Chapter 122: Don't You Know Why I'm Upset?

TL: FoodieMonster007

I always thought the woman Ghostly Sage married was a villainess. She looked nothing like one now.

"I heard you've been working hard researching the Ghost Sect's secret arts. Please don't overdo it," Lim Hyang said.

"Thank you for saying so."

Ghostly Sage grinned from ear to ear at Lim Hyang's concern.

"Aren't you hungry?"

"I am. I'm hungry."

"Let's eat before we go."

Ghostly Sage and Lim Hyang entered our inn, followed by her martial artists. They took a nearby table, so we could hear their conversation perfectly.

"I'll be honest with you. My parents were actually against this marriage. They said the Ghost Sect's successors are always engrossed in research and would make a woman lonely."

"Ah, that's a misunderstanding. That'll never happen. I promise. I promise I'll never make Young Lady lonely."

I didn't know the details of why Ghostly Sage's marriage failed. When we last met, Ghostly Sage had called his married life a greater hell. That meant they were still together then.

What if he made her lonely while researching the Great Regression Technique? What if that was the reason?

Ghostly Sage, you can't keep this promise now.

Of course, that might not be the reason. The way Ghostly Sage looked at Lim Hyang told me everything. I would bet my entire fortune he would abandon his family business if she asked him to run away with her. How could a marriage that started with such affection become a living hell?

Lee Ahn sent me a telepathy.

[Those two are the ones whose wedding you're trying to stop, right?]

[That's right.]

[How can you stop them when they're so in love? If you try to stop them now, I think you'll become their enemy.]

Not just an enemy. We would become mortal enemies.

We focused on their conversation again.

"Father might treat Young Lord coldly. Even if he does, please try to understand, Young Lord."

"Of course. I know very well how much Sect Leader cherishes Young Lady Lim."

Could their parents be the reason they split up? Figuring that out was our first priority.

They ordered their meal.

"I don't really like stir-fried dishes," Lim Hyang said with clear preference.

Ghostly Sage quickly replied, "That's great. I dislike them too."

"Really?"

"It seems we're a match made in heaven!"

But I saw it. I saw Ghostly Sage's fleeting hesitation. The regret of, But I like them.

Poor Ghostly Sage. He was done with stir-fried dishes from now on. Then again, he would probably agree if she suggested they live on nutrient balls for the rest of their lives.

When they started eating, it was our turn to talk. We spoke loudly to draw their attention.

"Do you want to get married?"

Marriage was the most natural topic for people about to wed. I could feel Ghostly Sage and Lim Hyang listening intently.

"I'm not going to," Lee Ahn said.

"……"

"Marriage comes with great responsibility, doesn't it? I don't have the confidence to take responsibility for someone. I can barely handle myself."

I couldn't tell if this was her real opinion or just an act to stop the couple's marriage.

This time, Lee Ahn asked me, "Do you want to get married?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I just want to live freely."

"What about children? Don't you want to have children?"

"A child…"

I had heard this exact question once before from Seo Jin, Ghostly Sage's younger sister. My answer then was obvious. I was consumed by the guilt and anger of being the sole survivor, so what would I do with a child?

"I'm not confident I could raise one well."

"I suppose so. Not all parents raise their children well, after all."

Lee Ahn's expression darkened slightly. I set aside Ghostly Sage's matter and asked a question I had wanted to ask her.

"Do you resent your parents?"

"I resented them when I was young."

Her parents abandoned her when she was very young. She had drifted to our Cult without even knowing who they were.

"And now?"

"I don't think much about it now. Hating them only hurts me."

I asked about her parents on purpose, so she wouldn't bury the wounds in her heart.

My intention was for her to dig up what was buried and talk about it. Then she could regret it while kicking her blankets, thinking she shouldn't have said anything. Then she would think, well, I already said it, so I might as well say it again. I wanted to turn it into something trivial.

A wound in the heart only fades after going through this process many times. Just burying it and forgetting? Not a chance. No matter how deeply you bury it, it won't rot. It won't disappear.

Lee Ahn looked at me, grinned, and said, "My parents are probably eating and living well somewhere, I guess."

Just then, someone interjected.

"I don't think that's true."

It was Lim Hyang who couldn't hold back.

"I don't know the circumstances, but the female warrior's parents must be heartbroken."

She had clear preferences in food and a personality that made her state her opinions clearly.

Lee Ahn spoke to her gently. "Not all parents love their children. There are parents who think of their children as money-makers just because they gave birth to them, and there are parents who hit, abuse, and even sell their children, right?"

The last part stuck in my mind. Perhaps Lee Ahn believed her parents had sold her.

"That must be the story of a very small minority of parents. I'm sure your parents, Young Lady, had other circumstances."

Lim Hyang's gaze filled with sympathy and compassion as she looked at Lee Ahn with pity. I could tell that, despite her simple appearance, she was the type to reveal her emotions even to a stranger.

It could have been unpleasant, but Lee Ahn responded gently.

"Thank you for your comfort."

"No, I made an unnecessary remark. I'm sorry," Lim Hyang apologized.

Lee Ahn also spoke politely. "Not at all. You spoke out of goodwill, but I reacted sensitively."

The two of them apologized to each other.

Lim Hyang belatedly introduced herself. "I am Lim Hyang, a daughter of the Lim Sword Family."

Lim Hyang introduced Ghostly Sage, and Lee Ahn introduced me.

"This is my Senior Brother."

This was how she usually introduced me to new people. Since we learned the same martial arts, it wasn't technically wrong.

"As a token of my apology, I'll treat you to some drinks," Lee Ahn offered. "It seems you two reunited after a long time today, so let's meet whenever you have time, be it tomorrow or the day after."

Lim Hyang shook her head. "No, if anyone's buying drinks, it should be me."

As the two of them argued over who would buy drinks, Ghostly Sage stepped in.

"As it happens, I was planning to invite some close friends for a small celebratory banquet tomorrow. I would like to invite you both as well."

"We can't possibly go to such a precious event," Lee Ahn refused.

Lim Hyang stepped forward. "No, you must come. I think that's the only way I'll feel at ease."

With Lim Hyang also insisting, Lee Ahn pretended to give in and accepted.

"Alright, we'll visit you tomorrow."

A short while later, Ghostly Sage and Lim Hyang finished their meal, bid us farewell, and left the inn.

After they were gone, Lee Ahn puffed out her chest.

"I did well, right?"

"Excellent. So well that I feel I could leave this to you and go."

"Ah! No, you can't do that. I still don't understand why we have to stop their wedding!"

Lee Ahn watched them walk away outside. Even as they went down the road, Ghostly Sage couldn't take his eyes off Lim Hyang.

I recalled Ghostly Sage's final moments.

[Is it still hell?]

[It's an even hotter hell. I'm ashamed, but I'm still asking you. If I don't listen until the end, tear off my manhood.]

[To that extent?]

[Even more than that.]

I could stop him if I really tried, but I worried that forcing the issue might make him more miserable. They say the most difficult thing in the world is the matter between a man and a woman.

"I'm still not sure what to do yet."

The next afternoon, Lee Ahn and I visited the Ghost Sect.

As we followed a martial artist into the inner court, I felt ghostly qi from all around.

[Lee Ahn, do you feel that energy to the left?]

[Yes, it's an energy I've never felt before in my life.]

[It's the ghostly qi of the Ghost Sect.]

It was a different kind of ghostly qi from the Soul-Stealing Demon Supreme's.

[You must deal with those who use this kind of ghostly qi very carefully. You never know what might pop out, so the most important thing is not to panic. If you panic, you die.]

[Yes, I'll keep that in mind.]

When we entered the inner court, I saw three people talking in front of a flower garden.

Ghostly Sage, Lim Hyang, and the one person I had wanted so badly to see, Seo Jin.

"Don't trust my Orabeoni. When he gets absorbed in his work, he's the type who wouldn't even notice a duel happening right next to him. That's my Orabeoni."

Lim Hyang laughed, thinking Seo Jin's words were a joke.

"It's not a joke."

"Then I'll have to have a spectacular duel. A duel so spectacular it makes him turn his head to me."

They noticed our arrival and looked our way.

My eyes met Seo Jin's.

I had originally met her much later than this, so seeing Seo Jin now felt incredibly unfamiliar.

So you had a fresh and vibrant time like this too.

She had suited the rough life of a mercenary so well. She was smart, thoughtful, and loyal.

Her current appearance didn't bring that image to mind. Right now, she was a bright, cheerful girl who had grown up loved in a prestigious family.

Lee Ahn's telepathy came through.

[You didn't even look at those beautiful courtesans of the Thousand Flower Palace like this. The way you're looking at that woman is special.]

As expected, Lee Ahn knew me best.

[I refuse your jealousy.]

[Your Highness! It's not jealousy, it's curiosity!]

Right, how could my gaze be ordinary when I saw Seo Jin?

My friend.

In this life, I won't let you grow cold in a nameless field. You said you were satisfied with your life as you were dying, but I won't let you meet such an end. That is my promise as a friend.

We walked up to them. Ghostly Sage introduced us to Seo Jin.

After the introductions, Seo Jin showed interest in Lee Ahn.

"Your eyes are so beautiful. Why do you wear a veil?"

I looked at Lee Ahn, signaling for her to show her face. It's a honey trap, Lee Ahn!

Sensing my intention, she removed her veil.

Gasps of admiration escaped from the two women, but the target, Ghostly Sage, showed no particular reaction.

I asked Ghostly Sage, "Young Lord Seo, isn't my junior sister pretty?"

I had intended to show him that women this beautiful existed in the world.

"She is beautiful. She is beautiful, but our Young Lady Lim is more beautiful."

I could tell Ghostly Sage was speaking from the heart.

They say love is blind, but this was beyond rose-colored glasses. It was as if he was under a soul-bewitching spell.

I sent a telepathy to Lee Ahn.

[Ugly! Put your veil back on.]

[I already did. What's with that guy!]

[I tried to stop the wedding with a honey trap, but it's not going to work.]

[Why are you trying to stop them? They look good together.]

It was then that Lim Hyang stared at Ghostly Sage with a stiff expression.

"What is it, Young Lady Lim?"

"Don't you know why I'm upset?"

"I do not."

Ghostly Sage looked completely clueless.

"Why can't you be honest? That Young Lady is more beautiful, isn't she? Did you think I would like it if you said that?"

She thought he was lying because even she could see that Lee Ahn was more beautiful.

"In my eyes, you are more beautiful."

"That's a lie, isn't it?"

"No. You truly are more beautiful. I can swear it to the heavens."

"Really?"

Only after confirming it did Lim Hyang's expression soften.

In that moment, I was certain.

From her interjection yesterday to her behavior now, she had a strong personality. She had to confirm things that could have just been let go.

What if she suffocated Ghostly Sage with that personality? Someday, the rose-colored glasses on Ghostly Sage's eyelids would disappear.

Tired of her, he would have escaped reality by diving into his research on the great technique, and their relationship would have only worsened.

This wasn't her fault alone. She was showing what kind of person she was without hiding it, but Ghostly Sage himself was the one who couldn't see it.

Even now, Ghostly Sage was smiling at Lim Hyang, looking incredibly pleased about something.

Sigh, Ghostly Sage. What am I going to do about this? Do I really have to grab and tear off your manhood?