Chapter 556: Like the Sun, Like the Wind
Chapter 556: Like the Sun, Like the Wind
The night air was clear and biting.
Bi Sa-in and Han Seol walked side by side through the inner court of the Heavenly Flower Pavilion.
For her, even this simple stroll was an extension of a long string of surprises. When she had first set out from the Ice Palace, could she have ever imagined she would be taking a moonlit walk alone with the Young Alliance Leader of the Unorthodox Path?
"Watch your step there."
The grounds of the Heavenly Flower Pavilion were still scarred, littered with ruins from the previous night’s battle. Bi Sa-in felt a pang of guilt for asking someone who had been enjoying her drinks to come out to a place like this. He had acted on impulse, mostly out of a sudden, irrational fear that she might ask him to dance.
"I apologize if I startled you."
At Bi Sa-in’s apology, Han Seol shook her head gently.
"Not at all. I truly wanted some fresh air. I believe I drank a bit more than my usual limit."
Her face was flushed a soft crimson, a lingering effect of the alcohol.
The two paused for a moment. The Faceless Guests stationed on the nearby roofs tactfully cleared the area, vanishing into the shadows. The Twin Frost Swords also maintained a respectful distance, ensuring they didn't disturb the pair.
"The moon is exceptionally bright tonight."
At her words, Bi Sa-in looked up at the night sky with her. As if to make one forget the terrible darkness that had recently blanketed the world, the moon and stars were in perfect harmony, beautifully embroidering the heavens.
An awkward silence drifted between them.
Bi Sa-in desperately wanted to make a good impression. He wanted to appear composed and avoid any clumsy slips of the tongue. Perhaps because that ambition weighed so heavily on him, the words eluded him.
I have to relax! Act natural.
The more he pressured himself, the faster his heart raced. This was a first for him.
Han Seol was the one who broke the silence.
"To be honest, I was surprised when I received the Young Cult Leader’s letter asking to meet here. I didn't expect him to actually invite me to a gathering with his friends."
If he were closer to her, Bi Sa-in would have joked: He’s the kind of friend who finds the meaning of life in catching people off guard.
Instead, he said, "He is a man who always keeps his word."
"The Ice Palace received great help from the Young Cult Leader last time. If it weren't for his invitation, my mother would never have allowed me to come to the Central Plains."
She claimed it was because he had helped the Palace, but she knew the deeper truth. What had moved her mother’s heart more than anything was the way he had thawed the frozen relationship between mother and daughter.
While Han Seol was briefly lost in thoughts of the Ice Palace Master, Bi Sa-in stole a glance at her.
To his eyes, she was breathtaking. Objectively speaking, Lee An was far more stunning, and Jin Ha-ryeong possessed a more classic beauty.
However, when he looked at them, he simply acknowledged their beauty; when he looked at Han Seol, his heart fluttered. For the first time, he realized that falling in love at first sight was a real possibility.
But that didn't mean he could simply confess.
Well, he could confess. But what then?
He was the man destined to lead the Unorthodox Path Alliance, and she would eventually have to return to the North Sea Ice Palace. There was no way the Ice Palace Master would permit such a relationship, and the Leader of the Unorthodox Path Alliance would undoubtedly find it distasteful as well.
Right, this is no time to be distracted by a woman.
His mind was firm, but his eyes kept drifting back to her.
"Shall we go over there?" she asked, gesturing toward the path leading to the rear garden.
"Let us."
The two moved toward the back garden.
As they walked, Bi Sa-in failed to strike up any interesting conversation. Eventually, he admitted his failing honestly.
"I apologize. I am not very good with words."
"It’s alright. I am much the same."
Bi Sa-in was curious. She had mentioned her ideal type was a reliable, silent man. He couldn't tell if she had said that just to tease Geom Mu-geuk or if she truly meant it.
Walking in silence, the two stopped before a section of the wall that had collapsed.
"I wonder what villain knocked down this beautiful wall?"
At her regretful comment, Bi Sa-in’s face twitched.
"It was me."
"Pardon?"
"I knocked it down while fighting here."
She had brought it up to break the awkward silence, but of all things, she had pointed out the exact spot Bi Sa-in had destroyed.
Han Seol looked at the broken wall again and smiled. "It looks like it would be a good spot to put in a gate."
Bi Sa-in laughed at that. Han Seol laughed along with him.
Seeing her smile, Bi Sa-in reflexively turned his head away. It was such a bright, pure feeling—like staring at fresh white snow—that he couldn't look her in the eye.
Regardless, the awkwardness had vanished.
"By the way, I’ve been invited to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult."
Bi Sa-in nodded calmly. Since they had invited the Young Palace Master of the Ice Palace, they wouldn't just let her leave so easily.
"It will be fun if you go."
Truthfully, he wanted to go with her. The words "Let me go with you!" were right at the tip of his tongue. If he had just blurted them out, they might have shared some jokes, just as he did with Geom Mu-geuk.
In the meantime, the two had completed a full circle around the Heavenly Flower Pavilion.
Ah, already?
Bi Sa-in felt a deep sense of regret. He hadn't managed to say anything proper. Yet, he couldn't exactly ask to do another lap of that awkward walk.
"I enjoyed myself."
"I enjoyed it as well."
Han Seol began walking back toward the building where the drinking was still underway.
"Miss Han."
"Yes?"
Bi Sa-in hesitated for a moment before gathering his courage.
"Try wearing warm-colored martial robes sometime."
Sensing the tremor in Bi Sa-in’s voice, a faint smile crossed Han Seol’s lips.
"I think they would suit me."
As she turned to leave, she added, "Oh, and I'm going to the Divine Cult to see my sister."
She stepped inside the building.
Bi Sa-in stood there dazed for a moment before looking up at the roof.
"Stop eavesdropping and come out."
At his call, Geom Mu-geuk and Jin Ha-gun revealed themselves from their hiding spots on the roof. The two sat side by side on the edge of the eaves.
"I don't think we need to worry about the Unorthodox Path Alliance in the future," Geom Mu-geuk sighed. "The man who will become its leader is so clueless. Ugh, I thought my heart was going to burst from frustration."
Bi Sa-in ignored Geom Mu-geuk and spoke to Jin Ha-gun.
"I expect that from him, but why are you doing this too?"
Jin Ha-gun laughed sheepishly. He had been dragged out by Geom Mu-geuk under the pretext of eavesdropping, but it wasn't as if he had been forced. Honestly, he had come because he thought it would be fun.
Geom Mu-geuk answered in his stead.
"Our Captain Jin needs to enjoy a little deviance once in a while. How can a man live as a chivalrous hero every single day?"
"This isn't deviance; it looks more like a model student being corrupted by a bad friend."
"Look at you, talking so well now! Why couldn't you do that earlier?" Geom Mu-geuk held up the liquor bottle he had brought. "Come on, get up here! I'll teach you about women! What is a woman?"
"Forget it. I don't want to hear a lecture on that from a man who doesn't even know where his own heart is."
Bi Sa-in leaped up and sat on the edge of the eaves with them.
As if his throat were parched, he gulped down the liquor straight from the bottle before finally letting out a long sigh.
Even now, his heart was pounding. No, he was more nervous now than when he was actually with her. What would she think of this walk? Had he ruined everything by calling her out for no reason?
Geom Mu-geuk said to Bi Sa-in, "'I've taken a liking to you.' Was that really so hard to say?"
"And then what?"
If it were Geom Mu-geuk, would he have a plan? Could he provide an answer?
This time, Geom Mu-geuk took a swig from the bottle.
"You worry about that when the time comes. You don't need to start wearing a raincoat today just because you're worried it might rain tomorrow, do you?"
Jin Ha-gun gave a thin smile, and Bi Sa-in took the bottle back from Geom Mu-geuk and drank.
"It's easy to say when it's not your own business."
"That's exactly why you should listen to those words. To the words that are said easily."
Bi Sa-in stopped mid-drink. When he looked over, asking for clarification, Geom Mu-geuk replied.
"Because your heart is far too complicated right now."
It was true. Tens of thousands of worries were swirling in his mind.
The paused bottle tilted again. He felt that he himself didn't know what the right path was.
"Don't worry. The red thread between you two hasn't snapped yet. I tied it together with Heavenly Silkworm Thread."
Just then, the first rooster crowed in the distance, and the gray dawn began to brighten the world.
"The night is finally passing."
The three felt a sense of regret. They knew that once day broke, they would each have to go their separate ways.
In their hearts, they wanted to play for days on end, but they couldn't. They were all important people with heavy responsibilities. And above all, the Heavenly Flower Pavilion needed to be restored.
"Ah! I want to play more! I want to keep playing!"
Geom Mu-geuk’s shout cut through the dawn air, speaking for everyone’s heart.
* * *
The next morning, the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Master served them a final meal.
Everyone had overindulged the night before, but the hangover soup she had carefully prepared was delicious. After the meal, they shared a reluctant farewell.
The three friends were one thing, but even the subordinate warriors felt the regret of parting. They knew that such an opportunity would not come often in their lives. Rather, they suspected the moment they would have to point their blades at one another might come first.
Geom Mu-geuk said to Jin Ha-gun and Bi Sa-in, "If you ever fall into danger in the future, don't hesitate to call. You know, right? It's not friendship if you don't call just because it's dangerous."
At Geom Mu-geuk’s words, Bi Sa-in threw back a parting joke.
"If another of those disgusting monsters we fought appears, I'll be sure to call you."
Geom Mu-geuk flinched and took a slight step back.
"In that case, you can call Captain Jin first."
Bi Sa-in said his goodbyes to his two friends and then politely expressed his gratitude to the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon. Thanks to the Demon Lord standing guard yesterday, he had been able to share a drink with his subordinates.
And today, the farewell he regretted most was with Han Seol. Of course, he didn't let it show on the outside.
"I hope you enjoy your tour of the Central Plains before you return."
"Thank you. Please take care of yourself as well, Young Alliance Leader."
As he was about to turn away, Bi Sa-in blurted out, "You may stop by our Alliance on your way back. There are quite a few places with beautiful scenery nearby. If you send word when you are in the vicinity, I will come out to meet you."
He turned away immediately after the words rushed out. He had said what he had been debating saying without even realizing it.
Ah, I've done it now.
Having turned his back, he took a sharp breath. And to do it with so many people watching...
To avoid letting his embarrassment show, he strode away without even waiting for her answer. His pace was so fast that even the 13 Wolves of the Unorthodox Path were startled and had to hurry to keep up.
Then, Han Seol’s voice drifted from behind him.
"I shall do that."
Bi Sa-in stopped in his tracks and looked back at her. Han Seol was smiling.
"I will stop by on my way back."
Bi Sa-in suppressed the urge to let his face light up with joy. Han Seol read his emotions from that very expression.
"Then I shall see you then."
Bi Sa-in departed with the 13 Wolves.
Geom Mu-geuk barely restrained himself from sending a teasing voice transmission. He wanted the man to fully savor this feeling of happiness.
Instead, he sent a voice transmission to Jin Ha-gun.
— He’s actually a total flirt, isn't he? Is he fooling us?
Jin Ha-gun laughed at the message. In his view, all three of them were far from being flirts.
Geom Mu-geuk then bid farewell to Jin Ha-gun.
"I'll be expecting good news."
Jin Ha-gun knew what those words meant. It meant the news that he had officially become the successor. Yes, he wanted to deliver that news to Geom Mu-geuk and Bi Sa-in himself.
"Even if it turns out to be bad news, I won't regret it."
The person watching their farewell in silence was Jin Ha-ryeong.
She, too, felt the sting of parting. In her heart, she wanted to go to the Demonic Cult with Han Seol, but she couldn't. She also felt a blow to her pride, feeling as though she were merely hovering around Geom Mu-geuk.
Just then, the Heavenly Flower Pavilion Master approached her as she stood apart.
"Miss Jin."
"Ah, Pavilion Master. Thank you for your kind words yesterday."
"I enjoyed myself for the first time in a long while as well."
Through their long conversation yesterday, the Pavilion Master had caught on to her feelings for Geom Mu-geuk to some extent. Or rather, Jin Ha-ryeong had used her intoxication as an excuse to reveal her emotions on purpose. She had wanted to pour her heart out to someone—not someone close to her, but someone she might never see again.
After exchanging greetings, the two stood side by side, watching Geom Mu-geuk and Jin Ha-gun talk.
Suddenly, something welled up inside Jin Ha-ryeong. She blurted out words at this moment of parting that she hadn't even said during their drinks.
"Until now, I was always the protagonist. As the granddaughter of the Murim Alliance Leader and the Beauty of Hubei, I was always at the center no matter where I went. When I spoke, people listened, and everyone looked only at me. It's still that way. But..."
She trailed off for a moment before adding with a sigh, "Throughout the drinks yesterday, I felt like I had become a supporting character hovering around the protagonist."
These were words she could never say to anyone else. Yet, strangely, she felt comfortable speaking her mind to this Pavilion Master. She had felt it since yesterday—there was a strange sense of trust the woman inspired.
After a brief pause, the Pavilion Master asked, "How do you feel when you look at the Young Cult Leader? Does he seem like a protagonist?"
"That man is always the protagonist."
"Is that really so?"
"Pardon?"
Having finished his farewells with Jin Ha-gun, Geom Mu-geuk was talking to each of the Demon Extermination Squad warriors. He was joking with them, saying that their Squad Leader had become so cool lately that it was becoming a burden.
In that instant, Jin Ha-ryeong understood what the Pavilion Master meant.
Ah, come to think of it, that man is always striving to make others the protagonist.
Thinking back, it had been the same when she first met him. He had been Seo Dae-ryong’s attendant.
"He looks like the sun, but I think the Young Cult Leader is a man like the wind."
Suddenly, an image of Geom Mu-geuk drinking alone flashed through Jin Ha-ryeong’s mind. She didn't know why such an image occurred to her.
The Pavilion Master looked at Jin Ha-ryeong.
"If Miss Jin chooses a journey with the wind, it will be very difficult. But it won't be because of a 'pretty heart' or because of your respective statuses. It will be because the wind cannot be caught in one's hand."
Jin Ha-ryeong stared at the Pavilion Master in silence, her eyes trembling. These were words that served as a signpost for her wandering, complicated heart.
"May I come to play again? Next time, by myself."
"Anytime."
Jin Ha-ryeong bowed politely to express her gratitude. Then, she shouted loudly to Jin Ha-gun.
"Brother, this farewell is too long! Let's go."
She also spoke spiritedly to Geom Mu-geuk.
"Take good care of Miss Han!"
She shouted a final farewell to Han Seol as well.
"Miss Han, not all Central Plains men are that talkative! Don't get the wrong idea!"
With that, Jin Ha-gun, Jin Ha-ryeong, and the Demon Extermination Squad left the Heavenly Flower Pavilion.
And finally, the last farewell of the day.
The Smiling Demon and the Faceless Guests said they would remain at the Pavilion.
"Go on ahead. I will stay at the Heavenly Flower Pavilion a little longer before returning."
The Smiling Demon would stay to rebuild the broken buildings and establish his own defenses to ensure such an incident never happened again.
The Smiling Demon returned the Supreme Heavenly Silkworm Thread, which had been washed clean. Geom Mu-geuk wound it around the hilt of the Black Demonic Sword as he spoke.
"We survived this fight as well."
Then, a low, sincere voice drifted from the Smiling Demon.
"It was an honor to fight alongside you."
Geom Mu-geuk also conveyed his sincerity.
"I was able to live thanks to you, Lord Smiling Demon."
Geom Mu-geuk bowed politely, showing the respect due to a Demon Lord.
"Then, I shall see you at the Main Cult."
At that, the Faceless Guests lined up behind the Smiling Demon all bowed in unison, showing the etiquette due to the Young Cult Leader. The eyes behind their masks were smiling. Glances full of goodwill. The Faceless Guests were certainly among the greatest gains made on this journey.
Having said goodbye to everyone, Geom Mu-geuk turned to Han Seol.
"Well then, shall we go taste the spiciest, most stimulating, and most dangerous flavors the Central Plains has to offer?"