It was indeed the kind of benevolent aura befitting a Daoist. But to Seolhwa, who still vividly remembered what had just happened, it was nothing more than an empty facade.
“What brings a disciple of Mount Hua to Hefei?”
“That is a secret.”
The boy answered with a grin, and Seolhwa’s gaze grew heavier.
‘Mount Hua, here in Hefei…’
At this time, there could only be one reason why Mount Hua had deliberately come to Hefei.
“But…”
The boy scratched his head awkwardly.
“…?”
“Could you please put in a good word for me with my master? If I go back like this, I might really get beaten to death this time… Ah!”
Seolhwa didn’t bother listening further and turned to leave. Yu Kang hurried after her.
“Hey, hey! Don’t be like that! I even covered you with my clothes so your lips wouldn’t get crooked from the cold! Just think of it as saving the life of your benefactor, huh? Ack!”
Something flew straight into Yu Kang’s face. It was the martial robes he had draped over Seolhwa earlier. When he pulled them off his face, Seolhwa was staring at him with an indifferent expression.
“We’re even.”
“What?”
“I’m not in a position to help anyone either.”
Seolhwa pointed toward the city. Namgung warriors were running busily through the streets, searching for her. If she returned now, it would be just as troublesome for Yu Kang as it was for herself.
“Ah…”
Realizing her meaning belatedly, Yu Kang stared blankly at the city before turning back to her with a look of pity. Her reaction was so transparent that Seolhwa let out a small laugh.
“I won’t forget the favor. If you ever need help, come find me at Namgung.”
“If I go to Namgung, will I be able to see you?”
Seolhwa nodded.
Yu Kang’s face lit up with excitement as he shouted, “Let’s have a spar! Swordsman against swordsman. It’s been my dream to cross blades with the Sword of Azure Sky!”
“No.” The refusal came as sharp and immediate as a blade.
Yu Kang’s face fell in disappointment.
“…Why…?”
“If you want to cross swords with me…”
Seolhwa’s eyes curved gently like a crescent moon. A breeze blew past, lifting her loose strands of hair.
“…then come back stronger.”
“…!”
And in the next instant, she was gone. Like the wind that comes and leaves without a sound, she vanished without a trace. The dust stirred where she had stood slowly settled back to the ground.
Yu Kang could only stare blankly at the empty spot. What was that?
“…So cool…”
His cheeks flushed faintly red.
“It’s obvious she approached us with this in mind from the start. We should check if any secret techniques are missing.”
“Didn’t she even deceive the Family Head and the Leader of the Secret Wind Sword Unit before disappearing? Tsk, tsk. No matter how young, one can still be cunning…”
“Even if she is blood, shouldn’t she be caught and punished properly?”
The child had vanished. Upon hearing the report that Seolhwa was missing, Namgung Mucheon immediately organized a search party. At first, he thought it was the enemy’s doing, targeting the child.
But within just one hour, another rumor began to spread within the family. That Seolhwa had defeated the Leader of the Secret Wind Sword Unit and the Medicine Hall Master, then fled.
“….”
Namgung Mucheon looked down at the maidservants and warriors gossiping so freely.
One hour.
In just one hour, public opinion had been overturned. Could that really be coincidence?
‘Someone is stirring this up.’
Who could it be? He did not yet know, but it was certain there was a rotten pit festering within his family.
“Family Head, shall I punish them?”
“Leave it. If ignorance were punishable, who would remain alive in this world?”
More importantly, perhaps the rumor was not entirely false. When he had rushed to Seolhwa’s pavilion after receiving the report, it was unexpectedly neat. There were no signs of forced entry, nothing to suggest she had been dragged away.
And the condition of the fallen Flying Wind Sword. Even with strong medicine, he was a supreme master. He was not someone who would fall so easily.
If it had been the work of an unknown intruder, his body should have been stiff with tension. But when Namgung Mucheon examined Seop Mugwang, he looked merely asleep. As if he had known the one who drugged him, and had chosen not to resist.
‘She truly left of her own will.’
The only one who could have rendered the Flying Wind Sword so powerless was that child. But to say she had fled? That, he could not believe.
‘I can handle it myself.’
He still remembered the look in her eyes when she said those words. If it was her, she would not run away. She would face her problems with her own strength.
If that was the case, Namgung Mucheon did not wish for much.
‘Where are you, Seolhwa? Please, return unharmed.’
The sound of murmurs surrounded her. She had left by climbing over the wall, but returned through the main gate. There was no need to flaunt that she knew all the mechanisms of Namgung.
The fastest way to announce her return was to walk through the front gate.
“It’s the Young Lady! The Young Lady has returned!”
At the gatekeeper’s shout, a signal firework was launched to announce her return. The warriors and maidservants gathered near the gate all turned to Seolhwa. Shock spread across their faces.
“Wh-what is that…?”
“Blood…?”
As they whispered among themselves, Seolhwa walked forward calmly. She had crossed the threshold and was halfway into the Inner Hall courtyard when a large figure blocked her path. Seolhwa lifted her gaze.
Namgung Mucheon stood there, with the Chief Steward and the Hall Masters beside him, all wearing looks of surprise. Seolhwa clasped her hands in salute.
“The scent of blood clings to you.”
Namgung Mucheon’s voice carried a chilling edge. Seolhwa bowed her head in silence. She had deceived them all and left in secret; she had no excuse.
“I am sorry.”
“You have returned, that is enough. Did you finish what you set out to do?”
“…Yes.”
“Then let us go to your quarters.”
Namgung Mucheon turned to those beside him.
“Everyone, return to your duties.”
Though the Hall Masters looked as if they had much to say, none dared to speak. The warriors and maidservants who had been watching also dispersed at his command. Namgung Mucheon walked ahead toward Seolhwa’s quarters.
Seolhwa followed quietly behind.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
His voice, now warm, held none of the coldness from earlier. Seolhwa nodded softly.
“No.” “Wash and change your clothes first.”
“Yes.”
When she returned to her quarters, warm bathwater and fresh clothes were already prepared. As if they had known she would come back. She dismissed the maidservants who offered to help her bathe.
She could not reveal the wounds tainted with blood energy. Only after circulating her Inner Energy to drive out the blood energy did she sink into the warm water. Splash— In the bath, Seolhwa hugged her legs.
The wounds she had received in her fight with Pawol were visible. Thin, healed cuts reminded her of the night before.
‘Pawol.’
She had cut off the arm of someone who had been her comrade for eight years. She did not feel guilt or pity. Most of the Blood Demon’s teachings were inhuman and worthless, but there were a few she agreed with.
‘Kill, or be killed.’
If she had not severed Pawol’s arm, countless people would have died by his hand, including those of Namgung. So it was justified. After changing into fresh clothes, she returned to her room.
Namgung Mucheon sat upright at the table, arms crossed, eyes closed.
“Grandfather.”
He slowly opened his eyes and looked at her. His brows furrowed slightly.
“You are hurt.”
His gaze fell on her forehead. It was a shallow wound she had received when she had pressed in against Pawol’s sword.
“This much is nothing. A maid said she would bring me golden wound salve.”
“…Sit.”
Namgung Mucheon sighed and gestured to the seat across from him, rubbing his brow as if weary. A heavy silence stretched on. It was Seolhwa who broke it.
“I’m sorry. For deceiving everyone. I just didn’t want anyone else to get hurt because of me.”
“…If someone else could be hurt, then it means you could be hurt as well. On the other hand, if it was something you could resolve, then perhaps no one needed to be hurt at all.”
There were many masters in the family stronger than Seolhwa. If they had gone, she would not have been injured. That was what angered Namgung Mucheon.
Now that she had returned, she could have stepped back from danger and relied on the protection of the family. Why did she insist on going out and coming back wounded?
“Does this grandfather, does Namgung, seem so untrustworthy to you?”