Casual Conversation
Though it was a clear snub, enough to leave anyone feeling slighted, Cheongwol paid it no mind and stepped closer to Seomun Hwi.
"I'm Cheongwol. Im Cheongwol."
She looked up at him with expectant eyes, and Seomun Hwi could no longer ignore her.
"Seomun Hwi."
But as if that were the end of the conversation, he turned and vanished beyond the bushes.
"..."
Seeing that Seomun Hwi seemed unwilling to converse with her, Cheongwol could not hide her disappointment as she stared at the bushes where he had disappeared.
He had been the first peer she had ever met, and she had been so excited—only to be so coldly rebuffed. An indescribable feeling welled up in her chest.
"Ahem. The Young Master, really..."
As if he understood exactly how she felt, Mo Wonpyeong cleared his throat, approached, and gave her shoulder a reassuring pat.
"It seems the Young Master is wary of you."
"Of me...? Why?"
When Cheongwol tilted her head and asked, Mo Wonpyeong spoke briefly of Seomun Hwi.
"I'm no martial artist myself, so I don't know the details, but even someone like me has heard it to the point of exhaustion—the Young Master is an outstanding martial artist. He's counted among the very best of the rising talents, so that should tell you everything."
"Is that so? Honestly, I kind of figured."
"Hm?"
"He was radiating energy so strong it made my hands and feet tingle. Not as much as Grandfather, though."
"...Is that right?"
Mo Wonpyeong was briefly flustered by a reaction so different from what he had expected, but he steadied his breath and continued.
"Anyway, a martial artist of that caliber would take enormous pride in his martial arts. Yet you approached so stealthily that even the Young Master failed to notice you. Of course he'd be wary."
Even after Mo Wonpyeong's explanation, Cheongwol still wore a puzzled expression.
He gave a short laugh and pointed beyond the bushes where Seomun Hwi had vanished.
"In short, the Young Master finds it suspicious that a martial artist like you appeared so suddenly. Why not go clear up the misunderstanding yourself?"
"What?"
"Looking at the state of you, it seems you could use a wash. Conveniently, there's a stream in the direction the Young Master went. Go have a look. Surely he wouldn't draw his sword on you?"
"No, wait a moment..."
Cheongwol was thrown by the sudden turn of the conversation, but Mo Wonpyeong seemed entirely unconcerned.
"If anyone has spare clothes, bring them over!"
"Yes, sir!"
As if he had been waiting for the order, one of the caravan members brought clothes. Mo Wonpyeong took them and held them out to Cheongwol.
"Here. I won't charge you for the clothes, so hurry along."
Gazing at the calm water that held the moonlight, Seomun Hwi quietly reviewed the mistakes he had made that day.
I didn't sense even the slightest presence while a stranger approached. Had I fallen so deep into arrogance that I couldn't even realize it myself?
Seomun Hwi furrowed his brow as he recalled the first moment he had faced Cheongwol.
He had poured out his energy intending to suppress her, yet watching her simply let it wash over her and keep coming closer—how stunned he had been.
If the other party had meant them harm, he might have managed some resistance, but the outcome would certainly have been the worst possible.
...Perhaps I could have lost my life today.
The Bone Marrow Cleansing and the spiritual medicines, the family's support that could never be measured in mere coin.
The sword paths he had swung hundreds of thousands of times until he bled.
The martial prowess he had built upon them.
When he recognized that all of it could have crumbled in an instant, and so emptily, Seomun Hwi finally grasped what the jianghu truly was.
Sparring and real combat are different.
So that was what it meant.
It was a saying he had heard to the point of weariness ever since he first took up the sword, yet only now did he understand the true meaning within it, and Seomun Hwi smiled faintly.
The fact that he had only just realized that even guarding against arrogance was itself a form of arrogance—it was simply amusing.
"Um..."
Just as Seomun Hwi was reflecting on himself while watching the moon floating on the water, a voice called to him from behind.
He had already been caught from behind twice in a single day, yet this time Seomun Hwi turned to look at the owner of the voice without any particular agitation.
"I came to wash up a bit."
The speaker was none other than Cheongwol, standing awkwardly with the clothes she had received from Mo Wonpyeong in her arms.
Seomun Hwi looked at her in silence for a moment, then slowly nodded.
"I understand."
Taking it as a request to give her space so she could bathe, Seomun Hwi started to return to the campsite—only for Cheongwol to grab the edge of his robe without thinking.
"...?"
When Seomun Hwi looked at her with a faintly startled expression, Cheongwol managed an awkward smile.
"If it's all right... could we talk for a bit?"
Why on earth had he gone and said yes so readily?
Seomun Hwi looked at Cheongwol, who was staring at him from the side with eyes full of anticipation.
"I've heard that those who uphold righteousness and chivalry are called chivalrous heroes. Do you know any chivalrous heroes?"
Just a moment ago she had been talking about the food of Sichuan and stories of Dongting Lake, and now it was suddenly chivalrous heroes.
The topics of conversation changed so dizzyingly that Seomun Hwi felt his head spinning.
"Well. There are plenty who call themselves chivalrous heroes, but almost none who truly deserve the name."
"Almost? So there are some?"
"The Central Plains are vast, and remarkable people are as numerous as grains of sand, so there must be one or two. But among those I know, there are none."
At Seomun Hwi's answer, Cheongwol's disappointment showed plainly.
"...Is that so? Grandfather was right, then."
"What did he say?"
"That finding a chivalrous hero in the Central Plains wouldn't be easy."
"...A wise man."
Seomun Hwi said so as he looked at Cheongwol, who sat with her head bowed, thoroughly dejected.
"Then would it be all right if I asked a few questions now?"
"Hm?"
"You've been saying only what you wanted to say this whole time. I have plenty I'd like to ask as well."
"Ah... Did I? I suppose I did. Sorry about that."
Recalling how she had excitedly chattered at Seomun Hwi without pause, Cheongwol laughed in embarrassment.
"There's nothing to apologize for. I wasn't bored either."
Seomun Hwi slowly shook his head, then looked at Cheongwol with a distinctly serious gaze.
"By any chance, did you come from the Heavenly Mountains?"
"The Heavenly Mountains...?"
Having steeled himself to some degree before asking, Seomun Hwi carefully rested his hand on the scabbard he had set beside him.
If Cheongwol truly was a spy of the Demonic Cult, her next reaction would be predictable.
Either she would deny it and continue playing the part of someone ignorant of the world,
or she would decide she had already been suspected and launch a surprise attack.
Either way, even a momentary flicker would be impossible to hide before him, the Young Master of the Seomun Clan.
Yet the answer that followed was so absurd it made all his preparation feel hollow.
"Uh... uh... Maybe? No, I think that's right. The Heavenly Mountains."
Watching Cheongwol roll her eyes hard and smile awkwardly, Seomun Hwi somehow felt embarrassed himself and deliberately averted his gaze.
"...If you don't know, it's fine to say you don't know."
At Seomun Hwi's words, the tips of Cheongwol's ears turned red.
She had answered falsely because she hated looking foolish any longer—yet how had he seen through it at once?
Unable to bear the shame, Cheongwol sprang to her feet. Seomun Hwi looked at her with somewhat startled eyes.
Anyone could see her face was steeped in mortification, and only then did Seomun Hwi realize his own lack of consideration.
"Wait..."
Seomun Hwi also rose and tried to stop her, but Cheongwol was already heading toward the stream with the clothes Mo Wonpyeong had given her.
"..."
He had clearly made a mistake, yet he did not think it was so grave a one.
So why did he feel as though he had committed some enormous wrong?
Seomun Hwi kept recalling Cheongwol's face, flushed red as if it might burst, as he returned alone to the campsite where the Jinoh Merchant Group waited.
"There she comes."
At Mo Wonpyeong's words, Seomun Hwi turned his head toward the rustling bushes.
A moment later, Cheongwol appeared through the foliage, having changed clothes.
"...?"
Seomun Hwi and most of the others stared at her with startled eyes.
Mo Wonpyeong, too, gazed blankly for a moment before collecting himself and letting out a small laugh.
"You look like a completely different person once you're cleaned up."
The other caravan members nodded in agreement and each added a comment of their own.
"Seeing how even those clothes look precious on you, the saying that the face is everything really is true."
"Aren't you actually the child of some noble family?"
"Even before washing there was an air of refinement about you—anyone who didn't notice must have had knots for eyes."
She had no idea what was going on, but at the caravan members' words that seemed to praise her, Cheongwol smiled awkwardly.
Like the others, Seomun Hwi was equally dumbfounded.
He had never considered himself lacking in appearance, yet comparing himself to Cheongwol was a matter of an entirely different order.
Just as he began to doubt whether Cheongwol was truly a man at all, their eyes met in the air.
"..."
This time, however, it was Cheongwol who hurriedly turned her head and withdrew her gaze.
Seeing that, Mo Wonpyeong sidled up beside Seomun Hwi and asked,
"Did something happen at the stream, by any chance?"
But Seomun Hwi felt a strange sensation he had never experienced in his life and slowly shook his head.
"Nothing of note."