Part 1,
Chapter 32. Fate
Tang So-hwa furrowed her brows.
It seemed like she had missed something, but she couldn't tell what.
Yeon-ah lowered her head deeply, and in a voice as small as an ant crawling, she said,
"I know I'm not someone the Tang Clan needs, like the Divine Physician. But I have potential. I think the Young Lady also knows this. That’s why you asked Grand Elder Tang Min to recommend me to the Taoist sects, and also gave me this… this good sword…”
Tang So-hwa's gaze dropped to the floor.
Water droplets were falling one by one.
It wasn't rainwater. Yeon-ah was crying, her sorrow apparent.
Yeon-ah roughly wiped her tears with the back of her hand, swallowed her grief, and raised her head.
“I really don’t understand. While seeing me as a child with potential, why do you not need me…?”
“……”
"I want to become someone the Tang Clan needs as well. If there’s anything you need, please tell me—I want to help in any way I can!"
The sound of bamboo swaying in the wind briefly broke the silence.
Tang So-hwa's lips curved into a beautiful arc.
Her red lips parted, and a voice colder than the rain-soaked wind flowed out.
"Are you someone who can only feel at ease when used by someone else?"
Before Yeon-ah could respond, Tang So-hwa's indifferent voice brushed past her heart like a scratch.
"Even if you were that kind of person, I wouldn't care."
Harsh words were wrapped in a gentle tone.
"I decide what I need. So, whether or not you're someone I need is for me to decide. If you're someone who can only feel at ease when being used by others, that's your problem, not something I need to concern myself with."
Perhaps out of stubbornness, Yeon-ah bit her lip. With a face full of sorrow, she opened her mouth again.
"You told me I would become the world's greatest swordsman. If you think that way, why do you so firmly declare that I'm unnecessary?"
She thought she had pointed out a contradiction, but the direct descendant instead furrowed her brow.
"I'm curious. Even if you become an outstanding swordsman, why would I need you?"
"I could be your guard..."
"The Tang Clan is a martial clan. A person who cannot even protect themselves and needs to rely on a guard has no right to be a direct descendant."
Although the previous life of Tang So-hwa had been such a person, she chose not to mention that fact.
Flustered, Yeon-ah hesitated before speaking again.
"People's fates are unknown. There might be something you need me for. There might be times when it's dangerous to go somewhere yourself, or when you have to face someone difficult..."
"I don't need anyone else's life to walk in my place."
"That's what you say now, when you're in the heat of the moment. When facing death, your thoughts will change."
At those words, Tang So-hwa's lips curved into a slight smile.
A strange silence lingered.
After staring at Yeon-ah for a while, Tang So-hwa finally spoke.
"Have you ever died?"
"Pardon?"
"How can you be so sure that your thoughts will change in the face of death?"
Unlike the smile on her face, Tang So-hwa's voice was cold.
Both Tang So-hwa and Yeon-ah had chosen death for themselves.
Yeon-ah had sacrificed her life for her, and Tang So-hwa had discarded the life that others had desperately tried to preserve.
A cold chill settled in her chest.
'Surviving by relying on someone else's sacrifice would be worse than death.'
If she had died that day in Sichuan, she would have found peaceful rest. But because she had been forced to preserve her life, she had to endure a hellish year.
Of course, that wasn't the fault of the child before her.
It was just bitter.
This little child was someone born with the nature to sacrifice herself.
She had gone to the trouble of helping her avoid Namgung Hyun, but now the child was saying the same thing to her.
Tang So-hwa pulled a small cloth from her sleeve.
It had become a habit to carry something like this because of the twins, who were always spilling things, and her younger brother, who often showed tears.
Tang So-hwa stepped closer to Yeon-ah. They were of similar height, but their eyes intertwined in a strangely different way.
She gently wiped the tears from Yeon-ah's eyes, as though soothing a younger sibling.
Yeon-ah, experiencing this for the first time, opened her eyes wide. But she didn't pull away from the touch.
Tang So-hwa, with a kind gesture, looked at the child with dry eyes and asked,
"Do you think you owe me something? Is that why you want to repay the debt?"
Yeon-ah hesitated, then nodded.
"And so, you want to become a sword for me, as that's all you have to offer?"
Yeon-ah's cheeks turned red with embarrassment.
Tang So-hwa withdrew her hand and spoke.
"To be honest, I don't think you're someone I need."
"Young Lady..."
At that moment, someone entered the corridor and called for Tang So-hwa.
"They say someone from the Namgung Clan has arrived."
She met the gaze of the guard who had called her, nodding slightly. Then, she handed the damp cloth to Yeon-ah's hands.
“I will gladly keep your debt of gratitude. If I ever need help, I will ask you then.”
“……”
“Though I don’t think such a day will come.”
Leaving behind a smile, the young lady of the noble clan left the pavilion.
Yeon-ah stood there, the new sword in one hand and the wet cloth in the other, her lips slightly parted.
Tang So-hwa had spoken to end the tiresome, entangled relationship, but to the silent Jeom-chil, it sounded different.
‘The current you is not someone who can be of use to the Tang Clan.'
Heat flared in Jeom-chil’s finely trembling pupils.
‘So, become someone who can be of use and return!’
A wrong misunderstanding unfolded strange fantasies in the young martial artist’s mind.
The maidservant approached Jeom-chil.
“You’ll catch a cold. I’ll tell them to prepare warm water, so please wash up and change your clothes.”
"No, no! It's not necessary!"
Jeom-chil hurriedly shook her head. Then, with her reddened eyes sparkling, she asked,
“I want to see Grand Elder Dang Min! Can I meet him now?”
The maidservant swallowed a bitter smile at Jeom-chil’s attitude.
“I will inquire first. In the meantime, please change your clothes. You’ll need to change into even neater clothes to see the Grand Elder.”
“Yes, please!”
Jeom-chil quickly followed the maidservant back to her quarters.
Her heart was impatient. But unlike when she had arrived, Jeom-chil’s steps, now filled with determination, did not slip.
***
"If you happen to get a stomach ache, take one of these pills. If you get a wound, immediately wipe it with this cloth and then apply this ointment. And this one..."
"I know, I know, old physician. Don't you remember who helped make these medicines with you?"
Jin-cheol, who had brought a large quantity of medicines, cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Right. It's not appropriate to make a fuss like this, even though there's a Medical Hall in the Wudang Sect. Jeom-chil-ah, if you’re sick, go to the Medical Hall no matter what.”
"I understand. Don't worry."
"Cough."
Jin-cheol couldn't stop worrying and continued to fret over Yeon-ah, which caused Tang Min to clear his throat.
Yeon-ah, sensing the tension, quietly took a step back.
“Don’t worry. Even if I become a disciple of the main sect, I’ll be able to visit you. I heard that if you’re assigned to the Hubei branch, you get to travel to other regions often!”
"Well, they don't just send anyone to the branch. Don't hold onto false hopes."
Tang Min interjected, cutting off the conversation between the two.
Usually, a member who was proud to be shown off externally would be drafted into the Murim Alliance.
Just looking at Tang Min made it clear—it wasn’t simply due to martial prowess that someone was sent to the Murim Alliance.
A family's shameful master had to be kept hidden away at home as much as possible.
"Grand Elder."
Unable to watch any longer, Tang So-hwa called out to Tang Min, drawing his attention.
“Please take care of yourself on your trip.”
Her words were kind, but her gaze was as cold as ice.
It was her way of saying to let it go.
"Oh, if I'm late, I'll have to sleep on the road. Do you think I should be sleeping out there at my age?"
Jin-cheol was startled by Tang Min's words and patted Yeon-ah's shoulder as he urged her to go.
"Hurry, hurry. If you sleep on the road, you'll catch a cold."
"Yes, please take care of yourself as well, old physician."
Yeon-ah said her goodbyes with tear-filled eyes and finally began to walk. She seemed like she was heading toward Tang Min, but she suddenly stopped in front of Tang So-hwa.
Tang So-hwa thought she was about to say her farewells, but then Yeon-ah clenched her fist.
... That attitude felt ominous.
"Young Lady, please remember this."
Her voice, once again, pierced through the air uncomfortably.
Tang So-hwa gave her a suspicious look.
"... What should I remember?"
"I will become someone useful to the Tang Clan!"
Yeon-ah struck her chest with her fist.
"So that the Tang Clan can use the Wudang Sect on the day it needs it! I will make sure to swallow up Wudang and raise it into a sect that benefits the Tang Clan…!"
Tang Min quickly rushed forward and covered Yeon-ah's mouth with his hand, but Tang So-hwa's cold gaze was already fixed on him.
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Ah, don’t mind it. I just gave a few words as a senior in the Murim. It's nothing important. I told her not to repeat this, but who knows when that'll happen!"
Tang Min glared at Yeon-ah, but she didn't even look at him.
Tang So-hwa sighed deeply before speaking to Yeon-ah.
"Young lady, I'm saying this out of concern... but you must never say such things in Wudang."
The name that had been lingering uneasily in Tang So-hwa's mind surfaced.
The Taiji Sword Saint Un-gil, who was once one of the Heavenly Ten Swords.
In about twenty years, Yeon-ah would likely be the one to surpass him, the greatest master of Wudang, and one of the top ten swordsmen in the world.
Would the two of them end up fighting again?
Yeon-ah, who always treated her elders with great respect, had in her past life easily defeated the Taiji Sword Saint, who was of a similar age to Tang Min. Tang So-hwa worried that their compatibility might be terrible.
Unsure if revealing the future would be helpful, she hesitated before speaking up.
"And please, try to avoid meeting the Taiji Sword Saint if possible."
"Huh? What do you mean? I'm personally accompanying this child to make him the Taiji Sword Saint's disciple!"
"What do you mean by that?"
Tang So-hwa, who had momentarily been preoccupied with other matters, now looked at Tang Min in confusion.
However, Tang Min, with a proud smile, straightened his back.
“It’s natural for someone of my caliber to have a dazzling network of contacts in the Murim. Nothing to be surprised about.”
"Is Taiji Sword Saint really going to take her as a disciple?"
“That old coot looks for someone who matches his level, regardless of who they are, so he’ll be very pleased with this child's talent.”
……Matches his level, huh. In the future, he might get beaten up and disgraced by that child.
Tang So-hwa narrowed her eyes and glanced at Yeon-ah.
No matter how you looked at it, Yeon-ah didn't seem the type to beat up her master.
'What is fate, really...'
It seemed like in this life, the Taiji Sword Saint would maintain his title as the "Heavenly Ten Swords" and pass away quietly.
Tang So-hwa furrowed her brow at the tangled and unpredictable relationships in the Murim.
"Now, let's get going."
As soon as Tang Min released his hand, Yeon-ah shouted excitedly.
"Ha! If anything difficult comes up, you must tell me! I'll be sure to help, so don't forget about me!"
“Yes, yes. I understand, so please go carefully.”
Tang So-hwa waved her hand, and Yeon-ah walked backward, repeatedly waving her hand while following Tang Min.
Is this what they call fate?
Once they finally left, their figures disappeared from sight.
A strange fate had bound the Tang Clan, and at last, a peaceful silence settled.
The sun of the day was already setting. The unusually warm sunset bathed the outer wall in a gentle glow.
"Young Lady."
Turning at the call, the maidservant bowed her head and said,
“The Young Lord of Namgung has asked if a private meeting is possible.”