Chapter 60. Alliance with the Enemy

“Ah, I forgot to mention that. Yeah. If things go well, we might find out why the Five Minerals Powder was brought in.”

“Is it okay to reveal something like that?”

So-hwa looked at Haerak’s arm and asked.

Haerak glanced at his wound and shrugged.

“The old geezer’s prohibitions didn’t include his bootlicker’s secret hobbies.”

“What?”

“There are things you don’t know.”

Haerak smirked.

“So, I just need to visit you periodically?”

“One more thing.”

“One more?”

The sticky summer night air passed between them.

Yet the peony scent flowing from the Blood Sect bastard didn’t fade with the wind—it grew stronger.

He was trying to seem relaxed, but clearly was anxious.

From that, So-hwa could tell just how badly he wanted to get rid of that Poison gu.

As the quiet standoff continued, So-hwa raised her hand that had been resting on the windowsill.

She held out a small jar and said,

“Put your Poison gu in here.”

“I’d like to give you all of them, but I don’t know how to take these insects out.”

“Just wound yourself anywhere roughly. If you’re scared, I’ll do it for you.”

It was the kind of remark that would wound any man’s pride, but the Blood Sect bastard obediently held out his arm. He truly seemed terrified of the poison gu.

So-hwa lightly cut the back of Haerak’s arm with her hidden dagger. Then she pricked her own finger and covered the wound with her blood.

A vibration was felt beneath her fingers. The Poison gu spread along his blood vessels sensed her scent and rushed toward it. So-hwa saw thin black lines appear on Haerak’s forearm and pulled her hand away.

Drip, drip.

Blood dripped from Haerak’s wound.

The bright red drops quickly turned black and thick. Though the sight was disgusting, So-hwa calmly pulled his arm over the jar.

Plop. Plop.

As the Poison gu fell, she took out the wound salve. After applying a thick layer of the ointment on the wound, no more blood flowed out.

Only a few black drops fell into the jar. Haerak looked doubtful and asked.

“Is this enough?”

“I don’t know how much can be taken from a living host. If I get greedy and all the Poison gu rush out at once, the host might die, right?”

So-hwa, who had been wrapping Haerak’s wound with a white cloth, stopped moving. Raising her head, she looked serious and asked Haerak,

“… Should I try to take a little more? I don’t know when I can extract it again.”

Haerak quickly shook his head.

“No, this seems enough.”

So-hwa agreed. It would be a big problem if the host died because of unnecessary risk.

Seeing Haerak’s face relax, So-hwa wrapped a small dagger in a clean cloth.

“Don’t get hurt in the meantime.”

“Are you worried?”

“You need to stay alive until you’ve served your purpose.”

It was worry, but also not.

Haerak stared quietly at the hidden dagger.

Though unlikely, he felt this orthodox young lady might know about the Blood Demon’s plan.

‘… No, that can’t be.’

If that were true, she wouldn’t be so relaxed, going around helping other sects.

Haerak decided to observe her a little more before making a judgment.

Anyway, he didn’t have the luxury to worry about this place right now.

He needed to get to Guangdong as soon as possible.

If the Red Blood Hall Lord really got involved, sending subordinates would only lead to their deaths without discovering the enemy’s goal.

Watching So-hwa put down the hidden dagger on the windowsill, Haerak tilted his mouth.

Besides, right now, it seemed she held more cards.

Since he didn’t seem to have any good cards, it was better to hold a few new ones and see.

“When will the treatment be finished?”

“If lies are allowed, I’d say soon.”

“… I can’t tell if you’re honest or shameless.”

“Not confused at all, but you’re good at saying things you don’t mean.”

Haerak chuckled.

“Well, shamelessness isn’t new for orthodox bastards, so it’s no surprise.”

Haerak stood up but then lowered himself again as if he remembered something.

“Oh, right. I have one more question.”

“What is it?”

Squatting by the windowsill, Haerak’s gaze slid toward So-hwa’s next room.

“Why did you put all your guards to sleep?”

When did he even notice that……

So-hwa had given the Black Tiger Unit sleeping herbs, expecting Haerak would come.

“If you’re coming, having guards is pointless.”

“Oh, so if the conversation goes wrong, you were thinking of at least letting the guards live?”

Rather than thinking of saving them—

“There’s no need for them to die.”

At her calm words, Haerak smirked.

“I get the meaning, but don’t do that next time.”

He slyly pocketed So-hwa’s dagger and ointment and rose.

“You need to stay alive until you’ve served your purpose, too.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the Blood Sect bastard vanished. At the same time, as if a barrier had been lifted, the drunken chatter from below the inn surged in.

Only then did So-hwa breathe out deeply. Her tense body slowly relaxed.

Clack.

She closed the jar containing Haerak’s Poison gu and cleared the cloth on the windowsill.

Under the clear moonlight of the night.

The direct descendant of the Tang Clan, unable to sleep alone, listened to the distant sounds of the foreign land and tidied up the traces left by a new ally.

***

Dawn receded, and morning bathed in golden sunlight.

The soft sunlight filtered through the paper windows, filling the room.

Namgung Hyun tidied his clothes neatly as he listened to the birdsong.

Though the sound was high and repetitive like a bird’s call, it was actually a coded message only a few could understand.

‘Absent.’

Tang So-hwa had still not arrived. Lunch was less than half a day away.

‘Looks like the meeting today will be difficult.’

He picked up a silk cloth to tie his hair, but switched to a softer fabric beside it instead. It held his hair firmly without slipping, making it much more comfortable.

Perhaps because of the change, his mind felt lighter.

Yet stepping outside and seeing the vast Tang Clan compound, he felt a slight pang of disappointment.

He had seemed eager to confirm that face quickly.

‘Namgung Jin waited for that person’s letter until just before entering close-door training.’

He wondered who that person was for Namgung Jin to await a reply every day.

But only that much curiosity.

A light feeling that didn’t need to be satisfied.

Having come out early to pay respects to the Clan Head, Namgung Hyun missed the coded message delivered shortly after.

News that the Tang Clan’s eldest daughter had arrived at her quarters spread over the empty pavilion.

***

Lady Jang’s nagging poured incessantly through the steam.

“Young Lady, I told you repeatedly, didn’t I? I warned you that you’d be late and that you should send someone else instead of going yourself!”

When no reply came, Lady Jang raised her voice.

“Haah, how could you do this to me! You know how much I looked forward to this day!”

Clearly upset, Lady Jang bit down hard on the cloth in her hand.

“The Clan Head has never approved such a large budget before! The garments, the accessories, even the rare colored powders from the East. What’s the point of all the effort he and I put in? There’s no time to even use any of it!”

Next to the screen stood countless outfits, accessories, and cosmetics. Just trying them on would have taken half a day. Looking at the items she had spent months selecting, Lady Jang swallowed back tears.

“What a waste… Haah, hurry and come out! We have no time!”

No sooner had she finished speaking than the screen was pulled aside, and So-hwa, freshly dried, stepped out. Without even glancing at the clothes hanging there, she spoke.

“Give me the light green outfit over there, and for the hair, no need for ornaments—just tie half up.”

“Yes?”

Thinking she had misheard, Lady Jang narrowed her eyes and asked again, but the quick-handed maidservants had already retrieved the outfit and accessories So-hwa had selected.

In an instant, the changing and hairstyling were done. When So-hwa was made to walk out as she was, a shocked Lady Jang grabbed her arm.

“Where do you think you’re going like this! Come back here right now! If you go like that, the Clan Head will have my head!”

“Father wouldn’t kill someone over something like this.”

“Oh ho? Do you really think so?”

“……”

“Sit. Now.”

So-hwa quietly sat in the seat Lady Jang gestured to.

Looking at the overly tense Lady Jang, So-hwa suppressed a sigh.

‘All this fuss just for the Alliance of Noble Clans.’

But instead of making a tactless comment, she followed Lady Jang’s lead, easing her anxiety.

Following Lady Jang’s orders, the maidservants carefully dried her scalp and long hair with a soft cloth, then smoothed the ends with a perfumed comb. Meanwhile, Lady Jang began adorning So-hwa’s hair with ornaments.

Once that was done, Lady Jang started the makeup herself. But when she looked around So-hwa’s eyes, she paused—then cautiously spoke.

“Hmm, I think I’ll need to apply more powder here.”

It was because of the beauty mark beneath So-hwa’s eye.

“Do as you please.”

So-hwa remained still while Lady Jang carefully applied powder, paying special attention to the area around her eyes.

The beauty mark beneath the eye was not well-regarded. It was seen as a sign of a sorrowful fate—one destined for many tears—and was particularly frowned upon by elders.

Once she finished, Lady Jang held up the bronze mirror with a delighted voice.

“There, all done.”

So-hwa looked at her reflection and smiled.

The face in the mirror was one so striking it could appear in a nightmare.

Not one to complain about unnecessary things, she had gone along with this style of makeup for several years without protest.

‘Now that I think about it, how foolish I was…’

To think she had believed Namgung Hyun when he said he fell in love at first sight after seeing her like this. She must’ve been full of pointless confidence when she was younger. So-hwa reflected bitterly on herself.

“How is it? Do you like it?”

Lady Jang asked, holding up a mirror that reflected a face that looked serene and prosperous in terms of physiognomy.

Still smiling, So-hwa turned her head and called for Shimseon.

“Shimseon, bring me some warm water.”

She pointed at the basin they had used to pour warm water into the wooden tub. Shimseon silently brought over the small basin.

Even then, Lady Jang had no idea what this brazen young lady was about to do. So when So-hwa dipped her hand into the water and began wiping her face clean, Lady Jang screamed.

“Eeeek! Wh-why are you removing your makeup?!”

The makeup that had taken half a shichen to perfect melted away cleanly in the warm water.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep