Chapter 249
Chapter 249. The Great Desert
Sand spread out before her eyes like a sea.
The desert where the Solar Palace was situated had no real terrain to speak of, and even what little there was would change whenever the wind blew, making maps unnecessary.
No, most of the Great Desert was probably like that.
Ye-hwa, who had dealings with the Western Regions, often complained that for this reason, one had no choice but to pay whatever price the desert guides of the Great Desert demanded to lead the way.
So-hwa climbed the tall sand dune before her.
When she reached the summit, she saw a massive stone mountain beneath a turquoise sky. The rocky mountain bore a broad, flat expanse atop its head, as if a plank had been laid across it. Upon that sat the Solar Palace.
When Namgung Hyun had first given her the formation, he said that although there would be some margin of error due to the distance, it would not stray far from a range where the palace could be seen.
Gazing over the desert like a boundless ocean, So-hwa thought,
If a guide who merely showed the way could demand a thousand gold pieces, it was impossible to even guess the worth of someone who could create a path.
The Deputy Hall Lord's words were right. Those whom the Blood Demon valued had stepped beyond the standards of ordinary people.
Tang So-hwa slipped the Cold Iron she held into her sleeve.
It was regrettable, but she believed this was the best course. Since it was already done, there was no use in regretting it.
As she headed toward the cliff where the Solar Palace stood, she tried not to cling to her choice.
Step.
With each step up the stone stairs, So-hwa gradually forgot the affairs of the Central Plains. From the Solar Palace, she could sense no sound, no presence at all.
Either nothing had happened yet, or everything had already ended—one of the two.
Step.
Reaching the top, So-hwa faced a white building. Its exterior was misshapen, as if carved away by sand, yet it was a palace of plain color. After all, even if it were painted, the sandstorms would strip it away, so it would be meaningless.
However, the interior of the palace presented a completely different sight.
The floor, smooth like glazed porcelain, boasted vivid saturation, and the gilded pillars and the embroidered fabrics hanging on the walls were dazzling.
It was like a palace lavishly adorned by people with nothing to do but spend their time in excess.
She truly felt that she had left the Central Plains behind. The Solar Palace possessed an aesthetic utterly unlike that of the Central Plains.
Despite standing in the middle of an empty desert, it was rich in colors and bearing. Even with many items of strong presence mixed together, they formed a strange harmony.
So-hwa lowered her gaze again and looked toward the end of the corridor. From the outside, it had seemed like a two-story building, but there was no visible path upward.
She walked along the corridor searching for stairs, and only after quite some time did she find a single, extremely shabby staircase.
Ascending to the next level, So-hwa halted at the darkness that pressed in on her eyes.
Not a single ray of light entered, yet perhaps because it retained the heat of the sun on the ceiling, the indoor temperature was high. The air was humid, carrying the scent of grass—or perhaps blood. She could not tell. Rather than refreshing, it felt stale and oppressive.
Trickle.
From somewhere came the faint sound of water.
So-hwa approached the wall, intending to open a window. At that moment, a stench surged up from the stairs.
Her body went rigid. It was the same foul stench she had smelled at the Blood Demon's Jin Yin Mountain.
She immediately turned around and went back down toward where the stench had come from.
From afar, a small sound reached her ears. It was the rustling of cotton fabric, like someone just waking from a nap and getting down from a bed.
It seemed the Blood Demon, too, had sensed her approaching presence. In an instant, all the smells vanished.
Shraack.
At the same time as the sound of fabric being drawn aside, the saturation of the corridor changed.
As if sliced diagonally, sunlight poured in, erasing the vivid colors of the ornate porcelain. Stepping into the domain of light, So-hwa turned her body and faced the open door.
The Blood Demon, just awakened from sleep, stretched his arms upward and asked,
"Did you come alone?"
Without answering, So-hwa moved her eyes and surveyed the surroundings.
The Main Blood Hall Lord was nowhere to be seen. All that met her gaze was a resplendent scene utterly mismatched with a man who looked like darkness itself.
The window frames, pillars, and even the fittings attached to the chairs were all gold. To keep pace with that splendor, turquoise porcelain filled the floor like the sea, and fabrics interwoven with red, yellow, black, and other colors loudly asserted their presence here and there.
Items that could easily have seemed garish instead formed a strange harmony.
The Blood Demon, reclining on something that was neither quite a chair nor quite a bed, let out a soft chuckle.
"Don't worry. I put him to sleep obediently somewhere else."
The lingering gaze slowly brushed over her eyes, her cheeks, and her forehead.
As she met his gaze, So-hwa noticed that the Blood Demon's clothes were a little strange.
They were not garments from the Central Plains, but a rough, thin fabric that seemed to be made of hemp. She had not noticed at first because of the Blood Demon's oppressive presence, but they were plain clothes that one might expect a servant to wear.
So-hwa stared at him and asked,
"Did you change your clothes?"
The Blood Demon gave a small laugh and affirmed her question.
"So you noticed."
"Where is Min Haerak?"
"If I tell you, what will you do?"
She did not enter the room, instead turning her body toward the corridor.
"If you don't intend to tell me, you may as well sleep more."
When So-hwa tried to leave without continuing the conversation, the Blood Demon spoke, sounding flustered.
"Hm? Don't you have something to discuss with me?"
"I heard roughly what you conveyed through the Deputy Hall Lord. Didn't you say that if I make a vessel and hand it over to the Main Blood Hall Lord, you'll return the Solar Palace to the Main Blood Hall?"
The Blood Demon did not deny it. So-hwa added in a calm voice,
"If we're going to do anything, I need to check whether he's dead or what state he's in first. Wait. Let's talk after that."
Realizing that So-hwa was bluffing, the Blood Demon let out a small laugh. Resting his chin on his hand, he rolled his red eyes.
"I thought you'd get angry, but it's strange how obediently you're going along with this. If you were me, you'd have your doubts too, wouldn't you?"
"Is there any reason to refuse? I think it's a rational proposal, unlike you. If it's the Palace Lord of the Solar Palace, that's not a bad match. Living after a wedding and having children isn't a bad thing either."
"I never said anything about a wedding."
"If you live with the Palace Lord of the Solar Palace and bear children, how is that any different from a marriage?"
Without showing a hint of agitation, So-hwa continued,
"I've already seen the records of what you did with the vessel, so I know well how it works. There's no way you'd be satisfied with just one child, so you'd keep me in the Solar Palace, bound to the Palace Lord. Rather than being confined at Jin Yin Mountain, living in the Solar Palace with its Palace Lord is the better choice. It's a better option than staying by your side."
Only then did the Blood Demon straighten his upper body.
"Have you heard news of the Tang Clan?"
A strange glint flickered in the Blood Demon's eyes. Seeing his intent to provoke her, So-hwa curved her lips slightly.
"Contrary to your wishes, the Tang Clan is safe."
"Tsk, I figured as much. Seeing how you crossed straight into the Great Desert not long after I sent the Deputy Hall Lord, I thought it must've failed......."
The Blood Demon clicked his tongue, yet his expression looked pleased.
"If the Tang Clan had been half-destroyed, I was planning to seize the lives of the remaining Clan Head and Young Lord and toss you to Haerak...... the result is the same, but somehow it feels a bit lacking."
So-hwa stared at the Blood Demon, who seemed regretful, with an indifferent face.
"If I make as many vessels as you want, will you stop touching the Tang Clan?"
The Blood Demon dragged out the end of his words, giving an ambiguous answer.
"It's true that I wanted vessels. However, I wanted to see you in despair and hand you over to the Palace Lord in exchange for reconstruction, so it's a shame so much was skipped ... Besides, what kind of scheme is this, coming over so easily when the Tang Clan is perfectly fine? As you know, I dislike lies. Tell me honestly, what are you thinking?"
"Is it really some grand scheme? The Palace Lord of the Solar Palace isn't a bad person, so becoming his partner isn't some tremendous sacrifice."
"I thought your taste ran toward that Namgung child. How unexpected."
So-hwa let out a scoff. Perhaps bothered by it, the Blood Demon frowned and asked,
"Why are you laughing?"
"Because someone who acts as though he knows everything doesn't seem to know a single thing about me."
She added,
"You say your blood flows in my body, yet our thoughts differ so much. I found that amusing."
Hiding her true feelings from the Blood Demon, So-hwa spoke calmly,
"Still, you're not wrong. I didn't come here without thinking."
At her words, the Blood Demon's lips tilted crookedly, but So-hwa continued,
"I also have something to demand of you. Honestly, returning the Solar Palace to the Main Blood Hall isn't an offer worth moving me, is it?"
"Didn't you hear that I would forgive you?"
"I've never asked you for forgiveness, and I never will, so that kind of thing is useless."
The Blood Demon was displeased by the impudent words, yet at the same time, that attitude pleased him greatly. Her lack of fear and her willingness to bare her disgust tickled something in his heart.
In a noticeably relaxed tone, the Blood Demon asked,
"So then, what is it that you want to gain?"