Chapter 5
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Left Envoy - Winter Brings Warmth
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Deep winter.
That day, Ha Jin and Geum-gang were unusually busy.
"Disciple. It's snowing especially heavily today."
"Yes. It's not cold."
"Still, bundle up tight. You never know. If the cold seeps into your skin, it'll bring on a cough."
It wasn't something you'd say to a disciple training in external arts.
To Geum-gang, Ha Jin cherished her in an almost bizarre way.
She'd always bring back gifts from her trips somewhere.
Even after beating her black and blue, if she truly looked in agony, she'd always ask once or twice.
'Will this be enough for today?'
Geum-gang had never said yes, but to her, those words were reassuring.
This woman won't kill me.
She knows exactly how much to hit.
That short phrase felt like a psychological safety net.
And what about mornings?
It was proper for the disciple to check on the master first.
But Ha Jin would always slip in early to peek at Geum-gang.
'Is the blanket too thin? No, any thicker and she might overheat.'
She'd say the strangest things and visit every single day.
On nights when Geum-gang groaned in her sleep from nightmares she hated, she'd ask again.
'Will this be enough for today?'
She was such a gentle person.
And she was the same now.
Her own clothes were thin and flashy silk.
She wore plenty of jewelry,
but it was far too light for crossing the Heavenly Mountains in winter.
Of course, at her level, the cold wouldn't bother her.
'Am I not the same?'
It had been two years since she began forging her Golden Body.
Her own body barely registered the chill anymore.
But look at the furs wrapped around her now.
"Master. I look like a bear. Please take just one off."
She really did look like a white bear.
Ignoring Geum-gang's pleas, Ha Jin pulled her into a tight hug.
"This is your grand first outing. Remember when you tried to run away?"
"It wasn't running away, it was a stroll..."
"Right. A stroll. With all those bundles packed up."
"..."
About a year into living with Ha Jin, Geum-gang had racked her brains to escape the Heavenly Mountains somehow.
A demon cult, after all.
No way it'd end well.
After several attempts, the one fact Geum-gang learned was simple.
She couldn't escape.
Before she'd even begun her training.
The Heavenly Mountains' cold bit like knives, tearing at her thin skin.
Standing still split her skin; crossing them as a child in winter was impossible.
Once her body matured, she could wander freely, of course.
A year ago, Geum-gang had tried to flee at some point.
The Golden Body Art was like a tattoo—once learned, impossible to hide. She dyed her telltale hair black, squeezed her eyes shut, and bolted.
Ha Jin caught her right away.
'I've never been unkind, so where are you off to, disciple?'
She played it off as a stroll, but training got harsher.
She tried three or four more times, but always got caught before cresting a single peak.
'Oh my, has my disciple been secretly practicing lightness skill? You're getting faster.'
That month, she trained lightness skill in shackles and manacles.
'If you love your disciple, you'll see her anywhere.'
Geum-gang only recently learned Ha Jin could sense things miles away when focused.
She fully gave up escape after that.
When was it?
The night Geum-gang had a nightmare.
When Ha Jin left the door cracked, light spilling out as if to say, 'Your master is awake'?
Or the day she misjudged her strength while beating her, and Geum-gang couldn't hold back her pain.
The first time she saw her squirm like that?
'Baby. Baby. What shall we do? Master is sorry. It was my fault.'
Or the day it snowed so heavily.
Probably that day.
**************
"Master, where are we going?"
"Where else? Down south for a little outing."
The demon cult held sway over the entire Heavenly Mountains region, so followers gathered in villages.
Centered on the peak where the Heavenly Demon resided, they were divided into East, West, South, and North Heavens, each with their own culture.
Geum-gang and Ha Jin were heading to the closest South Heaven family estate, nearest the Western Regions.
"Do we have to go in this winter?"
Not cold, but heavy snow impaired vision.
And in this freeze, forget events—no markets either.
"It's fine. We're not going to some village. No time anyway. We're one of the pillars upholding the Heavenly Cult. Off to the verdant South Heaven Sword Family."
South Heaven Sword Family.
Hee clan demons dwelled there.
Sword.
Perverts who honed their realm through hundreds of thrusts.
A key pillar of the demon cult.
"The patriarch and I go way back. Don't worry."
Ha Jin, cradling the bundled, rounded Geum-gang in thick furs, looked like someone carrying a giant egg.
Unfazed, she unleashed her lightness skill without a wobble.
They passed peaks for quite a while.
Some had villages with gathered folk, others altars.
Even in this snowy winter cold, one spot boasted green meadows.
Mystical, with yellow flowers blooming prettily.
Sometimes, when restless, she'd walk down; other times, ride in arms.
When time called, they'd share packed food sitting down.
Unbeknownst to her, it was Geum-gang's first trip with an adult.
After meadows and hamlets, a vast estate with blue tiles appeared.
[South Heaven Sword Family]
The family name bold on the gate.
The Hee clan plaque suggested South Heaven wasn't the surname.
"What do you think, disciple? This is the leader of the southern followers, gateway to the Western Regions. The South Heaven Sword Family."
"It's pretty. Lots of hydrangea flowers."
"Yeah. No idea how, but they bloom year-round."
Hydrangeas blooming in this weather drew gasps.
They matched the blue tiles blanketing the grounds.
"But, Master."
"Hm?"
"Is it okay to just come in here?"
"For me? Sure."
What an absurd reply.
To prove it, Ha Jin smirked and stomped.
That mystical step that never hurt despite the pain.
A massive boom, but the estate held.
Folk rushed out at the noise.
All swords drawn.
"Master?"
"It's fine. If it comes to a fight, I win."
Geum-gang grew uneasy, wondering if they'd come to fight, but relaxed at a burly man's frantic shout.
"Sis—no! Left Envoy! Left Envoy! Sheathe your swords! Why are you here? No warning!"
"Missed the estate, so I came."
The man's face toward Ha Jin was half joy, half bewilderment.
"You could've sent a signal flare. No time to prepare."
Composing himself, the patriarch emerged as imagined.
Stern yet hearty.
Neat beard, massive frame radiating presence.
This was the South Heaven Sword Family Patriarch.
Unlike his flustered entrance, he exuded gravitas.
Feeling his scrutinizing gaze, he spotted the girl in Ha Jin's arms.
"Hm? No way...!"
The patriarch approached, peering at Geum-gang every which way.
Eyes asking if it was real.
"A real disciple? Not a joke? I thought you'd gone mad and nearly sent meds."
"What do you think? My disciple, Geum-gang. Pretty, right?"
"Indeed. Like the Left Envoy in her prime."
Geum-gang stared wide-eyed; he squinted fiercely.
No reaction from the girl, so he beamed and offered a handshake.
"Pleased to meet you, miss. I'm the South Heaven patriarch, Hee Ji-jae. You're Geum-gang, right?"
"Hello, mister."
Big eyes.
Pure child gaze at the patriarch.
Ha Jin stifled laughter beside her.
One lesson from living with Ha Jin.
In the demon cult, the craziest survived.
Commit to the bit fully.
Patriarch or not, he was mister.
'I'm a beauty. A natural airhead beauty...'
Chanting inwardly, she stared at Hee Ji-jae.
He seemed flustered at first, then roared with laughter.
"Hahaha! Master and disciple, two peas in a pod! You taught her this too?"
Wiping teary eyes.
Ha Jin set Geum-gang down, patted her, and explained.
"Geum-gang, pitiful as he looks, he's one of the Heavenly Cult's top powerhouses. Central Plains folk call him the 'Nine-Piercing Demon.' The Nine Piercing Sword. Greet him properly."
At her master's urging, Geum-gang bowed slightly, reluctant.
"Hello, Patriarch. Greetings from Geum-gang, heir of the Heavenly Robe Sect and disciple of the Radiant Light Left Envoy."
"Ah, pleased."
Geum-gang's solemn greeting.
Ha Jin beamed proudly but held it in.
Hee Ji-jae eyed the grinning Ha Jin like a ghost.
A people-slaying rakshasa like that.
World upside down.
"Left Envoy, come in. You didn't just come for the estate. Let's eat first. Hey! Prepare!"
"Mm. Yes. Let's go, Geum-gang."
Geum-gang, satisfied with her first impression, grinned and scampered after Ha Jin.