"Surprise! Baek Seolhwa. What are you doing in my room at this hour?"
"Why are you so late? I told you earlier. I won't let it slide next ti."
"No. Wait a minute. That was when we made a promise. I didn't promise when I would co now."
"...That's true, but still, shouldn't you know that soone will be waiting without being told?"
"Then why don't you contact with the earring? I was too busy to do so."
Baek Seolhwa, who had run out of things to say, stared at Namgung Hui and then sensed the sll of alcohol coming from his body.
"Did you get late because you were drinking? Wait. This hair belongs to a woman. Don't tell you were at a brothel...?"
Baek Seolhwa looked at Namgung Hui with a contemptuous gaze.
And for good reason. Among the mbers of the Moon Maiden Palace, there were many who had been unjustly sold to brothels.
Naturally, from the perspective of the Moon Maiden Palace, such a brothel itself could not be looked upon favorably.
"There's a misunderstanding here..."
"What misunderstanding? A guy who's been drinking at a brothel until this hour has so many excuses? Forget it. I was the fool. Good night. Young Master Namgung Hui."
At Baek Seolhwa's completely changed attitude, Namgung Hui felt a sense of crisis more than ever before.
For a mont, the posture for conveying sincerity from the romance encyclopedia ca to mind.
And Namgung Hui instinctively grabbed Baek Seolhwa's hand and continued.
"Seolhwa. Look at this portrait first. This is the reason I infiltrated the brothel."
Baek Seolhwa, as if she hadn't expected Namgung Hui to suddenly grab her hand, slowly turned her head like a frozen stone statue.
"Who is this person...?"
"He's a person called the General, and it seems he's a mber of the Eastern Depot. And he seems to be in charge of the affairs of the black market and the Hoicheon Association."
"But how did you know this person was at the brothel?"
"Actually, this person wasn't the target. The target was a courtesan nad Yewol."
"As expected. So that's it. In the end, you were planning to et a courtesan..."
"Hey! Baek Seolhwa. Are you going to keep doing this?"
This ti, Namgung Hui pulled her arm and even turned her body, so Baek Seolhwa and Namgung Hui had no choice but to hold hands and stare at each other.
And at a very close distance.
Such a Namgung Hui, without even having ti to feel the distance, brought his face close and continued.
"I know it might sound like an excuse now, but nothing really happened at the brothel. If you really don't want to believe , you don't have to. I don't know why I'm explaining this to you either, but I went to et a courtesan who is suspected of colluding with the Black Tortoise Troupe Leader. Got it?"
"..."
"Do you get it?"
"Ah, I get it."
"And I also hate brothels. First of all, the overcharging is too much, and more than anything, my pure... No. I don't think I should tell you this. Anyway. If you have nothing more to say, I need to get so sleep, so please leave."
Baek Seolhwa hesitated for a mont and then spoke with a determined expression.
"Good night. And thank you."
"What's there to thank for? On the contrary, I'm grateful that you waited for . You should go and get so sleep too."
"Yes... See you later."
Namgung Hui, at the sight of Baek Seolhwa who looked like a young girl for a mont, let out a smirk and lay down on the bed.
Perhaps because he had been moving so busily, his eyes closed on their own.
And so, Namgung Hui fell into a sweet sleep, not even knowing how much his lips had curled up.
* * *
The next day. Morning.
Although Namgung Hui had barely slept for two hours, his mind was clear.
He seed to have had a good dream, but he couldn't rember it.
Namgung Hui, who had co out of his room, looked at the quiet inn and then turned his head at the presence he felt from behind.
"Brother. You're awake."
Heon Wonsu was also already awake, as if he didn't sleep in the morning.
Well, since the mbers of the Black Tortoise Squad often stood guard at night, they would be used to this.
"Brother. Good morning."
And Yelu Guang, who was from the countryside, also seed to be an early riser.
And so, the three n naturally sat at the inn's dining table.
"Don't you guys sleep? You must have barely slept for two hours."
At Namgung Hui's question, Yelu Guang smiled and replied.
"Hahaha. It's alright. I usually only sleep for about two hours."
"That's why you look old."
"Brother. I'm sorry for suddenly dampening the mood, but there's a reason for this."
"What reason?"
"I... I haven't been able to sleep soundly since I lost my younger sister. If I can just find my sister. Would my face getting old be a problem?"
Yelu Guang's body even trembled.
Namgung Hui, not knowing such a situation, inwardly felt sorry and scratched the back of his head.
"Still, Geon's work is sharp. You'll be able to find her soon. Let's just eat. You guys need to cure your hangover too."
Namgung Hui, inwardly vowing to pass on the information about Yelu Guang's sister to On Yuha of the Hao Faction, called the waiter.
"Waiter!"
"Yes~! You called?"
"Bring three bowls of vegetable porridge and a few dishes suitable for curing a hangover."
"Yes! Please wait a mont."
Since ordinary inns usually prepared porridge in the morning, the al ca out quickly.
The Namgung Hui group began to cure their hangover, blowing on the hot porridge.
Perhaps because of the savory sll, the won who had been sleeping on the second floor ca out one by one.
Jegal Jihye stretched and said to Heon Wonsu.
"Yawn~ Gaga. You didn't co in until dawn yesterday, did sothing happen?"
"I just went out to investigate with my brother here."
Jegal Jihye looked at the dining table and then said with a suspicious eye.
"Hmm...? Everyone's eating porridge in the morning. It's like they're trying to cure a hangover. Did you perhaps go to a brothel yesterday?"
"Sister Hye. A smart person like you would have imdiately realized that we went to a brothel, right? But you would have also figured out that the reason was related to a mission. Isn't that right?"
"Hmm... I wonder. Sister Seolhwa. What do you think? You said you wouldn't let Brother Hui off the hook last night."
"When did I say that? I never said such a thing."
Jegal Jihye looked back and forth between Namgung Hui and Baek Seolhwa with an interested gaze, then nodded and continued.
"It seems sothing happened between you two at dawn. Alright. It's not my place to interfere in other people's lives, so I'll just let it go. And Gaga, if sothing like that happens, please tell in advance. I was worried."
"Sorry. It was actually sothing that happened spontaneously. Since my brother said he would tell us what happened when we were all together, let's hear it now."
Namgung Hui, thinking it would be alright to share the information with them, cleanly scraped his porridge bowl and readily opened his mouth.
"Since Jihye also witnessed it. It would be easier to start from there. If I went to a brothel..."
Namgung Hui told them about the incident where Jegal Jihye and Heon Wonsu had witnessed the secret eting of the Black Tortoise Troupe Leader.
And because of that, he had infiltrated the Full Moon Pavilion and had t the Penguin brothers, as well as the General and Yewol.
As Namgung Hui's explanation continued, Tang Soso, who had suddenly beco curious, asked a question.
"But Namgung Hui. At the level of the Black Tortoise Troupe Leader, he wouldn't have failed to notice the presence of Young Hero Heon Wonsu and Jihye here, right? Isn't that part strange?"
Co to think of it, it was a part that also bothered Namgung Hui.
In the first place, since he had arranged a secret eting, it was strange that he had handed over a letter without looking around.
At that mont, the gazes of the group naturally turned to Heon Wonsu and Jegal Jihye.
And Jegal Jihye subtly blushed and avoided their gaze.
Having no choice, Namgung Hui had to ask Heon Wonsu.
"Su. I need you to explain in detail what happened."
Heon Wonsu glanced at Jegal Jihye and then continued with a flushed face.
"Ahem! Actually, we were in the stable at that ti. So we happened to witness their secret eting, and as you can imagine, the Black Tortoise Troupe Leader, who had sensed our presence in the middle, ca towards us. But fortunately, he mistook it for the presence of a horse and retreated."
"Well, it would be difficult to distinguish between a horse and a human at night."
And the foul stench would also be one of the reasons why the Black Tortoise Troupe Leader didn't want to approach.
"But why were you guys in the stable at night? This is more suspicious."
In the first place, the reason why the Black Tortoise Troupe Leader had let it go so easily was because who would be in the stable at night?
It was a place where one could never lie in ambush unless information had been leaked in advance.
Heon Wonsu just blushed at Namgung Hui's question and did not answer.
At that mont, Tang Soso, who had realized sothing, changed the subject.
"That's enough. There's no need to be suspicious. Then did you recruit the courtesan nad Yewol?"
"For now, I think so, but I don't know how she'll turn out. Since it's a matter that could be reported to the Association. Anyway, I'm a marked man in the Hoicheon Association, so it doesn't matter."
"Well. Since you've been scratching their insides so much, all that's left is to be chased."
No matter how much Namgung Hui had interfered with their events, the Hoicheon Association would surely focus on the tournant for now.
So he had to aim for this ti.
The mont when their strength would not reach.
"Ah. And brother. Have you heard the tournant schedule? You haven't registered for the sparring tournant yet, have you?"
"I just ca yesterday, so how could I have registered?"
"Then you should register today. The sooner you register, the earlier your match will be, so it will be better. If your goal is to beco one of the Seven Dragons."
"Why the match?"
"Because the more promising a prospect is, the earlier they tend to register. Because the most attention is focused on the opening day. So they tend to pair up the people who registered early, so there's a high probability of facing a famous person. With your skills, brother, there's no way you'll lose to those mbers of the younger generation, right?"
"Oh ho. So you're saying I can get a good quality sacrifice. Alright. As soon as I finish today's schedule, I'll go and register."
Although Namgung Hui's inner self was already well past forty, his heart pounded and his competitive spirit soared at the thought of exchanging blows with the famous mbers of the younger generation.
As the conversation between Namgung Hui and Jegal Jihye ended, Eun Seolrin, who had been sitting demurely, spoke.
"Then it will be difficult to go around together in the future. Since won spar with won, and n spar with n."
"That's right. Still, it's a relief that I have a younger brother now, so I won't be going around alone. And since Seolhwa will protect everyone for the most part, there's nothing to worry about."
Here, the only one who knew Baek Seolhwa's true level was Namgung Hui.
Even Tang Soso, who had had a simple sparring match with her, would not know Baek Seolhwa's true skills.
"Hearing you say that, Young Master, makes feel much more at ease."
"Well, I'm here too, so what could possibly happen? At least there won't be any poisoning. I've already checked all the ingredients at this inn. It's safe here."
Since there was even a mber of the Sichuan Tang family, an expert in poison, he couldn't be more reassured.
Especially since the guys who made a move on won usually put poison in their drinks or food.
Hadn't Baek Seolhwa also been a victim of that in the past?
Being with Tang Soso was a considerable advantage.
Namgung Hui looked at Tang Soso and continued.
"I can also leave for a while with peace of mind."
"Leave for a while? You're not thinking of staying at this inn?"
"As I said earlier, I have to et Yewol secretly. If I take you guys with , it will attract attention. Especially since there are only beauties, isn't that right?"
"Hmph! You only treat us as beauties at tis like this."
"I've never said you were ugly in normal tis. Well, it's true that Seolhwa is the prettiest."
Not only Tang Soso, but also Eun Seolrin, who had been silent, was slightly shaken by Namgung Hui's words.
Of course, they also knew that Baek Seolhwa's beauty was unrivaled.
Still, to hear such words from a man's mouth, and from Namgung Hui's mouth at that, it seed they were slightly resentful.
Baek Seolhwa, at Namgung Hui's sudden complint, blushed and hurriedly continued.
"I'm hungry. Let's eat too."
"That's right. It's so an of you to eat first by yourselves. I won't know if there's poison in the food later~"
At Tang Soso's venomous gaze, Namgung Hui clicked his tongue and said.
"Tsk tsk. I have business to attend to, so I'll be leaving now. Enjoy your al."
"What business? Ah~ You said you were seeing Elder Gujishingae at noon. Have a good trip."
Tang Soso smiled brightly, as if sothing fun was about to happen.
Although Namgung Hui didn't like that smile, he couldn't say anything.
He also said goodbye to the rest of the group.
"I'll be back."
"Have a good trip."
"Brother. Please buy so plum tears on your way back."
"Plum tears? What's that?"
"It's a drink made from plums. It's sweet and very popular with won."
"Really? Alright. I'll buy it if I have ti."
And so, Namgung Hui left the Cheongi Inn and headed for the Zhongyuan Inn, where he was supposed to et The Nine-Fingered Divine Beggar.
(End of Chapter)
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