Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Encounter
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Moon Flower Troops were unnecessary, he had said, but Namgung Ji still hadn't given up hope.
'They can say that only because they haven't seen them yet.'
Once they laid eyes on the Moon Flower Troops specially prepared for this Mid-Autumn Festival, even desire they didn't have before would surely awaken.
"Then I'll make preparations to welcome you two in advance, so please enjoy the Dengwang Pavilion a bit longer. But I do hope you won't be too late. How about arriving in about an hour?"
"An hour should be plenty of time to look around."
"Right?"
At the response implying no intention to build connections at the Dengwang Assembly, Namgung Ji smiled broadly, delighted.
Having secured an excuse to slip away from the Dengwang Pavilion, Namgung Ji cleanly abandoned the Dengwang Assembly.
Even if they split the spoils at the Dengwang Assembly, ruining the evening's event would make it all for naught anyway.
"See you two shortly."
"One thing."
Wi Sowol spoke with some difficulty.
"A request."
A single phrase that called forth the past.
§
After sending Namgung Ji off.
The two girls sampled the snacks prepared by the Dengwang Assembly, trying each type.
As expected from the Namgung family, every one was a delicacy.
Wi Sowol instinctively gauged the recipes.
'Glutinous rice. They must have mixed glutinous rice with water and sugar to make the dough. The round, rolled shape was hand-molded, then fried in oil and coated with honey or syrup. Not hard.'
She had heard that Baekdanggo, the famous local pastry of Nanchang County, was renowned even in Jiangxi Province.
Wi Sowol had already grasped the specialties of Nanchang County and Jiangxi Province's pastries from Ryu Yeonseo.
Its texture, closer to rice cake than crispy Mahwa, was chewy and satisfying to chew.
"Sowol, try this one too."
What Hwang Bo Yun handed her was a flat, round pastry.
Just looking at it promised a crunchier texture than Baekdanggo.
"The flavor is really unique."
"Let's see..."
Wi Sowol cautiously bit into the pastry Hwang Bo Yun offered.
A meticulous chewing motion, as if deploying peerless martial arts.
A strong nutty savoriness spread in her mouth, followed by a subtle sweetness that broadened her palate's horizons.
"A hint of peach?"
"It's called Dosu. Apparently named for grinding peach seeds into it, but since it's peach season, they diced fresh peaches and mixed them in. Cool, right?"
The crunch of peach bits added depth to the flavor.
Indeed.
Texture was a major factor.
"Without the peaches, it wouldn't be hard to make. Just mix flour, butter, sugar, and egg into dough and bake."
"Make it for me next time?"
"If there's a chance."
In this way, Wi Sowol swiftly pilfered the recipes for Nanchang's pastries.
Precision and meticulousness rivaling a divine thief.
"Let's check out the lower floor too."
At Hwang Bo Yun's suggestion, the two descended.
Those on the lower floor, invited to the middle level among the three floors of fame, looked up at the pair descending from the upper level.
Unlike the grand open hall of the upper floor, the lower floor featured numerous small rooms for intimate conversations among small groups, rather than a public banquet space.
There was a main hall where people from upper and middle floors mingled before entering rooms.
Or they might agree on the upper floor and descend for private talks.
For example...
"Ugh, um. Better to dull the hearing a bit."
Hwang Bo Yun cleared her throat at the sounds of bodily conversations.
Wi Sowol, on the other hand, calmly let the juicy exchange flow past her.
[You've done it with courtesans before?]
[Those were pure ones?]
The arrival of these new faces drew attention in the lower floor hall.
Numerous gazes turned toward them.
Toward Hwang Bo Yun, leers tinged with lust; toward Wi Sowol, sharp glares stabbed.
Noticing the contrasting stares, Wi Sowol nodded in satisfaction.
The sparrow mask indeed.
Performs reliably.
Her master's grace was so profound.
[Should we just go?]
Hwang Bo Yun sent a transmission, fond of attention but repulsed by this kind.
But those on the lower floor had been eyeing new opportunities for some time.
Their movements were swift.
"Ahem. Might you two young ladies be from the upper floor? I'm Cho Yeon-pung of the Gu River Clan. Perhaps you've heard the moniker 'Yangtze Witch Dragon'?"
Of course not.
If those on the upper floor didn't know, why would someone on the middle...
'Huh?'
A glint crossed Wi Sowol's eyes at that very thought.
Wi Sowol's steps moved briskly.
"Sowol?"
Hwang Bo Yun tried to fend off the self-proclaimed playboy—whether Yangtze Witch Dragon or Dongpa Yuk—but Wi Sowol's small frame darted too quickly, evading her long arms.
Wi Sowol stopped before a young man leaning against the wall.
He had a faint presence.
So dim that until Wi Sowol approached, those on the lower floor hadn't properly noticed him.
An intentional concealment technique.
And Wi Sowol knew its identity.
'Black Shadow Point. The Seonwu family's stealth art.'
The Seonwu family, wielding intense solar yang energy, had presences that flared like flames.
Thus, Seonwu family members fundamentally trained in Black Shadow Point.
Of course, this man's skill was exceptional among them.
"You found me well."
Wi Sowol spoke as if it were natural he'd come seeking her.
But the youth's reaction was subtle.
A puzzled expression.
Doubt and bewilderment in his eyes.
Yet Wi Sowol was already convinced.
"You delivered the message perfectly. You came alone, right? Otherwise, it'd violate the contract."
Wi Sowol recalled an event over a year past.
It was her encounter with Seon Woo Hoon at Zenith Temple.
Back then, Wi Sowol had imposed silence as a condition, which Seon Woo Hoon accepted.
Only his nephew, left with the message, was the exception.
"Wandering the world, he even excels at finding people? Well, anyway, perfect timing. I had something I wanted to test."
Wi Sowol chattered as if they were well-acquainted.
He wasn't usually so talkative—was he truly glad?—Hwang Bo Yun wondered, when the youth finally spoke.
"Miss."
"...Being called that by you feels awkward. Another title..."
"Do you know me?"
"......"
Silence.
Wi Sowol paused her thoughts briefly.
Then restarted her mind and assessed the situation.
'...It matches.'
But the conclusion remained the same.
"...You're not here for me?"
"Sorry, but I don't even know who you are."
"Liar."
"It's true."
"You don't know me? You?"
"I don't lie."
Hwang Bo Yun felt a powerful impulse.
To rip off Wi Sowol's mask and see her face.
Had Wi Sowol ever been this flustered, embarrassed, even self-inflicted?
No.
She had to see.
Absolutely.
Risking the recent fiasco, Hwang Bo Yun expanded her senses.
'There. An empty room.'
Perfectly mapping the path to the empty room, Hwang Bo Yun grabbed the wrists of the two immersed in awkward silence.
She swiftly entered the room, firmly shut the door, and removed Wi Sowol's sparrow mask.
"Oh..."
What a precious face.
Hwang Bo Yun turned her head, suppressing an explosive grin, as the youth—who had unwittingly followed—faced Wi Sowol's bare visage.
"Ah..."
An involuntary exclamation.
Though the woman beside her was strikingly beautiful.
This girl eclipsed her momentarily, radiating intense beauty in a wholly different direction, a wholly different sensation.
Thus, he could affirm.
He had never seen such a beautiful girl.
"Still don't know me?"
Having intended to reveal her face anyway, Wi Sowol let Hwang Bo Yun remove the mask and questioned sharply.
And before hearing the answer, she provided proof affirming her conviction.
"Seon Woo Hyeon."
The youth, Seon Woo Hyeon, touched his face.
A disguise technique he'd applied with some skill.
One thing was certain.
This girl knew him.
Very well.
"...Sorry. I truly don't remember."
"Didn't you come after hearing about me from the Crimson Blaze Twin Dragons?"
"From my uncle? I haven't seen him in over a year. Are you his acquaintance?"
"...Gansu. Haseo Society. Campfire."
At last, as Wi Sowol uttered those words, Seon Woo Hyeon suddenly recalled their true past encounter.
"...You lent me fire back then?"
"Yes. Later met the Crimson Blaze Twin Dragons and mentioned you, so I left a message."
Seon Woo Hyeon freshly felt how tangled the bonds of the mundane world could be.
The world is endlessly vast, yet endlessly narrow, they say.
Was this what they meant?
Who could guess a fleeting connection at the edge of the Central Plains in Gansu would reconnect thousands of li away in Jiangnan?
"Amazing. Your presence is completely different from back then."
Of course.
Back then, she barely moved, relying solely on crudely forged Great White Light True Qi.
Now, not just Great White Light True Qi, but Star Lodge Divine Traces for movement, Green Shadow Step for footwork, and Vast Night Hundred Steps for lightness skill supported her body—her aura, gait, and energy all inevitably changed.
If anything similar, perhaps her height, unchanged after over a year.
"But why would I call you 'miss'..."
"...Never mind. If you didn't hear from the Crimson Blaze Twin Dragons. More importantly, why are you here?"
The Seonwu family was in Beiping, northern Hebei Province.
In distance, no less than Hwang Bo Yun's Nanju.
"Forgive me, but it's hard to say. I promised to keep it secret."
"No need. I can guess."
Seon Woo Hyeon's actions.
How could Wi Sowol not know?
Without the miracle freeing him from rampage, she would have walked the same path.
"Searching for physicians? Here for the Blue Sound Jade Maiden?"
"...!"
"Came to the Dengwang Assembly hoping for info. Borrowed an identity. Even using disguise."
The hasty practice of disguise showed, fearing her existence might reveal the Blue Sound Jade Maiden and break the promise.
Others might not notice, but Wi Sowol could.
"Lucky you."
Unlike her past life.
"Follow me. We're staying at the Blue Sound Jade Maiden's house too."