HDCLSSRS Ch 104

Chapter 104 So It Turned Out That Way (3)

“Wouldn’t that be something we’d have to wait and see? In any case, in my current situation, I can’t even guarantee I’ll be alive tomorrow, so it’s hard to give you a definite answer.”

Seong Muyeon quickly returned to his usual lively demeanor.

“If I’m mistaken about something, please tell me.”

“You’re not mistaken.”

Yakseon replied indifferently. After all, who could dare to force Seong Muyeon to act like a moth throwing itself into the flames?

“I’ve changed my mind. I’ll attend the banquet after all. Suddenly I’ve gotten hungry.”

Seong Muyeon rose from his seat.

“Well then, have a good night, and Happy New Year.”

With that cheerful parting, he left.

Yakseon shook the bottle in her hand, listening to the sound, and then tossed back all of the last liquor sloshing at the bottom.

One thing was certain.

Seong Muyeon must never be trusted.

“Master So, are you there?”

The Sect Leader arrived at the guest hall, his hands full with banquet dishes.

“Oh, Sect Leader Hwa, what brings you here?”

He cast a brief glance at the many empty bottles littered about, then looked away and began laying out the food. From the two pairs of chopsticks, he passed one to Yakseon.

“I sent a disciple to invite you to the banquet, but you didn’t come.”

“Crowds aren’t for me.”

“I know. I figured you’d be moping around, so I came myself.”

Yakseon chuckled faintly, taking the chopsticks from him.

“But, I doubt you came here just to bring this. Did you find them?”

Even without a subject, the Sect Leader understood and nodded.

“Is it really true?!”

Yakseon leapt to her feet.

“Hear me out to the end. It seems they’d been hiding out at some tavern. I was able to trace them that far, but they’d already left. Still, since I found a trail, we can begin again. I’ll assign a few of our warriors to you first thing tomorrow morning so you can set out, and then—”

“No. That won’t be necessary. I’ve got someone to send.”

Her voice was calm and steady. This time, it was the Sect Leader’s turn to be surprised.

“Not going yourself? This is the person you’ve been searching for so long—who could you possibly mean to send… Don’t tell me—”

Yakseon smiled at his tense expression.

“May I ask your reason?”

“It’s nothing much. I just… want to confirm something.”

“Confirm what?”

“What Seong Muyeon will do if he learns the truth. You could call it… a kind of test.”

“…Are you sure about that? You might lose the goods in the process.”

“If that happens, then let’s just call it Heaven’s will.”

“…”

Yakseon did not continue the conversation, instead focusing solely on the food in front of her. The Sect Leader’s clouded expression did not clear for a long while.

“Buy sky lanterns! Beautiful sky lanterns for sale!”

“…”

Seong Muyeon blinked. When he returned to the plaza, the banquet was already over, and Wang Hojun was standing there with two large lanterns in his hands, calling out to passersby.

To hawk wares in this sacred Daoist temple—

“What are you doing, Wang Dojang⁽¹⁾?”

“Ah, Young Master! Would you like to buy a lantern?”

“Uh… how much?”

“They’re free.”

“…What?”

“It’s boring to just hand them out. I thought I’d make a game of it.”

Clearly, he had nothing better to do. Not that Seong Muyeon was in any position to criticize—he hadn’t had anything to do all day either.

Bored with his little sales charade, Wang Hojun pushed a lantern into Seong Muyeon’s arms and then strode off, holding his own in one hand.

“If anyone wants one, they can just take it.”

The plaza truly resembled a miniature market, with street food of every sort prepared in abundance—naturally, all free.

Surprisingly, one corner was piled high with liquor jars. Several disciples were already sprawled about in drunken stupors, clutching bottles to their chests.

“They allow drinking in this sacred place?”

“Just for tonight. And it’s not strong liquor. But, Young Master, why are you taking a bottle? Do you like to drink?”

“It’s not for me.”

Seong Muyeon smiled awkwardly as he tucked the jar away. The sight of the liquor had reminded him of Baek Ryeoil. If Baek Ryeoil had been around, he would probably have tried to run off not with one jar but with every single one piled there.

Since he was already thinking of Baek Ryeoil, he asked without much expectation,

“Wang Dojang, have you seen Baek Dojang⁽²⁾ recently?”

“Senior? Sure, I saw him just a little while ago.”

The ease of the answer made Seong Muyeon’s jaw drop. Now that he thought of it, everyone else seemed to have seen him—except for himself.

To discriminate against a person so blatantly!

Fuming, he grabbed Wang Hojun’s shoulders and shook him hard.

“Where did you see him?! When?!”

“H-He went that way!”

At once, Seong Muyeon ran in the direction Wang pointed. Had a hard time hiding out all this time, haven’t you? Well, this time you won’t get away unscathed.

Before long, he spotted Baek Ryeoil in a pavilion overlooking the plaza.

But strangely, when he finally saw him, he couldn’t quite bring himself to approach. His heart was pounding from the climb uphill, but for some reason, it felt especially loud in his ears.

Why did he feel this discomfort, this awkwardness? With Baek Ryeoil so clearly avoiding him, what was to be gained by confronting him now?

He started to turn away—then caught sight of the lantern and liquor jar in his hands, and stubbornness flared.

Would I, Seong Muyeon, be the sort of man to shrink from something like this? Of course not!

Resolving himself, he strode right toward Baek Ryeoil. Under the clear moonlight, there was nowhere left for him to run.

“Where have you been all this time?”

As expected, Baek Ryeoil didn’t respond in his usual manner—he only glanced at him with the corner of his eye before turning his gaze back to the vast night sky.

“I asked you—where have you been all this time?!”

Only then did Baek Ryeoil answer, his tone calm and flat,

“Oh, you know. Busy with this and that.”

So unremarkable and subdued was that voice that Seong Muyeon lost all will to press the point. All he could muster was a hollow laugh.

He wanted to ask, Don’t you have something to say to me?

Or perhaps, Are you angry with me?

But what would be the point, when the other party had no interest in communicating? Getting angry alone would only make him look foolish.

Instead, he searched for some topic that might draw Baek Ryeoil to look at him, to draw him into conversation.

“You know, don’t you? Yakseon Dae-in⁽³⁾, she—”

“Good, then.”

Baek Ryeoil cut him off mid-sentence.

“…”

At that point, Seong Muyeon was half inclined to leave him there, and half tempted to grab him by the collar and shake him till answers fell out.

But instead of storming off or lashing out, he simply held out what he had brought.

“They’re going to have a lantern release later. You didn’t get one, did you? I brought you one.”

“…”

“This liquor—they say it’s surprisingly provided by Mount Hua.”

He was just about to set the jar down next to the lantern when Baek Ryeoil lifted his other hand to show him. In it was another liquor jar—wordlessly indicating he already had some and didn’t need what Seong Muyeon had brought.

“…Ha.”

That was it. Seong Muyeon’s patience had reached its limit.

“Fine. Do as you please.”

He spun on his heel and headed back toward the plaza.

He was thoroughly, unutterably irritated. One of Baek Ryeoil’s great virtues had always been his predictability—yet now, he couldn’t guess the man’s motives or how long he intended to keep this up.

“Young Lord Seong! Did you meet Senior Baek?”

As soon as he re-entered the plaza, Wang Hojun noticed him.

“Yes, well…”

“But, you don’t look well. You’re not sick, are you?”

Seong Muyeon shook his head—then his gaze fell on the liquor jar still in his hand, the one Baek Ryeoil had refused.

“Y-Young Master? Why are you opening that all of a sudden?”

Ignoring him, Seong Muyeon began pulling out the stopper. Before Wang could stop him, he had raised the bottle to his lips and begun gulping.

“Y-Young Master!”

Gulp, gulp.

The bob of his Adam’s apple danced in rapid motion.

When at last he lowered the jar, the bitter taste nearly made him retch, his face twisting in agony.

“Drinking straight from the bottle without even a bite to eat—! Here, take this to cleanse your mouth!”

In a panic, Wang Hojun snatched sweets from one of the street vendor stalls—without asking—shoving them into Seong Muyeon’s hands. He crammed the candy and sugared treats into his mouth without hesitation.

“Gweeeeh! Th-thank you… How do people drink this for pleasure?”

The flavor had been so wretched it brought tears to his eyes.

“That’s what you get for swigging from the bottle! Did you fight with Senior again? Did he irritate you?”

At Baek Ryeoil’s name, Seong Muyeon’s mood collapsed again, and he once more raised the liquor to his lips for another long pull.

notes:

¹ Dojang (도장) – A formal/respectful title for a martial arts instructor or a skilled practitioner of high standing.

² Baek Dojang – Here, refers to Baek Ryeoil, a martial artist and important character.

³ Dae-in (대인) – “Great Person”; a title of high respect for elders or masters in martial circles.