Chapter 89. The Time We Live In

The Platinum Pavilion was located in one of the busiest districts of Wuhan.

It was only natural that the streets were crowded.

Haerak, seemingly accustomed to the throngs of people, showed no sign of irritation on his face. On the contrary, he seemed to be in a good mood.

Despite having almost died just a moment ago, he kept a smile on his lips.

So-hwa lowered her gaze.

The white robe Haerak had just changed into shifted colors under the lanterns lining the street. Her eyes soon slid to the hem of his sleeve. Haerak was idly twirling a stick wrapped in black cloth.

Seeing him handle something supposedly the most expensive hairpin in such a careless manner left her feeling deflated.

‘It might have been a lie from the start.’

Trying to trust a Blood Sect bastard because there was no one else to trust was foolish.

It seemed her mind had grown as immature as her body had become younger.

With subdued eyes, So-hwa recalled what had happened just half a shichen ago.

Haerak had called a subordinate and told them to show So-hwa the hairpins.

He had said he would give her the most expensive one, yet oddly told her to browse. Following the subordinate, So-hwa went down to the second floor and looked over the Platinum Pavilion’s items.

But after about two gak, Haerak, now dressed in new clothes, appeared. It seemed he had used the time to tidy himself up.

He picked up a black obsidian hairpin from a display case, claiming it was the most expensive.

Holding the hairpin, he gestured toward the window.

The view outside showed the bustling, lantern-lit streets contrasting against the pitch-black line of a river. Looking at the river, he said:

[If you’ve come to Wuhan, you should try boating on the Yangtze River and try the fish dishes.]

A streak of darkness, contrasting with the glamorous streets of Wuhan, caught So-hwa’s eye.

The Yangtze River.

It was the river where Tang Hak had disappeared.

Now that she knew Ye-hwa’s husband had ties to the Blood Sect, it was impossible to think Tang Hak’s disappearance was unrelated to them.

Coincidentally, the Blood Sect bastard suggested visiting a restaurant on the Yangtze River.

Leaving the hairpin aside, So-hwa had no choice but to follow Haerak.

If it was a Blood Sect hideout by the Yangtze River, she had to find a way to enter, even if it meant begging.

Though she readily agreed to Haerak’s suggestion, So-hwa’s expression as she walked along the street was far from bright.

Noticing this, Haerak furrowed his brow.

“The food there is good, and the scenery is beautiful.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“I’m serious. I’m not one to give compliments lightly, but the place is spacious, with well-divided areas that really enhance the drinking atmosphere.”

“Yeah. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Haerak gave a dry chuckle.

“After seeing you a few times, I can read your expressions now.”

Suddenly, Haerak stopped walking.

“You’ve got the look you make when you’re thinking hard about something, isn’t it?”

So-hwa instinctively touched her face, a reflexive reaction since she wasn’t consciously making any expression.

He pointed at her eyebrows with the hand holding the hairpin.

“When your eyebrows lower, your eyelids follow, making your eyes appear narrower. Your lower lip curls slightly inward, causing your upper lip to seem larger…”

Analyzing every detail of her face, Haerak squinted.

“When you’re thinking strange thoughts, you make that face. And just before you say something unpleasant, your sclera completely disappears—ah, there it is. The whites of your eyes are pressed right against your eyelids.”

As So-hwa’s gaze turned cold, Haerak clicked his tongue and withdrew his hand.

So-hwa suddenly felt a weight added to her head.

Haerak, having placed the hairpin in her hair, wrapped the black cloth around his finger and murmured.

“Since your expression is so dark, at least your hair ornament should brighten things up. You carry that.”

“You said you’d give it to me at the inn.”

Haerak gave a brief laugh and resumed walking.

“It was strange from the very beginning. It makes no sense for you to have been lured by a hairpin into becoming a drinking companion.”

“…”

“It seems you’ve got other motives, so why bother fishing with a hairpin? Besides, it doesn’t suit my clothes, so I don’t want to carry it.”

So-hwa looked at Haerak’s back and thought he was truly a rare kind of madman.

Seeing him easily hand over a high-priced item just because it didn’t match his outfit, it had to be either that he was out of his mind, or he was trying to pass off something cheap as valuable. Based on experience, the former was more likely. After all, that was the craziest behavior.

So-hwa understood the nonsense that the Blood Sect bastard spouted about reading her expressions.

Truly, after only a few encounters, it felt like they could read each other’s intentions.

Given that they couldn’t see each other in a good light, this relationship was certainly unique.

Well, it was indeed strange for a high-ranking member of the Blood Sect and a direct descendant of a member of the Murim Alliance to regard each other favorably.

So-hwa soon gave up thinking.

The void left by her thoughts was filled by sound.

The noise of the street dominated her senses.

On top of that, with so many martial artists gathered, the air was thick with both foul and fragrant scents. Even with food stalls set up everywhere, the smell of food was nearly imperceptible.

As So-hwa inhaled the varied fragrances of the internal energy users, she realized anew that she was in the middle of a martial arts gathering. Seeing how martial artists from both the orthodox and unorthodox sides had gathered, it was clear that this was a major event.

“We’re here. This is the place.”

And of course, the Blood Sect bastard was here too.

So-hwa looked up at the unexpectedly modest inn and asked.

“Is this also an Anguk Merchant Group building?”

“No. It’s not mine. I break out in hives when I see ugly buildings like this. You’ll know I’m not lying if you check for yourself.”

So-hwa let Haerak’s nonsense wash over her as if she were used to it.

The inn was small and peculiar. Normally, there was no need to conceal dining areas, but this place had black cloths hung to prevent guests from seeing each other’s faces.

Even the second floor was entirely closed off with doors, almost resembling an accommodation building. If not for the waiters bustling about with food and wine, she might have mistaken it for one.

“Welcome.”

At that moment, perhaps recognizing Haerak, a man who seemed to be the owner approached and, without asking where they would sit, guided them to the innermost room on the second floor. It was a room with windows overlooking the lakeside.

Haerak pulled out two chairs by the window.

“Sit here.”

“The space is wide, why crowd together uncomfortably?”

“Did you forget? I said I’d let you hear your own rumors.”

So-hwa thought it was an excuse. After all, the inn was very quiet.

Perhaps because the rooms were divided, the sounds from the next room were completely inaudible.

Haerak curved his lips as he spoke.

“As you can see, this inn is meticulously divided into sections, so people with many secrets come here. The room itself is very quiet. You can even hear the sounds from the shop across the street and the riverside.”

Seated, Haerak pointed to the windowsill.

“Sound naturally travels upwards. If you sit here, you can hear the sounds of the world, so take a chance and sit here.”

And it was true.

The sounds filling the room all flowed in from outside the window.

So-hwa stared out the window.

The riverside was laid out before her. It was a place where chairs were casually set up and drinks were sold, and people in all sorts of attire gathered together.

People wearing fine clothes conversed with those in rags that looked like they might tear at any moment.

What sort of conversation could bring together people with seemingly no common ground in such merriment?

So-hwa reluctantly sat next to Haerak and focused on the sounds coming through the window.

Most of them were Murim rumors.

Names she had never heard before occasionally popped up, and here and there, people added stories about their deeds and martial prowess.

As food and drink filled the table, rumors of the murim accumulated in her mind one by one.

At that moment, she heard a familiar name.

“I heard that this year, the Young Lord of the Zhuge Clan is the Earth (Ji) Gongzi.”

(T/N): Gongzi- A respectful title for a noble Clan’s son or young master.

“Just now hearing that? That news has been going around for months.”

The Earth Gongzi seemed to refer to Zhuge Ji-hwi, the second of the Cheon-Ji-In (Heaven-Earth-Man) brothers.

“I heard the Earth Gongzi attended the Martial Arts Tournament with the Clan Head. Do you know about that?”

“Hm? Hasn’t the Earth Gongzi already participated in the Martial Arts Tournament? From what I’ve heard, you can only enter the Murim Alliance Martial Arts Tournament once in a lifetime.”

“No, it seems he’s not participating in the tournament but is learning the work of the Clan Head. I’m not sure of the details, but I heard the Clan Head gave him his own quarters.”

“Oh, are you already up to date on today’s events?”

“Of course! I’m not someone who just picks up street gossip like you guys.”

A man, thoroughly drunk, puffed up and shook his sleeve.

At that table, knowing more news seemed to equate to power. People poured drinks for the man and flattered him.

“But that’s unexpected. I heard Zhuge Ji-hwi was treated like an invisible man in the Zhuge Clan, but seeing the Clan Head looking after him, something must’ve happened?”

“Exactly. I was wondering the same. Wasn’t the Clan Head’s favorite son the one who runs the Four Seasons Hall?”

“The Four Seasons Hall Lord is practically a Murim Alliance man, so perhaps the Clan Head is looking for a new son to manage clan matters.”

“No, no, that’s not the story. Wait, don’t you know about it?”

As one man reacted differently, everyone turned their curious gaze toward him.

“…What am I supposed to know?”

At his words, silence spread.

Silence spread at his words. Amazement filled everyone’s eyes, as if they were facing a prehistoric human carrying a stone axe.

“Where are you from?”

“Seriously, did you come down from a mountain after decades of seclusion? How could you not know?”

As people clicked their tongues and teased him, the man’s displeasure showed.

“…What don’t I know?”

“Don’t you know why Zhuge In-hwi became blind?”

“Wasn’t it because he suffered qi deviation while practicing his clan’s martial arts?”

“Tsk tskt. That’s just what the Zhuge Clan says.”

One of the teasing men emptied his cup and curled his lips into a smirk.

“Well, knowing this or not is what separates a native of Wuhan from an outsider.”

“Oh, come on, stop puffing yourself up and tell us already.”

“They say Zhuge Ji-hwi took his younger brother into the clan’s secret vault, and an accident happened.”

“Was there some kind of mechanism or trap in the vault?”

“No.”

Relishing the attention, the Wuhan native shook his head slowly, taunting the outsider.

“Zhuge In-hwi didn’t fall into qi deviation while practicing the clan’s martial arts, but while acquiring an Outer Region martial art. They say Earth Gongzi, who was next to him, knew his brother was in danger but ignored it to memorize the incantations he was reading. Because of that, Zhuge In-hwi permanently lost his sight forever.”

“What? Is that true?”

“Haha, this one’s definitely not from Wuhan. Anyone in the murin here knows that story. And it’s an open secret that after that, the Zhuge Clan Head started treating the ‘Earth Gongzi’ like a bug.”

So-hwa had never heard this story before.

Though she had no interest in murim gossip, not to mention anything about Wuhan, it was surprising such shocking rumors hadn’t reached her.

So-hwa recalled how Zhuge Ji-hwi had helped her during the Alliance of Noble Clans.

His sensitivity to rumors, despite his boisterous nature, now made sense. It seemed he had been greatly tormented by the stories surrounding him.

A sense of discomfort settled over her.

It felt like she had heard enough of these rumors, and she wanted to close the door on them. However, the conversation continued.

“That’s nonsense. The Outer Regions sects were wiped out ages ago. How could any of their secret manuals still exist? And why would they be in the Zhuge Clan? Be realistic.”

A man in fine clothes frowned.

“When I was young, my master told me a story. Back when the Five Palaces of the Outer Regions went to fight the Blood Demon, the remaining family members in their palaces haphazardly copied their secret manuals. They thought, if the Palace Lords perished, they might as well spread them to the world.”

“Really? This is the first I’m hearing of that.”

“Oh, so you all don’t know much about Outer Regions, huh? You’re like little children.”

The man laughed heartily and twisted his lips into a grin.

“Let this senior tell you an interesting tale. The reason the Palace Lords of the Five Palaces of the Outer Regions, though separated by distance, could come together was because the Blood Demon was devouring the small and large sects of the Outer Regions and absorbing their martial arts. Fearing they would be next, the Palace Lords of the Five Palaces grew very anxious. The martial arts of the Five Palaces of the Outer Regions were so coveted that even those far away in the Central Plains were tempted. Imagine how much more the Blood Demon, being nearby, must have desired them.”

The man in fine clothes fluttered his sleeve once more and softly grasped his wine cup.

“Have you heard of the Energy-Devouring Demonic Art? It involves absorbing others’ internal energy and accumulating it within one’s own body. But the Blood Demon possessed an even more bizarre dark art. It was said that he could absorb others’ martial arts by drinking their blood. And apparently, this wasn’t limited to the Blood Demon alone. In other words, not only the Blood Demon but also his sect members could absorb martial arts and all sorts of evil qi. No, to be precise, it wasn’t just absorption but rather an enhancement. Like how one creates a Jiangshi (undead), the Blood Demon fused his sect members in various ways, turning them into formidable weapons.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard rumors about the Blood Sect making Jiangshi and modifying human bodies. But why is that relevant?”

The man’s gaze briefly went to the ceiling. He seemed to confirm something, his eyes gleaming, and his lips curved.

“Among the evil qi they absorbed, it’s said there was a sorcerer’s art that connected everything in the world. Through blood and characters, it supposedly connected not just space, but even time.”

The man’s voice, though telling a fantastical tale, was grave.

So-hwa turned her gaze away from the riverside. Haerak was leaning against the window frame, watching her.

Only then did So-hwa understand why Haerak had brought her here.

A taboo..

Since he couldn’t say it himself, he was using others’ mouths to reveal the Blood Sect’s secrets.

Unbelievable words tickled her eardrums once again.

“The Blood Demon found a way to manipulate time at will, and when one of the Palace Lords realized there was no way to defeat him, they tried to persuade the other four Palace Lords to join forces against him… but as everyone knows, the story ended with the Outer Regions’s complete downfall.”

The man lowered his gaze and spoke to the wandering swordsmen who had fallen silent.

“When I was a child, my master told me this: We are now living in a future that the Blood Demon changed.”

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