Chapter 52
Chapter 52
Loud laughter followed.
The one laughing was Jin Cheong-ak. Laughing so exaggeratedly that the medicine vial slipped from his hand and fell to the floor, he beckoned Yeo Il with his fingers.
“Yeo Il, Yeo Il… I was just wondering how to deal with the rat eavesdropping in hiding. Who would have thought it was you.”
“I told you not to call me that.”
Answering coldly, Yeo Il descended lightly from the railing and stood before him.
“I wondered what you were plotting, sneaking about to avoid me.”
She swept Beomjung and Danghong with a chilling gaze devoid of warmth.
Her eyes lingered especially long on Danghong. Seeing that, Jin Cheong-ak smirked.
“Do not misunderstand, Miss Namgung. They are both men—fully equipped.”
“I can tell that much at a glance.”
“Oh? Truly? To discern Danghong’s true nature at once—something even my elder brother failed to do. As expected of Miss Namgung.”
Yeo Il took the seat beside Jin Cheong-ak without hesitation, seized his chopsticks, and as casually sampled the dishes.
Beomjung watched as his lord pushed plates piled like mountains toward Yeo Il. His expression grew complicated as he studied her again.
He had always considered himself perceptive. Yet now, facing this woman, it felt as though he were staring into the surface of a lake whose depths could not be fathomed.
She must be someone far beyond what I can gauge.
Moreover, her face had changed so drastically since their first meeting that she seemed like an entirely different person.
So this is what they call rebirth through transformation.
The long scar that had once run from cheekbone to jaw was gone. The savage, beastlike impression of the past seemed like a dream.
The skin and lips that had once been rough like a warrior’s now held a faint pink vitality. The murky, almost sinister gleam that had once lingered in her eyes had cleared. Now, merely meeting her gaze felt as though one might be drawn in.
“How does it taste?”
“Not bad.”
“Hm. How is it that no matter which inn you visit, your verdict is the same? Has your tongue failed to attain enlightenment?”
“That offends me, but you have a point.”
“Try this braised pork. How is it? Is it not overly sweet compared to the clan’s cuisine?”
“…This one is truly subtle.”
“Subtle?”
“The same.”
“Tch. You cannot hide that you grew up without proper meals.”
“That offends me, but it is true.”
Indeed.
With Yeo Il present, Jin Cheong-ak looked as though he were serving her. No—placing each slice of meat upon her plate went beyond mere service.
No. What odd thoughts I entertain about my lord.
Even Danghong, who never failed to lose her temper and make noise, would surely restrain such thoughts—
“My Lord…! My Lord, sitting there like some cozy pair of lovers with that self-important wench whose only merit is her face…!”
So much for restraint. She truly was insolent.
At that moment, Yeo Il set down her chopsticks.
The table fell silent.
After scrutinizing Beomjung and Danghong, she spoke calmly.
“I thought your faces seemed familiar. You were the ones standing behind Jin Cheong-ak the day he came to see the old man.”
“……”
“Xinjiang is your base, so I did not concern myself whether you came and went in secret. But I did not expect you to follow him all the way to Anhui.”
Beomjung noticed the vial on the floor and secretly exhaled in relief.
Amid the tense atmosphere, Jin Cheong-ak asked lazily,
“So… did our Miss Namgung chase after her guard out of fear he might run away from home?”
“Yes. You wandered outside even until the day we left the clan. I wondered what schemes you were brewing.”
“Regrettably, there are more schemes elsewhere. It seems the Jin family—and my elder brother—have found me.”
Beomjung jerked upright in shock.
“My Lord! To reveal that so easily—”
“You ask whether I may say it? What use is hiding it, Beomjung? Yeo Il and I move as one; she would learn of it soon enough.”
It was not incorrect. Yet it unsettled him. Yes—even if true, it felt unpleasant. Even if true…
“…The Jin family? The one you were born into?”
At Yeo Il’s question, Jin Cheong-ak nodded slowly.
For generations, the Demonic Cult selected its Great Young Masters either from the five great families based in Xinjiang or from talents personally chosen by the Cult Leader.
Cho I-ryang hailed from the Cho family, one of the five. Jin Cheong-ak came from the Jin family.
“They will both appear soon. Their purposes differ, however.”
“Then what of the Ye family?”
“The Ye family?”
Unexpectedly, Jin Cheong-ak answered readily.
“That house fell long ago. A few retainers remain in the main palace, but that is all. I have no connection to them.”
“My Lord! To speak of that so easily—”
“Must I ask permission? It is hardly some grand secret. Even the senior martial artists of the Nine Great Sects know it.”
Jin Cheong-ak shot Beomjung a look that clearly told him to stop making a fuss.
Wounded inwardly, Beomjung focused on eating.
The secret meeting concluded with a hearty meal.
Though uninvited, Yeo Il had eaten the most—more precisely, Jin Cheong-ak had fed her relentlessly like a bird. Beomjung refused to acknowledge this.
She rose to her feet.
“You two visited Jin Cheong-ak yesterday and the day before as well?”
Beomjung and Danghong glanced at Jin Cheong-ak for guidance.
The answer was no. Though he gave no outward sign, they understood from long service that he desired silence.
“…Next time, come openly. No matter what you do, Jin Cheong-ak will not gain freedom. Cease such futile acts. This is a warning.”
Beomjung steadied his breathing.
If he did not, he felt he might draw his sword and cut Yeo Il down on the spot.
There was no guarantee he could kill her—but as one who followed his lord, how could he remain calm?
Danghong’s complexion was no different.
Even after Jin Cheong-ak and Yeo Il departed, the two could not shake off their humiliation.
“Jeok-myeong, Hui-myeong! Remember, do not overexert yourselves at the competition! You are the only legitimate heirs of the clan! Think of it merely as broadening your horizons. Once you return, you must take wives—!”
A day after leaving the clan amid fervent farewells from Danri Mukran, members of the Namgung Clan, and the people of Anhui, the carriage was nearing Henan Province.
“Yaaawn.”
Outside, a guard’s bored yawn drifted in.
The journey to the Murim Alliance was exceedingly peaceful.
The Young Clan Head had much to ponder. Namgung Hui-myeong had to steady his heart for his first martial competition.
Added to that was the carriage of Namgung Soyo, whose throat had been damaged by poison.
Silence was inevitable.
Of course, the tranquility owed much to Yeo Il as well.
When the Great Madam regained consciousness, Chang-a had rushed to her side and earnestly convinced her she was unwell.
[Great Madam! Are you well?]
[Hoo… my head aches… What happened to me? Before I lost consciousness…]
[Please do not force yourself to remember. They say you looked as though you had seen a ghost before fainting! You must rest absolutely.]
[A ghost?]
[Yes. We fear you may have overexerted yourself lately. Ah, Miss Soyo was greatly worried when you collapsed while speaking to her.]
[I have exerted myself somewhat since coming to the Namgung Clan…]
[Indeed! You truly have! And will you not need to exert yourself further as the clan’s elder? Please, rest thoroughly. Truly thoroughly.]
Namgung Jeok-myeong had asked Danri Mukran to oversee the inner affairs of the Namgung Clan during the Murim Alliance competition.
It was a measure to restrain Namgung Pa while he was absent.
Given that no one was more obsessed with his marriage than Danri Mukran, she would move vigorously to expand her influence in his absence.
While Danri Mukran acted as his eyes, Namgung Pa would be unable to move freely.
An efficient strategy—aside from the backlash that would inevitably follow.
At last, the Namgung Clan’s carriage arrived in Henan Province.