TSBIRBV chapter 8- Homeless and now guideless

* * *

Yegyeol, crouched in a corner of the garden, sighed heavily. It had been a week since Je Haryang had dropped that bombshell. In the meantime, Yegyeol’s body had been recovering smoothly.

The heavens were merciless.

He wanted to fall ill again, but as an Esper, with a guide attached, his condition wouldn’t worsen easily.

If he used his power recklessly, he might feel weak, but the problem was that Yegyeol was an S-class Esper.

If he pushed his abilities to the point of weakening his body, it would be obvious that there would be a spectacular display of lightning from a clear sky.

The Central Plains is a place where human life is treated as less valuable than a fly.

Currently, Yegyeol had a body that hadn’t trained in martial arts.

While an Esper’s physical abilities far surpassed that of ordinary people, no one could say who would win in a fight against a high-level martial artist.

To protect himself, he had to hide his strength.

Above all, Yegyeol couldn’t forget the words he heard from Je Haryang a week ago today.

‘I can’t go, but you can return.’

Je Haryang’s face as he said those words was oddly desperate.

Yegyeol wanted to argue back when Je Haryang told him to get up and return to Kunlun, but he could only keep his mouth shut.

The question of why he should return to the Kunlun Sect, where the Senior Brother was no longer present, gnawed at him.

In his heart, he wanted to say he couldn’t go, even if it killed him, but the memory of Je Haryang’s face at that moment made it impossible to be stubborn.

It was as if he could almost grasp Je Haryang’s desire to send his only remaining disciple back to the sect, where he could no longer return himself.

If Je Haryang wanted to cast him off like a burden, it would be one thing, but he seemed genuinely intent on sending Yegyeol back to the Kunlun Sect for his own sake.

‘Couldn’t a gate just open up somewhere at a time like this…’

Yegyeol had seen a senior Esper at the center put his name at the top of the gate dispatch list because he wanted to meet his guide, with whom he had declared separate quarters.

It seemed so pathetic to beg for a gate that would wring him out like laundry in a dryer, as long as it didn’t result in any casualties.

But now that it was his turn, he realized it wasn’t something to laugh at.

This wasn’t even a temporary separate quarters situation.

Given the transportation and communication in the Central Plains, this was an emergency where they might be permanently separated.

‘How long could I last if I were to leave Je Haryang?’

Yegyeol sighed as he randomly plucked at the grass on the ground.

Maybe half a year?

If he was lucky and didn’t have to use his power.

But his condition would only get worse. Even if he didn’t expend his energy, it would continue to churn inside him.

An Esper’s body is like a battery that discharges even when not in use.

This is why Espers are advised to maintain a seal until they find a proper guide.

Without a proper guide, they’ll only slowly wither away.

“That’s not a weed you’re pulling.”

When he turned his head, a man was standing there.

Since the last time he heard a woman’s voice from Samrang, this must be someone else.

“Who are you?”

Yegyeol subtly hid his grass-stained hand in his sleeve as he asked. He wanted to at least pretend to be embarrassed since he had been caught venting his frustration.

“I am Jinyoung, serving the merchant lord.”

The man had a stern appearance. He looked more like a scholar than a warrior.

“I thought Senior Brother would come.”

Despite Yegyeol’s casual tone, the man’s expression didn’t change at all.

“The merchant lord is busy with work.”

“Oh, well. If it’s work, then it can’t be helped.”

“The merchant lord has been sacrificing his sleep to stay by your side.”

Jinyoung replied in a stiff tone, without a single word of denial.

Yegyeol couldn’t tell if the man was just being honest or if he didn’t like him and was acting stiff. Maybe it was both.

“Senior Brother is indeed a responsible person.”

“Indeed.”

“If his subordinates were more capable, he wouldn’t have to work so hard.”

Yegyeol let out an exaggerated sigh. Jinyoung’s eyes narrowed as if he had just been insulted.

“So what?”

Not all Espers had terrible personalities, but every Esper Yegyeol knew was selfish and annoying. This included Yegyeol himself.

“Might as well take advantage of this rotten mood.”

Of course, he didn’t say it without thinking. Yegyeol was confident that this man, Jinyoung, wouldn’t go tattling to the Senior Brother.

Since waking up in Center Plains, Yegyeol hadn’t seen a single fight.

The Senior Brother had taken care of everything, from clothes to food and even baths.

As a result, Yegyeol had only met two people besides the Senior Brother—a woman named Samrang and two doctors.

And even then, Haryang was always by his side.

But did this man, Jinyoung, really have permission to visit when the Senior Brother wasn’t around?

“There’s no way.”

Yegyeol chuckled to himself.

“The Senior Brother must be really worried about me. He’s so busy with work, yet he sent someone as important as you.”

“The Master didn’t send me. However…”

The man glanced at Yegyeol’s eyes.

“Since the sun is still strong, I came to check because a guest was outside. The Master mentioned that it would take some time for your eyes to recover and that he was concerned.”

Ah, so that’s it.

Yegyeol’s hostility towards the man lessened a bit.

He had thought Jinyoung came to inspect a stray bone, but it seemed he was genuinely concerned.

“Contrary to what the Master mentioned, you look healthy. That’s a relief. The Kunlun mountains must be quite harsh.”

“So, he knows that once I’m fully recovered, I’ll be going to Kunlun?”

Yegyeol’s lips curled slightly. It seemed like Jinyoung was worried about someone who would leave soon anyway.

It didn’t bother him much, but he was in a twisted mood, knowing that he might be cut off from the Senior Brother.

“Senior Brother must be really worried. Even a few coughs and he’d rush to close the windows and bring warm water… He even brought a gold-stitched pillow, but I was sweating like crazy.”

As Yegyeol casually mentioned how well the Senior Brother took care of him, Jinyoung’s eyebrows twitched.

For a while, Yegyeol and Jinyoung glared at each other like a cat and a dog.

“So, when do you think the Senior Brother will return?”

It was phrased as a question, but it was actually a suggestion to leave quickly since dragging out the conversation would only lead to a battle of nerves.

“…He should be back before sunset.”

Jinyoung answered obediently. Yegyeol smiled brightly at his willingness to leave.

“It was nice meeting you. Here’s a gift.”

He placed a plant, dirt still clinging to it, into Jinyoung’s pristine hands. It was a plant Yegyeol had plucked in a fit of anger.

“See you next time.”

Yegyeol waved his hand lazily, signaling Jinyoung to leave. Jinyoung nodded slightly and quickly walked out of the garden.

Once he was some distance away, Jinyoung looked down at his hand.

He noticed that the plant’s juice had stained the sleeve of his cherished clothing.

It felt like receiving a rat as a gift from a cat he had been feeding.

“Haha…”

His lord had said that this ‘guest’ was the most kind-hearted person in the world. Jinyoung somewhat agreed.

After all, if someone had a purpose, they’d present themselves as harmless and kind until they achieved it.

But this… wasn’t this like a weasel with poison in its fangs?

“My lord… What have you brought here?”

Jinyoung’s face grew gloomy as he stared at the root he had suddenly been burdened with. He walked away dejectedly.

Soon, he arrived in front of a building where a man, seven feet tall, was standing.

The man was holding a carving knife and a piece of wood, working on something.

As he got closer, a wall that had been hidden behind the man’s body came into view.

Despite being smaller than the man’s hand, there were several intricate horse carvings lined up.

Jinyoung glanced at them—foals and larger horses, all harmoniously grouped together—before speaking.

“Hongyeo, is the lord inside?”

The man stopped carving and nodded. Like Jinyoung, Yayu Hongyeo was one of Je Haryang’s subordinates, and he spoke very little.

“…A flowerpot.”

As Jinyoung was about to step inside, he was stopped by Hongyeo’s words. He realized he was still holding the plant.

It didn’t feel right to just throw it away with Hongyeo, who looked intimidating, watching him.

In the end, Jinyoung asked with a trembling voice.

“Where can I find a flowerpot?”

Not long after, Jinyoung entered the building with a flowerpot in his arms.

Although the guest had uprooted the plant and handed it to him, it looked much tidier after passing through Hongyeo’s hands.

‘His hands are so big and thick, yet he manages delicate work so well.’

Jinyoung walked briskly and stopped in front of a room. Before he could ask for permission to enter, the sliding door in front of him silently opened.

A bit tense, Jinyoung hugged the flowerpot tightly and stepped inside.

A coldly handsome man sat at the desk by the window.

His imposing aura matched his fine appearance, and his expressionless face made him seem even more unapproachable.

Even without knowing what lay within him, anyone would instinctively bow their head and step back.

“My lord, there’s news from Xinjiang.”

Jinyoung got straight to the point.

“It seems that two or more of the Six Demon Families are working together.”

It was already known that Haryang would be absent during this period. But with his stay outside being prolonged, the bugs that had been trampled down before were starting to crawl out again.

“The eight families were reduced to six, yet they still haven’t learned their lesson.”

Haryang’s voice was indifferent as he spoke. It was a calm, unemotional tone that conveyed neither anger, betrayal, nor even annoyance.

“Prepare for our return.”

* * *