Chapter 325 : Records of Wanghu (2)

Chapter 325: Records of Wanghu (2)

“Shall I conceal my energy?”

“There’s no need for that. Someone at the level of Soh Yonghwa would see through it even if you tried to hide it, Lady Mae. So there’s no need to restrain your energy. Acting naturally will raise less suspicion.”

“Alright.”

When Mae Yeongyeong entered the inn, she clung tightly to Yong Hwarin’s arm.

Because of that, Yong Hwarin was surprised inwardly.

“Wouldn’t this be less suspicious? If we’re going to do this, we should do it properly, don’t you think?”

Since Mae Yeongyeong was the one to approach first so proactively, Yong Hwarin found it easier to respond.

Yong Hwarin lightly placed his hand around Mae Yeongyeong’s waist.

“W-what are you doing?”

“Don’t we have to act like this to avoid suspicion here?”

“Wouldn’t this just attract more attention? Entering like this in such a suggestive way.”

“Not at all. This Jinyang Inn is different from ordinary inns.”

“What’s so different about it?”

“Jinyang Inn is mostly used by cheating couples and lovers. It’s a place frequented by adulterous wives, husbands, and their paramours. That’s why entering this way won’t raise suspicion.”

As he said, Jinyang (盡陽) held the hidden meaning of sharing intimacy until the very last drop of yang energy was exhausted.

“But how does Young Master Yong know that? You seem to be quite familiar with this place.”

“Would I frequent such a place? I just happen to know from hearing and reading a lot. Do you think I had the time to come to places like this at my age? I barely have enough time for martial arts training.”

As they entered Jinyang Inn, the couples sitting at tables were looking into each other’s eyes with affection.

It was certainly no ordinary inn.

Yong Hwarin could understand why the Sect Leader of Northern Ocean Gate had chosen to hide the Records of Wanghu here. To conceal a precious book, it needed to be hidden in a place far from the ordinary.

The Sect Leader of Northern Ocean Gate had left the book here in case of emergency after hearing that the warriors of Blood Demon Castle were abducting people headed toward Shaolin Temple.

“What if Soh Yonghwa’s group finds the book first?”

Mae Yeongyeong sent a telepathic message while watching Soh Yonghwa’s group descend from the second floor of the inn.

“If they had already found it, they would’ve left this place by now.”

Sure enough, seeing the bloodless face of Sect Leader Yang Hoan of Northern Ocean Gate as he came down the stairs, it seemed he hadn’t found the book.

‘Indeed, this part is playing out just like in my previous life.’

Sect Leader Yang Hoan had described the appearance of the book to the inn staff, but they all shook their heads, saying it was the first they’d heard of it.

Yong Hwarin opened his hearing as wide as he could and listened in on the conversation of Soh Yonghwa’s group.

“Leader Yang, could you have mistaken the location? You said you left the book in the musician’s shelf, but the musicians say they’ve never seen such a book, and the innkeepers haven’t either. So did it vanish into the ground or fly up to the heavens?”

A middle-aged man questioned Yang Hoan in a slightly pressing tone.

“No, how could I possibly forget? I placed it there because the musicians’ quarters always keep sheet music, making it a safe location. No one would dare tear or throw away sheet music.”

“You say that because it’s gone.”

“Surely someone moved it without knowing what it was. I will thoroughly search every corner of this inn today and retrieve it.”

Soh Yonghwa spoke calmly.

“What’s done is done. Let’s not get agitated and focus on finding the book. And since the other inn staff say they don’t know, look into those who didn’t show up for work today. One of them might be responsible.”

“Understood.”

As the middle-aged man replied and stood up, Soh Yonghwa asked,

“By the way, when is Elder Jeon expected to arrive?”

“He said that if he doesn’t return by tomorrow, you should depart with Lady So.”

“Do you think Elder Jeon will figure it out by then?”

“If it’s Elder Jeon, he certainly will. We still don’t know where the First of the Three Swords will be holding the sword debate, but he has broad connections and will surely obtain the information.”

Soh Yonghwa had come all the way to Henan not only to retrieve the Records of Wanghu but also because the First of the Three Swords was rumored to be holding a debate.

Her plan was to read the Records of Wanghu, acquire Unity of Sword and Mind, and witness the debate of the First of the Three Swords to master it.

But now that the search for the Records of Wanghu was going awry, she was starting to get irritated.

“If we don’t find the Records of Wanghu, the sword debate will be meaningless. We must retrieve it.”

To avoid the ill mood of the Lady So, the middle-aged man and Sect Leader of Northern Ocean Gate stepped away.

While they went off to question the innkeeper, a middle-aged man holding a pipa climbed onto the platform on the left side of the inn.

Since this inn was primarily used by lovers, musicians regularly performed to enhance the atmosphere. Performing in such a place was more profitable than in a regular inn.

Lovers, if pleased by the music, would often toss a few extra coins.

That’s why Jinyang Inn even had separate quarters prepared specifically for musicians.

The Sect Leader of Northern Ocean Gate had known this and had hidden the Records of Wanghu among the sheet music in that area.

“I am musician Urak. Today, I’ll play a new piece. I happened to discover it by chance, and it’s so beautiful that I couldn’t keep it to myself. I’d like to share it with you all.”

At Urak’s words, thunderous applause broke out.

It was clear that Urak was quite a popular musician.

Musician Urak was a handsome middle-aged man. At Jinyang Inn, he was considered something of a local celebrity.

As a lively yet wistful melody filled the inn, everyone quieted down to listen intently.

Hearing the curious tune, Yong Hwarin was impressed inwardly.

‘What a unique performance. For someone of such skill to be playing here… it’s such a shame.’

He felt regret that such a talented musician was performing at a place like Jinyang Inn.

With that level of skill, he could easily gain great fame performing in the cities.

Perhaps others didn’t know, but Yong Hwarin had studied music in his past life to pass through Omugwan, and thus had a deep understanding of it.

Since he mastered anything he learned thoroughly, Yong Hwarin was well-versed in music.

As he continued to listen, Yong Hwarin suddenly detected a faint thread of qi woven into the music and was inwardly shocked.

‘This is impossible... that musician is creating a ripple of qi purely through sound.’

If such use deepened, it would become a sound-based art.

Yong Hwarin opened his internal power to trace the musician’s energy, but there was no sign of cultivated energy.

‘How can someone who hasn’t even learned martial arts create a ripple of qi through sound alone? It’s truly astonishing. Could it be because he reached enlightenment through music?’

That was the only conclusion Yong Hwarin could reach.

Moreover, the only person present who could feel the ripple of qi was Yong Hwarin himself.

He had already transcended the Boundary of the Upper World and reached the Qi Revelation Realm, which was why he could sense the ripple. To detect such a thing required surpassing the Boundary of the Upper World.

As he stared at the musician with astonished eyes, Mae Yeongyeong asked,

“Why are you so surprised?”

Yong Hwarin raised a hand to stop her from speaking.

Seeing the signal, Mae Yeongyeong closed her mouth.

‘To me, the playing is decent, but the tune is strange and not particularly pleasant. Why is he so shocked?’

Unable to understand, Mae Yeongyeong kept her eyes fixed on Yong Hwarin rather than the musician.

Then Yong Hwarin looked toward Soh Yonghwa.

‘She sensed it too. Then that means Soh Yonghwa has also broken through the Boundary of the Upper World? Remarkable. At that age.’

Yong Hwarin, forgetting his own position, admired Soh Yonghwa.

And then, without realizing it, he let out a gasp.

“Ah! I see now! So that’s what happened!”

In his previous life, the only person who survived at Jinyang Inn was one inn worker who had taken the day off.

Someone had slaughtered all of the inn’s staff and guests.

In that moment, Yong Hwarin realized why they had all died.

He began to suspect that the piece currently being performed by the musician might be one recorded in the Records of Wanghu.

‘That musician named Urak is likely in possession of the Records of Wanghu. This strange ripple of qi isn’t something that can be conveyed by an ordinary melody. It must be a piece documented in the Records of Wanghu. And it seems Soh Yonghwa killed everyone who heard this piece. She must have believed it contained the enlightenment of Master of Ghost Valley.’

With that thought, Yong Hwarin immediately took action.

“Yeong Mae, wait here a moment. I’m going to the lavatory.”

When Yong Hwarin called her affectionately, Mae Yeongyeong nodded.

Since they were pretending to be a married couple to avoid suspicion, the terms of address followed suit.

“Yes, Venerable Lord.”

Mae Yeongyeong realized she was unexpectedly good at acting.

Saying “Venerable Lord” came out quite naturally.

Yong Hwarin smiled awkwardly as he looked at Mae Yeongyeong.

‘Then and now, she’s always been so forward.’

Mae Yeongyeong was usually quiet, but when the situation called for it, she acted with more passion than anyone.

“Ahem!”

After a dry cough, Yong Hwarin headed toward the lavatory.

Then he slipped in through the back door into the musicians’ waiting room.

In his past life, Yong Hwarin had occasionally stayed at places like this during escort missions, so he had no trouble locating the waiting room.

As he opened the door and stepped in, two musicians waiting for their turn looked at him.

“Can we help you?”

Guests sometimes brought snacks for the musicians, so they glanced at Yong Hwarin’s hands as they asked.

Yong Hwarin had assumed the room would be empty and was momentarily flustered when it wasn’t.

But he quickly made something up.

“Ah, Musician Urak asked me to bring his bundle.”

“Oh? Is that so? Musician Urak’s bundle is over there.”

Since a musician’s bundle typically contained little more than a few sheets of music and some clothing—not exactly worth stealing—they didn’t question his explanation.

Yong Hwarin picked up Musician Urak’s bundle and returned to the seat where Mae Yeongyeong was waiting.

Upon arriving, he glanced around.

‘Where did she go? At such a critical time.’

Seeing that Mae Yeongyeong wasn’t at the table as expected, Yong Hwarin felt a twinge of irritation.

‘Did she go to the lavatory? No, not likely. She’s here on a mission; she wouldn’t go off alone for that.’

Yong Hwarin had no choice but to sit and wait for Mae Yeongyeong’s return.

Meanwhile, Musician Urak began playing a different piece.

During that time, Yong Hwarin searched through Urak’s bundle.

The moment he opened it, he spotted a book titled Records of Wanghu.

He quickly tucked it into his inner robe and placed the bundle back on the table.

Just then, Yong Hwarin realized he could no longer see Soh Yonghwa’s group and his chest tightened with alarm.

As he jumped up to search for Mae Yeongyeong, her voice came from the stairs.

“Venerable Lord, were you looking for me?”

Mae Yeongyeong’s boldness as she naturally called him “Venerable Lord” while looking at him made him chuckle, but his smile quickly froze.

Soh Yonghwa was following behind her down the stairs.

At the same time, Mae Yeongyeong sent him a telepathic message.

–After you left, they approached me and started asking questions, so I had to engage them in conversation to keep up appearances.

As Mae Yeongyeong descended the stairs, she suddenly threw herself into Yong Hwarin’s arms.

“Huh?”

He was startled, but realizing this was an act to ease Soh Yonghwa’s suspicions, Yong Hwarin embraced her gently.

“Where did you go?”

“Oh, that young master over there called for me briefly, so I had a chat with Master Mi. Why? Were you jealous?”

Mae Yeongyeong continued acting naturally as she wrapped her arms around Yong Hwarin’s neck.

To avoid seeming awkward, Yong Hwarin wrapped his arms around Mae Yeongyeong’s waist.

It was a posture often seen at Jinyang Inn.

Mae Yeongyeong was simply mimicking what she had observed.