Chapter 208
Chapter 208. The Disappeared Young Lord
"No."
So-hwa answered without a moment's hesitation.
At the same time, a question arose in her mind.
After accepting the Blood Demon's blood, was it really acceptable to say she had nothing to do with the Blood Sect?
However, the moment the Black Sky Demon let out a long breath, all doubts were crushed beneath it.
"I see."
At that single word, her mouth closed.
"That's a relief......."
With truly just one question, the Black Sky Demon dispelled all suspicion. There were more than one or two dubious points, and she had not even attached a plausible excuse, yet he did not ask further.
Tang Min, as if the tension had finally drained from him, ran a hand over his face once and tried to regain his composure.
So-hwa sensed that Tang Min had not understood her words, but had decided to trust her.
Watching that, So-hwa cast aside her guilt.
This felt right.
After a brief silence, the Black Sky Demon spoke again.
"If you stay at the headquarters, you'll be dragged to the Mind Prison."
"The Four Seasons Hall has agreed to buy us time, so for a while, I should be able to remain in this pavilion."
"It means little. As you said, if the Alliance Leader intends to hand you over to the Blood Sect, then this pavilion is in danger as well."
Despite the Black Sky Demon's warning, So-hwa did not so much as flinch. She was hoping the Blood Sect would come to obtain the antidote, so it was only natural.
Tang Min was worried by So-hwa's confidence. It was not faith born from believing herself strong, but reckless bravado forged by the experience of being injured yet not dying.
As the Black Sky Demon was about to launch into further admonishment, So-hwa spoke first.
"Everyone is worried that the Black Sky Demon might beat me to death. If this drags on, the Four Directions Hall Lord may storm in, so wouldn't it be better for us to have a private meeting again later? I think it would be better to show that the Grand Elder has forgiven me and then talk."
"Why would I beat you to death? Have you ever seen a tiger kill a mosquito?"
So-hwa knew that the Black Sky Demon had intended to throw a flying dagger at her, but she pretended not to notice and let it pass.
"I know the Grand Elder's temperament well, but aside from Hak-ah, everyone else is an outsider, so they might misunderstand you and feel uneasy."
Tang Hak, who knew the Black Sky Demon's temperament best, was in fact the most anxious, but So-hwa lied without changing her expression in the slightest.
Tang Min looked at So-hwa with displeasure, then pushed the window open.
Creeeak.
The moment the window opened, the gazes of the Four Directions Hall Lord and the Young Lords on the first floor lifted upward. So-hwa saw their eyes fix squarely on her.
The Black Sky Demon barked out angrily.
"What are you staring at like that! I didn't lay a finger on her!"
No one turned their gaze toward the Black Sky Demon; all of them examined Tang So-hwa instead.
Perhaps angered, the Black Sky Demon sprang to his feet.
“What do these people take me for!”
At that moment, the Four Directions Hall Lord averted her gaze.
Across the silence, unreadable looks were exchanged.
The Black Sky Demon quietly watched the Four Directions Hall Lord, then let out a sigh.
"...... Let's go. As you said, we should put off the private meeting for later."
It seemed the two had communicated via mental transmission.
Once the Black Sky Demon left the room, So-hwa finally rose from her seat. She retrieved the flying daggers and poison bottles that had been on the table and exited the reception room.
* * *
Tang Hak and Hwang Bo Rim went out to stand guard at the main gate, while Namgung Jin stayed inside the pavilion with So-hwa, saying that if he were discovered, he might be expelled from the headquarters.
As Tang Min's private meeting with Peng Sihyeon dragged on, So-hwa shook off Namgung Jin and went down to the Medical Hall.
If the Four Directions Hall Lord failed to persuade Tang Min, she might have to return to the Tang Clan, so she planned to prepare a Gu poison antidote to hand over to the Four Seasons Hall.
Creeeak.
While checking the medicine drawers, So-hwa let out a hollow laugh.
'He’s taken everything valuable.'
The medicinal ingredients had been supplied by headquarters, and among them were rare materials that fetched high prices in Sichuan.
In the midst of all that chaos, Tang Haehan had gathered up every last expensive ingredient and taken them with him when he left.
In a way, it was fortunate. She likely wouldn't be suspected of why the ingredients hadn't diminished despite making so many antidotes.
Instead, she would probably be reproached for why she had used so many ingredients.
So-hwa took out several dust-covered jars and wiped them clean with a dry cloth.
Whoosh.
After burning the dried medicinal herbs, So-hwa divided the ashes into the jars. As she moved briskly, her hands suddenly hesitated. It was because she heard footsteps.
Step.
So-hwa regretted burning the herbs. The smell of char had dulled her sense of smell, making her miss the presence.
Click.
Listening intently, So-hwa closed each jar lid one by one. By the time she closed the last jar, the owner of the presence had entered the Medical Hall.
"What are you doing?"
It was Namgung Jin's voice.
Yet the usual scent of pine resin that the Young Lord always carried was nowhere to be felt.
"I was making medicine."
Before she realized it, the voice had drawn very close.
"What kind of medicine are you making?"
When she lifted her head, Namgung Jin's eyes, which had been looking down at the jars, followed upward.
It was different from the Young Lord's characteristic gaze, which plainly skimmed over objects and people alike.
The way it lingered, slowly sweeping over her face, felt unfamiliar.
"I'm curious what it's for. Why won't you tell me?"
When she returned to the Tang Clan, Han-won and Tang Haehan had made a fuss while talking about a Blood Sect member who had imitated her.
They said not only the face, but even the build and the voice were identical, and that the sight had terrified them.
She understood now why they had made such a commotion.
Seeing someone you know behave like an entirely different person felt like facing a ghost.
So-hwa recalled the Blue Blood Hall Lord who had lured her into the headquarters. The Blue Blood Hall Lord, who had impersonated an old monk, became someone else entirely the moment he removed the human-skin mask.
She didn't know who was inside this one, but for now, So-hwa decided to play along.
She wasn't certain, but she suspected they had infiltrated after hearing rumors that she had returned.
If that was the case, there was no problem.
After all, the reason she had hurried back to the headquarters in the first place was to inform the Blood Demon that she had returned to the Central Plains. If the Blue Blood Hall, which enjoyed the Blood Demon's favor, confirmed it directly and reported it, that would be a good thing.
Still, the fact that they had come in the guise of Namgung Jin was unsettling.
Namgung Jin, who had been staring down at her intently, smiled.
"May I take this ointment?"
“Do you even know what it's for?”
"I just want it. Because you made it, Young Lady Tang."
So-hwa heard something Namgung Jin would never say, yet she nodded.
Outside, a strange rumor was spreading that the Namgung brothers were fighting over her, so it wouldn't be odd for a Blood Sect member to pretend to be a lover.
'So information isn't perfectly shared within the Blood Sect.'
Judging by how the Blue Blood Hall had failed to filter proper information.
Quietly gauging the Blood Sect's branches in the Central Plains, So-hwa replied.
"It's not finished yet, but if you want it, you may take it."
At her words, Namgung Jin lifted one corner of his mouth, then slipped the jar into his robe.
So-hwa's gaze dropped to the front of his garment.
Namgung Jin was wearing the same clothes as when he had been with her in the reception room earlier. Yet there were no bloodstains or signs of wear.
Staring at him, So-hwa quietly reached out and pushed the window.
Click.
The moment the window opened, clean air rushed inside.
As the smoke cleared, a faint metallic scent could be detected.
"You should also go to your quarters and get some sleep, Young Lady Tang. Won't you have many tiring days ahead?"
Instead of answering, So-hwa curved her lips.
Leaving behind those cryptic words, Namgung Jin departed the Medical Hall.
The moment the strange presence vanished, So-hwa left the Medical Hall and went up to the floor where Namgung Jin had been.
But Namgung Jin was not in the reception room. She checked the room assigned to him as well, but he was nowhere to be found.
After searching the pavilion, So-hwa came down to the first floor. Thinking that Namgung Jin might have gone outside, she planned to check with Tang Hak.
When she opened the door, Tang Hak and Hwang Bo Rim, who had been arguing at the front, turned their gazes at the same time.
"Elder Sister, why did you come out?"
"Have you seen Young Lord Namgung Jin, by any chance?"
"I thought he was with you. Didn't he go to his room?"
"He wasn't in his room either."
"At this hour of night, why are you looking for the Heavenly Ten Swords? You even checked a man's sleeping quarters."
"Brother!"
Hwang Bo Rim joked, but So-hwa ignored him.
"We need to find him quickly. I have a bad feeling."
Hwang Bo Rim's lips twitched as if he were about to make another bizarre joke. Fortunately, before he could test Tang So-hwa's patience, someone called out to him.
"Young Lord!"
A young martial artist came running toward the pavilion. Judging by his attire, he was a retainer of the Hwang Bo Clan.
So-hwa asked Tang Hak.
"Who is that?"
Hwang Bo Rim answered instead.
"Ah, he's one of our retainers. He's practically my childhood friend, so there's no need to suspect him."
Yet despite Hwang Bo Rim's guarantee, So-hwa asked in a voice full of suspicion.
"Why would a retainer of the Hwang Bo Clan leave the Young Lord alone and go off somewhere by himself?"
"I sent him on an errand. Well, if we're being precise, it was the Black Sky Demon's errand."
Hwang Bo Rim replied in a calm voice.
"After telling him to deliver a message to the Tang Clan, the Black Sky Demon went off to cause a ruckus at the headquarters, so I went to stop him and told that kid to deliver the letter in my stead."
The retainer who had reached the door nodded vigorously.
"Yes, that's right. I ran straight back after sending the letter."
So-hwa's gaze slid to Hwang Bo Rim.
"What kind of letter did you send?"
"That friend tipped us off that it seemed like Young Lady Tang had returned to the headquarters, and upon hearing that, the Black Sky Demon told us to immediately inform the Tang Clan of the fact. Think about it carefully. If this kid were a spy, why would he leak to us that Young Lady Tang had returned? He would've kept it quiet."
Hwang Bo Rim straightened his shoulders proudly.
So-hwa asked in a flat voice.
"You could have sent a letter from the headquarters. Why go out of your way to rent a messenger bird outside?"
Hwang Bo Rim snorted.
"You weren't here, Young Lady Tang, so you wouldn't know, but the Black Sky Demon didn't even drink a single mouthful of water provided by the headquarters. And you think he'd use the headquarters' messenger birds? Haha, say something that makes sense."
With a scoff, Hwang Bo Rim jerked his chin.
"If you're still suspicious, go out and ask yourself. He probably went to an inn by the Yangtze River. It's an inn frequented by outsiders, so the owner rents out messenger birds and carrier hawks. I happened to go there because their fish dishes are famous......."
"Where is that inn located?"
When So-hwa cut him off, Hwang Bo Rim turned his head and asked the retainer.
“It's there, right? The inn between the courtesan house and the ferry dock.”
"Yes, that's right!"
As the retainer chimed in, So-hwa's expression changed.
"By any chance, is it the inn with black cloth hanging on the first floor?"
"Oh, you know it too, Young Lady Tang!"
Hwang Bo Rim spoke cheerfully, going on about how good their fish dishes were, but Tang So-hwa's face darkened.
It was the place Min Haerak had taken her on her first day at the headquarters.
An old Blood Sect building.
They said it had belonged to the Blood Sect even before the Main Blood Hall established itself there.
So-hwa's eyes, which had dropped to the floor, lifted upward.
In the distance, a red glow was scattering as it approached. Sensing that presence, Tang Hak and Hwang Bo Rim also furrowed their brows.