Chapter 59
Perhaps it was because she was wrapped in the hem of Bing Yuhwa’s skirt.
Hong-seol seemed to have managed to compose her overwhelmed heart, fortunately.
However, Cheontonggae was not a man to be trifled with.
“Who are you calling ‘Grandfather’ so casually?”
“I-I am sorry.”
Cowed, Hong-seol quickly corrected her address.
“I will call you ‘Elder of the Beggars' Clan’ properly from now on.”
“That you should. And let me tell you, I have no intention of helping you. Helping you would be the same as helping that old geezer Namgung Ho!”
Hong-seol tilted her head to the side.
“Oh, that’s strange...”
“What’s strange about it?”
“The Grand Lord of the Changcheon Unit said that the Beggars' Clan is one of the most righteous and chivalrous groups among the Orthodox Factions.”
“Is that so? Hmph, it seems there is at least one person with a sound mind in the Namgung Clan. At least they know the Beggars' Clan properly.”
“The leader of such a righteous Beggars' Clan wouldn't ignore a sick child who was abandoned by her family like me, would he? Right, Clan Lord?”
Hong-seol peeked her head out from behind Bing Yuhwa’s skirt and looked at Namgung On.
“Indeed, that is true. The leader of the Beggars' Clan is a man of utmost justice.”
Having grasped Hong-seol’s intention, Namgung On nodded with a beaming face.
If Cheontonggae refused their request here, it would be obvious that he was a man who drove a child into a difficult situation out of personal grudges.
That would be disqualifying for the leader of the Beggars' Clan.
Cheontonggae rubbed his throbbing forehead and spoke.
“Ugh... you are all as annoying as your predecessors.”
After scratching his body here and there in a fit of nerves, he seemed to make up his mind and slapped his knee.
“Fine! As you say, I am the leader of the Beggars' Clan, who values justice above all else. I cannot ignore someone who has asked for my help.”
“Thank you, Elder!”
Namgung On and Bing Yuhwa’s faces brightened.
“However, Namgung Ho is as good as my enemy. I cannot give my help for free. I will set one test.”
“What is it?”
“It is not a test for you, On, but for that child.”
“Pardon?”
To Hong-seol, it was like a bolt from the blue.
Hong-seol clasped her two small hands together and swallowed hard.
“If you pass this test, I will acknowledge you, little one, as someone with the talent to deserve it. I will stake the honor of the Beggars' Clan to find the Immortal Physician of Ten Thousand Miles to cure your illness.”
Hong-seol’s pupils wavered. It was an offer she could not possibly refuse.
Hong-seol nodded frantically, waiting for Cheontonggae’s next words.
“Instead, you must not receive any help from the Namgung Clan during the process. Well, will you accept my test?”
“Th-that... what is it?”
“It is to find a person.”
At those words, Hong-seol’s face brightened radiantly.
Finding something.
That was the one thing Hong-seol was best at.
* * *
Late at night, after the Namgung Clan party had all departed.
A light ripple stirred the clear liquor filling a chipped cup.
“You've come.”
Cheontonggae set down the cup he was holding and rose from his seat.
Soon, a chilling wind blew, and the sound of the flag in front of the shop, which had “Heavenly Secrets Revealed” written on it, could be heard flapping.
Creak.
With a dreary sound, the door swung wide open, and a cold aura rushed inside.
That aura belonged to a woman who looked like a shadow, wearing a black bamboo hat pulled down low.
“It’s been a while, Cheontonggae.”
“You’ve arrived. Sit here.”
The relationship between the two, sitting face-to-face with cups of liquor, was mysterious.
For one, there was the matter of their ages.
One had a white beard reaching his chest, while the other didn't have a single wrinkle on the back of her hands.
Yet, their tone was as if they had known each other for a long time.
“Cheontonggae, what happened with the task I requested?”
“That pot is boiling as we speak, so don't you worry. Just go find an inn somewhere and wait patiently.”
“An inn?”
“Yes. Shall I give you a recommendation? The ‘Red Flower Inn’ is famous in Hefei.”
The woman in the black bamboo hat was startled to hear the name of the inn.
“...I have my reasons, I cannot go there.”
“I see. Well, any other place will do. Just stay somewhere where you can be seen by people. That child will come to find you herself before long.”
At those words, the woman’s lips twisted upward.
“I wonder what kind of scheme this old man has cooked up.”
“Let’s just say I am using the child’s brilliance to her advantage.”
Clack.
The woman set down her cup. The cup was already empty.
“I shall take my leave.”
Cheontonggae shouted after the departing woman.
“With this, I have repaid the favor of helping me find my disciple!”
The woman looked back, nodded slightly, and then leaped into the darkness.
* * *
Early in the afternoon, the inner chamber of the Changcheon Pavilion was bustling.
“Squeak (Lord, we found that woman)!”
“Squeak-squeak (We couldn't see her face because of the black hat, but she was definitely carrying a loquat wrapped in cloth on her back)!”
Chattering away, the ones filling the table were none other than a swarm of mice.
Every one of them was as white as Seo Han-eol and his wife.
“Really? You found her?”
At Hong-seol’s words, one mouse unfolded a piece of paper it had been carrying rolled up on its back.
It was a portrait of the woman that Cheontonggae had drawn.
A woman in her twenties, carrying a loquat on her back.
The mouse, having confirmed the drawing on the paper, said triumphantly.
“Squeak (It’s definitely her, that’s the woman)!”
“I have to go right now!”
Since she had already dismissed her maid, Maeran, Hong-seol hurriedly dressed herself with her own hands. Even so, she did not forget to pack snacks for the mice who had worked so hard.
“Here, eat these while you wait!”
With a grunt, Hong-seol placed a large plate on the table.
It was filled to the brim with red bean rice cakes, as well as savory walnut kernels and roasted chestnuts that gave off a sweet scent.
“Squeak (Wow, as expected of the Cat Lady)!”
They were so excited that the young mice’s black eyes sparkled like obsidian.
Hong-seol stepped out of the door right then and there.
“Young Lady, where are you going alone!”
She was stopped by guards whose faces turned pale halfway through, but she was able to get out of the situation each time with the wooden pass in her pocket.
“Look, here is the entry pass! The Clan Lord gave it to me.”
“I see you have received permission to go out. Please, travel safely.”
As a result, Hong-seol was able to triumphantly step outside the Namgung Clan estate all by herself.
‘When I first came to the Namgung Clan, I was scared even to step out of my room alone...’
Now, she was even able to venture this far.
‘Is it thanks to learning the External Arts, or have I gained some grit after going through so many things?’
Or perhaps, is it because there are so many people cheering for me?
The faces of the people of the Namgung Clan flashed through Hong-seol’s mind countless times.
Every one of them was smiling warmly at her.
‘It really must be thanks to the people of the Namgung Clan.’
Even when she felt a little afraid, just thinking of them made courage well up in her belly.
‘I will definitely pass the Elder of the Beggars' Clan’s test with my own strength!’
Hong-seol clenched her two small fists tightly.
‘If Grandfather Namgung Ho finds out I snuck out to the market, he might be upset... but it can't be helped. This is a test I have to pass on my own.’
Hong-seol headed toward the market with vigor, the incense pouch hanging from her belt swaying.
Just in case, she had pulled her bamboo hat down low. To an outsider, she looked like a child who disliked the sunlight.
“Right here, fifty steps from the house that makes hairpins... it said it was at the ‘Music Inn’...”
When she got confused about the path, she just had to unfold the paper in her hand.
Because it had a map that the mice had drawn with great care.
“I’m almost there!”
Hong-seol’s eyes sparkled as she spotted her destination.
The sign was new, but it looked like there were very few people coming and going. For Hong-seol, that was actually a good thing.
‘I just have to go there and ask the lady with the loquat to go meet Grandfather Cheontonggae with me, right...?’
Nervous, Hong-seol wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt.
‘Sh-she won't be a scary lady, will she?’
Her goal was right in front of her, but strangely, her feet felt as if they were glued to the ground and wouldn't move.
“I-I... I can do this, right...?”
Hong-seol muttered to herself, clenching her fist, which was no bigger than a citrus fruit.
And there was a group of people clutching their chests at that sight.
- Oh my, look at that little thing!
- To think a young lady would come to the market all by herself! How scared and nervous she must be.
Hong-seol didn't know, but four warriors of the Changcheon Unit, including Namgung Uigyeol, were secretly following her.
It was a measure taken by Namgung On to protect Hong-seol from any unforeseen danger.
Namgung Uigyeol scanned the inn with sharp eyes.
- I will go inside first to check if there is any danger. Guard the Young Lady without a single gap!
- Yes!
Having sent the Telepathic Message, Namgung Uigyeol increased his speed and overtook Hong-seol.
And he kicked open the door of the ‘Music Inn’ that Hong-seol had targeted.
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