-haired woman shudders at the idea as she climbs the steps at top speed. She can’t blamed—it is a terrifying thought. And oh, if they knew the truth of the Blossoming Blade title…
At least her sasuks are more reasonable. Her juniors too, albeit being a little hot-headed, are earnest and sincere.
That’s Aeri’s only solace as she finally reaches the top of the mountain. She pauses for a moment when she hears noises from the other side of the gate, ducking her head to wipe the sweat off her brow and straighten her robes into something more presentable.
She pauses for a moment, casting a furtive glance around her surroundings before lifting her arm and sniffing experimentally.
Eh, not that bad.
Plus her braid seems to not have come loose during the dash up which is really good, which emboldens the woman enough to attempt and promptly fail miserably at tucking her laughable imitation of bangs behind her ears.
They were the result of her impatience screwing her over, making her cut them far shorter than how she preferred. After cutting them way too short, Aeri had decided to step away from the knife for her own sake, since there was no way in hell she was going to chop the rest of her hair off to match the chin-length of the bangs.
She refuses to have shorter hair than Baek Cheon—he already gives her enough shit for never paying attention to sect matters—she is not giving him more ammunition.
So in conclusion uhh…now she has bangs. Definitely a little lopsided and choppy, but still bangs.
Fun.
Knowing how sentimental her seniors are, Aeri knows for a fact that they’d have gathered all the kids to greet the returning disciples. Aeri is returning a day late, yes, but she should still keep her refined appearance.
Or at least, that’s what Aeri was expecting.
Instead, what she gets is all of the second-class disciples standing in half-haphazard fashion, the awaiting Elders long forgotten, and Baek Cheon—the person she’d left in charge—standing stiffly in front of a tiny but furious third-class disciple currently being held back by at least five of his senior brothers.
The second-class disciples, who should’ve arrived at Mount Hua yesterday. A tiny child she doesn’t recognize as part of the third-class disciples, but one she can place regardless.
“We received help from Mount Hua in curing my father’s illness.”
Hwang Jonghui had told her the night they’d met, when she’d inquired about their destination.
“We wished to repay our benefactor, so my father ordered me and my family to set up a branch of the Eunha Merchant Guild in Hua-Yin.”
When Aeri had questioned that specific word choice, the man had suddenly looked haunted, as if he’d suddenly aged several decades in an instant. Then, after a beat of silence, he’d named the disciple responsible for this sudden fortune upon Mount Hua.
“A small disciple with long unruly hair darker than ink and eyes the color of plum blossoms.”
Chung Myung.
Aeri blinks at the odd situation, takes exactly ten seconds to recalibrate, before forcing steel into her voice and stepping past the red gates.
“Enough.”
“You—why the hell are you here?”
There are not a lot of things that can faze Aeri.
It was true that she never was quite able to get a hang of cooking, no matter how many times her sasuks tried to teach her, but even then—blowing up the kitchens enough times to be permanently banned—Aeri had been disheartened, yes, but not perplexed. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.
The constant confusion of her with Baek Cheon, especially regarding the matter of the head disciple had never fazed her either. If anything, it’s always been a fun icebreaker for her juniors and Aeri doesn’t care enough about the people outside of Mount Hua to be concerned about what they think of her.
Safe for the Blossoming Blade ugh.
In conclusion, it’s very hard to throw Aeri off guard.
It’s a testament to Disciple Chung Myung’s potential that he does so in the first ten seconds of meeting her.
“…What?”
She blinks as a terrifying hush falls over the entire clearing, all eyes fixed on her and the brash young disciple in front of her. Beside her, Baek Cheon vibrates with renewed fire, ready to rip the child’s head off for the disrespect against his senior.
Ironically, it’s the heat of Baek Cheon’s gaze that helps Aeri realign herself somewhat. The rest comes from the odd glint of recognition she detects in Chung Myung’s eyes and the strange sense of familiarity tickling the back of her mind, making her furrow her brow.
Had they met before?
But then she remembers his explosive statement, as if he can’t believe she’s actually here at Mount Hua. And she remembers little Hwang Jieun, who’d gasped and squealed with wide eyes during all of Aeri’s tall (and heavily sanitized) tales about her ‘adventures’ in Kangho. How she’d been a fan long before meeting Aeri in person.
And that is where Aeri gets her answer.
And that is also where Aeri keeps her streak of being unfazed.
“What am I doing here?”
Her lips curl up into a smile, grey eyes crinkling fondly at the ends as she meets that oddly intense pink gaze head-on.
“Well, where else would I be?”
She cocks her head to the side pointedly, gesturing towards the waiting Elders who’d been neglected this entire time. It’s a testament to the fact that they’re genuinely good people that they haven’t taken offense at any of this.
Her voice is calm and measured but full of easy confidence.
“This is my home after all.”
Chung Myung stares at her for a few seconds and Aeri meets his gaze head-on with a calm smile playing on her lips, waiting for him to respond. But he doesn’t say anything else as his senior brothers pull him back, with a frazzled Yoon Jong spitting out numerous apologies. Aeri waves the teenager off, finally turning her attention to the frozen Baek Cheon.
“Now that that has been dealt with, what are you waiting for?” The dark-haired woman casts the second-class disciples a reproving look, making them stiffen. “You do all realize you have been incredibly rude to our sasuks and elders, correct?”
“Er—yes!”
That snaps them out of their dazes, and Baek Cheon rushes forward to finally greet the elders properly. Letting him take over the greetings as he’d promised, Aeri finally takes the time to carefully take in the changes made to the sect in the time she’d been gone.
She’d noticed the repainted gates and the shiny new signboard, which had aligned with what she’d expected of the Eunha Merchant Guild’s support, but it was only when she’d stepped inside that she’d truly been blown away.
The dirt ground has been replaced by the highest quality marble flooring Aeri has only seen before once while visiting Sichuan. Though it’s already marked by wear and tear, that’s a good thing, because it means that the third-class disciples were making good use of it.
Even someone as untrained as her can see the numerous reparations made to the dilapidated buildings, how the shingles on the roofs have been repaired, how the old wooden swords have been replaced and restocked with fresh ones, and—her heart twists with an unknown emotion— the Jade Spring Temple that is finally living up to its viridescent name.
But above all, it’s the changed expressions on the elders’ faces.
Aeri hasn’t seen her adoptive father look so relaxed in years. The last time had been before he’d become the Sect Leader. The Elders are similar. In fact, Elder Hyun Young looks a little too animated, especially with the way he seems to be grumbling.
“What the hell did they even do?” He mutters mutinously under his breath as the disciples scatter for dinner. She’s been asked to stay behind. “All they do is eat and play, a bunch of freeloaders—do we even need to hold a banquet—OW!”
Elder Hyun Sang elbows him. Hard.
“What the hell—oh.” He snaps, only for his eyes to land on Aeri. Only for his attitude to do a complete one-eighty, a benevolent smile capable of rivaling even Buddha stretching across his face. “Oh, not you, Aeri-ya! How can our golden goose not partake in the feast she’s worked so hard to put on the table—mpf!”
“Ook, that’s enough.” Elder Hyun Sang does them all a favor by slapping a hand over Elder Hyun Young’s mouth, before manhandling him a few feet back. “Aeri-ya, ignore what he just said!”
“Er…” Aeri begins unsurely, gawking at the crude way the younger attempts to claw out of the elder’s grip as she tries to make some sort of sense of this odd situation. When she fails, Aeri looks up for an explanation from Hyun Jong, who looks like he’s long resigned himself to his new reality. “Sect Leader? Did—Did he eat something strange while I was gone? I thought I told you all that the green potatoes were poisonous.”
“Pay him no mind.” He sighs long-sufferingly, massaging his temples. “The ancestors will guide him—er—”
She gives him an incredulous look.
“He’s biting Elder Hyun Sang’s hand.”
“Er…well you know how sometimes we need something to chew on for our teeth—”
“Sect Leader…isn’t teething supposed to be for infants?”
The underlying question remains unsaid but loudly heard nevertheless.
Do you think I’m stupid?
There’s a beat of silence.
“The ancestors will guide him.”
“But—”
“They will guide him.” He says firmly, booking no argument as his fingers curl around her shoulder, ushering her in the opposite direction. “Now come, I would like to hear more in detail about your time outside of the sect. I also have someone I wish to introduce to you.”
“Wait, don’t leave us behind!”
“Does it happen to be short, dark-haired, and glaring holes into the back of my head?” Aeri deadpans, obediently allowing herself to be dragged unceremoniously all the way to the Sect Leader’s residence. “Because to be perfectly honest, I’ve had to field that off the entire way home, so you can understand why I’m not very enthused to be receiving the same treatment at home.”
“Who’s glaring at you—wait.” Hyun Jong pauses in his tracks, before turning back to frown down at her. “What do you mean all the way back home?”
Aeri blinks back up at him—has war flashbacks of Madam Hwang’s terrifying interrogations, decides it isn’t worth reliving nor manifesting by introducing it to the world—and simply shrugs.
“Ohh, yOu kNOw~bAnDiTs!”
The venerable ancestors will forgive me too for this lie. I’m prolonging the Sect Leader’s life—
“Bandits?!”
…maybe not?
Let it be known that sometimes Aeri doesn’t think things through properly.
The new kid is weird.
He’s a cute little thing; sporting a round face with full cheeks begging to be pinched, wild black hair Aeri wants nothing more than to put a comb through and soft, baby pink eyes that look like plum blossom petals when the sun hits them just right. He’s far smaller and thinner than he should be at fifteen, which makes Aeri even more determined to sneak him some of the snacks Sasuk Un Am sometimes allows her to smuggle from the kitchens.
She might’ve even been a doting Sago for once, pinching his cheeks and teasing him until he turned red.
The only problem is,
He keeps staring.
Aeri tries her best not to let the calm smile on her face waver as she feels literal daggers boring into the side of her face. Since the moment the kid had stepped inside the room an hour ago, he has not looked away from Aeri even once.
She’s so distracted that she almost doesn’t hear the Sect Leader’s tale about Mount Hua’s sudden revival.
Almost.
“So you’re saying,” She begins slowly, deliberately ignoring the pink eyes squinting at her, instead focusing on the red-cheeked man in front of her giddy with happiness. Beside him, Elders Hyun Sang and Hyun Young are no better. It’s kinda weird. “This one here just tripped over a rock and just magically discovered secret treasure buried by our ancestors that just happened to include secret martial arts manuals we’ve never seen before?”
She feels that intense stare waver for a brief half-second.
“Well, when you put it like that…”
The silent question underlying the flat look Aeri gives them remains unsaid, but is loudly heard nevertheless by all the occupants of the room.
Do you think I’m stupid?
There is a beat of silence.
The Sect Leader is decidedly not meeting her gaze, eyes smiling blankly at the empty cup of tea in front of him. Elder Hyun Sang looks painfully awkward, twiddling his thumbs as if he’s just been caught with his hand in the mooncake jar. And for some mystifying reason, Elder Hyun Young looks ready to fight her.
She stares at him, at the death grip he has on the bag of jewels they’d been showing her, the sweat dripping down the side of his face and the defensive snarl ready to escape his lips.
‘Ah no.’ She wants to say. ‘I don’t want your money. I’m not gonna take it away. Why are you acting like this, Elder?’
Maybe Baek Cheon was right; everyone has lost their minds in their absence.
And that brat is still staring at her.
Ugh.
When no one deigns to give her a response, Aeri sighs in resignation.
“Fine.”
She tries very hard to ignore the way all three men perk up at her reluctant acceptance. Please. Act your age, act like elders.
“At least tell me you checked whether or not the martial arts manuals are legitimate? And no—” She adds quickly, shooting Elder Hyun Young a look when he opens his mouth. “Evaluations made by the financial office do not count. Neither does the government. How can they know what Mount Hua’s martial arts are supposed to be like? Have you cross-matched it with the existing manuals we have passed down from the ancestors?”
As if on cue, all eyes land on Elder Hyun Sang, who puffs out his chest proudly.
“Of course we have!” He says with indignation, though he’s obviously more pleased than offended. “Un Geom and I personally went over all the manuals and concluded they are indeed martial arts of the Mount Hua sect!”
Aeri has a feeling he’s not mentioning something very important but no matter how much she narrows her eyes, he refuses to cough it up so she ends up giving up—her eyes finally landing on the boy whose praises have been sung the last hour, but he himself has not said a single word since.
“That’s good, I suppose.” She concludes slowly, carefully trying to find any hint of deceit in his expression. Huh, it’s kind of impressive he can match her gaze so boldly. The kids usually tremble. “You did good kiddo. I can see why Hwang Jonghui was singing your praises the entire way here.”
Aeri watches in amusement as he bristles in annoyance at the moniker before he fully registers her words and his eyes narrow. “…You’ve met Hwang Jonghui?”
And that’s a perfect segue.
“Oh yeah,” She lifts her head in mock realization, grey eyes flickering lazily back towards the elders. “I forgot to tell you since we all got distracted. The reason I was late was because we ran into the Hwang family being attacked by bandits on their way to Hua-Yin.”
“Bandits?!”
Aeri gives a crooked smile as the Sect Leader reacts again with just as much shock as he had the first time. At least he’d get an explanation now; earlier, Aeri’s awkward report had been interrupted by the arrival of Chung Myung. They’d immediately started praising him afterwards and the rest was history.
“Yeah, bandits.” She nods with a small smile, eyes flitting between the three with pure amusement at how strangely tense they looked. She was clearly home, uninjured, and well—why were they still worried? “I dispersed them immediately, of course, but the escort captain and quite a few other bodyguards were injured so I elected to stay back to escort them to their destination. The rest I sent ahead of time to inform you,”
She pauses then, furrowing her brow. “But I suppose it was all for naught since they must’ve gotten delayed as well. We both ended up arriving at the same time.”
“…And you are well?” The Sect Leader asks her and Aeri smiles softly at the genuine worry in his eyes. “Truly? You are not injured anywhere?”
The dark-haired woman raises an arm, rolling her shoulders in demonstration with a playful grin on her face. “I’m in perfect condition. You know Sapa trash’s got nothing on me.”
“That is true.” Sect Leader Hyun Jong accepts her words easily, finally breaking into a relieved smile. “Well done. Mount Hua is indebted to the Eunha Merchant Guild. If we’re able to repay their grace even a little bit, that is more than welcome.”
Someone makes a vague noise of complaint, but when Aeri looks back, it’s just Chung Myung standing here with an innocent look on his face.
“Speaking of the Eunha Merchant Guild—”
It’s only because she’s suspicious of the source of that noise that Aeri’s looking at Chung Myung the moment Elder Hyun Young begins speaking and she ends up witnessing the funniest rush of emotions she’s seen on a person in a hot while.
Her lips twitch.
Chung Myung, the poor child looks constipated.
It almost makes her feel bad for him. Almost. He has been glaring daggers into the back of her head for the past hour.
She vaguely registers the elder mentioning someone needing to go run an errand to Hua-Yin where Hwang Jonghui is present and will open up the branch of the Eunha Merchant Guild. But she’s a little more interested in seeing Chung Myung squirm as what he dreads draws closer and closer.
“—So Aeri-ya, why don’t you go to Hua-Yin?”
There’s a beat of silence.
Aeri blinks.
And then turns to Elder Hyun Young.
“…What?”
“The Hwangs are indebted to you,” Hyun Young insists, ignoring the quizzical looks she’s shooting him. Especially because the other two elders are rolling their eyes as if they’ve already come to a realization. A realization that continues to elude her. “So go back out there and demand a reward! If you end up back there on official sect business they’ll have enough shame to properly reward you for your hard work, right?! And while you’re there, take care of a few sect matters as well!”
“Wait, wait, wait—”
“It’s perfect!” He continues, not listening to her at all. Are—are those nyangs reflecting his eyes? “I trust you, Aeri-ya! You go out there and make money for the sect! You’re nothing like those other freeloaders who do nothing but sit around and eat—”
Elder Hyun Sang’s hand clamps down on his mouth.
“And there we go. Let's calm down.”
Aeri just turns to the Sect Leader for some sort of explanation. He smiles awkwardly at her, understanding her silent panic. She’s just gotten home.
And ancestors bless this man—that is exactly what he says.
“Hyun Young-ah, Aeri has just returned home. She must be exhausted.”
“The money will rejuvenate her! She can eat and play outside too! I don’t mind if she nicks a few nyangs—mmph!”
“Er…” She stares at the once respectable elder, who seems to have gone mad at the idea of money. Which to be perfectly honest, she understands considering the sect’s finances thus far but—um, he’s not maintaining a whole lot of dignity there. “…What do these sect matters entail? I’m afraid I’m not familiar with the supply contracts, unlike the rest. Are you sure?”
Like hell matters whether or not she’s familiar with them: Aeri’s worked well with worse context. But the idea of seeing Lady Hwang again—
Elder Hyun Young struggles to free himself once more with renewed energy. Aeri watches it with tired eyes, wondering if she’s hallucinating.
No, elder. Please understand. If I go now, there’s a crazy woman out there who will never let me come back. I will end up getting hitched no matter what.
Then a calm voice comes.
“Then take Chung Myung with you.”
Aeri blinks.
“Eh?”
Ehh?!
Every single person in the room except for the Sect Leader freezes at his words. Elder Hyun Sang’s so surprised that his grip on Elder Hyun Young’s mouth slips, not that it does anything, for the man himself looks shell-shocked.
After a few minutes of his lips moving soundlessly, all he manages is a very eloquent,
“Buh?”
Aeri might’ve bemoaned what the living hell had happened to her elders in the time she’d been gone had she not understood exactly what Elder Hyun Young was feeling at that moment.
“Oh, this old man is not stupid, sajae.” The Sect Leader gives Elder Hyun Young a flat look. “Did you truly think I wouldn’t know you were just trying to spoil Chung Myung by not making him go on another errand?”
…Well, maybe not.
Aeri whips her head to look at the frozen elder with pure betrayal on her face. “Please tell me that’s not true.”
He deliberately avoids her gaze.
“Oh come on!”
“He deserves it!”
Elder Hyun Young suddenly screams, but Aeri is faster.
“Oh please! I earned the sect money too! Where’s my reward?!”
“In Hua-Yin, you brat!”
“Oh, come off it—”
“Alright, alright, both of you calm down.” Aeri gets her own human hand muzzle covering her mouth and briefly wonders how low she has fallen. Then she looks at Elder Hyun Young and resolutely decides that no, she hasn’t fallen low—not at all. “Sect Leader, any words?”
Sect Leader—the traitor—turns to Chung Myung.
“Chung Myung-ah, you’ve been silent so far. What do you think?”
Why the hell are you asking him?!
Aeri opens her mouth to retort, momentarily forgetting the fact that Elder Hyun Sang’s hand is clamped over her mouth—
“I don’t mind.”
All eyes turn to gawk at the dark-haired boy, who locks his hands together behind his head in a display of complete indifference.
“I don’t mind.” He repeats again, the picture of innocence. “I can go with Sago if you need me to.”
“Then it’s done! You two can set out tomorrow!”
Much, much later, Aeri would reflect back on this moment and think about how this was the first time Chung Myung had called her Sago. Right now though, she wants nothing more than to punt the little shit out the window.
It’s definitely an interesting way to start a relationship.