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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 127
Chapter Title: An Ally in Hwasan
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“An ally?”
Seolhwa nodded.
“As members of the Namgung, our movements within the Hwasanpa are restricted. If we're to get any help, it must be from someone influential and trustworthy within the sect.”
“Someone like that...”
Namgung Mucheon fell into deep thought.
During his time wandering the Jungwon, he had formed connections with a few disciples from the Hwasanpa.
Nohun, who had recently visited the main family, was one of them.
‘Among the disciples of Hwasan, he was one of the few whose swordsmanship was decent enough to watch...’
But he had harmed Seolhwa when he visited the main family.
Though he later heard the reason, he still couldn't forgive the man for leaving a scratch on his granddaughter.
If he were to exclude that man.
“There is one person who comes to mind.”
“Who is it?”
“The Maehwasingeom, Nohun. The current sect leader of the Hwasanpa.”
The corners of Seolhwa's lips curved subtly.
“He was the most Taoist-like swordsman I've ever met from any sect. A man who knew how to let things flow rather than chase after artificiality.”
After coincidentally meeting while chasing a band of bandits tormenting commoners, the two would often meet to spar or share a meal.
Whenever they spoke, Namgung Mucheon couldn't help but acknowledge the depth of his character.
“His swordsmanship may not be the best, but his character is more suited for the position of sect leader than anyone else's. The Maehwasingeom is trustworthy.”
Was it said that a good person recognizes another?
Namgung Mucheon's close friend in the Hwasanpa was Nohun.
Since Seolhwa also believed that Sect Leader Nohun was essential to resolving this matter, it was fortunate that Namgung Mucheon and Nohun were on friendly terms.
However.
“I agree that we should ask the sect leader for help, but there's a problem.”
“A problem?”
“The Hwasanpa's sect leader is currently gravely ill.”
“Ill... you say?”
Namgung Mucheon was surprised.
It was only natural. The Hwasanpa was concealing the sect leader's illness even from its own disciples, so there was no way the news would have reached the main family.
“He probably has boils all over his body, and his blood points are in disarray. I only heard this briefly when I was at the Hwaoru, so I'll need to see him to know his exact symptoms.”
“So that's why you brought the Lord of the Medicine Hall.”
Seolhwa nodded.
In truth, Choryeon had intended to follow Seop Mugwang.
As soon as she finished making the poison pills after hearing he was in danger, she had started packing her bags, but Seolhwa had stopped her.
She persuaded her by saying that following him would only make her a burden, and that helping with the situation in Hwasan was the best way to help Seop Mugwang.
“Is the Maehwasingeom's illness their doing as well?”
Namgung Mucheon asked in a low voice.
Seolhwa shook her head.
“I don't know. I don't think so.”
As far as Seolhwa knew, the sect leader's poisoning had no connection to the Daesura Hyeolgyo.
‘If anything...’
If it were the Hyeolgyo's doing, they would have hypnotized the sect leader and made him kill his own disciples.
The sect leader, killing the disciples of Hwasan.
Nothing would have brought greater shock and chaos to the remaining disciples.
‘So my guess is that the Hyeolgyo wasn't directly involved in the sect leader's poisoning.’
But even that wasn't something she could be certain of.
‘There's very little information about the sect leader's death.’
The situation was different from when she dealt with the Namgung.
The information Seolhwa had about the Hwasanpa was mostly related to its self-destruction, not the death of its sect leader.
However, there was something the Fifth Hyeolju of her past life had said in passing during a conversation with the Second Hyeolju.
‘I found it while investigating the cause of the Hwasanpa sect leader's death. It's a secret manual hidden by a thief called Manrisintu. It requires a rare elixir to master the martial art. It seems more useful to you, Second Hyeolju, so I'll give it to you as a gift.’
‘That bastard Manrisintu was a madman. Formations, poisons, mechanisms... I went through a lot of trouble to get this.’
The Fifth Hyeolju then went on at length about how he had obtained the secret manual.
His intention was clearly to receive something of equal value in return for the manual.
It was surprising to see the Second Hyeolju, who usually showed no interest in the other Hyeoljus, listen to everything the Fifth Hyeolju had to say, so she had watched for a while. She never expected to gain information related to the Hwasanpa sect leader's death because of it.
‘I'll have to confirm the details, but I'm certain there's a connection between that hidden cave and the Hwasanpa sect leader's illness.’
The Fifth Hyeolju had said he found it while investigating the cause of the sect leader's death, so if she could trace that connection and find the cause of the illness, couldn't she also find a cure?
“The sect leader is in seclusion within the Hwasanpa, under the pretext of closed-door training. To get his help, we must first cure his illness.”
To do that, we need to meet him.
“Master Yugang knows where the sect leader is hiding.”
Namgung Mucheon slowly nodded.
He now understood why she had said not to inform the Hwasanpa of their visit in advance.
To meet secretly with Nohun, it was better not to reveal their destination, to avoid the eyes of the Hwasanpa.
It was a truly meticulous plan.
‘It was also Seolhwa who had asked me to wait until she had built up her internal energy, saying the Hwasan Taoists wouldn't dare fight if I stepped in.’
Persuading the Lord of the Medicine Hall to come along, suggesting not to contact Hwasan in advance, and confirming that Master Yupyo was under hypnosis.
‘All of it...’
The entire plan had come from this child's mind.
Wasn't she like a brilliant strategist, laying out the entire situation on the palm of her hand and moving the pieces as she willed?
‘…Thirteen years old.’
“Grandfather?”
“Hmm.”
Her round eyes sparkled brightly.
The moon was reflected clearly in the child's lucid eyes.
“What are you thinking about?”
“I was just thinking how incredibly bright you are.”
Namgung Mucheon gently patted Seolhwa's head.
His touch was much gentler than before.
“The night is late. You should go in and rest for today. You've done well.”
The hand that was patting her head pulled away.
Namgung Mucheon clasped his hands behind his back and looked up at the high moon.
It was shaped like a perfect half-moon, as if someone had sliced it with a sword.
“Let's pick up the pace starting tomorrow.”
* * *
After confirming that Yupyo was under hypnosis, the group's pace toward Hwasan quickened.
They still used deserted roads to hide their tracks as much as possible, but they no longer took unnecessary detours as they had before.
Inside the rattling carriage, Seolhwa looked at Choryeon, who was sitting across from her.
Choryeon had been gloomy ever since Seop Mugwang left.
“Can I ask you something?”
Choryeon, who had been staring at her own feet, lifted her head to meet Seolhwa's gaze.
The corners of her lips curved gently.
“Yes. Of course.”
- The person Choryeon loves.
“...”
- Why is it Lord Bipung?
To the extent that she would infiltrate the Hyeolgyo in her past life to avenge Seop Mugwang, to the point of taking on such a dangerous task.
Why did she hold Seop Mugwang so dear?
- Is it... romantic love?
At Seolhwa's cautious question, Choryeon let out a small laugh.
Her laughing face slowly changed into a bittersweet smile, as if reminiscing about something.
“Well. It's difficult to explain with just that feeling alone.”
“?”
“I owe him my life.”
Was it only her life she owed him?
He was the one who made her want to live again when she thought it was all over.
“I was only eighteen when I fled the imperial palace. I had lost my family, friends, and everyone I held dear at the age of ten, and for eight years, I lived solely for revenge.”
If she hadn't gone up the mountain to gather medicinal herbs and gotten lost, she probably would have been killed by the Second Prince's hand that day.
When she followed a bright light and found her way back, her village was engulfed in scorching flames, and the people she cherished were dying in agony within them.
“Watching the imperial soldiers kill the villagers trying to escape the flames, and seeing the Second Prince watch it all as if it were a festival, I couldn't do anything.”
Hiding behind the bushes, holding her breath, all she could do was cry.
She could only plug her ears against the screams, tremble in rage at the laughter, and nurture a thirst for revenge as hot as the flames themselves.
The deaths of her loved ones were nothing more than entertainment for the Second Prince, and she couldn't even report the prince's deeds anywhere.
It was infuriating, unjust, and unbearable.
“For eight years, I lived thinking only of killing him. And I succeeded. It felt so good. It was as if the pent-up poison in my heart had been drained away.”
But while fleeing from the pursuit of the Jinyiwei, Choryeon found she no longer knew why she was running so desperately.
She realized she had no reason to live.
Once the revenge that had sustained her life was gone, all that remained was a terrible emptiness.
“So I decided to die. There was no way to escape the Jinyiwei's pursuit any longer, and I chose to end my own life rather than be captured and tortured.”
And so, Choryeon began searching for poisonous herbs.
She was deep in the mountains, and as a skilled physician, it wasn't difficult for her to find a poisonous herb that would grant a painless death.
“It was then that I met him.”
When she first met him, Seop Mugwang was dying in the bushes deep in the mountains, with a deep sword wound in his chest.
