Chapter 38
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Let's Go Together
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Myo Sujae seemed eager to pin down the exact departure date while the topic was on the table.
"When can you set out?"
"Once I wrap up things here, within the next ten days."
"Oh! Perfect. The sect leader's sixtieth birthday banquet is in half a month, so you can time your arrival for then. Haha. In that case, I have business to attend to, so I'll take my leave. I need to meet with everyone we're inviting for the banquet."
Myo Sujae bowed politely to Nangong Hak and me before hurriedly departing from the Nangong Family estate.
His steps looked light, probably because he felt the matter was settled.
"It was my mistake. I should have kept you from meeting the Death God Sword. Oh dear, Scholar Cheon. How could you make such a promise..."
Nangong Hak was filled with deep self-reproach.
It showed just how reluctant he was to see me leave the Nangong Family.
"It's the path to peace in the martial world."
"It's dangerous. If it's money you need, I'll provide it. Land too. Best not to go."
"That's just a minor detail. I know all about it, as you've heard. How much of a scoundrel Mak Jimong is, and what a massive headache he is even among the unorthodox sects. If a man like that truly becomes the next sect leader of the Manifest Heaven Sect, he'll pick fights with the Nangong Family and their allies without a second thought. Even now, Mak Jimong pushes to expand his faction's influence. The Murim Alliance marks him as a person of interest, so I'm well aware."
My words were the plain truth.
There were those who worried about the era of Mak Jimong.
"Hahaha, how can Scholar Cheon alone shoulder the future of the entire martial world?"
Nangong Hak laughed heartily, unable to hide his admiration for my resolve.
"When the future is plain as day, doing nothing is the height of folly. Removing the dangers in advance ensures the common people live in peace and safety. How could I not?"
"Who am I to stand in the way of Scholar Cheon's willingness to sacrifice himself for the greater good?"
In the end, Nangong Hak couldn't sway my determination.
As I left the room, a low murmur came from behind me.
"Hahaha... Scholar Cheon truly lives the Buddha's words: 'If I do not enter hell, who will?'"
"If I do not enter hell, who will?"—these were the Buddha's words.
I returned to my quarters and sought out Yeoseol.
I wanted to explain the situation—that I might be leaving the Nangong Family.
"The young miss has stepped out for a bit."
"Alone?"
"Seems like it."
"Oh dear."
No one suspected Yeoseol's Ice Sacred Body, so she was safe enough, but she still needed to be reined in from wandering about freely.
"She's probably playing with the Dusik Gang on North Road. She hasn't strayed beyond there, so don't worry too much."
Nangong Mubaek's quarters were quiet as well, so I asked Eunbi.
"Where has the young master gone?"
"He headed to the Ice Palace annex at dawn this morning."
That explained why it had been hard to see Nangong Mubaek lately.
I smiled faintly.
Nangong Mubaek had feelings for Jong Sobin, and with her staying at the main family home, it was a perfect opportunity.
He was spending his days and nights at the annex, hanging out with the Ice Palace folks.
'If things go well, we might hear some good news soon.'
I thought it would be nice if Jong Sobin and Nangong Mubaek ended up together.
They actually suited each other quite well.
I walked along, exchanging greetings with the merchants of North Road.
They still showed me their goodwill.
I hadn't harmed them or taken any profits from them.
"Haven't seen Dusik around?"
I'd reached the noodle stall, but Dusik was nowhere in sight, so I asked a merchant.
"I saw him heading to the end of North Road with a young lady earlier."
I made my way to the end of North Road.
From there, the street was lined with taverns, brothels, inns, and shops.
Even at the end, no sign of Dusik, so I asked another merchant.
"Oh, I saw Dusik going into the Celestial Pleasure House with a little girl."
I let out an involuntary sigh.
The music must have drawn her in—Yeoseol probably nagged Dusik until he took her inside.
Whenever I played the zither for her, Yeoseol would listen all night long; she loved it that much.
As I entered the Celestial Pleasure House, Dusik spotted me and rushed over, bowing deeply.
"Scholar! I... well, that is..."
I spoke to Dusik, who fidgeted, unsure where to begin.
"I know. Yeoseol dragged you here, right?"
"...Embarrassing to admit, but yes. I tried not to come."
"It's fine. You've had a hard time indulging her. Where's Yeoseol now?"
"A courtesan named Cheong took the young miss to a private room."
I pulled out a money pouch and handed it to Dusik.
"What's this?"
"Since we're here, we can't just leave empty-handed. Enjoy some drinks and music. I've put plenty in there—get the good stuff and appetizers."
Dusik opened the pouch, eyes widening at the pile of silver taels inside.
"You don't have to do this."
"It's fine. I've been wanting to splurge on drinks properly for once. Think of it as today."
Dusik and his gang's ragged clothes might mean they wouldn't get proper service even with money, so I called over the house manager of the Celestial Pleasure House.
"Well, well! Greetings, Scholar Cheon."
"You know me?"
"Anyone doing business on North Road who doesn't know one of its three treasures—the Scholar—would be a fool."
That overly flattering nickname came in handy at times like this.
"These friends of mine are in my employ. I've given them ample silver, so treat them well."
"Of course, sir. We'll serve them with utmost care."
"Thank you, Scholar!"
Dusik and his gang bowed deeply.
The patrons in the hall stared oddly at the thugs bowing to the refined scholar.
Then, a courtesan approached.
"Scholar Cheon, the young miss Yeoseol is with Sister Cheongyo."
"Is she?"
"She said you might have words for her."
"Then lead the way."
It had been a while since I'd seen Cheongyo, so I followed the courtesan.
I was led to a private annex far from the main Celestial Pleasure House.
Inside the room, Yeoseol was gleefully plucking at a zither.
"Yeoseol, those zithers are precious instruments. You can't just fiddle with them."
Courtesans bought expensive zithers to produce fine music, so they weren't to be handled carelessly.
"Oh? Brother? How'd you get here?"
"You weren't home, so I came looking."
"Am I a kid? I'll go home when it's time."
I couldn't help but chuckle at her absurd response.
"Brother, but this sister's zither playing is amazing, right?"
Yeoseol pointed at Cheongyo, who stood and greeted me.
"It's been a while, Scholar Cheon."
"Indeed it has. Yeoseol has no manners since she lost her memory. I hope she hasn't been a bother."
"Not at all. We've had a great time. I never knew the young miss loved music so much."
Even when I taught her tunes, Yeoseol focused more on music than anything else.
"This little lady barged straight into the room where this girl was performing in the main hall, and I was startled."
The girl in the corner bowed to me.
"Scholar Cheon, greetings. Do you remember me?"
"Of course. How could I forget? You're Songran, the courtesan."
I could never forget Songran, blind yet with an exceptional ear for music.
"You said you had something to tell me?"
"Actually, I've been invited to perform at the Manifest Heaven Sect leader's sixtieth birthday banquet today."
That explained why Myo Sujae had been so busy—meeting all those he needed to invite.
"You may know this, but the Manifest Heaven Sect leader, Mak Yeohyeon, is the supreme lord of the unorthodox factions."
"I know. But they offered such a huge performance fee that I couldn't refuse. Enough for this girl to leave the Celestial Pleasure House and live independently as a wandering musician."
It was only natural to pay top dollar to lure Anhui's finest courtesan to such a perilous place.
"And?"
Whatever her decision, it was Cheongyo's alone—I had no say.
"I've heard you also have business at the Manifest Heaven Sect, Scholar Cheon."
I gave a wry smile.
'That Death God Sword sure has a loose tongue.'
Cheongyo continued.
"I was wondering if you'd let me travel with you. Otherwise, I'd have to hire a bunch of escorts, which would be such a hassle... Ah, of course, I'd compensate you appropriately."
She was roundabout, but it amounted to asking me to escort and protect her.
"What power do I have? You'll need escorts regardless; don't let me be a burden."
"I'll hire the professional guards, of course, but traveling with you, Scholar Cheon, would feel the most secure."
As I pondered, Yeoseol piped up.
"Sure, sister. Come with us. I give permission."
"Huh? Why would you be going?"
"What? So you're planning to ditch me at the Nangong Family and go alone? Abandon me?"
"No, not abandon—leave you safely behind."
"That's your thinking. To me, it's abandoning me."
I'd naturally assumed I'd go to the Manifest Heaven Sect alone, leaving Yeoseol here.
Yeoseol's eyes sparkled as if she'd hit on a brilliant idea.
"Here's the deal: I'll go with this sister and come back together."
"What?"
"I wanna roam the jianghu a bit too. Stuck at the Nangong Family all day, I'm bored to death."
Come to think of it, from Yeoseol's perspective, taking her to the Manifest Heaven Sect might actually be safer than leaving her alone at the Nangong Family without me.
The eyes of the Demonic Cult, Blood Cult, and Ice Palace elders would all be on the Nangong Family, where Jong Sobin was.
"I'll think about it."
The moment I finished speaking, Yeoseol threw her arms around my neck.
"As expected of my brother—the handsomest guy in the world who actually listens to his little sister."
She started rubbing her cheek against mine furiously, and Cheongyo watched with an envious glint.
"I've never seen siblings get along so well."
"Losing one's memories turns even enemies into non-issues."
I looked straight at Cheongyo and asked.
"But something tells me you're not doing this perilous trip just for the money, Cheong courtesan. Is there trouble?"
I peeled off Yeoseol, who clung to me like a cat.
There had to be more to Cheongyo wanting to leave the Celestial Pleasure House.
"As expected, you see right through me, Scholar Cheon."
Cheongyo hesitated, so Songran spoke up.
"Truth is, lately the Provincial Military Commander of Hefei has been pressuring Sister Cheongyo to take her as a concubine. Investigators from the main office keep showing up, and we've had many days we couldn't do business."
Songran's words drew a sigh from Cheongyo.
"That's why I think it's best if I leave Hefei for a while. I don't want to cause trouble for the other girls."
I couldn't suppress my own sigh.
No matter where you went, talented courtesans like her struggled to escape the grasp of those in power.
Beautiful and a master musician to boot—it stirred possessive desires.
Yeoseol listened along, rolling her eyes in confusion, unsure where to direct her anger.
Probably because most of the talk was beyond her grasp.
"What's a concubine?"
Songran answered.
"It means another wife, not the principal one."
Having grown close to Songran already, Yeoseol chatted with her amiably.
"Oh? So the Provincial Military Commander—is he important?"
"Yeah, very. Think of him as the top commander of all the soldiers in Anhui Province."
"No matter how important, isn't he just a jerk? Who does he think he is, taking this sister?"
Yeoseol was probably the only one who'd call a Provincial Military Commander a "jerk."
That position held enough power for a private audience with Nangong Hak.
Overseeing a province's military gave more authority than one might think.
There was no dodging such a man—better to avoid him altogether.
I understood her dilemma.
"Very well. I'll escort you."
Cheongyo beamed.
"Thank you, Scholar Cheon."
Just as Cheongyo chose the dangerous trip to the Manifest Heaven Sect for her own reasons, I had two more motives for going there.
In Jiangxi, I had a sworn brother.
The only colleague from my Murim Alliance days whose ideals matched mine.
But two years after retiring to the countryside over family issues, I'd heard little from him.
His family was in Nanchang, Jiangxi.
I couldn't justify a long trip there without purpose, but this was my chance to visit my friend.
Nanchang sat beside Poyang Lake, not far from the Manifest Heaven Sect, so it wouldn't be hard to check in.
And there was one thing I desperately wanted, hidden away in the Manifest Heaven Sect's secret vault.
That was why I'd accepted their invitation.