Chapter 34
Namgung Wan grimaced, his face twisting horribly. With Ak Jung-hae, who had been leading the way, suddenly vanishing, we had no choice but to stop.
Fortunately—or perhaps inevitably—Ak Jung-hae returned just before Namgung Wan could explode.
"Luckily, they still had some for sale."
Ak Jung-hae, who had come back, held out something that looked utterly transparent and mouthwateringly sweet: tanghulu.
"You little punk, I was wondering where you'd gone off to, and you were buying that?"
Instead of cowering under Namgung Wan's scolding, Ak Jung-hae bristled.
"What do you mean 'that'? Yeon-ah, here."
I dazedly accepted the tanghulu he offered.
"Oh? Thank you."
"Eat up—it's delicious. Senior Brother, kids love stuff like this. We've come all this way; it'd be a shame not to have a little snack! I've got six younger siblings at home. You know how it is."
Namgung Wan turned away as if to say he was done talking. It seemed he'd given up, since words weren't getting through.
Who knew Ak Jung-hae was the type...
Crunch!
But the fruit inside the crunchy tanghulu coating was refreshingly tart, pairing perfectly with the sweetness. I offered some to Father.
He took a bite without a word, his brows furrowing ever so slightly.
"Hahaha, too sweet for your taste, Father?"
"...It's edible."
"Want more?"
Father subtly shook his head. I buried my face in his shoulder and giggled.
Ak Jung-hae gaped at me and Father.
Suddenly, Namgung Wan spoke up toward him.
"Where's mine?"
"Pardon? You... want some?"
"You made me skip dinner. You got none?"
Namgung Wan glared at Ak Jung-hae with bulging eyes.
"Ah, uh—I'll go buy some right now!"
Ak Jung-hae bolted off in a panic. Father gazed steadily at such a Namgung Wan.
Namgung Wan, who had turned his head absentmindedly and met Father's eyes, raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"...Nothing."
I held out my tanghulu toward Namgung Wan.
"Uncle, try some!"
Crunch. Namgung Wan bit down and frowned.
"Sweet... and sour."
"That's what makes it sweet-and-tangy delicious!"
Soon, Ak Jung-hae returned with his own tanghulu, panting as he offered it.
"Senior Brother, here!"
"You eat it."
"Huh?"
* * *
We hadn't walked more than half a gak when Ak Jung-hae pointed to a wide courtyard gate connected to a spacious thunderbolt-shaped plaque.
"That's it!"
Yeongjongmun
There were countless unheard-of sects in the jianghu, and Yeongjongmun was one of them. A sword-focused group so small that all its disciples together numbered fewer than sixty. I'd learned this from Ak Jung-hae's explanations on the way.
Though small, it was one of the righteous alliance sects under the Murim Alliance, and the Yongbong Assembly participants were currently investigating here together.
Ak Jung-hae knocked loudly on the gate. Things grew noisy inside before it swung open with a bang, and a young man emerged.
"Senior Brother Ak! Where have you been?"
"Hm? Didn't I tell you?"
Ak Jung-hae beckoned as if to say come on in. The young man, who looked like a Yeongjongmun disciple, stared at us in bewilderment.
"And these people...?"
"Is the Vice Sect Leader in?"
"Pardon? Y-yes. B-but we can't just let people in freely."
"They're fellow Murim Alliance seniors here to help. I'll explain later—just tell the Vice Sect Leader we'll meet him in the main hall."
We'd barely followed Ak Jung-hae a short way inside when someone whooshed out from beyond a round moon gate in the wall.
"Where the hell have you been?!"
Ak Jung-hae nimbly dodged the hand swinging for his back. Unfortunately, he couldn't evade the one that grabbed his ear.
The woman yanked his ear as if to rip it off, muttering lowly.
"Seong-yul and Hye-hyang have been looking everywhere for you... Do you think this is your personal bedroom?"
"Ah, aah—ow! I told someone before I left!"
"Told who? No one knew where you went!"
"I... didn't?"
"You did? You did?"
"W-wait! Just a sec—ow, ow! Look behind me!"
The scowling woman turned and froze solid. She appeared to be in her early thirties. Her pitch-black hair and eyes were striking, especially the sharp contrast between her black irises and whites.
Namgung Wan spoke.
"Tang So-yong, still as fierce as ever."
Tang So-yong of the Sichuan Tang Clan. She was the leader of this Murim Alliance dispatch mission.
The representative from Yeongjongmun was Vice Sect Leader Im Jo-uk, a mild-mannered, slightly plump middle-aged man with a friendly face.
"It's an honor to have the renowned Baek Ri-gang and Namgung the Great Heroes grace us personally. We are deeply grateful."
The Vice Sect Leader, who had cupped his fists in salute, continued.
"Our Sect Leader is unfortunately indisposed, so I must greet you in his stead—please don't take offense."
Namgung Wan, his expression stern, replied.
"We wish him a swift recovery."
The Vice Sect Leader let out a deep sigh.
"Alas, we of Yeongjongmun were eager to investigate this disappearance case ourselves. But with our Sect Leader bedridden, we couldn't act rashly. We are thankful to the Murim Alliance—and to you heroes—for your support."
Glancing briefly at Father, Namgung Wan said.
"First, tell us the situation."
"Of course."
The Vice Sect Leader's explanation matched what we'd heard from the errand boy. Children from beggar slums vanished first, then commoners' kids. We learned only that it included infants just learning to toddle and that the number exceeded fifty, not forty.
Just as the Vice Sect Leader finished, the rest of the team arrived.
They exuded extraordinary presence. From the sharp-eyed woman with upturned eyes, they saluted one by one.
"Ma Hye-hyang of Cheongsung."
"Byeok Seong-yul of Hyeongsan."
The Tang Clan's Tang So-yong, famed for poison arts among the Ten Great Sects, went without saying—as did Cheongsung and Hyeongsan, all prestigious sects.
Among them, my gaze lingered on Byeok Seong-yul. The young man in a blue turban had delicate features that would surely be popular with women.
He looks familiar...
But no name came to mind.
"This is my daughter, Baek Ri-yeon."
I politely cupped my fists beside Father.
Ma Hye-hyang and Tang So-yong exchanged startled glances—probably something like, Did you know Senior Baek Ri-gang had a daughter?
Even the Vice Sect Leader looked shocked, but only Byeok Seong-yul gazed on with admiring eyes as he spoke.
"It's an honor to meet you seniors."
Namgung Wan glanced at Tang So-yong, who naturally explained.
"Seong-yul is an internal disciple of Hyeongsan and a rookie in the jianghu. This is his first mission."
His enthusiasm made sense now—he was a total newbie. Father spoke to his fervent gaze.
"Everyone has a first mission. Stay calm and follow your training. If anything happens, trust Tang So-yong."
Tang So-yong beamed proudly. The Vice Sect Leader, waiting for greetings to finish, smiled.
"This is truly reassuring. I requested aid, but I never expected the Alliance to care this much."
"..."
Father lowered his eyes, looking troubled. I knew what weighed on him.
To help or not to help?
He must be agonizing over it.
Namgung Wan eyed Father narrowly, as if urging him, then spoke.
"There's a misunderstanding. We're not here on Alliance orders."
"Then...?"
"We were passing by, ran into Jung-hae, and thought you might need help."
The Vice Sect Leader looked flustered. Namgung Wan continued.
"If I may be so bold, from what you've investigated so far, you juniors seem more than capable. Don't you think?"
He turned to Father. After a brief silence, Father spoke as if resolved.
"Yes. We'll take our leave, then."
"Seniors?"
Tang So-yong sounded confused too. Given Father's