Chapter 85. The Wind Blows (5)

Hoyoseong's face hardened.

But there was no sign of fear or worry. It was astonishing how he didn't show any fear even with a blade resting on his shoulder.

"I didn't expect this turn of events."

"Predictable developments are usually boring."

"I don't know if it's interesting, but it is surprising."

"Whatever you're thinking, it's none of my business."

Hoyoseong sighed.

"Let's hear your reasons. Why are you doing this all of a sudden?"

"Shouldn't I be the one to speak?"

"Excuse me?"

"I don't know the method or the reason. But you didn't come here out of mere curiosity or goodwill."

Xueliang's eyes darkened.

"Why did you come to me?"

A vague sense of emergency, as if his extrasensory perception was warning him. The same extrasensory perception that had rung a bell in his mind when he first met Hoyoseong now felt like a dagger piercing his brain.

He couldn't focus on the conversation anymore. His vigilance towards the other person had grown so much that he was entirely focused on Hoyoseong's eyes and reactions.

This can't go on. He didn't know how he felt or why, but he sensed danger from the other person and couldn't walk with him.

"I don't know what, but I felt something strange, so I decided to threaten you to find out, is that it?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"Drawing the sword isn't just a threat."

"..."

"I'm prepared to cut your throat if necessary."

The corner of Hoyoseong's mouth curled up.

"Are you going to cut the Chief Military Officer's throat on campus? Even the Third Prince can't get away with that."

"It's fine. I can pretend to be a bandit."

"Ah? You're planning to claim you didn't know I was the Chief Military Officer?"

"If the moment comes, I'll have to do it that way."

Xueliang's face was serious, and Hoyoseong immediately sensed his sincerity.

Hoyoseong's face, which had been mocking, gradually turned expressionless.

"Put the sword back in its sheath. This situation could be treated as treason."

"Whether I die now or later, whether I die this way or that, people will die anyway."

"I'll count to three."

"Let me ask you one last time."

Sssss!

The sword was imbued with a faint but firm aura of malice. Though the aura was small, it was filled with unwavering resolve. If Xueliang didn't give a proper answer to this question, he would truly cut Hoyoseong's throat.

Hoyoseong's neck slowly began to break out in a cold sweat as he realized this.

"Why did you come to me?"

"..."

"Let me warn you, if you say it's just curiosity, you'll die."

Hoyoseong, who had been staring at Xueliang with a hardened face, sighed.

"How did you know?"

"You should answer when you hear a question. Asking questions back is not a good habit. And I clearly said this was the last time."

"I'll tell you, but first, how did you know? That I had other intentions."

Xueliang frowned.

"I don't know, just a hunch."

"A hunch? You guessed it right by a hunch?"

"I have a pretty good intuition.

And I've already realized that the world doesn't run on logic alone.

So when reason and emotion clash, I usually follow the latter. At least, I don't regret it."

"......That's quite something."

It was a reason to laugh.

Hoyoseong, who had been chuckling, suddenly recalled a conversation with someone.

- You've never seen my abilities, yet you want me to be the Chief Military Officer? Why?

- Is the reason important?

- It is. At least to me.

- Let's call it intuition.

- You're going to make me the Chief Military Officer just because of a hunch? That doesn't make sense.

- When you do things for the school, keep one thing in mind.

- You've already decided to make me do it.

- The world doesn't run on logic alone. It's a common mistake smart people like you make.

- ...

- Cultivate your intuition.

- Intuition...

- Logic gives you the answer for the moment, but intuition gives you the answer for the future. True wisdom comes from there.

Hearing this, Hoyoseong bowed to 'him.' It was a bow he didn't even give to the Prince, but he had to give it to him because he taught him, unlike the Prince who only gave orders.

Hoyoseong smacked his lips.

"Curiosity leads to imagination, and imagination brings up countless answer sheets."

"..."

"I wanted to know which of those countless answer sheets was the real answer."

"So you wanted to test me?"

"When I don't know the answer, I throw the test paper to someone else. They might be able to solve it."

"What kind of test did you want to do?"

"It's not much. I just wanted to take you to the Heavenly Horse Armory."

"Huh?"

"I have a way to get the Third Prince into the Heavenly Horse Armory."

"Then what?"

"I wanted to observe you once you were inside."

Xueliang's eyes sharpened.

"It wasn't just observation, was it?"

"If you showed something interesting, I would have claimed I had no way to get you in."

In other words, he meant that he could take you to the Heavenly Horse Armory and later claim you were an intruder.

Xueliang didn't know how that was possible, but he was sure Hoyoseong had the brains and power to do it.

If that happened, Xueliang would definitely be sent to the Criminal Punishment Hall.

At that time, he would have to serve his sentence, regardless of being the Sect Leader's disciple. Or, he might even rot in prison for life.

Illegally entering a secret domain was a serious crime.

Xueliang, who had been silently watching Hoyoseong, sheathed his sword.

"To be honest, you're a real jerk."

Hoyoseong grinned, sensing that the other person's vigilance towards him had significantly diminished.

"I hear that a lot. Sometimes they call me a lunatic or something."

"What kind of gutsy guys say that?"

"The school's martial artists are quite open. They might not say it to my face, but they gossip behind my back. The Third Prince even drew his sword, didn't he?"

"You've been holding it in."

"Then please say I have a good memory. What can I do if I can't forget?"

Xueliang snorted.

"Anyway, it was quite an interesting encounter. I'll be on my way now."

"Eh? You're leaving?"

"Of course."

"Are you not going to the Heavenly Horse Armory? What about the drinking session with me?"

Xueliang was speechless.

"Are you planning to have a cozy drink with someone who intends to send you to prison out of curiosity? I already said I don't need to go to the Heavenly Horse Armory."

"You made a promise."

"What promise?"

"In exchange for getting me into the Heavenly Horse Armory, you agreed to have a drink with me."

"So you're saying it's not necessary."

Hoyoseong's expression visibly fell.

"I thought you were someone who kept your promises."

"I didn't know the Chief Military Officer was such a wicked person."

"I've been staying up for days to finish my work for today."

"Do I have to appreciate that?"

"Yes."

"What for?"

"You sent a bodyguard to the Joyful Garden, didn't you?"

"..."

"Even though you already guessed my intentions, you still sent him. Wasn't it to warn the Joyful Garden to be more careful in the future?"

Xueliang's eyes wavered.

Hoyoseong smiled.

"Because of that, I've been branded as untrustworthy by the Joyful Garden. How will you take responsibility for that?"

Impressive.

Xueliang genuinely admired the other person's perceptiveness. It was astonishing not only that he had figured out who he had sent Madongfil to but also that he had immediately grasped the intention behind it.

"Then you shouldn't have messed with me."

"Did you expect this to happen?"

Apart from his perceptiveness, he was also shamelessly bold.

Xueliang sighed.

"Fine. Since it's come to this, let's have a good drink."

"An excellent choice."

"Before that, let's visit the Heavenly Horse Armory."

"Ah, of course. Half an hour should be enough, right? I'll tell the kids to prepare the drinks in advance..."

"What are you talking about?"

"Excuse me?"

Xueliang looked at Hoyoseong with a bewildered expression, as if wondering how such an innocent person could exist.

Hoyoseong's face immediately turned uncomfortable.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Is an hour not enough?"

"You said you would take me to the Heavenly Horse Armory."

"I did, didn't I?"

"Didn't you clearly say you would take me in 'once' and not 'one' weapon?"

"......!"

"To look around and pick up a few weapons, it would take half a day, not half an hour."

Hoyoseong's mouth dropped open.

Xueliang, with a face that clearly showed his annoyance, said,

"Let's go quickly. And if you want the kids to prepare the drinks, tell them to bring a few well-cooked roast ducks. They taste so good these days."

"Prince, please..."

"By the way, I like plain food. I won't eat if it's too salty or too fragrant."

Xueliang, having finished his part, walked away.

Hoyoseong, who had been staring at his relaxed back, burst out laughing.

"How long has it been since I've been hit with a surprise like this?"

* * *

Although he had suggested having a good drink, Xueliang got up after only a couple of bottles, intending to get used to the weapons he had brought from the armory.

Xueliang, who had packed a large bundle with various items, was leaving.

Hoyoseong, whose face had gradually turned serious as he watched Xueliang's back with a tipsy gaze, muttered,

"You can't really know a person until you meet them... Yuanzhu was right."

He was someone who couldn't be described in a few words. While anyone could be like that, there was something special about Xueliang.

"I can't figure him out at all."

In the general populace, once someone is over fifteen, they start talking about marriage, and by their mid-twenties, they usually have a family and a stable life.

But the martial world is different. Assuming someone has outstanding talent, their mid-twenties are just the age when they start to stand out as a newcomer.

In the martial world, it's generally believed that one reaches their peak only after forty.

Therefore, Xueliang is a novice. That's the normal way to see him.

However, the Xueliang he saw today was definitely not a novice.

"At first glance, he seems light-hearted, but that's not at all light-hearted. His occasional remarks reveal a unique perspective on the world."

Hoyoseong's eyes sparkled.

"It's as if an old martial hero who has experienced everything has been reborn in a young body."

It had been almost seven or eight years since they had met privately.

But Hoyoseong knew how Xueliang had lived all these years. As the Chief Military Officer, it was his duty to understand the personalities and martial arts of the Sect Leader's disciples.

If Xueliang had lived as cruelly and ambitiously as Hoyoseong knew, he wouldn't have shown such a face. Xueliang's character itself wasn't like that.

'Something is off.'

Hoyoseong, who had been deeply pondering, sighed.

"Well, since he's been in and out of the Secret Domain, there's no particular reason to doubt him."

At least, he's not someone who would harm the new sect. That's why the Sect Leader must have left the Third Prince alone.

'But...'

Hoyoseong looked up at the sky.

Countless stars twinkled in the dark sky.

"Interesting. What kind of wind will the transformed Third Prince bring, discarding his past?"

Will it be the harsh winter wind, the fragrant spring breeze, or the blood-soaked storm?

"Hey."

"Yes, Chief Military Officer."

"Send a message to the Divine Palace."

Hoyoseong's eyes gleamed.

"Tell the Sect Leader I'll visit him tomorrow morning."