Chapter 117: Master of the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm (3)
Yong Hwarin had no choice but to accompany the escort to Seopyeong County Office.
Among the group, the most skilled martial artist was Yong Hwarin.
For the safety of King Namcheon and Princess Gyeongseon, his presence had been essential.
Especially since Yong Hwarin had been assigned to escort Princess Gyeongseon at her request.
Following beside Yong Hwarin were the Three Chivalrous Sisters.
They, too, had been appointed as escorts to Princess Gyeongseon.
While riding in her carriage, Princess Gyeongseon opened the window and called out to Yong Hwarin.
“Master Yong.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Princess Gyeongseon, now somewhat at ease, looked better in complexion.
She still had many qualities of a strong woman, and it was likely thanks to that inner strength that she could endure such a harsh ordeal.
“Do you have any idea how rare the poetry book you damaged is? It’s a collection of poems by Xue Tao. I went through so much effort to obtain it...”
“Please don’t worry.”
When Yong Hwarin spoke, Princess Gyeongseon lifted her gaze.
“Don’t tell me you also own that poetry collection?”
“I do not.”
Princess Gyeongseon looked at Yong Hwarin, who was shaking his head, as if she found him infuriating.
“Are you making fun of me? What do you mean, ‘don’t worry’?”
“I have memorized all the poems in that collection. I can transcribe them.”
Princess Gyeongseon gave him a skeptical smile.
“Hohoho, it seems you take me lightly, Master Yong. Are you suggesting I haven’t read that collection?”
To her, it was unthinkable that a martial artist like Yong Hwarin would appreciate Xue Tao’s poetry—let alone have it memorized.
But in truth, Yong Hwarin had memorized all of Xue Tao’s poems. In his previous life, Mae Yeongyeong had loved those poems.
To please her, to be able to talk with her, he had memorized them all long ago.
Surprisingly, Yong Hwarin found the poems of female poets deeply moving.
Having lived a lonely life, the romantic verses of such poets offered solace to his solitude.
“If you don’t believe me, I’ll recite the first poem from that collection.”
“Very well. But if your claim is a lie, be prepared for the consequences.”
Though she said that, Princess Gyeongseon knew he had no choice but to damage the book to save her life.
She was merely picking a fight using the poetry book as an excuse to converse with Yong Hwarin.
Even if the book was rare, it could never be more valuable than her life.
Still, since Yong Hwarin was playing along, she responded in kind.
‘Hmph, if he’s lying, I’ll use that as an excuse to keep him by my side as my escort forever.’
With such an impish thought, she looked at Yong Hwarin.
Yong Hwarin began reciting a poem by Xue Tao to her.
花開不同賞
花落不同悲
欲問相思處
花開花落時
When flowers bloom, none share my joy.
When flowers fall, none share my sorrow.
I ask, where does longing dwell?
It dwells in the time when flowers bloom and fall.
It was the opening verse from Spring Yearning Verses.
Princess Gyeongseon stared at Yong Hwarin like she had seen a ghost, as he recited Xue Tao’s poetry accurately.
And as the verses continued, her mouth slowly fell open.
Some distance away, Jeong Suji, who was escorting the carriage, scoffed upon seeing Yong Hwarin reciting poetry.
“Hmph, that guy definitely has the air of a playboy.”
Jeong Daji responded to her words.
“Second Sister, how is knowing poetry being a playboy? Isn’t that a bit of a leap?”
“Think about it. Why would he memorize the poems of a female poet even women don’t know? Obviously to charm women!”
Jeong Minji gave a gentle smile at her words.
“You’re overthinking it. Think about him until now. Have you ever seen him trying to seduce a woman or going out of his way to gain a lady’s favor? Even with Princess Gyeongseon. She’s a beauty and the daughter of someone with immense power, yet he always looked at her indifferently.”
Listening to Jeong Minji, Jeong Suji asked,
“But how do you know Young Master Yong’s actions so well, Sister?”
“Second Sister, didn’t you know? Eldest Sister always has her eyes on Master Yong.”
“What? Is that true? Sister, do you like him?”
Jeong Suji blurted out the question in surprise.
Slightly blushing, Jeong Minji replied,
“Don’t misunderstand. It’s not because I like him that I’ve been watching him.”
“Then what is it?”
As Jeong Suji pressed her, Jeong Minji let out a long sigh.
“Huu, I’ve just been keeping an eye on him because I thought… maybe he’s the one we’ve been looking for.”
“Sister, do you really think he could be our master?”
“Second Sister, think carefully. Remember what Mother said when we left. She told us that our family and the Heavenly Central Sect were not strangers.”
“Isn’t that just because our ancestors had some connection?”
“Yes, but I believe there’s more to Mother’s words. And even in the past, though rarely, our family had interactions with the Heavenly Central Sect. I’ve been pondering for a long time why our Jeong Family would have dealings with them. Our Jeong Household barely interacts with any sects. At most, there’s the Geum Household on the same Shaanxi land. We’re that secluded. But to say we’re connected with a faraway sect like the Heavenly Central Sect… have you ever thought about what that means? That’s why I asked Mother.”
Her two younger sisters were drawn into her words. It was a matter they had never considered before.
It was certainly like the calm and prudent eldest sister to have thought it through.
“What did you ask?”
When Jeong Suji spoke loudly, Jeong Minji cautioned her.
“Lower your voice. Someone might overhear. What I’m about to say is very important.”
The younger sisters finally became aware of their surroundings.
“Mother said the connection between our family and the Heavenly Central Sect isn’t just a simple acquaintance. There’s undoubtedly something deeper that we don’t know. She also said this: If Master of the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm were to appear, it would be from either the Heavenly Central Sect or the Geum Household.”
Jeong Suji covered her mouth to stifle a scream.
Then she asked in a low voice,
“Really? Are you serious?”
Jeong Minji nodded.
“When I saw him handling the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm , I had a feeling… but I didn’t think he might actually be the owner.”
Jeong Daji asked with a serious expression.
“But… do we really have to keep that promise—to serve Master of the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm as our master? Is it really necessary to uphold an ancestral oath even now?”
Jeong Daji was a chivalrous woman with a free-spirited way of thinking.
That was why she had no desire to be bound by the shackles of her clan.
She continued,
“Isn’t the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm something that anyone with the power of a peak expert can control? So what’s the big deal? Let’s say some old master handles it using peak-level internal energy—does that mean he should be our master too?”
Jeong Minji let out another long sigh and shook her head.
“Listen carefully. Like I said, our House and the Heavenly Central Sect are bound by a deep connection. Mother mentioned the Geum Household and the Heavenly Central Sect to specify that the person capable of wielding the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm would come from among them. Even if others can handle it, that doesn’t make them the rightful owner.”
Jeong Suji asked with a slightly discontent tone,
“Let’s say the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm is a family heirloom, sure. But honestly, I still don’t understand what makes it so important.”
“Me neither.”
Jeong Daji agreed with Jeong Suji and nodded.
Jeong Minji gave a bitter smile as she looked at her still-immature younger sisters.
“Why are we called the Three Chivalrous Sisters?”
Jeong Daji replied proudly,
“Because even though we’re women, we live out chivalry in our deeds, of course!”
The three sisters had been born a year apart and grew up like close friends, so they spoke casually with one another and didn’t use honorifics despite their age order.
“What do justice and chivalry mean?”
To that question from Jeong Minji, Jeong Suji interjected,
“You’re trying to say that keeping the ancestors’ promise is also an act of chivalry, aren’t you? That if we can’t even uphold our family’s oath and honor, we can’t claim to stand for righteousness.”
“Exactly. And don’t forget, we carry titles in the martial world—as martial artists, as people of the Jianghu. Have we ever taken back our word before? Have we ever refused to take responsibility for our actions?”
The two younger sisters shut their mouths tightly.
“I’m not telling you to uphold the family’s oath because I’m forcing you to. I’m speaking beyond just the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm . If you truly don’t want to shoulder the burden of our family’s promise and legacy, then give up the life of a righteous martial artist and leave the Jianghu. I won’t stop you. But if you want to continue living as members of the Three Chivalrous Sisters, as martial artists of the Jianghu, then you must keep the family’s oath too. That’s what it means to be a person of the Jianghu, and that’s what it means to be one of the Three Chivalrous Sisters of the Jeong Household.”
At Jeong Minji’s words, the two younger sisters lowered their heads.
They realized they had been too complacent and self-centered in their thinking. Trying to break the awkward mood, Jeong Daji asked,
“But Sister, what exactly is the connection between us and the Heavenly Central Sect? Did you ask Mother?”
Jeong Minji nodded.
Like a true eldest sister, she had done what needed to be done, even if quietly.
“I only heard the real name of the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm . But… did Mother say anything else? I get the feeling she didn’t want us to be bound by our clan’s burdens either.”
“There’s a real name for the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm ? What is it?”
When Jeong Suji pressed her, Jeong Minji glanced around and then quietly said,
“The original name of the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm is Xuanwu Tail Sword.”
Jeong Suji and Jeong Daji both frowned at the unexpected name.
“A sword made from the tail of the Xuanwu? That’s a bit strange.”
Jeong Daji muttered, and Jeong Suji nodded her chin in thought.
“It is strange… but it makes sense, too. I always found it odd why the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm had that shape. It’s because it was used as a sword. That’s why its length matches exactly that of a blade.”
After thinking for a moment, Jeong Suji suddenly lifted her head.
“Wait a minute. Did you say Xuanwu Tail Sword? Then that’s weird. Not long ago, monks from Shaolin came looking for the White Tiger Subjugation Sword and chased the Black Death Sword. White Tiger, Xuanwu… those two words aren’t unrelated. They’re part of the Four Divine Beasts.”
Indeed, Jeong Suji’s intelligence was unmatched among the three.
“That’s why you’ve been watching Master Yong so closely. Because you thought he might be connected to our House in some way.”
“Yes. He’s definitely linked to our House.”
“Mother has said for a long time that the one who becomes the master of the Black Silk Celestial Silkworm will become our master.”
“Then… that means Master Yong might become our master?”
After speaking, Jeong Daji glanced over toward Yong Hwarin.
“Well, if Master Yong ends up being our master, I don’t have any complaints. His looks, his martial arts, even his character—he’s impressive enough.”
Though she said it like a materialist, the other two sisters shared similar thoughts.