When the Black Moon Rises - Chapter 135
Chapter 135
After escorting Baek Manyong to the annex where his son was resting, Choi Deokmun hurried back to the main room.
He was still barefoot, his socks not properly worn.
But, worried about keeping his benefactor waiting, he ran back, oblivious to his appearance, his bare feet kicking up dust.
He paused at the door to catch his breath, then announced, “My lady, I’m coming in.”
What a remarkable lady she was!
She had ended the disaster that had plagued the Human Realm and brought not just ordinary rain, but a miraculous, healing rain to the parched earth.
Even though a large amount of Spirit Stones had aided the miracle…
‘It wouldn't have been possible without her exceptional power, indeed.’
How could the Baek Clan’s Divine Beast, however highly praised, compare to her?
‘Our lady is the reincarnation of the dragon that ruled the Mystic Realm! The true Divine Beast!’
Not even realizing that he was now referring to Sehwa as “our lady,” Choi Deokmun nodded.
By what stroke of luck had she become his son’s master?
“It’s a pleasure to see you again, my lord. I’ve come here to invest, and to seek investment.”
How that unbelievable, brief encounter had changed his and his son’s lives…
Recalling the image of his son, his wings brimming with abundant, divine spiritual power, Choi Deokmun’s face flushed with pride, then he tilted his head.
‘…But why isn’t she telling me to come in?’
“My lady, it’s Choi Deokmun. I’m coming in.”
He announced again, but there was still no response from inside.
“??”
‘What’s going on? Is this the wrong room?’
He quietly turned to his servant and asked, “Are you sure this is where the guests are?”
“Yes, of course. Didn’t you escort them here yourself, Master?”
“Did they go somewhere else afterwards?”
“Absolutely not. Their shoes are right here on the doorstep.”
‘But why isn’t she responding?’
Just as Choi Deokmun was fidgeting outside, a servant approached with a second tray of refreshments.
Choi Deokmun, forgetting his composure, snatched the tray.
“Give it to me. I’ll take it in myself.”
Eager to use this as an excuse, Choi Deokmun announced again, holding the tray, “My lady, it’s Choi Deokmun. I’m bringing in some refreshments.”
There was still no response, but at Choi Deokmun’s gesture, the servant quickly opened the door. And then…
“Oh my!”
Crash! Clang!
The tray slipped from Choi Deokmun’s hands and clattered to the floor, scattering food and drinks everywhere, along with shards of broken dishes and bottles.
The couple, who had been embracing and kissing, oblivious to everything else, couldn’t ignore such a loud noise.
Their faces flushing crimson, they quickly separated and straightened their clothes.
“M-My… my apologies! I-I shouldn’t have entered without permission, but… p-perhaps I’m getting old and hard of hearing… What are you all standing around for?! Clean this up!”
Choi Deokmun, flustered, hurriedly ordered the servants to clean up the mess, then suggested, “I’m truly sorry. If you’ll excuse me, this room is a mess, so perhaps you could move to the next room… Of course, none of the servants, including myself, will approach! I’ll make sure everyone stays far away and doesn’t disturb you…”
Baek Giha cleared his throat and interjected, “Ahem. It seems you’ve misunderstood. We were just… well, she had something in her eye, and I was trying to remove it.”
“Of course! It’s only natural! I understand completely! Having something in your eye is very uncomfortable! You have to remove it immediately! If you leave it in, you might rub your eye and scratch it, and then you might even go blind—”
“That’s right. You seem to understand. And there was something on her face, so I was trying to wipe it off before she lost face—”
“Exactly! If you leave something on your face for too long, it might cause necrosis! And then you might get a scar on your beautiful face! You did well! You were both very wise! Very wise indeed!”
As the two of them rambled incoherently, the servants hurriedly cleaned up the mess, their heads bowed.
The awkward conversation continued until Sehwa finally interrupted, “Enough, come in.”
“You’re asking about the circumstances of my exile?”
“Yes.”
Choi Deokmun blinked, surprised by the unexpected question. He hadn’t expected Sehwa and Baek Giha to ask him about this.
“The Mystic Ruler has always summarily executed those who offended him. Merchant Ji’s group was burned alive for a minor mistake.” Sehwa’s eyes narrowed as she asked, “But there are others like you who were exiled to the Human Realm. After seeing the current situation here, I wanted to know if there’s any difference between the two groups.”
Choi Deokmun's expression turned serious.
He had never thought about it before, but Sehwa’s words made sense.
“The circumstances at that time were…”
“I was wrong, darling. I can’t cross that gate, so you have to… please take care of Jangmyung…”
A painful memory momentarily choked him.
‘…My wife…’
Choi Deokmun’s hands clenched tightly.
“But you know, if the Mystic Ruler had intended to do something, he wouldn't have needed these people.” Baek Giha added quietly, “Just like with the missing children from the Six Clans. If he needed them for something, wouldn't he have used those with more abundant spiritual power?”
Choi Deokmun, listening to him, cautiously spoke, “Now that you mention it…”
His gaze drifted, as if searching his memories.
“It was shortly after Jangmyung was born. My wife suffered greatly during childbirth and wasn't conscious for long.”
Choi Deokmun recounted his memories carefully, repeatedly checking if he was remembering correctly.
“I went to deliver goods to the Mystic Ruler's residence, and the Chief Attendant suddenly came to me and told me to send my wife to be a maid for one of the Eight Consorts.”
“A maid?”
“Yes. It was an honor, but my wife was on her deathbed, so I couldn’t obey.”
Choi Deokmun racked his brain, trying to remember more details that might be helpful to Sehwa, but that was all he could recall.
He was a field mouse after all, and as Baek Giha had said, field mouse mystics weren't valuable enough for the Mystic Ruler to use them for anything.
“And that matter wasn’t brought up again?”
“No. I was worried that I had offended the Mystic Ruler by disobeying him, but nothing happened afterwards.”
Choi Deokmun paused, a strange thought occurring to him.
“…It was less than a month later that I was exiled for handling the Ju Clan’s Spirit Orbs, which was forbidden by the Mystic Ruler.”
“Your wife? Did she come to the Human Realm with you?”
“She couldn’t cross the gate. Her body was weak, and her Core was destroyed. It must have been… very painful for her.”
Choi Deokmun’s face contorted as he recalled the painful memory.
Just then…
“Her Core might not have been destroyed,” Baek Giha suddenly declared in a dark voice. “Like a candle flame burning brighter just before it goes out, a mystic’s body temporarily recovers and their spiritual power overflows for a short time when their Core is destroyed. It doesn't make sense that she couldn’t cross the gate.”
“What?”
Choi Deokmun blinked.
Indeed, his wife had experienced a surge of energy after her Core was supposedly destroyed, although she had disappeared shortly after arriving in the Human Realm.
But that was…
“Perhaps it was because my wife was so ill? Even though she recovered momentarily, she wasn’t well enough to cross the gate.”
“No. There are no exceptions. If her Core was destroyed, she would have been able to cross the gate with her last bit of strength. If she couldn’t cross because she was sick, then her Core wasn’t destroyed.”
“T-Then…” Choi Deokmun’s lips trembled as he struggled to speak, “What… what happened to my wife? The last time I saw her was at the gate… after that…”
“......”
As Baek Giha remained silent, Choi Deokmun’s anxiety grew, his hands clasped tightly together.
Sehwa asked, “You said you were handling the Red Dragon’s Spirit Orbs? Is that true?”
“Of course not! That would have been a death sentence for my entire family, not to mention my whole trading company! I believed I was framed. Someone I traded with must have been jealous and set me up.”
“What about the others who were exiled here? Were they guilty of their crimes?”
“…Not all of them, but most of them denied their crimes. They said they were framed, that they were wrongly accused.”
“......”
“......”
This was definitely strange.
“But I doubt we were of any use to the Mystic Ruler. He just discarded us in the Human Realm like trash and never looked back.”
“That’s true. There wasn’t even anyone watching us.”
There had been no surveillance, not in this life, nor in the previous one.
That would have been impossible if they had been of any use to him.
The Mystic Ruler was someone who kept everything he deemed useful within his reach.
As Baek Giha pondered this, Choi Deokmun cautiously suggested, “If you’re suspicious of the Mystic Ruler’s actions, perhaps you should return to the Mystic Realm. You’ll be able to gather more information there than here.”
Sehwa nodded and said to Baek Giha, “The situation in the Human Realm seems to be somewhat resolved, so let’s go back to the Baek Clan and observe the Mystic Ruler’s movements. There will be a new Mystic Ruler’s inauguration. Let’s see if both the former Mystic Ruler and Ju Kyunghyun attend.”
Just then…
Thump!
The residence suddenly shook slightly.
As everyone in the room turned towards the door, the tremor continued.
Thump! Thump!
A commotion arose outside.
Choi Deokmun, sensing something was wrong, got up and opened the door.
A servant, covered in dust, rushed in and bowed his head.
“Master! Master!”
“What’s all this commotion?!”
“It’s terrible, Master! That esteemed guest and the young master are…!”
“Jangmyung? What about Jangmyung?”
“They’re… well…”
The servant hesitated, avoiding his gaze.
Choi Deokmun roared in frustration, “Speak!”
“…T-They’re… fighting… in the annex…”
Choi Deokmun, Sehwa, and Baek Giha all stared in disbelief.
What did he just say? Fighting?
They jumped to their feet and ran towards the annex, following the servant.
Divine light and energy filled the annex when they arrived.
The problem was that the scene within the light wasn't divine at all.
Broken pieces of furniture, shattered dishes and…
“Let… let go of me! Let go! Do you even know who I am?! You dare lay your hands on the Baek Clan Chancellor?! This is unforgivable, even if you are the Lady of the House’s vassal! This is a matter of honor for our Baek Clan, the leader of the Six Clans’ alliance! I’ll forgive you if you let go now, but if you refuse, you’ll regret this moment for the rest of your miserable life!”
“......”
Choi Deokmun, Baek Giha, and Sehwa stared at the scene unfolding in the annex courtyard, speechless.
Two people they would never have imagined fighting were grappling with each other, their hair pulled taut.
They had thought the servant was exaggerating when he said they were fighting like dogs, but now they realized he had chosen his words carefully.
It was a true dogfight.
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