Chapter 4 Back to the Front Lines-1

Chapter 4: Back to the Front Lines-1

Sunwoo Yeonhwan was applying makeup in front of the mirror in her room.

She was pretty and radiant enough to be satisfied, but suddenly, the beautiful image of Je Gal Seo-yul she had seen earlier and the dazed expressions of her brothers as they looked at her wouldn’t leave her mind.

Snap!

She crushed the hairbrush in her hand and muttered through gritted teeth.

“Hmph, if only I were a little more grown up…”

Yes, she hadn’t fully blossomed yet, which was why she wasn’t as radiant as Zhuge Xueyu. But once she grew a little more, she would surely become as beautiful as her.

Even now, people praised her as one of the most beautiful women in Gui Zhou Province, didn’t they?

Just as Seon Woo Yeonha was comforting herself like this,

Suddenly, the voices of maids passing outside the room reached her ears.

“Oh my, really?! Fourth Young Master was beaten by Third Young Master and got injured?”

“Yes! That’s why the Third Lady is in such an uproar!”

Seon Woo Yeon Ha’s movements froze instantly.

“But how is that possible? That pig of a prince, how could he?”

“I heard it was an accident—the Fourth Young Master walked right into an outstretched hand?”

“Really?! Ha ha ha! That must have been hilarious!”

“You know what’s even funnier?”

“What? What?”

“The reason the fourth prince did that was to impress Lady Zhuge, but he ended up fainting right in front of her!”

“What?! Hahaha! That’s hilarious!”

Just then, Seon Woo Yeonha flung the door wide open.

Bang!

“Oh my goodness!”

“Ah, ah, Miss?!”

Seonwoo Yeonha stared at them with a terrifying glare and said.

“What did you just say? That Brother Gi was beaten and injured by Brother Jin? That he fainted?”

Faced with her unusually fierce glare, the maids trembled violently and bowed their heads.

“Yes, yes, Miss. That’s correct.”

Seonwoo Yeonha clenched her teeth.

Her furious eyes flashed dangerously.

“How dare you….”

***

Assigned to a splendid guest room in the Seonwoo family residence, Cheonhye Geombeong Jegal Seoyul handed a sealed letter to his friend Hae Cheongyeon, who was to share the room with him, and said.

“Here, it’s the information you requested on the Sunwoo Third Young Master. They say it was purchased at the nearby Hao Gate.”

“Got it, thanks. I’ll pay you back right away.”

Zhuge Xiyu chuckled softly at Hae Cheong-yeon’s flat-toned reply.

“Payment? Between us? Anyway, why did you ask me to get info on that fat master? I was genuinely shocked, you know? Goodness, who’d think someone from the Wu Clan could have such a body. Did you see him earlier? Buried in flesh, his eyes looked like straight lines. Goodness.”

Hae Cheong-yeon answered in an indifferent tone.

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Then he glanced at the doll he’d been fiddling with.

The stuffed bear doll, made with cotton stuffing inside, looked like a fluffy ball, its eyes drawn as straight lines on its face.

Seeing the doll, Jegal Seo-yul suddenly burst into a soft chuckle.

“Phew! Come to think of it, that person does kind of resemble that doll you cherish so much. You didn’t ask me to look into it because of that, did you?”

Hae Cheong-yeon replied in a voice that sounded perfectly normal.

“Of course not. It’s just that the move he showed when he knocked out Master Sa earlier seemed unusual. I became curious about his past.”

“Huh? That one move? Wasn’t that just a coincidence?”

To Jegal Seoyul’s puzzled question, Hae Cheongyeon answered emotionlessly while reading the documents.

“Well…”

“Hmm, well, I suppose. Even if my martial arts are superior, your discernment is sharper. But even so, is it really worth worrying about a pig that can barely move and collapses exhausted?”

But perhaps because he was focused on reading the documents, he didn’t respond, and Jegal Seoyul simply gave up.

“Well, it is your peculiar curiosity. Even the great hero Hae has given up on it. How could I possibly understand?”

Then, watching his friend intently reading the documents, he suddenly asked again.

“I’ve always found it fascinating, but how can you see the writing with your eyes covered like that?”

With his bangs pulled down almost to the middle of his nose, completely obscuring his eyes, Hae Cheong-yeon looked utterly incapable of seeing anything.

But even to that question, only a flat, monotone reply came back.

“I can see it, so I can read it.”

Although he knew Hae Cheong-yeon completely ignored everything else when focused on one thing, Je Gal Seo-yul, unable to bear the silence, spoke again.

“When are you going to sweep that bangs out of your face? I really don’t understand why you hide that beauty.”

Once again, a flat counterquestion came back.

“Do you want me to flip my bangs?”

After a moment of thought at Hae Cheong-yeon’s question, Jegal Seo-yul finally shook her head.

“No, I wouldn’t like that. I don’t want the attention on me to be divided, but what if you ended up getting more attention? I might get jealous of you. Just imagining that is terrifying.”

“Right? Then that settles it.”

With that, Jegal Seo-yul nodded brightly, seeming satisfied with the conclusion.

“I see. I’m so glad you don’t want the spotlight. I’m really happy to be your friend, Qingyan.”

Hearing this, Hae Cheongyeon turned her eyes toward her for the first time and replied.

“I really like you too, Seoyul, even though you don’t seem like someone from the Jegal clan.”

Despite the simple tone that belied the weight of the words, Seo-yul smiled brightly.

She knew very well that such words rarely came from the mouth of her unique friend.

***

The next day was finally the day I would depart the family estate.

Outside the main gate, the mercenaries who would accompany me were waiting from early morning.

Father explained they were to escort me to the Yunnan front lines, but it was obvious to anyone that they were also there to keep me from running off midway.

The Sega personnel who came to see me off were very sparse.

Excluding the attendants, it was just my father and Yeonha.

“For the sake of the Sega family’s honor, I hope you stay healthy and do your best.”

Father spoke with his usual authoritative, stern expression.

But now, I could easily discern the emotions of regret and affection in his eyes.

It was so easy to see, it made me wonder why I hadn’t noticed it before.

“Father, I will surely bring honor to the Sega family and return to see you again.”

As I knelt on the ground and bowed deeply, Father merely nodded his head.

His eyes were slightly reddened.

Next to greet him was Yeonha.

“Thank you, Yeonha. Coming out so early in the morning to see me off.”

Then Yeonha looked at me with a worried expression and said.

“No, Brother. It’s only natural since you’re traveling such a long way. And this.”

Yeonha handed me a neatly wrapped small bundle.

“What’s this?”

“It’s rice balls. I prepared them for you to eat on your journey.”

I asked in surprise.

“Rice balls? Did you make these yourself?”

“Yes, though I can’t guarantee how they taste.”

He smiled at her words and thanked her.

“Thank you, Yeonha. You’re one of a kind. I’ll enjoy it.”

With that farewell, we mounted the prepared horse and departed from the Seonwoo estate.

A short while later, once the estate was completely out of sight, I halted the horse and dismounted.

Then, one of the ronin asked me.

“What’s the sudden urgency, young master? It’s not time to rest yet.”

It was Jang Gangsang, the leader of the hired ronin.

Seeing his frown, I realized he was worried I might already be throwing a tantrum about not being able to go on.

I told him in a firm tone.

“I’m going to run all the way to Yunnan from here.”

“…Huh?”

“I said I’ll run there. Might as well lose some weight.”

At my answer, the vagabonds gaped, speechless.

“Ah, no. But, but where is that place? For a scholar to say he’ll run there in that condition…”

Their bewilderment was, of course, understandable.

Very well, indeed.

But if there’s one thing most urgent for me right now, isn’t it losing weight?

After all, no matter how many seasonal principles fill my head, if my body isn’t fit enough to put them into practice, they’re just knowledge.

That’s why I thought of running all the way to Yunnan.

It’s a distance that would take at least three days even on horseback, so if I were to run…

Hmm, I’m not sure.

Anyway, in my past life, when I arrived at the front lines, all the squad leaders of the Dragon Thirteen Division stared at my body in shock.

Naturally, no one wanted to take me into their squad.

Sure, that’s why Squad Leader Seolpung took me in with a smile, but I absolutely had no intention of repeating that humiliation in this life.

No, I absolutely couldn’t.

Because not only Squad Leader Seolpung would be there, but also her, still alive.

‘This time around, I’ll make a good first impression on her. So this time, I will absolutely…!’

Just as I clenched my fist, burning with resolve, Jang Musha, the leader of the ronin, spoke to me with a troubled expression.

“Well… I understand your resolve, Master. But we have a contract. If your arrival is delayed, we’ll inevitably suffer losses for that period. We really shouldn’t…”

As he rambled on about the difficulties, I cut straight to the point.

“What about me?”

Pointing to the horse I was riding, I asked that. For a moment, he seemed confused and asked back.

“That horse? It’s a fine beast, indeed. But what does that have to do with anything?”

“I’ll give that horse to you. A horse of that caliber would fetch a pretty penny even at its true value, wouldn’t it?”

At that, the ronin simultaneously turned their heads toward the horse.

Their eyes, scrutinizing the horse, shone with unusual intensity.

That horse was one my father had specially chosen for me, one of the finest in the entire stable.

If sold to someone who knew horses, it would fetch whatever price was asked.

So it was obvious what they were thinking now. Probably cheering inside, thinking they’d hit the jackpot?

After staring at the horse for a moment, Master Jang cleared his throat and spoke.

“Well, a horse like that should certainly be worth its price.”

Only worth its price?

Well, I suppose. I figured he’d say something like that.

Since they were ronin he’d never see again, swallowing it whole would be to their advantage.

But after a moment’s hesitation, he let out a deep sigh and spoke again.

“I’ll be frank. You don’t seem to know much about horses, but for a horse like that, the asking price is the going rate. It’s far too much for us to accept as a commission fee.”

“Huh.”

It was a very unexpected reaction.

He’d thought they’d be delighted to have found a sucker.

The other ronin were glaring at him as if they could devour him, their eyes demanding to know what the hell he was up to.

I let out a hollow laugh.

I must have misunderstood him.

I’d assumed he was just another money-grubbing ronin.

With a solemn expression, I bowed to him and spoke again.

“I apologize, Master Jang. You seem to be a far more honest man than I had imagined. It is an honor to journey with such a fine warrior.”

But my praise seemed to surprise him instead.

“Eh? No, I’m just…”

“I know full well the true value of that horse. To be honest, I know I won’t get its full price if I sell it at the front lines anyway, so I’m simply giving it to you. I worry that if that horse still belongs to me , its will to run might weaken. So, let’s consider this mutual assistance. In exchange for giving you that horse, Master Jang, might I ask for your help and convenience on our journey ahead?”

As I said this and held out my hand, he gazed at it for a moment before dismounting and grasping it firmly.

“Third Young Master, you are quite different from the rumors. Understood. Since you have paid a great price, we shall do our utmost.”

And so my journey began.

From Guiyang in Guizhou Province to Yunnan Province.

Even riding nonstop, it would easily take three days.

For me now, it would undoubtedly be incredibly difficult.

But I was certain this journey would be the nourishment that would rebirth me.

Yes, in this life, I would change.

Absolutely!

And after half an hour (one gong = about 15 minutes) had passed.

I was lying face down on the floor, vomiting.

“Waaahhh!”

Master Jang patted my back with a pitying look and said.

“Master. Surely you’re not acting like this because you don’t want to go?”

“What are you talking about? Waaaaaah!”

After getting up again a moment later, I collapsed before even reaching half the distance, sprawling flat on my back on the floor.

The sky looked yellow.

“Haah, haah, haah.”

Seeing the vagabonds glance at the words I’d written with pitying eyes, they seemed to be wondering if those words were worth that much.

It was incredibly embarrassing, but I was suffering dozens of times more than that embarrassment, so I couldn’t help it.

Then, suddenly, a handkerchief was held out beneath the yellowed sky.

“Huh?”

Startled, I turned my head to see a young lady offering me her handkerchief.

It was the young lady who had been with Zhuge Xiaowu, the one whose bangs completely covered her eyes.

She said to me.

“Wipe your sweat.”

Her tone was flat and emotionless, yet somehow the cheeks peeking out from under her bangs seemed flushed.

…Was I imagining things?

Anyway, in that moment, embarrassment overwhelmed my exhaustion. I forced myself to stand and said to her.

“Ugh! Miss Cheongyeon! I’ve shown you my ugly side.”

Then, with a startled expression, she asked.

“You… know me?”

I gave an awkward smile and answered her question.

“I heard Lady Zhuge call my name yesterday.”

“Ah, what a memory.”

Muttering that, she held out the handkerchief again and said.

“Wipe it off. I have several, so you can just take one.”

She offered it so confidently that it felt awkward to refuse.

Instinctively, I took the handkerchief and roughly wiped away the sweat.

Then she spoke again.

“Hang in there. I’ll be rooting for you.”

Then she turned and walked away in a flash.

It felt like something had swept through me.

More like a natural phenomenon than a person?

Anyway, it was the first time in two lifetimes that a woman had handed me a handkerchief.

It felt strange.

The ronin watching burst into cheers as she vanished.

“Ooh! Young Master Seonwoo! You’re amazing!”

“To receive a handkerchief from a woman who seems that beautiful—how enviable!”

That’s a strange thing to say.

If she’s beautiful, she’s beautiful. ‘Seems like she might be beautiful’?

Well, I suppose it can’t be helped since only half her face is visible.

Of course, it’s certainly not what they’re thinking.

I know my place far too well to misinterpret that young lady’s actions.

How pitiful she must have looked to make them do that.

She must have been an exceptionally kind young lady.

‘Well, it’s true my shoulders do feel lifted.’

Getting a boost from a woman in front of others—come to think of it, this feeling was also a first in my two lifetimes.

Suddenly, strength surged through me. I sprang back to my feet and shouted boldly.

“Alright, let’s go again!”

My burning resolve was met with a roar of response from the ronin.

“Ooooh!”

Of course, I couldn’t hold out for even half a second this time either.

“Waaah!”

The ronin warriors now gazed at the sky with faces of utter resignation.

After repeating the cycle of walking a little, resting for a long while, then walking a little more and resting again, we finally managed to escape the banishment just as lunchtime approached.

Seeing the ronin struggling to suppress their irritation, I realized again that handing the reins over to them had been the right call.

Master Jang shouted.

“Alright, let’s eat first! Looks like we’ll be eating outdoors a lot from now on!”

Hmm, I suppose that was meant for me to hear.

It was embarrassing.

Turning my head away from them, I opened the bundle Yeonha had given me.

Small, neatly packed rice balls caught my eye.