Bab 67. Yeom Hwa-shin (2)
Setelah Yeom Hwa-shin meninggalkan warung, hanya tersisa Baek So-cheon dan Cheon Geuk.
Pelayan dan koki, yang tadinya bersembunyi di dapur karena takut akan munculnya pertarungan, dengan hati-hati keluar dari balik cermin dapur.
Baek So-cheon membayar mereka dengan murah hati atas perabot yang hancur, lalu keluar bersama Cheon Geuk.
u201dKayaknya sebaiknya aku melawan dia langsung saja.u201d
u201dItu dia—itu tak bisa hindari. Laki-laki memang suka berlambang-lambang ni. Seberapa jauhkah kemampuan Líder Gerilya Langit Gelap? Aku akan bawa dia kembali untukmu.u201d
u201dHa ha ha.u201d
Baek So-cheon tertawa. Meski dalam situasi seperti ini, dia masih bisa membuatnya tersenyum. Mungkin inilah sebabnya dia adalah orang yang paling ingin ditemui di dalam Lingkaran Rahasia Naga Suci.
u201dKamu benar-benar akan pergi?u201d
u201dYa.u201d
Di keadaan normal, dia seharusnya buru-buru kembali dan melaporkan kepada Ak So-gun dan Jegal Hyeon segera.
Tapi, benarkah Yeom Hwa-shin benar-benar datang tanpa ada persiapan sama sekali?
Baek So-cheon mengetahui lebih baik dari siapa pun bahwa Yeom Hwa-shin bukanlah sekadar penjahabut kasar seolah-olah yang tampaknya. Dan jika, dengan kemungkinan kecil, mereka gagal menangkapnya?
Ya, Yeom Hwa-shin bisa meloloskan diri.
Masalah yang lebih besar terletak di tempat lain.
Cheon Geuk dan Na Sarin akan berada dalam bahaya. Sekarang Yeom Hwa-shin tahu Cheon Geuk yang membantu perawatan, dia pasti akan mencari cara untuk mengambilnya.
Kecuali Baek So-cheon bermaksud untuk tinggal di samping dua wanita ini untuk seluruh hidupnya, suatu hari nanti mereka akan terlempar ketika berada di luar perlindungan.
Cheon Geuk lebih cepat untuk membaca orang daripada siapa pun.
u201dApakah ini karena aku dan para sesepatuamu?u201d
u201dTidak.u201d
Penolakannya begitu tegas bahwa dia segera menyadari kebenarannya. Baek So-cheon telah memutuskan untuk pergi ke Gerilya Langit Gelap demi kepentikan Cheon Geuk dan Na Sarin.
Dia ingat saat mata mereka bertemu sementara Yeom Hwa-shin memegang lehermu, dan perasaan yang dia alami waktu itu.
u2018Kenapa kamu berani sampai sejauh ini?u2019
Mereka bisa berakhirkan hubungan sebagai dua orang yang saling menggunakan.
Tapi jika Cheon Geuk ingin hidup dengan cara itu, dia tidak akan pernah mengungkapkan dirinya di dalam warung.
u201dAku akan kembali ke Gerilya untuk sebentar,u201d kata Baek So-cheon.
u201dPergilah. Aku perlu bertemu dengan penyuru.u201d
u201dAku akan melihatmu segera.u201d
u201dBaiklah.u201d
Baek So-cheon mulai berjalan, lalu berkata tanpa menoleh.
u201dTerima kasih.u201d
Dari baliknya datang jawaban yang selalu dia berikan.
u201dCukup bahwa kamu tahu.u201d
Setelah dia berjalan beberapa langkah lagi, Cheon Geuk menambahkan,
u201dTerima kasih juga.u201d
Senyum tipis terbentuk di bibir Baek So-cheon.
Di masa kecilnya, dia belum pernah memahami betapa berharganya bagi seseorang untuk memiliki seseorang yang benar-benar mengenalinya.
u2018Ya. Aku tahu.u2019
* * *
Cheon Geuk kembali ke restoran teh dan memberi tahu Na Sarin apa yang terjadi.
u201dAku minta maaf, Penyuru. Aku membuat keputusan sendiri.u201d
Cheon Geuk menurunkan kepalanya. Dia bertindak karena nyawa Baek So-cheon terancam, namun orang yang mampu melakukan perlakuan tersebut adalah Na Sarin. Membuat keputusan semacam itu tanpa bertanya padanya adalah suatu kecodekan yang serius.
Na Sarin tersenyum dengan ketenangannya yang biasa.
u201dTidak apa-apa-apa, Líder Gerilya.u201d
Suaranya yang hangat menunjukkan ia sungguh-sungguh berkata demikian. Na Sarin sudah yakin bahwa dia tidak punya banyak waktu hidup lagi. Justru, dia lebih prihatin pada Cheon Geuk.
u201dAku akan pergi sendirian.u201d
u201dTidak. Aku tidak bisa mengizinkan itu.u201d
u201dAku yang akan melakukan perawatannya.u201d
Tekad Na Sarin kukuh, tapi Cheon Geuk menjawab lebih tegas.
u201dTidak mungkin. Aku juga akan ikut.u201d
Cheon Geuk telah membuat keputusan. Dia sudah cukup merasa bersalah. Mengirim Na Sarin sendirian adalah tidak bisa diterima.
u201dLíder Gerilya!u201d
u201dIni adalah perintah.u201d
Kemauan mereka bertarung, namun pada akhirnya otoritas Cheon Geuk sebagai Líder Gerilya menang.
u201dIkutilah aku, Penyuru.u201d
u201dSangat baik. Kita akan pergi bersama.u201d
u201dAku minta maaf karena keras kepala.u201d
u201dKamu sudah keras kepala sejak kecil.u201d
Cheon Geuk memeluk erat. Tubuh kecil Na Sarin pas dengan sempurnanya di dalam pelukannya. Ia mengandung delapan puluh empat tahun kehidupan, namun tetap sangat kecil dan rapuh.
Sementara Na Sarin bersiap untuk berangkat, Cheon Geuk memanggil Bintang Pembunuh Pengawal.
u201dIkuti aku, tapi jangan masuk ke Markas Utama mereka.u201d
Dia mengenal kepribadian mereka lebih baik dari siapa pun. Mencegah mereka mengikutinya adalah mustahil. Yang terbaik yang bisa dia lakukan adalah memerintahkan mereka untuk tetap di jarak jauh.
u201dLíder Gerilya!u201d
u201dKamu sudah melihatnya. Yeom Hwa-shin mendeteksi penyembunyian kami dari jauh. Dia mungkin mentolerir kamu mengikut kami, namun dia tidak akan pernah mengizinkan kamu masuk ke Gerilya Langit Gelap. Jika kamu terlibat dalam bahaya, aku juga akan terancam.u201d
Dia tidak bisa hanya duduk diam dan menyaksikan Bintang Pembunuh Pengawal mati.
Dengan memahami maksudnya, keempatnya akhirnya menyerah.
u201dBaik kami mengerti. Kami akan tetap sejauh mungkin dekat dengan Gerilya Langit Gelap. Jika sesuatu terjadi, segera nyalakan kembang keras.u201d
u201dAku akan melakukannya.u201d
Cheon Geuk selalu membawa satu. Ia seperti hiasan yang ditemelakan pada pakaiannya daripada kembang api, sehingga lolos melewati pemeriksaan tubuh penuh.
Sebelum waktu yang ditentukan tiba, Baek So-cheon kembali.
Dia telah memberi tahu Beon Saeng dan Im Chung bahwa ia akan absent karena urusan pribadi, dan memerintahkan mereka untuk menyampaikan pesan apapun dari Aula Líder Gerilya atau Istana Surgawi.
Sebelum pergi juga, dia bertemu dengan Wang Ho dan memerintahkan meningkatkan intensitas latihan unitnya. Dengan perang yang akan datang, tidak ada kebutuhan lain yang lebih penting daripada latihan.
Baek So-cheon berkata kepada Na Sarin,
u201dPermisi, mari kita bicarakan di tempat terpisah.u201d
u201dTentu saja.u201d
Mereka berdua berjalan sebentar jauhnya dan berhenti.
u201dApa kata penyuru itu?u201d
u201dSama seperti biasanya. Dia mengkhawatirkan aku.u201d
nSetelah perawatan selesai, Yeom Hwa-shin mungkin mencoba membunuh kita.u201d
Baek So-cheon teringat apa yang Yeom Hwa-shin katakan di dalam warung.
Kenapa harus kudiamkan sekarang jika mereka sudah tidak berguna?
u201dAku khawatir pada penyuru itu, tapi...u201d
Cheon Geuk sendiri tidak menunjukkan rasa takut.
u201dKuduga sudah pernah kukatakan bahwa aku tidak punya keinginan untuk uang, bukan? Apa ibu-ibu yang tidak serakah pada uang itu takut pada kematian? Semua orang pasti akan mati. Aku tidak keberatan, selama itu membawa sedikit makna.u201d
u201dDan makna apa yang akan dibawa oleh kematian sekarang?u201d
Setelah sejenak tertarik, dia menjawab dengan samar,
u201d... Seratus ribu nyang?u201d
u201dSeratus ribu nyang?u201d
Ketika Baek So-cheon mengulanginya, dia buru-buru mengganti topik.
u201dLupakan saja. Ayo pergi. Kita bertiga akan menghadapi penjahabut yang hebat ini. Jika keadaan buruk, kita akan menggabungkan kekuatan, bertarung dengan megah, dan mati bersama.u201d
u201dBaiklah. Ayo lakukan itu.u201d
Tapi itu adalah hasil yang paling buruk.
Mereka perlu menciptakan hasil yang terbaik mungkin.
u2018Kami butuh cara untuk mencegahnya menyentuh kami.u2019
Baek So-cheon harus menemukan satu sebelum mereka tiba.
Sesampainya mereka tiba di pelabuhan, kereta tempat mereka berhenti.
Pintu terbuka, mengungkapkan Yeom Hwa-shin di dalam.
u201dMasuklah.u201d
Baek So-cheon, Cheon Geuk, dan Na Sarin naik ke dalam.
Kereta mulai bergerak. Tujuan mereka adalah Nanning di Provinsi Guangxi, rumah dari Markas Utama Gerilya Langit Gelap.
Dalam ruangan itu tetaplah sunyi.
Setiap penumpang atau menutup mata sambil berpikir, atau melihat keluar jendela.
Baek So-cheon memahami betapa seberapa tidak nyaman ruang ini benar-benar adalah.
Cheon Geuk mungkin menuruti Yeom Hwa-shin, tapi dia adalah Ratu Pembunuh, dan belum ada yang tahu batas sebenarnya dari kemampuannya.
Na Sarin adalah seorang ahli berusia delapan puluh empat tahun dan ahli utama dalam Seni Membunuh Roh.
Kemudian ada Baek So-cheon sendiri.
Dan Yeom Hwa-shin, yang mengendalikan keempatnya.
Dalam sekejap, segala sesuatu bisa terjadi di dalam kereta ini.
Ketuk!
Kereta tiba-tiba terguncang ketika melewati celah jalan, dengan alami memutuskan keheningan.
u201dKamu tampak cukup tua. Berapa usiamu?u201d tanyo Yeom Hwa-shin.
Seperti yang diharapkan, ia telah menembus identitas Na Sarin dan memahami bahwa dia adalah orang yang akan mengangkatnya.
u201dDelapan puluh empat,u201d jawab Na Sarin dengan sopan. Ia memperlakukan semua orang dengan sopan, tak peduli siapa pun.
u201dHa ha ha! Berarti kamu sudah aktif di dunia murim ketika aku lahir.u201d
u201dMungkin saja.u201d
Karena Cheon Geuk ada bersamanya, Na Sarin semakin hati-hati. Ia telah menghadapi segala macam kesulitan selama delapan puluh empat tahun, dan pengalaman telah mengajarkan satu kebenaran.
u2018Sifat seseorang tidak pernah berubah.u2019
Tidak peduli betapa ramah senyumnya Líder Gerilya Langit Gelap, itu hanyalah kesenyaman seorang macan yang kenyang. Begitu lapar, ia akan menyerang mereka dengan kejamnya.
Baek So-cheon memperhatikan lengan dan tangan Yeom Hwa-shin.
Kulitnya tampak lebih keras dibandingkan saat pertarungan sebelumnya. Meski ia tidak menggunakan energi pelindung, sekilas cahaya biru melayang di atasnya. Baek So-cheon terlalu terkejut saat bertemu di luar warung untuk memahami perubahan ini dengan benar.
u201dKenapa kamu memandangku?u201d tanya Yeom Hwa-shin.
u201dApakah kamu sudah lebih kuat?u201d
u201dSeperti yang kamu lihat?u201d
Baek So-cheon mengangguk, dan senyum puas muncul di wajah Yeom Hwa-shin.
u201dKamu benar melihatnya. Setelah dibentak seperti itu
Chapter 67. Yeom Hwa-shin (2)
After Yeom Hwa-shin left the tavern, only Baek So-cheon and Cheon Geuk remained.
The waiter and cook, who had hidden in the kitchen for fear that a fight might erupt, cautiously showed themselves.
Baek So-cheon paid them generously for the shattered furniture, then went outside with Cheon Geuk.
“Maybe I should have just fought him.”
“There it is—the inevitable male bravado. How far could the Dark Heaven Alliance Leader have gone? I’ll bring him back for you.”
“Hahaha.”
Baek So-cheon laughed. Even in a situation like this, she could still make him smile. Perhaps that was why she had been the person he most wanted to see while inside the Heavenly Dragon Secret Grounds.
“Are you really going?”
“Yes.”
Under ordinary circumstances, he should have rushed back and informed Ak So-gun and Jegal Hyeon immediately.
But would Yeom Hwa-shin truly have come without making any preparations?
Baek So-cheon knew better than anyone that Yeom Hwa-shin was not the simple brute his appearance suggested.
And if, by the smallest chance, they failed to capture him?
Yes, Yeom Hwa-shin might escape.
The greater problem lay elsewhere.
Cheon Geuk and Na Sarin would be placed in danger. Now that Yeom Hwa-shin knew Cheon Geuk had helped with the treatment, he would find a way to take her with him.
Unless Baek So-cheon intended to remain beside the two women for the rest of his life, they would eventually be dragged away when they were outside his protection.
Cheon Geuk was quicker to read people than anyone.
“Is this because of me and the elder?”
“No.”
His denial was so firm that she immediately knew the truth. Baek So-cheon had decided to go to the Dark Heaven Alliance for her and Na Sarin’s sake.
She remembered the moment their eyes met while Yeom Hwa-shin held him by the throat, and the emotions she had felt then.
‘Why are you going this far?’
They could have ended their relationship as two people who used one another and were used in return.
But if Cheon Geuk had intended to live that way, she would never have revealed herself inside the tavern.
“I’ll return to the Alliance for a moment,” Baek So-cheon said.
“Go ahead. I need to see the elder.”
“I’ll see you shortly.”
“All right.”
Baek So-cheon started walking away, then spoke without looking back.
“Thank you.”
From behind him came the answer she always gave.
“It’s enough that you know.”
After he had walked a few more steps, Cheon Geuk added,
“Thank you too.”
A faint smile formed on Baek So-cheon’s lips.
When he was young, he had not understood how much it meant in a person’s life to have someone who truly recognized them.
‘Yes. I know.’
* * *
Cheon Geuk returned to the teahouse and told Na Sarin what had happened.
“I’m sorry, Elder. I made the decision on my own.”
Cheon Geuk bowed her head. She had acted because Baek So-cheon’s life was in danger, but the person capable of performing the treatment was Na Sarin. Making such a decision without even asking her was a serious discourtesy.
Na Sarin smiled with her usual serenity.
“It is all right, Alliance Leader.”
Her warm voice made it clear she meant it. Na Sarin already believed she had little time left to live. If anything, she was more concerned for Cheon Geuk.
“I will go alone.”
“No. I cannot allow that.”
“I am the one who will perform the treatment.”
Na Sarin’s resolve was firm, but Cheon Geuk answered even more forcefully.
“Absolutely not. I’m going as well.”
Cheon Geuk had made the decision. She already felt guilty enough. Sending Na Sarin alone was unthinkable.
“Alliance Leader!”
“This is an order.”
Their wills clashed, but in the end Cheon Geuk’s authority as Alliance Leader prevailed.
“Come with me, Elder.”
“Very well. We shall go together.”
“I’m sorry for being stubborn.”
“You have been stubborn since you were young.”
Cheon Geuk embraced her. Na Sarin’s small body fit completely within her arms. It carried eighty-four years of life, yet remained exceedingly tiny and frail.
While Na Sarin prepared for departure, Cheon Geuk summoned the Guardian Assassin Stars.
“Follow me, but do not enter their Main Headquarters.”
She knew their personalities better than anyone. Preventing them from following was impossible. The best she could do was order them to remain at a distance.
“Alliance Leader!”
“You saw it before. Yeom Hwa-shin detected our concealment from far away. He may tolerate you following us, but he will never permit you to enter the Dark Heaven Alliance. If you fall into danger, I will be endangered as well.”
She would never stand by and watch the Guardian Assassin Stars die.
Understanding her intentions, the four finally yielded.
“Understood. We will remain as close to the Dark Heaven Alliance as possible. If anything happens, launch the emergency firework immediately.”
“I will.”
Cheon Geuk always carried one. It resembled an ornament attached to her clothing rather than a firework, allowing it to pass even a body search.
Before the appointed time, Baek So-cheon returned.
He had told Beon Saeng and Im Chung that he would be absent for personal business and instructed them to relay any messages from the Alliance Leader’s Hall or Wise Heaven Pavilion.
Before leaving, he had also met Wang Ho and ordered him to increase the intensity of the unit’s training. With war approaching, there was nothing they needed more than training.
Baek So-cheon addressed Na Sarin.
“Please excuse us while I speak privately with Alliance Leader Cheon.”
“Of course.”
The two walked a short distance away and stopped.
“What did the elder say?”
“The same thing she always says. She worries about me.”
“Once the treatment is finished, Yeom Hwa-shin may try to kill us.”
Baek So-cheon remembered what Yeom Hwa-shin had said in the tavern.
Why should I keep you alive now that you’re useless?
“I’m worried about the elder, but...”
Cheon Geuk herself showed no fear.
“I told you before that I have no desire for money, didn’t I? Would a woman with no greed for money fear death? Everyone dies eventually. I don’t mind, as long as it carries even a little meaning.”
“And what meaning would dying now have?”
After a moment’s thought, she answered vaguely,
“...A hundred thousand nyang?”
“A hundred thousand nyang?”
When Baek So-cheon repeated it, she hurriedly changed the subject.
“Never mind. Let’s go. The three of us will deal with that enormous villain. If things go badly, we’ll combine forces, fight magnificently, and die together.”
“Fine. Let’s do that.”
But that was the worst possible outcome.
They needed to create the best possible one.
‘We need a way to keep him from touching us.’
Baek So-cheon had to find one before they arrived.
A short while later, a carriage stopped before the three of them.
The door opened, revealing Yeom Hwa-shin inside.
“Get in.”
Baek So-cheon, Cheon Geuk, and Na Sarin boarded.
The carriage accelerated. Their destination was Nanning in Guangxi Province, home of the Dark Heaven Alliance’s Main Headquarters.
The interior remained silent.
Each passenger either closed their eyes in thought or looked out the window.
Baek So-cheon understood how ferocious a space this small carriage truly was.
Cheon Geuk might be complying with Yeom Hwa-shin, but she was the Assassin King, and no one yet knew the true limits of her skill.
Na Sarin was an eighty-four-year-old master and the foremost expert in the Soul-Ensnaring Art.
Then there was Baek So-cheon himself.
And Yeom Hwa-shin, who held all of them under control.
In the space of a single flash, anything could happen inside this carriage.
Rattle!
The carriage jolted as it passed through a rut, naturally breaking the silence.
“You appear rather old. How old are you?” Yeom Hwa-shin asked.
As expected, he had seen through Na Sarin’s identity and understood that she would be the one to remove the gu.
“Eighty-four,” Na Sarin answered politely. She treated everyone with courtesy, regardless of who they were.
“Hahaha! Then you were already active in the murim when I was born.”
“That is likely.”
Because Cheon Geuk was with her, Na Sarin was even more cautious than usual. She had endured every kind of hardship during her eighty-four years, and experience had taught her one truth.
‘A person’s nature does not change.’
No matter how pleasantly the Dark Heaven Alliance Leader smiled, it was only the leisure of a well-fed tiger. Once hungry, he would tear into them without mercy.
Baek So-cheon studied Yeom Hwa-shin’s forearms and hands.
His skin looked harder than it had during their previous battle. Even though he was not raising protective energy, a faint bluish sheen seemed to flow over it. Baek So-cheon had been too startled during their encounter outside the tavern to notice the change properly.
“Why are you staring?” Yeom Hwa-shin asked.
“Have you grown stronger?”
“Does it look that way?”
Baek So-cheon nodded, and a satisfied smile appeared on Yeom Hwa-shin’s face.
“You saw correctly. After suffering such a beating, I could hardly return unchanged.”
If he was telling the truth, the Murim Rankings might need to be revised again.
Who was stronger now, Myeol Saeng or Yeom Hwa-shin?
“Is that why you came alone without fear, all the way to the gates of the Murim Alliance?”
“I enjoy excitement, but I do not enjoy stupidity.”
That meant he possessed something he trusted absolutely.
What could it be?
Seeing Baek So-cheon continue staring, Yeom Hwa-shin asked,
“Why do you keep looking at me? Do you regret that you cannot fight me again?”
“I do.”
“I don’t regret it in the slightest. I never want to fight you again, even if I know I would win.”
Baek So-cheon understood that only the truly strong could speak with such honesty. A genuinely powerful person had no need for empty bravado.
Yeom Hwa-shin had returned stronger than before.
Sensing that the coming struggle would not be easy, Baek So-cheon turned his gaze back outside.
Yeom Hwa-shin abruptly asked Cheon Geuk,
“Do you like that man?”
Cheon Geuk hesitated. How should she answer?
In the end, she chose honesty.
“Yes. I’m interested in him.”
She looked toward Baek So-cheon.
He continued staring out the window without saying a word.
“He’s attractive, isn’t he? Look at him. A beautiful woman says she’s interested, and he pretends not to hear while staring outside.”
Yeom Hwa-shin glanced at Baek So-cheon, then told her,
“He’s embarrassed.”
“Embarrassed? That man?”
Her reaction made it clear she considered the idea impossible. Yeom Hwa-shin turned to Baek So-cheon for confirmation.
“You’re embarrassed, aren’t you?”
Baek So-cheon still gave no answer.
Worried that Yeom Hwa-shin might take offense, Cheon Geuk hurriedly spoke.
“See? He’s not embarrassed. He’s simply rude.”
Yeom Hwa-shin burst into loud laughter.
“Hahaha! He may be the only man who can ignore me after I ask him a question. You’re right. He certainly is attractive.”
The carriage continued racing onward as they talked.
They stopped occasionally at inns, where Cheon Geuk devoted herself to caring for Na Sarin.
Na Sarin might look like a child, but she was an elderly woman of eighty-four. Cheon Geuk attended to her with complete devotion, ensuring she suffered no discomfort while eating or sleeping.
After observing this, Yeom Hwa-shin remarked to Baek So-cheon when the two were alone,
“That woman is also sitting in a position that doesn’t suit her.”
He meant that she did not suit the life of an assassin.
He had once told Baek So-cheon that he had fastened the first button of his life incorrectly.
At the time, Baek So-cheon had believed Yeom Hwa-shin sincerely meant it.
Now he did not.
Yeom Hwa-shin had known perfectly well that gu were inside Ak So-gun and Baek So-cheon. Yet instead of warning them, he had tried to sow discord and claimed Baek So-cheon belonged in the Dark Heaven Alliance.
One could not be deceived by that rugged body and hearty manner, so seemingly ill-suited to intrigue. Yeom Hwa-shin calculated more shrewdly than almost anyone and was deeply political.
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