Chapter 593: Zhuge
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 593: Zhuge
Red Feather.
For a time, he was a legendary figure in the North—specifically, within the Ice Palace.
[There isn't a soul in the Central Plains who hasn't heard of him.]
The "close friend" who explained this to her with a leisurely expression looked particularly delighted. Though they were reuniting for the first time in over a decade, he remained as bright and refreshing as ever.
[Anyway, he’s an incredible guy, I tell you.]
Perhaps it was the passage of time, but the friend who had once been entirely consumed by his own ego had changed. Now, he was busy singing the praises of a new friend he had made.
[That guy is destined for greatness. That’s why there’s already no one in the Central Plains who doesn't know his name.]
[You mean Red Feather?]
[That’s right. Red… pfft. Feather.]
The stifled laughter in the middle of his sentence was grating, but she didn’t bother to pay it any mind. Her friend had always been an eccentric one.
However, if her strange friend was praising someone so highly… Yuri found her own interest piqued.
So, she decided to ask.
“White Fox.”
At Yuri’s call, the "escort" standing behind her turned her head. She was tall for a woman, with a slender frame, yet the lines of her voluptuous body were prominent. She was the figure known as the White Fox.
She always wore a white fox mask; no one knew the face that lay beneath it. Her friend had mentioned she wore it to hide a hideous burn scar suffered as a child. Having heard that, Yuri never asked her to remove it.
“Do you also know of Red Feather?”
[…]
In response, the White Fox nodded. She was a woman of exceptionally few words. Yuri herself was not very talkative, but this woman spoke even less. In a way, that made her presence comfortable. She never resorted to useless flattery, nor did she ever show a sign of hardship. On top of that, she was said to be a martial artist from the Central Plains who possessed immense power.
Yuri liked the White Fox. So much so, in fact, that she was quite displeased to hear the woman would be returning to her homeland soon.
[…If even you know of him, he must be truly famous.]
[She would know him well, even if Red Feather wasn’t famous at all.]
[Hm?]
Yuri tilted her head at her friend’s words, wondering what he meant.
[That’s because the two of them are—]
Click.
The moment her friend was about to speak, a sound came from the White Fox’s waist. She had, at some point, gripped the hilt of her sword.
Seeing this, her friend flinched.
[…Close… friends.]
[Ah.]
Yuri didn’t notice the tension.
[Close friends, you say.]
Was the White Fox also a famous figure in the Central Plains? It was possible. Indeed, it was unlikely for such a remarkable person to remain unknown.
Yuri nodded and asked her friend, [Are you famous as well?]
[Me? I’m…] Her friend pondered the question for a moment. […A little?]
[Hmm. I see.]
If he said so, it must be true. Yuri believed him. At the very least, she thought of him as a friend who didn't lie. That was why she was so curious. Was this person called Red Feather truly that incredible? If so, in what way?
“What kind of person is he?” Yuri directed the question to the White Fox. Since they were said to be close, she thought the woman might know something.
The White Fox remained silent for a moment before she suddenly uttered:
“A puppy.”
[…Hm?]
It was an unexpected answer.
“A cute puppy.”
For some reason, her tone was firm. Contrary to what she had heard from her friend, this gave a rather refreshing impression. Did it mean he was a pure and gentle person, despite his power?
Just as Yuri was about to reach that conclusion on her own…
[Pfft… Puuuh… hic…!!]
Her friend turned his head and began to violently suppress his laughter. She could see his shoulders shaking, a testament to how hard he was trying to hold it in. Knowing he wasn’t in his right mind to begin with, Yuri ignored him.
[A puppy, you say….]
[Cute.]
Only the White Fox’s words remained in her head.
A superhuman who wielded flames. A virtuous man who could not ignore the weak and injured. A hero who sought to save the world, and at the same time… a great genius who would go down in history.
And on top of all that, a man with the cuteness of a puppy.
[I’m curious.]
Yuri smiled. The stories of the Central Plains were always interesting.
That was why she never expected it. She never expected that just a few days later, a wind of blood would sweep through the North.
And she certainly never expected that she would find herself heading to the Central Plains in search of the man who was called a "cute puppy."
* * *
Sitting at the now-quiet table, Yuri muttered to herself.
“…She said he was a cute puppy.”
Her tone was thick with a sense of injustice. How could she not feel wronged?
“Far from a puppy, he’s a viper the likes of which I’ve never seen.”
In what world was that man a puppy? At best, he was a ferocious beast; at worst, he was an evil spirit incarnate. Yuri had never met such a violent person in her life.
And his tone? His gaze? He looked as if he would flip the world over at the slightest provocation. He was utterly self-absorbed. A complete ruffian. Words Yuri had never once entertained in her life came flooding to mind. If she had encountered such a person in the North, she would have surely had him executed.
“Of all people…”
But of all people, Yuri needed him right now.
Thump.
She slammed her slender hand onto the table.
“Young Lady.”
At Yuri’s outburst, the man in front of her, Woobeom, spoke cautiously. “I apologize…”
The first thing he offered was an apology. Yuri shifted her gaze toward him.
“I failed to carry out my duty properly.”
Unlike the chaotic scene he had created earlier, Woobeom’s demeanor was now somber and serious.
“Don’t apologize,” Yuri said. “It’s all my fault.”
“How could you say that…!”
“I failed to grasp the situation properly.”
Everything had gone wrong. Every single precaution she had taken to appear like a fool had failed.
“…Even the situation you worked so hard to create, Woobeom. I ruined it all.”
The opportunity to escape on the way to the merchant association had been created by the power of their treasure and the combined efforts of Woobeom and Useok. What followed was, in the end, Woobeom’s sacrifice. He had deliberately acted like a vain, arrogant fool to draw attention away from the truth.
There were several reasons for the act. One was to make people perceive Yuri as an incompetent young lady who kept such a boorish escort. The second was to divert attention from Useok, who was suffering from a severe internal injury. All of it was meant to steer the negotiations in their favor, but…
“…Nothing went right.”
“Young Lady…”
“I truly didn’t expect it.”
Besides the fact that the man called Red Feather was anything but a "cute puppy"…
“He was far smarter than I anticipated. And relentless.”
This, too, was her mistake. She had made several errors in her performance, and her opponent had caught every single one. This meant one thing.
Arrogant, but not incompetent.
He was well aware of his own strength and talent, maintaining a haughty attitude because he possessed the power to back it up. This was troublesome. In Yuri’s opinion, he was a difficult and undesirable person in a very specific sense.
Those born to be kings.
Most people who exuded such an aura were like that. Those destined to sit above others. Those destined to be the head of the dragon. They were the kind of existence Yuri feared most.
Yes, just like… the Palace Lord.
The Red Feather she had met was a man just like her father. The way he looked down on her. The atmosphere he exuded. Even the absolute confidence that nothing could stand in his way. Yuri couldn’t shake the feeling the young man had given her.
[Young Lady.]
Before she had left for the Central Plains, she recalled the words her father had spoken. He had warned her not to get involved with the Murim Alliance. But there was something else he had said.
[If you happen to go to the Central Plains and meet a man from the West who wields fire… flee from him. Run as far as you can, by any means necessary.]
Yuri had been shocked. Her father, who always preached fighting back no matter the odds, was telling her to run.
[He should be entering his middle years by now. A man who commands the flames. Remember this.]
His tone had been far more serious than when he spoke of the Murim Alliance. Yuri couldn't help but ask, [Who in the world is he, that you would speak of him in such a way?]
How could the king who ruled the North speak with such dread?
[He is,] the Palace Lord told her, [the Supreme of the Central Plains.]
His tone was firm, brooking no rebuttal.
Perhaps that was why the memory had resurfaced now. She had heard that Red Feather also wielded flames. The West, she thought. Where did he come from? The thought crossed her mind, but…
Father said he would be in his middle years, so it can’t be him.
Comparing their ages, it clearly wasn't the same person. It had been a long time since her father had visited the Central Plains with her grandfather—likely before Red Feather was even born. The man her father warned her about could not be this young man.
This is not the time to worry about such things.
Yuri rubbed her face, looking exhausted.
“Haa…”
At a point where all her plans had turned to ash, Red Feather had spoken to her.
[It seems the situation has changed a bit. Wouldn’t it be better to discuss the details tomorrow?]
His voice had been laced with laughter. Yuri knew that laughter was a sneer. He knew.
[If we’re going to ‘negotiate,’ you should probably prepare what you want to say.]
He knew the situation had completely shifted. At first, she had come with a request. But now, it was no longer a request—it was a desperate plea. Their positions had flipped. From client and contractor to dominant and subordinate. Naturally, Red Feather held all the cards.
“Haa.”
This was bad. It would make the conversation nearly impossible. And what’s more, her opponent already knew the truth.
…That the North is in turmoil.
She wondered how he had figured it out in such a short meeting, but the secret was out. The North was in chaos, twisted by treason and rebellion. The cold wind was now thick with the scent of blood.
The reason for all of this is…
The problem was that something had gone wrong with her father, the Palace Lord, who had steadfastly guarded his throne. They were trying to hide his condition and hold on, but time was running out.
For their position to improve now, the rumors of Red Feather’s ability—the power to lift curses—had to be a lie. But it couldn't be. On the contrary, the problem was that it was likely the truth.
The mounting complexity made Yuri feel increasingly drained.
“…I suppose I’ll have to think.”
It was a brief conversation, but Yuri was certain of one thing after seeing Red Feather.
He was…
“Not a person who moves for righteousness or chivalry.”
He was far from the hero her friend had described. He was an exceedingly rational, cold person. A man who would not move unless it benefited him.
Conversely…
He is a person who would become more ruthless than anyone if something were to harm him.
Regardless of his words, she could tell just by looking into his eyes. He was by no means a virtuous man.
He won't be moved by sympathy or circumstance.
To persuade him, she needed a rational condition that would change his mind. Without that, everything was meaningless.
Yuri looked out the window. The sun had set. He had said they would talk at noon tomorrow. That meant she didn't have much time.
She had to accept it. She had to accurately grasp her position and understand her place. Only then could she make a proper judgment.
The night is short.
She had to think of something before noon. She had to find a way to gain his cooperation.
While Yuri was racking her brain, Gu Yangcheon had just returned to his lodge.
His original schedule was to have a meal with Lady Mi, or perhaps take Tang Soyeol and Moyong Hi-ah to see the town. But Gu Yangcheon had abandoned those plans.
“Hmm…”
His expression was grim. His fierce eyes were narrowed, making him look particularly menacing. He was staring intently at a piece of paper in his hand.
This was the reason he had turned back.
It happened just after he finished talking with the Young Lady. He had told her they would talk tomorrow and was about to leave when she stopped him.
[…Wait.]
He had looked at her, wondering if she had more business. She took a letter from her robes and handed it to him.
[What’s this?]
[It’s from your friend.]
Gu Yangcheon’s eyes had widened. A friend in the North who would send him a letter? A few people immediately came to mind. How did the Young Lady have this? An unpleasant thought crossed his mind. He was already bothered by the news of trouble in the North.
He had taken the letter and unfolded it on the spot.
[…!]
After reading it, his brow had furrowed deeply. It was that kind of letter. Because of it, he had canceled everything to hole up in his room.
“…”
Rustle.
Inside the dark room, where no lamps were lit, Gu Yangcheon’s blue eyes glowed. It was so dark that the ink should have been invisible, but it didn't matter to him. Even in the gloom, he could see the words with perfect clarity.
He read it again and again.
[Sorry. I’ll be late.]
A short line.
[But don’t worry.]
And a second line.
That was it. A message of just two lines. It seemed like nothing special at first glance, but…
“…”
Looking at it, Gu Yangcheon could feel his heart growing cold. There was only one person who would send him such a letter. A person who had, at some point, become more precious to him than his own life. A wicked woman who had left, ignoring his pleas for her to stay.
If one were to ask why he was reacting this way to such a short, seemingly harmless note… there was one reason.
The words written in the letter.
[Don’t worry.]
That was the problem.
What on earth was the problem with that? The problem was that it was completely out of character for her. It was as unbelievable as if he had said it himself.
This weighed heavily on his mind. Earlier this year, she had said she would return by spring, or summer at the latest.
Suddenly, she’s going to be late?
Looking at the paper, a dark thought took root.
Is she caught up in the trouble breaking out in the North?
The moment the thought occurred to him…
Crrrack.
A harsh sound echoed as he clenched his fist. It was a very unpleasant prediction.