Chapter 32. An Outing
Do Heo-ok once again looked Dong Bong-su over.
But he still could not make sense of it.
Dong Bong-su looked no more and no less than a servant.
If he had at least looked like a beggar, one might think he belonged to the Beggars' Sect, but that was not the case either.
"Y-yes ..."
Dong Bong-su answered weakly.
Do Heo-ok glanced at him once, then smiled and lightly tapped his shoulder.
"Haha. It's fine. There's no need to worry over something like that. If you don't have a surname, you can just make one, can't you?"
At first glance, it looked like a young hero comforting someone insignificant, but in truth, he was examining his physique.
With just a light tap on the shoulder, one could not grasp everything, but it was enough to tell whether the body was trained, or at least easy to train.
From what Do Heo-ok had just felt with his fingertips...
Dong Bong-su's body was extremely ordinary.
'No, no. It's actually far below ordinary.'
His body looked emaciated, as if he could not eat properly, and his bones and muscles were thin.
Paradoxically, that very fact stirred Do Heo-ok's suspicion.
A fleeting doubt flashed through his eyes and vanished in an instant—so quickly that even Tang Hua and Namgung Hye, standing right beside him, failed to notice it.
Do Heo-ok had a touch of fastidiousness.
He had a disposition that tolerated no deviation whatsoever when dealing with any matter.
The perfectly symmetrical balance of his body was also the result of that personality.
One of the biggest reasons he had been selected as a shadow was precisely because of his pursuit of perfection.
To him, people like Sosam were nothing more than specks of dust.
However, this was a speck of dust he did not fully understand.
It was unlikely to become a problem.
But—
'That doesn't mean the possibility of becoming a problem is zero.'
Just as Dong Bong-su had taken notice of Do Heo-ok, Do Heo-ok also began to pay attention to Dong Bong-su, disguised as Sosam.
"I thought you were someone from the Tang family since you were always sticking close to Miss Tang, but it seems that's not the case?"
The moment he heard that, Dong Bong-su realized it.
That Do Heo-ok had begun to watch him closely.
'This is dangerous.'
Although he had regained his voice, he was still not in a position to speak freely.
For now, he was nothing more than a gentle lamb following wherever Tang Hua led him.
Dong Bong-su turned his head to look at Tang Hua.
Tang Hua gave a light smile.
"Brother-in-law, please stop asking. He's just someone who's traveling with us due to certain circumstances."
"Is that so?"
"Ah, we're tired from walking all day. I'd like to rest now."
Tang Hua probably intended to defuse an awkward situation, but that only deepened Do Heo-ok's suspicion.
"Ah, I see. My apologies. I ended up talking too long with someone who's tired. Then, please follow me."
For the moment, Dong Bong-su had escaped Do Heo-ok's gaze, but he knew that Do Heo-ok would continue observing him for some time.
If their positions were reversed, he would have done the same.
***
Dong Bong-su and Tang Hua were led by Do Heo-ok and Namgung Hye toward the Guest Hall of Heaven.
The Namgung Family had three types of Guest Halls.
They were divided into the Guest Hall of Heaven, the Guest Hall of Earth, and the Guest Hall of Man, named after the Three Talents of Heaven, Earth, and Man.
Among them, the Guest Hall of Heaven was lodging for distinguished guests from major Murim sects or renowned martial artists.
The Guest Hall of Earth was lodging for sect leaders or elders from mid-sized or small sects.
The Guest Hall of Man was the true 'Guest Hall' where all the remaining 'others' stayed.
The Guest Hall of Heaven.
Its scale was impressive, but its location was even better.
The estate of the Namgung Family was built along the shores of Chaohu, and the Guest Hall of Heaven was located right next to the southern water gate.
Strictly speaking, the Guest Hall of Heaven and the water gate were not built on land, but over Chaohu itself—structures standing atop the water.
On small islands flanking a small bay called Chao Bay, the Guest Hall of Heaven had been built, with pleasure boats moored inside the bay and a water gate erected at its entrance.
This, of course, served to block enemy incursions.
Guests staying at the Guest Hall of Heaven would usually ride the Namgung Family's large pleasure boats at least once to enjoy the night view of Chaohu.
Chaohu was one of the Five Great Lakes of the Central Plains, and its scenery was famed as the most beautiful among them.
Its night view in particular was stunning, so much so that poets and scholars had used Chaohu's nocturnal scenery as inspiration since ancient times.
By the time Dong Bong-su and the others arrived at the Guest Hall of Heaven, the sun had completely set, and the moon hung diagonally in the sky.
Moonlight reflected off the waters of Chao Bay, creating a mystical scene.
"It's beautiful..."
Tang Hua could not suppress her admiration as she gazed at the sight.
Although she had visited the Namgung Family once or twice before, this was her first time seeing Chaohu at night like this.
The Guest Hall of Heaven, resembling a floating garden, and the view of Chao Bay were more than enough to make Tang Hua's heart flutter, now that she had grown into a young lady.
"Isn't it beautiful? We're thinking of going on a night outing on Chaohu today. Would you like to come along too?"
Seeing Tang Hua in awe, Namgung Hye made the suggestion.
Judging from her words, the two of them had clearly planned from the start to go enjoy Chaohu's night view that day.
"Oh come on, elder sister. I'm not that oblivious anymore."
Perhaps it was something about Tang Hua's tone.
Namgung Hye blushed again and lowered her head.
At least this time, the darkness of the night partially concealed her face.
At that moment, Do Heo-ok, who had been listening to their conversation, interjected.
"It's fine. In any case, in a few days we'll be spending our entire lives together. Is it really too much to yield a single day to my sister-in-law? If you're not too tired, let's all go together. Around this time, when the moon is nearing fullness, Chaohu is at its most beautiful—more so than during the full moon itself."
As he spoke, Do Heo-ok cast a subtle glance toward Dong Bong-su.
Seeing that, Dong Bong-su understood Do Heo-ok's intentions.
He wanted to learn more about him.
The reason was obvious.
The two pairs of pretentious eyes—Dong Bong-su's and Do Heo-ok's—briefly intertwined in the air, separated by a narrow gap.
Dong Bong-su avoided Do Heo-ok's gaze just enough not to draw too much attention.
Even so, he knew he could not dispel a suspicion that had already taken root.
Naturally, there was still a large gap between the two.
Dong Bong-su had a certain conviction about Do Heo-ok, while Do Heo-ok harbored only suspicion toward Dong Bong-su.
It seemed small, but the difference was stark.
Like the difference between a student answering a multiple-choice question and a student handed an exam sheet containing a single ambiguous sentence, not even knowing whether it was a question.
As Dong Bong-su deliberately turned his gaze to the moon to avoid Do Heo-ok's eyes, Tang Hua spoke in a delighted voice.
"Is it really okay, brother-in-law?"
"Of course."
At Do Heo-ok's straightforward reply, Namgung Hye smiled brightly.
Seeing her expression, it was clear that Namgung Hye had already completely fallen for Do Heo-ok.
"Then shall we all go together? We don't know when I'll be able to look at the moon with my sister again. It would be nice to see it together at Chaohu."
"Alright. Let's do that."
Namgung Hye smiled beautifully as she took Tang Hua's hand.
Tang Hua clasped her hand back, then looked at Dong Bong-su and said,
"You're okay with it, right?"
It was a forceful notice that left him no room to choose.
From her perspective, it was perhaps only natural.
Because of Tang Wu's repeated instructions, the two had to move together anyway.
Even if they were assigned separate rooms at the Guest Hall of Heaven, Dong Bong-su would have to stay with Tang Hua until Tang Wu arrived.
In that case, she thought it far better to share the parting emotions with Namgung Hye while enjoying Chaohu's night view—known as the Heavenly Scenery.
But from Dong Bong-su's standpoint, this night outing was extremely uncomfortable.
A mysterious beast named Do Heo-ok was watching him.
This was Murim, a world where one never knew what might happen.
The possibility was slim, but what if Do Heo-ok somehow realized that he possessed a Bloodless Body?
It was dangerous.
However, Dong Bong-su could not avoid it, and Tang Hua's gaze was merciless.
The choice had never been his to begin with.
Although he had escaped the status of a Horse Stable Hireling, he still had no free will of his own.
'It can't be helped.'
Since things had come to this, he would have to go out onto Chaohu and learn more about Do Heo-ok himself, just as Do Heo-ok was observing him.
"Yes."
With that short reply, the midnight outing on Chaohu for the four of them was decided.
***
A short while later.
A single ornate divination-patterned scarlet sailboat, its red silk sails raised high, passed through the opened water gate and set off onto Chaohu.
The boat rode the cool night breeze, cutting through the water toward the place where the moonlight shone brightest.
All birds have flown high and vanished,
A lone cloud drifts away at ease.
Gazing at each other, neither grows weary—
Only the scenery of Chaohu remains.
Rowing the oars, the senior retainers of the Namgung Family sang.
It was a song adapted to Chaohu from Li Bai's poem 'Sitting Alone on Jingting Mountain'.
Perhaps because of the song, a solitary cloud truly was cutting across the round moon as it drifted by, creating an atmosphere beyond words.
Before they knew it, the boat had reached the center of the lake.
The retainers leisurely lowered the sails and dropped the anchors attached to both sides of the boat into the water.
Soon, the boat came to a complete stop at the very heart of Chaohu.
"The moon reflected on the lake is really beautiful."
Tang Hua exclaimed in admiration.
As she said, the moon seemed to have leapt into Chaohu itself, carrying a single cloud, and its beauty was beyond description.
That became the starting point for the chatter between Tang Hua and Namgung Hye.
At the same time, Do Heo-ok's probing of Dong Bong-su began in earnest.
"Let the women talk among themselves, and let us men share a drink together."
Do Heo-ok led Dong Bong-su toward the bow of the ship.