All My Murim Noonas Are Obsessed With Me!-Chapter 86: Master, I Miss You (1)

Dan Yuseong’s POV

How did they even set these prices? 10,000 points—roughly 10,000 days, or 27 years. Or 10,000 taels of gold, a fortune only the head of a major trading company could dream of. No way to gather it through normal means.

Spirits of Heaven and Earth, not a single discount coupon in ten years of business?

Cursing the heavens had become a daily ritual. I figured my sudden possession in this body, dropped into this world with a shop window as a supposed "favor," was their doing. So, I felt justified.

Dragging me here and demanding 27 years or 10,000 taels to leave? I couldn’t not curse them. The outrageous pricing was bad enough, but being toyed with by their whims—reading the skies and getting caught in their twisted games—only fueled my resentment. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Lately, though, the heavens hadn’t sent divine punishment. Back then, a little cursing brought rumbling clouds as threats, but now? Nothing. Had they grown used to me?

Grind.

Was there a better way to curse them? The lack of reaction, unlike their instant responses of old, made it dull.

Digging through Earth memories, I recalled something striking. I hadn’t been a fan, but it was trendy and impactful enough to stick with me.

Could I really do it, though? What if they got mad and I couldn’t fix it?

Nah, no way. After all they’d put me through, they wouldn’t kill me over a prank, right?

Taking a deep breath, I let loose the line I’d conjured.

"A shitty ♥ heaven that can’t even meddle in the mortal world properly—"

[...]

Nope, too risky. I scrapped it.

Giving up on taunting the heavens, I glanced around. The only person with me was the Sword Empress.

You’d think I could just chat with her, but...

Since that night, something had shifted in her. She barely spoke to me. If I pushed, she’d respond briefly, but I could tell she didn’t want to.

Had I done something wrong? I was so drunk that night I couldn’t remember a thing. Had I offended her while wasted? Not knowing left me paralyzed.

But I knew what was needed.

"Sword Empress, let’s talk," I said firmly.

When there’s a problem between people, conversation is the solution. I chose the direct approach.

"...I’ve got some things to think about right now. Maybe later—"

"You’ve been dodging me like that for two weeks already," I cut in.

"..."

"Do you dislike me?"

"N-No! Not at all! Why would I dislike you?!" Her voice exploded with intensity, startling me.

"N-No, I just thought... you’ve been avoiding me, like I’ve become a bother."

"T-That’s ridiculous!" she protested, her cheeks flushing as she waved her hands in a panic.

Was my comment that shocking?

"So I’m not a bother or anything?" I pressed.

"Of course not!"

"Good to know."

I could tell she wasn’t lying. Traveling with her had shown me she was terrible at hiding deceit. Sighing in relief internally, I spoke again.

"If there’s no issue, please talk to me more. You’re all I’ve got."

"...Huh?"

The journey to Shaanxi would be long, and with just us in the carriage, I’d go mad staring blankly alone the whole time.

"W-What do you mean?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"Huh? I mean it’s just us in the carriage right now."

"Oh..."

She let out an odd little sound. Had I said something strange? I couldn’t pinpoint what was off.

+

Shin Yuwol’s [Sword Empress] POV

Since meeting Soyeon and reevaluating my feelings for him, talking to him had become difficult. I didn’t feel worthy of being near him, so I tried to keep my distance to ease the pain.

But splitting up here, so far from Shaanxi, wouldn’t guarantee his safety. So, I resolved to stay with him until we reached Shaanxi, then create proper distance.

Sorting my emotions wasn’t easy, though. Every conversation with him deepened my feelings instead of diminishing them. Sometimes, memories of that "treatment" day I’d sworn to forget resurfaced, stirring my heart further.

The devilish temptation to repeat it, just once more, lingered. In the end, I resorted to avoiding conversation within the carriage’s confines, as physical distance wasn’t an option.

But my condition was worse than I’d realized.

"Do you dislike me?"

His question unleashed a storm of thoughts. Did he think I hated him? Had my attempts to distance myself hurt him? What if he was upset because of me?

In that brief moment, worries and questions flooded my mind. Panicking and fumbling through excuses, I was relieved he didn’t seem too disheartened.

But then—

"If there’s no issue, please talk to me more. You’re all I’ve got."

The moment those words hit, my mind went blank.

"...Huh?"

I let out a dazed sound without thinking.

But only for a moment. As his words sank in—

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

My heart raced wildly. An unfamiliar heat surged within me, a strange, urgent desire rising from my core, begging for release.

But his next words doused that fire with cold clarity.

"I mean it’s just us in the carriage right now."

"Oh..."

Looking back, he’d always been like this. He’d say or do something casually, I’d overreact, and later, it’d turn out to mean nothing special at all.

"...Haa."

I circulated my internal energy, forcing down the tangle of emotions swirling within me. For now, I could suppress them like this, but what if a day came when I couldn’t?

That day must never come.

Never.

+

Dan Yuseong’s POV

Clop, clop.

After breaking the ice with the Sword Empress, the monotonous carriage ride felt less stifling. Humans really are social creatures—there’s truth to that. Being stuck in the same space with nothing to do but stare into the void, unable to even talk, had been unbearable.

"You seem to enjoy talking with others quite a bit," she remarked, her voice light.

"Do I?" I asked, tilting my head.

"When I avoided conversation, you looked half-dead. Now you’re much livelier."

"Hm..."

She had a point. Was I the type to get lonely easily? Back on Earth, solitude never bothered me, but lately, I’d grown strangely afraid of being alone.

What had changed? Maybe it was the trauma from when I first possessed this body—nearly dying alone in an alley. Or perhaps living with Master for ten years, rarely ever alone, had eroded my tolerance for solitude.

Or maybe... this body’s original personality was to blame.

They say the mind and body are separate, but the mind is still shaped by the body. Possessing an unfamiliar body defied scientific explanation, so I couldn’t assume it had no effect. The mind resides in the body, after all.

"A healthy mind dwells in a healthy body," they say.

I glanced down at myself. The oversized cloak hid my frame, but I knew what lay beneath—a fragile form that explained my unease. A body like this getting lonely easily made sense, like a herbivore instinctively grouping up to survive predators.

No wonder I felt lonely.

Framed that way, this personality felt like an instinctual defense mechanism.

"But knowing that, you still left me alone and avoided talking?" I teased, pouting playfully.

"Ugh..."

It was just light ribbing, but her reaction was intense.

"S-Sorry!" she stammered, her face flushing. "I was caught up in some deep thoughts for a while. If I hurt you, I’ll do anything to—"

"Whoa, whoa!" I cut in, flustered by her fervor. "It’s not that serious. I was kidding. You think I’d get hurt over something like that?"

"I-Is that so?"

"Yeah. Just keep talking with me from now on. I enjoy chatting with you, that’s all."

"Ugh..."

Was the misunderstanding still lingering? Her face remained red, her eyes darting nervously.

"You remember me running the fortune-telling shop in Shaanxi, right?" I continued. "I didn’t realize it then, but looking back, I think I really do like talking with people."

"...Oh."

For some reason, we didn’t talk much more that day.

Rumble.

The sky was clear, yet thunder rumbled faintly throughout the day, an odd undercurrent to the silence.

+

A memory stirred, from not long after I met Master.

Rustle.

The cool breeze and chirping insects filled the deep night forest. I sat up, half-asleep, dazed.

"Master...?"

Out of habit, I glanced at the spot beside me where I’d slept—Master’s usual place, always warm. Now, it was empty, radiating a biting cold.

"Master...?"

I called again, scanning the room.

No sign of her.

The night’s chill seeped into the house.

Rustle.

I rose from the bed, wandering through the house, searching for her. But she was nowhere to be found—just the cold, no trace of anyone else’s warmth but my own.

I slid back into bed, pulling the blanket over me. My lingering warmth clung faintly to the sheets, but it was fading fast, soon to be swallowed by the cold.

"...No."

I curled up tightly under the blanket.

Memories from before meeting Master flooded back—a near-dead body rotting alone in an alley, nearly assaulted, barely resisting. Sleeping under a scavenged rag, drifting off in fear of someone approaching with ill intent. Waking to find two vagrants carrying me off, screaming and thrashing until attention scared them away. That nightmare still haunted me.