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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: 38th Leader of the Lower Five Gates (3)
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"I heard that Azure Righteous Sword, the great hero, is currently traveling incognito. Are you staying in Xining now?"
She already had the full scoop on Azure Righteous Sword.
"Azure Righteous Sword is merely a public facade. I was born in Xining and raised here."
"I see. In that case, let's establish a Qinghai branch of the Lower Five Gates right here in Xining."
Was it really this straightforward? Even the Beggars' Sect didn't have a single branch in Qinghai, the remote edge of the martial world. This was an unexpected windfall.
If the Lower Five Gates set up a branch in Xining, it would prove invaluable in the coming war.
"Then, may I recommend someone for the position of branch leader for the new Qinghai branch? It would be best if a local from Xining took the role."
Baek Eunhwa's unique method for expanding was to assign the Lower Five Gates name to existing local figures or groups rather than deploying her own people when establishing new branches, absorbing their forces in the process.
Thanks to this approach, the Lower Five Gates had spread across the entire martial world.
The downside was weaker cohesion, but since the sect operated on a point organization structure from the start, it wasn't a major issue.
"The person you're recommending—is it Haun, the current pavilion master of Fallen Ghosts Pavilion?"
She knew everything even before a branch was established. The Lower Five Gates' intelligence network was truly fearsome.
"I've already marked him as a candidate for branch leader. However, given the past conflict between Fallen Ghosts Pavilion and the Lower Five Gates, I'm not sure if he'll accept the offer."
Come to think of it, that Pig bastard from Fallen Ghosts Pavilion who died by my hand had asked if I was from the Lower Five Gates. They must have stirred up trouble and accidentally crossed paths with the wrong Lower Five Gates operative.
"Don't worry about that. I'll handle the persuasion."
"Heh, that's reassuring. Great hero, you'll be traveling far and wide across the land from now on, won't you?"
"With so much to do, I probably will."
"In that case, even if it's just a nominal title, I'll appoint Yi Sowol, the great hero, as the leader of the Lower Five Gates' Escort Corps. We're entering the Dragon Phoenix Tournament under the Lower Five Gates' name anyway, so a title would be fitting."
"Isn't leader of the Escort Corps too high a position for a nominal role?"
The Lower Five Gates were structured around the five gates—Escort Corps, Black Moon Corps, Wind Surge Corps, Crimson Lotus Corps, and Golden Fragrance Corps—with branches operating beneath them. The Escort Corps leader outranked even branch leaders.
"With your skills, great hero, it won't be an issue. You'll have full authority over personnel and operations. No obligations to follow orders either, so use it as you see fit."
Nominal affiliation with the Lower Five Gates, but effectively an independent unit. I was grateful for the gesture.
"In that case, I humbly accept."
Claiming to be the Lower Five Gates' Escort Corps leader anywhere would command respect. I expressed my thanks for the sect leader's consideration.
"When do you plan to return to Xining?"
"Soon."
"The sun hasn't set yet, so stay at the inn tonight and head out tomorrow morning. Escort Corps leader, please show the great hero to his room."
"Understood."
I followed the Escort Corps leader out of the room. There was much more I wanted to discuss with her, but opportunities like this wouldn't be limited to today.
As I left the room, she waved goodbye with a smile.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
As the sun set and the moon rose, I understood why the inn was called Moon Shadow Tower. Moonlight poured down onto the vast Qinghai Lake at its center, reflecting off the water and bathing the entire inn in a silvery glow.
A moonlit inn. Since the building belonged to the Lower Five Gates, it must have served as a safe haven for the Escort Corps, who needed to avoid the shadows.
Knock knock.
I opened the door to the knocking and found Lower Five Gates leader Baek Eunhwa standing there.
"What brings you here in the middle of the night, milady?"
"If it's not too much trouble, how about a stroll? The night view of Qinghai Lake is breathtaking."
She loved night walks in her previous life too. A long-buried memory surfaced faintly, and I naturally followed her out of the inn.
The first thing that caught my eye outside was the sea of flowers filling my vision.
Rapeseed blossoms spread from the mountainside down to the inn, gradually giving way to green grass as they neared Qinghai Lake.
The moonlight draping over the lake reflected off the flowers on the slope, making that section look as if pure white blooms had unfurled.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
The flowers reflecting the moonlight reminded me of you, with silver hair cascading like theirs.
"It truly is."
Perhaps the name Moon Shadow Tower came not from the moonlight on the inn, but from the beauty of those moon-reflecting flowers.
The scene was so stunning that the thought crossed my mind.
I walked silently among the flowers with her for a long while.
"How did I meet my end in our previous lives?"
Her question, after a prolonged silence, was calm and softly echoing, blurring my vision with the poignant air.
Yet I still couldn't answer. I didn't know which words to choose.
"You died trying to save me."
In the end, I spoke the plain truth.
"It was at the Murim Alliance branch in Yunnan. Word had it that the heads of the Five Great Clans were there, so I went alone. But by the time I realized it was a trap, I was already surrounded by a thousand troops. And you arrived leading the Lower Five Gates forces to rescue me."
"And then, what happened?"
I couldn't continue. The memory of that day, of you dying before my eyes, still tore at the depths of my heart.
"Tell me."
Baek Eunhwa gripped my hand tightly.
As if to prove to me that she was alive.
"One of the alliance members thrust a sword into your chest amid the chaos. I was right beside you, yet I couldn't do a thing. Once again, I failed to protect anyone. I... I..."
I couldn't dress your death in beautiful words. Even now, facing you alive, I still couldn't accept it.
"I died protecting the one I loved."
Baek Eunhwa, gazing mournfully at the falling moonlight, turned her eyes to me.
"I loved you in our previous lives, didn't I?"
"Did you read my mind for that too?"
"No, this is just a woman's intuition. For someone like me, who survived on so many sacrifices, what else could compel me to give my life but love?"
The corner of her mouth curved faintly upward.
"I must have loved you deeply."
"You grabbed me just before closing your eyes and said you'd loved me from the day we first met."
I could no longer recall your face from that day, but the tremor in your voice still echoed vividly in my ears.
"A beautiful death. So beautiful that I envy the woman who died saving the one she loved."
Is that how it was?
Despite all my efforts to remember your death beautifully, I still lacked the strength to face it without pain.
Just recalling it made my chest crumble, so I buried it deep, vowing never to unearth it.
"Those words must be true."
She quietly nestled into my embrace.
"The way my heart is drawn to you, whom I've just met."
'From the day we first met, I've always loved you.'
Your hazy face in the foggy memory finally sharpened into clarity.
'You cry like that. It's my first time seeing such an expression.'
I too saw your smile for the first time that day.
'Did you know? They say the soul lingers in this world for three days before departing to the afterlife. So cry for three days and nights. I want to see your crying face a little longer.'
Such a cruel request for me, whose tears had long dried up.
'Once those three days pass, remember my death beautifully. So that I can live beautifully in your memories.'
I couldn't cry for three days, so I spent the rest of my life in tears.
Only now, returned to the past, did I vividly recall your death. Your smile, the tiny tear falling from your eye, the love in your gaze, that beautiful end.
I pulled her close into my arms. I didn't want her to see the tears streaming down my cheeks.
She silently stroked my back.
Gently, endlessly, as if she already knew everything.
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"Have you calmed down a bit?"
"Sorry for the unsightly display."
She giggled, her expression playful and mischievous— a stark contrast to the solemn demeanor she wore as sect leader.
"No, I enjoyed it. There are so few people I can talk to like this."
Of course. She always had to wear a mask. For someone who suppressed her true self and hid behind facades, how precious must moments of baring it all have been?
"And somehow, talking with you fills me with longing. Probably because the me from our previous lives lives in your heart."
"Likely. We made that promise, after all."
She glanced at me coyly, whining playfully.
"Saying it's because of a promise would make my previous self sad. Think of me with all your might."
Her childlike pout brought back memories of your usual cool, expressionless face from our past life, making me chuckle.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Sorry. Your current self is so different from the one I remember."
"Hmm, what was I like in our previous lives?"
"Almost no change in expression. I was taciturn back then too, so we rarely had proper conversations. But we did go on night walks together occasionally. You liked flowers even then."
On moonlit nights, you'd always drag me out, saying you wanted to see flowers. We'd walk in silence for ages, parting with a quiet thank you.
"If I said I liked flowers, it was probably just an excuse to be with you. I don't particularly care for them—my name means 'hidden flower,' and I grew to dislike it."
Was that so? We spent so much time together, yet I knew nothing about you.
"Come to think of it, I heard you lived nearly a century in your previous life, great hero. No other women during that time?"
"Well..."
Realizing lies would be seen through instantly, I felt her piercing glare.
"There were?"
"O-One person."
Her unexpected question flustered me.
She stared silently for a moment, then sighed slowly.
"The me from our previous life wouldn't have wanted you to spend your whole life alone after I died. So it's fine."
As relief washed over me, she stepped forward and pressed her lips to mine.
"But in this life, I won't leave you even after we grow old. So promise you won't leave my side."
"I promise never to leave you."
Under the moonlight of Qinghai Lake, I gazed at your face. I overlaid my gaze onto your trembling eyes. Slowly, I raised my hand to brush the strands of hair grazing your cheek. As your eyes closed, time stretched languidly, and I drew closer. Our breaths mingled atop the serene ripples.