If Silk Flowers Bloom by the Water’s Edge Chapter 85

Saunryeong, who knew the terms used to describe himself—the wise snake, the wicked scholar—exceptionally well and utilized them, detested making a losing deal. Ghosts were said to be evil, but could they truly compare to humans? Historically, the number of humans killed by humans far exceeded the number of humans killed by ghosts. While humans are the root of all evil on earth, ghosts have taken the blame for every single sin simply because they look different.

Although Saunryeong was one to live idly, entrusting his body to the clouds, he required humans to obtain fresh knowledge from the outside world. Entering the modern era, he had been growing irritated because only narrow-minded, dim-witted people were getting caught in his net.

While he was satisfied that a young and beautiful man had dropped onto the cliff, seeing him slash his hand without hesitation made it uncertain whether their compatibility would match. After all, trapping foolish mortals and draining them to their very marrow was Saunryeong’s way.

[The poison will spread soon. Your head will feel dizzy, and your stomach will churn.]

The purple liquid was merely smeared on for appearance’s sake, a liquid devoid of any toxicity or pain. Yet, are humans not fragile creatures who create and feel nonexistent symptoms of illness the moment they are told it is laced with poison? Once the moment came for him to retch as if he were dying, Saunryeong intended to use the antidote as a pretext to execute a contract favorable to himself.

However, even after waiting as long as could be expected, the young man merely kept looking out at Saunryeong with an unaltered face. Had there ever been another man as indifferent as him upon hearing that there was poison on the blade he was cut by?

His patience exhausted, Saunryeong descended from the clouds and landed lightly in front of the man. Even with the eight-foot-tall figure right before his eyes, the man remained unperturbed, and he did not even staunch the wound from which foul blood was dripping.

An individual who does not fear the threshold of the underworld was highly likely to become a troublesome contractor in the future. Pondering for a moment, Saunryeong extended his scaly hand, which was concealed beneath the folds of his scholar’s robe, toward the man.

[Do you not crave the antidote? By now, the poison should be spreading to your arms and legs.]

“There might not be any poison. Or it was applied incorrectly.”

The man assumed a cynically mocking face and stood up on his own strength. Inherently, a young man was the easiest opponent to toy with. Hit with an unexpected counter, Saunryeong clicked his tongue sharply on the inside. The man with the cut hand seemed to have tested whether the poison was spreading while measuring the time, one minute, two minutes. Once his lie was exposed, he had no choice but to act truthfully.

[It is a kind of test. I hope you will not feel too displeased. I must screen out the small fry as well, must I not?]

The man stood directly in front of Saunryeong without taking any particular measures regarding his injured hand. Though it is said to be difficult to gauge age with people these days, the feeling of adulthood did not emanate from the man. Out of personal curiosity, Saunryeong threw out a question.

[Are you not afraid of poison? Humans have no immunity to poison.]

No matter how much it was a state where only his spirit was visiting, a human’s soul and body were entities that could not be separated even if one tried. If the soul sustained an injury, would the body remain perfectly fine? There was a reason for being cautious with a ghost contract, just as one taps a stone bridge before crossing.

“Because I was experimented on with poison in the past. But when I touched this, the sensation felt like… water.”

Feeling a rebellious and cold nature from the man, Saunryeong felt intrigued by the tragic story of his past. He had thought his energy was that of a spiritual warrior, but what he had suffered was something only a blind warrior would encounter. Though Saunryeong preferred dim-witted people, he never missed an opportunity when there was a chance to covet knowledge. If it was a body with a past of being experimented on with poison, it was worth pricing.

[I would like to hear your reason for wanting to contract with me.]

As if they finally understood each other, the man put his cut hand into his pocket, his eyes gleaming. A person who possessed the appearance of a spiritual warrior yet wafted the scent of a blind warrior. Saunryeong perked up his small ears at the words of the intriguing contractor.

“I want to know the method to reverse a curse.”

[‘To reverse a curse’…. Well, that depends entirely on what kind of curse it is. The price is different too.]

“How do I know what kind of curse it is?”

[A question already? We have not even formed a contract.]

The more a person has a complicated history deeply rooted like a base, the more information they tend to possess. Having hooked a big fish after a long time, Saunryeong used the wind to retrieve the dagger. It was a blade given to him by a sibling he had devoured in the past, a weapon he cherished deeply. Saunryeong slashed his own hand with the dagger, just as the man had done a moment ago. A scent of lilac wafted from the purple blood flowing down his palm. It was qualitatively different from the foul blood of a human.

[If you drink this, the contract will be consummated. The number of questions the contractor can ask is three. As for the price, I will propose it on a case-by-case basis depending on the content of the question. If you refuse, the count will not be deducted. I will not answer things I do not know either.]

The man had entered with a dead look in his eyes to ask about a curse. Thinking that he would not be bored for the next few years, Saunryeong brought his palm up to the man’s lips. Sure enough, the man did not hesitate to stick out his tongue and lick his palm. While his spiritual energy remained robust as he glared at Saunryeong, he took the blood onto his tongue. Witnessing that glaring look, Saunryeong could smile, thinking he wouldn’t have to worry about his lifespan.

[I look forward to working with you. Let us keep the conditions of the contract known only to you and me. The price I desire is by no means light, so I suggest you ponder your questions carefully.]

Because no matter how he looked at it, the thing he coveted most was that young body of his. Smiling while licking his chin with his purple snake tongue, Saunryeong saw off the gradually fading man with a glance.

The scent of fresh blood drifted along the cliff wind. The contractor’s name was Kim Yirok. It was a young body of nineteen years.

🌹₊ ⊹

Because heaven opened a path, a spiritual warrior could leave the living world with their spirit and visit an unknown land. However, leaving the body behind and going with only the spirit was a rather difficult task, so there were cases where it resulted in failure. Though, Yirok had succeeded easily thanks to Chaehwa’s help.

Chaehwa stroked Yirok’s forehead, which she had put to sleep on her lap, with a gentle touch, wishing for him to wake up soon. Wrapped in her red silk skirt as he slept, Yirok did not knit his brow even once. The contract with Saunryeong, which she thought would be rejected, was panning out smoothly.

If Yirok, who was a mere training Haenang, secured a contract with Saunryeong, Ms. Yomyeong would be pleased, and the other Haenang would be jealous. He would be shedding his novice tag—where he couldn’t even take proper steps—and standing on the path to independence.

“Yirok-ah.”

As if he had heard Chaehwa’s call, Yirok, who had woken up after catching some sleep under the moonlight illumination, turned his head this way and that before opening his eyes. Yirok, who was merely blinking his eyes as if the lingering imagery remained, locked eyes with Chaehwa upon feeling the texture of the silk. Then, the moment he realized he had been using the young lady’s thigh as a pillow, he raised his upper body. At his machine-like, prompt and rapid movement, Chaehwa merely pouted her lips quietly.

“You succeeded in the contract. What are the conditions?”

Could it not be that he had entered into a contract where only the human suffers a loss due to being tremendously ripped off? Checking the conditions for a training Haenang was a natural thing to do as a superior. However, after shaking his head to dispel the sleepiness, Yirok spoke.

“He told me not to speak of the contract conditions.”

At the sound of the bell crossing midnight, Yirok raised his head to look at the window. Yirok, who had successfully finished even the ghost contract, stood up with the registry tucked under his arm as if he had completed his business. Chaehwa, who was sitting with her legs extended on the floor, was reluctant to part.

“Get up.”

As if his intent to linger without leaving had been caught, Yirok extended his hand. Although she could fully stand up on her own strength, Chaehwa purposely grabbed that hand. The large hand wrapped around hers warmly and pulled Chaehwa up. It was a situation where Yirok would raise her on his own as long as she left her body limp.

“Thank you. Yirok-ah.”

In any case, that damn timing was always a headache. Lending a hand to help her up was good, but the two did not know when and how to let go of their hands naturally. Even after exiting the wine cellar while surveying their surroundings, their hands remained stuck together in an embarrassing manner. Although things appearing on the night road could by no means threaten Chaehwa, Yirok’s footsteps immediately headed toward the direction of Chaehwa’s quarters. Looking at Yirok’s back as he escorted her without a single word, Chaehwa took shy steps.

Yirok was merely holding her hand, which was awkwardly balled into a fist, inside his large hand without any refinement. She wished the path to her quarters were about a hundred li long. The disappointment Chaehwa felt after Yirok had finished the ghost contract alone like an adult and emerged was soothed by the hand-holding. Chaehwa wiggled her trapped fingers, wondering if Yirok had perhaps forgotten that he was holding her hand. Yirok, who was unintentionally tickled, subtly turned his head back. Thinking it would be fine to reveal it by now, Chaehwa smiled broadly.

“Do you know you’re walking while holding my hand? You forgot, didn’t you? Seriously, Yirok, if you do this to other women too, you’ll be misunderstood as a womanizer.”

At Chaehwa’s playful rebuff, Yirok walked ahead while looking only forward again without a reply. Reaching the point where the blue eaves of her quarters were visible, Chaehwa composed her mind. Tomorrow, tomorrow’s sun will rise. And the fickle Yirok was someone for whom the relationship that grew closer today had a high probability of coming to nothing tomorrow. She considered that just the fact that he accidentally forgot he was holding her hand meant she had achieved her full harvest for today.

Arriving at the place where they had to part, Yirok finally turned around. Standing with his back to the moonlight, Yirok’s face was calmer and more like an adult than usual. It was when Chaehwa, who had been playing with her fingers, tilted her head.

“I was holding it knowing it. I’m not unaware.”

“…Huh?”

“I know what I need to know too. Just because I’m an outsider doesn’t mean I wouldn’t know about holding hands. Don’t you agree?”

In the world of spiritual warriors where innocents who don’t know the first thing about women were scattered, Yirok was a stimulating thing from the outside. Releasing Chaehwa’s hand, which had stopped playing with her fingers before she knew it, Yirok stepped aside to one side. At his action of clearing the path, Chaehwa, conversely, felt as if her toes were freezing up.

“Thanks for the private tutoring. The tutoring you do… only for me.”

“…Hmph, right.”

“Go on in.”

Crossing the threshold of the inner gate where Yirok stood hovering like a totem pole, Chaehwa bowed her head. Yirok, who stepped forward to even open and close the door, had undergone a change. At the sound of the door about to close, Chaehwa quickly looked back. Through that small gap of the closing door, she locked eyes with Yirok.

“Go.”

Yirok tried to send Chaehwa off without missing even that moment. Going inside like this felt like losing for some reason. She couldn’t let Yirok say cool words all by himself and unilaterally deliver a flutter to her heart.

“Next time, I’ll walk you back, Yirok.”

Chaehwa, who stealthily set the next appointment, clutched her skirt and hurried up the stairs. The moment she swallowed hard and grabbed the door of her quarters, she looked back once more. The gap of the inner gate from which Yirok’s gaze had slipped away was opened just a tiny bit. He had watched over her until the very end of ends before going.

“Really…”

Even when she knew, and knew, he was a man who brought curiosity like an inexhaustible spring. To think her heart would tremble like an aspen leaf just from holding hands. She understood for the first time her grandmother’s words telling her not to get dulled by being addicted to outside things.

Because Yirok was exceedingly addictive.