Chapter 210
Chapter 210. Red Sea Pavilion
The streets of Wuhan were deserted. Though she had only visited three or four times before, it was incomparably quieter than in the past.
Walking side by side with the Black Sky Demon, So-hwa lifted her gaze.
A white building rose tall, as if cleaving the black night sky. At the sight of the Platinum Pavilion, So-hwa recalled Haerak's request.
"Come to think of it, did you properly buy anything at the Platinum Pavilion?"
At the sarcastic tone, So-hwa lowered her gaze again.
The Black Sky Demon was not even looking at her.
"Yes, I bought a hairpin."
"Really? Wasn't it expensive?"
The corners of So-hwa's lips curved gently.
She realized that she had never actually paid for anything herself.
Even the hairpin said to be the most expensive in the Platinum Pavilion, and the information of the Blood Sect that could only be obtained by risking one's life—she had only received them.
As they walked on in silence, So-hwa noticed that the Black Sky Demon was a step ahead of her.
"Do you know the way?"
"I do."
"Have you been to the inn before?"
"You said it's the inn next to Red Sea Pavilion, didn't you?"
At the word Red Sea Pavilion coming from Tang Min's mouth, So-hwa closed her lips. It was unexpected that he would so naturally use a courtesan house as a landmark.
Soon, she dismissed it as understandable, given that he was someone who liked alcohol.
The closer they got to the inn, the quieter the surroundings became.
There was hardly any trace of people.
An unsettling atmosphere, as if everyone had fled to avoid something.
So-hwa quietly raised her senses. After a while, she felt a faint warmth.
A young man carrying a bundle was walking from the opposite direction. The passerby blocked their path with a startled look.
"Uh, hey, you shouldn't go this way!"
When Tang Min did not stop, the man made an even bigger fuss, raising his voice.
"A medicinal herb from Yunnan stayed at that inn, but he must've managed his goods carelessly. Apparently, all the venomous insects he brought and the Seven-Treasure Scorpions had escaped, and it's absolute chaos."
He waved his hands as if telling them to back away.
"The innkeeper even refunded the money and chased all the guests out. You can tell how serious it is, right? All the shops around here have shut their doors and fled too, so until things are settled, don't even think about coming near."
So-hwa turned her head toward Tang Min. She was worried that the hot-tempered Tang Min might shove aside an innocent passerby.
Unexpectedly, however, he asked calmly.
“How long has it been since this chaos started?”
"Not long. I'm running away myself right now, aren't I?"
"Hm, then it'll take a while before things settle."
Tang Min walked over to a tavern by the roadside. It seemed the owner had fled in a hurry, unable even to clear away the tables set outside.
He sat down at a table with no food on it and tapped the tabletop lightly with his finger. It was a gesture telling her to sit there, too.
So-hwa did not understand Tang Min's intention, but she quietly approached the table.
When she sat across from him, Tang Min turned his head toward the passerby.
"We'll wait here until things calm down, then head to the inn, so don't worry and be on your way."
"No, this place is closed. Wouldn't it be better to go to another tavern and have a drink?"
The young man, flustered, fussed over them and even offered to recommend another inn. But none of it got through to Tang Min.
"It's quiet here, so I like it. And I've lived long enough; if I die from a snake bite, then so be it."
The passerby tried to say one more thing, then let out a sigh.
"... Please be careful."
He adjusted his bundle and went on his way.
Tang Min reached to the side and picked up a wine bottle.
Perhaps the customers had fled in a hurry as well—the bottle was brand new. He very naturally removed the cloth and opened the lid.
So-hwa stared at Tang Min with a look of disdain, finding it pitiful that he would crave alcohol in a situation like this. He must have felt her cold gaze, yet Tang Min stubbornly took a sip of wine.
She could not understand Tang Min's leisure when Namgung Hyun had been kidnapped. However, since the Black Sky Demon's eccentric behavior often had reasons, she waited for his explanation.
Thud.
After setting the wine bottle down, Tang Min asked,
"Have you ever heard of the Hao Sect?"
"Yes, I have."
The Hao Sect was one of the great sects of the Murim in the Central Plains. It was said to be spread across the entire Central Plains, but because it was a decentralized organization, it was difficult for outsiders to know who the members were.
"The Hao Sect doesn't concern itself with the affairs of the orthodox sects or the unorthodox sects, as long as it doesn't involve them. The same goes for the underworld and the heretical cults—if it doesn't harm them, they turn a blind eye."
Being a secretive group, the Hao Sect did not openly clash with the Murim Alliance. Even if they did move, someone like her would not notice, so So-hwa had never paid them much mind.
Still, with Tang Min suddenly bringing up the Hao Sect, she could not simply brush it aside.
So-hwa quietly closed her mouth and listened to his words.
"The Hao Sect is a sect that pretends to be ordinary civilians, so if you think of them as common folk, their actions become easier to understand."
After taking another sip of wine, he spoke in a low voice.
"Now that you're involved in the affairs of the Murim, whether you like it or not, you need to understand how the Hao Sect works."
"......."
"The fact that the Hao Sect has stepped in is an extreme way of saying that you are either an obstacle or something they need. It means you can use their reactions as signposts."
So-hwa's thin eyebrows lifted. He seemed to be explaining, but she couldn't grasp what he meant. Reading her expression, Tang Min let out a chuckle.
"Didn't I say they live as ordinary people? So when those fellows get involved, it most likely means that your actions are affecting the lives of common folk."
Tang Min withdrew his hand from the wine bottle.
"They don't move just because a courtesan house goes bankrupt, nor do they use the Hao Sect's Heavenly Net and Earth Snare just because iron goods from an iron workshop were stolen. Even among themselves, they have lines they don't cross, and they only show themselves in truly extreme cases."
The Black Sky Demon let out a small laugh.
"Today, it seems those timid Hao Sect fellows are hoping that you and I don't die, so it looks like the path we're taking isn't wrong."
Seeing Tang Min's gaze move past her shoulder, So-hwa turned her head.
A tall pavilion stood before the Yangtze River.
It was the Red Sea Pavilion, situated across from the inn.
Light spilled out through the open windows, yet no people were visible.
"So-hwa, you're rational when spoken of kindly, and if spoken of harshly, you have a temperament similar to Hae-han's. It's right for you to focus on the internal affairs of the Tang Clan."
Her gaze returned to Tang Min.
"You could spend your entire life in the Nine Turns Pavilion, and it would be fine. Even if you concern yourself with nothing but the Tang Clan's interests, it wouldn't hinder your life. External enemies will be dealt with by those who fight outside, so you wouldn't need to worry about a thing."
"......."
"But if you come outside and involve yourself in the affairs of the Murim, then you must walk the orthodox path."
So-hwa saw Tang Min slip a hand into his robes.
"If you follow the orthodox path, you won't find yourself facing people like the Four Seasons Hall Lord or the Four Directions Hall Lord—those close to you now—as enemies. If your public justification is strong enough, even those heavy-bottomed fellows of the Murim Alliance will have no choice but to move for your sake, even if they dislike it."
He took out a single coin and placed it on the table.
"If you're going to live outside, you should avoid making enemies as much as possible, and leave room for your allies to step in. No matter how capable you are, if countless enemies band together, it won't be easy to face them alone."
With a face that showed not the slightest trace of age, he continued his senior's advice.
"Ah, come to think of it, you must have felt a lot about alliances yourself. You came back hand in hand with someone who might strangle you at any moment, all to fight the Blood Sect."
So-hwa quietly listened to the elder of her clan, then spoke for the first time.
"The North Sea Ice Palace is not an enemy."
Tang Min snorted.
"Do you know this? Back in my day, the North Sea Ice Palace and the Great Desert Solar Palace didn't even consider people of the Central Plains as human."
During the time Tang Min earned his sobriquet, wars in the Outer Regions were frequent. It was before the Demonic Sect and the Five Outer Palaces had fallen, so his words were likely not wrong. Even she, who had not lived in that era, had heard of the arrogance of the five palace lords.
"I also want to believe that you made the right choice, but......."
Tang Min closed his mouth for a moment, as if hesitating.
After omitting much, he spoke carefully.
"It's hard to judge whether restoring their lineage in order to eradicate the Blood Sect was truly the right thing to do."
"The North Sea Ice Palace will not betray us."
When So-hwa spoke firmly, Tang Min rose with a chuckle.
"Fine. You're still young."
She wanted to give him certainty, but she couldn't bring herself to speak.
To explain that the North Sea Ice Palace was bound not by alliance but by blood, she would have to reveal Jin Su's identity.
Perhaps because she had grown up as a direct descendant of a martial clan where bloodline meant everything, So-hwa could not easily open her mouth.
She had heard stories of bastards raised outside for decades seizing the position of Clan Head simply because they carried the blood of the Clan Head.
No, she didn't even need to look that far back. Namgung Hyun was such a case even now.
Having inherited the blood of the Sect Leader, So-hwa could no longer claim to have nothing to do with the Blood Sect.
Rather, from the perspective of the martial clans, Tang So-hwa was a successor who could inherit the Sect Leader's seat at any time.
When So-hwa's complexion darkened, Tang Min stopped his nagging.
"It seems those Hao Sect fellows find it troublesome to deal with someone staying alone at the inn, so you go and stay at the Red Sea Pavilion."
Without answering, she rose and followed behind him.
When they reached the Red Sea Pavilion, Tang Min told her to go inside, then turned his body toward the inn across the way.
After watching Tang Min's back, So-hwa entered Red Sea Pavilion.
Whether the rumor that everyone had evacuated to avoid venomous snakes and insects was true, there was no one on the first floor of Red Sea Pavilion.
So-hwa went up to the fourth floor, where a window stood open.
Creak.
When she opened the door, a room set with a drinking table was revealed. It was neatly arranged, and the lamps were brightly lit.
She went straight to the window.
So-hwa's gaze dropped to the second floor of the inn. It was the room where she had once eavesdropped on the conversation between the Main Blood Hall Lord and a drunken man.
Covered by a screen, not even half of the window was visible.
Her gaze slid toward the Yangtze River.
She recalled how Haerak had deliberately gone out on a small boat to inform her who the Blue Blood Hall member was.
He had also warned her about this Red Sea Pavilion.
Tap.
At the sound of footsteps behind her, So-hwa turned.
A middle-aged woman stood by the doorway. Judging by how neatly she was dressed, she did not seem to be a courtesan who received guests.
The woman did not ask why So-hwa had entered, nor did she offer any hospitality.
As the woman silently stared at her, So-hwa spoke first.
"I came because I wanted to confirm something."
She stated her reason for coming here.
"I wanted to know whether the one trying to separate the Black Sky Demon and me is truly a Hao Sect member, or a Blood Sect member trying to take me away."