Because of the elixir, the sparring match with Namgung Mugang concluded around the time the sun reached the middle of the sky. Namgung Mugang seemed regretful that it was over, but he also looked pleased at the thought of using the Counter-Sword Technique to advance the Great Flame Sword Technique. Namgung Mucheon handed Seolhwa a bulging pouch.
The pouch, which she accepted in a daze, was heavy enough to pull her hand down slightly. A glint of gold could be seen through the opening.
“I put some gold in there. Since you're going out to have fun, don't hold back and spend it.”
It was enough to buy an entire Candied Fruit Skewer shop, not just the skewers themselves. Although the gold she had received when she first came to Namgung was piled up to overflowing in the storeroom, Seolhwa obediently accepted the pouch.
Adding a few more pieces of gold to boxes already overflowing with them would change nothing, and it was likely the same for Namgung Mucheon. After bidding Namgung Mucheon farewell, she left the Family Head's Hall. Seop Mugwang followed her out.
“You’re going to Lake Chao?”
“Yes.”
“Hah, there's an absolutely delicious roasted duck house in Lake Chao. You must try the roasted duck from that place. You’ll probably faint from how good it is.”
“How do you know about things like that?”
“Like what?”
“Delicious restaurants.”
Seop Mugwang hummed, stroking his chin.
“It just happened, I guess? When I have time, there’s not much to do and nowhere special to go. So I just wander around looking for tasty inns, that’s all.”
Seop Mugwang grinned at Seolhwa.
“But I guess I won’t be able to do that anymore.”
“?”
He chuckled and patted Seolhwa’s head. Seolhwa recalled Moyong Yeonhwa’s gentle touch as she let his rough hand rest on the back of her head.
“Since you’re going, play until you're sick of it. Who knows when you’ll get to play like that again?”
For some reason, his laughter seemed to hold a hidden meaning.
“Have a good trip. You can boast about what you enjoyed when you get back.”
“Yes. I’ll bring you back a gift.”
Returning to her pavilion, Seolhwa shed her martial arts uniform for the first time in a while, changed into light everyday clothes, and set off for Lake Chao with Namgung Cheongun.
Yeoyul was full of excitement, chattering about the beauty of Lake Chao and its unique birds, while Ryeong seemed a little nervous, as it was her first time leaving Hefei on an escort mission. The pavilion managed by the Namgung family was located in the center of the northern part of Lake Chao.
The northern center was a piece of land that jutted out to the south, so if you climbed the watchtower, you could see water on all sides, making you feel as if you were floating on it. Leaving the bustling streets behind, as they got closer to Lake Chao, a market street centered around the lake appeared.
Compared to the splendid streets of Hefei, it was quieter, but the streets of Lake Chao were still crowded with people.
“Come to think of it, Hwarin’s birthday is in a few days.”
Yeoyul said excitedly.
“Then, shall we buy her a gift? If we surprise her with a gift, Young Lady Hwarin will be so happy! What do you think, Young Lady?”
“Why a gift?”
“What do you mean, why? It’s Young Lady Hwarin’s birthday soon!”
“Do people give gifts even for a child’s birthday?”
In that moment, the three of them froze stiff. Feeling the sudden strange atmosphere, Seolhwa looked back at Cheongun with a puzzled expression.
“!”
Cheongun’s eyes were welling up. Yeoyul, who had frozen with a bright smile on her face, also had eyes growing moist.
“Then I’ll go with Ryeong. Dad, let’s meet at this spot in half a quarter-hour.”
Seolhwa quickly grabbed Ryeong and fled the scene as if escaping. Moving away from Cheongun and Yeoyul, Seolhwa browsed the street stalls. Ryeong, who had been looking back toward Cheongun, came to her side.
“A crowd has already formed around the First Young Master.”
Seolhwa also glanced back. People were packed tightly around Cheongun. The Namgung Young Master’s popularity was immense here as well.
Unable to get close, but wanting to catch even a single glimpse of the Namgung Young Master’s face, people had flocked to him, making it difficult for Cheongun to walk.
“My father is quite handsome.”
In any case, it was a relief to have escaped. Since her face was not yet well-known, Seolhwa could leisurely look at the goods thanks to Cheongun.
A gift.
‘What would be good?’
Just then, a particular stall caught her eye, and Seolhwa was drawn toward it. As she was checking the condition of the items with a clatter, Ryeong let out a troubled groan.
“Young Lady. Surely, that isn't for Young Lady Hwarin’s birthday, is it?”
“It is.”
“…You mean… a dagger.”
“Yes. A dagger.”
“A dagger…”
“A dagger.”
With a smooth sound, she drew the dagger from its sheath. Its condition was surprisingly good.
“I should have stopped you when you entered the blacksmith’s…”
Ryeong muttered something to herself, then smiled and pointed to a shop across the street.
“How about that shop over there?”
The place Ryeong pointed to was a shop that sold ornaments. At a glance, it was filled with a variety of colorful items.
“Doesn’t she already have a lot of ornaments?”
“Still, it’s better than a dagger…. Even if it’s not something special, isn’t it the thought that counts?”
In truth, what could a young lady of the Namgung family possibly need? She could have anything she wanted just by asking. In that sense, a dagger or an ornament didn't seem to make much of a difference, but Seolhwa obediently put the dagger down.
As she was about to leave the blacksmith's empty-handed, something caught her eye. It was an iron pellet, the size of a thumbnail. It was the perfect size for the pellet bow she had seen at the Heavenly Martial Tournament.
In the end, Seolhwa bought a pouch of iron pellets before leaving the shop. As Ryeong suggested, they looked around a few more ornament shops, but she didn’t know which ornaments were pretty, which made it even harder to choose.
Ultimately, after wandering through several ornament shops, she bought a rabbit-shaped hairpiece that resembled Hwarin and decided to head back to the place where they had separated an hour ago. They had come quite a long way, so they were hurrying back when…
“Mmph, mmph!”
“?”
At the sound of a muffled, urgent voice, Seolhwa instinctively looked toward the alley behind a shop. In that instant, Seolhwa’s brow furrowed.
“…Hwarin?”
It was for a fleeting moment. A child, with her mouth covered, disappeared behind the shop. In that brief instant, Seolhwa saw the child’s face.
It was undoubtedly Namgung Hwarin.
“Pardon? What did you say?”
As Ryeong asked, Seolhwa shot forward, running toward the alley.
“Young Lady!”
Ryeong hurriedly chased after her.
“Young Lady, why all of a sudden… Hah…!”
Following Seolhwa into the alley, Ryeong’s eyes filled with horror. Deep in the alley, behind a building where people didn’t pass, a person lay collapsed. They were still breathing, but the sword wound was deep.
Seolhwa immediately pressed the man's meridians to stop the bleeding, then lifted the token hanging from his waist and showed it to Ryeong.
“A Namgung warrior.”
It was the token symbolizing the Namgung’s Yellow Dragon Unit. Ryeong quickly checked the fallen man’s face.
“This man is…! He’s Young Lady Hwarin’s escort!”
“Ryeong.”
Seolhwa looked in the direction Hwarin had disappeared and spoke to Ryeong.
“Move this warrior to a safe place and go get my father. I will follow them.”
“You can’t, Young Lady! What if you get into danger…! I should be the one to go after them!”
“I don’t know who these people are, but they took down a Namgung warrior and took Hwarin. Their target is a young lady of Namgung. If you are discovered while chasing them, you will die, but I will likely survive.”
Above all, if they were from the Unorthodox Path, they might be people she had met during her time at the Fire Crow Pavilion.
‘If I happen to know them, maybe I can talk to them and end this peacefully.’
If not, and they were targeting ‘Namgung’, she might be able to trade herself, a person of equal value, to save Hwarin.
“Besides, I’m smaller and stronger than you.”
And she was confident in her stealth. Hearing Seolhwa’s words, Ryeong realized she could no longer stop her. Seolhwa took off her cumbersome outer robe, handed it to Ryeong, and took out the pouch of iron pellets she had just bought, tying it to her waist.
Seolhwa showed an iron pellet to Ryeong and said.
“I’ll drop these along the way. If you’re worried about me, hurry.”
“…Yes, Young Lady.”
Seolhwa nodded and stood up. Without hesitation, she ran in the direction Hwarin had been dragged.
“Please…! Be safe…!”
Staring at the retreating Seolhwa with trembling eyes, Ryeong quickly picked up the fallen Yellow Dragon Unit member and began to move. It would be troublesome if the kidnapping of a Namgung young lady in broad daylight became known, so she had to move as quickly and secretly as possible.
As Ryeong ran with the Yellow Dragon Unit member in her arms, cold sweat trickled down her forehead.
“Hey, I told you to handle her with care!”
“No, I’m telling you, this little brat bit my hand! And I only gave her a little push! Just a little!”
“A little push makes a kid faint? Did you forget what the Fortress Lord said would happen if there’s a single scratch on her body?!”
The sound of an argument could be heard not too far away. Seolhwa, who had been tracking the culprits, hid herself in the shadows behind a rock.
‘Two masters of the Supreme Realm. The rest are no slouches either. Who are these people?’
She had guessed they were no ordinary thugs since they had taken down an Inner Hall warrior of Namgung and kidnapped a Namgung child. Even for Seolhwa, who was accustomed to fighting, it would not be easy to rescue the unconscious Hwarin from among masters of that caliber.
Among the half-dozen masked men, Hwarin was slung unconscious over one man’s shoulder. The place they took Hwarin was a river stream leading to Lake Chao. Their boat was docked behind a deserted hill.
‘The Yangtze River Water Fortress…?’
It was hastily covered, but she could tell just by the black flag stuck at the stern of the boat. Even if that weren’t the case, the only Unorthodox Path faction that dominated this area was the Yangtze River Water Fortress.
‘Why are they targeting Namgung?’
The Yangtze River Water Fortress was a massive unorthodox faction that had built its power around the great waterway that flowed throughout the Central Plains. They possessed a power that could not be ignored, but they weren't the type to openly provoke Namgung. Were they planning to start a war?
‘But even if they went to war with Namgung, the Water Fortress has nothing to gain.’
So they weren't the type to stir up trouble with Namgung, so why on earth… It was then.
“Welcome back, big brothers!”
A man appeared on the deck of the boat and waved at the men below.
“I’ll lower the bridge in a second! Please wait a moment!”
A bright voice, an innocent smile. Seolhwa’s eyebrow twitched.
‘What’s he doing here?’