Chapter 66
“This kid…”
She couldn’t be more than four years old, could she?
A little girl, younger than me, was squirming under the pavilion.
Startled, Cheonghyeon hurriedly went down. He lifted the girl up in his arms and spoke in a scolding tone.
“Why are you out here? Where’s your nanny?”
“Cheonghyeon, who is this child?”
“She’s my younger sister,” Cheonghyeon replied curtly.
“Her name is Yeon.”
“Namgung Yeon… what a pretty name.”
“Where is your nanny?”
Cheonghyeon held Namgung Yeon in his arms. She was small, and Cheonghyeon had a bigger build than children his age, so she fit comfortably in his embrace.
“Hello,” I greeted Namgung Yeon.
“…!”
But instead of returning my greeting, she simply smiled brightly. Even that smile wasn’t directed at me.
Because…
“This cloth…”
Namgung Yeon’s eyes were covered with a cloth.
Cheonghyeon spoke as if it were no big deal.
“Yeon can’t see and can’t speak. But how did she manage to get all the way here…?”
He muttered in puzzlement.
“Oh, Young Lady Yeon!”
From afar, a middle-aged woman, presumably Namgung Yeon’s nanny, came running. She was a sturdy woman. Her hands were calloused, and her steps were steady, suggesting she might have trained in martial arts.
“Master Cheonghyeon! Oh, so you were taking care of Young Lady Yeon,” she said as she approached, then glanced at me.
“And you have a precious guest from the Sachedang with you as well.”
The benefits of the Dang family’s green brocade—no need for introductions.
“You were wandering dangerously under the pavilion. How can you go wandering without properly watching the child?” Cheonghyeon asked sharply.
The nanny bowed her head.
“I’m sorry, Master Cheonghyeon. With the head of the family’s eightieth birthday celebration today, things are hectic… Young Lady, come here. Go with your nanny.”
She reached out, but Namgung Yeon didn’t go to her. She clutched Cheonghyeon’s neck instead.
“Namgung Yeon, you have to go. Your brother is with a guest right now.”
“I’m fine…”
“That doesn’t matter. It’s time for you to sleep.”
Cheonghyeon’s tone was firm. Namgung Yeon’s face instantly fell, looking dejected.
Then—
“!”
Namgung Yeon lifted her head sharply and turned toward me. I widened my eyes in surprise.
I thought she couldn’t see…
Perhaps noticing my confusion, Cheonghyeon explained.
“Yeon may not see, but her hearing is extremely sharp.”
“But I didn’t make any sound.”
“Maybe she heard something.”
Namgung Yeon reached out toward me. I stepped forward slowly. The little girl in her brother’s arms waved her arms as if searching for something.
“What sound did she hear?”
“I don’t know… this is the first time something like this has happened.”
Cheonghyeon frowned, clearly troubled. The nanny’s expression stiffened as she watched him.
“My apologies. Young Lady is not usually like this… forgive her rudeness.”
“It’s alright,” I said. I wasn’t the type to be harsh to Cheonghyeon’s sister. I was simply curious about what Yeon was searching for.
Then, quietly, she grabbed the sleeve of my robe. The nanny’s expression grew even more tense.
“Your sleeve? Ah! She heard the sound from your sleeve!”
“A snake sound?”
“Yes, perhaps the movement of the Manhyeolsa.”
Namgung Yeon, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, smiled brightly and nodded.
“Snake…?”
The nanny looked to Cheonghyeon, but he didn’t turn to her and instead put Namgung Yeon down.
The little girl walked toward me and reached out. I hesitated briefly, then summoned the Manhyeolsa. However, I couldn’t bring it out fully because I had promised not to.
“Is this what you were looking for?” I asked. Namgung Yeon smiled brightly and reached out as if she wanted to touch it.
Would it be safe to let her touch the Manhyeolsa? I glanced at it.
‘It should be fine,’ I thought. There was no sense that it would harm her. Moreover, except for Dang Young and Dang Paejin, it had never threatened anyone.
I relaxed and looked at Namgung Yeon. She cautiously explored with both hands, then firmly held my hand while stroking the snake, whose head peeked out from inside my sleeve.
Her touch was careful. The Manhyeolsa seemed to understand that she meant no harm and stayed calm. It flicked its tongue.
“Snakes can smell with their tongues. It’s probably doing that right now,” I explained.
The Manhyeolsa returned inside my sleeve after briefly enjoying her touch. Still, Namgung Yeon didn’t leave my side, clearly curious.
‘Why is she like this?’ I wondered. Then, I remembered the pair of Dokinjeops in my pocket.
‘Did she hear the flutter of a butterfly wing?’
If so, her hearing was extraordinary. But I couldn’t take them out—unlike the Manhyeolsa, the Dokinjeops are extremely poisonous, and even the slightest flutter could be dangerous. So I ignored it.
“Young Lady, it’s time to go. Wash up and get ready for bed,” the nanny said. Namgung Yeon shook her head in reluctance.
“Yeon.”
“…”
“You mustn’t disturb the guest. And there are many strangers today; it’s dangerous. Don’t fuss. Follow your nanny and rest.”
Cheonghyeon’s tone left no room for argument, and she nodded dejectedly. The nanny apologized repeatedly before carrying Namgung Yeon away.
“I didn’t know my sister liked snakes,” I said.
“She doesn’t like them. She was probably just curious because it was a sound she had never heard before,” Cheonghyeon explained as he looked where Namgung Yeon had disappeared.
“Since she can’t see, she relies heavily on hearing. If she hears something unfamiliar, she wants to touch it and find out what it is.”
“Did she come here because she heard our voices?”
“The nanny must have been distracted, and when she heard us, she came over.”
I nodded, listening to him.
“I’m glad I got to meet her. She was cute. She resembles you, too.”
“Yeon doesn’t resemble me much.”
“Why? She seemed similar.”
“Our mothers are different.”
Huh?
Even though the cult had no leader, it didn’t mean the Central Plains were completely peaceful.
As the saying goes, when the tiger is gone, the fox rules the den. With the martial sect weakened, the Sadoren—composed of many dark organizations—had gained dominance in its place.
Over the past century, some dark forces had grown powerful enough to rival the righteous sects.
‘That’s already troublesome.’
If the cult started moving in earnest, the situation would escalate beyond comparison. What kind of bloodshed would sweep through the martial world then?
Dang Cheongi reflected on the aura he had sensed within Dang Bi. And he recalled Namgung Uryong’s story.
“What’s required to form the Cheonma Body is top secret within the cult. You know this. But one thing is certain: they are searching for something in the Central Plains.”
In truth, the Dang family had been hiding a secret: Dang Bi’s mother was a priestess of the cult, responsible for managing sacred artifacts and conducting the Heavenly God rituals. She had killed all the pursuing demons while fleeing and completely changed her appearance.
Only Dang Cheongi and Dang Jin-hyeon knew of her past. Now, Dang Cheongi’s mind was in turmoil.
Could she be connected to all this?
‘If that’s the case…’
As he pondered seriously, suddenly, the outside grew chaotic.
