Chapter 57
A Master of Soul-Enthrallment Art (2)
Zhuge Hyeon sat in a teahouse, drinking tea.
He stared blankly at the passersby outside. A middle-aged man hurried along without looking anywhere but straight ahead. A group of young men walked by, laughing and chatting. A woman held tightly to a child’s hand. Men and women browsed the goods displayed by nearby merchants.
None of them knew how great a danger was approaching.
If war broke out, the peace of their everyday lives would be shattered.
I have to stop it somehow.
Even his brief moments of contemplation were consumed by worry.
Just then, the person he had arranged to meet appeared in the distance.
On Byeok-hwa, Pavilion Master of the Secret Pavilion.
She was renowned as the greatest female martial artist of the age. The Alliance Leader himself had brought her in from outside the Murim Alliance and appointed her as the Secret Pavilion Master.
Zhuge Hyeon did not know how the Alliance Leader had come to know her, but they were clearly very close.
Upon spotting Zhuge Hyeon, she waved.
Zhuge Hyeon rose from his seat and waited for her.
Before long, she entered the teahouse.
“Welcome, Pavilion Master.”
“I’m a little late, aren’t I? I apologize, Strategist.”
“Not at all. I only just arrived myself.”
The two sat across from each other.
“I had tea here once before, and the flavor was excellent. I thought it would be better to treat you here than inside the stifling Alliance headquarters.”
“Ah, I see.”
A young attendant came over to take their order.
“What kind of tea would you like?”
“Bring her the same tea this elder is having.”
The child turned and ran toward the kitchen.
On Byeok-hwa asked Zhuge Hyeon, “What did you wish to discuss?”
“There is something I would like to say regarding yesterday’s banquet.”
“Please, go ahead.”
“As I understand it, you often spend time with the Alliance Leader.”
“I occasionally visit and keep him company.”
“I do not know what the Alliance Leader truly thinks of Captain Baek. From my limited perspective, yesterday’s banquet made no sense whatsoever.”
On Byeok-hwa nodded as though she understood what he meant.
“I once asked the Alliance Leader about Captain Baek.”
“What did he say?”
“He said, ‘I should cherish him more... but it isn’t as easy as I wish it were.’”
The words sounded deeply significant, and Zhuge Hyeon remained silent for a moment.
Just then, the child returned with the tea.
“I’ll pour it for you.”
The child poured tea for On Byeok-hwa.
“Please enjoy it! Call me if you need anything.”
“All right. Thank you.”
The child went back and sat on a chair beside the counter near the entrance.
The conversation resumed.
Zhuge Hyeon said, “I will tell you honestly how I feel. What Captain Baek accomplished during the last war was nothing short of extraordinary. Had it not been for him, the orthodox murim would now be in the hands of the Cheokcheon Alliance. I believe everyone should be grateful to him.”
On Byeok-hwa silently drank her tea and listened.
“We need him in the coming war as well. Although he has lost his internal energy, he possesses overwhelming battlefield experience that no one else can match. Furthermore, his ability to command subordinates is exceptional.”
“Yes, I acknowledge that as well.”
“I want the relationship between the Alliance Leader and Captain Baek to return to how it once was. I would like you to help make that happen.”
“Of course I should help. It is the right path for the Alliance and for the martial world. However, you know as well as I do that relationships between people cannot be repaired merely because someone else intervenes.”
“That is precisely why I am asking for your help. I will assist, and so will you. If we can influence them even little by little, their relationship will surely improve.”
“Understood.”
“Thank you.”
The two discussed the current state of affairs for quite some time before leaving.
Only after they had departed did the child who had handled the payment enter the kitchen.
Instead of the teahouse’s usual chef, Baek So-cheon and Cheon-geuk were waiting inside.
The child attendant was none other than Na Sarin.
Baek So-cheon had rented the entire teahouse for the day. Unexpectedly, Cheon-geuk knew a great deal about tea, so preparing and serving it from the kitchen had not been difficult.
“How did it go?”
“That woman is neither under the influence of the Soul-Ensnaring Art nor a practitioner of it herself.”
Na Sarin had determined all of that during the brief moments when she took their order and poured their tea.
“Thank you, Elder.”
“It was hardly difficult.”
Of the three people closest to the Alliance Leader, On Byeok-hwa had been the most likely suspect.
If it was not her, then they would have to investigate his son, Ak Seo-pyeong, and Pung Geuk-an, the commander of his secret guards.
However, arranging meetings like this with those two would not be easy.
Pung Geuk-an, in particular, never left the Alliance Leader’s side.
The best solution would have been to meet the Alliance Leader directly and examine him. But arranging such a meeting would be difficult, and more importantly, there was a very high chance that the Alliance Leader would recognize Na Sarin’s true identity.
If Baek So-cheon had recognized her, the Alliance Leader certainly would as well.
If it became known that a veteran master of the Assassins Alliance had been lurking near the Alliance Leader, the consequences would be severe. Na Sarin herself could be placed in danger.
That was why they were investigating the people around him first.
“Would you be willing to help us a little longer?”
“Of course.”
Pung Geuk-an could not be met outside the Alliance.
Ak Seo-pyeong, however, could probably be brought here through Zhuge Hyeon.
On Byeok-hwa might find it strange if she learned of it, but she would likely assume that Zhuge Hyeon was merely meeting various people and making efforts on Baek So-cheon’s behalf.
“It seems I will have to rent this place for another day.”
That night, Baek So-cheon remained in the teahouse instead of returning home.
With the doors closed, he sat alone drinking wine.
“Have you been waiting long?”
The person who entered was Na Sarin.
“No. Welcome.”
He had stayed because Na Sarin had asked him to share a drink with her here.
She smiled and shook the wine bottle in her hand.
“I brought some good wine.”
Baek So-cheon went to the kitchen and returned with cups and simple dishes he had prepared in advance.
“You even prepared food to go with it?”
“Yes. I did not make it myself. I bought it from a nearby inn.”
He had arranged it on the finest dishes in the teahouse.
“These dishes are quite lovely.”
Even past the age of eighty, a woman was still a woman.
Baek So-cheon remembered that when he had once drunk with Cheon-geuk, she had served the food in beautiful dishes. He had done the same here.
It was a small gesture, but it earned him considerable favor with Na Sarin.
“Thank you for being so thoughtful.”
“It was nothing. Here, allow me to pour you a cup.”
Baek So-cheon respectfully filled her cup.
The two drained their cups in one go.
“Ah, that is good.”
“The wine is excellent.”
“Had I never seen you, perhaps it would have been different. But now that fate has brought us together, I felt I should speak with you at least once. That is why I asked you here.”
“Please speak freely.”
“By the time I first became aware of the world around me, I was already an assassin. However, I lacked talent as an assassin. People like me usually die during their harsh training. Cruel, is it not?”
Baek So-cheon quietly drank as he listened.
“Fortunately, there was someone who took notice of me. That person became my master. Thanks to her, I survived and learned the Soul-Ensnaring Art. You may wonder why the Assassins Alliance needed such an art, but the Alliance Leader at the time trusted no one. His distrust was so extreme that it had become pathological. Therefore, he always kept a master of the Soul-Ensnaring Art by his side so that lies could be exposed.”
She spoke of her life in an even, composed voice.
Baek So-cheon had assumed that she would mostly discuss the illness that had halted her physical growth.
Yet she spoke only about the Assassins Alliance.
A thought suddenly occurred to him.
Perhaps this elder was never able to live her own life either.
Perhaps she had simply been swept along by the fate imposed upon her, struggling desperately just to survive.
Should it be called the brutality of the world?
Or the cruelty of the murim?
By the time one came to one’s senses, it was always too late.
“I have rambled for too long. I asked to meet you today because I have one request.”
“Please tell me.”
“When great turmoil comes to the murim in the future, do not attempt to use our Alliance.”
She made the request because she had sensed that Cheon-geuk’s feelings for Baek So-cheon were anything but ordinary.
She feared that Cheon-geuk might endanger the entire Assassins Alliance in order to help him.
More than anything, she asked for Cheon-geuk’s sake.
“You need not help our Alliance. Just do not drive it into danger. This is the sincere request of an old woman.”
Baek So-cheon emptied his cup once more.
He did not give a lengthy answer.
“Understood. In return, I also have one request.”
“Speak.”
“From now on, do not accept any assassination commission targeting me.”
“That promise should technically be made by the Alliance Leader, but I believe it is one she can keep.”
“Then I am satisfied.”
Baek So-cheon had never intended to use the Assassins Alliance in the war anyway.
During the previous war, he had attacked the Assassins Alliance only because he had grown enraged by the endless stream of assassins sent to kill him.
“Let us drink.”
The two drank together.
Na Sarin glanced toward the kitchen and said, “You have hidden in that cramped place long enough. Why not come out now?”
At those words, Cheon-geuk released her concealment and emerged from beside the counter.
She smiled awkwardly.
“The smell of the wine was so good that I couldn’t bear it.”
Of course, that was not the real reason.
She had hidden there because she was curious about what Na Sarin intended to discuss with Baek So-cheon.
She went to the kitchen and brought out her own cup.
“What were the two of you talking about so seriously?”
Baek So-cheon and Na Sarin stared at her without answering.
“What? Were you talking about me?”
Baek So-cheon poured her a drink.
“We knew you were here from the beginning. Even your acting now is terrible.”
“...”
“Come on. Let’s drink.”
The three raised their cups and drank.
More than anything, Cheon-geuk was grateful to Na Sarin.
She only hoped that Na Sarin would remain by her side for many years to come.
Shhhhhhh!
Rain began falling early the next morning.
Zhuge Hyeon met Ak Seo-pyeong at the same teahouse where he had met On Byeok-hwa the day before.
Ak Seo-pyeong had a handsome, warm, and rather endearing appearance.
Removing his rain-soaked straw cloak, he greeted Zhuge Hyeon respectfully.
“It has been a long time, Strategist.”
“Have you been well? I apologize for asking you to come out in this rain.”
Zhuge Hyeon had known Ak Seo-pyeong since childhood, so he spoke to him comfortably.
“Not at all. Thanks to you, I had the rare pleasure of taking a walk in the rain.”
As they exchanged greetings, Na Sarin once again came over to take their order.
Their conversation continued while they waited for the tea.
Zhuge Hyeon spoke openly with him. His concern had always been for the Alliance and the orthodox murim, so he had nothing to hide.
“I asked to see you today because I am worried about the relationship between your father and Captain Baek.”
“I feel much the same.”
“You do?”
“Yes. For some time now, I have sensed that Father has been distancing himself from Captain Baek. You may not know this, but I have admired and respected Captain Baek for many years. To speak honestly, I wanted to become a martial artist like him.”
“Is that so?”
It was a statement that required some caution.
Normally, a son was expected to say that he wished to become a man like his father.
Could it be jealousy?
A sudden thought occurred to Zhuge Hyeon.
Could the Alliance Leader have realized how his son felt and distanced himself from Baek So-cheon out of jealousy?
He is not such a narrow-minded man.
The Ak So-gun whom Zhuge Hyeon knew was truly broad-minded.
That was precisely why he had been more suited than anyone else to lead the Murim Alliance.
“Have you ever told your father that?”
“No. Today is the first time I have ever said it aloud.”
“Ah, I see.”
In that case, Zhuge Hyeon doubted Ak Seo-pyeong was the cause.
“I heard that Father held a banquet the day before yesterday. I also heard that he returned the sword he had previously confiscated.”
“That is correct.”
“Since he returned it willingly, perhaps Father’s resentment has begun to ease.”
“I hope so as well.”
Meanwhile, the tea arrived.
Once again, Na Sarin poured it for them before leaving.
After speaking a little longer, the two men departed.
Na Sarin then closed the teahouse entirely.
Baek So-cheon and Cheon-geuk emerged from the kitchen.
“It is not him either. I could not detect the slightest trace of the Soul-Ensnaring Art.”
That left only one person to investigate.
Pung Geuk-an, commander of the secret guard unit that had protected the Alliance Leader for many years.
Since he was always at the Alliance Leader’s side, meeting him effectively meant appearing before the Alliance Leader as well.
This will not be easy.
Seeing Baek So-cheon’s expression darken, Cheon-geuk spoke.
“We’re already involved in this matter. We’ll stay nearby for the time being, so don’t rush. Proceed carefully.”
“Thank you.”
Baek So-cheon looked at her.
She had found the elixirs for him, and now she was helping him with this as well.
He was sincerely grateful to her.
“I will make sure you never regret choosing to help me.”
Cheon-geuk’s eyes gleamed at his words.
As another woman, Na Sarin could sense the tremor in her emotions.
She could feel the heat radiating from Cheon-geuk.
That was why Na Sarin worried.
She believed that an assassin died the moment they allowed themselves to grow heated.
An assassin had to remain cold at all times.
Yet she could not bring herself to stop Cheon-geuk.
At the end of Na Sarin’s own cold life stood Cheon-geuk.
Not once in her life had she ever burned with such passion.
But...
Was her own life truly one she could recommend to Cheon-geuk?
Shhhhhhh!
The three stood watching the pouring rain, each immersed in different emotions.
As Baek So-cheon stared endlessly at the falling rain, an idea suddenly occurred to him.
Could it work?
If they could not bring Na Sarin before the Alliance Leader, then perhaps Baek So-cheon could do it himself.
His first instinct was that it would be impossible.
Still, clinging to the faint possibility, he asked Na Sarin,
“Could you teach me the secret method so that I can recognize the Soul-Ensnaring Art myself?”