Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: Arrival at the Zhuge Clan
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The only reason the North Sea Ice Palace's legend had returned to the Black Forest at this particular time was that—nothing else made sense. Though, of course, there could always be some other explanation.
"Miss."
Seo Baek, who had been up on the driver's seat, opened the carriage door. He glanced briefly at Wi Seong-cheon's face before handing over a tightly rolled letter to Jeong Mi-ju.
"What's that?"
"Information I requested from the Haomen in advance."
"You have connections with the Haomen too?"
"Why say something so naive and foolish, little brother? Most things in this world become awfully convenient once you throw money at them."
"But the Haomen are an unorthodox faction."
"If we're splitting things by color, sure. But so what? Little brother, I quite like the Haomen. This might sound a bit much, but I prefer them even over the Beggars' Sect."
Jeong Mi-ju giggled as she unrolled the letter.
"You can buy information with money from the Beggars' Sect too, but they're ultimately one of the Nine Great Righteous Sects at heart. Righteousness and principles come before coin for them. The Haomen, though? They sell anything that can be sold."
The Haomen's disciples number about as many as the Beggars' Sect. Courtesans, errand boys, pickpockets, coachmen, peddlers, and so on. They don't drill martial arts as rigorously as the Beggars' Sect, but their people are scattered even more widely across the world, blending seamlessly into everyday life.
"Keep this in mind, little brother. For truly vital information, when you've got the funds to spare, it's better to go through the Haomen than the Beggars' Sect. The Beggars' Sect are righteous folk first, information brokers second."
"So, what did you commission from the Haomen, sis?"
"Recent happenings in Guangxi and intel on the Zhuge Clan. Nothing major, but it's never bad to know."
Jeong Mi-ju's eyes narrowed as she scanned down the letter. She glanced up briefly, fixing her gaze on Wi Seong-cheon.
"Must be nice being so popular, little brother."
"What now? You're making me uneasy again."
"Why do you think Thunderclap came back?"
"Ah, damn it."
Wi Seong-cheon's face crumpled.
The head of the Zhuge Clan, Mystic Thunder General Zhuge Jin, had two sons.
The eldest was Young Lord Zhuge Uiseok, whose marriage talks with Jeong Mi-ju were currently underway—Magnetic Lightning Wall Zhuge Uiseok.
The second son was none other than Thunderclap Zhuge Ihyeon, a young master whose name graced the Black Overlords alongside the North Sea Ice Palace's legend, Snow Flower Ha Ji-eun.
"Maybe he came back because he wanted to see the woman who's going to be his sister-in-law."
"Could be. Or maybe he wanted to get a look at your face while he was at it."
Jeong Mi-ju snickered mischievously. Wi Seong-cheon let out a deep sigh and turned his head to the window. Thunderclap Zhuge Ihyeon—he'd heard about him from Jeong Mi-ju on the way to Guangxi and reviewed the details in the letter she'd given him ahead of time.
Among the Black Overlords, the highest-ranked Star Master was Black Dragon Shangguan Hu. His Shangguan Clan, alongside the Zhuge Clan, formed the Twin Prestigious Houses, wielding immense influence in the unorthodox world.
The Black Forest's sole Seven Star among the Star Masters was Shangguan Clan's Black Dragon Shangguan Hu. Thunderclap Zhuge Ihyeon was a Six Star.
"Isn't this actually a good thing?"
"Why?"
"Information from outside the Black Forest has its limits. But a Six Star Star Master like Zhuge Ihyeon should know plenty of what you need, little brother."
"You think he'll just tell me if I ask?"
"Who knows, little brother. Think about it—they wouldn't trek all the way from the distant Black Forest just to show their faces. Neither Snow Flower nor Thunderclap. They timed their return home for some clear purpose."
"You really think so?"
"Wanna bet?"
Wi Seong-cheon shook his head at her grinning offer.
The carriage began to slow after the sun had already set. They were drawing near the Zhuge Clan. Wi Seong-cheon stretched his hand out the window. Unlike Zhongqing, Guangxi wasn't all that cold, but sharp winds blew fiercely. And carried on those winds was an unfamiliar scent.
"Smell of the sea."
Wi Seong-cheon sniffed and looked at Jeong Mi-ju. She had pulled out a small mirror and was primping her face and hair. Somehow, her lips were now redder and glossier than usual, as if she'd just applied something.
"You said you've never seen the ocean before, right, little brother?"
"I've seen plenty of mountains and valleys. But I know what it is—an enormous lake, right?"
"A salty one at that. I love the sea."
"You're not a kid anymore. You that into playing in the water?"
Jeong Mi-ju shrugged at his teasing question.
"Everything from the sea can be sold. Even the water itself. You know what, little brother? The sea's full of jewels."
"What nonsense is that?"
"Pearls come from the sea. Didn't you know?"
"......You mean those fingernail-sized gems? Why would they come from the sea?"
Jeong Mi-ju clutched her stomach laughing at Wi Seong-cheon's baffled expression. She explained that pearls occasionally formed inside shellfish in the ocean depths, but he couldn't wrap his head around it. Sure, there were clams in rivers too, but why the hell would gems be inside them?
"So, to put it in terms a country bumpkin like you can grasp—pearls are basically the inner core of clams."
"Eat one and your internal energy shoots up?"
He asked in all seriousness, but Jeong Mi-ju just twisted her face in response.
The carriage came to a stop. Jeong Mi-ju didn't get out right away. Instead, she straightened her back and peered ahead. She'd been teasing Wi Seong-cheon just moments ago, but now not a trace of playfulness remained on her face.
Catching her sudden shift in mood, Wi Seong-cheon composed himself as well. The halted carriage didn't budge, and the door opened. Only then did Jeong Mi-ju turn her head to look aside. Seo Baek was the one who'd opened it.
"We've arrived."
Seo Baek raised his bowed head and stepped to the side. Jeong Mi-ju smiled faintly as she rose.
The sun had long set, plunging everything into night. But tall lanterns blazed high, illuminating the darkness. Beyond the wide-open gates stretched a long procession of lanterns.
"I suppose this counts as a warm welcome."
Jeong Mi-ju let out a bright smile as she spoke. Standing before the open gates was a man with a long beard, hands clasped behind his back. The moment Wi Seong-cheon laid eyes on him, he knew this was the Zhuge Clan's head, Mystic Thunder General Zhuge Jin.
"I'm still deliberating."
Zhuge Jin spoke.
"I sent word that I'd visit from the west."
"I didn't expect you'd come quite so promptly."
"Should I turn back today, then, and visit another time?"
"Ha ha, no need for that. I haven't prepared a welcome grand enough to catch your eye, but I can't very well send away guests who've come all this way."
Zhuge Jin slowly turned. The Zhuge Clan warriors gathered behind him pivoted in unison and stepped back.
Wi Seong-cheon inwardly marveled at their disciplined movements. Come to think of it, this was the first time in his life he'd visited such a prestigious house.
"What will you do tonight?"
"It's late."
"Then I'll arrange a separate meeting tomorrow. My son Uiseok is still on edge, after all."
The Zhuge Clan's main estate dwarfed even Heavenly Flower Sect in scale and splendor. Maids in identical attire held lanterns aloft to light the way, while in the rear, the clan's warriors followed in perfect lockstep.
Wi Seong-cheon straightened his back amid the prickling stares at the back of his head and the subtle pressure coiling from Zhuge Jin. The clan head hadn't spared him so much as a glance or a word. Yet from the moment Wi Seong-cheon stepped out of the carriage, Zhuge Jin's aura had been pressing in on him.
But Wi Seong-cheon didn't find it uncomfortable, and Zhuge Jin showed no overt signs either. The creeping pressure halted its advance at some point, drawing no closer.
Mystic Thunder General Zhuge Jin—a renowned master throughout the land, if not quite one of the Ten Heroes. Wi Seong-cheon couldn't yet tell if the man was wary of him or merely curious.
'But there's no hostility.'
He could sense that much, even just from the aura. Zhuge Jin, leading the way, halted before a lavish annex.
"You'll stay here during your time with the Zhuge Clan."
"I won't be staying long."
Zhuge Jin merely smiled kindly at her beaming reply. Only then did he turn to look at Wi Seong-cheon.
"And you, young man?"
"That vast annex surely has a room for one more like me, but if not... well, with your permission, I'd make do in the stables."
"Ha ha, if we gave the Heavenly Flower Sect's hidden dragon stables for a room, the world would mock the Zhuge Clan."
With that, Zhuge Jin turned and departed. Wi Seong-cheon stood beside Jeong Mi-ju, watching him and the clan warriors recede into the distance.
"You were really going to sleep in the stables?"
"If they offered, I'd take it. What else could I do?"
"Such an insincere mouth on you."
Wi Seong-cheon entered the annex with Jeong Mi-ju. Not a single creak sounded from the wooden floors, and the guiding maids kept their eyes downcast, bowing deeply without meeting his gaze.
"Don't stay up needlessly—get some sleep in your room tonight. Got it?"
"No dinner?"
It was a pointless question. After parting with Jeong Mi-ju and reaching his assigned room, a meal was already laid out for Wi Seong-cheon.
Overwhelmed by the exotic dishes he'd never seen before, he swallowed hard. He'd brushed off Jeong Mi-ju's country bumpkin jabs during the trip, but now, staring at the spread, he felt she might be right.
'What even is this?'
Likely due to the nearby sea, most of the dishes were seafood—utterly alien to someone like Wi Seong-cheon, who'd grown up inland.
As he hesitated, unsure where to start, the serving maids approached to feed him.
"No, that's not necessary..."
Wi Seong-cheon trailed off and turned his head. The door to the garden was firmly shut.
Though he couldn't see beyond it, he sensed someone standing in the garden.
"Not used to the food?"
A voice came from beyond the door. He'd made no effort to hide himself from the start, but after sensing that Wi Seong-cheon had detected his presence, he projected his aura even more brazenly.
The kneeling maids rose. Wi Seong-cheon watched impassively as they opened the door.
"Or does dining alone feel lonely?"
The man in the garden grinned as he asked. Wi Seong-cheon stared at him a moment before shrugging.
"If I'm lonely, will you join me?"
"I'd love to, but I've already eaten. Though I could drink with you. What do you say?"
"Not really in the mood for liquor tonight."
"Fair enough. Freshly arrived at the Zhuge Clan, drinking might come off as rude."
"That's not the only reason."
"So you just don't want to drink with me?"
"Heavens, no. I'm grateful for the offer, but I'll politely decline tonight."
The man grinned at Wi Seong-cheon's response.
"What should I call you, young master?"
"Calling someone from the unorthodox 'little hero' would be laughable, so call me whatever's comfortable."
"Then 'young lord' it is."
"Nice distance to it—I like that."
Thunderclap Zhuge Ihyeon chuckled.
"If not tonight, no helping it. Tomorrow work for you?"
"Hard to say yes when I don't know what tomorrow brings."
"Ha ha, fair. I'll ask again tomorrow, then."
Zhuge Ihyeon left those words behind and departed the garden. Wi Seong-cheon smacked his lips and picked up his chopsticks.
Never expected him to show up right away. As Jeong Mi-ju had said, it was clear Zhuge Ihyeon had some purpose concerning Wi Seong-cheon.
'Not mere curiosity.'
Nor was it a challenge. The clan head was the same.
He hadn't said it outright, but Zhuge Jin had to suspect why Jeong Mi-ju had come all the way here in the same carriage with Wi Seong-cheon.
Turning down the marriage wouldn't be ideal for the Zhuge Clan either. Yet Zhuge Jin neither showed open hostility nor tried to chase him off.
He hadn't let on any such feelings to Jeong Mi-ju either.
'No idea what to make of it.'
Wi Seong-cheon picked up his chopsticks amid such thoughts.
The dish he carefully selected and tasted was a flavor unlike any he'd experienced before.
* * *
Outside the door, fresh clothes and water for washing awaited. The lavish treatment was unfamiliar enough, but the real issue was how ornate the clothes were.
"......Ahem."
Having worn only martial robes for so long, this felt utterly awkward. Still, he couldn't very well refuse what they'd prepared. After washing up and changing, the bowing maids came for Wi Seong-cheon.
He stood there awkwardly, face reluctant. The maids straightened his attire and combed his sleep-tousled hair.
He finished the clear porridge served for breakfast.
Until noon, Wi Seong-cheon sat blankly in the middle of the spacious room. He itched to move, but wandering freely wasn't an option. When he asked a maid, she said to wait until preparations were ready.
'Preparations for what?'
He soon found out.
"They say clothes make the man, but you prove otherwise."
Jeong Mi-ju crossed the garden, clicking her tongue in teasing disapproval, but Wi Seong-cheon had no retort.
With her elaborate makeup and elegant robes, Jeong Mi-ju was so stunning that her moniker Flame Flower seemed inadequate.
"......You really my sis?"
"Cut the nonsense and let's go."
Jeong Mi-ju composed her expression and turned.
"This next part is the important one."