Chapter 206
Chapter 206. The Line Drawn by the Black Sky Demon
The inns located on the outskirts of headquarters were quiet.
After the Martial Arts Tournament ended, most Alliance members had returned to the main sect, and since they were reluctant to let outsiders freely come and go in Wuhan, there were no new guests to take in.
The path leading to the pavilion was filled with a sharp, cutting aura.
Perhaps because even greater concerns lay ahead, So-hwa did not find the Black Sky Demon's anger particularly frightening.
To be precise, her mind was in such turmoil that there was no room for his fury to wedge itself in.
However, the Four Directions Hall Lord seemed uneasy.
"I'll meet the Black Sky Demon first and try to explain the situation."
With the killing intent surging, Peng Sihyeon tried to shield So-hwa.
It was a concern that anyone from the Five Noble Clans' households would covet, but So-hwa refused.
"No. It's all right."
The Four Directions Hall Lord seemed to believe the Black Sky Demon would restrain his temper in front of an outsider, but Tang Min was the kind of person who would not care and would vent his anger on the Four Directions Hall Lord instead.
Since she could not allow the Tang Clan's Grand Elder to make a mistake, So-hwa declined the consideration and stepped into the hall first.
Three familiar men were standing in the corridor of the pavilion. Namgung Jin, Tang Hak, and Hwang Bo Rim.
So-hwa was not particularly surprised by the combination.
Hwang Bo Rim had followed the Black Sky Demon closely since childhood, and because he enjoyed teasing Tang Hak, he often came to the Tang Clan residence for no particular reason.
"Elder Sister!"
Tang Hak, spotting So-hwa, rushed over like an arrow loosed from a bow.
In an instant, Tang Hak's eyes filled with tears.
"Are you hurt anywhere? What in the world happened?"
He examined his elder sister's body, at a loss for what to do.
Tap.
Rather than responding warmly, So-hwa grabbed Tang Hak's arm.
"Ack!"
When she pressed the inside of his elbow, Tang Hak let out a groan.
There was something off about the way he had run toward her. The balance of his swinging arm was unstable, and his left knee did not bend.
So-hwa's face hardened.
"It's been almost a month since you were treated. Why isn't it healed yet?"
"Ah, that's not it. I got into a quarrel at a tavern today and was newly injured."
"A quarrel?"
Tang So-hwa's gaze darkened.
"There's no way you started the fight. Who picked a fight with you?"
As Tang Hak hesitated under So-hwa's sharp presence, Hwang Bo Rim stepped in.
"Young Lady Tang, there's no need to worry. The Grand Elder thoroughly treated his internal injuries, and as you know well, this level of external injury will heal quickly."
He subtly tucked Tang Hak behind him and grinned.
"By the way, how in the world did you escape from the headquarters? To evade the Murim Alliance's dragnet for an entire month, please teach me that method as well."
Without answering, So-hwa stared at Hwang Bo Rim.
She thought that he was the same as ever.
Though they weren't close, even in her previous life, he had revealed his immature disposition just as he did now, with only a few words.
Step.
At the sound of footsteps behind So-hwa, Hwang Bo Rim shifted his gaze. Beaming broadly, he clasped his hands together.
"Greetings to the Four Directions Hall Lord. I heard you returned together with Young Lady Tang, but it seems you didn't just happen to come in together? Surely you didn't both go to the North Sea together?"
Hwang Bo Rim tried to lighten the mood with a joke, but Peng Sihyeon showed an even stiffer attitude than Tang So-hwa.
"Where is the Black Sky Demon?"
Namgung Jin, who had been standing quietly behind them, answered.
"He is in a room on the second floor."
So-hwa's gaze lifted to the second floor of the pavilion.
She spotted the room where a formation had been set up to prevent sound from leaking out.
It was the place where So-hwa had held private meetings with Yeon-ah and Namgung Jin.
"Young Lady Tang."
At Namgung Jin's call, So-hwa lowered her gaze.
His expression did not change, but concern was evident in his voice.
"The Black Sky Demon is extremely angry."
No one here was unaware of that fact.
Nodding at Namgung Jin's warning, So-hwa turned her gaze to Tang Hak.
"Don't leave the guests standing here. Escort them to the reception room that the Clan Head used to use. I'll speak with the Grand Elder and then go there as well."
"Wouldn't it be better for us to wait here?"
Tang Hak trailed off.
Everyone gathered here was worried that the Black Sky Demon might beat Tang So-hwa to death.
Without responding, So-hwa walked alone toward the stairs.
Perhaps because the Black Sky Demon had repeatedly warned them not to come up, the Young Lords of the three clans could not bring themselves to follow.
Creak.
The dark staircase made an unpleasant sound. It seemed it had not been oiled in a long time.
Creak.
With every step, dust even rose.
The condition of the pavilion was poor.
Since the Tang Clan's Young Lord and the Tang Clan's greatest expert were staying here, the headquarters could not have neglected the pavilion.
It seemed the Black Sky Demon had forbidden others from coming and going.
'He doesn't trust the headquarters.......'
It appeared the Black Sky Demon suspected that Tang So-hwa's disappearance had been their doing.
Guessing that Tang Min had gone through a difficult time, she silently swallowed her guilt.
Creak.
So-hwa stood before the door and was just about to announce herself.
Suddenly, the door was thrown open roughly to both sides.
Kwaang.
Her gaze, fixed on the handle, slowly lifted.
The Black Sky Demon, without even lighting a lamp, silently watched her from within the darkness.
Moonlight streamed in through the window, making his black pupils gleam fiercely.
For the first time, the Black Sky Demon looked like a monster.
The killing intent and darkness filling the room were like hell itself, yet So-hwa stepped inside without a word.
The Black Sky Demon had never granted permission to enter, but So-hwa knew that if she started shouting about whether Tang Min had invited her or not, things would become truly dangerous.
Thud.
As the door closed, all sound vanished.
Her eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness, and the Black Sky Demon's expression came clearly into view.
His cold face seemed to be asking her to explain things in a way he could accept.
So-hwa skipped the greetings and inquiries about his well-being.
She also abandoned apologies and emotional appeals.
In a calm voice, she simply explained the reason for her disappearance.
"Because the Alliance Leader promised to hand me over to the Blood Sect, I traveled to the North Sea with the help of the Four Seasons Hall Lord to evade them".
The Black Sky Demon called her quietly.
"So-hwa."
He stared at her with an expressionless face she had never seen before.
"I still remember the day you died in my arms, bleeding out, when you were just a tiny child."
He placed the flying dagger he had been rolling in his hand onto the table.
"That day, I promised the Clan Head that I would never lay a hand on you again."
Staring at the silver flying dagger glinting in the moonlight, the old man laid bare his thoughts.
"The promise I made to Ji-ha is like a line carved into my heart. Even at this age, I haven't managed to fix my temper, so I stubbornly clash not only with the Clan Head but even with the Grand Clan Head. To avoid crossing the lines they set, I made a rule for myself to always keep my promises. If I were to disregard even the master of the Tang Clan, I don't know what kind of wretch I'd become, so in my own way, I try to respect the clan's rules."
The Black Sky Demon continued in a dry voice.
"Even without that promise to the Clan Head, I wouldn't have been able to lay a hand on you. You never cry out in pain, not even at the point of death, so it's hard to gauge your suffering. If you screamed and cursed about how much it hurt like the Young Lord or the twins, I'd ignore it and strike anyway—but you make me afraid I might actually kill you, and even someone as impatient as me comes to their senses."
The Black Sky Demon withdrew his hand from the flying dagger. Yet So-hwa could feel the warmth linking the dagger and the tips of his fingers.
He was ready to break his promise to the Clan Head at any time.
The Black Sky Demon believed So-hwa was lying.
Though he had already lost his reason, it seemed he had scraped together the last of his patience to give her a chance.
The Black Sky Demon had been exposed to Five Minerals Powder at least twice.
Since he could not remember the existence of the Blood Demon, it was difficult for So-hwa to explain the truth. In a situation filled with this much distrust, it was even more so.
Unless she showed him the truth directly, there seemed to be no way to calm the Black Sky Demon.
Without a word, So-hwa took out the passage from her sleeve.
She walked to the table and placed a piece of Cold Iron beside the flying dagger.
"This is a passage made by someone who once served the Blood Sect. It's a dark art that connects spaces when you pour internal energy into the center."
Lifting her gaze, she added in a composed voice,
"If you still believe I'm lying after seeing the North Sea with your own eyes, I'll gladly accept it."
She pushed the passage toward Tang Min and added,
"And don't worry about your promise to my father. No marks will remain on my body, so you may beat me without restraint."
The Black Sky Demon narrowed his brows.
Because Tang So-hwa was sincere. She truly looked like she wouldn't care even if she were beaten to death.
Facing the only member of the Tang Clan who did not fear him, the Black Sky Demon let out an empty breath.
‘... How did someone like this come from Ji-ha?’
He recalled the maidservant who used to come and go from Tang Ji-ha's training grounds in the past. She was a woman with poor internal energy, and he had vehemently opposed it as well, yet the Young Lord, though frightened of the Black Sky Demon, had stubbornly gone on to have a child.
The child before him had the same face as that maidservant, but her internal energy was different.
Like a pond or a spring, both had limits in that neither could flow freely—but unlike a pond, which rots away and disappears without rain, a spring constantly receives new water and maintains its clarity.
Perhaps because her body purified malignant energy on its own, the child felt as clean as the first snow piled up at dawn.
Even before feeling guilt toward So-hwa over the previous incident, the Black Sky Demon had felt a fondness for the child with such an intriguing constitution.
His gaze fell to the small iron plate.
Sighing, Tang Min placed his hand on the iron plate, just as So-hwa instructed.