chapter 58
There, a man dressed entirely in black armor rode a white horse, carrying a black banner.
Beneath him lay the bodies of those who had fallen, lifeless.
It was, without a doubt, an ominous scene.
Strange.
“Elder Namgung Mu-yeong drew such an ill-omened tile and named it after the Namgung family?”
Cheon Tong-gae read Hong Seol’s expression and replied.
“This tile signifies death.”
“What?”
“It means a major change in one’s life. Namgung Mu-yeong has been desperately poor until now, so I interpreted this change positively for him.”
“Positively?”
Hong Seol tilted her head in confusion.
“Moreover, I had heard that a branch of the Namgung family had lost its heir and was looking for a bright child to adopt. So this was a good opportunity.”
Cheon Tong-gae stroked his long beard and continued.
“All I needed to confirm was whether this destiny belonged to Namgung Mu-yeong. So I cast a coin to divine it—and it pointed directly to the Namgung estate!”
He told Namgung Mu-yeong to go there, and there, the boy met a benefactor and found a new life.
“Wow, that’s amazing!”
Hong Seol nodded eagerly, caught up in the moment.
Cheon Tong-gae shrugged casually, as if it were nothing.
“Now, you trust me too. Pick a tile you like.”
“Yes, yes!”
“First, you must decide what you want to ask.”
“Yes! I… I want to know if my mother loves me.”
She wondered if everything that had happened on Daechoksan was a terrible misunderstanding. She worried whether her mother was suffering to search for her, just like she had heard at Anhwi Doha.
If that were true, Hong Seol wanted to return to her mother’s embrace at any time. She wished it were as if all the hardships were just a bad dream.
“Please tell me… if my mother loves me!”
With a sincere heart, Hong Seol picked a tile.
“Hmm?”
Cheon Tong-gae flipped it over, frowning in surprise.
Ten golden cups floated along a rainbow. Beneath them was a family that looked blissfully happy to anyone who saw it.
“Strange… I heard that Jeongal Seon, the chief concubine of the Myeo family, severely abused this child. Why would the divination be like this…?”
“Why… why is it like this?”
Hong Seol leaned in, worried she might have flipped an ominous tile.
Cheon Tong-gae waved his hand.
“No, it’s fine. But just to be sure, why not pick one more paper tile?”
With trembling hands, Hong Seol picked again.
This time, the tile depicted a long-bearded old man wearing a shining crown, sitting on a throne.
“Stability and trust… that can’t be right.”
Cheon Tong-gae frowned, deeply perplexed.
“Draw one more.”
Hong Seol, without knowing why, flipped the tile again.
“Ha!”
Seeing the tile, Cheon Tong-gae sighed in astonishment.
A golden cup rested on a large palm, with water endlessly flowing from it.
It was unmistakably a symbol of love that never ran dry.
“This won’t do. Let’s try another method.”
Even after scattering rice, tossing old coins, and shaking the divination tools, the result was the same.
After a long time, Cheon Tong-gae finally threw up his hands.
“I must admit it.”
This was the first time he had conveyed divination results that contradicted the information he knew.
“You do not need to change your fate. Your mother loves you endlessly, Hong Seol.”
“Re… really?”
Happiness flooded the pale face of the child like a rising tide.
“Mother… loves me…”
Clasping her hands to her chest, Hong Seol trembled with emotion.
Watching her, Cheon Tong-gae kept his eyes on her and sent a message.
Pal-deok, are you there?
Yes, Master! Awaiting your command.
A disciple of the Gaebang, hiding using stealth near the rafters, replied.
We need to investigate the Myeo household.
What exactly should we find out?
Cheon Tong-gae studied Hong Seol quietly.
Though small from lack of nutrition, she must be around eight years old.
About eight years ago, when the first child of the Myeo household was born, check if anything suspicious happened.
Understood!
Pal-deok vanished quickly, carrying out the orders.
Hong Seol, her heart racing, didn’t even notice someone leaving.
“Mother truly loved me.”
She rubbed the red eye-flower-shaped mark on her arm repeatedly.
“So that feeling wasn’t wrong!”
Her tiny fingers trembled.
Cheon Tong-gae scratched his ear with a pinky and asked,
“So, you want to return to your mother directly? In that case, Arthur…”
“No.”
Cheon Tong-gae raised his brows at the unexpected answer. The child had tightly closed her lips and shook her head.
“Ah, an interesting child.”
What could this mean?
Cheon Tong-gae tilted his head in curiosity.
Hong Seol spoke in a restrained voice, as if holding back her emotions.
“I still have things to do at the Namgung estate.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
Cheon Tong-gae raised one eyebrow.
The child looked like she was restraining herself from rushing into her mother’s arms.
“I heard she recently became a disciple of Namgung Ho. That explains it.”
“She wants to train under Namgung Ho before returning home. Makes sense—it would benefit her.”
Thinking this way, Cheon Tong-gae stood and straightened his robes.
“It’s time for those outside to come in.”
He removed the magical barrier surrounding the room, which had prevented their conversation from leaking.
“Come in!”
No sooner had he spoken than Namgung On and Bing Yuhwa burst in.
“Hong Seol!”
Bing Yuhwa immediately wrapped her in a warm embrace.
Hong Seol felt a wave of comfort.
“She smells so nice… it’s calming.”
While Hong Seol smiled, Namgung On stated his purpose.
“We are looking for Manri Eonseon.”
“Ha! That’s not an easy person to find.”
“Yes. Please, Elder, mobilize the entire Gaebang to assist us.”
“No.”
“We’ll pay whatever you wish.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
Cheon Tong-gae’s beard twitched in irritation.
Namgung On shook his head in disbelief.
“Elder… you mean?”
“Yes, exactly. I refuse to help Namgung Ho in any way!”
“Ha…”
Bing Yuhwa’s expression darkened.
The feud between Namgung Ho, patriarch of the Namgung family, and Gaebang Master Cheon Tong-gae had existed since their youth.
Namgung Ho had often teased the young, impoverished Cheon Tong-gae, sometimes even riding him like a horse after winning bets.
“I can’t take it.”
Bing Yuhwa held her throbbing head and pleaded.
“Elder, please reconsider just once.”
“Do you think an apology from that old man will suffice?”
Namgung On quickly proposed a solution, but Cheon Tong-gae remained stubborn.
“Even if he apologizes now, it’s useless. I won’t budge!”
A heavy silence fell in the room.
“What do we do?”
“Is there really no other way?”
Bing Yuhwa and Namgung On exchanged helpless glances. There was no solution.
Money, apologies—it wouldn’t work.
All that remained was perhaps… intimidation.
Namgung On quickly calculated the chances of intimidating Cheon Tong-gae. Even if all the nearby guards were used, the likelihood of success was extremely low.
He was a master of elemental energy and a leader of his sect. Even if subdued, the relationship between the Namgung family and Gaebang would be irreparably damaged.
“What now?”
It seemed a dead end.
Just then, a clear, jewel-like voice echoed through the room.
“Do not worry, Master! Grandpa Cheon Tong-gae will help me.”
It was none other than Hong Seol.
