Chapter 13
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Summer Nights Are All Too Short (1)
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Of course, the Lotus Flower Pavilion had an impeccably maintained stable.
Not only did it care for the horses brought by visiting patrons, but it also kept a few for the pavilion's own use.
When Seonwoyong unexpectedly led a horse inside, the stablehand Old Man No jumped in surprise to greet him.
“Master Seonwo, what’s this horse?”
“Please take good care of it. I just settled up at the horse market and brought it back.”
“Oh my… But why does it look like such a wreck? This thing barely qualifies as a horse.”
“There are circumstances. For the time being, I’ll tend to it myself. Don’t mind me coming and going often.”
“Oh, no need for such words. Stay as long as you like, anytime. Still, how did this poor creature end up like this? Its eyes are filled with such sorrow, it’s even shedding tears. Well, this won’t do—it needs to eat first.”
Old Man No muttered to himself as he inspected the horse, then soon returned with a trough full of beans and oats mixed together.
But the horse didn’t even sniff the fodder and simply turned its head away.
After that, Old Man No tried bringing fresh grass, carrots, salt, and water in turn, but even after waiting a long while, the horse refused to touch any of it.
Seonwoyong watched the scene with pity, then took the reins again and led the horse out of the stable.
The place where Seonwoyong brought the horse was the small courtyard in front of his annex quarters.
Even without tying the reins anywhere, the horse simply stood there with its head hung low.
Seonwoyong stroked the yellow horse’s nape and murmured as if talking to himself.
“You speechless beast. Even if you don’t say it, I understand the heart-wrenching pain tearing at your chest. Better than anyone, I know it well.”
He spoke softly, then gazed into the yellow horse’s eyes.
“I understand the desire to die, but the world is still beautiful. Your young master hasn’t finished his life yet, so if you don’t die, won’t you meet again someday, somewhere? Until then, how about we forge a new bond?”
Seonwoyong stroked the horse’s nape a bit longer, then went inside the annex and came back out with his zither.
He sat down on the stone threshold at the edge of the courtyard and began to play.
As if to soothe the sorrow of the speechless beast, a mournful, melancholic melody flowed out. The yellow horse, which had been listening silently, suddenly raised its head and let out a long, resounding neigh.
The zither’s notes did not stop, nor did the horse’s cries.
Tears streamed from the horse’s eyes for a good while.
A short time later, the horse’s head drooped back toward the ground.
At that moment, the delicate feet of a graceful woman in fine silk slippers approached and stopped beside the horse.
The woman stroked the horse’s tear-streaked back and murmured.
“Why do you weep so? At the sound of your cries, every living thing in this Lotus Flower Pavilion sheds tears.”
She was Jeong Yeongyeong, the Pavilion Master of the Lotus Flower Pavilion.
She hadn’t set foot in this annex for a while, but she had come out upon hearing the yellow horse’s lament today.
Seonwoyong stopped playing, set the zither aside, stood up, and went to the yellow horse’s side, quietly stroking its head and mane.
Jeong Yeongyeong looked at him.
“Why did you need a horse? We have plenty here at the pavilion—you could use one anytime.”
“The horses here aren’t mine, just as the Lotus Flower Pavilion isn’t mine. How could I use them as I please?”
“How can you say that? Please consider this Lotus Flower Pavilion not just now, but forever, as your own home. Everything here is yours, of course.”
“Well, I don’t know what to say, but even if I leave, I won’t forget the Lotus Flower Pavilion. And I won’t stand by if the children here, whom I hold dear, face hardship.”
As the two stroked the horse, their fingertips accidentally brushed against each other.
Jeong Yeongyeong’s hand flinched back in shock.
Her gaze traveled past the horse’s back and met Seonwoyong’s eyes.
Seonwoyong did not avert his eyes but calmly accepted Jeong Yeongyeong’s gaze.
“Master. As I said before, please don’t think of this Lotus Flower Pavilion as belonging to someone else. You already possess it all.”
To Jeong Yeongyeong’s meaningful words, Seonwoyong made no reply and simply shifted his gaze back to the horse.
“Little horse. We need to give you a new name. Even the death you chose for yourself doesn’t go as you wish—that’s life. You too must open a new life and set out on a fresh path, so let’s call you Gwiroa, using the character for ‘return home’ and ‘road.’ Who knows? You might meet your young master on the road again.”
With that, the newly named Gwiroa quietly took a few steps toward the flower bed in the garden and began sniffing the fragrance of the wildly blooming flowers there.
Clear tears fell once more from Gwiroa’s eyes as it smelled the flowers. But the deathly pallor had already vanished from its gaze.
“Tonight, I humbly wish to share a drink with you. When evening comes, please visit my quarters.”
Jeong Yeongyeong, who had been silently watching, left those words and departed the annex courtyard.
Seonwoyong quietly watched her retreating figure.
Seonwoyong arrived at Jeong Yeongyeong’s quarters just as the sun was beginning to set.
Since that first day, he had not visited her quarters, so it felt somewhat unfamiliar—yet strangely, it did not.
Jeong Yeongyeong was already waiting, having prepared a table full of all sorts of delicacies from land and sea.
As soon as Seonwoyong entered, she seated him at the place of honor and placed a black earthenware pot on the prepared brazier.
“At last, I get to treat you, Master. I’ve never been much for cooking, so my skills are clumsy, but I’ve done my best. Don’t blame me if it’s no good—please enjoy.”
Jeong Yeongyeong first poured a cup of liquor into Seonwoyong’s glass.
The aroma was deep, rich, and beautiful—undoubtedly Five Grains Liquid.
Sichuan Province was renowned throughout the Central Plains for producing fine liquors. Among them, Five Grains Liquid was counted as one of the finest not just in Sichuan but across the entire Central Plains.
Seonwoyong offered a cup to Jeong Yeongyeong as well, and the two raised their glasses with both hands in a toast.
It was indeed fine liquor.
And so, the two began sharing drinks and food.
The dishes Jeong Yeongyeong had personally prepared were truly exceptional.
Even the head chef of the Lotus Flower Pavilion—one of the most famous chefs in Sichuan, land of fine cuisine—could not match this skill.
“These are truly superb dishes. I had no idea the Pavilion Master had such profound culinary talents.”
“You flatter me. It’s just my meager efforts with full sincerity, and it seems to suit your taste. Please eat your fill comfortably.”
Jeong Yeongyeong served the cold and fresh dishes first onto Seonwoyong’s plate from the array on the table. She also tended to the hot dishes she had prepared separately, putting her utmost care into everything.
After they had eaten and drunk for a good while, Jeong Yeongyeong paused her busy hands and broached a topic.
“Seeing you bring a horse today, it seems you’re preparing to set out on the road, Master. I feared I’d be terribly rude if I didn’t treat you once with my own hands before you leave, so I hurried to arrange this. So, when do you plan to depart?”
“I haven’t set a firm date, but I think soon. First, that yellow horse needs to regain some strength…”
“Of course. Its current appearance is rough, but once it puts on weight and recovers its vigor, it’ll be a fine steed worthy of the name. I’ll send word to the stable to give special care and the best feed to Gwiroa.”
Seonwoyong gazed steadily at Jeong Yeongyeong as she spoke those words.
In truth, until now, he had never paid any woman—not even Jeong Yeongyeong—special attention.
Long ago, he had forsaken personal ties with women, and moreover, he was now in mourning for his wife, whom he had loved and cherished all his life.
Jeong Yeongyeong was undoubtedly a beautiful woman.
Though in her late thirties, she looked remarkably young for her age, overflowing instead with the allure of a mature woman.
Her deep gaze and refined demeanor were lovable in a way that made it hard to believe she owned a pleasure house. She had attained mastery not only in arts, music, calligraphy, and painting but also in playing the zither. In the present world, such a talented woman was not easily found.
He had known for some time that Jeong Yeongyeong harbored deep feelings for him.
But Seonwoyong could not accept her.
“So, Pavilion Master, what kind of life have you lived?”
For her to be the Pavilion Master of the Lotus Flower Pavilion at that age meant her life story was far from ordinary.
Moreover, this place was one of the hidden strongholds of the Great Cloud Bright Religion.
“My father’s name originally used the characters for ‘shadow’ and ‘school.’ He succeeded his own father as a scattered recluse in charge of the religion’s Azure Water Banner, devoting himself single-mindedly to rebuilding our weakened religion after the tragedy sixty years ago, wandering far and wide.”
“Wait a moment. Was your grandfather, by any chance, the Clear Water Hermit named Jeong Seongyu?”
Jeong Yeongyeong was utterly startled by Seonwoyong’s words.
“How do you know my grandfather, Master? Could it be that you and that elder from long ago…?”
Then, as if struck by a thought, her already large eyes widened even further.
Though Seonwoyong appeared young, the presence within him was in no way inferior to any elder.
The matter with Ilseonja alone was inexplicable.
How many in the world could receive deferential treatment from Ilseonja?
In that case…
“No way…?”
Seonwoyong let out a deep sigh and fell into thought.
He recalled the spirited, loyal middle-aged handsome swordsman from long ago.
He had once heard that man had a young son.
“So it was. Of course, I know him.”
Only upon hearing Seonwoyong’s words did Jeong Yeongyeong realize her guess might be true, and she was left half-dazed.
“How could that be… Then, Master, have you truly achieved return to youth?”
“Something like that. So, what happened to your father?”
Jeong Yeongyeong sprang to her feet and first offered a deep bow.
But when Seonwoyong shook his head, her body rose of its own accord.
Taking that ability for granted, she respectfully opened her mouth.
“I shall continue. My father earned the moniker Water Dragon Swordsman and assisted his father in the religion’s affairs. Due to various circumstances, he had me, then roamed the jianghu until his whereabouts were suddenly lost.”
A trace of loneliness crossed Jeong Yeongyeong’s face.
“It’s been twenty-six years now. Just before I turned thirteen. After that, neither I nor my mother ever heard from him, and we’ve lived all this time with a great wound in our hearts.”
“Then, what of this Lotus Flower Pavilion?”
“The original owner was my mother. She ran it independently of the religion, met my father, and after promising to join the religion, they were wed.”
Seonwoyong nodded naturally at her words.
No wonder it had seemed strange—such was the story.
“But the time my father spent here with my mother was but a fleeting moment. He was always off somewhere in the jianghu, and in the end, he vanished.”
“Then your mother now…”
“Sadly, she passed five years ago. Waiting her whole life for him, my father…”
The two fell silent for a moment, quietly refilling each other’s cups and emptying them.