TSBIRBV Ch 126

Chapter 126 A Stolen Kiss (3)

 

“I have a great deal to handle in Cheonghae.”

Yegyeol answered smoothly, as though he had anticipated such a question. There was no need to tediously explain that his Senior Brother had placed him under a travel ban. He had no desire to speak of Je Haryang to others.

If he revealed their bond as fellow disciples, inevitably the topic of Haryang’s expulsion from Kunlun would arise.

It’s practically a scarlet letter.

In the martial world, expulsion carried a crushing weight. In some ways, it was no different from the excommunication European kings once feared from the Pope.

To be expelled was to face social death.

Typically, such punishment was reserved for heinous crimes—killing a fellow disciple, selling off the sect’s martial arts, or pursuing the heretical ways of unorthodox paths for the sake of power.

Thus, to be expelled was no different from being branded across the forehead with the mark of a criminal.

And furthermore…

Depending on the gravity of the offense, sometimes the sect might merely demand a vow never to use their martial arts again. But more often, they abolished the offender’s dantian—or worse, severed the meridians of all four limbs to leave no threat behind.

Namgung Un was unquestionably a good man, and a Guide at that. But that did not change the fact that he belonged to one of the Five Great Houses—the very heart of the orthodox factions.

Even if Yegyeol found him trustworthy, he did not trust the man’s convictions. Namgung Un would surely warn him to beware of Je Haryang.

I let Black Ghost speak ill of him because that was Haryang himself, but Namgung Un… that doesn’t apply.

Expulsion from Kunlun—one of the Nine Great Sects of the orthodox world—might be worn as a badge of honor in the unorthodox sphere.

But Yegyeol was not silent out of shame. He simply could not stand the thought of Je Haryang’s name being spoken of in a negative light.

He did not know what had happened in the twenty years he had been absent, nor why Haryang had come to such a fate. But to Yegyeol, Haryang would forever be the cherished young master of a noble house, the Senior Brother admired by all of Kunlun, and the youthful hero of the martial world.

“On the trip to Hangzhou, I even signed an exclusive contract with a workshop… There has been much to manage.”

Yegyeol concealed the truth with clean, unadorned lies.

“I see. I hadn’t the slightest idea.”

Namgung Un glanced briefly toward Samrang, then looked back at Yegyeol with an awkward smile.

“I came because I was worried, but now that I see you looking so well, I’m relieved.”

There were no video calls in this vast Central Plains, yet Namgung Un had worried after not seeing him for only a couple of months. Yegyeol had thought him a bold personality, but it seemed he had a surprisingly delicate side as well.

Perhaps it was because, not long after their first meeting, Yegyeol had been taken hostage by the Flood Dragon King. Maybe Namgung Un had since seen him as a fragile paper doll.

“It makes me feel ashamed that I was so buried in work I completely forgot about you.”

The Esper, who would never abuse his strength against a decent Guide, laughed sheepishly.

“While I’m staying in Cheonghae, if I come here, may I see your face?”

“It would be… difficult to promise.”

Yegyeol frowned. He had just claimed to be busy, yet in truth he visited headquarters barely once a week. To admit that now would be suspicious. Better to deflect.

“I understand.”

Namgung Un nodded readily and rose from his seat.

“I’m staying at the Dal-yang Inn in the marketplace. Come whenever it suits you. If I am not there, leave word with the innkeeper.”

“I will remember.”

“They serve the finest Guozheng Gongju¹ I have ever tasted.”

Adding the tempting detail, Namgung Un made Yegyeol chuckle.

“Hah, you make me want to hurry through my work and come share a cup.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

After escorting Namgung Un out of the headquarters, Yegyeol turned back toward his office. He brushed aside the bamboo slips he had finished and rose.

“Shall we return to the manor?”

“Yes, I’ll escort you.”

Perhaps cheered by the thought, Samrang replied with unusual vigor. But before she pushed open the door, she suddenly asked:

“By the way… since when were you so close with that man?”

“You mean Lord Namgung?”

Pausing as he donned his outer robe, Yegyeol tilted his head. He thought his manner had been strictly businesslike, but apparently Samrang had seen it differently.

“Was it because we once shared a drink?”

“Even for that, you seemed overly friendly.”

“It’s only because I was grateful. Thanks to him introducing Tang Segi, I didn’t end up in open conflict with the Tang Clan.”

Yegyeol shrugged as though it were nothing.

“Oh, still. The young dragon of the Namgung Clan—there are even rumors he’s secretly the Ice Dragon—and yet he acted that way toward you. I was shocked.”

Samrang wrinkled her nose.

“And to call the Namgung heir by name! Even Lady Zegal, to whom he’s betrothed, couldn’t call him so.”

“Of course she wouldn’t call him like I do.”

Waving it off, Yegyeol strode over, hand reaching for the door, and added:

“Perhaps ‘Un Gaga’?”

In the martial world, just as in modern times one might call a lover “honey” or “darling,” one could attach “gaga” after a lover’s name. Women sometimes used “mae” instead.

But as Yegyeol opened the door, he found someone standing right outside. Their eyes met.

“Un Gaga?”

The words fell from handsome lips in a low tone.

“Senior Brother!”

Yegyeol hadn’t even recognized the voice at first, so startled was he by Je Haryang appearing at his workplace. The sheer rarity of the moment filled him with joy that overwhelmed his usual caution.

“What brings you here?”

Catching Yegyeol as he nearly leapt into his arms, Haryang answered gently.

“I thought you might be stifled, going only between the manor and headquarters… So I came to see if you might go out with me.”

“Senior Brother…”

Having been busy after returning from Hangzhou, Haryang had come here the very moment he found a chance, all for the sake of his disciple bound by his own travel ban.

Yegyeol’s heart swelled with warmth at his thoughtfulness. So much so, he didn’t even care that it was Haryang himself who had imposed the restriction.

“Well, if you’re willing, shall we go?”

Haryang held out his hand. Yegyeol clasped it eagerly.

“Yes, let’s go.”

Though Haryang had asked first, it was Yegyeol who quickly led the way. Haryang chuckled and gestured at Samrang before allowing himself to be pulled along.

The two emerged from the headquarters side by side, ignoring the waiting carriage. With the marketplace so close, a few steps brought them into the bustling streets.

“This is my first time out for leisure. Is there anywhere worth seeing?”

“I’m not very familiar with this area.”

Haryang laughed awkwardly. He had invited Yegyeol out, yet seemed uncertain what to do. The clumsiness of it made Yegyeol’s chest itch with fondness.

As he had long known, Haryang, raised as a refined young master, could be unexpectedly inept at simple things.

“Then let’s just walk wherever our feet lead.”

Together they strolled through the market.

“I smell something delicious over there.”

“Do you? Then let’s take a look.”

Like the scent of baked pastries drawing commuters down into the subway, the moment Yegyeol mentioned something smelled good, his fate was sealed.

It started with dumplings, then skewered chicken, and this… hm, what is this one?

Though they passed only a few stalls, Haryang kept buying until Yegyeol’s hands were nearly full.

“I can’t eat this much.”

Feeding a piece of roasted meat secretly to Bambaemi, tucked inside his sleeve, Yegyeol murmured,

“I’d never share what Senior Brother gave me with anyone else, but Bambaemi’s an exception.”

“Still… it’s seasoned meat. Should you be giving it that?”

When Yegyeol pulled his hand back, the snake stared up at him with wide, wounded eyes, as though betrayed.

To shield the golden serpent from prying eyes, Haryang subtly positioned himself in front.

“It’s a spiritual beast. It will be fine.”

“Ah, right.”

It devoured lightning whole, after all—human food would hardly harm it.

The two, chatting and eating as they wandered, inevitably drew attention. Grown men rarely walked hand-in-hand, and Yegyeol’s delight was so plain, while Haryang gazed at him fondly, that onlookers likely assumed they were close brothers.

But beneath the shade of a brothel’s wall, not yet open for business, a pair of eyes watched them. The man wore five knots at his waist—the mark of a disciple of the Beggar’s Sect.

Quickly pulling aside a straw mat, he rifled through a stack of tattered wanted posters hidden beneath.

Not this one… not this either… damn it, why does that face look so familiar? The oil stains make it hard to tell. Did the branch master forget to keep them safe again?

Swallowing curses, the beggar pulled out one.

[Heavenly Demon.]

As he stumbled over the characters, his eyes bulged.

The Heavenly Demon—the master of the Demonic Sect, said to make even the mountains and rivers tremble. But the poster showed not a monstrous three-headed, six-armed fiend, but a handsome young martial artist.

Even sketched, his noble features radiated a celestial air, more like an immortal with a sword than any human.

Could it really be the Heavenly Demon?

The likeness was not perfect, but no such face could exist twice in this world. That faint resemblance alone had triggered his memory.

The current Heavenly Demon was said to have slain his predecessor to claim the throne.

His first public appearance had been during the Uprising of the New Moon in Wuhuan, when the rumor of the tomb of the Invincible Martial Emperor of three centuries past spread chaos across the martial world.

I can’t waste time here!

The beggar leapt to his feet in panic. He had to report at once that the Heavenly Demon was wandering the markets of Seonyeong. That was why the Beggar’s Sect branch in Cheonghae was entrusted with secret information no other branch knew.

Whenever the Heavenly Demon left the Ten-thousand Great Mountains, it was always to invade the Central Plains…!

Though supposedly an advance scout, planted to catch signs of invasion first, the man now found himself drenched in cold sweat.

“Excuse me a moment.”

At that instant, a gentle woman’s voice slipped past his ear. Before he could even turn, he felt the chill of a blade against his throat.

“My lord’s temper is foul today. It would be troublesome if a dog of the orthodox sects were sniffing around nearby.”

¹ Guozheng Gongju (고정공주 / 固定貢酒): A historically famed liquor. Here, it likely refers to a high-quality Chinese baijiu.

² Expulsion from sects: In wuxia tradition, expulsion (파문, p’ahmun) was equivalent to social death. It severed ties not just with one’s sect but often with the entire orthodox world.

³ Heavenly Demon (천마, Cheonma): The supreme leader of the Demonic Sect (마교, Magyo), historically portrayed as a destructive, near-mythic figure.