Chapter 27
Chapter 27: Third-rate Martial Family Becomes the Best Under Heaven
As one of the supreme masters hailed throughout the mortal realm, she held an undisputed seat among the Ten Paragons Under Heaven.
Having mastered the martial path through resonance and frequency until her power could stir the very firmament into rolling swells, she bore the exalted title of Wave-Piercing Sound Empress.
Furthermore, as the solitary inheritor of a secretive, ancient lineage in this era, she was revered as the Master of the Sacred Sound Jade Spirit Gate.
Yet this peerless figure stood right before his eyes, masquerading as an ordinary young girl serving tables at a roadside tavern.
Nothing about her outward visage betrayed her true nature.
She was an enlightened entity who had crossed into a realm far beyond mortal comprehension, even reversing her aging through the miraculous grace of rejuvenation. Without a single sliver of martial cultivation showing on the surface, she embodied the profound state of shedding all artifice to return to pure simplicity.
Yanghwi found himself standing at an immediate crossroads:
Expose her hidden identity right here, or feign complete ignorance.
At present, there was no telling which choice would better serve his goals.
I hold the initiative; I can always lay my cards on the table whenever I wish.
That being the case, playing dumb was undeniably the safer path.
“Ah, so you aren’t an inn boy, but a waitress sister! Please, just call me Yanghwi!”
“A servant cannot address an honored patron so casually. I shall address you as young master.”
“Forms of address are best left to whatever puts the speaker at ease. In that case, waitress sister, could you bring us a generous spread of noodles and steamed dumplings?”
After he settled the payment and waited a brief while, the dishes arrived at their table.
The flavors matched the fare from yesterday, confirming the kitchen still had the same cook at the stove.
Does that cook have any inkling that his waitress is the revered Sound Empress?
Complications tangled within his mind. He could not divine why someone of her stature had abruptly decided to show herself.
Did our persistent devotion finally stir her heart? Or is there some entirely separate motive at play?
For the time being, exchanging words and gauging her subtle reactions seemed the most prudent way to fish for clues.
While Yanghwi pondered this, Zhuge Seon paused mid-meal and let slip a heavy sigh.
“Hah… I cannot help but wonder if the Sound Empress even takes notice of us. We have tended to the local villagers to prove our sincerity and scaled the mountain peaks day after day with earnest hearts, but if none of it reaches the Empress’s eyes, our toil amounts to nothing.”
Uncle, please. She knows full well. She is standing right before you.
If Zhuge Seon began airing his grievances about the Sound Empress in this very room, disaster would surely follow.
“I am certain she is watching, Uncle. Given her supreme stature among the Ten Paragons Under Heaven, observing our movements from afar would be child’s play for her.”
“If she truly watches over us, then she must have perceived Seolha’s inborn heavenly affliction as well. When I consider that, your uncle cannot help finding the Empress somewhat callous.”
Uncle, stop!
Stealing a glance from the corner of his vision, Yanghwi rushed to defend the Sound Empress.
“When a master reaches the Empress’s lofty height, even the slightest gesture sends tremors through the world. Surely she is simply exercising necessary caution.”
“That only makes her appear colder in my eyes. Ten days in this desolate place is hardly a fleeting moment.”
Oh heavens. Uncle, hold your tongue!
A short distance away, the young waitress wiping down a small wooden table suddenly froze her movements.
Yanghwi’s thoughts raced at frantic speed.
“U-Uncle! Why don’t we consider the matter from a different perspective?”
“Hmm? Have you thought of something?”
“Indeed! To speak plainly, everything we have offered thus far might appear entirely overbearing and one-sided from the Sound Empress’s point of view!”
“…You make a fair point.”
“Therefore, shifting our approach might yield a far better result.”
As he spoke those words, Yanghwi breathed an inward sigh of relief upon seeing the girl resume her rhythm of wiping the table.
“Uncle, shouldn’t we first take a step back and ponder what the Sound Empress truly desires?”
“What the Sound Empress desires…”
“According to the hints you tracked down, Uncle, the Sound Empress chose to live in secluded retirement here on Gokyeol Mountain.”
If so, shouldn’t uncovering the purpose behind her seclusion be their primary objective?
He voiced that exact reasoning to Zhuge Seon.
“You speak truly. The motive that drove the Empress into isolation…”
“If she merely wished to wash her hands of earthly disputes and live undisturbed, then even if we stand before her, requesting that she take Seolha as her disciple would be out of the question.”
“That is undeniable.”
“Yet even if that were true, asking for her aid in curing Seolha remains a distinct possibility. Since the Sound Empress is hardly a stranger to righteousness and chivalric grace, she might well grant us her benevolence.”
By delicately weaving in the truth that their core intention was healing Zhuge Seolha’s heavenly affliction, Yanghwi watched the waitress for any telltale sign.
She offered no overt reaction.
Though it was far from an enthusiastic welcome, looked at another way, it proved their purpose had not offended her.
Encouraged, Yanghwi pressed forward.
“Then consider the second possibility… It could be that circumstances forced the Sound Empress into hiding against her will.”
“Perhaps she sought sanctuary from a formidable nemesis. Or she might be nursing a catastrophic wound.”
Noticing the waitress stiffen ever so slightly, Yanghwi screamed internally in panic.
“How could the Sound Empress, whose fame rings across the four seas, ever fall into such dire straits! Haha, hahah! There remains a third possibility, Uncle!”
Cutting Zhuge Seon off before he could dig the hole deeper, Yanghwi immediately steered the conversation toward the theory he had wanted to present from the very start.
“The Sound Empress shoulders the solemn duty of passing down a profound lineage that admits only a single successor in every generation. Could it be that she withdrew into seclusion specifically to nurture a disciple?”
A spark of genuine interest lit Zhuge Seon’s gaze.
“If that holds true… then as long as Seolha’s natural gifts earn her favor, our hopes could be realized.”
“In my humble judgment, this third premise seems the closest to the truth.”
“What leads you to be so certain?”
“You mentioned that you gathered those clues only after immense labor, Uncle. However, leaving traces that could be uncovered through investigation might very well have been part of the Sound Empress’s deliberate design.”
This was the Wave-Piercing Sound Empress, a living titan of the Ten Paragons Under Heaven.
Rather than being careless enough to leave an accidental trail, it was infinitely more likely that she had purposely laid down breadcrumbs for the worthy to follow.
This suspicion had taken root in Yanghwi’s mind the instant he first heard the clues from Zhuge Seon.
Moreover, though he could never speak of it aloud, he possessed one indisputable piece of foresight.
In the days yet to come, the chosen heir of the Sacred Sound Jade Spirit Gate—the Sound Empress’s true disciple—would step forth into the world.
That meant the Wave-Piercing Sound Empress taking an apprentice during this period was an unshakeable reality.
Right then, the waitress stepped over to a table nearer to their party and began cleaning its surface.
This has to be an encouraging sign.
Bolstered by confidence, Yanghwi turned his attention toward Zhuge Seolha.
“Uncle, assuming the Sound Empress sees everything and watches our every move: rather than you presenting your devotion, what if Seolha herself were the one to show her sincerity?”
Zhuge Seon did not ask for clarification.
He had already grasped the core of Yanghwi’s argument.
“Indeed. Until now, the one pleading for an audience with the Sound Empress has been me, not our child.”
Whether it was walking the path of discipleship or seeking a cure, the one who ultimately had to earn the Sound Empress’s compassion was Zhuge Seolha herself.
Yet up to this moment, Zhuge Seolha had remained entirely passive, nestled securely within her father’s protective embrace.
“Even so… Seolha is…”
Observing Zhuge Seon’s pained expression, Yanghwi shifted his gaze toward the waitress.
She had halted her cloth once more, clearly waiting to hear where this dialogue would lead.
The path forward is definitely the right one.
“Uncle, before we can hope to move the Sound Empress’s heart, I believe Seolha must first unlock her own.”
The Peach Blossom Body naturally bewitched and snared the minds of men from the day of birth.
Even in her tender childhood, Zhuge Seolha had undoubtedly been subjected to vile desires and grim gazes far beyond her years.
Had she not been born the cherished daughter of the prestigious Zhuge clan, she would have met an unbearable, horrific fate long ago.
Even granting the burden of the peach blossom qi, shrouding her face behind thick silk, burrowing into her father’s robes, and refusing to utter a single syllable was a habit grown far too deep.
She lived in mortal terror of the world awaiting beyond her father’s arms.
Zhuge Seon’s quiet response validated Yanghwi’s thoughts.
“…Nephew, you possess a keen mind. A truly… remarkable intellect.”
Yanghwi lowered his head in humble silence. Zhuge Seon gave a weary sigh, gently brushing his fingers across Zhuge Seolha’s hair.
“It is just as you say; Seolha has firmly barred the gates to her spirit. Her cursed condition has shattered far too much of her world.”
“Even so, Uncle, you cannot shield her under your wings forever.”
Every fledgling must eventually leave the comfort of the nest.
It must spread its wings and brave the wind on its own.
Even if it tumbles, bruises, and bleeds, it must learn the bitter art of flight.
“Seolha.”
Zhuge Seolha turned her veiled head toward Yanghwi.
What expression lay hidden beneath that sheer white cloth?
To tell the truth, you represent an uncertain variable to my plans.
In his previous lifetime, she had walked the path of the Soul-Stealing Demon Empress, soaking the martial realm of Hubei in rivers of blood.
If her destiny shifted here, the divergence between his memories of the future and the unfolding reality would widen exponentially.
Perhaps the turmoil birthed by her altered fate might eclipse the benefit of securing Zhuge Seon as an unshakeable pillar for the Baek clan.
Even with that knowledge, no hesitation clouded Yanghwi’s resolve.
A spirit that aches for those trapped in misery and despair.
In other words, the noble heart of chivalry was the most precious legacy Yanghwi had inherited from his father.
Because of that, Zhuge Seolha needed to stand on her own feet.
— Zhuge Seolha.
Directing the Harmonious Heaven Primordial Art, Yanghwi gathered his Harmonious Heaven qi and directed a focused transmission straight to her awareness.
— No matter what difficulties lie ahead, you cannot hide behind others forever.
Zhuge Seolha shuddered as his words rang directly against her ears.
In contrast to the gentle true qi that felt like a loving mother’s sanctuary, Yanghwi’s voice was strikingly stern.
No, to put it more accurately, it was unyielding and steadfast.
It carried a profound weight, giving the impression that no tempest in heaven or earth could ever erode its certainty.
I… I want to…
Her hand lifted instinctively toward the air, only for her slender fingers to curl inward like petals shrinking from a cold frost.
As expected of a child bearing the blood of the Zhuge clan, Zhuge Seolha was exceptionally clever.
Her instincts told her that this fleeting second marked the grand fork in the road that would redefine the life she had known and the future she would walk.
Yet the dark, suffocating memories of her past were so agonizing that they smothered even her sharp brilliance.
I am frightened. I… I just…
Right in that agonizing pause:
“You have the strength within you. I will walk beside you.”
His spoken voice was soft and reassuring, entirely shedding the biting edge of his silent transmission.
The Harmonious Heaven qi, capable of gently encompassing every energy across creation, unfurled thread by thread to envelop Zhuge Seolha.
It was a soothing, safe warmth, like settling into the downy comfort of a mother bird’s nest.
Because Zhuge Seolha’s upper dantian had already been forced open by her innate peach blossom qi, she could perceive the sensation with staggering clarity.
Furthermore, she felt the mysterious resonance residing within his Harmonious Heaven qi—the sublime touch of what Yanghwi knew as immortal qi.
It feels… just like standing amidst a vast, sunlit meadow and taking a deep breath of clean air.
Throughout her life, Zhuge Seolha’s peach blossom qi had been an oppressive millstone around her neck.
An inescapable curse, an innate shackle that held her prisoner.
Yet in this fleeting instant, she tasted the sweet relief of true liberation.
And she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that this salvation flowed from the energy of the boy before her.
“Yanghwi, it will not work. Seolha requires far more patience… Wait, Seolha!”
Mid-sentence, Zhuge Seon’s face warped in utter astonishment.
The daughter who had spent years hiding inside his robes was moving of her own free will.
Yanghwi’s gaze locked onto Zhuge Seolha—watching the frail hatchling peck its way through the suffocating shell.
Her slender legs trembled with exertion as the soles of her shoes touched the tavern floorboards.
How many years had passed since Zhuge Seolha had stood upon the earth by her own power?
“Seolha… how can this…?”
Her veiled head turned toward Zhuge Seon for a brief heartbeat.
Zhuge Seolha gently squeezed her father’s calloused palm, then deliberately released her grip, stepping completely out of his protective shadow.
With frail, halting steps, she moved forward and came to a halt directly before Yanghwi.
Her veiled gaze met his, their eyes connecting across that fragile partition of silk.
Thank you.
Her lips moved in a silent whisper beneath the cloth.
Though her mouth remained concealed, Yanghwi read the shape of her gratitude clearly.
He gave a quiet smile in return:
“Think nothing of it.”
Moving past Yanghwi, Zhuge Seolha took several more determined strides forward.
A sharp glimmer flared in Yanghwi’s eyes as he watched her retreating figure.
Advancing with cautious, wobbling balance, she finally drew to a halt right before the young waitress.
“Little miss, is there something you need from me?”
Zhuge Seolha stared for a moment at the girl who spoke with such practiced nonchalance, and then, with utmost reverence, she sank gracefully onto her knees.
It was an act of profound deference that no noble daughter of a prestigious clan would ever grant to a lowly tavern servant.
“…”
The waitress—the legendary Sound Empress concealed beneath common garb—gazed down at Zhuge Seolha in profound, unbroken silence.
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