Free Web NovelIt was the hour when the sun was sinking. It had been nearly a full day since Sohwa had entered the underground dungeon.
Sitting on the dust-covered floor, Sohwa counted the days.
There had to be a certain amount of time required to travel from Mount Emei to the Tang manor, so by the time the Blood Cultist had come looking for her, it would have been about a day since the Demonic Sect had arrived at the Tang manor.
Sohwa folded one finger.
At the time, she had immediately handed the Blood Cultist over to Sagye Hall, and the Sagye Hall Administrator had responded quickly, sending the Four-Directions Hall Administrator at once to confirm the Passage.
‘Now two days.......’
It would be a little over two days since the Demonic Sect had arrived at the Tang manor.
Even if the Four-Directions Hall Administrator returned the day after tomorrow to guide the Passage, it would still take another two to three days to travel to Sichuan.
Her fingers stopped.
‘Support can only arrive roughly seven days after the Demonic Sect strikes the Tang Clan.’
Sohwa silently lowered her hand.
The Tang manor would have to withstand the Demonic Sect for seven days and nights.
And that was assuming the situation in the most optimistic way.
If the Passage did not exist, they would have to run directly to Sichuan.
The condition of warriors who had run for seven days and nights upon arrival could not be compared to that of warriors who had run for two days.
Fighting strength diminished in proportion to time.
Sohwa leaned her head against the wall.
Her weakened heart once again recalled the shortcut.
‘......Couldn’t I try persuading Namgung Hyun again?’
If, as Namgung Hyun had said, they could move directly to the Tang manor, there would be nothing to worry about.
The heads of the great sects, counted among the foremost in the Central Plains, would be going together. And in peak condition at that. Even if the Demonic Sect framework numbered four hundred, there was no way they would lose.
In truth, in her previous life, the Demonic Sect had been suppressed by the three sects that went to Sichuan. And that was when they had arrived after running for several days.
She unconsciously looked toward fortune, then set that thought down.
She could not waste the opportunity by hoping for an impossible stroke of luck.
Sohwa continued to search for a way that would allow them to arrive as quickly as possible.
Could she perhaps ask the Hao Clan members at Honghae Pavilion for help? They surely had a way to convey news quickly.
It was then.
Sohwa lifted her head from the wall at the presence she sensed beyond the door.
Step.
Footsteps entered the pitch-dark underground chamber where not a single point of light reached.
She felt a familiar trace.
Soon, the person who had approached the door opened his mouth.
“Are you all right?”
Sohwa’s eyebrows rose.
“How did you get in here?”
Namgung Hyun did not answer. Only the sound of his clothes brushing against the wooden door tickled her eardrums. It seemed he had settled leaning against the door.
He appeared to have come for a long conversation.
Unable to understand the situation, Sohwa waited for him to speak first.
After quite some time, Namgung Hyun’s voice reached her.
“Why...... didn’t you say anything?”
News of her being locked in the dungeon seemed to have spread in the meantime.
“Did the Clan Head allow you to come and go as you please, Young Master?”
“No.”
“Then how did you enter the residence hall?”
“Calculating a distance of this degree is not that difficult for me.”
Only after a moment passed did Sohwa understand what Namgung Hyun meant.
“Is it that formation you spoke of?”
“Yes.”
“You can travel directly into the residence hall as well?”
A small whisper of air sounded. She could not tell whether it was a sigh or a faint laugh.
“It is possible. But if I did that, there would be a hole in this residence hall. Right now, I came in through the back door.”
The space at the back door was narrow between the wall and the residence. Because the view was blocked, it was a good place to slip in unseen. In fact, Namgung Jin had scaled that very wall and infiltrated the Tang residence hall.
Sohwa’s eyes narrowed slightly.
The path between the residence and the wall was so cramped that if two people walked side by side, it would be filled. It was surprising that he could move into that space.
“You can calculate the destination with that much precision?”
Thinking that it was only natural that the Blood Demon would covet such talent, her feelings grew complicated.
The thought came to her that in her previous life, Namgung Hyun could also have traveled to Sichuan with ease.
All he had to do was write a formation on the ground—a simple task—and yet he had called it a long road and refused the Tang Clan’s request. The memory stirred a strange emotion.
Just then, Namgung Hyun answered as if he had read her thoughts.
“The closer the distance, the more precisely I can deploy the formation. But when the distance is great, it’s hard to gauge the range of the destination. With the same formula, one day it might connect to the lakeside, and another day it might end up in the mountains.”
“Is Sichuan a far distance?”
“Yes, you could say it’s far.”
“Even if you had drawn the formation, you couldn’t have guaranteed we would arrive at the Tang manor.”
Though Sohwa’s voice was calm, it held a subtle disappointment. Her gaze fell to the dark floor.
“In truth, that’s what I came to talk about.”
Her eyes, which had been fixed on her skirt hem, lifted.
Soon, a bright voice flowed through the crack in the door like sunlight breaking into the darkness.
“I’ve thought of a way to move everyone without revealing who I am.” freewebnoveℓ.com
Sohwa silently looked at the door.
“Calculating the location of a residence hall is actually not that difficult. In fact, you could say it’s easier than grasping a person’s position standing on the ground or on a mountain. Also, because it isn’t subject to interference from natural things like wind or water, the probability of completing the formation in time is high.”
Namgung Hyun offered a hopeful explanation, then brought up something not quite so hopeful.
“But the farther away the land you’re asking to connect is, the harder it is to calculate the position. Even if you aim to move inside the Tang manor, you could end up dropping right into the enemy’s midst.”
“......”
“The art of a sorcerer is to borrow the power of the Five Elements, so that a human between heaven and earth performs skill upon the ground and seeks heaven’s permission.”
He tried to explain in a way that someone who wasn’t a sorcerer could understand.
“The Five Elements are nature itself, and when things like rain or a tree’s shadow interfere and hide human skill, the intent is distorted. So in truth, perfectly calculating the formula is not a matter of having clever hands or a good head. If I had to put it precisely......”
Finding it hard to say, Namgung Hyun bit down once on his words, then added on.
“It means you’re favored by heaven.”
She had already heard from the Alliance Leader that he was a practitioner favored by heaven.
“Young Master.”
Sohwa quietly listened to what he was confessing, then cut in.
“Are you perhaps trying to help me now?”
“Yes, that is my intention.”
The sound of her heart dropping seemed to block her ears.
Sohwa quietly moved closer to the door where Namgung Hyun was leaning. It was because she feared she might miss a sound.
“I’m thinking...... what if we move an entire Tang residence hall.”
“This hall here?”
“Yes. If we fill each room with people, and I alone enter an empty room and write the formation, we should be able to move to Sichuan without anyone knowing. In truth, it doesn’t have to be a Tang residence hall. Sixty Wudang warriors, fifty from Mount Hua, fifty from the Namgung Clan, a hundred from the Tang Clan. A space that can hold around two hundred and sixty people would be enough.”
Namgung Hyun added on.
“It’s just that, as far as I know, the only building whose disappearance wouldn’t cause a major problem at headquarters is the guest residence hall, so that’s why I mentioned it.”
“Since we won’t be laying people down in the rooms, if we put five to ten people in one room, we should be able to fit everyone.”
“Yes, if it’s a Tang residence hall, the number of people won’t be a problem.”
In a calm voice, Namgung Hyun spoke.
“There are two things I’m worried about. One is calculating a destination point in the Tang manor that has no people in it, and the second is gathering everyone who will be going to Sichuan into the Tang residence hall.”
In a grave tone, Namgung Hyun went on.
“If I miscalculate and swap the Tang Clan’s treasure vault with this building, the Tang Clan’s secret books could be exposed at headquarters. Or the residence hall might be moved while cut in half, and the people inside could be seriously injured. And right now, the Tang Young Lady’s family is in the Tang manor, aren’t they?”
Sohwa’s face hardened. Fortunately, he did not stop speaking and proposed a method.
“So it would be better to move to a place without people. That way, even if there’s an error, it won’t cause major issues. But as far as I remember, there weren’t that many out-of-the-way places in the Tang manor, so I’m hesitant.”
Namgung Hyun paused for a moment, then suggested a location to her.
“If you don’t mind...... may I calculate your study as the destination?”
At his words, Sohwa’s expression turned odd. But not seeing that expression, Namgung Hyun spoke in an apologetic tone, trying to persuade her.
“If it’s a place I’ve been to, I can calculate the position in more detail. Also, as far as I recall, your study was quite far from the other residence halls, and to go outside you had to pass through a forest path, so it should be a good place to conceal the sorcery.”
“I don’t mind. If we can reach the Tang manor as soon as possible, I’ll do whatever you say, Young Master.”
“I’m relieved to hear you say that.”
Namgung Hyun let out a small sigh.
“Now, the biggest problem remains.”
His voice grew heavy.
“We need someone to gather the people who will be going to Sichuan into the Tang residence hall. If I say it, it will be no different from openly confessing. In fact, I even considered confessing that I’m a cultist, but if I do that, in the Namgung Clan......”
Namgung Hyun suddenly stopped.
He seemed to find it difficult to continue.
Knowing the atmosphere in the Namgung Clan well, Sohwa understood what had been swallowed back.
“Young Master, there’s no need for you to say anything.”
She closed her mouth for a moment, as if thinking of something, then spoke.
“When you return to the Namgung residence hall, please send a carrier {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} message to Grand Elder Tang Min. If it’s him, he’ll come down to see me as soon as he receives the message.”
No one had come down to the underground chamber because they were watching the Clan Head’s mood, but ignoring the Clan Head’s orders was an easy matter for Tang Min.
“I’ll tell the Grand Elder that I’ve found a method. He’ll trust me, so you won’t have to reveal who you are, Young Master.”
Namgung Hyun parted his lips as if to say something. But unable to see that, Sohwa continued.
She asked the thing she’d been most curious about.
“Then when can we leave?”
Her voice was urgent, and Namgung Hyun could not ignore the question.
In the end, swallowing the words he’d been about to speak, he answered her.
“As soon as those who will be leaving fill the residence hall, we can go to the Tang manor within half an hour.”
“Within half an hour?”
“Yes. I only need enough time to write the formation.”
“Understood.”
For now, Sohwa answered.
Now that there was a method, her heart had grown impatient.
She resented being trapped underground. If there had been a window, she would have called Maehwa and somehow moved herself. She could only wait until Namgung Hyun sent Tang Min.
Rustle.
When she heard the sound of Namgung Hyun standing, Sohwa hurriedly called out to him.
“Young Master.”
“Yes.”
“The Clan Head is not in a good mood. I’m worried he might say something unpleasant to you, so please be careful going back.”
There was no answer for a moment.
With a laugh whose meaning she could not grasp, Namgung Hyun spoke.
“Don’t worry.”
“And also.”
A small sigh of relief followed.
“Thank you for making your decision.”
There was more that Namgung Hyun wanted to say, but knowing what Tang Sohwa desired, he did not delay and set off at once.
Dust rose with every step he took on the stairs leading up to the ground.
When he reached the first floor, he looked around.
Because he was not a particularly lucky person, he always had to be careful with his body.
Especially now, when he had resolved himself to make a mistake, he had to be all the more cautious.
Step.
Climbing up to the third floor, he fixed his gaze on a single lit room.
A powerful aura reached him even where he stood at the end of the corridor.
It was the room where the master of the Tang Clan resided.
Namgung Hyun, his eyes sunken, looked at that place, then began to walk.
“Who is it?”
He had barely taken a single step when a voice sounded.
A Black Tiger Unit warrior, who had been concealing his presence, appeared.
With his back to the door, the Black Tiger Unit warrior stood guard, watching him.
The Black Tiger Unit warrior already knew the intruder’s identity. During the Family Alliance Meeting, the Clan Head had ordered him to watch the youth’s every move, so his face was very familiar. Thus, the Black Tiger Unit warrior did not regard Namgung Hyun with excessive wariness.
Namgung Hyun gave a modest cupped-fist salute.
“I wish to request an audience with the Clan Head.”
“The Clan Head is not someone you can see just because you say you wish to see him.”
With proper courtesy, the Black Tiger Unit warrior issued an expulsion order on his own authority.
But Namgung Hyun said something else entirely.
“The Tang Young Lady doesn’t need to be locked in the dungeon.”
The Black Tiger Unit warrior frowned.
The statement was so out of the blue that he could not understand it.
“Please at least tell the Clan Head that I request an audience.”
Letting out a short breath, Namgung Hyun spoke as if he had made up his mind.
“I wish to tell him why the Tang Young Lady came looking for me.”
