"Ah, come to think of it, I didn’t tell you that story. Right. If things go well, I’ll be able to find out the reason Oseoksan was brought in.""Is that the sort of thing you can divulge without causing a problem?"Sohwa asked while looking at Hae-rak’s arm.Hae-rak glanced at his wound and shrugged his shoulders."Because among the taboos the old man laid down, there wasn’t the footrag’s secret hobby.""What?""There are things you don’t know."Hae-rak let out a faint laugh."So I just need to visit you periodically?""One more thing.""More?"The sticky air of a summer night passed between them.But the peony scent wafting from the Blood Cult bastard didn’t get erased by the wind; it only thickened.He was pretending to be at ease, but his heart was urgent.Thus, she could tell how badly he wanted that dokgo removed.Maintaining the quiet standoff, Sohwa raised the hand she had been lowering under the window frame.She held out a small jar and said,"Put your dokgo in here.""If it were up to me, I’d hand it all over, but there’s no way to know how to draw these insects out.""Just open a cut anywhere at random. If you’re scared, I’ll do it for you."It was a remark that could wound one’s pride, yet the Blood Cult bastard obediently held out his arm. He truly feared this dokgo.Sohwa lightly nicked the back of Hae-rak’s hand with a flying knife. Then she drew blood from her own finger again and covered the wound with it.A vibration was felt beneath her finger. The dokgo spread through the blood channels caught the scent of her blood and rushed over. When Sohwa saw a black fine line form on Hae-rak’s forearm, she took her hand away.Drip, drip.Blood dripped from Hae-rak’s wound.The red droplets quickly turned black and viscous. It was a revolting sight to behold, but Sohwa, unfazed, pulled his arm over and held it above the jar.Plop. Plop.While the dokgo fell, she took out a gold wound salve. When she thickly spread the plaster over the wound, no more blood seeped out.The black drops that fell into the jar amounted to only three or four at most. With a doubtful expression, Hae-rak asked,"Is this much enough?""I don’t know how much can be taken from someone alive. If I get greedy for no reason and the dokgo throw a fit about all coming out, the host could die, couldn’t he?"Sohwa, who had been wrapping Hae-rak’s wound with a white cloth, stopped moving. Lifting her head, she asked Hae-rak with a grave face,"…Should I just draw a little more? I don’t know when I’ll be able to extract again."Hae-rak quickly shook his head."No, this seems sufficient."Sohwa agreed. If she took a needless risk and the host died, it would be a disaster.Confirming that Hae-rak’s face had relaxed, Sohwa wrapped the small knife in a clean cloth."Don’t get hurt in the meantime.""Are you worried about me?""You have to stay alive until you’ve outlived your usefulness."It was worry, and yet not worry.Hae-rak stared vacantly at the flying knife.Impossible as it was, he got the feeling this orthodox-sect woman knew the Blood Demon’s plan.'…No, that can’t be.'If that were so, she wouldn’t be leisurely wandering about offering to help other sects.Hae-rak decided to watch the woman a little longer before rendering judgment.In any case, he didn’t have the leisure to spare attention here.He had to get to Guangdong as soon as possible.If the Red Blood Unit Lord had really intervened, even if he sent subordinates they’d only die like dogs, and they wouldn’t learn the bastard’s aim.Watching Sohwa set the flying knife on the window frame, Hae-rak slanted his mouth.Besides, right now that orthodox young lady seemed to be holding more winning cards.Since he didn’t seem to have good cards, it would be best to grip a few new ones and lay them down."When will the treatment be completed?""If lying is fine, I could answer ‘soon.’""…I can’t tell if you’re honest or brazen.""You’re not confused at all, yet you’re good at saying what you don’t mean."Hae-rak let out a short laugh."Well, it’s nothing new that orthodox bastards are brazen—hardly a day or two of it."Rising to his feet, Hae-rak lowered himself again as if something had come to mind."Ah, right. I have one more question.""What is it?"Crouched on the window frame, Hae-rak slid his gaze toward Sohwa’s adjoining room."Why did you put all your guards to sleep?"And when had he checked that…?Expecting Hae-rak to come, Sohwa had fed the Black Tiger Unit a sleep herb."If you were going to come, having guards would be meaningless.""Oh, so if the talk soured, you were thinking to at least let the guards live?"Rather than thinking to save them—"There’s no need to die for nothing."At her cool words, Hae-rak gave a small laugh."I take your point, but don’t do that next time."He casually gathered up Sohwa’s flying knife and salve and stood."You too have to stay alive until you’ve outlived your usefulness."No sooner had he finished speaking than the Blood Cult bastard’s figure vanished. At the same time, as if the sound-dampening had been lifted, the noise of the drunkards below in the inn surged up.Only then did Sohwa let out a long breath. The body that had been tense slowly loosened.Click.She closed the jar that held Hae-rak’s dokgo and cleared away the cloth laid on the window frame.A clear moonlight-drenched night.A direct-line descendant of the Tang, unable to sleep alone, listened to the sounds of a foreign land and tidied up the traces left by a new ally.***Dawn receded, and morning took on a golden tint under the sun.The soft sunlight that pierced the paper window filled the room.Namgung Hyun straightened his clothes neatly and listened to the birdsong.It was a high, repetitive sound like a bird’s, but in truth a coded message only some people could understand.‘Absence.’It said Tang Sohwa had still not arrived. Less than half a day remained until the midday meal.‘It will be hard to meet her today.’He picked up silk to tie his hair, then switched to the soft cloth next to it. It held his hair firmly so it wouldn’t slip, and was far more comfortable.Perhaps because of the changed cloth, his heart felt lighter.However, once outside, he felt a slight disappointment as he looked out over the wide Danggata.It seemed he had been eager to confirm that face quickly.‘They say Namgung Jin waited for that person’s letters until the very moment before entering closed-door training.’He was curious what kind of person would make Namgung Jin await replies every day.But only about that much curiosity.A light feeling that need not be satisfied.Because he had come out early to pay respects to the Clan Head, Namgung Hyun did not hear the coded message delivered a quarter of an hour later.The news that the Tang Clan’s eldest daughter had arrived at her quarters spread over the empty pavilion.***Through the steam, Madam Jang’s nagging poured out without rest."Young Lady, I kept trying to dissuade you, didn’t I? I clearly told you you’d be late, so don’t go yourself—send someone!"As no answer came, Madam Jang raised her voice."Haah, how could you do this to me! You know how much I’ve looked forward to this day!"Upset, Madam Jang bit down hard on the cloth in her hand."The Clan Head has never approved such a large budget! These clothes, these ornaments, even the precious pigments brought in from the East. What’s the use if the Clan Head and I prepare this hard? There won’t be time to actually use them!"Beside the screen were countless clothes, ornaments, and cosmetics laid out. Just trying each one on would take half a day. Looking at the items selected and reselected over months, Madam Jang swallowed back tears."It’s truly too precious to bear… Ha, come out quickly! We don’t have time!"No sooner had she finished speaking than the screen was drawn aside, and Sohwa came out with her dampness wiped off. Without even looking at the hanging clothes, she said,"Give me that pale-green /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ outfit there, and for the hair, there’s no need for ornaments—just tie half up.""Excuse me?"Madam Jang narrowed her eyes, wondering if she had misheard, but the quick-acting maids brought out the clothes and ornaments she had chosen.In an instant the changing and hairdressing were done. When Tang Sohwa was about to go out as she was, Madam Jang, aghast, grabbed her arm."Where are you going in this state! Come here at once! If you go like that, the Clan Head will kill me!""Father wouldn’t kill someone over something like that.""Oh-ho, do you truly think so?""…""Sit down. Now."Sohwa quietly sat where Madam Jang gestured.Seeing Madam Jang so tightly strung, Sohwa swallowed a sigh.‘What even is this Five Great Families alliance gathering.’But instead of opening her mouth tactlessly, Sohwa followed Madam Jang’s lead to soothe her anxiety.At Madam Jang’s direction, the maids carefully dried the moisture of scalp and long hair with dry cloths, and arranged the hair ends with a comb anointed with scented oil. In the meantime Madam Jang set ornaments into Sohwa’s hair.Finishing the ornaments, Madam Jang herself began the makeup. Looking at Sohwa’s eye area, she paused. Then, gauging her reaction, she said,"Mm, it seems I must put more powder here."It was because of the mole set beneath her eye."Do as you please."Sohwa sat still, and Madam Jang applied powder with particular care around the eyes.A mole set under the eye was not well regarded. It was taken as a sign of a life with many tears, and especially elders disliked seeing it.Finishing the makeup, Madam Jang held out a bronze mirror and spoke in a delighted voice."There, it’s done."Sohwa looked at herself and smiled.The face reflected in the mirror was a visage to haunt dreams.Having harbored no particular resentment toward useless things, she had spent years wearing this kind of makeup as told.‘Come to think of it, I was truly foolish…’To have gone out with such a face, and believed Namgung Hyun when he said he fell for her at first sight. It seemed in youth she had had needless confidence. Sohwa made a bitter self-reflection."How is it? Do you like it?"Showing a face that, by physiognomy, looked calm and prosperous, Madam Jang asked.With a smile, Sohwa turned her head and called for Simseon."Simseon, bring warm water."Tang Sohwa pointed at the basin of warm water that had been poured into the wooden tub. Without a word, Simseon brought the small basin over.Even then, Madam Jang did not know what outrageous thing this impudent young lady intended to do. So when Sohwa scooped the water with her hand and began to wipe her face, she screamed."Aaagh! Why—why are you removing the makeup?!"The makeup, to which one hour of care had been devoted, melted in the warm water and vanished cleanly.

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