I blinked, then awkwardly fidgeted with the hem of my clothes.
“Why would you say that, Brother?”
“It’s just in case.”
“Don’t talk like something’s going to happen. You’re making me anxious.”
Why did he have to sound like someone who was about to leave me behind...?
What was his reason for saying something like this right after suggesting we go to the Martial Alliance?
An ominous feeling slowly crept up inside me.
Considering his nature, there was a real chance he would be prepared to die while taking me to the Alliance.
I pressed my lips tightly together and stared straight at Yeon Ryang, but I could not read a single thought from his calm face.
I wiped the sweat pooled in my palms and changed the subject. I did not even want to imagine a situation where I ran away and left Yeon Ryang behind.
“I’ll remember all three. More importantly, there’s something we have to do before we go looking for Beopgong.”
“What is it?”
“Restore your body. I heard a rumor there’s Empty Stone Milk in Anhui. Let’s find it and have you drink it before we go.”
Maybe the internal energy the parasite had eaten away still had not returned, because Yeon Ryang’s movements were not like before.
I felt like I could only feel a little at ease if I fed him some spiritual medicine.
Sorry, Namgung Hwi. I’m just going to swipe one more of your fortuitous encounters.
In the novel, it was such a small incident it was not even treated as a proper fortuitous encounter, so it should be fine. It was only a few drops.
But Yeon Ryang did not seem pleased by my suggestion.
“Do you know how large Anhui is? You’re going to search for it because of one rumor? If real Empty Stone Milk existed, martial artists from all over the Central Plains, orthodox and unorthodox alike, would have swarmed there.”
“I know the location too. It’s in a cave on Tianzhu Mountain. They said it was west of Flying-Here Peak. It’s close, so let’s stop by.”
“Tianzhu Mountain is out of the question.”
“Why? We can just follow the mountain range down from here. It’s not far.”
“Tianzhu Mountain is Namgung Clan territory. They moved their base to Hefei, but they still use it as their ancestral mountain, and many of them spend their later years there. If we go poking around for no reason and run into Namgung martial artists, things will get complicated.”
“Oh... I didn’t know that.”
Was that why Namgung Hwi’s younger sister had been in the village below the mountain? This made things difficult.
But this was Empty Stone Milk, not anything else. It felt too wasteful to give up just because it was in Namgung territory.
“Can’t we at least check? Or I’ll slip over there by myself. If I pretend I took the wrong path, it’ll be fine.”
At that, Yeon Ryang cut me off firmly, his expression turning serious.
“Absolutely not. Anyone can tell you’re a Tang Sect martial artist. Do you think the Namgung Clan wouldn’t notice?”
“Is it that obvious?”
“As obvious as a beggar from the Beggars’ Union.”
Somehow, that felt like an insult.
He furrowed his brow and groaned.
“And I can’t send this hopeless young lady alone...”
“Don’t be like that. Let’s go, Brother. I’m sure we’ll find it quickly.”
“Haa. How could I possibly win against a tomboy of a younger sister? We’ll search for two days only. If we can’t find it after two days, we give up.”
“Okay! [N O V E L I G H T] We’ll find it! Brother, just trust me.”
“...I said we’d give up if we couldn’t find it.”
“I told you we can find it. I’ll make sure to restore your body.”
I confidently waved my fist.
It had definitely said the cave was west of Flying-Here Peak. So once we found Flying-Here Peak, it should be quick.
Surely there would not be dozens of caves, right?
*****
From that day on, we began preparing to leave.
We repaired various parts of the hermitage, preserved plenty of summer fruit in honey, and dried fish and meat for the deposed consort, stacking them neatly in the kitchen.
I borrowed writing paper, brush, and ink, and carefully recorded prescriptions to use depending on the deposed consort’s symptoms.
Seeing me bustle about like a squirrel preparing for winter, Nun Seoljae seemed to sense that we were leaving.
“Would you have time, Benefactor? Will you share a cup of tea with me?”
“Yes, Nun.”
I obediently nodded at the nun’s invitation. I had been about to tell her we would be leaving soon anyway.
When I followed Nun Seoljae, Nun Wolam and Nun Gakmun were waiting for me.
“Benefactor. You’ve come.”
“We’ve been waiting for you, Benefactor. Sit here.”
Once I sat in the chair Nun Gakmun pulled out for me, Nun Wolam poured tea into a small earthenware cup. Then she placed purple flower fritters on the small plate in front of me.
“We lightly fried crape myrtle flowers. Try them with the tea. They’re fragrant and quite nice.”
“Thank you, Nun.”
I carefully put a piece of the flower fritter in my mouth, and it felt as though the fragrance was rolling across my tongue.
Nun Seoljae watched me chew the petals, then spoke with a benevolent expression.
“I cannot tell you how glad we are that Her Grace has regained her health thanks to you. Thank you for caring for her so much, Benefactor.”
“What are you saying? I should be the one thanking you. Thank you for letting us siblings stay here, Nun.”
How could it be easy to hide martial artists fleeing while covered in blood?
I felt nothing but gratitude toward the nuns who had let us stay for three months without asking us anything.
At my answer, Nun Seoljae smiled gently and asked,
“You intend to leave soon, yes?”
“Yes. My brother’s wound has healed, and if we stay any longer, we’ll only burden you. We’ll leave before the nuns suffer any misunderstanding because of us.”
“I worry how my words may sound to you, Benefactor... but before you leave, there is something I urgently wish to ask of you.”
“Please speak freely, Nun. If it’s within my ability, of course I should help.”
“That is...”
Even after my answer, Nun Seoljae could not easily bring herself to speak.
As the silence lengthened, Nun Wolam, who had been watching for the right moment, stepped in.
“Benefactor. When you leave, would it be possible for you to take Her Grace down the mountain with you?”
“Yes? Her Grace?”
My eyes widened at the unexpected request.
She was asking me to smuggle out the emperor’s consort, wasn’t she? Wasn’t that treason?
When I swallowed in bewilderment, Nun Wolam carefully took my hand.
“We know this is not an easy thing to ask. We are not trying to force you either. But once you leave, we thought there would never be another chance, so we set aside our shame and asked.”
Nun Gakmun, who had been anxiously watching the conversation, added,
“With Her Grace’s strength, she cannot descend the mountain without sedan bearers, but you can lift her easily on your own. We thought about it a great deal, but asking you was the best option.”
It sounded like there was no way to secretly move the deposed consort down the mountain unless it was me.
I asked with an awkward smile.
“What do you plan to do after Her Grace leaves the hermitage?”
“We intend to hold a false funeral, so Her Grace may live freely outside.”
“We have not informed the Imperial Palace that Her Grace’s health has improved. She was already unwell when she left the palace, so if we say she caught a plague and was cremated, everyone will accept it.”
It seemed the nuns had not been thinking about this for only a day or two.
“Did Her Grace say she wished to leave?”
“We have not yet asked Her Grace. It is only possible if you help us, Benefactor. We intended to suggest it to her after hearing your answer.”
“Then I think it would be best to ask Her Grace first. Her choice is the most important thing. I will... discuss it with my brother.”
After answering, I brought the now-lukewarm teacup to my lips. For some reason, my heart felt heavy.
*****
When Yeon Ryang heard the request I had received from the nuns, he did not consider it a serious matter.
“What’s so hard about going down the mountain together? If you want to help, Sohae, then do it.”
“Brother. This is treason. Treason. We’d be smuggling out the emperor’s consort. If things go wrong, we might be hunted by both the authorities and the martial world. Are you all right with that?”
“What power does the emperor have? Compared to a husk who sits planted on his backside in Jinling and never moves, your grandfather is ten times scarier.”
He did not seem to feel much of anything at the word emperor. It was as if he considered it a story from another world.
But the deposed consort was different.
When she heard the nuns’ suggestion, the deposed consort looked as though her world had collapsed.
“Leave... the hermitage? Are you driving me out? Am I so lacking that even this place is casting me out?”
“Driving you out? Of course not. That is not it, Your Grace. We say this because we wish for your happiness.”
“That is right. Please do not be angry, Your Grace. This was something I thought of because I hoped you could live freely outside the Imperial Palace.”
When the nuns hurried to soothe her, the deposed consort moved her lips, then let her head drop.
“...I understand what you mean. There is no chance I will return to the Imperial Palace, is there?”
“Your Grace...”
The deposed consort bit her lip and fell silent for a long while, as if trying to collect her emotions. Then she spoke in a gloomy voice.
“Please send word to the Imperial Palace that I am dying. Tell them the deposed consort of the So Clan wishes to see His Majesty before she dies.”
“Understood, Your Grace.”
“If there is still no reply... then I will hold the funeral and leave the hermitage.”
*****
After the carrier pigeon was sent to the Imperial Palace, the deposed consort changed her mind dozens of times a day.
“I hope His Majesty comes to see me.”
“I’m sure he will, Your Grace.”
“I want to return to the Imperial Palace and see my children again. Whenever I think of our A Gon and A Jeong, my heart aches so badly...”
But then, in the next moment, her mind would change again, and she would huff in anger.
“I will forget all about life in the Imperial Palace and live freely.”
“Right, Your Grace. Let’s go to Dongting Lake together and enjoy a boat ride.”
“Good. They say Dongting Lake is enormous and beautiful, don’t they? Then I’ll open an embroidery workshop in front of it. My embroidery was refined enough to be recognized even in the Imperial Palace.”
The deposed consort herself seemed unable to settle her heart, wavering back and forth.
We waited and waited, but when no answer came from the Imperial Palace, the deposed consort gave it a final grace period of three days.
“Three days. I will wait only three more days. If no answer comes even after that, please take me away.”
But no answer came on the first day, nor on the second.
Perhaps the deposed consort had already sensed that no answer would come, because her face was one of resignation.
At last, the final day she had decided to wait dawned.
I was on my way back after dawn training in the forest.
At a sensation that set my nerves on edge, I stopped and looked around, then hurriedly slipped a hand into my sleeve.
I could sense dozens of people below the mountain.
Yeon Ryang, who had been training on the opposite side, also silenced his footsteps and approached me.
“Brother.”
“Shh. Someone’s coming. Let’s hide for now.”
We gripped our weapons and quickly moved away from the hermitage.
After crossing to the opposite peak and hiding ourselves, we saw a sedan chair and a long procession ascending the steep mountain path.
Yeon Ryang murmured,
“They’re not martial artists. Unless he wanted to turn himself into a target, no madman would go around in a sedan that flashy. They look like people from the Imperial Palace...”
“Did the emperor come to see Her Grace?”
“Who knows. Let’s watch for now.”
I held down my anxious heart and watched the procession heading toward the hermitage.
When the soldier at the front raised his hand, the splendid gold-painted sedan chair stopped before the mountain gate.
