Chronicles of the Lazy Sovereign

Chapter 5: A Tangled Journey (3)

“I’ll be back.”

Wi Suryeon finally burst into tears.

“Waaaah! Oppa, don’t go!”

Wi Yeonho scowled deeply.

“You should’ve acted like this earlier! Why act all affectionate now that it’s over!”

*Thwack!*

Wi Sanho smacked the back of Wi Yeonho’s head.

“Ow!”

“And what kind of awful thing is that to say to your little sister?”

“That was awful? That? So saying something like that is wrong, but hitting your younger brother on the back of the head is perfectly fine?”

Wi Yeonho flipped his eyes and snapped back at Wi Sanho.

It was something he could never have imagined doing under normal circumstances, but what could he do now in this moment? He was about to be dragged off to hell itself—causing a little commotion here wouldn’t change anything.

Just then, whispers reached Wi Yeonho’s ears.

“Still, it’s a bit sad that the young master is leaving.”

“Hmph! What’s sad about a lazy bum like him leaving? How many times have you even seen his face? In the five years I’ve worked here, I can count the times on one hand.”

“Isn’t that a good thing, though?”

“What’s so good about that?”

“You don’t get it! I know someone who works at another clan, and their young master is such a lecher he causes every kind of trouble imaginable. There’s never a moment’s peace. They say their head is about to crack from all the cleanup. Compared to that, our young master is quiet, doesn’t cause trouble, and half the time you don’t even know if he’s around. Isn’t that a blessing?”

“Hmm, now that you say it like that, I guess you’re right.”

Wi Yeonho clicked his tongue.

‘Having a real good time, huh.’

And he had considered these people his loyal retainers!

He was so bitter he could practically scream and jump out of his skin.

After enduring the send-off from the retainers and turning his back on Han Sang-a and Wi Suryeon’s tears, Wi Yeonho was finally able to step outside the house.

“Young Master, please be careful on your journey!”

“Young Clan Head, take good care of the young master!”

“Young Master, come back as a great man!”

Wi Yeonho pouted his lips.

‘A great man, my foot.’

As if staying home made you a small man!

Like a cow being led to slaughter, Wi Yeonho looked up at the sky with pure, innocent eyes.

Why did the sky have to be so gray today! Enough to make a man cry!

“My poor fate…”

He looked toward Wi Suryeon, who clung to their mother, sobbing.

His nose stung for no reason.

“She even packed me snacks… yeah, she nagged a lot, but she still listened to me.”

She was blood, after all. Just thinking he wouldn’t see her for a while made him feel strangely sentimental.

“Let’s go!”

Wi Yeonho’s head whipped around.

This man clearly didn’t share the same bloodline as him.

No—first of all, Wi Yeonho doubted whether he even had blood running through his veins.

“Let’s go! Move it!”

Wi Yeonho waved at Wi Suryeon. As soon as she saw his gesture, her sobbing grew even more sorrowful.

“Ah, don’t cry! It’s not like I’m being dragged off to war!”

“Waaaah!”

When Wi Suryeon began crying in earnest, Wi Yeonho let out a long sigh, dismounted his horse, and gently patted her back.

“I said don’t cry.”

*Sniffle.*

“Your big brother will be back soon.”

“Okay.”

After barely managing to comfort her, Wi Yeonho got back on his horse.

“…I’ll be back.”

As Wi Yeonho offered his final farewell, everyone sent him off with their own parting words.

“Come back safely!”

“Return as a man!”

“Oppa! You better come back without getting hurt!”

“Young Master, please return in good health!”

Hearing their send-off, Wi Yeonho ground his teeth.

“I’m coming back! I swear I am!”

Any curse words meant to follow were swallowed as Wi Sanho forcefully tugged the reins and started the journey. Wi Yeonho left with only a vague promise hanging in the air as they departed for Henan. As the figures of Wi Yeonho and Wi Sanho shrank into dots, Han Sang-a let out a deep sigh.

“Will… he be okay.”

As Han Sang-a wiped away her tears, Wi Jeonghan silently placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Don’t worry. He’s our son, after all.”

“Take your hand off me.”

Wi Jeonghan flinched and quickly pulled his hand away.

Han Sang-a wrapped her arms around the still-crying Wi Suryeon.

“Poor thing. She really looked up to her brother.”

She sighed again, watching Wi Yeonho disappear into the distance.

‘He must stay healthy.’

No matter how lazy and hopeless a child might be, a mother’s love made no distinction.

---

The journey went smoothly.

At least, from Wi Sanho’s perspective.

If there was any issue, it was that it was hard to tell whether Wi Yeonho was riding the horse or being carried by it, and the way his face had gone so pale it looked like he might drop dead at any moment. Yet for Wi Sanho, the trip was going as smoothly as it could.

Minor mishaps like Wi Yeonho dozing off and nearly falling off the horse, or almost galloping off a cliff, were all within expected parameters.

Of course, things felt entirely different from Wi Yeonho’s point of view.

Having never ridden before,his backside felt like it had been roasting over a campfire all day. Simply sitting on the horse, doing nothing, was draining an absurd amount of stamina.

As a result, Wi Yeonho had become completely worn out.

For someone used to a soft bed, the relentless jolting on horseback was an unbearable ordeal.

“Ugh…”

Wi Yeonho groaned as he clung to the horse’s neck.

“…Are we there yet?”

At his question, Wi Sanho replied in a blunt tone.

“Just ten more days.”

“T-Ten days?!”

“If you knew how to ride properly, we’d have been there in five.”

Wi Yeonho snapped.

“I told you I’ve never ridden before!”

“I didn’t blame you.”

“You’re totally doing it right now!”

“I just answered your question.”

Wi Yeonho gnashed his teeth, but there was nothing he could do. He wasn’t stronger, nor was he higher in rank. On top of that, Wi Sanho hadn’t even said anything wrong, so no matter how irritating or hateful it was, he had no choice but to endure it.

“Let’s take a break.”

“Resting is easy. That is, if you’re fine with riding even faster for the remaining nine days.”

Wi Yeonho’s face twisted into a grimace.

“Do you know how steep this hill is? Do you know how painful this is? My back feels like it’s going to snap and my butt’s about to explode! Look over there! Even those people are lying down on the roadside from exhaustion!”

When Wi Yeonho pointed to the people lying far ahead, Wi Sanho’s expression suddenly turned rigid.

“Hurry.”

“What now!”

Wi Sanho didn’t respond. He grabbed Wi Yeonho’s reins and kicked the horse’s flank.

“Ah! Aaaagh! Aah! I said it hurts!”

Wi Yeonho bounced violently on his horse.

Ignoring him, Wi Sanho spurred his horse forward, heading straight for the collapsed figures. As soon as they got close, he leapt down from his horse and checked the people with a serious look on his face.

Wi Yeonho grumbled as he dismounted.

“What’s the rush now?”

“Be quiet.”

Wi Sanho placed a hand on the necks of the fallen people, then slowly shook his head.

“It’s too late.”

“What do you mean, too late?”

“They’re dead.”

“…”

Wi Yeonho closed his mouth.

Two grown men lay collapsed in front of Wi Sanho.

Looking closely, their faces did seem a bit pale, but the idea that they were corpses had never crossed his mind.

Good heavens—he was seeing corpses out on the open road!

“…You mean they’re really dead?”

“First time seeing one?”

“Yeah.”

“You’ll be seeing them often.”

At Wi Sanho’s calm words, Wi Yeonho shivered. Wi Sanho began rummaging through the corpses, then lifted their shirts.

“Look.”

On the body, there was a strange mark. In the center of the chest, a bizarre imprint appeared—like a fallen leaf or perhaps a red flower bud.

Wi Sanho pulled back the clothing on the other corpse, and the same exact mark was there.

“What the hell is that?”

With a hardened face, Wi Sanho spoke.

“This is a technique called ‘Flower-indulging Palm’.”

“Flower-indulging Palm?”

“That’s right.”

“What a weird name. ‘Flower-indulging’... as in enjoying flowers? Indulging in them?”

“The original name of Flower-indulging Palm is ‘Crimson Flower Palm’.”

“That sounds way more fitting. Why’s it called Flower-indulging Palm, then?”

“Crimson Flower Palm is a palm technique from the Demonic Path. When it lands, the heart veins burst open—it’s a vicious technique. Still, it was once a well-known, powerful palm art. But the one using Crimson Flower Palm in the current murim is such a filthy man that even the name was tainted.”

“Filthy?”

“‘Flower-indulging Scholar’ Seo Juak. A depraved lust demon. That perverted bastard uses the Crimson Flower Palm, and because of him, people started calling it Flower-indulging Palm instead.”

“So you're saying that lust demon is around here?”

Wi Yeonho glanced nervously around.

If what Wi Sanho said was true, then somewhere in this area lurked that vile lust demon!

It could be dangerous.

“I'm not certain.”

“Hmm…”

“Judging by the condition of the bodies, they haven't been dead for long. There's still warmth left in them. By the clock, it’s barely two hours. But for a martial artist, two hours is a long time. He could be long gone from here.”

“Then it can’t be helped. Let’s just take care of the bodies and be on our way.”

“That won’t do.”

“Why not?”

“Flower-indulging Scholar Seo Juak never uses his techniques on men.”

“What do you mean?”

Wi Sanho’s face stiffened as he spoke.

“The reason Seo Juak, despite being a lust demon, still hasn’t had his head cut off in the murim is because he’s an expert in disguise and knows exactly how to preserve his own life. That bastard—despite being a depraved degenerate—never steps foot in places like brothels. Instead, like a bandit, he targets women traveling secluded mountain paths.”

“Really?”

“The fact that there are corpses here, killed by the Flower-indulging Palm, means Seo Juak attacked these men while aiming for a woman. In other words…”

Wi Sanho’s gaze grew chilling.

“There’s a woman in danger right now.”

Wi Yeonho slowly shook his head.

He understood what Wi Sanho was saying—but even so, what could they possibly do?

“Then what do you expect to do? How would we know where she is? Even if we searched this whole area, by the time we found her, everything would already be over.”

But Wi Sanho remained firm.

“Even so, we can’t just sit back and do nothing.”

“Hyung, don’t be like that…”

At that moment, something made Wi Yeonho shut his mouth.

A faint sound brushed past his ear. It was barely audible, but Wi Yeonho didn’t miss it.

A sharp scream—sounding distinctly like a woman’s.

Wi Yeonho and Wi Sanho turned their heads at the same time.

Taking into account everything Wi Sanho had just explained and that scream they had heard, there was no need to even interpret what was happening in that direction. It was painfully clear.

They had a direction.

The distance…

“It’s quite far.”

Wi Sanho walked to where the horses were and drew his sword.

“Stay here.”

“You want me to stay here—alone—with the corpses?”

“I’ll be right back.”

“Hyung!”

“I’ll come back! Just stay here!”

Leaving only those words behind, Wi Sanho launched into the air with movement arts and soared away.

Wi Yeonho silently watched the sight, then slowly turned his head.

All that remained were two horses leisurely grazing…

And two corpses lying on the ground.

Wi Yeonho let out a heavy sigh.

“I'm screwed.”

Today, Wi Yeonho felt especially pitiful.