Chapter 180: A Winter That Isn’t Cold. (2)

By the time Moyong Hi-ah returned to her room with her attendant, it was already nighttime.

After changing her clothes and finishing a light wash-up, Moyong Hi-ah drank the tea brought by her attendant, pulled the blanket up to her neck, and only then closed her eyes.

As she closed her eyes, the events from earlier naturally came to mind.

The image of the boy who wouldn’t even glance her way, no matter how close she got.

The boy’s face, which somehow gave off a dazed impression all day.

And.

-Please refrain from causing yourself hardship. It’s a nuisance to others as well.

Even the boy’s words, spoken to her on the stairs, seemed to still echo in her ears.

-You get cold really easily, too.

Those were his words to her.

How could he have known? She was sure she hadn’t shown any signs.

Her breath.

Her gait.

Not even the gesture of tucking her hair behind her ear showed any sign of carelessness.

‘…Did it show after all?’

That couldn’t be it.

Having lived her entire life in the cold, hiding it from others was as easy as eating cold porridge.

Therefore, she hadn’t thought the boy could have noticed anything about it.

However, considering the cold weather, it felt too subtle to be just a polite remark.

‘Gu Yangcheon….’

The boy, whose detailed information wasn’t readily available despite being from a prestigious family,

had become more famous than anyone else in just a few days.

He would likely be called by his epithet more often than his name now.

The sight of him annihilating opponents while enveloped in blazing flames was like hell for the later-generation martial artists living in the same era.

Facing such a thick and high wall right before their eyes, how many could dare not despair?

‘…The Thunder Dragon seemed to have already fallen.’

Namgung Cheonjun had disappeared after his sparring match with Gu Yangcheon.

The last anyone saw was when the young master of the Peng family appeared and took him away.

Thanks to that, Moyong Hi-ah’s initial plan had been thrown into disarray.

It probably started from the moment she encountered Gu Yangcheon.

Moyong Hi-ah hated it most when her meticulously laid plans didn’t proceed as intended,

but this time felt slightly different.

‘…Why could that be?’

She asked herself, but Moyong Hi-ah already knew the answer.

The inexplicable sensation she felt upon meeting him,

had become clearer through the martial arts tournament,

and today, it had solidified into certainty.

He was indeed her hope.

The dormant feeling within her was saying just that: she couldn’t let him go.

Even without following that instinct, Moyong Hi-ah already knew.

Moyong Hi-ah carefully caressed her own stomach with her hand.

“It’s warm….”

A warmth remained in the area of her lower abdomen.

Warmth.

It was a word that hadn’t existed in Moyong Hi-ah’s life.

To think that something she had struggled so hard to obtain could be achieved just by briefly holding the boy’s hand.

It was a feeling both empty and indescribable.

“…Haa.”

So this is what warmth feels like.

The winter, which she had felt particularly cold, now found comfort solely from this small warmth.

‘How can this possibly be?’

The heat she felt on the martial arts stage wasn’t a mistake.

This incident confirmed it.

That the warmth received from Gu Yangcheon affected her own coldness.

Was it like fire manipulation? No, it wasn’t.

She had even invited and sought help from Huaxian, known as one of the Hundred Great Masters of the Central Plains, regarding fire manipulation,

but even when receiving warmth from others, Moyong Hi-ah felt the same cold.

A cold that couldn’t be overcome by natural flames, the energy possessed by demonic creatures, or even the internal energy of martial artists.

Gu Yangcheon had repelled it so easily.

‘…Perhaps.’

Could he perhaps cure this cold?

Moyong Hi-ah harbored such a hope without realizing it.

Even though she knew better than anyone that she wasn’t the type for such sentimental thoughts.

Whether it was only the fire manipulation of the Gu family,

or only Gu Yangcheon himself, she couldn’t be sure.

What mattered was that his warmth could make her warm.

Though the warmth had diminished significantly, leaving only a little,

Moyong Hi-ah couldn’t escape the impression of that initial warmth.

So warm.

So comforting.

She pulled the blanket closer, wrapping herself a bit more tightly.

Hoping that not even a bit of the warmth would escape.

‘…Only a few more days now.’

The remaining time Gu Yangcheon was expected to be in Henan wouldn’t be more than a few days.

From Moyong Hi-ah’s perspective, Gu Yangcheon wasn’t the type to unnecessarily form attachments elsewhere.

He might show a softer side through the women he kept around,

but ultimately, Gu Yangcheon was above them all.

It was highly unlikely his intentions would change.

‘…’

She tried to formulate a plan for what to do next,

but Moyong Hi-ah’s mind quickly became a mess.

Her meticulously crafted thoughts,

were filled with the boy’s voice and gaze, leaving no room for anything else.

-Could I have your hand for just a moment?

Suddenly!

At the boy’s voice, which flashed through her mind, Moyong Hi-ah, tightly wrapped in her blanket, sat bolt upright.

‘…Haa…. Haa….’

Only then did Moyong Hi-ah realize.

Something felt wrong.

---

For some reason, a chilly atmosphere permeated the lodging.

It wasn’t just because it was a winter night.

Wi Seol-ah wasn’t eating the food in front of her,

Namgung Bi-ah was subtly avoiding my gaze,

and Tang Soyeol’s sidelong glances were slightly sharp.

Even Mu Yeon seemed about to say something to me, but seeing the mood, he shut his mouth tight.

‘…I’m screwed.’

I felt a sense of crisis unlike any other recently.

Despite having gone through so many crises, this was a significant danger.

‘…Um.’

‘…You promised you’d tell me.’

I tried to say something, but Namgung Bi-ah’s words made me shut my mouth immediately.

‘…If you were going somewhere… you promised you’d tell me…’

‘…’

It was rare to feel such strong emotion from Namgung Bi-ah.

This was clearly disappointment.

She was showing me disappointment.

For Namgung Bi-ah, that was a very strong reaction.

‘…Sorry.’

In the end, that was all I could say.

‘…That’s unfair.’

‘Tsk.’

Wi Seol-ah hadn’t even looked at me for a while now.

Seeing she wasn’t touching the food in front of her, she seemed quite sulky.

‘I… I wanted to go with you too, Young Master.’

‘We can go together next time.’

‘When is next time?’

‘…’

Right.

When is next time… I have to go home soon, you know.

‘We… we hang out often even after going home.’

‘But… your home doesn’t have Shaolin Temple!’

No, when I think about it, the only things there were bald monks and carp. Why are they making such a fuss?

Actually, when I recall that even the carp were monks, it’s a place with nothing but monks.

Ah… that’s why it’s Shaolin.

[Kid.]

‘Huh?’

[You look unusually pleased.]

‘…Are you fanning the flames in a burning house right now?’

[Didn’t you know? I’m quite good at that.]

‘…’

I really hated the old man’s hearty laughter.

‘…For now.’

Just as I was exhausted from getting hit by Wi Seol-ah and Namgung Bi-ah,

Tang Soyeol casually asked me.

‘How did it end up like that?’

‘…How did you guys meet?’

‘Well, Lady Moyong told us herself before she left.’

What?

‘Lady Moyong told you?’

‘Yes.’

Oh, heavens…

As I marveled, I heard the old man’s laughter.

[Looks like you got hit hard.]

‘…Without telling the details?’

‘I heard.’

At Tang Soyeol’s words, I tilted my head.

‘Then why are you asking me?’

At my words, Tang Soyeol looked at Wi Seol-ah and Namgung Bi-ah, then spoke to me.

‘More importantly, they said I needed to hear it directly from you, Young Master Gu.’

‘…’

Meaning, they were making me go through this because they needed to hear it directly from me, rather than from Moyong Hi-ah.

It was a strangely fulfilling feeling,

but enduring their gazes was still incredibly taxing.

‘I’d rather… fight a peak-level master one more time.’

That’s how bad it was, comparing it to a life-or-death battle.

After Tang Soyeol finished speaking, silence descended upon me. It meant they were waiting for my explanation.

Knowing their intentions, I finally had to speak.

‘…She was waiting for me out front.’

At my words, Wi Seol-ah and Namgung Bi-ah’s ears perked up.

‘Lady Moyong?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Why…?’

‘…I know, right? She was just waiting.’

‘And you went back in with her?’

‘…No. Things just… happened that way?’

‘What kind of ‘happened that way’ are we talking about…?’

”Happened that way’ is just… ‘happened that way,’ right?’

I didn’t even know what I was saying myself.

[Did you hit your head earlier…? You seem to be malfunctioning.]

‘Then…’

In the meantime, Namgung Bi-ah looked at me and said.

‘…Aren’t you going together?’

‘Where…?’

‘Shaolin Temple…’

‘Why is everyone so obsessed with going there?’

‘But… you went with that person.’

‘…’

Why do they keep leaving me speechless?

Whenever that comes up, I just end up shutting my mouth.

Honestly, I have more than enough to say,

and plenty of excuses running through my head,

but somehow, I couldn’t voice them.

Was it those disappointed and crestfallen eyes?

As silence fell again, Mu Yeon, unable to bear the atmosphere, discreetly slipped out with Hong Wa.

I looked at him pleadingly, but Mu Yeon didn’t even glance back, abandoning me with swift movements.

This was definitely revenge for me abandoning him earlier…

As I rolled my eyes around, unsure of what to do,

‘…I want to go too.’

Namgung Bi-ah said to me in a slightly lowered voice.

‘I… I want to try going together too.’

‘Shaolin Temple…?’

I reacted with surprise to Namgung Bi-ah’s words.

It made sense, as Namgung Bi-ah didn’t seem particularly interested in that sect.

Shaolin was a place with absolutely no connection to swordsmanship, after all.

To my questioning words, Namgung Bi-ah shook her head and said.

‘…Anywhere.’

Ah.

At those words, I finally felt a subtly mixed emotion.

It was jealousy.

A feeling I never expected from Namgung Bi-ah, and one I didn’t quite understand myself.

I hadn’t realized she could feel that way towards me.

‘…Um.’

Perhaps realizing that made it difficult to speak.

While a thick warmth rose in one part of my chest,

an awkward incompetence, unsure of what to do, coexisted.

‘Let’s… let’s go together then.’

As I finally spoke, Namgung Bi-ah’s eyes widened,

‘All together.’

Namgung Bi-ah’s lips shifted slightly.

I felt the subtle change more keenly than anyone,

but I couldn’t think of any other way.

The saving grace was that both Wi Seol-ah and Namgung Bi-ah,

wore expressions of relative satisfaction.

[Did that look like satisfaction to you?]

‘…Didn’t it?’

[No, it looked more like, ‘Alright, you tried, so we’ll let it slide.’ Ugh… If I knew I’d have to get up and see this mess, I should have just stayed buried.]

‘…’

After saying that, I roughly shoved food into my mouth without knowing if it was going through my nose or mouth, and headed up to my room.

As I went upstairs alone, I could hear Wi Seol-ah, Namgung Bi-ah, and Tang Soyeol conversing below,

but the moment I glanced down, they shut their mouths tight as if nothing had happened.

‘What were they talking about?’

I was slightly curious, but it was obvious from anyone’s perspective that this wasn’t the time to ask, so I quietly entered my room.

With a sense of relief at having barely escaped, I plopped down onto the bed.

[You look like you just crawled out of a demon’s den.]

‘It’s pretty similar, isn’t it…’

[Don’t talk such crap. Do you think there’s another ‘happy’ demon’s den like that?]

Too exhausted to answer the old man, I took out the book I’d picked up earlier from my robes.

Seeing it wasn’t burned, it seemed to be made from a demon’s hide.

‘Is it an important item?’

It looked like just any other book, so it didn’t seem particularly special.

[Are you thinking of opening it now?]

‘It’s better than being late.’

Finishing my sentence, I immediately opened the book.

‘Hmm?’

As soon as I saw the first page, I let out an involuntary sound.

Not only were various things expressed in clumsy handwriting,

but it mostly consisted of drawings depicting the human body with apparent lack of skill.

Seeing that, I quickly flipped through the book.

Rustle, rustle.

As the dry pages turned, the more I looked, the clearer it became.

The subtle movements, the detailed descriptions…

‘…It seems like Shaolin martial arts.’

Because everything seemed to be related to Shaolin, specifically their secret martial arts.

---

Swish.

In the dark, empty room, only the quiet sound of a brush could be heard.

The old man calmly wrote down a letter.

The tea placed before him had long gone cold,

but the teacup was full, as if not a single sip had been taken.

-Taeju (太主).

At the voice from outside, the old man’s fierce eyes turned towards the door.

Nevertheless, his hand continued to move.

‘Come in.’

As soon as the old man granted permission, a man opened the door as if he had been waiting and entered the room.

The man, who appeared with his face covered by black clothing, carefully paid his respects to the old man.

Although the man performed his actions differently, the old man’s hands and eyes were focused back on the letter.

The man spoke while looking at the old man.

‘…Number Three has been extinguished.’

Suddenly-

At the man’s words, the old man finally stopped his hand.

‘Extinguished?’

‘Yes.’

Extinguished.

It was an incomprehensible word. Extinguished?

They were beings who could not die unless time itself passed and they perished.

But they died?

The old man’s gaze turned towards the man.

The man flinched under the old man’s gaze but continued speaking without stopping.

‘The connected energy has been severed. It seems they triggered the seal.’

‘If it was Number Three, that ferocious one.’

‘…Yes.’

Was that the one who always threatened to kill him someday?

His tone was irritating, but he kept him close because he handled tasks skillfully.

What could have happened?

‘Triggering the seal…’

‘…Yes.’

‘I wish he wouldn’t speak nonsense.’

If they went so far as to trigger the seal, it meant the situation was that dangerous.

‘Could it be that the Alliance noticed something?’

It was difficult to assume so.

These guys wouldn’t be noticed even by the Three Venerables of the world.

However, one couldn’t be entirely at ease.

‘If, by chance, the Alliance caught wind of this process…’

It would still be problematic.

At the very least, setting aside Nakgeom, there was a risk that information could reach Wi Hyogun, that damned fellow.

The old man took out a letter of a different color from his robes and picked up his brush.

‘Send the other children to check if any traces remain.’

‘…Understood.’

He quickly scribbled a few lines and handed them to the man before him.

‘Deliver this separately to the Palace Lord.’

‘Should I send it immediately?’

‘Yes, and while delivering it, give a heads-up that matters related to Shaolin will be delayed.’

‘Understood.’

As the man turned to leave immediately, the old man called him back.

‘Wait.’

‘Yes. Taeju.’

‘What is the status of matters concerning the Gu family?’

‘It seems the opportune time has arrived, so we’ve sent the children to Henan in advance.’

The matter regarding the Gu family referred to the letter sent by Gu Changjun, the first elder of the Gu family in Shanxi.

The content was phrased politely, but in reality, it was a request for help with their internal family politics.

‘What a trivial matter.’

The old man clicked his tongue inwardly, but since the Gu family provided more than just one or two things to the Gu Seon Gate, he had to accept this level of request.

Yet, he couldn’t help but smirk.

‘They seem unaware of how trivial it is to harbor fleeting desires.’

Gu Changjun seemed to have reached a certain level as a martial artist, but he still didn’t seem to understand.

That there are things one cannot covet.

‘You said the target was the Gu family’s young man, didn’t you?’

‘Yes.’

I recall him not being a particularly noteworthy individual. Gu Changjun seemed to feel the same, as I don’t remember him mentioning anything specific about this.

Seeing him bring this up now,

‘The Old Fox must be in a hurry.’

The old man took a sip of the already cold tea.

‘Gu Yangcheon, was it?’

‘Yes, it seems we’re receiving updates, and from what I heard intermediately, he’s showing talent at the martial arts tournament.’

‘Hmm… It seems he inherited the talent.’

He is the child of Gu Cheol-un, the Ghost of Greed, no less.

In the old man’s opinion, it would be stranger if he didn’t have talent, given his lineage.

‘…Even if he’s a later-generation disciple, one must be cautious of his child.’

The infant, originally evaluated as talentless and a good-for-nothing, suddenly began to blossom with talent.

‘Didn’t they say the Gu family’s child is also in Henan?’

He briefly recalled Number Three being at Shaolin, but the old man quickly shook his head.

Given the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, numerous later-generation disciples would be in Henan,

and various factions would be present there. To suddenly associate him with the Gu family’s young man…

The old man considered it too far-fetched.

‘There won’t be any setbacks, right?’

‘Yes.’

‘Understood. Proceed as planned.’

At the old man’s words, the man bowed his head in respect and disappeared out the door.

Creak.

The moment the man vanished from sight, the old man leaned back in his chair.

Perhaps due to being closer to the candlelight, a long scar extended down the back of the old man’s neck.

It was currently absent, but originally, it should have been the place for a tattoo shaped like a dragon.

The old man soon touched the back of his neck.

Even though so much time had passed.

Pain could still be felt from the scar.

Amidst that pain, the old man whispered to himself.

‘…The day we meet again is not far off, so wait for me.’

The old man, once known as the Black Dragon Sword in the distant past,

whispered his friend’s name in the dim darkness.

‘Wi Hyogun.’