Chapter 506 - Let Me Hold It Just Once.
"Wow, this is tricky."
The moment he saw Gu Cheolun standing with his hands clasped behind his back, that was the thought that crossed Goeseon's mind.
Baeknyeongeom aside, it had been roughly over ten years since he had last laid eyes on Gu Cheolun as well.
If one could even call it a meeting. It ended with merely crossing paths briefly while fighting against demonic sect members, so it wasn't exactly what one would call a proper encounter.
'What the hell is that?'
Looking at Gu Cheolun, Goeseon couldn't help but swallow a dry gulp.
The reason was none other than this.
Why had he suddenly appeared in Sichuan? And of all times, right when he himself was here—though that was something he couldn't know—but setting that aside.
'I can't feel anything from him?'
Goeseon had to tear his eyes away from Gu Cheolun.
He couldn't feel anything. That was the problem.
He recalled the past. The time when he had been goaded by that foul-tempered old man into fighting a life-and-death duel against Hyeogeochun.
What had Gu Cheolun been like when they crossed paths at the very end?
As Goeseon remembered it.
'He was disgustingly strong.'
From the intense heat radiating from his body to the presence that lightly weighed down on his surroundings. Sensing that, Goeseon had been struck by a premonition of defeat.
Namgungmyeong, upon confirming Gu Cheolun, had even gone so far as to say that if he were an enemy, they should flee immediately.
That level of presence.
That was the level of intimidation Gu Cheolun had possessed back then, yet now, Goeseon couldn't feel anything from him.
What did this mean?
Had Gu Cheolun grown so weak compared to back then that Goeseon couldn't feel anything?
That couldn't be it. Goeseon knew the reason why Gu Cheolun's presence now seemed blurred.
It was the opposite.
It was Goeseon who couldn't feel it. The gap between them had grown so wide that he simply couldn't perceive it.
'Hah...'
Recalling that, Goeseon let out a hollow breath internally. A small competitive spirit boiled up within him, but.
Fear pressed down on it far sooner.
To think he would feel from Gu Cheolun what he had only ever felt from his own grandfather.
While Goeseon was looking at Gu Cheolun, enduring his cold sweat.
Whether he felt that gaze, Gu Cheolun also turned his eyes toward Goeseon.
As those crimson red eyes approached, Goeseon's body trembled slightly.
"Goeseon, it has been a long time for you as well."
At Gu Cheolun's words, Goeseon's eyes widened.
"...Do you remember me?"
It was a fleeting connection. They had crossed paths a few times in his younger days, but.
Even that had been a trivial connection, and their last meeting had been one-sided at that.
Because of that overwhelming might, Goeseon had remembered Gu Cheolun, but.
For Gu Cheolun to remember Goeseon in turn was a surprising thing.
When Goeseon spoke as if bewildered, Gu Cheolun tilted his head and answered.
"You weren't someone so insignificant that I would forget."
"..."
So naturally, he remembered. Hearing those words laden with that meaning, Goeseon made a strange expression.
'Damn.'
To actually experience firsthand the rumors he had only heard about was indescribably subtle.
'If I were really a woman, I would've fallen for him?'
Goeseon burst into a chuckle.
It felt as though he had confirmed the truth of the strange rumors that had circulated in the past.
Thinking so, he stealthily glanced to the side. The problem wasn't him.
He sensed a trembling as though an earthquake had struck right beside him.
The lady general who had been brimming with energy just moments ago was nowhere to be seen; in her place stood a woman who looked incredibly frail.
'Ah...'
Baeknyeongeom couldn't believe this situation.
Why was that man here, and why was he facing her?
It was he whom she had so avoided because she couldn't bear to go see him.
How long had it been since she last saw his face? There were too many days to count.
'You've gotten wrinkles.'
He had changed.
Baeknyeongeom thought so.
The young man with deep features who had felt the pressure and loneliness weighing on his back had, before she knew it, become a middle-aged man.
Wrinkles were visible here and there, including around the eyes.
But.
'...'
Baeknyeongeom immediately realized that such things didn't matter.
In his gaze, that hot gaze that had watched over his surroundings with subtle protection.
As time settled within it, it felt far deeper and richer.
Perhaps because she met those eyes.
Thump...
Baeknyeongeom realized her heart had begun to pound far too violently.
By then, it was already too late.
"...Ah..."
What should she say? Many words came to mind, but none left her lips.
She couldn't help it.
Baeknyeongeom was in a state where maintaining her sanity was difficult enough as it was.
'What do I do.'
It was dangerous. The emotions she had barely managed to distance herself from now wavered with nothing more than a meeting of gazes.
She had left because she didn't want this to happen, and she had thought she was getting a little better now.
Perhaps because she had stuck by his child and constantly recalled memories of days past, the impact was no ordinary matter.
'...If he'd gotten old, at least he could've gotten ugly.'
It was unfair. Other people at least got a little uglier.
Why was that man still the same?
Baeknyeongeom truly hated that.
That man who remained dashing even as time passed. She hated it so much.
"Baeknyeongeom."
"...!"
A voice calling her in a heavy, low tone.
At that voice, Baeknyeongeom flinched. She bit her lip at her own unconscious action.
Because she felt so wretched in that instant. However, she couldn't show it. As if to cover up her behavior, Baeknyeongeom barely managed to spit out words.
"I-It has... been a long time."
Why was her voice trembling so much again?
Even though she had become a middle-aged woman, did she still want to look young?
Baeknyeongeom squeezed her eyes shut at her own unsightly appearance, but.
Gu Cheolun himself didn't seem particularly bothered by it.
"Have you been well?"
"...Y-Yes... Yes. I-I have been well."
"That is a relief."
Step.
Gu Cheolun moved his feet and slowly approached Baeknyeongeom.
Baeknyeongeom felt his footsteps sounded exceptionally loud.
"I heard from my wife. She said you came looking for me once in Henan."
"..."
So Lady Mi told him.
Hearing Gu Cheolun's words, Baeknyeongeom couldn't help but resent Mihyoran.
...She had definitely asked her not to say anything.
"...Th-There was something urgent... I only saw Lady Mi and left."
"Lady Mi."
Gu Cheolun reacted to the title Baeknyeongeom had uttered.
Could it be that he didn't like her calling her Lady Mi?
Just as Baeknyeongeom wondered if she should correct herself.
"That is a nostalgic title."
A voice containing a faint smile.
At Gu Cheolun's words, Baeknyeongeom bit her lip once more.
It was a warning to herself.
Not to waver.
As if asking what she was doing again.
"I heard that you have been acting as my child's bodyguard."
"Ah... Th-That's..."
"Thank you."
"...!"
At Gu Cheolun's words of gratitude, Baeknyeongeom swayed. Words of gratitude from that Gu Cheolun's mouth.
It was an unexpected attack that shook Baeknyeongeom's mind.
Goeseon, seeing that, urgently supported Baeknyeongeom.
"Why is this lady suddenly throwing a fit?"
"...I'm fine."
Baeknyeongeom straightened herself again and pushed away Goeseon's arm.
"...It is not something to be thanked for. There were... some circumstances."
"Whatever the reason may be. As a father, I can only be grateful to you."
"You've... changed a lot. You... too."
Changed. Hearing those words, Gu Cheolun narrowed his eyes.
"Do I look so?"
"Yes. Very much... I feel like you've changed a lot."
He seemed to speak a bit more. While his characteristic low voice remained the same, there was a subtle warmth permeating it.
Because Baeknyeongeom had recalled that time every single day, she could feel the difference all the more distinctly.
"Then that is fortunate."
Thud, Gu Cheolun took one more step forward.
At his approaching presence, Baeknyeongeom wanted to flee backward with all her heart.
The wall she had thought she had built up layer by layer.
The emotions she had contained within because she couldn't erase them.
The wall surface that she had thought had grown a little sturdier now cracked instantly from this trivial meeting and conversation.
She had to run.
It was dangerous. Any further and it would be dangerous.
Yes, even if it was rude, she should flee now. If she stayed here any longer, something truly terrible would happen.
Be it Goeseon or whatever, Baeknyeongeom tried to trigger her inner qi to attempt an escape when.
Thud.
At the sensation she felt at the tips of her toes, she turned deathly pale.
Her feet were frozen like stones and wouldn't move.
As if someone had grabbed hold of them.
'...No.'
Though Baeknyeongeom realized before long that it was her own lingering attachment.
It was already too late.
Gu Cheolun was already standing before Baeknyeongeom's eyes.
"Hmm."
The gaze with which Gu Cheolun looked at Baeknyeongeom was strange.
Gu Cheolun was looking not at Baeknyeongeom's eyes, but beside her ear.
Swish.
Gu Cheolun's large hand moved toward the direction he was looking.
Baeknyeongeom wanted to twist her body this way and that as she watched the approaching hand, but her rigidly frozen body couldn't even manage that.
Rustle.
His fingertips brushed past Baeknyeongeom's hair.
And emerging from it, Gu Cheolun's hand held a single leaf.
"Pardon me."
"..."
"It was stuck there."
Without any particular emotion, Gu Cheolun burned the leaf away to ash.
Perhaps that was the problem.
Watching the leaf disappear into ash, Baeknyeongeom heard a sound from within herself as well.
Rumble-!
The sound of a thick wall collapsing in an instant.
The fortress wall that Baeknyeongeom had diligently built up to contain her emotions had collapsed.
And with it, the embarrassing emotions barely contained within came pouring out, assailing Baeknyeongeom.
It was a massive tidal wave.
Perhaps because they had been bound for so long, their force was far stronger.
The waves surged. The waters flowed and flowed, and in an instant, a sea was created.
"..."
Feeling that, Baeknyeongeom was certain.
'...I'm screwed.'
That she could never return to how she was before.
******************
As the sun set and twilight formed.
I was sitting in my quarters facing Dangdeok. Dangdeok was kneeling on one knee with his head bowed, and as if to prove it wasn't by his own will, the veins on his neck were visibly bulging.
Looking at such a Dangdeok, I asked.
"So. What happened?"
"...First, the Elder has returned... sir."
"Without any fuss?"
"...Yes..."
It was clear how much he hated speaking respectfully; Dangdeok's eyes were brimming with clear displeasure.
Of course, I had no reason to care about such things.
'So he just went back.'
Dangdeok blocked him, and the First Elder of the Tang Clan just went back?
Why was that? Hearing this, I had to recall a strange feeling.
I turned my eyes to look at the object on the table.
Tea leaves obtained from the First Elder.
'He just gave that too, didn't he.'
It was a leaf originally intended for Dangsoyeol, which Dangdeok had received instead.
From what I heard, when Dangdeok used me as an excuse, Dangsoyeol had been excited to give it.
'Hmm.'
There were many things I couldn't understand.
I reached out my hand.
Buzz-! A small vibration spread, and the bundle of tea leaves floated into the air and approached me.
Void Grasp.
A power I had become able to use upon reaching the Hwagyeong.
It consumed inner qi like crazy, but its cost-effectiveness was absolutely zero.
I grabbed the tea leaves and examined them this way and that.
"This isn't it."
Right before leaving for solo training, I had called Dangdeok and given him an order.
To stick by Dangsoyeol as a guard and block anything if a suspicious fellow tried to do something.
The condition was any approach not permitted by me.
For the past few days, I had been going around the Tang Clan and selecting a few people.
Since they had all been suspicious, I had only picked those who seemed relatively fine.
It was an order to block everyone else from approaching.
'When I heard it from Nahi, I had wondered if it might be the case.'
The moment the paralytic poison was completed, the First Elder had gone to see Dangsoyeol.
And he handed him tea leaves.
Could this truly be a coincidence?
I thought not.
Because of what Dangjemun had said as well.
'Dangsoyeol is involved.'
If that was the case, did it mean the First Elder was planning to do something through Dangsoyeol?
"..."
I put the tea leaves I was holding into my mouth and chewed them outright.
Crunch.
The unique texture of dried leaves spread, bringing with it a sense of unpleasantness.
I ignored it and chewed thoroughly before swallowing.
"...What the."
Then the question only grew larger. Because I didn't feel anything in the tea leaves that could properly be called poison.
Was the paralytic poison not contained in here?
Or perhaps he hadn't been targeting Dangsoyeol?
A question flashed through my mind. And also.
'How disappointing.'
A sense of disappointment passed through as well.
If only there had been paralytic poison in this, it would have been grounds to capture and kill him outright.
'So he's not that stupid.'
Well, if he had mixed poison, he wouldn't have been foolish enough to personally deliver the tea leaves.
'And another thing.'
The question was how much the First Elder knew about Nahi.
Nahi still had her uses, so I had intended to make use of her by force if necessary.
But if problems were to arise because of this....
'Should I take care of her beforehand?'
I thought perhaps that would be better. Not immediately, but before it became troublesome.
Having judged so, when I looked at Dangdeok.
He was looking at me with a twisted face. Seeing that, I smirked and asked.
"What is that look in your eyes?"
"...What exactly are you planning to do?"
"Hm?"
"You stuck me to that detestable wench of the Tang Clan. What exactly is your intention... sir."
"What do you mean, intention. I told you properly, didn't I? I'm telling you to protect her."
"...Grit."
Dangdeok ground his teeth.
Seeing that, I let out a slight admiration internally.
'He's still acting up?'
I had definitely suppressed him with my energy. Yet Dangdeok could still project such emotions toward me.
It was nothing short of amazing.
Perhaps because he was mixed with a demonic beast's flesh. The compulsive force didn't seem to take proper effect.
'Then, I'll have to trample him down once.'
This fellow had his uses.
Meaning he wasn't someone to be discarded like Nahi.
I would kill and eliminate him someday, but I needed to use him more for now.
To that end, I needed to step on him a bit to make him obedient.
'I was planning to press down on him soon anyway.'
Shall I do it now? Yes, it was perfect timing since I was bored.
Thinking so, I rose to my feet.
Immediately raising my energy, I tried to take a step toward Dangdeok when.
Bang-!
Without warning, the door to the quarters burst open and someone came rushing in.
"...Hm?"
I had to widen my eyes the moment I saw. The person who had barged in out of nowhere was none other than Baeknyeongeom.
That lady, according to Moyong Huia, had been wandering around outside, but what was this all of a sudden?
Moreover.
'...Why does her face look like that?'
Her face was red like a ripe apple. Had she been drinking since broad daylight?
Narrowing my eyes as I looked at her, Baeknyeongeom quickly approached me the moment she saw me.
"Hey!"
"...What is the matter with you?"
At the rather rough reaction, the moment I was greatly bewildered, Baeknyeongeom grabbed my shoulder tightly and.
"Perhaps. Don't you need one more mother?"
"...Wh-What?"
She had uttered something unimaginably insane.