As True as a Dream Chapter 129

He wondered how much time had passed since he’d lost consciousness again.

Yi Ho remembered that the last time he’d woken up, he’d been awakened by the sound of Hongo, who had turned into a red crow, flying in a flurry and crashing into the window.

Hongo, who had turned into a human, had rushed to open the balcony door, and when he saw him open his eyes, he exclaimed.

 

“You’re awake! Oh, heaven and earth! Thank you, thank you, thank you… Aaah! Yes, we’re in trouble! A crazy woman ran away with Miss Hae-Joo, Miss Hae-Joo…! The crow said Man Insa…!”

 

Yi Ho, who had been staring irritably at Hongo, who stammered as if he had lost his ability to speak, jumped up from his seat at that moment.

The panicked Hongo’s explanation was not logical, but it was easy to grasp the meaning.

In essence, he was saying that Hae-Joo had been noticed by Man Insa!

 

As he stepped under the bed, his knees buckled and he stumbled, but Yi Ho took a moment to catch his breath and straighten up.

Beside him, a contemplative Hongo stretched out a hand as if to support him.

 

“Where is she?”

 

“But right now, my master’s body….”

 

“Then, you’re going to take on Man Insa?”

 

Hongo was no match for Man Insa, and he knew it.

That’s why he flew frantically and crashed into the glass door.

Yi Ho chased after the raven that had forced Hongo to follow Hae-Joo that way.

 

His head was pounding and his body was sweating, but he managed to keep his wits about him and keep track of the ravens that flew overhead, guiding him along the way.

When he reached the alleyway of a private residence, his scalding head felt like it was melting away.

A dagger in the hand of a snake in the form of a young boy was pointed at her throat.

 

He moved instinctively.

The pain was terrible, like every bone and muscle in his body was being torn apart, but he gritted his teeth.

He didn’t have time or energy to realize why Hae-Joo was being chased by Man Insa.

When he finally managed to stop Man Insa from harming her, he told her to run.

 

Her fingertips trembled, and she stifled a ragged sob that threatened to escape.

If he coughed, blood would gush from his throat.

He could barely stand on his own two feet now.

He didn’t dare gamble with Hae-Joo’s safety.

So he spoke bluntly.

 

“I want to keep you completely and utterly dashing, but I’m looking a little ridiculous right now. I can barely stand.”

 

But she didn’t leave him behind.

No matter how angry, disappointed, or embarrassed she was by him, she chose to stay by his side in his moment of crisis.

Yi Ho suddenly felt like laughing.

 

For so many years, he had always been alone when he was at the crossroads of life and death, when things were difficult, dangerous, or challenging.

But for the first time in his life, someone was willing to stay by his side.

Someone who would share his crises, his suffering, his pain.

And that was enough for him.

 

He hid the unwilling Hae-Joo in a safe place, and then lured Man Insa who followed him.

He summoned all his strength, moving as fast as if he were the wind, and it was enough to make his eyes sing.

He could barely lift his hands, and his legs felt as heavy as lead.

Soon his limit came.

 

He leaped over the roof and plummeted to the ground, Man Insa quickly following, swinging his dagger behind him.

Yi Ho immediately spun around to dodge, but the sword of the childlike figure had already sliced through his belly.

His golden eyes glowed fiercely at the unexpected wound.

 

He struck at Man Insa’s elbow and, taking advantage of the lack of strength in his hand, snatched the sword away and quickly slashed at Man Insa’s left arm.

If Yi Ho were a human, his short dagger would not have sliced through an arm made of bone and flesh.

But he was a gumiho.

No matter how frail he was now, he was still stronger than most humans.

 

Blood splashed everywhere, and the upper half of his left arm was more than half severed, and it rattled.

 

“Ouch! It hurts, you half-breed!”

 

The pupil in Man Insa’s left eye, the one without an eyepatch, constricted vertically, like a snake’s.

Then a hissing snake sound creepily leaked out of the tiny mouth that had always spoken human words.

 

Yi Ho kept his face cold and impassive, his grip on the sword in his hand tightening.

But he didn’t have the stamina to hold out much longer.

Yi Ho squinted at the man’s right eye, which was covered by a black eye patch.

That must be the blood stone.

 

He could feel an indescribably powerful aura emanating from that right eye.

 

‘I can’t kill it now. I don’t have the strength to kill it. I don’t even know if I can defeat him.’

 

His current condition was terrible.

If that was the case, the only thing to do was to chase him away.

Yi Ho gripped the hilt of his sword once more with a trembling hand.

 

Meanwhile, Man Insa glared at the mongrel who had driven him to this point.

 

“Were you trying to protect that human? Why would you go to such lengths? You’re not even a human, are you? No… Giggle, you’re not even a youkai, are you? You can’t be either, so you’re trying to stick to a human, aren’t you an idiot? What’s the point of sticking to a weak, useless human?”

 

As he spoke, Man Insa tried to use his chi to repair his severed arm, but it was no use.

As blood continued to ooze from the severed section of his arm, Man Insa, who was supposed to draw strength from blood, quickly grew pale.

The more so, the blacker his eyes became.

Anger and pain mingled together in an uncontrollable rage.

 

Man Insa, who had been glaring at Yi Ho as if to kill him, suddenly narrowed his eyes.

Now that he had wounded him, this was the hybrid fox’s chance.

But the fox merely stared at him, not daring to move.

The fox’s whitish complexion looked as if it were sick.

A sickly hybrid fox.

 

He also recognized Man Insa at a glance.

With his uninjured right hand, Man Insa stroked his right eye, which was covered with an eye patch.

 

“Hehe, why aren’t you attacking me? Are you looking the other way, or… do you want something from me?”

 

“Shut up.”

 

The fox, who had been standing with an impassive face that showed no emotion, suddenly charged at Man Insa.

Man Insa, who had been focusing all of his attention on recovering his arm, jumped back in surprise as Yi Ho’s sword stabbed deeply into his throat.

This time, Yi Ho’s sword made a long slash across the side of his right foot.

 

“Hiss, hiss, hiss!”

 

Man Insa cried out, his pupils constricting as the pain tore through his side once more.

 

“Next, his neck.”

 

Yi Ho said in an icy voice, and Man Insa clenched his teeth as he wrapped his right flank.

 

‘Not like this. This hybrid fox is definitely strong. By the time I realized he had moved, he was already one step ahead of me. With a severed arm and a slashed back, this is not an opponent I can simply defeat. I need blood to recover faster…!’

 

If Man Insa stalls, the human shell he’s finally found that fits his body after hundreds of years will die and rot away.

He glared venomously at the fox, who stood with a faint smile on his lips, as if mocking him, and turned away.

 

‘I need to recover, and then I’ll kill you! I need blood… I need blood… I need blood…!’

 

The little blood-stained figure quickly disappeared into the darkness, leaving Yi Ho standing stiffly in its wake.

If Man Insa returned at any time, he would be ready to face him.

But Man Insa showed no sign of returning, and Yi Ho dropped to one knee as if crumbling to the ground.

 

He remained immobile for a moment, then leaned against the wall next to him, grimacing in pain.

He couldn’t even breathe as the pain seemed to crush his every bone.

A cold sweat broke out on his pale face, and he clenched his fists tightly and lowered his head.

 

Just then, urgent footsteps rang out in the alley.

 

He didn’t care if it was a person or something else.

 

The footsteps grew closer and closer, and then someone cupped his face in their hands.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Hae-Joo’s face.

 

“Boss, please open your eyes, are you okay?”

 

Yi Ho was dazed.

Seeing Hae-Joo’s face worried about him made him feel sick to his stomach, remembering her stern expression when she pushed him away the day he confessed to her that he was Gumiho.
It hurt.

Crazy.

 

So he spilled out the words he’d been holding back to Hae-Joo, who was constantly asking about his condition and worrying about him.

Without pride, without considering her position, he pushed his honest feelings through.

 

In fact, he can’t remember what he said now that he thinks about it.

All he can remember is Hae-Joo’s pitiful face, her eyes reddening as she looked at him.

He doesn’t know how or when he lost consciousness again.

 

When he opened his eyes, he was in Song Yue Pavilion, in his room, again.

He rolled his eyes and looked at the side of his bed as he recalled the events in detail.

No one was there.