Chapter 139
“What is it with Brother Un?”
“Apparently, the Elder Divine Therapist... Never mind. It would be better for you to hear it directly from Un.”
Tang Geunmyeong trailed off and awkwardly scratched his cheek.
My eyes narrowed at the strange reaction.
That was odd. Why was he acting like that?
He stared off into space with a complicated expression, then casually changed the subject.
“Is there anything else you want to know?”
“How are Songji and Gyeonga doing?”
“Your two maids? Songji has been cleaning the Elder’s newly rebuilt hall. Gyeonga is staying with Un.”
“Grandfather’s hall? It has already been rebuilt?”
“It collapsed a year ago. Of course it has.”
“What about Deokju? She does not have any lingering internal injuries, does she?”
“She is perfectly fine. She has returned to the Black Cloud Guard without issue, so do not worry. All three are doing well. Un has been looking after them closely.”
“Ah... That is a relief.”
Tang Geunmyeong was not the sort of person to lie just to reassure me. If he said all three of them were well, they probably were.
Only then did I feel the tension leave me. It was like finally pulling out a thorn that had been lodged somewhere out of sight, stinging whenever it brushed against anything.
When I wrote Brother Un, I had to make sure I thanked him.
Tang Geunmyeong gave a short laugh when my expression brightened and beckoned to me.
“If there is nothing else you want to ask, you should step out for a while too. The adults have something to discuss.”
“Me? Right now?”
“It will only take a moment. Your brother will come out soon.”
Yeon Ryang spoke gently as well, as though telling me not to worry.
I wondered what they wanted to discuss without me, but figured they must have their own business to settle.
“...Okay. I understand.”
I answered while rolling my eyes awkwardly, then stood up.
*****
The chilly pre-dawn air brushed against my cheeks.
When I raised my head and watched my breath scatter in pale clouds, I saw a full moon shining brightly overhead.
I had been so tense on the way here that I had not even noticed the moon was out.
After staring blankly at it for a while, I lightly jumped onto one of the trees planted in the courtyard before the hall.
Sitting on a thick branch, I could see the patrol guards making their rounds beyond the wall. They looked exhausted from their early shift, yawning openly as they chatted among themselves.
I quietly watched them.
Then Cane, which had been so still it might as well have been dead, slowly poked its head out from my sleeve.
“What is this? You finally decided to come out? Did you catch your breath too?”
“Kyuuu.”
Cane let out a soft, whining sound as though asking for attention, then scampered onto my lap.
I stroked it and listened for movement nearby.
Perhaps Tang Geunmyeong and Yeon Ryang had raised an Energy Barrier. I could not hear even the faintest sound of breathing from their direction. Beopgong and Peng Jiyun were gone as well.
I hope Brother’s situation was settled properly. I wanted to ask Master Beopgong what happened.
When I stopped petting Cane for a moment, it rubbed its head against my palm and squeaked irritably.
“Ki!”
“All right, all right. I will pet you. Seriously, look at all this shedding. I thought you were finished molting.”
I grumbled as I kneaded Cane’s soft belly, but then someone approached.
“Young Lady Tang.”
“Taoist Jinseong.”
I stretched my neck over the branch and spotted Jinseong standing below.
His eyes, raised toward me, seemed to hold an unfamiliar color beneath the moonlight.
“Um... Would you like to come up too?”
“Yes.”
Jinseong nodded, then lightly sprang up and sat beside me. He carried a basket filled with warm towels.
Noticing my gaze, Jinseong quietly held it out.
“Where did these come from?”
“Songgwang warmed them, thinking you might need them.”
“Songgwang?”
“A third-generation disciple of Wudang. You saw Songgwang once at Central Plains Bank.”
“Ah. Please tell Songgwang I said thank you.”
Smiling awkwardly, I took one of the steaming towels and pressed it over my eyes.
Meanwhile, Cane was busy sniffing Jinseong over.
It had ignored him for the entire journey to the Martial Alliance, but it seemed to have finally decided that Jinseong was not an enemy.
“Stop sniffing him and come here. You are making Taoist Jinseong uncomfortable.”
“Kyuu!”
“Want some jerky?”
The moment I pulled out the jerky pouch, Cane’s eyes lit up, and it jumped back onto my lap.
After handing Cane a piece of jerky, I offered one to Jinseong too.
“Would you like some jerky?”
“No, thank you.”
“Is it because this is Cane’s snack? It is good. I eat it too.”
“I do not eat meat.”
“Ah. You are very picky.”
He did not eat meat. He could not eat food with fiery energy either. There were quite a lot of things he avoided.
I shrugged and popped the jerky I had been offering him into my own mouth.
Jinseong spoke as if defending himself.
“It is not picky eating. It is training meant to keep me from being bound by appetite.”
“Your senior brothers eat meat and drink liquor.”
Jinseong looked away, caught off guard.
“...I have not yet reached that level. Buddhism also avoids the five pungent ingredients. A practitioner should be careful about what he eats.”
“Master Beopgong seems to eat anything.”
“...”
Jinseong could not seem to find an answer. He moved his lips for a while, then shut his mouth tightly.
After frowning beneath his thick brows and thinking long and hard, he finally opened his mouth again.
“Well... Master Beopgong is...”
His serious attempt to answer made me burst out laughing.
“Ha ha ha. I am joking, Taoist Jinseong. Do not take it so seriously.”
“Yes.”
He accepted that without complaint, then stared at me chewing jerky. Afterward, his gaze shifted to Cane, which was sitting on my lap and chewing its own piece just as diligently.
“May I... touch it?”
“If Cane does not mind.”
“I understand.”
Jinseong cautiously held out an index finger.
Cane grabbed it with its front paws, then pulled it beneath its chin as though demanding to be scratched.
Jinseong gently scratched beneath Cane’s chin. He looked a little pleased.
I thought he was nothing but stiff, but he had a cute side.
His principles were firm, but he was not a bad person. Considering he had turned a blind eye to Yeon Ryang’s situation, it seemed he was trying, in his own way, to be more flexible.
...Still, he would be exhausting to keep around all the time. Well, it is better to get along.
I smiled and moved Cane onto Jinseong’s lap.
“Are you going to remain at the Alliance?”
“Yes. I had planned to return to Wudang once your matter was settled, but it appears I will be joining the river-bandit suppression mission.”
“Ah. You are going to be busy. Please take care of yourself.”
“Yes.”
“And when day breaks, make sure you have your injured shoulder and wrist checked by a physician. A swordsman’s arms are his life.”
“I will.”
“Do not just say that. Do not brush it off because nothing has been cut off. Minor injuries can become serious when they pile up. I am telling you this as a physician, so take it to heart.”
“I understand.”
Jinseong nodded, then gently changed the subject.
“Where will you go now?”
“I do not know. I need to speak with Brother first. I am curious about Dongting Lake, though. I promised a friend I would go there together, but we never got the chance.”
As I answered, I touched the jade ring tucked inside my sleeve.
I wonder whether Her Grace the Imperial Noble Consort is doing well. I should send a letter to Jinling too.
Jinseong watched my expression before speaking.
“Young Lady Tang. My offer of lodging in Wudang’s guest quarters remains open. Should you ever need somewhere to stay, please send word.”
“Thank you for the offer. I will remember your kindness.”
The moment I smiled in reply, Cane gave a short chirp and tapped me.
“Ki.”
When I turned my head, I saw Beopgong crouched atop the wall, grinning as he watched us.
The moment our eyes met, he started jeering.
“What is this? You two are getting along pretty well. Is this a young man and woman finding some chemistry?”
I pursed my lips at the irritating teasing.
“It is not like that. Do you even know what youth is, Master? You must have been shaving your head and knocking a wooden moktak around when you were our age.”
“What did you say, brat? Now you are throwing daggers with words too.”
Beopgong grabbed the back of his neck as though he could not believe me, then crooked a finger at me.
“Kid. Come here.”
“Why?”
“Come here when I call you.”
“You are not going to hit me, are you?”
“...What exactly do you think I am? Get over here.”
After hesitating, I lightly landed on top of the wall.
Beopgong sighed at me, then grabbed my earlobe and pulled.
“Ah! You are hurting me again! Use your words!”
Ignoring my complaint, Beopgong leaned in and whispered.
“Do not make an antidote for your brother. Tell him to stay like this until you are completely out of the Martial Alliance’s territory. I think the Alliance will shadow the two of you for a while.”
“Why? Do they still suspect Yeon Ryang?”
“No. They are watching you.”
I frowned, not understanding.
“Me? Why would they watch me?”
“Do you know the old Alliance Lord? He looks like he wants to recruit you into the Alliance.”
Wi Jigok?
I thought about it carefully, but I had never even had a proper conversation with him.
“No. I only saw him once when he came to see Grandfather.”
“Then he is not trying to recruit you. He wants to bring in your grandfather. Either way, be careful. I warned you. Do not let anyone know I told you. Until you leave the Alliance, do not ask questions about anything.”
Having warned me, Beopgong casually moved away as though nothing had happened.
Then he tossed a remark toward Jinseong.
“Hey. Your third-generation disciples were looking for you. Looks like a letter came from Wudang.”
“Is that so? Thank you for telling me, Master.”
Jinseong lightly jumped down from the tree.
“Then, Young Lady Tang, I hope we meet again.”
“Yes, Taoist Jinseong. May battle fortune favor you.”
Holding the basket, he offered a polite clasped-fist salute and disappeared quickly into the darkness.
Beopgong stretched and dangled his legs over the wall.
“What is your brother doing that you are out here alone?”
“He said he had something to discuss with Uncle Geunmyeong. Where is Captain Peng?”
“She went looking for liquor. She said we should wait until she wakes Brother Dam Cheon. She also said she would kill us if we ran off without waiting. I have no idea when that woman will ever grow up. She still goes weak at the knees over liquor.”
“Not something you should be saying, Master. More importantly, are you the youngest? Everyone is either Brother or Sister to you.”
Who was Dam Cheon?
The moment I was about to ask, a loud crash rang out.
The hall doors burst apart, and something rolled across the ground.
My eyes widened in horror.
“Brother!”
The person tumbling across the dirt, covered from head to toe in dust, was Yeon Ryang.