Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 194

194. A Midnight Invitation

Yunhyun smiled at Dokgo-rang and said to the maid,

“Let’s go.”

The maid smiled as if she understood and began to walk ahead.

Yunhyun followed her.

Squeak, squeak.

The maid led Yunhyun through a rather complex route.

How long had they been walking up and down the complicated corridors and stairs of the Ice Palace?

It was the moment Yunhyun followed the maid out of the corridor.

Splash, splash.

The thick scent of water rushed to his nose, and at the same time, the sound of waves breaking was faintly heard in the cool night air.

They were outside.

“Where is this?”

Yunhyun asked the maid.

However, instead of answering, the maid politely bowed and walked away.

As if saying her job was done here.

“Oh, dear.”

Yunhyun, who suddenly lost his guide, felt a little lost and looked around.

The place where Yunhyun was standing was a small garden.

The vast expanse of the Northern Sea unfolded behind the Ice Palace, creating a secret garden effect.

Splash.

‘Ah.’

Yunhyun forgot everything for a moment and admired the view.

The night waves of the Northern Sea, breaking under the blue moonlight, sparkled like countless jewels.

‘There was a place like this in the Ice Palace.’

He had seen the night scenery of the Northern Sea from his lodgings.

However, seeing it right in front of him like this, the feeling was extraordinary.

The cold night breeze and the soft sound of the water also enhanced the atmosphere of the Northern Sea.

‘……But.’

Where was the Little Palace Lord who had summoned him?

Yunhyun, who had been captivated by the night scenery of the Northern Sea, looked around.

It was then.

Plink.

The faint melody heard amidst the sounds of water was definitely a pipa [a four-stringed Chinese musical instrument].

Yunhyun walked towards the sound.

‘There are stairs?’

There was a small stone staircase leading down in a place hidden by trees.

It was a small but quite charming staircase made of natural stone.

Yunhyun slowly went down the stairs.

Plink, plink.

Following the sound of the pipa down the long stairs, the Northern Sea unfolded before Yunhyun’s eyes.

He had come down to the waterfront.

Splash, splash.

Yunhyun, who had been watching the night waves of the Northern Sea for a while, moved his feet, following the sound of the pipa.

How long had he walked?

Yunhyun, walking along the waterfront, spotted a person sitting on a large rock.

The melody of the pipa was flowing from that person.

Plink.

As expected, it was the Little Palace Lord.

Instead of gorgeous clothes, she was wearing simple white robes, sitting on a rock with her long hair fluttering in the night breeze, looking at the Northern Sea and playing a small pipa.

‘Little Palace Lord.’

Yunhyun was momentarily breathless.

Half-closed elegant eyelashes, a delicate, luminous nose, and red lips reflecting the moonlight.

The Little Palace Lord’s appearance was breathtakingly beautiful.

Plink.

Silver finger picks shone on her fingertips, and a fascinating melody flowed out.

Even the cold night breeze seemed to be enchanted by her melody, gently wrapping around her.

If there was a goddess of the Northern Sea in legends, would she look like this?

Whoosh.

The cold wind of the Northern Sea rustled Yunhyun’s clothes.

But Yunhyun wasn’t cold.

The sound of the waves of the Northern Sea under the blue moonlight, the cold night breeze, and her pipa were embracing Yunhyun.

Like a dream he never wanted to end.

Plink.

However, the pipa music, which seemed like it would last forever, eventually stopped.

Yunhyun suddenly came to his senses.

The Little Palace Lord, holding the pipa in her arms, was already smiling at Yunhyun.

It was a soft and beautiful smile that he had never seen before.

“I made you wait.”

“No.”

Yunhyun immediately shook his head.

“Rather, I felt like I was intruding.”

The Little Palace Lord smiled softly and turned her head.

The wind fluttered the Little Palace Lord’s hair, but she just quietly looked at the Northern Sea.

Yunhyun cleared his throat involuntarily at her beautiful and melancholic eyes gazing at the endless sea.

“Ahem, this place.”

The Little Palace Lord turned her head towards Yunhyun.

He didn’t have anything specific to say, but Yunhyun just kept talking.

It was as if the Little Palace Lord would disappear into the Northern Sea at any moment.

“Um, so, I mean, do you come here often?”

The Little Palace Lord asked, her eyes sparkling.

It was a lively reaction that he had never seen before.

“That’s…….”

Yunhyun subtly avoided her gaze.

The Little Palace Lord’s demeanor towards him, to borrow Zhuge Giho’s expression, was too reverent to behold.

Yunhyun was not at all familiar with women, especially beauties like the Little Palace Lord.

“It’s because you seem to have a relaxed expression, like now, for the first time.”

“Is that so?”

Yunhyun’s answer seemed to please her.

Looking at the waves of the Northern Sea breaking under the moonlight, the Little Palace Lord said quietly.

“Since I was very young.”

Whoosh, splash.

“I used to come here alone.”

The Little Palace Lord continued, lightly touching her hair with one hand.

“When I look at the Northern Sea here, I can forget all the hard things, the sad and painful things.”

Rustle.

The Little Palace Lord stroked the small pipa in her arms.

“And when I play this pipa, my mind calms down.”

Yunhyun was also familiar with the pipa.

It was the very pipa that the Twelve Palace Lords had, which originally belonged to the Little Palace Lord.

The Little Palace Lord turned to Yunhyun.

“So that’s how it seemed.”

It was no delusion that her eyes looked sad.

What reason could she, the Little Palace Lord of the Northern Sea Ice Palace, a woman of noble status, have to seek solace alone at a young age?

Yunhyun couldn’t even guess.

But one thing was certain.

Perhaps it was no ordinary reason.

Yunhyun suddenly felt a pang in his heart.

It was as if he could see a young girl with only a small pipa as her only friend, sitting alone looking at the Northern Sea.

Just like his young self, who had become an orphan, was sitting alone in the Seowon [a traditional Korean private academy], reading a book after everyone had left.

“Scholar Yun.”

Yunhyun woke up from his thoughts at her voice.

“You have always treated me truthfully. You didn’t have any prejudice against me because I was from the Northern Sea, and you never looked at me with greedy eyes.”

Yunhyun felt a little guilty.

He didn’t know about greed, but he had definitely stared blankly at her.

“But I.”

The Little Palace Lord said, holding the pipa in both arms.

“I tell people a lot of lies. Sometimes small, or big, but all of them are very consequential.”

Yunhyun was puzzled.

Had she ever lied?

“I don’t know about others, but at least you have never lied to me.”

Yunhyun asserted.

“Hehe.”

But the Little Palace Lord let out a light laugh.

“You don’t necessarily need words to deceive others. You can deceive the other person as much as you want with silence.”

The Little Palace Lord’s eyes sparkled mischievously.

“For example, Scholar Yun didn’t know that the Ice Lord was ambushed, and that he would become the Ice Lord’s escort, did he? But I knew.”

Rustle.

“But I didn’t say it. That’s…….”

“It’s okay.”

Yunhyun cut off the Little Palace Lord’s words.

“Even if I had known, I would have made the same choice anyway.”

He had no choice.

In fact, Yunhyun had a big weakness: he had lost Nakil, the treasure sword of the Northern Sea.

If you think about it, Yunhyun himself was the one who deceived her.

So it was only natural that Yunhyun said it was okay without any hesitation.

But it wasn’t for the Little Palace Lord’s sake.

The Little Palace Lord looked at Yunhyun with surprised eyes.

Warriors, especially masters, have a very strong sense of pride.

They risk their lives for their pride, and sometimes they don’t hesitate to kill many people.

But Yunhyun, the successor of the Sword Saint and the owner of Nakil, knew that he was being used and said it was okay?

The Little Palace Lord couldn’t believe her ears.

But Yunhyun was looking at the Little Palace Lord with puzzled eyes, as if her surprise was strange.

“Really?”

The Little Palace Lord couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.

“Pfft, hehehe.”

Yunhyun was embarrassed.

He said it seriously, but when she laughed like that, he wondered if he had said something wrong.

“Um…….”

“Thank you.”

Yunhyun’s words were cut off by the Little Palace Lord’s voice.

The Little Palace Lord looked at Yunhyun with a still-smiling face and said.

“You are a good person after all.”

Her eyes looking at Yunhyun were slightly moist.

Yunhyun, who had never experienced such a thing, didn’t know what to do because he felt overwhelmed by the Little Palace Lord’s gaze.

The Little Palace Lord looked at even that embarrassed appearance with a smile.

Who would believe that this person, who even looks a little clumsy, is the one who broke through the ice and snow of the Northern Sea Twelve Bi [twelve powerful warriors]?

Who could guess that he is the Blue Wolf of the Northern Sea?

The Little Palace Lord, who had been smiling for a while, moved her red lips.

“The Martial Emperor.”

Yunhyun flinched for a moment.

The Little Palace Lord continued to speak quietly.

“Is a merchant’s sword. They came to the Northern Sea and demonstrated overwhelming martial arts. And the merchant extended his hand. He said that he would pass on their martial arts without any compensation, and in return, he asked the Northern Sea to support the uprising he would instigate.”

The expression of Yunhyun listening hardened.

Uprising and support were loaded words.

“He didn’t ask for an immediate answer. He just passed on his martial arts as he said and left. As a result, the Northern Sea was divided into the Jeongnam faction, which wanted to strike the South at this opportunity, and the Namrin faction, which said it was too early. Even the Little Palace Lords had different opinions. But fortunately.”

The Little Palace Lord said with a smile.

“Since there is a wise Blue Wolf from the boundary between heaven and earth, the confusion will end now.”

“Me?”

The Little Palace Lord nodded at Yunhyun’s question.

“Yes. As the Ice Lord said, there is no one in the Northern Sea who will go against the Blue Wolf’s will. So as long as you are alive, the Jeongnam faction is finished.”

That was truly fortunate.

But before Yunhyun could even feel relieved, the Little Palace Lord continued.

“But you have to be prepared for two things.”

Yunhyun’s face hardened.

“……What is it?”

“Those who led the Jeongnam faction will not back down so easily. They will definitely challenge you.”

Yunhyun nodded.

That was also what the Ice Lord had told him.

“The other is the wrath of the Great Merchant. He will never sit idly by and watch you ruin his plan.”

“Is his name the Great Merchant?”

“Yes. He calls himself that.”

Yunhyun frowned.

‘Sangin’ [Merchant] is a word that usually refers to high Taoists [a philosophical or religious tradition of Chinese origin].

But the word ‘Great’ attached to it was unusual.

“Little Palace Lord, are you from the Namrin faction?”

The Little Palace Lord opened her eyes wide at Yunhyun’s question.

“Me? Of course I am.”

She said with a smile.

“It’s the side that benefits me.”

Yunhyun smiled wryly.

She is still lying.

“Is that so? It sounds like the side that benefits the Northern Sea to me?”

If the Little Palace Lord was just a selfish person, she would not have risked her life to treat the Ice Lord.

She would not have brought him in to calm the chaos of the Northern Sea.

So it’s a lie that it’s the side that benefits herself.

“That could be.”

The Little Palace Lord did not deny it.

She said with a smile.

“However, the criteria for profit are a little different.”

Yunhyun also smiled.

“Anyway, everyone’s thoughts are different. There is no choice that satisfies everyone. Then I will support the Little Palace Lord’s choice.”

In fact, it was a thoughtless remark.

It was always a problem and a conclusion that always arose when arguing in Seowon.

In the end, everything is a matter of choice.

But it was different for the Little Palace Lord.

“……Why.”

She said with slightly trembling eyes.

“Are you being nice to me?”