Chapter 248: Return (1)
“She’s back?”
As I spat out those words to Gu Huibi, a certain face flashed in my mind.
A woman embodying the distinct traits of Gu Huibi and Gu Yeonseo.
The dignified Lady of White Flowers, Mi Hyoran.
The head of the Gu Clan.
The rightful wife of Hucheol Gu the Tiger Warrior. The mother of Gu Huibi and Gu Yeonseo.
And, of course,
The face of the current Lady of the Shanxi Gu Clan.
Why…?
Her return to the clan was still quite a ways off.
I should have been at least over twenty by then. Although it’s strange to question things at this point.
With so much having changed already,
It wouldn’t be surprising if something weird happened now.
But weird is still weird!
The Gu Clan didn’t venture far beyond Shanxi.
They maintained their noble status without external support,
All thanks to none other than Mi Hyoran’s grace.
If the Cheonil Merchant Association was the biggest trading company in Shanxi,
The White Flower Merchant Association was said not to be at that level, yet.
I knew better.
I knew exactly how much money that family was hiding.
In terms of wealth, they could probably buy the Gu Clan if they wanted to.
And now that woman is coming back to the clan.
It was quite unusual for a clan lady to be away from her clan, but ultimately, it was my father’s fault.
Although I hadn’t heard the full story,
Even my father admitted it was his mistake.
I didn’t pry much further, but it’s probably related to my mother’s affairs.
The way he treated his legitimate wife and concubine was strikingly different, almost favoritist.
Even I could see the disparity, so it wasn’t odd for Mi Hyoran to be angered.
Anger.
Is it even right to call it anger?
I thought maybe I should correct myself upon recalling Mi Hyoran,
But whatever the case, it was true that she had been living outside the clan for some time.
Time? Years, nearly.
It had progressed to the point where,
Even when Gu Huibi received the title of Sword Phoenix,
And when Gu Yeonseo excelled in the Tournament of Dragons and Phoenixes,
Mi Hyoran merely sent a few letters, never visiting the clan personally, citing busyness as an excuse.
On the contrary, I heard Gu Huibi and Gu Yeonseo visited her every few years, but I couldn’t really know what happened.
I had no place in that.
For someone like that to return…
It surely meant something significant was happening, either for the merchants or Mi Hyoran herself.
I glanced back at Gu Huibi, who was passing me this information.
“Sure, Mi Hyoran returning is all well and good… but why tell me?”
While it’s all well and good she returned, what’s the matter with me?
Upon hearing my query, Gu Huibi grabbed the letter beside her and handed it to me.
“What’s this…?”
Opening the letter revealed a brief text.
– The first son of the clan must return immediately.
“…”
The handwriting was definitely my father’s, and the seal was also the Lord’s.
Even more so, the fact that there was a seal meant it was an order.
What the hell, this is unsettling.
This letter was for me, and judging by Gu Huibi’s response, she must also have received her letter.
The issue was that I couldn’t find the link between MI Hyoran returning and me having to go back to the clan.
“Am I the only one going?”
“Probably?”
“Probably? Give me a definite answer!”
I pressed her, urgency rising.
Gu Huibi just shrugged her shoulders.
“There was no order for me to go back.”
Good heavens… how can she be so irresponsible?
“Hey, you promised you’d return with me.”
“…”
“You talked about sibling love or something, so how can people change so quickly?”
Back then, I preferred to go solo, but now it was Gu Huibi who seemed urgent.
“…Brother.”
“Yeah?”
“People change, you know?”
I noticed her pupils trembling as she turned her head away while replying.
For crying out loud…
I knew the Gu Clan was tough to leave for Captain Gu Huibi, but it was also peculiar for me to be heading back alone while Mi Hyoran was returning.
What’s going on?
I didn’t grasp how the situation was unfolding, but it clearly wasn’t a favorable one for me.
Mi Hyoran.
As the only male offspring of the clan, I was practically guaranteed the Young Lord position, even though I was the son of a concubine.
Additionally, I found Mi Hyoran daunting as the Lord’s legal wife, holding great influence in the clan.
What a headache…
So, ideally, I hoped to avoid crossing paths with her, if at all possible.
Which made this official letter with a seal all the more irritating.
After wrapping up my conversation with Gu Huibi, I pocketed the letter and stepped out of her tent.
I briefly reported my trip to the forest center, but considering the letter about Mi Hyoran, it probably didn’t get much attention.
As I emerged outside, brushing my hair back,
“Were you waiting for me?”
I spotted Namgung Bi-ah perched on the ground, looking up at me.
Seriously, why was she sitting there when there were perfectly fine chairs nearby?
“…Uh, how did your conversation go?”
I felt my tone sounded lacking, but you couldn’t exactly ask that kind of question nonchalantly!
Nod.
Namgung Bi-ah nodded in response, then slowly sauntered over after getting up.
I stood still, curious about her intentions.
Stretch.
“…Uehh?”
Then she grabbed my cheeks with both hands and stretched them out.
It didn’t hurt too much as she wasn’t gripping hard, but I couldn’t fathom what this action meant.
After a while of pulling at the skin of my face, she quickly released her grip and sped off.
“Hey, wait!”
I tried calling after Namgung Bi-ah, but she had no intention to stop.
She was the one who told me to explain every little thing earlier!
Just when I thought of following her, she sensed my move and paused, turning her head toward me.
“…Not… me.”
“What?”
After leaving those words, Namgung Bi-ah leaped away, disappearing from my view.
It was a remarkably brief meeting for how long she waited for me.
I could’ve totally caught up to her at that speed, but given her vibe, I felt like she’d genuinely be angry if I did, so all I could do was stare at the spot where she vanished.
“…Not me?”
What on earth did she mean by that?
I voiced my confusion, yet I had this odd inkling of what she might’ve meant.
I averted my gaze to the empty air, feeling strangely unsettled, before finally deciding to move.
I took a few steps toward my presumed destination, which wasn’t far, but the stillness in the air created a peculiar sensation.
Things weren’t really that quiet around me, yet feeling this way indicated I was pretty conflicted inside.
Emerging from the forest, I found myself in a plain.
I hadn’t come here for any specific reason, but rather, I felt she’d be here.
“She’s sitting there too.”
Just as I expected, someone sat in the exact position, unmoving.
It was Moyong Hi-ah, who had vanished with Namgung Bi-ah before.
What’s with that atmosphere?
It felt laden with mystery.
It seemed to capture Moyong Hi-ah’s mood, the icy qi swirling around her.
I specifically said not to do that!
If she wanted to cure her condition, then ice qi was off-limits.
That became apparent after several exchanges of heat between us.
When my warmth met Moyong Hi-ah’s ice qi, it resisted my attempts to flow into her, rendering her unable to train effectively over the last year.
For a martial artist, taking a break was lethal.
Especially for a late-blooming genius like her, especially as a descendant of a noble clan.
It was for her healing, so this time spent was a miracle, yet equally vexing.
Putting that aside, what’s up with her current vibe?
She appeared to have lost an argument with a friend.
But that’s impossible, right?
The Snow Phoenix was a person who could charm others with her words.
There’s no way she lost to the slowest talker in the Central Plains, Namgung Bi-ah, in a verbal spat.
Watching Moyong Hi-ah’s back for a moment, I moved closer and initiated conversation.
“What are you…?”
Doing here?
That’s what I wanted to ask,
But before I could, she sprang up.
She stood sharply, shaking her head from side to side. Shshake!
It seemed she was trying to shake something off; though I wondered if that was really necessary!
Does her head not hurt?
“…”
With such an uncharacteristic display from Moyong Hi-ah, I remained at a loss for words. As I stared at her, still trying to process it, she turned back toward me.
So unexpectedly, our gazes met.
“…”
“…Oh.”
It seemed she hadn’t registered my presence and was rather startled to see me standing behind her.
And,
…Hmm.
I, too, was taken aback internally.
Moyong Hi-ah’s eyes were puffy and red, and by the moisture on her nose, it appeared she’d been sniffling.
Her face clearly broadcast that she had “cried like a baby.”
“Um…”
What in the world happened to her?
Namgung Bi-ah looked fine, albeit slightly downcast,
But nothing like what Moyong Hi-ah displayed.
Perhaps she knew how messy her face looked because she hurriedly covered it with her hands.
“W-What are you doing here?”
“They told me to come.”
“…Who exactly?”
“The girl you fought.”
“…”
Mentioning Namgung Bi-ah made Moyong Hi-ah flinch briefly.
That reaction told me everything.
Clearly, something had transpired between the two.
“…Was it the Sword Dancer?”
“Yeah.”
“Ugh…”
Moyong Hi-ah released a hefty sigh after my reply.
“…When did it turn so one-sided?”
“Beating? Wait, did you two actually fight?”
It wasn’t just some verbal clash but an actual brawl?
If that were the case, how on earth was Moyong Hi-ah still standing right now?
Namgung Bi-ah was known for her ferocity during fights.
“It wasn’t like that! Just, just…”
As Moyong Hi-ah began to speak, she abruptly shut her mouth and hesitated.
“…I just lost.”
“So you did fight, after all?”
“I lost without a fight.”
What on earth is that even supposed to mean?
Losing without a fight?
Maybe she’s picking up some of that odd talk from Namgung Bi-ah?
Her explanation was baffling enough to leave me utterly lost.
But since Moyong Hi-ah seemed to prefer keeping this under wraps, I knew better than to pry.
Looking at her with a bemused expression, she avoided my gaze and muttered to herself.
“…Next time, I won’t lose.”
“Uh, okay…Good luck then.”
Her attempt at a reassurance, with puffy eyes, didn’t radiate strength at all.
Plus, how does losing without a fight translate into winning next time?
Did she genuinely mean a verbal disagreement?
Regardless of how much I thought about Namgung Bi-ah, she wasn’t someone who won arguments.
All she seemed skilled at was sulking silently.
…Am I out of the loop?
Could it be this was all some elaborate charade led by Namgung Bi-ah?
If she wasn’t goofing off in front of me like some idiot, it wouldn’t ring true.
As I scratched my head awkwardly, Moyong Hi-ah wiped her eyes with her sleeve.
She neglectfully avoided her nose, but I couldn’t bring myself to point it out.
“Please… tell the Sword Dancer I’m thankful.”
“You want me to relay your gratitude after you got beaten? Doesn’t that sound kinda off?”
“I didn’t want to say sorry.”
What an ungraspable sense of pride.
“It’s not like it’s hard to say, but moving on from that,”
“Yeah?”
Moyong Hi-ah seemed like she was expecting some consolation from me, but sadly, my words didn’t carry that weight, and I opted for the main point.
“Pack your things.”
“…Huh?”
“I think I’ve gotta head home straight away tomorrow.”
“…?”
Upon hearing that, Moyong Hi-ah’s swollen eyes widened.
The round expression suited her hilariously, prompting me to laugh uncontrollably, and seeing me chuckle only made her rub her eyes more.
By nightfall,
I had thought I’d head out in a few days, but with a demand to return to the clan immediately, I had to quickly prepare.
My loyal servants hustled to pack our belongings, and with some escorts departing, deals had to be made with the Fifth Army pronto.
Also, I needed to get Moyong Hi-ah’s clan prepped since I was leaving, which turned for a chaotic schedule leading up to morning.
Yet, amidst all this,
– Young Master?
“Yeah?”
– As you instructed, he is here.
I had a guest arriving at this late hour.
I’d anticipated the visit, but I could hardly believe he actually showed up.
“Let him in.”
Swish.
At my command, someone stepped into the tent.
The size of the tent seemed to swell with the addition of another person, and the man had to duck to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling.
I slowly lifted my gaze to meet the guest.
“You’re quicker to act than I thought.”
“…”
“Good to see you.”
The giant avoided my gaze,
Hwangbo Cheok’s younger brother.
It was Hwangbo Cheolwi.
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