Chapter 87
Chapter 87
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: Dong-ro Hyeon in a Whirlwind
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She held the cup with both hands and gazed at me.
“You said that people who get along grow closer, didn't you?”
I guessed Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo's intention and smiled faintly.
“Keep in mind that those who don't fit in are cast aside.”
“That won't happen if I'm drinking with you, Yong.”
She drank the rest of the wine in one gulp, then her beautiful face scrunched up again.
“Ah! It's bitter, and my stomach feels hot!”
“Hahaha! The second cup warms your stomach, and the third warms your heart.”
“In that case, I'll drink up to three.”
***
It took half a day for the White Cloud to reach the Dong-ro Branch. Aside from the first two hours when she started drinking, Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo spent the rest of the journey fast asleep in my arms.
Having tasted alcohol for the first time in her life, Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo quickly became drunk and poured out thirteen years of unspoken words to me like a waterfall. I simply listened to her.
At that moment, she was not the Alliance Lord of the Martial Alliance, but just a young girl, chattering endlessly, overjoyed to see the dear older brother she had missed for thirteen years.
At some point in her chattering, she collapsed into my arms and fell into a deep sleep.
Holding Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo, I instructed Hye-so and Mi-hyang.
“Do not speak of what happened today.”
“Don't worry.”
Hye-so bowed her head respectfully.
“It's a secret from Byeok-gyo as well.”
“I understand.”
Hye-so had served Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo for over a decade, but she was very surprised, as she had never seen her like that before.
The Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo she knew was an incomparably beautiful and elegant Alliance Lord, dignified and respected by all.
But just a while ago, a drunken Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo had endlessly shed tears, pouring out all her inner feelings, saying how much she missed me and that she would never let me go again.
The White Cloud hovered in the sky above the sandy shores of the Qiantang River, next to the Dong-ro Branch.
Mi-hyang looked back and smiled sweetly.
“Just cherish Mistress Choseon. That will be enough.”
“Are you threatening to tell if I don't cherish Choseon?”
“Hohoho! Of course not!”
She says that, but it doesn't quite sit right with me.
***
In the middle of the night, I carried Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo on my back and led Hye-so to the Dong-ro Branch's annex.
Since Go Un-hyo and Sang Gang-jo were not there, the annex was empty.
Without me around, Go Un-hyo had probably gone to the Peerless Sect.
I laid Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo down in the room Sang Gang-jo used to occupy, had Hye-so rest in the room next door, and went into my own room to lie down.
I lay on the bed, but the words Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo had spoken while drunk echoed in my mind.
She had said many things, but there were two key points.
She missed me. And she wanted me not to leave again.
I, too, was indescribably happy to see Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo, but that was all. To me, she was still the ten-year-old girl from the past.
But the problem started now. Since I had made a big concession by allowing the Grand Headquarters of the Alliance to be established at the Dong-ro Branch, I had to make sure the issue of marriage with Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo was never brought up again.
I closed my eyes to sleep, then opened them again. A strange fragrance was coming from my body.
‘What is this?’
I had smelled this fragrance thirteen years ago. It was Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo's natural scent.
She had a unique body scent, a very pleasant fragrance, like orchids, or the smell of clear water in a deep valley, or the elegant aroma of a pine forest.
I fell asleep while breathing in Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo's subtle scent.
***
As soon as I woke up early in the morning, I went to Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo's room.
“Are you awake?”
“Don't come in yet.”
Hye-so said.
“I'll come back in a bit.”
“It's fine. Please come in.”
At Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo's words, I entered the room.
A basin of water was on the table, and Hye-so was arranging the hair of Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo, who was sitting in a chair.
Hye-so had told me not to come in because she was doing Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo's hair after she had washed her face.
A light blush appeared on Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo's fair face, freshly washed and with her hair just combed.
“I heard you carried me on your back?”
“You were drooling on my back as you slept.”
“Oh my?”
At my joke, Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo's face turned as red as a sunset.
“It reminded me of the old days.”
“Back then, your back and chest were my bed. I was always being carried or held by you.”
I changed the subject.
“No hangover?”
“I circulated my energy to drive it out.”
“Good.”
The first time I had a hangover, I didn't know what to do, but Sang Gang-jo had taught me that I could drive it out by circulating my energy.
“I'll look for a place for you to stay.”
At my words, Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo looked around the room.
“Where is this?”
“It's the Dong-ro Branch's annex. I'm using it.”
“Then can't I stay here too?”
“It's too humble for you to stay in.”
“I don't think that's something the person who used to make me sleep in places far worse than this should say.”
Back then, we often slept under the eaves of someone's house, in a local shrine, or in the woods covered with grass. Then again, Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo's bed had always been my arms.
“There are decent inns and courtesan houses in Dong-ro Hyeon. You'd be more comfortable staying there.”
“You're not trying to chase me away on purpose, are you?”
“Of course not. Wouldn't it be more convenient for me to keep you close by and protect you?”
“Then I'll stay here.”
“So be it.”
“Thank you.”
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo smiled brightly.
The image of Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo rambling drunkenly last night overlapped with her current appearance, and I smiled faintly.
“Why are you smiling?”
Seeing me and Hye-so smile, Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo seemed to feel something was off.
“I made a mistake while I was drunk, didn't I?”
“How could the wise Byeok-gyo do such a thing?”
“That's right! My lady fell asleep as soon as she got drunk!”
We flatly denied it, but Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo tilted her head in confusion.
“While you're here, how about we say you're my younger sister?”
“Is that okay?”
“It's fine.”
“Then that's great!”
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo clapped her hands in delight.
Until the Grand Headquarters of the Martial Alliance is officially launched in Dong-ro Hyeon, the fact that Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo is here must be kept secret.
***
I showed Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo around the Dong-ro Branch.
It was early morning, so the branch members were not yet awake, and those with jobs like An Do-pil and Hyeong In-geol hadn't left for work yet.
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo saw the two training platforms in the courtyard.
“Those are training platforms.”
“They're for testing the martial arts of Alliance applicants.”
“Are there applicants trying to join the Dong-ro Branch?”
“Quite a few.”
“It must be thanks to your reputation, Yong.”
“You could say that.”
“So how many have joined?”
“I've been away for a while, so I don't know the details. I'll find out when I get the report later.”
***
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo said she wanted to see Dong-ro Hyeon, so we went out for a walk.
Since the Grand Headquarters of the Martial Alliance will be established here, this was a sort of inspection for her as the Alliance Lord.
She said it was fine to walk around because only her close aides had seen her true face as the Alliance Lord.
Indeed, who would imagine that the Alliance Lord of the Martial Alliance would be brazenly walking around Dong-ro Hyeon alone with me?
Even though it was early morning, there were many people coming in from outside—migrants. They must have traveled through the night to hasten their journey to Dong-ro Hyeon.
Most of the people entering, with their belongings loaded onto carts and wagons or carried on A-frames and backpacks, were common folk.
At first, Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo thought nothing of it, but as the processions grew longer, she began to think differently.
“Are people from other regions migrating to Dong-ro Hyeon?”
“Yes.”
“It must be because Dong-ro Hyeon is a good place to live, right?”
“You're smart.”
“Thank you.”
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo smiled sweetly.
With no Demonic Emperor's Grand Union or Ten Heavens of the Unorthodox Path in Dong-ro Hyeon, it was practically a paradise on earth for the common people.
Conversely, it meant that life for the people outside Dong-ro Hyeon was too harsh.
When Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo said 'a good place to live,' it meant she knew that I was the one who had made it so.
Among the lines of incoming commoners, martial artists could occasionally be seen.
“Are the martial artists applicants to the Alliance?”
“It seems so.”
“They don't look like low-level warriors, but martial arts masters.”
“That's because the standard for passing the entrance test is high.”
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo looked at me with a surprised expression.
“You're not just recruiting branch members, are you?”
“I'm trying to raise the standard of the branch members a bit.”
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo looked at me with sparkling eyes.
“You're recruiting the masters needed for the Grand Headquarters.”
“We can't just launch the Grand Headquarters by itself, can we? It needs subordinates.”
“I was actually worried about that very issue.”
She said with a bright expression.
“Now I understand why Chief Sang and the Commander were so completely captivated by you, Yong.”
“Captivated? Hardly.”
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo looked at the ever-increasing number of migrants.
“It's amazing.”
“What is?”
My initially awkward way of speaking with her had, after spending some time together, reverted to how I used to talk to the ten-year-old girl of the past.
“It's you who transformed Dong-ro Hyeon like this, Yong.”
“I was lucky.”
“There's no such thing as luck. There is only effort.”
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo was right. Having wandered the world for the past thirteen years, sleeping in the open and enduring all sorts of hardships, she had learned at a young age that nothing is achieved through sheer luck.
As we started walking again, merchants who were opening their shops early in the morning recognized me and greeted me.
“Grand Branch Master! Good morning!”
“Grand Branch Master! It's humble, but please have breakfast at our place!”
They didn't bow deeply or bend at the waist as if I were their lord, but rather smiled warmly and gave a light nod or a wave.
“Is the peerless beauty next to you your wife, Grand Branch Master?”
At the sudden question, Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo blushed slightly and grabbed my sleeve, while I cleared my throat awkwardly.
“She is my younger sister.”
The merchants greeted Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo one after another.
“Greetings, my lady!”
As we continued on our way, two figures blocked our path and cupped their fists in a salute.
“Excuse me, but could you tell us the way to the Martial Alliance's Dong-ro Branch?”
“It's that way.”
“Thank you.”
One of the two was about to pass by but then asked.
“By any chance, are you also here to join the Martial Alliance's Dong-ro Branch?”
“I'm from the Dong-ro Branch.”
The two figures' faces lit up.
“In that case, do you happen to know what became of the Life-Ending Saber?”
“You mean Geum Cheong-san of the Life-Ending Saber?”
“Yes. We heard a rumor that Geum Cheong-san of the Life-Ending Saber, whose name is on the Record of the Invincibles, went to join the Martial Alliance's Dong-ro Branch.”
I nodded.
“The Life-Ending Saber was defeated by the Fire Dragon Sword and then joined the Dong-ro Branch.”
“Ooh! So it was indeed Great Hero Ak of the Fire Dragon Sword who subdued the Life-Ending Saber!”
After the two martial artists left, Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo spoke quietly.
“The Life-Ending Saber was someone our main branch was trying to recruit, but in the end, you were the one who made him join, Yong.”
In truth, Geum Cheong-san of the Life-Ending Saber was a master belonging to the reclusive martial world, and he was recorded in the 'Registry of Masters of the Reclusive Martial World' that Sang Gang-jo possessed.
We went to the edge of Dong-ro Hyeon, to the place where the Tianmu Stream and the Qiantang River converge.
“The entire county is one big construction site. It must be because of the migrants, right?”
“The original population of Dong-ro Hyeon was thirty-five thousand, but I hear it has now surpassed two hundred thousand.”
The population of Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, is five hundred thousand, yet a single remote county has a population of two hundred thousand.
“At this rate, it will soon surpass the population of Hangzhou.”
“I suppose so.”
“That's incredible.”
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo looked at me.
“Do you know what a great thing you are doing, Yong?”
I changed the subject.
“Look over there.”
The place I pointed to was a wide, open lot where hundreds of laborers were working from early in the morning.
“They're doing excavation work.”
“We're going to build the Grand Headquarters here.”
“…”