Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: A Long-Awaited Guest
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A night embroidered with starlight piercing the darkness.
At Yin Flower Tower, quite some time after the nocturnal melody discourse had concluded, the guests were beginning to trickle out one by one.
Yet Yagul Sohwa remained alone in her seat, perched in the finest spot on this floor where the entire venue lay visible at a glance.
Her flushed, rosy cheeks betrayed her solitude as she poured herself another cup of White Flower Liquor.
She was certainly a master who could dispel the alcohol's effects with a mere breath if she wished, but right now, she simply wanted to surrender to the buzz.
"He didn't come today either."
Yagul Sohwa gazed toward the entrance with eyes heavy with melancholy.
Already ten days had passed.
Since the nameless guest—no, the Cult Leader—had visited the Yagul Clan.
When she first realized his true identity, her mind had gone completely blank.
But as she mulled it over, resentment gradually built up, leaving her with the bitter feeling of being used.
He had come to the main house under the pretext of seeing her, only to secure an audience with her father, the clan patriarch.
Once she saw through the deception, every exchange of melodies and musical theories they had shared at Yin Flower Tower felt suspect, no longer as pure as before.
If that was his game, then at the very least...
'...he should have explained himself before leaving.'
After his talk with her father, he had departed the Yagul Clan immediately.
Didn't that mean he had no intention of justifying himself to her?
Of course, he might have simply forgotten amid their important discussion.
But if so, he would have sought her out right after.
'Word is, the very day he visited the main house, he headed straight to the Hyeok Clan.'
He seemed awfully busy lately, but if their connection truly mattered to him, wouldn't he have made time to visit at least once?
Since parting ways, Yagul Sohwa had come to Yin Flower Tower every day, clinging to a sliver of hope, faithfully keeping her seat.
In the very spot where she first saw him, at the same time each day, guarding the place where he had sat.
But wait as she might, he never appeared.
"Sigh. Time to give up."
His absence from both the main house and Yin Flower Tower meant she was already yesterday's news, didn't it?
Or perhaps, having met her father, he no longer had any use for her and saw no need to meet.
Overwhelmed by this unfamiliar desolation, Yagul Sohwa bowed her head deeply and let out a long sigh.
Just then, a figure slipped into the seat beside her.
"Our little Sohwa seems to be having a rough time of it."
"Auntie Dang..."
Yin Flower Tower's proprietress, Yagul Okryeon, settled lightly beside her and patted her shoulder.
"It's that nameless guest, isn't it? That bastard's got you down?"
"...Yes."
As Yagul Sohwa replied in a dejected tone, the woman raised her voice.
"I heard you invited him to the main house. Things didn't go well?"
How was she supposed to answer that?
How could she reveal that the man famous for his music at Yin Flower Tower was none other than the leader of the Great Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?
It was top secret, and even if she spilled the truth, she'd be dismissed as delirious.
"He just... left midway through our conversation."
"What? The nerve of that shameless cur...!"
After wrestling with it, Yagul Sohwa offered a vague excuse, prompting Yagul Okryeon to clench her fist in outrage.
"What did I tell you? I said you should have nothing to do with a man who's built a fortress around his manners."
Yagul Okryeon gestured wildly as if hurling something away.
"Making our Sohwa's eyes well up with tears—next time I catch even a glimpse of him near Yin Flower Tower, I'll throw salt right in his face."
...You'd end up executed for that.
"Hehe, thank you just for saying so."
Yagul Sohwa let out a hollow chuckle at her aunt's vehement display.
The comfort eased her sunken spirits, if only a little.
"Madam Proprietress, there's something I need to report."
At that moment, a servant approached Yagul Okryeon and spoke up.
"We've tuned the new pipa we acquired this month, but the pitch is still off. We may need to return it or disassemble it to check inside."
"Understood. I'll inspect it myself."
She patted Yagul Sohwa's back, telling her to rest easy, then departed.
"Hoo..."
Once she was gone, Yagul Sohwa exhaled deeply, purging the alcohol from her system along with her breath.
That was it.
Waiting any longer would be foolish.
Their connection ended here.
Resigned, Yagul Sohwa set aside her lingering thoughts and slowly rose from her seat.
But in that instant, a man entering the entrance caught her eye.
A familiar bamboo hat.
A familiar build.
And even that familiar blackish-blue robe.
Thud!
The moment she spotted him, Yagul Sohwa ducked her head to hide.
But crouching there briefly, she couldn't fathom why she was hiding.
Why am I avoiding him?
I'm the victim here!
Having reaffirmed their dynamic, she straightened up boldly and returned to her seat with poise.
She poured White Flower Liquor with feigned indifference, deliberately averting her gaze.
Thud, thud.
As the man's footsteps drew nearer, her ears perked up, though she desperately pretended otherwise.
Moments later, Hyeok Mulin approached naturally, sat across from her, and tilted his bamboo hat just enough for her alone to see his face before speaking.
"It's been a while."
"...Greetings to Your Venerable Holiness, the Cult Leader."
Yagul Sohwa responded coldly, observing proper etiquette, as Hyeok Mulin regarded her steadily.
His gaze drifted to the scattered bottles on the table as he continued.
"Looks like you've already had a few."
"Yes, Your Holiness speaks truly."
"No need to be so formal. You can respond as you did before."
Yagul Sohwa replied in a calm, subdued voice.
"How dare this humble girl use such casual speech with the Cult Leader? Please forgive my past impertinence."
Every other word is "Cult Leader."
Amused, Hyeok Mulin tossed a gentle probe her way.
"I have no desire for a merely professional relationship with you. Aren't we kindred spirits who shared our souls through music?"
"Y-Yes?! Excuse me?!"
Flustered, Yagul Sohwa blushed and stammered.
"Wh-What do you mean by that...?"
Hyeok Mulin appended gravely.
"We became true soulmates, connecting hearts through sound. Our musical discourse in that private chamber remains vivid in my memory."
"Ah, that kind..."
Realizing her misunderstanding, Yagul Sohwa's face turned scarlet with embarrassment.
Hyeok Mulin tilted his head, staring at her intently.
"Your cheeks are flushed. Quite drunk, are you?"
"I-I'm fine!"
She jolted back in alarm.
Hyeok Mulin fixed her with a stern look and chided her.
"I understand the joy of revelry, but drink only as much as your body can handle, then purge the rest. Isn't that the true way of liquor?"
The alcohol was long expelled.
Her heart pierced, Yagul Sohwa could only nod meekly.
"Understood."
"I wish to converse with you as comfortably as before. As I said, we're kindred spirits."
"That's...!"
Yagul Sohwa steeled herself to respond firmly.
No matter their bond through music before knowing his identity, now that she knew he was the Cult Leader, they couldn't go back.
But meeting his steadfast gaze, all prepared words evaporated, leaving her voice a whisper.
"...All right."
"Thank you."
Hyeok Mulin smiled faintly, poured White Flower Liquor into a cup, and offered it forward.
In response, she slowly raised hers, and soon a clear chime rang out between them as the cups met.
Wetting his throat, Hyeok Mulin curled his lips upward.
"Perhaps it's the reunion with you, but it tastes even better tonight."
Re-reunion...!
Knowing he meant otherwise, his dizzying word choice still set her heart pounding several times over.
Head throbbing, Yagul Sohwa squeezed her eyes shut and downed her cup in one gulp.
"You summoned me?"
"Chief Steward, come in."
Hwang Gibok entered the patriarch's chamber at Hyeok Gongun's call.
He sat, sipped tea briefly, and listened attentively to the patriarch.
"The cult's investigators must have kept you on edge, rummaging through the main house lately."
"Yes. Cooperating with them made it hard to handle proper duties."
"Isn't it absurd? Accusing us of colluding with the Central Plains."
Hwang Gibok paused momentarily before nodding in agreement.
"Indeed. I can't fathom how they pinned such charges on the Hyeok Clan."
Hyeok Gongun smiled at him.
"You've endured much. From tomorrow, no need to worry."
"...No way?"
Hwang Gibok's eyes widened.
"Correct. Word came that the investigation ends today."
"So the clan is fully cleared?"
Hyeok Gongun nodded, and Hwang Gibok's face split into a grin.
"What a relief—truly! After searching so long without evidence, they had no choice but to back off!"
"You've suffered most under that deputy strategist. Sleep soundly tonight."
"Yes, may you rest well too, Patriarch."
Bowing, Hwang Gibok slowly exited the chamber.
He strolled the estate's outskirts, sorting his thoughts.
"It's finally over."
Dragging it out despite knowing we'd be cleared.
Recalling the deputy's thorough probe, he clicked his tongue.
Suddenly, his steps halted at a certain corner.
The clan's oldest evergreen bamboo.
Seeing one branch snapped, he frowned regretfully.
"Time to prune it soon."
He fully broke off the damaged branch, buried it near the roots, and left.
Offering words of encouragement to the guards, he headed to his quarters.
Yet, two hours later in the dead of night.
When all but the sentinels slept.
The chief steward's door opened silently as a shadow slipped out.
Moving without a sound, Hwang Gibok traversed the estate with stealthy grace.
Swish—
Unhindered through the night paths, he soon entered a pavilion's courtyard.
A man already waited there.
Bathed in moonlight, his face belonged to none other than Nakyeon Pavilion Master Hyeok Gwan.
He spoke from a zhang's distance.
"Your summons came too late."
"Do you know how intensely I was watched? I've been walking on thin ice daily."
"And I was that watcher—didn't I let you slip through unscathed?"
"As chief steward, too many eyes are on me to move freely..."
As Hwang Gibok vented, Hyeok Gwan waved dismissively, changing the subject.
"Enough. No tails, I assume."
"Think I'd miss that? Worry not."
"Good. So, what's this urgent summons about?"
"It's done."
Exhaling in relief mid-frustration, Hwang Gibok continued.
"That accursed deputy strategist has finally decided to withdraw from the main house..."
But as relieved Hwang Gibok began spilling the clan's current status—
"Cats and rats dwelling together, eh?"
Sima Jin emerged from the shadows, fixing them with a cold, sunken gaze.