TSBIRBV chapter 7

No way!

Yegyeol thought, almost amused by the idea. He almost laughed at the absurdity of it.

While many Espers feared being mistreated by their guides, the Je Haryang Yegyeol knew would never do such a thing.

Senior Brother was an upstanding young man, respected even by the elders of the Kunlun sect.

He wasn’t the type to imprison someone just because they were a little sick, unless he had been reborn, just like Yegyeol.

“Will I be allowed outside once the bandages are removed?” Yegyeol asked, stepping back obediently. Je Haryang nodded readily.

“If that’s what you want.”

‘Good, but not quite,’ Yegyeol thought, feeling a slight disappointment even though he had received permission.

But he smiled quietly, knowing that even a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

“Are you feeling… very confined?” Je Haryang asked, a hint of hesitation in his voice.

Yegyeol shook his head.

“Not at all, Senior Brother. You’re taking such good care of me. It’s just that I’m still a little confused.”

He fidgeted with the blanket.

“It’s alright. It’s alright,” Je Haryang said, gently stroking his hair.

The hesitant yet careful touch felt comforting.

“Let’s focus on your full recovery first. Once you’ve regained your strength, I’ll show you around the manor after sunset.”

Yegyeol nodded meekly, thinking that Je Haryang’s persuasion skills were impressive.

Since Senior Brother had become a merchant, there was no reason for him to return to the Kunlun sect.

That meant Yegyeol needed to familiarize himself with the manor where he would be staying.

‘How can I stay in Senior Brother’s merchant guild?’

This was Yegyeol’s new concern, as he casually decided that his future aspiration was to work for the guild.

Most importantly, he needed to understand Je Haryang’s personal relationships.

‘A perfect man like Je Haryang can’t possibly remain single forever.’

The Kunlun sect, being a Daoist sect, forbade marriage. But Senior Brother had said he was excommunicated and could no longer return to Kunlun. Now, he was a merchant.

Even when he was the top disciple of Kunlun, Je Haryang was surrounded by countless rumors of romantic liaisons.

Now that he was no longer a disciple, which woman wouldn’t try to win over such an exceptional man?

This was a serious problem.

‘He doesn’t seem to be suspicious of my appearance, so it hasn’t been ten years since I last saw him…’

In his previous life, Yegyeol had been seventeen when he died, and he was reborn at twenty.

Remarkably, he had the same face as before.

However, due to different life circumstances, there were some differences in his appearance.

In his previous life, before joining the Kunlun sect, he was an orphan, a beggar wandering the streets of Hangzhou, malnourished and small.

In this life, he had grown up in a stable family, and thanks to manifesting as an S-class Esper, he had continued to grow until he was twenty.

Besides his height, the other differences were his eye color and slightly lighter body hair.

Someone who had known Yegyeol well in his previous life would have noticed these differences.

Fortunately, Je Haryang, the great disciple of Kunlun, had not been close to the youngest disciple, Yegyeol.

While Je Haryang was the young hero of Kunlun, Yegyeol was the troublesome youngest disciple.

This distance meant that while Je Haryang might recognize him, he wouldn’t know him well enough to feel something was off.

That’s why he wasn’t suspected yet.

‘If the Demon Sect hadn’t invaded, would Senior Brother have even remembered someone like me?’

Reflecting on the current situation, Yegyeol prayed earnestly.

‘Please, Primal Celestial Lord, let it be that Senior Brother was too busy with his merchant work to meet any beautiful women. Or that, even after being excommunicated, he continued to follow the teachings of Kunlun…’

Je Haryang, oblivious to Yegyeol’s desperate prayers, asked him another question.

“Do you remember who did this to you? A name, or if not, their appearance?”

His voice, now softer, had a hint of danger.

“Well…”

Yegyeol licked his dry lips. While he could give his heart to a guide, this was a different matter altogether.

How could one possibly explain that the beast that had driven them to this point was already fried by lightning, and that even if they tried to find its body, it was gone, having shifted dimensions?

He still wanted to remain a good priest. If he did, wouldn’t that responsible Senior Brother keep circling around him?

Above all, he didn’t want to be seen as a madman by Je Haryang.

‘My body recovered too quickly. It’s a problem because I’m too healthy.’

Yegyeol grumbled inwardly as he busily racked his brain for a solution. It was a secret technique taught to him by an Esper brother who attended the same center.

“…Ah!”

Yegyeol, his eyes rolling back, pressed his forehead. As his body suddenly swayed, Je Haryang caught him.

“Yegyeol!”

Yegyeol leaned his head naturally against Je Haryang’s broad chest, catching his breath. Je Haryang’s hand anxiously swept down Yegyeol’s back. As his deliberately heaving shoulders slowly settled, he could feel Je Haryang’s relief.

From now on, timing was key.

“I… I don’t really remember.”

He lifted his trembling eyelashes and looked up. His wavering gaze focused entirely on Je Haryang.

“I remember being scared, and then feeling relieved when I saw you, but… ugh…”

Yegyeol bit his lower lip, wishing he could draw blood. But the moment he bit down, Je Haryang’s fingers slipped between his teeth.

Realizing he was biting the guide’s fingers, he quickly tried to release them, but the energy from the guide’s flesh that touched his mouth was transmitted.

It was sweet. So sweet.

Yegyeol, as if entranced, ended up licking Je Haryang’s fingers. He wanted to suck on them, but then he felt the large man’s body tremble as if it were too much.

‘Did I go too far?’

Yegyeol reluctantly released the fingers from his mouth, swallowing his regret.

“Biting your lip!”

Even though he was clearly flustered, Je Haryang scolded him in a stern voice as if nothing had happened, making Yegyeol click his tongue in disappointment.

What a difficult person.

“What if you had drawn blood?”

At the worried tone, Yegyeol impulsively asked, “I’m fine thanks to you, Senior Brother, but what if your fingers were left with bite marks?”

He lowered his gaze to avoid glancing up again, but it was hard to suppress the overwhelming dark desires rising within him.

“I heard that it heals faster if you apply saliva…”

Could he lick them just once more?

As he cast a pitiful look, Je Haryang extended his hand as if to say it was fine.

“Look. There’s no blood, just a mark, so don’t worry.”

Without hesitation, Yegyeol grabbed his hand and played with it. The aftereffects of his rampage had passed, but he still wanted to stay in contact.

“Really, there’s no blood. That’s a relief.”

Yegyeol’s voice trailed off as he let go of Je Haryang’s hand with a gesture full of regret. Even he found his behavior despicable.

When he first learned this coyness, he couldn’t understand why his senior Esper insisted on it.

Why would an Esper need to go to such lengths?

‘You’ll understand naturally when you meet a guide.’

At the time, he had scoffed at his senior’s words, but now he thought he understood why.

“You should worry more about yourself than me.”

When Je Haryang gently tapped his forehead, Yegyeol’s heart fluttered.

It felt like a butterfly was flapping its wings on his heart.

Why did it feel so good? Was it because he was his guide? Or was it because he was realizing, moment by moment, that the idol he had risked his life to protect was alive?

Yegyeol couldn’t quite figure it out.

“You need to get better so we can go back, don’t you think?”

“Where to?”

Yegyeol blinked dumbly at Je Haryang’s words.

Back where?

In his past life, Yegyeol had been an orphan, born and raised in the Central Plains. In this life, his parents had been murdered.

The expression didn’t quite fit his situation, and it felt awkward. Sure enough, Je Haryang dropped a bombshell.

“We need to go back to Kunlun.”