By Zephyria 
HF 31
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* * *
More than two shijins(1) had already passed since Mu-gyeong disappeared from the thatched cottage.
Following Mu Seong-pyeong’s instructions, food and drink were brought out, but Ho-yeon couldn’t even bring himself to take a bite. There was no way food could go down his throat when he didn’t even know what situation Mu-gyeong was in. However, as Mu Seong-pyeong had said, if he were to scour the demon sect himself, he would only stand out, which wouldn’t be of much help in finding him.
His hands and feet grew cold from anxiety. Worried that frost energy might leak out, Ho-yeon consciously pressed his lips tight. Then, sensing someone entering the pavilion, Ho-yeon hurriedly turned around.
“I heard a guest has arrived.”
But once again, he was met with disappointment. The woman who stepped through the door was dressed impeccably in a deep navy official robe. The collar, finished with silver thread, stood stiffly up to her neck, and the ends of her sleeves were tightened with leather. With a sword strapped to her side, she looked flawless and disciplined.
“I am Wi Ho-yeon from the ice palace.”
Rising from his chair, Ho-yeon bowed to the stranger.
“I am Han Hee-ryeong, the Chief Financial Administrator.”
A Chief Administrator was a position responsible for managing the finances of the demon sect. He wondered why she was here, but Ho-yeon soon learned the reason.
“I am also Mu-gyeong’s mother.”
Her gentle smile resembled that of Mu Seong-pyeong. Ho-yeon could not hide his joy at her appearance. Unlike the father, the mother might take Mu-gyeong’s disappearance more seriously.
“Dismiss all the workers from the vicinity.”
She dismissed everyone, including the servants and maids who had followed her in, and sat down right next to Mu Seong-pyeong.
“Seeing how pale your face is, it seems you have suffered a great deal of mental anguish.”
“……Yes.”
Ho-yeon’s face, which was already pale, had turned even whiter; through this, he hinted that she should quickly deploy more people to find Mu-gyeong.
“I heard the marketplace is quite noisy because someone like white snow appeared, and no one knows if they are a man or a woman.”
Han Hee-ryeong sipped the tea Mu Seong-pyeong had poured.
“Since the Cult Leader entered closed-door cultivation, I simply refrained from appearing unnecessarily during that time.”
“But since you’ve appeared regardless, it means you worry about Mu-gyeong just as much.”
“That is correct.”
“I was also quite concerned, having sent Young Master Wi to the thatched cottage. Therefore, how about staying here from today onward?”
“W-Wife!”
Mu Seong-pyeong, who had been listening quietly, raised his voice in fluster.
“What’s wrong? Our son acts however he pleases, so why shouldn’t we?”
Mu-gyeong didn’t resemble the rugged-looking Mu Seong-pyeong at all, nor did he share any traits with his elegant mother.
“I wondered where my thing had gone, and it turns out it was in an unexpected place.”
At that sudden, low voice, Ho-yeon startled and spun around. Although she had ordered the servants to be dismissed, even if they had been there, they wouldn’t have noticed Mu-gyeong. Even the wind, a part of nature, cannot hide its existence, yet not a single trace of presence emanated from him.
Ho-yeon’s eyes welled up with tears at the sight of the person he had been waiting for. Without hesitation, he pushed back his chair and stood up to examine Mu-gyeong. He reached out and touched Mu-gyeong’s cheeks here and there.
He didn’t even hear the shallow breaths of the two adults, who were flustered by his boldness in touching the Cult Leader’s face.
“Are you checking again to see if I’ve been drinking?”
“Who would even suspect that right now?”
Perhaps because his body had grown cold from extreme anxiety, frost energy lingered around Ho-yeon’s lips. Mu-gyeong brushed his thumb across Ho-yeon’s lips. The lips immediately stole the heat from his right hand, but Ho-yeon seemed unaware of it.
Ho-yeon practically circled Mu-gyeong, thoroughly checking for any injuries. In his heart, he wanted to strip off the black robes to see the bare skin, but he was relieved to find no bloodstains anywhere.
“Your son has returned.”
Han Hee-ryeong’s tone was the same as if she were saying, ‘a guest has arrived.’ Only then did Ho-yeon realize he had been acting too impulsively.
“I am very pleased to see my son return safely.”
She sipped her tea again. Beside her, Mu Seong-pyeong remained bolt upright. Ho-yeon thought to himself that even a father like that must have been secretly worried.
“Father doesn’t seem that glad to see me.”
As Mu-gyeong tilted his head slightly, his hair swayed quietly.
“G-G-Gl…”
Come to think of it, Mu Seong-pyeong had a habit of stuttering. Because he had been as fluent as flowing water during their earlier conversation, Ho-yeon had completely forgotten. Han Hee-ryeong, with the teacup at her lips, simply let out a laugh.
“G-Glad! I am so gl-glad that you v-visited the Mu house, that I am beyond glad, I am v-very happy…!”
Ahaha, Han Hee-ryeong eventually burst into laughter. It was a loud laugh that managed to cover Mu Seong-pyeong’s highly suspicious behavior. After wiping away tears, she composed herself and spoke.
“Young Master Wi. Since our son has returned after a long time, I will tell Abok to guide the way.”
Though she addressed Ho-yeon, her gaze was fixed on Mu-gyeong. Perhaps because of a prior telepathic transmission, a servant presumed to be Abok was standing at the door of the pavilion. Abok wore a black cloth over his eyes, appearing to be blind.
Ho-yeon thanked Han Hee-ryeong for her consideration and focused his attention on Mu-gyeong once more. Even though he had confirmed he looked fine, the anxiety that had plagued him didn’t vanish instantly. Thus, he obsessively scanned every single one of Mu-gyeong’s fingers. Then, Ho-yeon realized his mistake.
Mu-gyeong had returned to the demonic shadow martial house after a long time. While Ho-yeon might have been the only one worrying, it seemed proper for him to exchange greetings with his parents first.
To be more honest, he felt apologetic for acting so insolently in front of his parents, so he intended to be polite now. However, even if he went back in time, Ho-yeon would have acted exactly the same.
Grabbing a paper umbrella, Ho-yeon suddenly clung to Mu-gyeong’s arm.
‘I’ll go out first, so you talk with your parents for a bit.’
With eyes conveying that meaning, Ho-yeon nodded. However, as if he couldn’t read the hidden intent, Mu-gyeong walked outside. As the arm holding him released, Ho-yeon followed him out instinctively. Only after gaining some distance from the parents did Ho-yeon speak softly.
“You should exchange greetings with your parents first.”
Ho-yeon didn’t seem to realize it, but he was stealing Mu-gyeong’s heat starting from the gripped wrist. It was close to a robbery, but for Mu-gyeong, it was closer to soothing his fire energy.
“There is no rush.”
At Mu-gyeong’s firmness, Ho-yeon had no choice but to let go of the wrist. Consequently, the coolness that had been calming Mu-gyeong’s heat withdrew without lingering.
As they followed the servant, a smile remained on Han Hee-ryeong’s face. The moment Mu Seong-pyeong heard the sound of the carriage wheels carrying the Cult Leader and the son of the ice palace master, he let out a long, held breath—huuuu.
“The person who loves the play is truly terrible at acting.”
“Your kindness is great, Wife. My heart shriveled up and pushed all the way down to my big toe; it’s only just now returning to its place.”
“But did you hear him, husband?”
“Hear what?”
“He called him ‘my thing.’ I wondered why that mad dog was suddenly sticking so closely to the Cult Leader; it seems he didn’t want to miss out on something interesting.”
The ‘mad dog’ referred to Do-gyeon. However, Mu Seong-pyeong only understood the part about the mad dog; he didn’t understand the meaning behind ‘my thing’ or ‘something interesting’ at all.
“I never knew what he was thinking to begin with, but now I know even less.”
Mu Seong-pyeong grumbled that he was completely in the dark.
“The Cult Leader sees through people very well. Because he appoints the right people to the right places, our divine cult has become this stable. Although the Cult Leader himself usually vanishes suddenly to somewhere.”
Mu Seong-pyeong agreed deeply on that point.
“That probably means he does the bare minimum of what needs to be done, but has no passion for anything.”
Before Mu-gyeong, the couple of the demonic shadow martial house had served two Cult Leaders. Up until the previous Cult Leader, Han Hee-ryeong had been a mistress who stayed only within the Mu house. However, after ascending to the position of Cult Leader, Mu-gyeong appointed Han Hee-ryeong as the Chief Financial Administrator.
==
Approximately 4 hours.