When the Black Moon Rises - Chapter 131
Chapter 131
The gentle rain that soaked the parched earth continued even after the Corrupt Dragon disappeared.
The people, who had been unable to properly welcome the downpour, now burst into tears of joy as the dark red energy completely vanished.
“Rain! It’s raining! It’s raining!”
Some cheered, raising their arms towards the sky, while others embraced the rain with tears of relief streaming down their faces.
“Scree…”
The hawk, which had plummeted to the ground from the Corrupt Dragon's attack, regained consciousness and flew unsteadily towards Sehwa.
As if worried about Sehwa, who had coughed up blood several times, it circled her anxiously, gently nudging her shoulder with its beak.
Sehwa smiled faintly.
“I’m not tired at all. I’m fine.”
Tap, tap.
“I know, I know. Just a little longer…”
Even though the hawk continued to circle her anxiously, Sehwa couldn't tear her gaze away from the joyful faces of the people.
As she was looking down, she noticed someone.
Someone she could recognize instantly among the countless faces.
Someone she had missed so much, even though they had only been apart for a short while…
“Baek Giha.”
Sehwa’s calm expression crumbled.
She clenched her trembling fists, biting her lip to suppress her emotions, and looked at the man running towards her.
“Baek Giha.”
Strange. She had been fine.
She had been completely alright.
“Ju Sehwa!”
Why did seeing him make her legs weak, making her want to collapse?
Baek Giha was running towards the altar through the pouring rain.
Pushing through the crowd, he reached her and embraced her.
“My god, Sehwa…”
He gasped, his face ashen.
Baek Giha, who had been blocking the gate to the Human Realm with a barrier, sensed something amiss when the powerful red energy and light clashed high in the sky.
The same disgusting spiritual power he had felt at the Lake of Blood was suppressing her power, but the Spirit Orb, which was supposed to alert him of any danger, remained unchanged.
Had she done something to the Spirit Orb to prevent it from sending a signal? Or was she really alright?
He couldn’t leave his post, having been asked to guard the gate.
He had been anxiously monitoring the intense spiritual fluctuations, and now… seeing her like this…
“What’s with all this blood?”
“Baek Giha.”
“Are you hurt? Where… where are you hurt?!”
Although a radiant, healing spiritual power was enveloping her, her clothes underneath were stained with blood and the Corrupt Dragon’s black ichor.
She must have coughed up blood from internal injuries, her lips also stained.
“Did you make me guard the gate so you could get hurt like this?! If you’re hurt, I… I…!”
She knew he was angry. She knew it very well, yet she felt like laughing.
Sehwa bit her lip, suppressing her laughter. He would be even angrier if she laughed now.
“I’m not hurt.”
“Don’t lie. Do you even know what you look like right now?”
She should reassure him that she was fine.
She should tell him that she was alright, despite her appearance.
But strangely, seeing him, she suddenly felt exhausted.
She wanted to lie down, she could barely move a finger, yet she also wanted to hold him tightly.
Sehwa let out a long breath and nuzzled her face against his chest.
She had intended to tell him that she wasn’t tired at all, just like she had told Choi Jangmyung, but different words came out instead.
“…I’m so tired…”
“......”
“…I can barely stand.”
At her whispered words, Baek Giha gently lifted her into his arms.
He kissed her forehead and spoke in a trembling voice, “You mustn’t get hurt. Not ever again.”
“Okay.”
“You have to… stay healthy.”
“Yes, I know.”
Sehwa nodded repeatedly, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
The rain was pouring down, yet his embrace was so warm.
She had to tell King Ik-gwon and Jung Chihwa what had happened, but…
Her eyelids grew heavy, and she felt drowsy.
As Sehwa yawned softly, Baek Giha's voice, which had been filled with rage, wanting to capture and kill the Corrupt Dragon, gradually softened.
Sehwa, fighting off her drowsiness, spoke, “…I won’t get hurt…”
“…Okay.”
“…I won’t get sick either…”
“Okay.”
“So, Baek Giha, promise me one thing.”
“......”
“…You have to be happy… by my side…”
Always.
Baek Giha’s eyes widened slightly, and he blinked.
At her expectant gaze, he nodded quickly.
He repeated his agreement, worried that she might not have heard him.
Sehwa, seemingly reassured, drifted off to sleep in his arms.
As she fell asleep, the bright light that had been enveloping her gradually faded.
Baek Giha slowly descended the altar, carrying her.
The people, seeing them, quickly moved aside, not daring to disturb them.
As he walked, he shielded her from the rain with his large body, worried that she might be cold.
He looked at her tenderly.
To be happy, always…
That was an easy promise for Baek Giha.
“As long as you’re by my side.”
He didn't understand why she had suddenly said that, but he was so happy that she had.
He was so moved by her words that he was momentarily distracted.
Of course, he didn’t forget that there were things he had to take care of before he could fully enjoy this happiness.
Baek Giha gritted his teeth as he saw the stains of the Corrupt Dragon’s energy on her clothes.
How dare it…
Just as his eyes turned cold, his expression hardening…
Someone hurriedly approached him. King Ik-gwon bowed respectfully and offered, “It’s raining heavily. The palace is nearby, why don’t you come and take shelter?”
When Sehwa opened her eyes, she saw only an unfamiliar space.
As she sat up, someone’s hand gently patted her shoulder.
Shh, shh.
It’s alright. You’re in the palace.
‘Ah, right. He’s here.’
The familiar voice calmed her.
A small candle, emitting a warm glow, was burning nearby.
She felt the soft touch of silk beneath her hand.
Baek Giha was sitting beside her, watching her quietly.
He gently pushed her shoulder down.
Even though she was fully awake, Sehwa didn't resist and lay back down.
“Where am I?”
“The palace.”
The palace?
The large room was dimly lit, and everything was quiet.
But as she listened closely, she could hear a faint sound, like the wind.
“Is that… the wind?”
“It’s the rain. It’s still raining.”
It was still raining.
A sense of peace settled over her, and the tension in her body eased.
“The people were so happy. You saw them too, right?”
“......”
“I used all the Spirit Stones, and I imbued the rain with the Blue Turtle’s spiritual power, so they’ll recover soon.”
It was a relief. A true relief.
As Sehwa smiled faintly, recalling the people regaining their healthy complexions, a thought suddenly struck her.
“Oh, right. What about Choi Jangmyung? Did he go back to the residence? Did he return to his human form?”
“......”
“Hmm? Is he still unable to transform back?”
Sehwa sat up in alarm, but Baek Giha, his face grim, remained stubbornly silent.
“Why? What is it? Did something happen? Do I need to go…?”
“…Are you really asking that now?”
“What?”
“Do you even know how much blood you lost? You almost died.”
Baek Giha gritted his teeth, his body trembling slightly.
“The altar was covered in blood.”
“......”
“You collapsed unconscious. Do you know how I felt, watching over you all night while you were unconscious?”
“Baek Giha.”
“And you’re asking about the people, if they were happy? If that hawk returned to his human form? Is that so important?”
“…That’s…”
Sehwa, who had been about to lie and tell him that it wasn’t her blood, closed her mouth. Baek Giha wasn't someone she could fool.
Seeing his frustrated expression, Sehwa quieted down.
He was right. Even she thought she had gone too far.
‘The altar must have been covered in the Corrupt Dragon's energy and my blood. He must have been terrified, seeing me collapse unconscious after telling him I was fine.’
And he had also returned after struggling to maintain the barrier at the gate, yet she hadn’t even asked him about it, leaving him to deal with the aftermath of her collapse.
“…I’m really sorry for making you worry. But even if this happens again, there’s no need to worry. I have the Blue Turtle’s spiritual power, so I can heal myself—.”
“That’s not what I wanted to hear. Just because you can heal yourself, does that mean it’s alright for you to get hurt so badly that you lose consciousness? If I were the one who got hurt like that, would you just accept it?”
“......”
Sehwa quickly closed her mouth and averted her gaze. Honestly, she would have been furious.
She stammered, making excuses, saying she had been worried about Choi Jangmyung, who had suddenly turned into a hawk, that it seemed like something had gone wrong with his transformation…
Baek Giha looked up at the ceiling, taking a deep breath to calm himself.
Then he suddenly held out his hand, his fist clenched.
His voice, devoid of its usual energy, was noticeably strained. “…I’m hurt too.”
“What? You’re hurt? Where?!”
“Here.”
There was a tiny, barely visible scratch on his hand.
Sehwa’s gaze moved from the scratch to Baek Giha's face, then back to the scratch.
“......”
“See? Do you see it? It’s here. From here to here. This is a wound.”
Worried that she might not be able to see the tiny scratch…
Baek Giha carefully pointed out the beginning and end of his wound.
“Do you see it? Are you looking?”
“......”
“What? …How can you laugh? I’m hurt.”
As his voice dropped, Sehwa bit her lip, suppressing her laughter.
“Of course, I’m worried. I can’t help but be worried if you’re hurt.”
‘But this is… just too cute.’
She gently took his outstretched hand in both of hers.
She brought it to her lips and blew gently on the scratch.
As Sehwa caressed the area around his wound, then raised her long eyelashes, Baek Giha’s eyes were filled with an unmistakable warmth.
“I was thinking…” she began.
He responded a beat later, “…Yes? Yes. Ah. About what?”
Sehwa, pretending not to notice his flustered tone, continued in a worried voice, “Like you said, I think I used too much spiritual power, so I’m not feeling well, and using more spiritual power might not be a good idea…”
“What? You’re not feeling well? Where? What’s wrong?”
Sehwa placed a finger on his lips.
“Just listen. I was thinking…”
“…Yes.”
She placed a light kiss on the back of his hand, which she was still holding.
“!!”
“I heard somewhere that if you blow on a wound and kiss it… it heals faster…”
“......”
“It’s true. It’s a… very common folk remedy.”
As Sehwa stammered, her face flushing, Baek Giha nodded quickly.
“I know. I know, I’ve heard of it too. I’ve heard it many times.”
“You’ve heard of it too… So, instead of using spiritual power on this wound…”
She glanced up at him shyly, her eyes reddening.
“How about I kiss it better whenever you’re hurt?”
Baek Giha, his face flushed up to his ears, looked at her with a straight face, as if unaware of his own state, and then offered his other cheek.
“Look here too. I have a wound here as well.”
His skin, clear and flawless as jade, showed no blemishes.
But Sehwa said in a worried voice, “Oh, you do. I’m not feeling well enough to use my spiritual power, so should I kiss it? Like this?”
Smooch.
Sehwa blushed at her own childish behavior.
Baek Giha, his face flushed crimson despite his calm expression, was even more flustered.
Their gazes met once more.
In the dimly lit room, with no one else around…
Even the sound of the rain masked their whispers.
Their faces slowly drew closer, their breaths mingling, then their lips met.
Without hesitation, their hands reached out, undressing each other.
My heart hurts with giha right now, I'm not saying she shouldn't worry about the people, but to worry 99% about others and only 1% about you and your partners..... It's hurtful
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