Chapter 158: v7c8 - The First Button
Volume 7 Chapter 8 – Part 8 The First Button
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The armor of the soldiers reflected the red light of the sunset, and it was blinding.
The Deputy administrator nun, who was watching the soldiers of the 2nd Guard Brigade withdraw all at once outside the window, let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
‘I don’t know what it is, but it seems to be over now.’
Although she had somehow joined the Eldest Young Master’s procession according to Abbess Chong-mu’s orders, she was frustrated to the point of bursting because she could not grasp at all how things were turning out.
‘Furthermore, I could not even contact Abbess Chong-mu all day.’
Recalling the ghost-like face of Abbess Chong-mu, who would be furious when she returned, her stomach already began to ache.
* * *
The first to notice the anomaly was the carriage carrying the Superintendent nun.
“A-as expected! The carriage carrying the Tea Fan Maiden children is not visible!”
Craning her head out from the procession that was rushing at high speed and checking the carriages one by one, the self-defense nun shouted.
“Furthermore, the carriage carrying the Eldest Young Master of the Sword Family is not visible either!”
“I told you to pull your head back in! Is it not dangerous?!”
The Superintendent nun who scolded like that was also feeling confused.
‘Were the children of the Tea Fan Maidens not there from the very beginning?! And the Eldest Young Master of the Sword Family did not even join the procession? What on earth is going on…’
However, those thoughts and worries about the Tea Fan Maidens did not last long either.
“W-what is going on?!”
It was because only the carriages carrying the Emei Sect broke away from the procession at the intersection of the main road.
The Superintendent nun opened the window toward the driver of the carriage and shouted, but only a cold reply returned from the Eldest Young Master’s maid holding the reins.
“It would be better for you to stay still.”
At the blatantly threatening tone, anxiety arose on the face of the Superintendent nun as she realized things were going terribly wrong.
And as one commonly feels when living life, ominous premonitions were never wrong.
What awaited them upon entering the fortress city of the Luoyang Sword Family was news like a bolt from the blue.
The Superintendent nun screamed.
“Did you say an assassination plan?!”
“It is as you heard.”
Behind the calm and composed Yeon Ha-eung, the sight of the Deputy manager nun and the administrative nuns of the main temple being led away came into view.
“Deputy Manager! Is this truly the truth?!”
“….”
Lowering her head, the Deputy manager nun was dragged away without any reply.
The administrative nuns of the main temple basically wore confused expressions, but even so, none of them strongly denied the allegations.
And that sight was no different from an answer given to the remaining nuns.
“W-what on earth is this…”
The Superintendent nun momentarily grabbed her trembling knees.
‘They tried to kill those children? What on earth was our Emei Sect doing behind the scenes!’
She knew at least that the high-ranking officials of the main temple were drooling over the business entity known as the Tea Fan Maidens.
However, belonging to the academy, there was not much she could do in that situation.
‘So I had always repeatedly urged those children to watch their behavior, and watch it again…’
She had played her part as much as possible so that the children would not give any excuse to the nuns of the main temple to catch them out.
That was why she had always treated the Tea Fan Maidens even more strictly.
Since the main temple regarded their families like hostages, she had been that much more anxious that the children might do something foolish.
She had hoped that the matters of the Tea Fan Maidens and the Emei Sect would be wrapped up smoothly without any major issues, but…
‘But for the main temple side to pull off such an absurd thing!’
The sound of teeth grinding leaked from her mouth.
The joy when she first entered the Emei Sect, the pride built up while teaching children at the academy, and her devotion to the Emei Sect.
The more she came into contact with the dark side of the Emei Sect, the more precariously all of those shook lately, but…
Now she felt as if they had crumbled in an instant and were trampled upon.
And that, by none other than the sect itself.
“…Amitabha.”
Perhaps she was not the only one feeling that emotion, as the sound of chanting Buddhist names continuously could be heard among the remaining nuns of the academy.
Since they were also ordinary people, they had lived by turning their eyes away appropriately and pretending not to see the behavior of the sect, which they could do nothing about as individuals.
However, the moment had now arrived when they could no longer turn their eyes away.
“I have kept you waiting long.”
At that moment, Yeon Ha-eung, who confirmed that the Deputy manager nun and the administrative nuns of the main temple were properly led away, returned.
“Excuse me…!”
The Superintendent nun asked him.
“Are the Tea Fan Maidens, are those children safe?”
“Of course. It was merely an attempt, after all.”
At those words, sighs of relief broke out here and there.
“Then, could it be that the reason the Tea Fan Maiden children were not seen today was…?”
He nodded readily and answered.
“The Eldest Young Master of the Main Family is protecting them.”
“As expected, that was it…”
It was the moment a question was resolved.
‘Well, it was not merely for protection, though…’
Yeon Ha-eung smiled bitterly inwardly and changed the subject.
“All of you remaining here are nuns belonging to the academy, correct?”
At his question, about twenty nuns all nodded their heads.
“From now on, you will be ‘placed under house arrest’ at the quarters here until you are escorted to Chengdu.”
“…!”
Only then did the nuns, realizing their situation, raise their heads abruptly.
“E-escorted?! We did not participate in any way!”
Yeon Ha-eung nodded at the Superintendent nun’s cry.
“Since you are neither belonging to the main temple nor high-ranking, it is house arrest taking that into consideration. And guilt will not be decided by the Main Family, but later through investigation and trial in Chengdu, so it is useless to say anything to me now.”
Investigation and trial.
Although they did not even know of the political fights happening above, they felt sufficiently that the current situation was unusual.
‘A moment ago, when the document was shown, that document was clearly stamped with the seals of the Dali Duan Family, the Sichuan Tang Family, and the Governor of Chengdu…!’
Each of those names was a terribly heavy name that an individual could never bear.
Anyone could tell that if they were escorted to Chengdu, what awaited them would never be a favorable outcome.
Even if they faced an unjust outcome, who on earth would help them?
“So as long as you do not leave these quarters, it is fine, so please stay comfortably at least until you return.”
Having finished what he had to say, Yeon Ha-eung turned around cleanly, almost to the point of leaving them regretful.
“W-wait a moment!”
The Superintendent nun screamed.
“I understand that there is no choice! But by any chance, is there really no way?!”
It was a cry that made one wonder if the meaning was properly conveyed due to the urgency.
But Yeon Ha-eung had no choice but to understand it perfectly.
Since it was the word he had been waiting for.
“Ah, come to think of it…!”
Searching his bosom, he took out a document.
“Hmm. The Eldest Young Master said there was one thing you could help with.”
“The Eldest Young Master of the Sword Family…?”
Smiling brightly, he continued speaking.
“He explained that it is a task requiring your deep Buddhist faith, along with the mercy and compassion arising from the depths of your hearts.”
“What does that mean…?”
Pretending to read down the document, only after pausing did Yeon Ha-eung bring out the decisive words they wanted to hear.
“He said that if you cooperate with this matter, he will personally send a petition for you to Chengdu.”
Folding the document back into his bosom, he smiled.
“My. In fact, though it is called a petition, if it is someone of the Main Family’s Eldest Young Master’s caliber, it actually means he will grant you exoneration.”
Narrowing his eyes slightly, he asked.
“Are you interested, by any chance…?”
After a brief silence, everyone clamored that they would do it.
“Now, now, I understand. First, calm down a bit…”
Yeon Ha-eung extended both hands to calm them down, wearing a deep bitter smile inwardly.
‘The Eldest Young Master never lets go of what has entered his grasp for nothing.’
It was a point Yeon Ha-eung, who was spending days where even ten bodies would be insufficient lately, felt to his bones.
‘Well, though I practically got involved voluntarily…’
Controlling the nuns of the Emei Sect, he muttered inwardly.
‘Twenty Emei Sect martial nuns… Considering the current situation of the Valley of Sin, it is a force too good to lose.’
Watching the nuns of the Emei Sect signing the document in order, standing in a line according to his instructions, he tilted his head.
‘Come to think of it, if this is also voluntary in its own way, it is voluntary indeed.’
In any case, Yeon Ha-eung thus sent them support inwardly originating from a subtle sense of kinship.
* * *
Mount Beimang, the Gong Family Mansion.
“Oh…”
The elderly old man blinked his eyes.
Yeon So-hyeon retrieved all the gold needles and laid the Gong Family’s former patriarch down straight again.
“Does it feel like there is some effect?”
“It is good! Very good indeed!”
The Gong Family’s former patriarch shouted loudly, but soon ended up coughing.
Even so, the old man eventually rose from his lying position and sat leaning against the bed.
“…It is not an illness that will improve easily in just a few hours.”
Yeon So-hyeon said soothingly, casting a pitiful look at the old man.
When he arrived at Mount Beimang today and visited the Gong Family as his first stop, he had moved on to the next family after performing the treatment for the old man.
Because it was time for the treatment’s effect to appear, he had now returned to the Gong Family again.
“Illness?”
The old man snorted, making a phlegm-boiling sound.
“This is not merely an illness.”
Yeon So-hyeon read deep regret and self-reproach in the old man’s eyes.
“This is the price of sin I must rightfully pay.”
The old man said as if spitting it out.
“It is a heavenly punishment sent because I failed to stop that cursed war.”
The old man, who had endured alone and lonely for all those long years in the demon-den-like Imperial Capital, was blaming himself.
“…Rather than that.”
The old man lifted his gentle gaze and looked at Yeon So-hyeon.
Warmth and pride exceeding what one would feel when looking at one’s own biological grandson were flowing from that gaze.
“For that boy beyond the letters, who proudly discussed the great cause at such a young age, to grow up like this. And to be able to see it directly with my own eyes…”
His fragile hand trembled, grabbing Yeon So-hyeon’s hand that had been pulling up and tucking in the blanket.
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”
Yeon So-hyeon smiled bitterly at the old man’s endless gratitude.
“If it is treatment, I will come to perform it as often as you like in the future.”
The old man shook his head with difficulty.
“No. That is not what I mean.”
Only after coughing a few times was he able to continue speaking.
“Thank you for not aging prematurely.”
“…!”
The old man’s deep eyes stared straight at Yeon So-hyeon.
“I thought you, who were so clever, chose seclusion because you were disappointed in the world too early.”
“That is…”
The old man’s hand patted Yeon So-hyeon’s hand warmly.
“Whatever the reason was, you have returned. You have returned to the world proudly like this.”
He roared with laughter.
“I am so grateful for that.”
The old man, who had lost at the end of his lonely fight and ended up falling deeply ill, continuously expressed gratitude to his old comrade.
‘No, Elder Gong…’
Yeon So-hyeon lowered his head deeply.
Whatever the reason and whatever the process, he had already turned his back on the world and lay down.
The one here now was not the Yeon So-hyeon the old man remembered, but the Yeon So-hyeon who had grabbed the hand of the Scripture of Controlling Darkness and Shaking the Heavens and obtained a second chance.
‘I am sorry for visiting so late.’