A Bitter Birthday
I stepped outside immediately after my conversation with the Sowol Daeju.
I hadn't lingered to speak with him any further.
After all, I've already steered the situation in the direction I wanted.
Whether it was his perception of me, the mention of the Gwangwolseomgyeong in my possession, or a combination of both, it didn't matter.
The only thing that mattered was one simple fact.
The Sowol Daeju wavered.
That stubborn, rigid old man had been shaken, even if only a little, by my words. That was all I needed.
Not bad.
The results were promising. I began planning my next move.
Just one or two more pushes should do it.
Once a crack was formed, manipulating his psychology to pull him over to my side wouldn't be difficult.
In fact, it was a method I had used quite often in my past life.
Though I ended up paying dearly for it back then, so I'm not exactly thrilled to do it again...
Still, if a tool works, you use it. No, even if I hated it, I had to use it right now. This was no time to be picky.
As I steeled my resolve and walked forward, a voice drifted down from above.
"The Sword Saint is but a mountain to be scaled."
"..."
"The name of the Sword Saint does not weigh heavily upon me."
"...Excuse me?"
"If it is a mountain destined to be scaled regardless, what weight could it possibly hold? Tsk, tsk. Hahaha!"
"...Old man?"
I looked up at the old ghost. He was grinning from ear to ear, openly mocking me.
"Ah, what a truly, marvelously grand speech that was!"
"...Dammit."
I pinched the bridge of my nose. Knowing his personality, he was going to tease me about this for days.
"My boy, I had no idea you held such grand thoughts in that head of yours."
"As if I actually meant any of that."
Grand thoughts, my foot.
What do you mean the Sword Saint's name isn't heavy?
It was heavy enough to crush me. If that name had physical weight, I would have been flattened long ago.
Actually, maybe I'm already being crushed under it.
It wouldn't be surprising if I was already gasping for air under its sheer pressure.
The Sword Saint's name, light? Not a chance.
How could that ever be light?
The World's Greatest. The strongest of all time. It meant standing at the absolute peak of countless martial artists. How could anyone dare call that easy?
I said it with my own mouth, but it really is utter nonsense.
Just a path to pass through? Even as I said it, I found it ridiculous.
I sounded like a lunatic.
Honestly, I deserved a medal just for delivering those lines without my voice shaking.
Well, at least it got me out alive.
I had survived by bluffing, forcing out words that tasted like ash in my mouth.
I had overcome the sheer terror that the Sowol Daeju might draw his sword at any second. While I believed it was the right choice...
...Was it really?
To be honest, I couldn't be sure.
Sigh.
I swallowed a groan and kept walking.
Then, I remembered something I needed to ask Yoo Chun-gil.
I need to ask him about yesterday.
I wanted to ask about what happened during the duel and the dream I had. I opened my mouth to speak.
"Hey, old—"
"Quiet. Someone is coming."
"..."
I shut my mouth instantly at Yoo Chun-gil's warning. Someone was coming? I paused and looked ahead. Sure enough, a figure was walking toward me.
A light, graceful stride, hair fluttering in the wind, and fair skin that perfectly complemented her delicate features. It was Moyong Yeong-sun.
"There you are," she said, letting out a soft chuckle as she spotted me.
...Ah, right.
I had completely forgotten she was here. It finally registered that Moyong Yeong-sun had traveled to Cheongwol Gate with us.
"I've been looking all over for you."
"...For me?"
"Yes, of course. Who else would I be looking for here besides you, Young Master Bang?"
"...Ah, right."
She certainly had a way with words. I let out a sigh and looked at her.
"Lady Moyong."
"Yes?"
"...Why exactly are you here?"
"Why? Am I not allowed to be here?"
"Normally, no."
This was Cheongwol Gate, not some public inn. It wasn't a place where outsiders could just lounge around without a reason.
Yet, Moyong Yeong-sun had not only slipped in with us but had also been staying here for several days. Under normal circumstances, this was unheard of.
When I pointed this out, the corners of her lips curled upward.
"Don't worry. I'm not a fool, and I wouldn't force my way in. Besides, the Sect Leader would never have allowed that in the first place."
"...Then?"
"I'm just telling you not to worry in case you misunderstood and thought I was staying here because of you."
Oh. Was that not it? I had naturally assumed she was.
As I frowned and tilted my head, Yoo Chun-gil burst into a snicker.
"My boy, you suffer from a touch of narcissism, I see. I respect self-confidence, but such arrogant delusions are rather unsightly."
...
I did my best to ignore the old man's teasing. Actually, I tried to, but it was particularly annoying this time.
"...Then why are you here?"
If it wasn't because of me, what other reason could she possibly have to stay at Cheongwol Gate? When I asked, she gave me a cryptic look.
"Is there any reason I should disclose that to you, Young Master Bang?"
"...Well, I suppose not."
If it was personal business, she had no obligation to tell me. That made sense. I nodded, preparing to drop the subject.
"Are you curious?" she asked.
"Not really."
Honestly, I wasn't. I was about to tell her she didn't need to share, but...
"If I tell you, you have to do me a favor in return."
She completely ignored my response and forged ahead.
"No, I said I'm not curious. You don't have to tell me. And if there's a favor involved, I definitely—"
"I came to Cheongwol Gate as the proxy of the Family Head. The Moyong Family had a request to make."
"Hey."
Was she deaf? I stared at her in disbelief as she casually blurted out family business. Was she out of her mind?
The Family Head's proxy?
Moyong Yeong-sun visiting Cheongwol Gate as the proxy of the Family Head meant this was a major affair. A direct descendant coming in the name of the Family Head? That meant...
It means the Family Head should have come himself but was unable to do so.
In other words, it suggested that the head of the Moyong Family, the Silk King, was currently indisposed or unable to move freely.
Putting it all together: the Moyong Family had a significant request for Cheongwol Gate.
And in the midst of that, something happened to the Family Head, rendering him unable to travel.
Thus, Moyong Yeong-sun had come to Cheongwol Gate herself to make the request. Simply put...
This is classified information I shouldn't be hearing.
There was absolutely nothing to gain from knowing this. As I frowned, realizing the implications, she smiled.
"You understand now, right?"
"..."
That sly fox. I could tell by her expression. She knew exactly how much I would deduce from those few words before she spoke them.
"What are you playing at...?"
"Well, it's not like I just arrived today for this. I actually came and made the request before we went to Sichuan."
"...What?"
"I stopped by to submit the request back when I was looking for you."
She fluttered a letter in her hand.
"..."
Stamped on the letter was a seal in blue ink. It was none other than the personal seal of the Sect Leader of Cheongwol Gate.
"Fortunately, they handled the request well. I'm actually on my way back from meeting him just now."
"..."
"Oh, which means I have to return to the family estate tomorrow."
"Oh."
That was the best news I'd heard all day. When I reacted with obvious relief, her brow furrowed.
"What's with that reaction?"
"Ah, my apologies. My genuine relief slipped out..."
"...Unbelievable."
She clicked her tongue. Then, she continued.
"Anyway, since that's the case, do me a favor."
"What kind of nonsense logic is that?"
"What do you mean?"
"...Why does the conversation keep jumping back to that? Why on earth should I do you a favor?"
"We agreed that if I satisfied your curiosity, you'd do me a favor."
"...I explicitly said I wasn't curious, and you blurted it out anyway!"
"Why are you being so petty about the details...?"
"...Are you insane?"
How could someone be this shameless? Her sheer audacity left me speechless, forcing a dry laugh from my throat.
"Anyway, I have somewhere to go. Come with me. It's a favor. Just do it. I'm leaving tomorrow, so you can at least do this much for me."
"No... Look, that's—"
"If you don't, I'll go back and tell the Family Head that Young Master Bang pried into our family secrets."
"Have you lost your mind?"
If she said that, things would get very awkward for me. Knowing the Moyong Family Head's personality, he probably wouldn't go out of his way to torment me, but...
...there's a high risk of unnecessary trouble. And a very annoying kind of trouble, at that.
"If you tell him that, won't you get in trouble too, Lady Moyong?"
Letting a secret slip was a mistake on her part as well. I pointed this out, hoping to deter her.
"I'll just get a light scolding. You know how it is."
"..."
Her shameless confidence left me utterly speechless. What made it worse was that she was absolutely right.
...That old man would never actually get angry at her.
He absolutely doted on his only daughter. The idea of him raising his voice at Moyong Yeong-sun was impossible to imagine. If anything, he would redirect any anger he had toward her onto me.
Damn it.
A sigh threatened to escape my lips. Why was she acting like this all of a sudden? I was already busy enough. With the Yongbong Association and all the other disasters looming, I felt like my feet were on fire.
Besides, why was she doing this on such a fine day? I couldn't understand...
...Wait. Today?
My eyes narrowed as a realization struck me. Come to think of it, what was today's date?
"...Ah."
I realized what I had forgotten.
"Can't you just come with me? It'll only take a moment—"
"Let's go."
"I won't ask twice... Huh?"
Moyong Yeong-sun blinked, looking momentarily dazed by my sudden compliance.
"Really...?"
"Why not? I said let's go. Lead the way."
"Do you even know where we're going?"
"...If it's somewhere strange, I'm running away."
"Right now? We're going right now?"
"Yes."
At my sudden agreement, a bright smile spread across her face. I had noticed this in the past, but despite her cold exterior, her smile was surprisingly warm.
"Wait for me. I'll go get ready."
"What is there to prepare? Let's just go—"
"Wait here. If you run away, I'll pull your kneecaps out next time I see you."
"...I'll be right here."
Leaving behind that terrifying threat, Moyong Yeong-sun hurried off.
Once she was out of sight, Yoo Chun-gil, who had been floating in the air watching the exchange, spoke up.
"How unexpected."
"What is?"
"I thought you would avoid that girl like the plague, yet you humored her stubborn demands."
"..."
He was right. I had no intention of playing along with her whims. Except...
"...I just remembered something I had forgotten."
"Something you forgot?"
"Yes. She isn't the type of person to act this stubborn normally."
Normally, she would have threatened me half-heartedly and given up. I had wondered why she was acting so strange today.
It's because of the date.
The problem lay in what today was. Today was...
...the death anniversary of Lady Jin.
The wife of the Silk King and Moyong Yeong-sun's mother. It was the day she had passed away.
And at the same time, it was also Moyong Yeong-sun's birthday.