NOVEL NEXT chapter 47 - What Wu So Missed
Sohwa came out of the Medical Division Head’s room with a sour look. Tang Hak, who had been waiting a long time at the door, stretched, then hurriedly dropped his arms and fell in beside his sister.
“Why are you coming out so early today? Did you just decide to hand over the root?”
“No. He said it’s no longer needed.”
“Huh? All of a sudden?”
Her face was expressionless, but even she tilted her head as if she didn’t understand.
“……Zhenren Wu So has decided to save him.”
“Truly? The Branch Head is a Zhongnan man, and yet Mount Hua is stepping forward…… I can hardly believe it.”
“Zhongnan or Mount Hua—this isn’t the time to fuss over that. Aren’t the Mount Hua disciples at the Shaanxi branch in danger as we speak?”
“Mm, may I be frank?”
“No.”
Tang Hak couldn’t hide his uneasy expression, yet he shut his mouth.
Honestly!
To be perfectly honest, even if the Mount Hua Sect procured Binggeukjicho, they’d probably dole out a little to their own disciples and then pretend they couldn’t get the rest.
Why would Mount Hua spend that precious elixir on a Zhongnan disciple?
With a snort, Tang Hak stepped out of the pavilion—and flinched. Then he thanked his sister for stopping his mouth. In front of the pavilion, Wu So and dozens of Plum Blossom Swordsmen were drawn up in ranks.
If he’d shot his mouth off, it would have been a disaster.
Unlike Tang Hak, who hunched under a guilty conscience, Sohwa calmly regarded the Plum Blossom Swordsmen.
Then, Wu So came up to Tang Sohwa.
He stopped a handspan before her and asked:
“I heard you’re heading to the Hubei branch—is that true?”
“Yes.”
Did he come all the way here just to ask that?
Sohwa found it odd, but because Wu So’s expression was strange, she explained the reason she was going to Hubei.
“I heard Daoist Myungdan was struck by the Blood Cult right on the border between Hubei and Shaanxi. The bastard may have crossed into Hubei, so the Hubei branch also needs the treatment method and the medicinal ingredients without delay.”
As she remembered it, the one struck by the heat art at this time in the prior life had originally been a Wudang disciple.
At her words, Wu So’s expression twisted even more.
“That’s why I’m asking. Hubei is dangerous as well right now, and you mean to go there alone?”
“I am not going alone.”
At her words, Wu So’s gaze slid aside. He narrowed his eyes at the Black Tiger Unit warriors standing before the pavilion. They had been there without a hint of presence; perhaps their pride was pricked, for they suddenly let their existence be felt.
Those warriors were not ones to be taken lightly. At least, they looked a few moves above Myungdan.
‘……Did the Tang Clan Head lend her his own men?’
Wu So was surprised at the Clan Head’s boldness, but recalling those who had visited the Shaanxi branch, he understood.
The Tang Clan’s Little Clan Head, the Divine Physician, and his eldest daughter.
There was no one among them the Clan Head could consider unimportant.
With his voice somewhat checked, Wu So said:
“As you said, the bastard may indeed be using the Heat Art of Taeyang Palace. Most Central Plains martial men don’t know how to counter the heat art. Even so, are you sure? Martial arts have affinities, so no matter how outstanding your escorts’ force, it may not work on him.”
“All the more reason I must go. The Hubei branch likewise does not know how to counter the heat art, do they?”
“You are…….”
Wu So suddenly spoke in a heavy voice.
“Do you mean it doesn’t matter to you even if it becomes dangerous?”
The Plum Blossom Swordsmen standing behind him also showed dark expressions.
Sohwa raised her eyes at the sinking mood.
‘……Do they perhaps think I’m risking myself for the sake of the Hubei branch?’
As if he couldn’t hold back, Wu So added more. The pity in his voice pierced Sohwa’s eardrums.
“Your heart for chivalry is admirable, but before you put chivalry into practice, you must also know how to value yourself.”
“…….”
A Daoist’s delusion, worshiping the greater good.
Contrary to Wu So’s misunderstanding, Sohwa was not going to Hubei out of concern for the pursuit party. It was the opposite.
She was overreaching out of worry that the Hubei branch, frightened by this incident, might disband the pursuit party.
Sohwa meant to deliver the treatment method so the Hubei branch warriors would not fear the heat art. So that even if struck by the heat art, they could respond at once.
Afraid of being struck by the heat art? When there is a way not to die even if struck? With a physician crossing alone to Hubei to teach it, no less?
In that case, for the sake of the Hubei branch’s face if nothing else, they wouldn’t be able to say they were disbanding the pursuit party.
Besides, this was something Sohwa had to do herself. If she asked the Shaanxi branch to deliver it, a mole could intercept the Binggeukjicho.
As Wu So said, it was a little dangerous, but it was worth the risk.
‘The timing when Wudang’s Head Disciple was struck in my prior life was about now as well—there is something in this vicinity.’
If there was a weakness of the Blood Cult between Shaanxi and Hubei, then the border between Shaanxi and Hubei had to be reinforced without fail.
Just then, Tang Hak—who had consistently opposed Sohwa’s going to Hubei—cut in.
“Sis, danger is one problem, but…… there’s not much time. If we stop by Hubei first, we’ll be late for the Great Houses Union Assembly.”
In truth, Sohwa worried about this more than safety.
They had to attend the Assembly this year, no matter what.
‘It’s where I will first meet Namgung Hyun.’
She hesitated, worried that her prepared plan might go awry, but if she delivered it swiftly and returned, it seemed she could just barely make the schedule.
The Blood Cult’s tail was fluttering in two places; she could not miss either.
Namgung Hyun, and the bizarre Blood Cult bastard using the vanished Taeyang Palace heat art.
As if decided, Sohwa said:
“If I only deliver the medicinal ingredients to the Hubei branch and return at once, I can keep the schedule.”
If by some chance a Wudang disciple were to face the Blood Cult bastard—if he then lost his reason like Myungdan—wouldn’t they lose all hope of ever learning about the bastard?
Sohwa could not say that aloud, so she kept her mouth shut.
At times, it was stifling to bear this unease alone.
Just then, a shadow fell across her field of view.
When she lifted her head, she saw Wu So extending his hand. In his hand was a small piece of wood—a tag (pae) hung with a red knot resembling a plum blossom.
“What is this?”
“I would give you a token of gratitude (boeun pae), but I came down to the branch in such haste that I did not bring one.”
When he drew back his fingers gripping the little block, the Taoist name inscribed there came into view. Wu So. It seemed to be his personal name-tag.
As one not of the Mount Hua Sect, she did not know what it signified.
In the past, the Tang Clan had not had deep exchange with Mount Hua, so naturally it was hard to know their customs. If Tang Min had been here, he might have recognized it at a glance, but with Tang Sohwa’s narrow Wulin erudition, she could only wait for an explanation.
Watching the Tang clan’s young lady gaze calmly down at his tag, Wu So’s lips slanted.
“Someday, come to Mount Hua. I’ll exchange it for my token of gratitude.”
Sohwa looked up at him with a dubious eye.
‘Is he making fun of me now?’
Mount Hua, where the Mount Hua Sect was, was notorious for cliffs. She had heard more than a few died climbing it.
“……I’ll accept the sentiment only.”
Perhaps it was a jest after all; Wu So laughed heartily.
“Will you also be participating in the Martial Alliance Sparring Tournament this year?”
“Regrettably, my heart does not aspire to martial learning, so I cannot participate as the Tang Clan’s representative.”
“So it seems.”
“…….”
It certainly felt like mockery.
As she wavered, unsure whether this was Mount Hua’s way of giving thanks, Wu So tossed the tag. Startled, Sohwa caught the wooden block and held it in her hand. Then Wu So smiled and said:
“Still, come at least to watch. Then, I’ll give you the token of gratitude.”
This was the first time Sohwa had seen someone promise to give a boeun pae. If one intended to give it, was it not an item one could send by dispatching a man to the Tang Clan? It wasn’t as if a boeun pae were as large as a whole pavilion.
Even as he took in the uneasy look on Sohwa’s face, Wu So said nothing more. He merely offered one cupped-fist salute and departed with the Plum Blossom Swordsmen.
“S-sis…….”
Just then a shocked voice sounded from behind.
“Did Zhenren Wu So just say he’ll come to the sparring tournament…… and that he’ll give you a token of gratitude……?”
“Why is that a problem?”
Tang Hak’s already pale face went even paler. Perhaps it was an unspoken pact among Wulin folk; he was aghast.
“The Martial Alliance Sparring Tournament is a stage for outstanding late-stage disciples. Thus not only sect heads and clan heads, but those disciples’ masters, branch heads, and even the Alliance Leader attend. All the important people gather.”
“……I know at least that much.”
“He’s going to announce it before them! That the Zhenren of Mount Hua who leads the Plum Blossom Swordsmen counts my sister as his benefactor! He’s proclaiming that whoever touches you becomes his enemy!”
“Why make it sound so grand?”
Even at Tang Hak’s fluster, Sohwa was unruffled.
“How many people in this world are bold enough to make an enemy of me, the daughter of the Tang Clan Head and the Sichuan Branch Head. It’s nothing so impressive.”
“…….”
From behind, Tang Hak looked at Sohwa with clouded eyes.
‘Do you truly think, with Sister’s temperament, that she has no enemies?’
When no answer came, Sohwa turned and looked at Tang Hak. He quickly put on a gentle smile and hid his impure thought. Then his sister handed him Wu So’s name-tag.
“Keep this with you.”
“Huh? It was given to you, Sister—how could I!”
“You’re the one who’ll be participating in the tournament anyway, and you’re the one who came representing the Sichuan branch. It’s proper that you carry it and return it «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» to Zhenren Wu So, isn’t it?”
If, as Tang Hak said, giving a token of gratitude at a Martial Alliance event was a public avowal of backing, then it was better to give it to Tang Hak.
It was good for many eyes to attach themselves to the younger brother who had vanished down the Yangtze unbeknownst to the family.
Pushing away the thought that always unsettled her, Sohwa extended the tag again.
But her brother only smiled softly and slid a step back.
“Sister, that would be discourteous. Since Zhenren Wu So gave it to you, the bond is yours.”
Tang Hak practically fled down the steps, glancing back.
“Hanwon! Escort my sister well with the Black Tiger Unit and go to Hubei. I’ll return straight to Sichuan with the physician.”
Most of their escorting force was the Black Tiger Unit. Saying he would leave his entire force, Tang Hak slipped away quickly. Holding the tag out into empty air, Sohwa let out a breathless, incredulous sound.
Who was worrying about whom, exactly?
“My lady.”
Hanwon called to her carefully. When she turned, she saw the Black Tiger Unit warriors looking anxious.
“We are grateful that you trust us, but the danger is real.”
“So you suggest returning to the Tang estate?”
“No. Not that…….”
Trailing off, Hanwon turned his gaze down to the base of the pavilion steps. Sohwa flinched.
Heat stabbed her back. When she turned, the Shaanxi branch’s warriors were coming this way.
“While my lady was in discussion with the Medical Division Head, the Shaanxi Branch Head sent men to escort you to the Hubei border. And he said once you reach the Hubei border, the Hubei branch will send a party to receive you.”
“Ah.”
While she was being tormented by the Medical Division Head and the Branch Head had not shown his face, she had cursed him inwardly as a man without conscience, but it seemed he had at least a bit.
Sohwa tucked the name-tag into her sleeve and tilted her lips.
“In that case, it wouldn’t be polite to refuse their kindness.”