Chapter 227
Chapter 227. Sunlight in the Mire
The Hall Lord, who had been explaining, fell silent for a moment. He had yet to hear a clear answer that they would accompany the expedition to Sichuan.
In an impassive voice, the Hall Lord added,
"That is, if you are willing to accompany us to Sichuan."
At that moment, a small laugh slipped into the silence.
"Then it is fortunate that we are waiting for the Four Directions Hall Lord."
Namgung An glanced at Tang Ji-ha, seated beside him.
"Two days is more than enough time to prepare for departure. I will return now, and at first light the Namgung Clan will make ready to accompany the march to Sichuan."
Tang Ji-ha accepted Namgung An's gaze in silence. It would have been a lie to say he did not feel grateful.
Although Namgung An was the first to declare his intent to go to Sichuan, he did not make a show of it. Yet, as if something itched at him, he smiled and added something he did not need to say.
"The Tang Clan may well become our in-laws in the future. How could we simply stand by and watch?"
"... In-laws?"
The Tang Clan Head retorted in a cold voice.
For the first time, a spark lit in the Tang Clan Head's eyes, which had been dark all along. It was hardly a good emotion by any measure, but Namgung An, pleased to see his old friend display something other than despair, teased him lightly.
"Ah, Tang Clan Head. When you return to your hall, please tell Young Lady Tang that there is no need for her to come sneaking over anymore. I was never taught that a man should make a woman suffer, so if we send a letter, that boy will come to seek out Young Lady Tang himself."
"Come sneaking over? Who? Are you saying So-hwa went to the Namgung Clan's hall just now?"
Tang Ji-ha, agitated, slipped into informal speech without realizing it.
Namgung An avoided a direct answer with a smile.
Having had a knack for teasing Tang Ji-ha since childhood, he easily scratched at his nerves.
In the end, the Tang Clan Head could not endure it any longer and sprang to his feet.
"Why won't you answer? Did I not ask what you meant?!"
Unable to watch any longer, the Four Seasons Hall Lord opened his mouth to bring order to the situation.
"And what will the others do?"
The two Sect Leaders, who had been momentarily stunned by the Tang Clan Head's fury that looked ready to turn physical, came to their senses.
"With matters as they are, there is no time to deliberate. We too will go to Sichuan."
"Wudang will also go to Sichuan. Since we must wait two days for the Four Directions Hall Lord anyway, we will send word to our branch halls and main sect to bring additional manpower for Sichuan."
"Yes, we would appreciate that."
Even as the three concluded the meeting, the Tang Clan Head and the Namgung Clan Head continued their verbal sparring.
"Why do you keep smiling? I asked you to explain what you meant by sneaking over!"
"How could I say such things here? Unlike you, I do not have the distasteful habit of shaming other people's children."
Namgung An shook his head as he looked at the enraged Tang Ji-ha.
"Now that I think of it, is it really normal to report her to the headquarters and have her disgracefully expelled just because she entered a hall without a word?"
Left with nothing to say, the Tang Clan Head shut his mouth.
Zhuge In-hwi had no interest in the two clan heads' quarrel. Greeting the Sect Leaders, who could not quite hide their discomfort, he rose from his seat.
"Thank you for coming at such a late hour. I will take my leave as well; there is work to be done."
"Very well. I should return too."
"You have worked hard, Hall Lord."
As the three stood up, the Tang Clan Head also left the hall, his expression thoroughly unsettled.
Still, though only for a brief moment, it felt as if sunlight had broken through the mire that was his heart.
* * *
So-hwa returned to the Tang Clan to find every room in the hall lit.
"Elder Sister!"
As if he had been waiting for her, Tang Hak came running from the doorway.
"Where in the world have you been?"
"Has Han-won returned?"
So-hwa dodged the question by asking something she was not particularly curious about. Fortunately, Tang Hak failed to notice her evasion and answered at once.
"Yes. I believe he spoke briefly with Father, but he isn't inside the headquarters right now. He likely went to the inn where the Hubei branch or the Azure Tiger Unit is staying."
Since this was not something to be conveyed by letter, it seemed the Tang Clan Head had sent someone directly.
"Did Father go to the Four Seasons Hall?"
"He just left. How did you know? Ah, did you meet the Clan Head on the way? No, that can't be right. This is the opposite direction......."
So-hwa brushed past the muttering Tang Hak and entered the hall.
As soon as she stepped inside the main gate, the elite members of the White Tiger Unit, gathered on the first floor, turned their heads toward her. They greeted her briefly, but as if they were in the midst of important discussions, they soon resumed their own conversation.
"Elder Sister, where are you going?"
Tang Hak hurried after her, frowning as he asked.
"If you're just following me because you have nothing to do, go upstairs and bring Mae-hwa."
"No, it's not that I have nothing to do. Father strictly ordered me to keep an eye on you so you wouldn't be put in danger......."
Before Tang Hak could finish, So-hwa entered her room. This time, Tang Min, who had been inside, turned his head.
"Where did you go this time?"
"......."
So-hwa fell silent for a moment.
She felt as though everyone was watching her.
"I went out to look into a route to Sichuan."
"Oh? Did you find a way?"
"No. I didn't. But there is someone else who might know the route, so I was about to send a letter in that direction."
"You're not thinking of asking that strange pavilion, are you?"
So-hwa, who had been looking for brush and ink, slowly raised her head to look at him.
Worried that the Young Lord might not understand, Tang Min explained, circling around the name of the Platinum Pavilion.
"Oh, you know, the place where dozens of halfwits were gathered. Like moths drawn to a lamp, noisy and utterly spineless."
"...... Yes. That's where I intend to send it."
"Forget it. Leave it."
Tang Min waved his hand dismissively.
"We might need to send letters far away later, so let Mae-hwa rest. The place you mentioned isn't that far from here; sending someone directly will do."
So-hwa stopped her hand.
Tang Min was not wrong.
"Messenger birds are both precious right now. Don't waste them. Let's wait until the Clan Head returns. Once we hear what he learned, then we'll move. You should get some rest in the meantime."
Only then did So-hwa fully withdraw her hand from the writing tools.
With his arms crossed, Tang Min slid his gaze toward the doorway.
"And why are you standing there? Do you have nothing to do?"
"The Clan Head told me to keep watch over Elder Sister."
"And you just say outright that the Clan Head ordered you to spy on her?"
The Young Lord panicked and clapped a hand over his mouth, but So-hwa, having already guessed why Tang Hak had been following her, replied calmly.
"I'm fine."
"Hmph. I'll be keeping watch here, so you go upstairs and check on Mae-hwa. We may have to send her on a long journey, feed her well and keep her in good spirits."
It seemed the Black Sky Demon had something he wanted to discuss privately.
So did So-hwa.
She opened the desk drawer and took out a handful of nuts she kept in a jar.
"Take these and feed her. She likes them."
After hesitating, Tang Hak took the nuts and left the room. Once his presence had faded beyond notice, the Black Sky Demon asked as if he had been waiting.
"Where did you really go? Judging by how long you were gone, it doesn't seem like you left the headquarters."
"Grand Elder."
Sensing unease, Tang Min uncrossed his arms.
"If there's someone whose help you need, but they refuse to lend it, what should you do?"
Tang Min let out a dry laugh, as if the answer were obvious.
"What a pointless worry. If they refuse, beat them until they agree."
"......."
"If he's someone even you can't easily lay a hand on, tell me. I can take care of that much."
So-hwa had not failed to consider it.
But forcing someone to draw a formation was not like taking an object by force. If Namgung Hyun were to harbor a grudge, he might instead send her straight into a deathtrap.
"He might develop hostility and obstruct us instead."
"Hm. Who is this fellow, anyway? I'll handle everything, just tell me."
When So-hwa did not answer, Tang Min gave up quickly, as if it were unimportant.
"Fine, we'll talk about that later. For now, we need to get our stories straight before the Clan Head returns. When you disappeared and started giving off that chill again, I told him I'd sent you to the Four Directions Hall."
So-hwa frowned.
"Why would you tell such a lie that's bound to be exposed so easily?"
"You say that because you didn't see the Clan Head. He was so furious he looked ready to burn down the Medical Hall."
Tang Min clicked his tongue openly, clearly displeased.
"Why does he try to control every little thing? I taught him that to manage people, you need patience and room to wait, but your father is so fearful he can't cultivate any patience."
After venting his dissatisfaction, Tang Min let out a heavy sigh.
"But what can we do? He's the Tang Clan Head, so we have to accommodate him. Hurry and sort out what you'll say."
With little time to spare, Tang Min did most of the talking while So-hwa simply listened.
Before long, a commotion arose outside. The Tang Clan Head had arrived.
So-hwa turned her head toward the window.
"Relax. The Clan Head will probably meet the White Tiger Unit first."
He believed the Clan Head would seek out the martial force before anything else.
However, almost as soon as the Clan Head returned to his quarters, someone came to So-hwa's door.
"Young Lady So-hwa. The Clan Head asks that you come to his room."
The Clan Head summoned her first.
So-hwa rose immediately. Tang Min followed her out, but a White Tiger Unit martial artist spoke in a flustered voice.
"Pardon us, but the Clan Head did not order that the Grand Elder be brought as well."
"He must have assumed I'd come on my own, so there was no need to mention it."
The White Tiger Unit martial artist could not stop the Black Sky Demon. All he could do was conceal his unease as he led the two to the Clan Head's room.
"Clan Head, we have brought Young Lady So-hwa and the Grand Elder."
There was no verbal reply. The door simply opened in silence.
The atmosphere inside the room was heavy.
So-hwa entered and greeted the Clan Head. Instead of telling her to sit, he asked in a cold voice,
"Where did you go?"
"I went to the Four Directions Hall."
The Clan Head's expression hardened.
"You went to the Four Directions Hall?"
So-hwa did not want to answer with a lie that would be uncovered at once, but she said what Tang Min had instructed.
"Yes. You told me to report immediately if anything suspicious appeared, so I went to see the Four Directions Hall Lord."
"Is that so? And what did the Four Directions Hall Lord say?"
"He said he would discuss it with the Four Seasons Hall Lord and inform us of the situation, and told me to return and wait."
The Tang Clan Head did not seem to believe her.
The aura spreading in all directions was sharp.
At that moment, the Black Sky Demon cut in, as if trying to divert the Clan Head's attention.
"Clan Head, what did the Four Seasons Hall say? Are they sending support?"
Fortunately, Tang Ji-ha turned his gaze to Tang Min.
"No. The headquarters says it will not send support."
At those words, So-hwa's expression stiffened. Tang Min all but leapt up.
"What? How can they say they won't send support? Didn't Han-won say it seemed the Four Seasons Hall Lord believed the Blood Sect member's testimony?"
"The Hall Lord believes the Blood Sect is attempting to draw our attention away in order to strike the headquarters."
Tang Min looked deeply dissatisfied, but he did not openly challenge the Clan Head.
"Then, when will we go to Sichuan? If we're not waiting for headquarters support, can't we leave immediately?"
"We cannot receive the headquarters' support, but the three remaining sects have agreed to accompany us to Sichuan. Wudang said they would bring additional people from their Hubei branch and main sect, since they're nearby. And I believe the Tai Chi Sword Saint may accompany us as well."
"Oh, that big brute is coming? That's good news."
The Black Sky Demon's face brightened noticeably. As he relaxed at the unexpected gain, the Clan Head said something odd.
"However, the Hall Lord asked that we not depart immediately, but wait about three days. So we intend to wait for now. If the Wudang people arrive within that time, we'll leave together."
"What? When every moment counts, why ask us to wait three days?"
"It seems the Four Seasons Hall interrogated the Blood Sect member and learned the location of a route."
Tang Ji-ha cast cold eyes back and forth between So-hwa and Tang Min.
"The Four Directions Hall Lord has gone to verify that route herself. He said it would take two days, at most three."
Tang Min flinched visibly at that.
The Tang Clan Head let out a hollow laugh as he looked at So-hwa.
"Why? Did the Four Directions Hall Lord not tell you that?"
"......."
It was not a question.
He already knew it was a lie. The Tang Clan Head exhaled softly, as if suppressing his anger.
"I tried to pretend not to notice until you chose to speak first, but this is my limit. Answer me properly. Where did you really go?"