Episode 284: Unveiling

Even as the food was served, Hyun Gong kept pausing with his chopsticks, glancing upstairs. Namgoong Myung, sitting across from him, couldn’t hide his irritation.

“What’s up with you?”

“That lady upstairs… doesn’t she seem quite extraordinary?”

The four of them were seated around a square table, so for Hong Geolgae and Namgoong Myung to see each other, they had to turn around.

But it was impolite to openly stare at strangers, so Namgoong Myung and Hong Geolgae only slightly turned their heads, casting their eyes backward.

Tang Mujin also looked upstairs again, driven by pure curiosity.

In his hometown of Chengdu, it wasn’t uncommon to see people with different features, and in places like Chongqing, Luoyang, or Wuchang, they were even more prevalent.

Tang Mujin had seen at least a few hundred of them in his lifetime.

But this was the first time he’d ever seen a woman with such features.

In the Central Plains, most of these foreigners were merchants, and since trading journeys could take years, they were almost always men.

Moreover, the woman’s eye and hair color were quite unusual.

The most common foreigners had brown eyes, black hair, slightly darker skin, and notably thick beards. They were often referred to as people from the Great Western Kingdom.

But a foreigner with hair as golden as autumn wheat and eyes as blue as the sea was exceedingly rare.

Namgoong Myung replied in a dismissive tone.

“She’s unique, sure. But she’s no match for Okryeong.”

The rest of Tang Mujin’s group took a moment to recall who Okryeong was.

After a brief pause, they remembered. Namgoong Myung’s fiancée, Jeong Okryeong of the Bowon Clan.

“Come to think of it, you do have someone. I thought everyone but Tang Mujin was in the same boat.”

“Not a chance.”

Namgoong Myung grumbled in response.

To Hyun Gong’s aesthetic sense, Jeong Okryeong might have been a graceful woman, but not a striking beauty.

Yet beauty is subjective, and as long as it pleases the beholder, that’s all that matters.

Hyun Gong, hoping to keep the conversation on track, smiled more generously than usual and steered the topic back.

“Anyway, I’ve never seen anyone with such a unique aura as that foreign lady.”

Tang Mujin and Hong Geolgae narrowed their eyes.

Hyun Gong had a tendency to flirt with women he fancied, about once a year. It had been quiet lately, but it seemed the time had come again.

While the rules varied among sects, generally, even Taoists could marry. The Wudang Sect didn’t explicitly forbid marriage.

But not being forbidden didn’t mean it was encouraged.

The sentiment was more like, “If you must marry, we won’t stop you, but perhaps you should think it over.”

Except for a few sects like the Mount Song Sect or the Kunlun Sect, which were more open to relationships, the atmosphere among Taoist sects was largely the same.

Sensing Hyun Gong’s gaze, the foreign woman frowned slightly and looked down at them.

Hyun Gong tried to flash a charming smile, but it didn’t seem to have much effect.

Meanwhile, Tang Mujin lowered his head and spoke.

“Namgoong Myung or Hong Geolgae. Would one of you switch seats with me?”

“Why?”

“I’d rather avoid making eye contact with that woman. I promised Seolyeong I wouldn’t get involved with any more women.”

Hong Geolgae chuckled.

“What’s gotten into you? Do you think something will happen just by making eye contact?”

“No, but I think I have a knack for charming women without realizing it. Seolyeong, Wanha… they all…”

It was such nonsense that Hong Geolgae gripped his chopsticks tightly, and Namgoong Myung almost splashed hot noodles on Tang Mujin.

After their playful bickering and finishing their meal, they waited a bit until Cheongbok from the Shaolin Temple approached Tang Mujin.

“Hey, Tang. It’s been a while, and I hate to bring this up right away, but could I ask a favor? Feel free to refuse if it’s inconvenient.”

“What is it?”

“Could you take care of someone for me?”

Even without hearing who it was, Tang Mujin had a hunch, but he feigned ignorance.

“Who are you talking about?”

Cheongbok pointed behind him. Sure enough, the foreign woman was there.

Tang Mujin shook his head.

“I’m a married man.”

”…Who said anything about marrying her?”

“Oh… right. Anyway, who is she that you want me to take care of her?”

“Honestly, I don’t know.”

”…?”

Tang Mujin looked at Cheongbok, who wore a troubled expression.

“She was found by the Beggars’ Sect after a skirmish with some northern martial artists.”

Tang Mujin’s face hardened.

“Found in the north? Judging by her demeanor, she seems to know martial arts. Isn’t she from the unorthodox sects?”

“From what we can tell, she’s not. She was just found in that area, not with them. If she were from the unorthodox sects, she wouldn’t have followed us here. She clearly has a reason for being here, but she’s so tight-lipped.”

Tang Mujin sighed, understanding Cheongbok’s underlying request.

“So, you want me to win her over and get her to talk?”

But Cheongbok quickly dismissed the idea.

“No, no. Nothing like that. Just take care of her. Our monks at Shaolin aren’t comfortable dealing with women.”

Tang Mujin finally understood the situation.

Of course, for monks who lived in the strictly male-only Shaolin Temple, dealing with women would be quite challenging.

“If it’s difficult for Shaolin, why not leave her with the Beggars’ Sect?”

“They found her difficult to handle and passed her to us.”

“Ah…”

The foreign woman exuded an air of wealth and nobility, which clashed with the Beggars’ Sect. While the righteous faction of the Beggars’ Sect might find her less intimidating, they seemed to have their reasons, so Tang Mujin didn’t press further.

As the conversation reached this point, Hyun Gong interjected.

“Helping someone in need is undoubtedly a virtuous act. As a Taoist of the Wudang Sect, I cannot ignore someone in distress.”

“Reliable! I’ll count on you, Hyun Gong.”

Cheongbok responded eagerly, thanking him before Hyun Gong could change his mind, and quickly disappeared.

Tang Mujin and his group glared at Hyun Gong, who had unwittingly taken on the burden, but Hyun Gong avoided their gaze.

Tang Mujin, Hong Geolgae, and Namgoong Myung kept their distance from the foreign woman. The responsibility was Hyun Gong’s alone, not the entire group.

Taking care of the foreign woman didn’t mean they had to find separate accommodations outside the inn. They just had to stay there and look after her.

However, no matter how much Hyun Gong tried to engage her in conversation, the foreign woman remained silent.

‘She must be incredibly reserved.’

Contrary to expectations, the foreign woman didn’t just stay inside the inn.

She ventured out about three times a day, exploring crowded places.

She even subtly signaled Hyun Gong to follow her whenever she went out. Her gaze clearly invited him to come along.

Why she wanted him to follow was unclear, but it didn’t seem to matter much. Hyun Gong relished the springtime of his life.

Yet, he maintained a respectful distance, thinking he was being considerate, though it was more due to his own inexperience.

In truth, Hyun Gong had never even held a woman’s hand before. Not once.

‘They say a woman’s hand is much softer than a man’s. I’d like to hold one, just once.’

Several days passed. While wandering through a busy alley as usual, the foreign woman suddenly seemed startled by something.

She glanced back at Hyun Gong, who was following her, and after a brief moment of eye contact, she pushed through the crowd, heading somewhere. Hyun Gong hurriedly followed.

Where she stopped, there was a foreign man. He was quite large, with the same golden hair and blue eyes as the woman.

Judging by his appearance, he seemed like a porter or an inexperienced merchant accompanying a trade caravan.

‘Does she know him?’

The foreign woman, visibly excited, spoke to the man in a language Hyun Gong had never heard before.

A thought crossed his mind.

Perhaps she wasn’t reserved; she simply didn’t know the local language, which was why she hadn’t spoken.

Her frequent visits to crowded places over the past few days were likely in search of someone who could translate.

After listening for a while, the foreign man spoke to Hyun Gong in slightly broken speech.

“Uh, Taoist sir. She wants me to convey something to you.”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

“She’s looking for the person who sent this letter.”

The foreign woman handed Hyun Gong a crumpled piece of paper.

Even before unfolding it, Hyun Gong felt a sense of unease. He wanted to help, but finding the sender of a letter seemed like an impossible task.

Typically, a letter would only contain the sender’s name at most.

However, as he read the letter, Hyun Gong’s expression turned peculiar.

[This letter originated in Sichuan and promises great fortune if you pass it on to seven people within twelve hours. A man in Hebei, thinking it was a trick, sent out seven letters and found five coffins of gold the next day at the foot of a cliff…]

The contents of the letter were all too familiar. In fact, it was Hyun-gong who had penned those very words.

Feeling the weight of destiny closing in, Hyun-gong asked the foreign-looking man with a trembling voice, “Why are you looking for the person who sent this letter?”

“They say they have a request for someone capable of sending out so many letters.”

It seemed the foreign woman didn’t quite grasp how the letter had spread. She simply assumed that with so many people carrying similar letters, someone must have sent out a massive number.

“Can you tell me what the request is?”

The foreign man relayed the conversation between Hyun-gong and the woman. “We come from a distant northern land, a place so barren that traders rarely visit.”

“I’ve traveled quite far north myself, but I’ve never heard of your people living there. What is your land called?”

“We don’t know what it’s called in your language. In ours, it means ‘the northern sea,’ so you might call it the North Sea.”

Hyun-gong was surprised to learn that beyond the endless northern lands, there was a sea. He nodded in amazement.

“So, what exactly do you want from the sender of this letter?”

“The story is a bit long. Is that alright?”

“Of course.”

“This lady here has mastered the martial arts of the north. She is of very high status. But about two or three years ago, a person from your land appeared in her family.”

The man’s constant glances at the woman suggested he wasn’t exaggerating her status. But to Hyun-gong, her rank wasn’t the main issue. Her martial prowess was.

Her skills were impressive enough that she could easily kill the large foreign man if she chose to act.

“Please, continue.”

“Normally, martial arts aren’t taught to outsiders, but this person from your land had a physique perfectly suited for it, so they taught him. But one day, he fled with the family’s secret techniques and a treasure called the ‘Eternal Ice Essence.’”

So he had stolen their martial secrets and treasures before escaping.

Now Hyun-gong understood the woman’s intentions.

“So, you’re sending letters across the land to track down the thief?”

“Exactly.”

If a petty thief had fled to a distant land, one might let it go. But a thief who had stolen secrets and treasures was a different matter. It was only right to send people far and wide to track him down.

Hyun-gong pondered. ‘Could I spread similar letters across the land to find the thief, just as I did for Brother Jang?’

It wasn’t impossible. But unlike before, the thief wouldn’t read the letter and come knocking at their door. He could simply hide and feign ignorance.

It was a difficult situation, but Hyun-gong didn’t want to appear weak in front of this fateful woman. He decided to show some willingness to help.

“Do you know anything about the thief? His appearance, age, name, anything?”

This time, the foreign woman spoke up in a clear, albeit halting, voice in the local language. “I know the name.”

Hyun-gong asked, not expecting much, “What is it?”

He thought he might jot it down if he ever sent out letters again. But to his surprise, a familiar name emerged.

“Baek Hyang-a.”

Hyun-gong’s eyes widened. The granddaughter of the Sword King. The disciple of the Great Master. The woman he had once taken hostage using his mental powers. Baek Hyang-a.

The foreign woman’s eyes burned with fury as she spoke the name, her voice filled with anger and hatred.

“Thief bad.”