SYM 16

White breath rose from Eun-hyeon’s mouth. With winter still raging on, it was inevitable that he felt the cold as soon as he stepped outside. He bundled himself tightly in the thick coat he had brought with him.

“White-Robed Divine Dragon.”

Ha Yeo-un’s attire was light. Seeing him sitting on top of the wall in the same clothes he wore at the banquet hall, looking down at Eun-hyeon, it made him wonder for a moment if it was spring.

“Your attire suits you as well, White Dragon.”

Along with the unmelted snow around, it made Ha Yeo-un look like white snow himself.

Ha Yeo-un gazed at Eun-hyeon, his face adorned with a gentle smile. His movements atop the eaves, slow and graceful like a cat on a leisurely stroll, drew an involuntary chuckle from Eun-hyeon.

“Why did you call me? I can’t be away from my post for long. I need to return soon.”

In the past, he could run around in the dead of winter without feeling cold just by using his inner energy, but not anymore. 

Just standing outside seemed to drain his strength rapidly.

“Achoo.”

Eventually, he sneezed. Seeing this, Ha Yeo-un slightly furrowed his brow and jumped down. It was still an amazing technique that didn’t make a single sound.

“It seems you’re still not well.”

Ha Yeo-un came right up next to Eun-hyeon and gently spread his qi.

Not only that, he even placed his hand on Eun-hyeon’s back and subtly infused some inner energy.

“Ah… Great Hero Ha.”

Eun-hyeon felt a bit dazed. Even if it was a small amount, sharing one’s inner energy with another was a great gesture of goodwill.

It was natural for Eun-hyeon to have affection for Ha Yeo-un since he had realized Ha Yeo-un was Un, but why was Ha Yeo-un being so nice to him?

“I-I’m fine.”

There’s nothing more unsettling than an act of kindness without an apparent reason.

Eun-hyeon felt a chill run down his spine.

Had Un ever been so kind?

Absolutely not.

Even after risking his life to escape from the demonic sect, Un disliked the righteous sects. In fact, Un had distanced himself from the martial world altogether, largely due to Eun-hyeon being excommunicated and chased out.

“It’s not a big deal for me anyway. But it is for you, isn’t it?”

As soon as they came outside, Ha Yeo-un naturally started speaking informally to Eun-hyeon.

“Why did you help me earlier?”

Ha Yeo-un narrowed his eyes as he smiled. His sly expression made Eun-hyeon feel parched for some reason.

How could such an ordinary face produce such an expression?

It was clearly an ordinary face, but when he smiled, it gave an eerie feeling somehow.

“Don’t feel too burdened. I just thought that if I could gain your favor, you might remember a bit more about my master.”

Eun-hyeon kept feeling thirsty as he talked with Ha Yeo-un.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t remember anything more. I’ve told you everything I can recall.”

“Still, you never know. A completely forgotten memory might suddenly pop up while you’re just sitting there. Anything is fine, so if you think of something, please tell me.”

“…Alright.”

Eun-hyeon replied, but something felt off.

Seeking traces of his own existence from Eun-hyeon while being certain he was alive.

“But didn’t you say you found evidence that your master is alive?”

Ha Yeo-un stared at Eun-hyeon without answering, as if telling him to continue.

“May I ask what kind of evidence you found?”

Eun-hyeon asked the question thinking Ha Yeo-un wouldn’t answer. But surprisingly, Ha Yeo-un nodded readily.

“I can’t tell you in detail, but an object my master used to carry was discovered.”

Eun-hyeon furrowed his brow. Wasn’t finding an object not really proof that the person was alive? It was unspeakable, but stealing items from the dead was a common occurrence.

“That doesn’t seem like proof that he’s alive…”

“And, there was also someone who said they saw my master.”

Eun-hyeon blinked, wondering if he had heard correctly.

There was a witness? Who saw him alive?

“There’s an eyewitness? Is it possible they saw an illusion… or perhaps they were lying?”

Ha Yeo-un clicked his tongue and frowned at Eun-hyeon’s words.

“What do you take me for? I’m not that careless. Of course, I double-checked everything. I’m not naive enough to blindly believe what others say. The conclusion that my master is alive was reached after verifying all of this.”

There was a bitter taste in Eun-hyeon’s mouth. He couldn’t understand what was going on.

Was his body really alive?

Eun-hyeon recalled his final moments as the Taoist priest of Kunlun. Just thinking about it made the old wound in his heart ache.

Eun-hyeon was certain of his death. He had left his last words because he confirmed his own condition and saw no chance of survival.

So how could he have survived? Was it really him?

If he really did survive…

Whose soul was in that body?

The thought sent chills down his spine, and his mouth became even drier.

“Young Master.”

Ha Yeo-un called out to Eun-hyeon. Lost in his thoughts, Eun-hyeon jolted, lifting his head to meet Ha Yeo-un’s eyes.

Seeing Ha Yeo-un’s pitch-black pupils, Eun-hyeon swallowed hard.

“G-Great Hero Ha.”

“If the Young Master finds himself in a difficult situation, I might be able to help a little.”

There was no hesitation in Ha Yeo-un’s eyes. He lightly flicked Eun-hyeon’s nose with his finger.

“That is, if the Young Master honestly reveals everything.”

His tone suggested he knew Eun-hyeon was hiding something.

“W-Wait… Hiccup.”

Eun-hyeon covered his mouth as a hiccup escaped.

They say only those who’ve done wrong get flustered like this. Trying to tell a lie must have been so unfamiliar to him that it even triggered a hiccup.

Ha Yeo-un smiled as if he understood Eun-hyeon’s predicament completely.

“Don’t worry. I won’t eat you. Go inside before you catch a cold. If you remember anything, call me anytime.”

Ha Yeo-un waved his hand casually. Eun-hyeon bit his lip hard.

“Um… Great Hero Ha.”

Ha Yeo-un raised his head and stared at Eun-hyeon as if telling him to speak. Just as Eun-hyeon’s reluctant lips began to move, white snow started falling from the sky one by one.

While Eun-hyeon, surrounded by the qi barrier Ha Yeo-un had spread, didn’t get hit by a single snowflake, white snowflakes began to accumulate on top of Ha Yeo-un.

Eun-hyeon looked at the sky, the snow, and then at Ha Yeo-un.

Dressed in white, Ha Yeo-un appeared almost indistinguishable from the snow or perhaps even the sky itself.

“Do you believe in souls, Great Hero Ha?”

Ha Yeo-un just stared at Eun-hyeon without answering.

“If one says humans have souls, and that these souls can be switched… What would you do if you met someone who claimed their soul had been switched with another’s?”

The silence was profound. The only sound was the gentle rustling of snow accumulating around them.

“I’d kill them.”

“…Pardon?”

Ha Yeo-un smiled at Eun-hyeon.

Against the white snow, his red lips looked almost sinister.

“Soul switching, soul manipulation. There’s only one group in the martial world that speaks of such things. The Hong Baek Sect. I’ve held a long-standing grudge against them. And I’m not someone who forgets a grudge.”

Ha Yeo-un reached out and untied the ribbon holding Eun-hyeon’s hair, and his tangled locks cascaded down.

Eun-hyeon felt like a small animal caught in a trap. He stood still, unable to move, just blinking as Ha Yeo-un caressed his forehead with his thumb.

“If I were to see someone from the Hong Baek Sect, I’d tear apart even what they call a soul. I don’t believe in such things, but if reincarnation does exist, I’d make sure they couldn’t even reincarnate.”

Eun-hyeon swallowed hard.