The Warm White Qilin and the Cold Black Qilin
After tossing the completely passed-out Gongson Yoye into a room at Mucheon Pavilion, Cheong diligently headed out again. Her stomach was so full of alcohol that every single step sent waves sloshing inside her like the tide. As expected, if you were going to fill up, it had to be with food. Filling yourself with liquid just made it hard to move.
She left the Murim Alliance’s main gate and walked for about half a shichen, asking directions along the way, until a familiar signboard caught her eye. Central Grove Inn. Among the administrative provinces of the Central Plains, there were several regions that proudly claimed to be the true heart of the realm. Henan was one of them, which explained why so many shops here incorporated the character “central” into their names.
As soon as she stepped inside, she spotted Paeng Daesan sitting at a table in the open-walled section, his bamboo hat pulled low. Cheong strode over and dropped into the chair across from him, planting her rear on it with a thud.
“I came to leave a message with the owner just in case you showed up looking for me, but here you are already? Don’t you have anything better to do?”
She had worried he might come by Mucheon Pavilion later only to find her gone. Her plan had been to slip the innkeeper a coin and ask him to pass on that she was staying there. Then again, ever since he’d started hiding his face, the man seemed to be having the time of his life. He appeared to have developed a taste for wandering around incognito.
“Did you pay your respects to the Alliance Leader properly?”
“Yeah. He even gave me an absolutely incredible place to stay. Mucheon Pavilion, top floor. It’s insane.”
“Mucheon Pavilion?”
Paeng Daesan didn’t bother hiding his surprise. Mucheon Pavilion was the highest-class guest lodging in the Murim Alliance, reserved exclusively for the most honored VIPs. Those VIPs were generally royalty or high officials, and the place had barely been used since the unofficial agreement of non-interference between the government and the martial world.
“You must have made quite an impression on the Leader.”
“The old folks have always liked me. And people my own age like me too, right? The kids practically lose their minds whenever they see me, so you could say I’m loved by all under heaven.”
“You should probably exclude your peers from that statement. The more they learn about you, the more disappointed they become, and the fact that there’s always more to be disappointed by is truly astonishing.”
Paeng Daesan delivered the uncharacteristically teasing remark with a voice full of laughter.
“Hmm. I don’t know why all my friends are getting so harsh lately. That Jegal bastard is the same. So is Nana. Even Geom-woo’s snide comments have started landing more like they’re aimed at the mouth than the ears.”
“Are you really asking because you don’t know?”
If one were to list them: her outrageous table manners, her crude speech and endless stream of dirty jokes, her complete inability to take anything seriously. And above all, the way she had no sense of boundaries, barging into other people’s business without hesitation, yet drew a sharp line the moment it concerned her own affairs.
But Cheong simply said,
“I don’t know. And I plan to keep not knowing, so there’s no need to explain it to me.”
Since she refused to find out, she would simply remain ignorant. Besides, the closer you became to someone, the more you tended to point out their flaws instead of praising them. Now that they were comfortable enough to drop formalities, it was about time they started exposing each other’s weaknesses.
“What a shame.”
“You look like you have a lot to say. Just spit it all out. It’s not like I’ll fix anything even if I hear it.”
“You say such nonsense with such confidence.”
“See? This is exactly what I mean. You’re all getting harsher. Maybe I should ditch my old friends and make new ones who only say nice things.”
“It is precisely because you say things like that that you hear such things.”
“Come on, can’t a person even joke anymore? Oh, that reminds me. I saw that guy today at the Yongbongjihoe. Brother Jo.”
Cheong chuckled as she continued.
“Good grief. If you’re going to court a woman, at least do it properly. The way he calls every single one of them pretty is ridiculous. The funniest part is that aside from her face, everything else was completely average. Does that kind of line even work? By comparison, your friend Gongson’s younger brother is a true hunter of women’s hearts.”
“Gongson’s younger brother?”
“Ah, yes. Gongson Yoye’s younger brother. The man is practically gifted when it comes to courting women. He follows her around like a little puppy. If she sits down, he offers his handkerchief. He holds out the plate for her, arranges her utensils, cuts the food into perfect bites. If she asked to be fed, I swear he would do it.”
Paeng Daesan’s eyebrows twitched. Hidden beneath the bamboo hat, Cheong couldn’t see it, and since they were his own eyebrows, he couldn’t observe them either. It was an unconscious reaction he himself failed to notice.
“Hmm. So, did you like it?”
“It was comfortable, but it felt a bit burdensome. You could tell he was dead set on seducing me. He doesn’t even seem to be trying to hide it.”
“Hah. So he showed you his face after all? Like he did with me?”
“No? He’s doing all this without even knowing about this beauty. From what I hear, I’m the only friend Lady Gongson Yoye has, so he seems to want to make me part of the family entirely. As a younger brother, it’s admirable, but as a man… isn’t it a bit impure?”
“Hmm……”
“What’s with all the humming?”
Instead of answering, Paeng Daesan responded with another question.
“So, was that fellow handsome?”
“Who? Gongson’s brother? Yeah, he’s very handsome. Though he has a rather delicate, slender look. It’s less ‘handsome man’ and more ‘beautiful youth,’ if that makes sense? But no matter how good-looking he is, the moment he opens his mouth, it gives you goosebumps.”
“Hmm.”
“The women are all losing their minds over him. They call him the White Qilin or something. I overheard the ladies of the Phoenix Society whispering about it. Something about the warm White Qilin and the cold Black Qilin. I guess you must be the black one, San.”
“Hmm.”
“Hey, why have you been doing nothing but humming since earlier? When someone talks to you, you’re supposed to respond properly.”
“Respond properly, huh.”
Paeng Daesan seemed to ponder for a moment before tossing out a question as if it were completely unrelated.
“So. Did that fellow catch your fancy?”
“Well, as my friend’s younger brother, I’d say he passes. It’s not an ordinary thought to follow around a veiled woman just because he cares about his sister. Who knows what’s under that veil? In my case, it turned out to be the jackpot, but still.”
“That can’t be all there is to it.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“The part about doing it for his sister. He wouldn’t have approached you solely for her sake.”
“Then?”
“The Gongson Clan has harbored a long-standing grudge. Naturally, he would also covet your status and connections. You’ve gotten close to the elders of the Nine Great Schools and the Five Great Families.”
“So his motives are impure? But that sounds a bit off. A guy approaches me even though my face is covered, and his goal is my background?”
Paeng Daesan’s bamboo hat slowly turned from side to side.
“Simply having your name on the list of the Ten Great Families isn’t the end of it. You must establish relationships that never existed before. Recovering a surname once lost to treason cannot be done with ordinary power. He probably came to this Yongbongjihoe determined to secure a marriage alliance.”
Now that she thought about it, it made sense. Hadn’t Gongson Yoye spent her entire childhood and youth locked away in training? There was no way the family would have left their heir alone when they viewed that side of the clan with such disdain. In truth, Paeng Daesan’s words were correct. No heir could escape the long-cherished wish of a great clan. From Gongson Cheonil’s perspective, a woman’s beauty or appearance had never been the point. She had a good personality, an absolutely enormous background, and above all, she could bring good news to his pitiful sister who had devoted her short life entirely to martial arts.
“If he is kind to every woman he meets, there must be a reason for it. Unless he is pathologically lecherous like Brother Jo.”
Cheong let out a small laugh.
“Well, what’s wrong with that? If his goal is political, at least he’ll treat his wife with proper respect. Motives aside, as long as both parties are happy and live well together, that’s all that matters. It’s not like I’m comparing him to Brother Jo. That guy was genuinely creepy.”
“Even if you court a woman through political marriage, in the end the goal is everything. If the background you gained through marriage disappears, would you cast her aside?”
“Hmm? What are you talking about? That’s for the people involved to decide. It’s not for us to argue about, is it? Oh, right. Do you happen to know Lady Seol I-ri? The Ice Blossom of the North Sea, Lady Seol I-ri.”
“When people say political marriages can lead to genuine affection, it’s usually the elders who stand to gain who say such things. For the people actually involved, wouldn’t it only bring unhappiness?”
“Hmm. I didn’t expect you to have such conservative views on romance, San. But are we really still talking about this?”
Conversation was supposed to flow naturally. If you forcibly held onto a topic and kept talking, it would only lead to a stagnant argument like rotting water. Cheong had already tried to change the subject once with Brother Jo and again with the Ice Blossom, yet the topic of political marriage kept coming back up. It made her wonder if he had some pent-up feelings about it.
“Why? Did your family bring up a political marriage for you? It is one of the duties of elders to nag their children about marriage until they’re sick of it.”
“Marriage in the Paeng Clan is entirely up to the individual. Other families may be different. Besides, they probably aren’t worried about me at all.”
“Oho, what’s this? Are you that confident you can marry anyone you want? Well, it’s not exactly wrong. Come to think of it, it doesn’t seem like Cho-ryeo gets nagged about it either. Wait, so are you planning to stay single too, San? You hate women, don’t you?”
“Even so, we cannot leave the position of matriarch of the clan empty.”
“That’s true. Well, don’t worry. They say every straw sandal has its pair. I’m sure a woman will appear who likes you for more than just your face.”
“Rather than waiting for that… Never mind. More importantly, what about you? You speak as if it has nothing to do with you, but have you never thought about marriage?”
Cheong waved her hand dismissively, as if telling him not to even bring it up.
“Don’t say things like that. Can’t you tell just by looking? You, Geom-woo, Jegal, Changbin. All of you are friends who are miles away from women. If any of you started treating me like a woman, ugh, just thinking about it feels so awkward I might die.”
“Hmm.”
“Besides, right now I have enough trouble taking care of myself without thinking about that. Actually… yeah. That’s right……”
Cheong’s voice suddenly sank.
It had already been five years since she started her life in Murim. These days, the only time she thought about modern civilization and its convenient devices was when she saw a dirty toilet. She had adapted properly. And right now, yes. It was an enjoyable life. Perhaps even more enjoyable than the one she had lived before leaving home.
It was so much fun that she had forgotten about it until now.
But how long could these days last?
What if, even now, she opened her eyes and saw a familiar ceiling?
What if this turned out to be nothing more than a grand dream she had one night, a secret memory she would keep to herself?
Her mind went completely blank. No thoughts came at all.
Cheong simply sat there in a daze, fidgeting with her fingers, lacing them together and pulling them apart, scratching at her nails for no reason, rubbing her palms, gently stroking the table…… Before she knew it, her palms were damp with sweat. It was a characteristic of anxious people.
“Hey, Cheong? What’s wrong?”
“Ah, uh. Yeah. What were we talking about again? Yeah. It’s just… I’m a bit like that. I guess I am.”
“Are you all right? You look like you’re in pretty bad shape right now. If there’s some problem—”
“No. Yeah. No. I’m fine. For some reason. Yeah. Never mind. I think I should head back first today.”
“……Are you really okay?”
Cheong let out a long breath.
The human heart was an incomprehensibly complicated thing. When there was something you wanted to avoid, you slept. The ancient westerners had considered sleep and death as brothers, which made sense. The only moments when a person could completely forget their worries and feel at peace were when they were asleep or dead.
So Cheong kept sleeping. She ate and slept, slept whenever she had time, and slept again at night. Any time not spent awake talking with friends or stuffing something into her mouth to chew and swallow was spent with her eyes closed.
She shouldn’t have done that.
She should have been swinging her sword during that time.
The first crisis had been overcome only by pure luck. What nonsense about transcending Peak. First she had to get rid of this damned status window. She could sleep after that.
This status window was the same. Didn’t it usually tell you what you were supposed to do? Throwing a person into a corner of the Central Plains and saying “Do whatever you want” left her with no idea what she was supposed to do. So even if she cursed it, it couldn’t be helped.
Her face pale beneath the veil, Cheong clenched her trembling hands tightly.
“It’s just… my mind is a bit complicated. I must have been slacking off lately. I should swing my sword until I’m exhausted and then sleep.”