Chapter 90
A Rose and an Onion (1)
After thoroughly unsettling Meol Jiryun, Baek Socheon went straight to find Zhuge Hyeon.
He was in his office inside Hyeoncheon Pavilion.
“What is it?”
“I’m sorry to come at such a late hour, but I have something urgent to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Please find out whether there are signs of internal conflict within the Blood Cult. And if there are, I’d like to know the exact situation as well.”
Baek Socheon relayed everything Meol Jiryun had told him earlier.
“Ah, so something like that happened. Understood. I’ll look into it immediately.”
“Thank you.”
Baek Socheon bowed politely and was about to leave when Zhuge Hyeon stopped him.
“How about a drink? It’s been a while.”
“Sounds good.”
Ever since reconciling with the Alliance Leader, Baek Socheon had neglected spending time with Zhuge Hyeon.
There had simply been too many things happening, so it was understandable.
Still, instead of coming only to ask for a favor and then leaving again tonight, Baek Socheon should have been the one to suggest sharing a drink.
His mind had been so preoccupied that he kept overlooking too many things.
‘I still have a long way to go.’
Being a master of martial arts did not make someone a master of life or human relationships.
If anything, becoming too absorbed in one thing often left other parts of one’s life woefully lacking.
“I hope I’m not holding up a busy man for no reason.”
“Not at all. I’ve actually been wanting to share a drink with you, Strategist.”
“Is that so? Hahaha.”
Zhuge Hyeon laughed happily.
He was this pleased by something so simple, yet Baek Socheon had failed to spare even enough time for a single drink with him.
The two drank together in the office.
Come to think of it, Zhuge Hyeon ate and slept within the Martial Alliance itself.
He had separate quarters prepared for him in the inner compound.
“Isn’t it uncomfortable living inside the Alliance?”
“I’m used to it now, so it’s fine. If anything, other places feel more uncomfortable.”
“I’m worried you might ruin your health.”
“I may look like I’m constantly sickly, but this old body still has plenty of strength left.”
But looking at him now, Baek Socheon noticed that Zhuge Hyeon’s hair had become almost entirely white, as though covered in snow.
Had he always had this much white hair?
The thought came naturally.
When Baek Socheon had first met him, Zhuge Hyeon had still been a vigorous middle-aged man.
‘So much time has passed.’
They talked about various things as several rounds of drinks passed between them.
Once the alcohol had left them pleasantly tipsy, Zhuge Hyeon cautiously asked,
“Are you perhaps planning to leave the Alliance if we manage to stop this war?”
The fact that Baek Socheon did not immediately say no was answer enough.
“So I was right.”
Baek Socheon thought that if he did not speak openly in a setting like this, he might never get another chance.
“I’m sorry to say this, but since the subject has come up, I’ll tell you honestly. As you know, I’ve spent my entire life bound to the Alliance. Once this matter is settled, I want to leave and live freely.”
After wandering the martial world to his heart’s content, he wanted to open a small teahouse somewhere scenic.
A teahouse filled with the fragrance of tea, without drunken troublemakers causing scenes.
He would open when he felt like it and close when he felt like it.
He wanted to sit there watching people come and go, living without being tied down by anything.
And if that ever grew boring, he could simply live under a new identity.
Perhaps he could become a merchant.
He could begin a new life with the goal of becoming the greatest merchant in the martial world.
And when he tired of that, he could simply pack up and leave again.
That was the life Baek Socheon wanted.
A life bound by nothing.
A life with nothing predetermined.
How could Zhuge Hyeon fail to understand?
He too had spent his entire life tied to the Martial Alliance.
There had been times when he felt exactly as Baek Socheon did.
But every time, fear had stopped him.
‘Would I really be able to live well if I left the Alliance?’
That thought had always held him back.
Zhuge Hyeon knew better than most how difficult change was and how frightening it could be to challenge oneself with an entirely new life.
Baek Socheon made a request.
“When that time eventually comes, please help me.”
He meant that when the Alliance Leader tried to stop him from leaving, he wanted Zhuge Hyeon to stand beside him.
Zhuge Hyeon thought that if no one else understood Baek Socheon, at least he should.
He knew better than anyone what it felt like to want to leave.
Even so, Zhuge Hyeon raised his wine cup and said,
“I can’t promise you that. I’ll probably try even harder than the Alliance Leader to keep you here.”
Just imagining parting with Baek Socheon made him deeply reluctant.
Perhaps Zhuge Hyeon would miss him even more than the Alliance Leader would.
Baek Socheon understood that this answer came from a place far warmer than simply promising to help him leave.
He smiled faintly and clinked cups with Zhuge Hyeon.
The wine tasted bitter and sweet at the same time.
At that moment, far beyond the window, a streak of light crossed the night sky.
A shooting star.
Baek Socheon closed his eyes and made a wish.
For the first time in a very long while…
Perhaps for the first time ever…
Baek Socheon made a wish for himself.
***
Cheongeuk sat beside the window, gazing at the night sky.
Dongseong stood behind her, reporting news from the Martial Alliance.
“They say the duel will be held at the end of this month.”
“Really?”
“Yes. They intend to invite all the renowned figures and hold it as a formal duel.”
“A lot of people are going to gather.”
“Yes.”
“Have all the top-class assassins stand by in Wuhan.”
“All of them?”
“Call every single one and have them ready.”
“Yes, understood.”
This duel would determine whether war broke out between the Cheukcheon Alliance and the Martial Alliance.
On the surface, it was supposedly a contest over a woman.
But in the end, it was a duel with the fate of the martial world hanging upon it.
“Should we have a drink?”
The moment Baek Socheon came up in conversation, she wanted to see him.
She had been deliberately suppressing that desire.
“You still shouldn’t drink. It might aggravate your wound.”
At Dongseong’s objection, Cheongeuk said,
“Then you all drink. I’ll just watch. At least let me watch other people drink.”
“Alliance Leader, that’ll only make it harder for you.”
“This won’t do. I should at least go visit the old man.”
“He’s probably asleep by now.”
“What a shame.”
At that moment, Seoseong stepped forward.
“Let’s drink together. I think one small sip should be fine for you, Alliance Leader.”
“Right?”
Cheongeuk smiled brightly.
Seoseong prepared a simple drinking table.
Meanwhile, prompted by Dongseong’s concern, the Guardian Killing Stars began communicating through sound transmission.
—The Alliance Leader seems strange somehow.
—I agree. She seems different somehow.
—She doesn’t look unhappy, though.
—That’s exactly why I’m even more worried. She keeps smiling for no reason.
—Could it be an aftereffect of the injury?
Seoseong, who had been listening silently until then, finally joined in.
—The Alliance Leader will be fine.
—Why?
—Just a feeling.
Seoseong filled four cups to the brim and poured only one-third into the remaining cup.
“Come, let’s all have a drink.”
The five raised their cups in a toast.
After taking a sip, Cheongeuk said,
“I slept with him.”
Pffft!
Dongseong spat out the wine in his mouth.
Except for Seoseong, who had already suspected it, the other three stared at her in shock.
Cheongeuk smiled.
“I thought you should know, since you’re my guards.”
The three did not know what to say.
Seoseong spoke to her.
“Congratulations, Alliance Leader.”
“Is this really something to congratulate me for?”
“Of course. I think it’s the happiest thing worth congratulating you for since I began serving you.”
“Thank you.”
Cheongeuk looked at the other three.
“I admit that I like him. But you don’t need to worry. I know exactly who I am.”
She walked over to the window.
“That’s why I won’t be greedy.”
At that moment, Bukseong, the quietest of the four Guardian Killing Stars, suddenly spoke.
“Be greedy.”
Everyone turned to stare at him in surprise.
“I don’t know about other assassins, but I believe you, Alliance Leader, deserve to be happy.”
It was enough to make them wonder whether he had remained so silent all this time merely so he could surprise them today.
Cheongeuk smiled at him, then turned back toward the night sky.
Looking at the countless stars, she said,
“I really don’t need to be greedy. I’m already this happy.”
At that moment, a shooting star fell in the distance, leaving behind a long tail of light.
Cheongeuk and the four Guardian Killing Stars simultaneously brought both palms together over their chests and silently made wishes.
One person wished for the sake of four.
And four people wished for the sake of one.
***
The following night, Meol Jiryun came to visit Baek Socheon again.
“May I come in for a moment?”
“Of course.”
She entered Baek Socheon’s house and looked around the room.
“The atmosphere here is nice.”
“I’m away often, so it feels rather bare.”
“I like how clean it is.”
She sat down and asked,
“Do you have any alcohol? If you don’t mind, shall we have a drink?”
“Certainly.”
Baek Socheon brought out some wine.
While he was doing so, Meol Jiryun removed her outer robe.
The clothes beneath were highly revealing, exposing her cleavage, thighs, and slender waist.
Her makeup was also heavier than it had been the previous night.
Baek Socheon poured her a drink.
“I thought about it all night. I wondered what it was that Great Hero Baek truly wanted. But no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure it out.”
“Have you reached a conclusion?”
Meol Jiryun stared at him.
“What do you think of me?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m asking whether you find me attractive as a woman.”
“I think you’re beautiful.”
Her lips parted slightly, and heat entered her gaze.
Baek Socheon could tell that she was trying to seduce him.
Her clothing alone made her intention obvious.
Unfortunately for her, the seduction was stopped before it could even get through the door.
“Whoever eventually marries you will be a fortunate man.”
“Thank you.”
Mentioning another man in this sort of situation was simply a polite rejection.
When her seduction failed, Meol Jiryun’s pride took a blow.
‘This impotent bastard! A man without even internal energy is acting so high and mighty! Just you wait! One day, I’ll—’
Nursing her wounded pride, she brought out the second thing she had prepared.
“I’m only asking just in case, and it may be a rude question.”
“Go ahead.”
“Could it be that what you want is money?”
Baek Socheon calmly asked in return,
“Why would that be a rude question?”
“What?”
“Isn’t money one of the clearest ways of showing someone’s sincerity? If the amount is sufficient, money is perfectly fine.”
Contempt flashed through Meol Jiryun’s eyes.
“You really are nothing like the rumors say.”
Even after Baek Socheon had explained himself yesterday, she still did not understand.
The people who deserved contempt were those who tried to use others without paying any price at all.
Baek Socheon did not bother explaining it again.
She had probably been raised without ever needing to understand that sort of mindset.
Looking at Meol Jiryun made him think of Cheongeuk.
Meol Jiryun, who had grown up enjoying every luxury imaginable.
And Cheongeuk, who had still grown into such a remarkable person despite living through the worst possible circumstances.
Meol Jiryun pulled an envelope from inside her clothes.
Inside were bank drafts.
Thirty drafts worth ten thousand nyang each.
Three hundred thousand nyang.
It was an enormous sum, far beyond anything Baek Socheon had expected.
“Is this enough to prove my sincerity?”
“Tell me what you want first. Only then can I decide.”
“Fine. I have two conditions. First, defeat Yeom Sawon in the duel.”
“Very well.”
“The second is that even after he leaves, allow me to remain in the Martial Alliance for a while. You don’t have to marry me. Just let me stay until Yeom Sawon gives up on me. What do you think? Will you accept?”
Baek Socheon nodded.
“Very well. I accept.”
Meol Jiryun finished her last cup of wine and rose.
“I hope you win.”
Baek Socheon immediately took the bank drafts and went to see Zhuge Hyeon.
He handed over one of the drafts she had given him.
“Please find out when this draft was withdrawn.”
“Understood.”
Zhuge Hyeon entrusted the matter to Sima Iljung and ordered him to obtain the information as quickly as possible.
“What’s this about?”
“It’s a bank draft I received from Meol Jiryun.”
“From her?”
“There’s something bothering me.”
A short while later, Sima Iljung returned with the draft and reported.
“I looked into it. This draft wasn’t withdrawn in the Central Plains. It was issued from an outer-region branch of the Daeryuk Bank.”
“So she obtained the money before coming here.”
“Yes.”
In other words, she had come to the Central Plains already intending to spend a large amount of money.
She had entered dangerous enemy territory with only two guards, yet brought this much money with her?
And this might not even be all the money she possessed.
Baek Socheon revised his assessment of Meol Jiryun.
“I thought she was a rose that came into a greenhouse to escape the cold wind, but she’s actually an onion that grew out in a field, battered by wind and rain.”
He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
“I think I’ll have to peel back a few more layers before I understand her.”