Not long after Yang Ui-sin departed, O Gyo regained consciousness, and Im Sa-un opened his eyes the following day.
The three of them confirmed each other's safety and felt deeply relieved.
Having survived countless perilous crises, it was truly a result of Heaven bending down to watch over them.
The place they currently found themselves in was Jang'aek, Gansu Province—the city O Gyo had first reached after descending Giryean Mountain.
O Gyo and Sa-un were naturally curious as to how they had ended up there, but because she had promised Uisin, Cheongdam explained only that they had received help from a passerby.
Sa-un, who had caught a glimpse of Uisin's sleeve before losing consciousness, seemed to understand from this explanation, while O Gyo looked as though she didn't particularly care either way, since they had survived.
After agonizing for a day, Cheongdam decided to follow Uisin's words.
She would travel the martial world.
She did not particularly know martial arts, nor did she have any intention of interfering in the affairs of the rivers and lakes, but she had lived among warriors at Jeokhamun, always observing their world from the sidelines.
She had wanted to see the vast world and meet diverse people at least once.
One thing weighing on her mind was her husband, Im Tae-un, who was on the battlefield beyond the Gayeok Pass.
However, since he had chosen to remain there himself, there was nothing more Cheongdam could do.
She was not going to wander the martial world for her entire life anyway.
If she found good land someday, she would settle down and live there, and then she could send a letter to inform her husband.
If he was alive, he would come to meet her, and if he was already dead, it meant the fate of this life ended there.
Im Sa-un naturally volunteered to escort his sister-in-law.
He too was now unable to return to his sect, and he couldn't let his frail sister-in-law go alone.
"Sister Gyo, what do you plan to do now?"
"Me?"
"If you don't have a particular destination, would you like to come with us?"
Cheongdam said she wanted to go to Jiangnan.
"As the old saying goes, there is heaven above, and Suzhou and Hangzhou below. I want to see with my own eyes how wonderful those places are."
"I……"
O Gyo rarely hesitated to answer.
She was a stray dog at heart who formed no deep ties with others, so she had rarely been attached to meeting or parting with anyone, but she felt somewhat affectionate toward Cheongdam.
Parting with her was regretful, but O Gyo eventually shook her head.
"I have something I need to do."
"Is that so?"
As if she had expected that answer, Cheongdam smiled refreshingly.
"Then where are you going?"
O Gyo fell into thought for a moment.
And then she remembered.
Hadn't she bought information at the Haomun establishment in Muwi last time?
The proprietress, Mukran, had said she would collect rumors of the martial world and make them into a list.
Quite some time had passed, but the deal should still be valid, so she had to go receive that list.
When she explained this to Cheongdam, the latter clapped her hands.
"I see. The road to Muwi is a single path, so let's go together. We can part ways after that."
"Yes, good."
Thus decided, the three of them passed through the gorge of Hexi together.
Since there was no reason to hurry this journey, they could leisurely observe the surrounding scenery and stroll through the streets of cities.
They say pleasant times feel short.
Even though they took their time, the group soon arrived at Muwi.
The streets of Muwi were more bustling than usual.
It happened to be the Qingming Festival.
The streets were full of green trees and fully bloomed flowers, and even at night, crowds flocked to the night market.
Splendid fireworks were even launched, bringing the festive atmosphere to its peak.
The last night, one day before parting.
The three of them played wandering the streets until late, only returning to the inn at dawn.
O Gyo somehow couldn't sleep and climbed onto the inn's roof to feel the wind.
Spring was now in full swing, so even the night wind was not very chilly.
O Gyo sat in a meditative posture, composed her mind, and lightly performed the lesser zhoutian.
She had exhausted her inner force to the point of collapse treating Cheongdam last time, and only now did her body feel like it had returned to its original state.
But not everything was exactly the same as before.
O Gyo had constantly felt a sense of discord.
And now, while channeling her qi, she was certain.
'My body is light……'
Her energy circulated vigorously, giving her a sensation of elation as if she might float into the sky while seated.
Her inner force had increased.
It was a difference she could clearly feel herself.
Perhaps it was because she had absorbed Cheongdam's qi at that time to treat her.
Although it had been unintentional, O Gyo had ended up taking the Cheongpung Pill that Jeokhamun and Bichwigak had so desperately wanted, albeit in a different form.
Of course, since it had been to treat the symptoms of the Gongnyeong Wind Meridian, she had not touched the inner force gathered in Cheongdam's dantian, and her inner force had not increased as much as if she had directly consumed the Cheongpung Pill.
Even so, this was a joyful thing.
A deed done for others had returned as a deed for herself; how wondrous was that?
She felt she could now partly understand why Yohwa had so strongly urged her to do good deeds.
"Sister Gyo."
Looking down, she saw Cheongdam smiling up at her.
Perhaps having just bathed, she was in thin clothes with damp hair tips.
Since she fussed about wanting to come up too, O Gyo lifted her onto the roof.
The two sat side by side, looking up at the night sky.
Not a single cloud tonight; the entire sky was a sea of stars.
"Not asleep?"
"I can't seem to fall asleep."
"Me neither."
"Is it because parting is so regrettable?"
Turning her head, she saw Cheongdam resting her head on O Gyo's knee, staring at her.
A pretty face.
"Sister Gyo, thank you for saving me."
"I've already heard that many times."
"No matter how many times I say it, it's not enough. You are my savior."
If she put it that way, it was certainly true.
But O Gyo only felt awkward receiving thanks.
She wasn't a good person anyway.
She had harmed far more people than she had saved.
She had helped Cheongdam because her air and beautiful appearance had reminded her of Yohwa.
When she conveyed these words, Cheongdam blinked.
"Yohwa is that friend you mentioned before, right?"
"Yes. She's pretty, like you."
"Oh my, saying such things to my face. Sister Gyo, really……"
Cheongdam smiled bashfully and tapped O Gyo's shoulder.
O Gyo couldn't understand why she reacted that way.
"If I weren't pretty, would you not have saved my life?"
"Perhaps I wouldn't have."
"You are truly frank."
Cheongdam finally burst into laughter.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Sister Gyo, you don't put on pretense like other people, and I love that about you."
"……What's pretense?"
It was a word she had heard occasionally, but O Gyo didn't really know its meaning.
Because it was a word not included in her behavior patterns.
Cheongdam just grinned, saying there was such a thing.
"That I enjoy such fortune in life is all thanks to this face. You speak so clearly, Sister Gyo."
Had she lived enjoying fortune?
She didn't particularly think so.
"But you were always in pain."
"Since I'm cured like this, it's not a problem in the end. I'm still the only one who has contracted this illness and survived."
"Is that so……?"
"Yes. In the end, being born a beauty is the greatest fortune. By nature, a beauty is one who monopolizes fortune while sowing calamity around her."
O Gyo couldn't fully understand Cheongdam's words but nodded as if she did.
Cheongdam kept smiling, amused by something.
"Sister Gyo, this is farewell now."
"……Yes."
"We are both wanderers of the martial world, so surely there will come a day when we meet again."
"I hope so."
"I'm thinking of learning martial arts too. I'm sure there will be many uses for it. If I become as nimble as you, Sister Gyo, I'll be able to go anywhere freely."
They say the human heart wants two after having one.
As soon as her body became healthy, she coveted another thing.
But how could one blame her?
It is human nature to be so. After all, a life without purpose is no different from being dead.
"The grass will be green again next spring, but whether my precious friend will return or not……"
Cheongdam murmured a faint line of poetry in a subdued voice.
Her eyes were half-closed as if tired.
"You can't sleep here."
"But I'm getting sleepy."
"I'll take you to the room."
"Sister Gyo."
"Yes?"
"Please sleep with me in my bed tonight."
"……? Why?"
Cheongdam closed her eyes and clung to O Gyo's neck.
It meant she wanted to be carried, as always.
"If a beauty says so, that's just how it is."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, yes……"
Cheongdam was already half-asleep.
O Gyo had no choice but to carry her down from the roof.
In the end, she slept in the same room as told, but Cheongdam held O Gyo tight in her arms all night like a good pillow and wouldn't let go.
O Gyo slept fitfully, dreaming of wandering through a scorching summer forest.
*
When he entered the garden, flowers were blooming everywhere.
Sunlight filtering through the leaves was dazzling, and the wind was warm.
After rescuing Cheongdam's party in Hexi, Yang Ui-sin enjoyed a vacation of sorts and leisurely rode back to Beijing.
About a month had passed in the meantime, and late spring had come to this desolate northern land as well.
Crossing through the garden and approaching the building, there was a room with an open window, and inside sat an old man.
The old man had a pipe in his mouth and was looking down at a book with narrow eyes.
Footsteps could be heard, but he didn't turn around.
Naturally.
"You summoned me, Lord Commissioner?"
"Hmm."
Finally, the old man raised his head slightly like someone waking from sleep, but he didn't look at Yang Ui-sin standing outside the window.
He was the eunuch Jo Wi-hyeon, head of the Dongchang.
He was now called the figure with power second only to the Emperor at court.
"Vice Director Yang. You must have had a hard time traveling so far."
"It was nothing."
"His Majesty often says it is lonely without you. You have risen quite high in rank now, so don't be away from your post too long over trivial matters."
"This official merely performs the duties entrusted to her."
Yang Ui-sin's answer felt stiff, even cold.
All other officials of the court feared this old man.
Because they knew he was a cold-blooded figure who didn't hesitate to use any means to eliminate his enemies.
But such threats didn't work on Yang Ui-sin.
She was one of the few people Jo Wi-hyeon could not control.
Jo Wi-hyeon glanced sideways at Yang Ui-sin.
"Isn't the work given to you that of protecting His Majesty?"
"That is undoubtedly the most important matter, but not the entirety. ……Did you summon me for this?"
When Yang Ui-sin openly showed irritation, Jo Wi-hyeon let out a short scoffing laugh.
In the end, the old man took a step back.
"So, have you caught the runaway dog?"
"I am ashamed to report. We searched Giryean Mountain thoroughly but could not find a trace."
"Then was the tip wrong?"
"I cannot be certain. It may simply be that this official missed it."
"……Is that so."
Jo Wi-hyeon looked greatly uninterested.
It was Yang Ui-sin's first time submitting a false report to her superior, so she was inwardly a bit nervous.
Fortunately, Jo Wi-hyeon didn't probe further.
He changed the subject.
"Vice Director Yang, there is a certain rumor circulating in the world."
"What is it?"
"They say there is a strange tree with white leaves somewhere in the world, and if you eat the fruit that grows from it, you can achieve immortality."
"……Is that so."
Wondering what he was getting at, it turned out to be an absurd, baseless rumor.
Uisin let her gaze drift aside as if she had no interest.
Then Jo Wihyeon took something from his breast pocket.
It was a single faded fallen leaf.
He imbued the leaf with inner energy and sent it lightly flying toward Uisin.
When Uisin caught it and examined it up close, the leaf looked exceedingly strange.
Its color was unnaturally white.
“This is……”
“That is a leaf from the tree I just mentioned.”
“……Isn’t it simply an old fallen leaf whose color has faded?”
“It may be.”
What was this old man trying to say?
Uisin frowned.
Jo Wihyeon let out a sigh.
“His Majesty brought this matter up to me and asked that I please verify the truth of it.”
“His Majesty did?”
“Is not immortality something everyone covets? It seems His Majesty wishes to live long as well.”
She could hardly condemn such a desire. Anyone would fear death.
And if the one consumed by such thoughts was the emperor, then as a subject there was even less she could say.
“His Majesty told me to have someone trustworthy look into whether such a tree truly exists.”
“……I see.”
She had thought the conversation was flowing in a strange direction, and it seemed the emperor had once again indulged a whim.
Jo Wihyeon looked at Uisin with a bitter smile.
“If one speaks of someone trustworthy in the court, would that not be you? I could think of no one else.”
“I am overwhelmed. Then what should this humble official do?”
“Well, in a case like this……”
Jo Wihyeon stroked his chin, choosing his words.
“No matter how absurd the order, His Majesty himself raised the matter, so we can hardly ignore it. At least make a show of searching.”
“……For a tree with white leaves, you mean?”
“Yes.”
“Where should I go to find it?”
“That is where this matter begins. First, find out where such a ridiculous rumor arose.”
Yang Uisin let out a long sigh.
Even if it was His Majesty’s command, to think she had to spend time on such a pointless task.
Still, was it better than going to collect taxes and hearing people’s resentment?
In the end, Uisin obediently nodded.
“I will depart as soon as my preparations are complete.”
“Yes, I’ll be troubling you. If by any chance you truly discover a tree with white leaves, pluck its fruit and present it to His Majesty. If any fruit remains, give one to me as well.”
“I understand.”
Half-listening to Jo Wihyeon’s unamusing joke, Yang Uisin turned away.
Just as she was about to leave, Jo Wihyeon called her to a stop.
“Come to think of it, there was another rumor as well.”
There was still more?
Yang Uisin did not answer, merely turning her head slightly to look at the old man.
The old man held his pipe in his mouth for a moment, then spoke.
“They say what grows on that tree is not fruit, but a person.”
“……Did you say a person?”
“It is only a rumor. They say a beautiful young girl is born from that tree.”
Even absurdity had its limits.
No matter how many strange things happened in the gangho, would there truly be anyone who believed such a folktale?
It was plainly a false rumor.
Knowing full well she was setting out only to suffer for nothing made it a rather dispiriting affair.
And yet, it also felt a little peculiar.
Ordinarily, a rumor began when some trivial fact was distorted by people who chattered for amusement, or when someone deliberately spread false information for some improper purpose.
Then what was the truth behind this rumor?
It was strange, but not particularly sensational enough to attract people’s interest.
Immortality was such a stale tale, was it not?
And yet the rumor had spread widely enough to reach the emperor’s ears.
It was truly odd.
Well, perhaps it did not matter.
“Thank you for telling me. I will take my leave now.”
Yang Uisin bowed her head once, then left the garden.