Chapter 57
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Lament of Love, Hate, and Sorrow
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“Your intent is now sprouting beyond your body. Strive even harder.”
“What? My intent is doing that?”
“Then what, you fool? Did some ghost possess you?”
“Wow, that’s amazing. So if I can play the zither strings with my mind, that means I can do anything else the same way?”
Han Sojung scratched the back of his head with a dazed look.
“Don’t think nonsense. Just keep diligently playing the zither like you are now. It’s possible because your heart desperately desires it.”
“Yes. Understood.”
As Han Sojung bowed his head slightly and turned to leave, Seonwoyong called him back.
“But wait. From now on, try playing the zither without making a sound. It should be possible. Place the zither at the center of your mind and play it solely with your thoughts.”
Han Sojung asked in surprise.
“Play the zither just in my mind? What fun would that be?”
“You fool. I’m telling you to try it. It might be easier than you think.”
“Yes. I’ll give it a try.”
Han Sojung tilted his head and walked toward the carriage where the old Jang man was waiting.
Seonwoyong watched his retreating figure intently.
Then he shook his head slightly.
“No, surely not. It couldn’t be.”
That very night, they began camping on the vast steppe.
Though called a steppe, it was no different from a desert.
It had only recently passed the rainy season, so from afar it looked like a green plain, but up close, it was not.
There was nothing but dry sandy ground dotted with sparse, thin blades of grass.
Naturally, it was hot during the day and immediately turned cold at night.
The carriages of the Shinju Merchant Group were clustered tightly together in a group, and the Daeun Merchant Group’s carriages were set up right next to them.
The horses unhitched from the carriages were herded into a simple corral made of ropes nearby, guarded by men standing watch.
The merchants had gathered the wagons in a circular formation around them, with campfires lit here and there.
Anyone familiar with merchant caravans would have tilted their head at the sight.
Normally, it was the exact opposite.
Wagons would form an outer circular barrier, with people camping inside for the night.
But the truth was, it varied by situation.
The cargo being transported by the Shinju and Daeun Merchant Groups was worth a fortune.
Not quite as valuable as the same weight in gold, but far more precious than the same weight in silver.
Naturally, it had to be guarded with their lives.
Moreover, most of the cargo was silk, which would be utterly ruined if even a single flaming arrow struck.
So it made sense for people to guard the outside of the wagons, and water barrels were placed everywhere in case of fire.
One of those campfires was surrounded entirely by women.
“Is there anything as beautiful as the starry sky over the steppe?”
Jin Seolhwa murmured as she gazed at the stars in the night sky.
Her maids sat to her left and right, while Moyong Cheong sat opposite her across the flames.
Under the star-filled deep blue night sky, Moyong Cheong’s features illuminated by the flickering firelight were truly heavenly.
Jin Seolhwa’s mature beauty, though not quite matching it, dominated the surroundings with its own allure.
“The night sky over the North Sea was also incredibly beautiful. A world of white snow and white forests of trees, with blue stars shining above.”
Moyong Cheong responded in her clear, pearl-like voice.
“Oh? So little sister Moyong has been to the North Sea? I wonder if I’ll ever get to go.”
“It was when I was young. When the Palace Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace celebrated her sixtieth birthday, my father went to pay respects, and I accompanied him.”
“Oh my. So you’ve been to the North Sea Ice Palace? Were the women there really that beautiful?”
“Hee hee… Sister, you’re still so young. Asking about that first.”
“Hee hee. So you’re saying I look like a frumpy old aunt? Now that hurts my feelings.”
“Ah, I’m sorry. It was just so unexpected. You always seem like the Iron Butterfly.”
“Hee hee… I’m joking. I’m already thirty-five. I can’t really call myself young.”
“But may I ask something?”
“What is it? Of course, ask away. If you’re curious…”
“Is there no special reason you joined this long journey to the distant west? Really none?”
“Didn’t I tell you? Before I die, I wanted to see the farthest corners of the world.”
“But… for a woman, it’s truly not an easy path. Even if female heroes of the martial world are different.”
“And what about you, little sister? Was there really a need for a woman to go all the way to the Dunhuang caves? Even if the Moyong family has declined, isn’t it still a great house with thousands of retainers?”
At Jin Seolhwa’s retort, Moyong Cheong sighed and replied in a heavy tone.
“I should have had a son. For my parents.”
Jin Seolhwa nodded quietly at Moyong Cheong’s answer.
Indeed, the current Moyong family had no direct heir.
The current family head would have to adopt a talented member from a branch family to succeed him.
“Ah, so that’s why you’re asking if the women of the North Sea Ice Palace are really that pretty? Hee hee…”
Jin Seolhwa teased playfully, trying to lighten the mood.
Unexpectedly, Moyong Cheong nodded with a serious expression.
“They really were. So beautiful it made me wonder how such women could exist in the world.”
“Really? It’s hard to believe when a peerless beauty like you says it.”
“You misunderstand. People call me the North of the River’s Top Beauty or whatever, but I don’t believe a word of it. It’s just embarrassing. Compared to those sisters from the North Sea Ice Palace, someone like me is…”
At that moment, beautiful music from a seven-stringed zither began to play from somewhere.
Jin Seolhwa nodded as she listened.
“Hearing that zither music every evening has been one of the joys of this journey, but I haven’t heard it for a few days.”
Indeed, while staying in Lanzhou, they hadn’t heard Han Sojung’s zither.
But it was Moyong Cheong’s first time hearing it.
The whispers of the workers around them faded away, and under the beautiful night sky, the enchanting zither music spread.
The piece Han Sojung was playing now was the one he had mentioned to Seonwoyong earlier, Yeosamrak.
But Moyong Cheong’s expression grew serious as she listened.
“Sister. Do you feel it? This is sonic art.”
Jin Seolhwa, who had been lost in the music, tapping her knee with her palm, suddenly came to her senses and focused her ears.
She tilted her head, then nodded.
“You’re right. It’s not just simple zither music played by an ordinary musician.”
“Exactly. It gently caresses and comforts the listener’s soul, so no one is on guard, but the tones already carry that person’s inner energy… If he wanted, he could…”
“Hmm… When did he gain such power? Sonic arts require tremendous inner strength…”
“Is it really that child playing? That Han Sojung…”
Jin Seolhwa nodded.
“It is him. The melody and technique are just as I’ve always heard. This vibrant energy is new, though.”
“Then maybe it’s that Seonwoyong, the head of the Daeun Merchant Group, playing?”
“No, it couldn’t be… Though he is the one teaching that child Sojung the zither.”
“Then let’s go. If it’s not him, we can hear his skill too.”
Jin Seolhwa’s ears perked up at Moyong Cheong’s suggestion.
She had thought of it countless times but never acted on it.
Deep down, she felt a twinge of discomfort at how confident young, pretty girls could be, but there was no reason to refuse.
“Alright. Shall we go take a look?”
Unexpectedly, the seven-stringed zither sounds were coming from quite far away.
They seemed nearby from the sound, but following it, they had left the caravan’s campsite and climbed a low hill some distance away.
After walking over a hundred paces slowly and ascending the gentle slope, they saw two men.
Seonwoyong was standing, and Han Sojung was seated.
The early evening moon was setting at the western horizon, with countless stars overhead.
As the two approached, Seonwoyong glanced over and turned back to watch Han Sojung’s hands.
Han Sojung was completely immersed in his playing.
His hands danced over the seven-stringed zither like playful sprites, akin to a sword master unleashing a sword form. It resembled lightness skill in motion, the pinnacle of finger technique.
At least, that’s how it appeared to Moyong Cheong’s eyes.
But Jin Seolhwa’s eyes sparkled only with admiration for the sound reaching her ears.
Soon, Han Sojung’s hands stopped, and silence fell.
“What brings you here so late at night?”
Seonwoyong asked casually.
Jin Seolhwa stepped forward.
“Tonight, little brother’s zither moved my heart so deeply I couldn’t resist coming. Forgive us if we disturbed you.”
“No need. It was nearly finished anyway, so we were about to head back…”
“Um, might I request a piece from the young hero? I know it’s rude…”
Moyong Cheong then asked directly, true to her northern heroine spirit.
Seonwoyong looked her over carefully, smiled, and nodded slightly.
“There’s no young hero here, but if a beauty like you asks, how could I refuse? Haha…”
Murmuring this, Seonwoyong took the zither from Han Sojung and sat down.
Moyong Cheong smiled brightly at his response.
But she didn’t notice Jin Seolhwa’s expression stiffen for a moment right beside her.
Seonwoyong placed his hands on the strings, took a deep breath, and began to play.
It was Jeonghan Tongsah, a piece hugely popular in the Song Dynasty era.
Singing the heartrending plight of a couple separated by war, it was indescribably poignant.
Tears welled up in the eyes of the two listening women.
But the piece did not continue long and came to a halt.
Seonwoyong had stopped his hands and was gazing into the darkness beyond the steppe.