Chapter 45: Please Open the Door
"Young Master, may this girl come in?"
"Uh, well..."
Gyeon So-hee's voice was utterly calm. But it was still the dead of night. I couldn't readily answer since I had no idea what had brought her here.
Then her voice shifted slightly.
"I have something that must be said. Please, open the door."
The girl's voice sounded agonizing, as if squeezed out through gritted teeth. Something was off. I quickly draped my clothes over the celadon vase on the table to hide it, then opened the door. There stood Gyeon So-hee, her face unnaturally pale.
[Ahem, something's amiss. Better not let her in...]
"Come in for now."
Against Bongmareung's words, I decided to let Gyeon So-hee into the room. There was a reason. I could see something writhing blood-red along the pale skin of her throat.
She's suffering from the Tanghyeol-go.
I figured ignoring her in this state and sending her away could lead to bigger trouble. Plus, I was confident I could handle her even if she suddenly drew a dagger and lunged. Gyeon Mu-jin might be another story, but Gyeon So-hee was no longer my match.
I crossed my arms and spoke.
"So, what do you want, showing up in the middle of the night? Out with it."
Gulp.
Instead of answering, I saw her throat bob sharply. Her eyes clearly showed she was enduring pain. And the story that spilled from her lips was something I never expected.
"It's about Lady Gye Cheon-bing."
"Huh? Senior Gye? What do you have to say about her?"
"She was cultivating the Yo-ma-sal-seon-gong." Cough! Blood suddenly sprayed from Gyeon So-hee's mouth.
I flinched. But she pressed on with a look like she might collapse any second.
"The Yo-ma-sal-seon-gong.... It's a technique she shouldn't be cultivating..."
"Stop! Enough! Don't say another word! That's an order!"
The moment I cut her off, Gyeon So-hee's eyes rolled back white, and her body toppled backward. She had passed out from the unbearable pain. I swiftly caught her.
[Ahem, what a bolt from the blue in the dead of night. What nonsense is this sudden intrusion?]
Bongmareung muttered blankly. I felt bewildered by the abrupt events too. But it didn't strike me as nonsense.
Earlier that afternoon, when I'd clashed with Gye Cheon-bing in front of Wayong Hall's gate.
Right. That's when I read her qi flow. Since our bodies touched directly, her Shim-se Seom-gam must have picked it up.
That's how I'd learned she was cultivating the peculiar Yo-ma-sal-seon-gong. Gyeon So-hee must have sensed something odd about it and come to me. But the Tanghyeol-go wouldn't allow it, forcing her to choke out the words amid excruciating pain.
In other words, she'd defied it to help me.
What the hell is she thinking? Isn't she a spy from the Doggo Clan?
[She's head over heels for you now—Tanghyeol-go be damned.]
Bullshit.
I laid the unconscious Gyeon So-hee on my bed and shook my head. Still, thanks to her, I'd gained a new clue. And it felt like pieces were clicking together in my mind.
Yong Seung-don, who visited the Gye Clan Manor and took a gift. And Gye Cheon-bing cultivating the Yo-ma-sal-seon-gong...
I could guess what Gyeon So-hee had wanted to say without hearing the rest. She was trying to warn me.
Interesting. Suspicious fragments keep popping up.
Just one more piece, and I might uncover something new. So the next morning, I headed to the Cult Leader's Palace. The informant I'd decided on the moment I chose not to tail Yong Seung-don from the Gye Clan's treasure vault.
"I'm here to see Great Elder Gu Man-bong. Tell him Yong Baek-heon requests it."
"Yes, Young Master."
I planned to pry information from the Okmyeon-saekong, Gu Man-bong.
* * *
"Ugh..."
"You're awake? Lie back down. I'm brewing some medicinal soup."
Gyeon So-hee sat up amid the chest-crushing pain. Glancing around, her heart sank.
This is Young Master Yong's room?
Faint memories of last night surfaced. She'd come to talk about the Yo-ma-sal-seon-gong, spat blood, and blacked out right there. The Tanghyeol-go had raged.
I don't even know how far I got.
She'd steeled herself to come, but barely got a few words out. Yong Baek-heon was gone, but Ok Geum-ran smiled radiantly in his place. She had to speak now.
"Senior Ok."
"What is it? Something to say?"
"Well..."
The moment she recalled what she'd meant to tell Yong Baek-heon yesterday, the Tanghyeol-go in her chest surged violently.
"Agh!"
The Yo-ma-sal-seon-gong that Gye Cheon-bing cultivated was a type of explosive technique designed for unleashing sudden, overwhelming offense—a burst art. Yet it directly clashed with the Eun-hon-sin-ma-gong she'd long trained in. Cultivating both was poison.
Why?
Gyeon So-hee's conclusion was this: Gye Cheon-bing truly intended to kill.
I have to tell him. Young Master Yong Baek-heon could die.
The second match would be dangerous. She had to warn him. These thoughts provoked the Tanghyeol-go. The demonic parasite in her body forbade any action benefiting Yong Baek-heon. Yet she'd come to his room anyway, endured the body-wracking agony, and collapsed.
Now, as she tried to speak again, it reacted instantly.
"You okay?"
"I-I'm fine. It's nothing."
In the end, she couldn't tell Ok Geum-ran anything. She couldn't even properly explain barging in on Yong Baek-heon at night. Vomiting blood and collapsing on the spot, still bedridden... How suspicious did she look?
I wouldn't be surprised if they kicked me out of Wayong Hall.
That would be the end for her. As Gyeon So-hee hung her head.
"So-hee, as long as you're okay, that's what matters."
"...!"
Ok Geum-ran patted her shoulder with a mystical smile. Through her Shim-se Seom-gam, her qi flowed in like gentle ripples— a dual force blending the austere fragrance of Buddhist silence with the uncontrollable madness of the Demonic Cult. Yet the woman's smile was truly beautiful.
"Senior."
"No rush today. Rest here fully."
Rest in Yong Baek-heon's room? Unthinkable. But a sudden wave of fatigue made Gyeon So-hee's eyes droop shut. The Tanghyeol-go rampaging in her chest fell quiet.
—Oppa! Don't abandon me! Please!
—Sorry. Hate me forever, So-hee.
The day Gyeon Mu-jin sold her to the Doggo Clan Manor. The day she'd swallowed the writhing parasite down her throat. Hellish memories flickered briefly, then faded.
New memories unfolded.
—Great Black Wolf pelt is so light and warm. Stand there; the servants will take your measurements.
—Dinner should be warm soup. Something spicy. Sichuan-style if possible. Looking forward to it.
Ordinary, peaceful moments gained at Wayong Hall warmed her heart. Thanks to them, Gyeon So-hee slept peacefully for the first time in ages.
"..."
Meanwhile, Ok Geum-ran gently stroked the girl's cheek, lost in thought. She'd already heard the rough details from Jang Ho-sam. A plucky kid who'd defied her spy mission to share intel instead.
I need to uncover the Doggo Clan's blood vault soon.
Ok Geum-ran resolved.
* * *
"Why visit me again?"
Gu Man-bong set down the tea set with an uneasy face. I waited until he poured and sipped first, then lifted my cup.
"Missed that handsome mug of yours."
"Spare me the creepy talk!"
"Sorted things with Dang Cheon-gung-ma's concubine yet?"
"Of course! Last night!"
"Gu Elder, don't lie to my face. I know you haven't."
"H-How...?"
How? I just guessed. Call it a hunch.
[Thief's instinct, eh?]
Something like that. Lechers like him never let go easy. Back-alley Romeos only fixed their pants after going all night.
[Kuhahaha!]
I'd seen it countless times in Seon-mong-hyeon's alleys. Anyway, I looked at Gu Man-bong and spoke.
"Do as you like. Point is, I need you to dig something up for me."
"What?"
"Gye Clan head seems to be pulling strings somewhere, but I can't pin it down. Find out."
"What...?"
I couldn't say I'd seen Gye Yeong-mu meeting Yong Seung-don, so it came out vague. Gu Man-bong furrowed his brow, rubbed his forehead, and looked incredulous.
"Young Master Yong! If I may be so bold, some things are possible, some aren't! Demanding I uncover the Gye Clan's connections out of nowhere? Absurd!"
"Why absurd?"
"Urgh..."
Gu Man-bong spoke cautiously, eyes signaling top secrecy.
"The opponent you'll face next is none other than Gye Cheon-bing."
He thought it valuable intel. But I already knew, so it fell flat.
"Yeah. Heard she'll come to Wayong Hall in a fortnight. I know."
"Where'd you hear that?"
"Gye Cheon-bing herself came blabbing. Threatened to kill me and left."
"No way..."
Gu Man-bong fell silent, stunned. As I stared, he cleared his throat awkwardly and offered new info.
"Then you know about the bizarre incident at the Gye Clan Manor last dawn?"
"What incident?"
"Two waterwheels broke at once, and multiple intruders hit their treasure vault with losses. Guess not."
"Really?"
As the culprit, I feigned ignorance. Gu Man-bong shrugged and spilled more.
"Plus, rumors of subversive elements rampant in the mountains lately. Changgonghoe or whatever. Their spies are moving."
"Changgonghoe...?"
That part felt off. I was in direct contact with their Paeng Bi-cheong. They'd been lying low to avoid clashing with Baekdo Alliance.
"So the Cult Leader's Palace is swamped. With everything piling up, talk of clans sending support."
"Hm..."
"The eight great clans' heads are meeting endless people. In this mess, how am I to find who the Gye Clan's cozying up to?"
Gu Man-bong concluded triumphantly.
"Even tailing Gye Yeong-mu and watching his every move wouldn't work."
Don't ask him for more, he meant. Of course, I had no intention of letting the Okmyeon-saekong off easy.
Switch to digging on Yong Seung-don?
Then a nagging thought hit. The Cult Leader's Palace is busy...?
Key piece acquired.
[What piece?]
Fragments were assembling in my mind. Gye Cheon-bing declaring war and prepping Yo-ma-sal-seon-gong. Yong Seung-don, Yong Jin-seok's right hand, contacting the Gye Clan. Odd news of supposedly dormant Changgonghoe stirring.
[No clue what you're on about. Just blast whatever comes your way. Why overthink?]
Bongmareung grumbled irritably, but I differed. Prepare thoroughly for anything possible. After piecing it all together, I posed a hypothesis and a new question.
"Gu Elder, has a new Great Guardian been appointed among the Twelve Law Demons?"
"Huh? Suddenly? That..."
Gu Man-bong looked troubled, as if it weren't public yet. But for me, the answer was within reach.