Chapter 141: Harmonic Sword Jang Cheon (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 141: Harmonic Sword Jang Cheon (3)
That meeting had been a whirlwind.
It felt like I'd swallowed a fruit full of thorns.
[Your grandfather always seems to enjoy handing you a live bomb.]
"...What do you mean, my grandfather!"
I snapped back at Elder Shin.
Why did he always assume I was related to the Second Elder?
We didn't have a single thing in common.
Well, aside from possibly sharing a drop of blood.
[You got tangled up with another treasure. Your life is truly a tragic comedy.]
What kind of frightening nonsense is that? I'm not involved this time.
It would be more accurate to say I'd almost gotten involved.
Afterwards, I was left with countless questions.
If the Dishonored Venerable had truly written that letter for me, why fill it with such baffling content?
If it was meant for me, couldn't he have just written my name clearly?
The letter was practically an invitation for misunderstanding.
Logically, if it wasn't for me, he should have written an entirely new one.
Then again, considering the Dishonored Venerable's personality, sending it as-is was exactly the kind of thing he'd do…
Did the Dishonored Venerable even have a disciple?
I racked my brains, trying to recall any mention of a disciple from my memories.
But I came up with nothing.
Among the Three Venerables, only the Sword Venerable had taken an official disciple.
The Lord of Heaven was from the Namgung Clan, and while one could consider Namgung Jin and Namgung Cheonjun his disciples…
He never formally accepted any.
The Dishonored Venerable was the same.
So, was this an attempt to cause trouble for the Second Elder?
…That was certainly a possibility.
Given all the headaches that old man had caused, it made sense the Dishonored Venerable might try to get back at him like this.
But was the Second Elder truly unaware of the letter's contents?
My thoughts snagged on the final line.
-I made good use of the treasure. I’ll send it to you through my disciple, so I hope that you’ll keep it discreet.
The part about delivering a treasure.
It felt hauntingly familiar.
A memory surfaced: the Second Elder handing me something just before I departed for Mount Hua, telling me to deliver it.
And with that memory, another thought struck me.
"No way."
A bad feeling washed over me, and I frantically patted down my pockets.
My fingers closed around a purse tucked deep inside.
It was the allowance the Second Elder had given me before I left for Hanam.
The purse jingled with the same familiar sound.
I'd opened it now and then to buy snacks for Wi Seol-Ah, and it had always seemed like a normal purse full of coins.
[What's wrong?]
Elder Shin asked, sensing my sudden panic.
I didn't answer. Instead, I silently upended the purse.
Clang-!
Silver coins spilled out, clattering harshly against each other as they fell.
My eyes darted nervously, scanning the contents. Only when the last coin had fallen did I finally let out a sigh of relief.
[Brat.]
"...Yes?"
[Did you genuinely think a treasure would be hidden inside a mere purse?]
"You can never be too careful."
After all the times the Second Elder had tricked me, I had to check.
Thankfully, it seemed there was nothing inside.
Yeah, even the Second Elder wouldn't sink that low.
I could let the incident with Mount Hua's treasure slide, since he'd won it fair and square.
[What do you mean, 'let it slide'! He won it through a drunken bet!]
"Why are you the one getting angry—… Oh, right. You have every reason to be."
I sometimes forgot that Elder Shin was once the leader of Mount Hua.
Anyway.
I was being too paranoid.
Sure, the Second Elder had fooled me a few times, but there was no way he'd just hand me a treasure connected to the Dishonored Venerable and the Murim Alliance…
Clang-
As I reached to gather the scattered coins, my moving hand froze.
A strange sensation came from my other hand, the one still holding the empty purse.
I checked inside again, thinking a coin might have been stuck.
"...Huh?"
[Wow…]
Rip.
My fingers caught on something. I pulled, and with a sound of tearing thread, it came loose.
What emerged, trailing a few frayed threads, was…
"...Haha, you've got to be kidding me."
A ring, so ancient it was practically rusted through.
* * *
"Young Master Gu is running late. The event will start soon."
Tang Soyeol spoke calmly, taking a sip of her tea.
Wi Seol-Ah, standing behind her, flinched slightly. Hongwa had warned her about the poisonous herbs in Tang Soyeol's tea.
"Perhaps it takes him a long time to get ready?"
Moyong Hi-ah rested her chin on her hand as she scanned the area.
She noticed many people stealing glances in their direction.
The Dragons and Phoenixes tournament always had this atmosphere.
The weight of those scrutinizing gazes was unpleasant and stifling.
But Moyong Hi-ah kept her smile in place. She knew those prying eyes served a purpose for her.
She curved her lips slightly, shifting her expression…
Into the most charming and alluring smile she could muster.
The moment Moyong Hi-ah smiled, the composure of those secretly watching her shattered.
"You are as impressive as ever."
Tang Soyeol's comment held genuine admiration.
"Lady Tang, you are plenty capable yourself."
Moyong Hi-ah's reply wasn't entirely insincere.
Tang Soyeol possessed her own unique charm, a blend of cuteness and allure.
And she was undoubtedly aware of it.
"...It feels rather pointless when my charm fails against the one person I wish it would work on."
Moyong Hi-ah had a good idea who Tang Soyeol meant.
How could she not? She'd seen Tang Soyeol openly pursuing him throughout their journey.
"...Your taste remains as unique as ever."
What did Tang Soyeol see in that intimidating boy's face?
To be fair, he is rather unique.
He was the first man Moyong Hi-ah had met who seemed completely indifferent to her.
The Gu Clan's Young Master carried an aura of an insurmountable wall…
A clear warning not to approach too closely.
Is it because he already has so many women around him?
Moyong Hi-ah's gaze drifted in another direction.
Towards the woman who seemed to be the focal point of everyone's attention.
Namgung Bi-ah… that was her name.
She was a blood relative of the Namgung Clan and the older sister of the Lightning Dragon.
This was Moyong Hi-ah's first time seeing her.
Despite her own clan's connections to the Namgungs, she'd heard little about Namgung Bi-ah beyond the fact that the clan had a daughter.
She's beautiful.
Just like her handsome brother, the Lightning Dragon, she possessed a striking allure.
Moyong Hi-ah didn't mind that Namgung Bi-ah commanded most of the attention. Her beauty more than justified it.
A flicker of jealousy arose, but she couldn't afford to dwell on such feelings.
Moyong Hi-ah carefully addressed Namgung Bi-ah.
"Your younger sibling is also nowhere to be seen."
Namgung Bi-ah's hollow eyes shifted towards Moyong Hi-ah.
"...He will be here soon."
"Pardon?"
For some reason, Moyong Hi-ah thought Namgung Bi-ah looked more tired than usual.
He's coming soon?
Perhaps they had been in contact, being siblings?
She's not as simple as I expected.
Moyong Hi-ah sighed inwardly.
She had tried to get closer to Namgung Bi-ah these past few days, but the woman's thoughts were utterly unreadable.
Namgung Bi-ah's expression rarely changed. Aside from training and sleeping, she only spent time with her fiancé, the servant girl behind her, or Tang Soyeol.
What a waste, with a face like that.
Some might call her life eventful, but in reality, it seemed rather placid.
Moyong Hi-ah couldn't help but feel a deep pang of envy.
I don't have that kind of time.
She had no time to dedicate solely to martial arts or to indulge in matters of the heart.
Where is the Lightning Dragon?
That was precisely why she needed to secure the Lightning Dragon's help as soon as possible.
Along with the support of the Namgung Clan.
Namgung Bi-ah stared at Moyong Hi-ah for a moment, then turned to Wi Seol-Ah standing behind her, her tone gentle with concern.
"...Your legs… do they hurt…?"
"Hmm?"
"Would you like to sit down…?"
Namgung Bi-ah was worried about Wi Seol-Ah, who had been standing the whole time.
"Sis, as I mentioned before, that's not permitted."
Tang Soyeol interjected with a sigh.
"But…"
"I understand how you feel, Sis, but it would reflect poorly on Young Master Gu if we let a servant sit here."
While Gu Yangcheon usually allowed his servants, including Wi Seol-Ah, and his guards to sit and eat with him, doing so in this venue was unthinkable.
"...Alright."
Namgung Bi-ah reluctantly acquiesced only after hearing Gu Yangcheon's name mentioned.
It seemed she would agree to anything if it was related to him.
I can't believe a person can change so much.
In just a few months, Namgung Bi-ah had become noticeably brighter and more talkative.
But to think this change was solely because of Gu Yangcheon… It left a bittersweet taste in Moyong Hi-ah's mouth.
Tang Soyeol continued to stare at the entrance, her lips pursed in a pout.
"Seriously, when is he going to get here…"
She was growing concerned about Gu Yangcheon's tardiness.
He was cutting it far too close.
"Thankfully, the Alliance Leader is also running late…"
It seemed the event's start had been delayed.
That might allow Gu Yangcheon to arrive just in time.
"But it's strange for the Alliance Leader to be late, too."
Tang Soyeol nodded in agreement with Moyong Hi-ah's observation.
Every year, the Alliance Leader would give an opening speech at the gathering, and he was never late.
Sometimes, he even arrived early.
Considering this was a gathering of blood relatives from the Orthodox Faction's noble clans, the Alliance Leader's tardiness was a bad look.
"Perhaps something came up—"
"He should be here soon."
Tang Soyeol frowned at the voice that interrupted her. It didn't belong to anyone in their group.
She turned towards the speaker with a slightly sharp gaze.
A boy stood there, wearing an awkward smile.
He had a kind and handsome face, with eyes that seemed to smile even when his expression was neutral.
"My apologies. I didn't mean to interrupt… I just happened to overhear a topic I'm familiar with."
"Before speaking, you should introduce yourself."
Despite Tang Soyeol's annoyed tone, the boy's smile didn't falter.
He bowed respectfully to Tang Soyeol before introducing himself calmly.
"I apologize for my rudeness. I am…"
His voice carried a gentle, breezy quality.
"Jang Seonyeon."
A very, very cold breeze.