Ma Seung looked at the men standing in front of her in stunned silence. The two wore strange expressions, especially the hazel-eyed man, whose face showed clear disbelief.
It was a reaction she was used to. From a young age, people had tended to mistake her for a boy. Maybe it was because of her tall stature or rather boyish looks. Whatever the reason, people often treated her as anything but a woman.
To Seung, it was a blessing in disguise. Living in a society that showed little kindness to women, she had decided to embrace her ambiguous looks as a blessing from the gods. Eventually, she had even started wearing men's clothing. Had she not done so, she would undoubtedly have been married off by now.
'This man...'
The way Ki Jongmu slyly eyed her up and down made the hair on her body stand on end. The energy emanating from him was oppressive, and the stench of death clung to him.
Shamans were naturally more sensitive to the smell of death and resentful energy, able to see and sense things that ordinary people and martial artists could not.
'Why is he drenched in so much sticky resentment...?'
As she furrowed her brows, she suddenly sensed a familiar energy emanating from the man standing next to the prince.
'This is...!'
Forgetting all sense of courtesy, Seung grabbed Hwi's wrist. She was certain that this was the person she had been waiting for. The one the gods had allowed her to glimpse, the person who would lead her to the one she had been searching for.
To make sure she wasn't mistaken, she tried to probe his life core, an ability bestowed only upon those of her bloodline. The Invincible Eye of Fortune was a technique that only direct descendants of the Ma family could learn.
"Young Master... Which family are you from?" Ma Seung couldn't help but ask.
When she probed someone's life core, she would automatically see their ancestral background, especially if they were of obvious noble birth. Yet, just as she was about to catch a glimpse of his, something blocked her. It was a mighty, ancient power—one so powerful that it made her shiver.
Unaware of what the Manshin in front of him was doing, Hwi stared at her with wide eyes. It was highly improper for a young, unmarried woman who wasn't a martial artist to touch a gentleman so openly.
Hwi quickly shook off her hand and took a step back, afraid that if he didn't put some distance between them, she would grab his wrist again.
"M-Manshin Ma, please show some restraint." Hwi turned his flushed face slightly away from her.
"Hahahaha. Young Master Baek, you're quite old-fashioned in your thinking." The prince looked at the young man with narrowed eyes and twitching lips, clearly amused by his reaction.
Ma Seung looked at the two men and swallowed a sigh. She had forgotten that those of high birth were often rather strict in their adherence to feudal customs.
"Forgive me for my impertinence." Seung bowed slightly in apology to Hwi.
He would be the red string leading her to the person she had been searching for all this time. She was certain of it and was willing to humble herself as many times as necessary to achieve her goal.
Seeing her bow with such a serious expression, Hwi hurriedly helped her straighten up.
"Miss, you don't have to do this!"
He hadn't expected Seung to suddenly apologize so seriously. Although what she had done was a little inappropriate, it wasn't anything that warranted such a grave apology.
Hwi had grown up within his family's territory and the Kunlun Sect. The people he encountered were always of the same kind. He rarely crossed paths with those of the common class. Even among nobles of similar status, he had few opportunities to socialize, as he was forbidden from venturing out alone.
The only women he was close to outside his family were the female martial artists of Kunlun, who generally presented themselves as modest and cautious around men. This had led him to believe that such behavior was simply the proper way to act.
The frivolous behavior of Hana and Jubok had only reinforced this misconception, leading him to label them as rather shameless.
Growing up this way had left Hwi unaware that his behavior could come across as old-fashioned and overly strict. As a result, others often viewed him as snobbish. Yet Hwi remained completely oblivious to such matters.
Thus, seeing Ma Seung, a young woman, suddenly apologize so seriously had taken him aback. He didn't understand why her expression had grown so solemn.
Jongmu watched the entire scene unfold before him with amusement. He truly appreciated Young Master Hwi's presence. Every otherwise annoying task became more bearable with him around. Hwi's unconscious actions were endearing enough to improve Jongmu's mood, just as they had now.
'This young master never fails to amuse me.' his snake-like eyes curved with amusement.
He then turned to Ma Seung, the twitch at the corners of his lips disappearing.
That woman's actions were strange. More importantly, hadn't he heard that the old Manshin had passed away? A year, as the woman claimed, should have been more than enough time for the news to reach him. Yet it hadn't. And that could only mean that someone was suppressing it.
He suspected the woman standing before them was responsible.
"Your Highness, I recommend performing a cleansing ritual before entering the capital."
Ma Seung, having regained her composure, could no longer ignore the stench of resentful energy that grew stronger with every passing minute.
"A cleansing ritual? I had one just a month ago." Jongmu furrowed his brows. He had hoped the effects of the ritual would last longer this time. But it seemed he would have to go through another one sooner than expected.
Ma Seung shook her head. "Your Highness, you have accumulated too much resentment. Forgive my bluntness, but your fearsome reputation only serves to feed this evil energy."
"Hm. Then a cleansing ritual it is." Jongmu reached into his pouch and took out a small bag containing moon pearls.
Those pearls were rare. They could only be found along the demonic borders, and they had to be collected under specific circumstances. Otherwise, they would lose all the heavenly energy they had absorbed from the moon.
It was common practice for high-ranking officials and powerful martial artists to offer these pearls to shamans in exchange for their guidance or rituals.
Hwi watched the exchange between the two with curious eyes. He didn't know what they were talking about, but the prince seemed rather reluctant. It was an expression he had never seen on Jongmu before.
'Was this the reason he had wanted to come all the way here?'
"Manshin Ma." Hwi called for her attention. "The main reason we're here today is Plumyeong's famed Teleportation Array."
"Hm." Seung nodded. "I know. The ghost already told me that two men would come from far away to use the array."
She then pointed toward a stone tablet at the ceiling of the room.
"Today is the day of Son-eomneun nal[1]. It's impossible for us shamans to do anything. I can only humbly offer you a place to stay overnight and send you on your way tomorrow."
"Stay overnight?" Hwi looked at Jongmu.
Jongmu appeared deep in thought but eventually nodded. "Then we will stay."
He then sent a voice transmission[2] to commucate their decision to stay with Hayeon, telling her to gather the guards so they could enter the village.
"I hope you will welcome my company, too." He eyed Seung with a glint in his eyes.
"Of course, Your Highness."
Ma Seung whistled toward the door. Within seconds, a black raven came storming in.
"Let them in," she ordered.
Once again, everything happened so quickly that Hwi was left speechless. Staying overnight in a shaman village, with all kinds of ghosts and spirits lingering around, wasn't something he was willing to do. But under the circumstances, he had no other choice.
"Then please allow me to show you to your quarters." Seung put on a gentle smile and led the way to a secluded room in the northern part of the house.
Seeing that it was a small room with only two simple beds, Hwi's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He wasn't stupid enough not to understand what that meant.
They would be sharing a room.
"Please forgive me, but our village isn't accustomed to having overnight visitors. This is the only room available."
Jongmu smirked. He was more than happy to share a room with his cute Young Master.
He glanced happily at the shocked young man before turning toward Ma Seung.
"This prince is more than willing..."
[1] 손 없는 날 — A Day Without Wandering Spirits
[2] communication technique using spiritual energy to send a message to a person(or group of people)