Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: The Hidden Sound Empress
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One of the ten known to be the strongest under heaven, thus the Ten Heavenly Venerables.
Having reached the supreme realm where sound builds martial prowess and sets even the heavens rippling, thus the Heaven-Shaking Sound Empress.
The current head of a mysterious one-line succession sect, also known as the Sect Leader of the Sacred Sound Jade Bell.
And there she stood before him, disguised as a young waitress girl.
'Impossible to tell from her appearance alone.'
She had attained a realm so profound it defied measurement, even achieving the rejuvenation of return-to-youth.
She showed no outward sign of practicing martial arts—a true master of concealing one's prowess.
In that moment, Yang-hui faced two choices.
Reveal that he had seen through her disguise, or pretend he hadn't.
He had no idea which would better serve his goals.
'I can always reveal I know later.'
So, choosing the latter seemed the wiser path.
"It's not our senior waiter, but our waitress sister! Feel free to call me Yang-hui casually!"
"We can't be that informal with a guest. I'll call you Young Master."
"Fair enough—names should suit the caller. Then, Waitress Sister, could you lay out some dumplings and thin noodles for us?"
After settling the bill and waiting a bit, the food arrived.
The same taste as what he'd eaten up until yesterday. The chef must be the same.
'Does the chef know she's the Sound Empress?'
His mind grew complicated. He had no clue why she had suddenly revealed herself.
'Has all my groundwork paid off? Or is there another reason?'
For now, chatting and gauging her reactions seemed the best way to gather information.
As Yang-hui pondered this, Je-gal Seon, who had been eating, suddenly let out a sigh.
"Sigh. I wonder if the Sound Empress is watching over us. I've been tending to the local folk, showing my sincerity by climbing the mountain daily to train... but if she hasn't noticed, it's all for naught."
No, Uncle. She knows. She's right in front of us.
If Je-gal Seon started grumbling about the Sound Empress here, it would spell disaster.
"I'm sure she knows. As one of the Ten Heavenly Venerables, she can surely observe us from afar."
"If she's watching, then she must have seen through Seol-ha's congenital affliction. Honestly, as her uncle, I can't help but think the Sound Empress is heartless."
No, Uncle!
Yang-hui glanced sideways and quickly defended the Sound Empress.
"Someone of the Sound Empress's stature has actions that carry great weight, so she must be acting with caution."
"That makes her even more heartless. Ten days is no short time."
Oh no. Uncle, please!
The waitress girl, who had been wiping a distant side table, paused her hand.
Yang-hui's mind raced.
"Un-Uncle! How about this?"
"Hm? Got a good idea?"
"Yes! It occurred to me that everything we've done so far might seem too one-sided from the Sound Empress's perspective."
"...Not wrong."
"So, trying a different approach might not be a bad idea."
Yang-hui glanced at the waitress girl, who had resumed wiping, and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Uncle. First, why don't we speculate together on what the Sound Empress truly desires?"
"What she desires..."
"According to the clues you gathered, Uncle, the Sound Empress is in seclusion here on Mount Gokyeol."
Then, wouldn't uncovering the reason for her seclusion be the key?
He presented this opinion to Je-gal Seon.
"You're right. The reason for her seclusion..."
"If she no longer wishes to involve herself in worldly affairs, even meeting her wouldn't let us ask her to take Seol-ha as a disciple."
"True enough."
"But even then, we could inquire if Seol-ha's treatment is possible. The Sound Empress isn't one to ignore justice or chivalry; she might bestow her grace."
He subtly conveyed that their goal was to cure Je-gal Seol-ha's affliction, then observed the waitress girl's reaction.
'No particular response.'
Not exactly positive, but it didn't offend her sensibilities either.
So Yang-hui continued.
"Second possibility: Perhaps the Sound Empress is in a situation where she must remain in seclusion."
"Maybe she has enemies and is hiding, or perhaps she's gravely injured."
Seeing the waitress girl flinch, Yang-hui screamed inwardly.
"No way the mighty Sound Empress would! Haha, hahaha! There's a third possibility, Uncle!"
Not giving Je-gal Seon a chance to speak, Yang-hui quickly voiced the possibility he truly wanted to raise.
"The Sound Empress bears the duty of continuing her one-line succession's heirless lineage. Perhaps she's in seclusion to raise a disciple?"
Je-gal Seon looked intrigued.
"If so... then if Seol-ha's talent is recognized, we could achieve our wish."
"In my humble opinion, the third seems most likely."
"What's your basis for thinking that?"
"You said you went to great lengths for those clues, Uncle. But the fact that clues exist at all, ones that investigation can uncover—that might be part of the Sound Empress's plan."
This wasn't just anyone; it was the Heaven-Shaking Sound Empress, one of the Ten Heavenly Venerables.
Rather than carelessness leaving traces, it was more logical to assume she left them intentionally.
This was what he'd thought since hearing the clues about her from Je-gal Seon.
There was another basis he couldn't voice.
'In the future, the next head of the Sacred Sound Jade Bell Sect—her disciple—appears.'
That meant it was certain the Heaven-Shaking Sound Empress would raise a disciple.
At that moment, the waitress girl moved closer to their table and began wiping it.
'This... a positive sign?'
Gaining confidence, Yang-hui looked at Je-gal Seol-ha.
"Uncle. Assuming the Sound Empress knows and is watching everything, hear me out. What if Seol-ha offers her devotion to the Sound Empress, not you?"
Je-gal Seon didn't ask what he meant.
He had already grasped it.
"Right. Until now, it was I who sought an audience with the Sound Empress. Not our Seol-ha."
Whether becoming her disciple or receiving treatment—it was Je-gal Seol-ha who needed the Sound Empress's aid.
Yet until now, Je-gal Seol-ha had done nothing but stay cradled in Je-gal Seon's arms.
"But... Seol-ha..."
Yang-hui eyed Je-gal Seon, who looked troubled, then glanced at the waitress girl.
She had stopped wiping, seemingly curious about the conversation.
'The direction seems right.'
"Uncle. Before winning the Sound Empress's heart, Seol-ha must first open her own."
The Peach Blossom Physique naturally drew and enchanted men.
Je-gal Seol-ha had likely faced situations and emotions beyond her years from a very young age.
Had she not been the precious daughter of the Je-gal Clan, she might have suffered terribly.
'Even if it's due to her Peach Blossom aura, covering her face with cloth and never leaving her father's arms or speaking—that's extreme.'
She probably feared the world beyond her father's embrace.
Je-gal Seon's response confirmed Yang-hui's guess.
"...Nephew, you're remarkably perceptive. Truly... perceptive."
Yang-hui bowed his head silently. Je-gal Seon sighed and stroked Je-gal Seol-ha's hair.
"As you said, Seol-ha has closed the door to her heart. Her congenital affliction has ruined so much."
"But Uncle, you can't shelter Seol-ha forever."
All fledglings must leave the mother's feathers.
They must flap their own wings.
Even if they fall, get hurt, and suffer—they must learn to fly.
"Seol-ha."
Je-gal Seol-ha's gaze turned to Yang-hui.
Beneath the pure white cloth, what expression did she wear?
'Truth is, you're a variable to me.'
The being who, in his past life, became the Soul-Possessing Demon Empress and drenched the Hubei martial world in blood.
If her fate diverged from his memories, the gap between recalled future and reality would widen.
Turning Je-gal Seon into a steadfast ally for the main family might cause less damage than the risks from this variable.
But.
Yang-hui felt no hesitation.
Pity for the pitiable, mercy for the unfortunate.
In other words, the heart of chivalry—passed down from his father—was the most important value he held.
Thus, Je-gal Seol-ha had to move on her own.
—Je-gal Seol-ha.
Yang-hui circulated the Harmonious Heaven Principle Origin Art, drawing up Harmonious Heaven Energy to send a telepathic message.
—Whatever it is, don't hide behind others.
Je-gal Seol-ha trembled at the sound of Yang-hui's voice stimulating her eardrums.
Unlike the embracing true energy reminiscent of a mother's embrace.
Yang-hui's tone was utterly cold.
No—firm.
So steadfast it seemed unshakable by any worldly storm.
'Me too... me too...'
Suddenly, she reached out. But her hand curled back like a wilting flower.
True to the Je-gal bloodline, Je-gal Seol-ha was intelligent.
She sensed this moment was a turning point that could change her past and future life.
But.
Her intelligence and wit had been forged in a painfully dark past that made even light painful.
'I'm scared. I... I...'
It was then.
"You can do it. I'll help you."
Unlike the telepathy, a warm tone.
Harmonious Heaven Energy, embracing all energies under heaven, flowed gently toward Je-gal Seol-ha.
A warm, cozy energy like a mother's embrace.
With her upper dantian opened by the Peach Blossom aura, Je-gal Seol-ha felt it more clearly.
Moreover, she sensed the new quality within the Harmonious Heaven Energy—the energy Yang-hui called precursor energy—and its aftereffects.
'It's like... standing in an open field, breathing deeply.'
For Je-gal Seol-ha, the Peach Blossom aura had always been a crushing boulder.
A shackle she could never escape, her congenital curse.
Yet.
In this moment, she felt liberation.
She thought it came from the energy emanating from that boy.
"Yang-hui, it's no use. Seol-ha needs more time... Hm? Seol-ha!"
Je-gal Seon, mid-sentence, wore a startled expression.
His daughter, buried in his arms, had begun moving on her own.
Yang-hui's gaze met Je-gal Seol-ha's—like a chick struggling from its eggshell.
Her legs trembled upon touching the floor.
How long had it been since Je-gal Seol-ha last stood on the ground herself?
"Seol-ha... how...?"
The cloth-covered face turned briefly to Je-gal Seon.
Je-gal Seol-ha gripped her father's warm hand tightly, then fully emerged from his embrace.
Unsteady steps. Je-gal Seol-ha stood before Yang-hui.
Cloth-covered face to face, gazes crossing separated by a single layer of fabric.
'Thank you.'
Je-gal Seol-ha's mouth moved silently.
Hidden by cloth, her lip shape unseen, but Yang-hui understood what she meant.
So he replied.
"No need."
Then Je-gal Seol-ha passed Yang-hui and took a few more steps.
Yang-hui watched her back with a glint in his eyes.
Staggering unsteadily, she arrived right before the waitress girl.
"Miss, do you have something to say?"
Je-gal Seol-ha gazed at the waitress girl, who asked calmly, then knelt politely.
This was no attitude for a direct descendant of a great clan to show a mere waitress.
"......"
The waitress girl—the Sound Empress in disguise—silently regarded Je-gal Seol-ha.