Chapter 46
The young lady was dressed differently from usual.
Instead of the pink jeoksam she usually wore, she was dressed in shabby clothes, with a long doupeng that reached down to her knees, pulled over her head. Even so, I was able to recognize her because of the veil covering her face.
Unable to bring myself to stand, I opened my mouth.
“When did you…”
Then I stopped. There was no point in asking now.
The young lady also silently approached my side. Then she looked down at Aso and quietly bowed her head in mourning.
Watching her, I remembered what had happened at my mother’s grave.
After a brief silence, I suddenly asked,
“Later on…”
I could feel the young lady’s gaze.
“Could you recover Aso’s remains?”
“…….”
“Could you hold a funeral for her, bury her somewhere warm and sunny, and properly send her off?”
“…I don’t know.”
After hesitating for a moment, the young lady answered.
“I can’t be certain about anything…”
“…….”
“But if we survive, we can do it. We can make plans for later.”
“…….”
“We can do it then.”
‘If we survive.’
I repeated the young lady’s words in my mind.
She was right.
Whatever we wanted to do, we first had to be alive to do it.
Death was the end.
After death, there was nothing.
Was that why you saved me, too?
“I think that even if I went back to the past, I would make the same choice…”
Then I should make sure you never regret your choice.
I reached out and held Aso’s hand for a moment.
Then I stood up.
The young lady, who had been watching me, held out her hand.
“Let’s go.”
I quietly looked at that hand before grasping it tightly.
And secretly made a vow.
‘I’ll come back. I’ll definitely return.’
The young lady headed straight for the ancestral hall.
The way to the ancestral hall was uneventful.
That was because no more black-masked men appeared.
Was it because there was no one left around here?
I suddenly thought of Brother Im.
The sight of him taking the masked man somewhere else, saying he would buy us time.
‘What happened to Brother Im…?’
What about him?
Brother Im, Hwang Uncle, Aso…
I forcibly shook my head and pushed away my gloomy thoughts.
Just then, the young lady was opening the door to the ancestral hall.
I followed her inside, then stopped short.
‘No one……?’
There was no one in the ancestral hall. Even the inside was a complete mess.
The incense burner and ritual vessels that had originally been neatly placed atop the altar had been broken and scattered across the floor, while more than half of the hanging scrolls and paintings above them had been torn apart.
I stared blankly at the floor, dirty with ash and dust. Yet the young lady, the heir of the family, calmly headed somewhere.
It was toward a painting. It depicted a fairy holding a peach blossom, but that painting was far from intact either. However, the young lady lifted the painting and felt around behind it. Then her eyes lit up as though she had found something. Just as the young lady pressed down firmly on something…
Drrrrk.
“……!”
The altar began to move. The altar standing in the center rotated ninety degrees before stopping.
Looking closely, I realized there was an opening beneath it. The dark hole was barely large enough for one person to enter. But only belatedly did I realize that it went quite deep, and that there were even stairs leading down.
‘So this was the real hiding place.’
That was why Hwang Uncle had told me to go to the ancestral hall. As though to confirm my thoughts, the young lady added an explanation.
“There are two or three secret passages like this in the Xiao Manor. Apparently, some corrupt official built them long ago in preparation for unforeseen circumstances. Father knew about them and chose this manor because of that.”
“Ah…”
“Father and Chief Steward Jeok are going to use different passages to lead the remaining members of the household here. We should hurry as well.”
With that, she immediately descended.
I hesitated before following behind her.
Once she confirmed that I had come down, the young lady felt along the wall of the passage and pressed firmly on a certain spot.
Drrrrk.
The entrance to the passage closed. The altar had returned to its original position.
At the same time, the young lady took something out from inside her clothes.
It was a hwaseopja, a fire-lighting tool. Using it to start a fire, the young lady picked up a wooden torch beside the stairs and transferred the flame to it.
Whoosh.
The flames blazed up, illuminating the surroundings.
I was secretly impressed.
‘She really had everything prepared.’
The young lady continued down the stairs and spoke.
“If we follow the passage, we’ll reach a large underground chamber in the center. Since this was originally built as a refuge, there is drinking water and grain, but it isn’t enough. And we don’t know when this place might be discovered.”
“Yes.”
“So as soon as everyone gathers, we’re going to leave through the passage and get outside. The end of the passage connects to the foot of Nabu Mountain.”
“…….”
“After that, Father and I will cross Nabu Mountain and head toward Jiangxi Province. There is a Jiangxi branch of the Soseong Trading Company there. Once we arrive, we intend to contact Uncle Namgung.”
The young lady paused for a moment and hesitated.
“You…”
But I couldn’t hear the rest.
As we turned the corner to the right, a brightly lit place appeared.
It was the underground chamber she had mentioned. The space was somehow reminiscent of both a cave and a plaza, and people were gathered there. But there weren’t many.
Considering the usual number of people in the Xiao Manor, the number was far too small. I even forgot to wonder what the young lady had been about to say as I looked around.
Suddenly, a shout came from among the people.
“Ari, you made it safely!”
It was the Manor Lord.
The Manor Lord approached us. The Chief Steward was beside him as well.
“Are you all right? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Yes.”
“Ari, when I heard that you had left the Young Lady’s residence ahead of us, do you know how shocked I was… I’m glad you’re safe, but don’t do that again.”
“Yes. I’m sorry, Father.”
Seeing my bewildered expression, the Chief Steward whispered from beside us.
“She insisted on going with you.”
I awkwardly scratched the side of my neck.
For a young lady like her to risk herself for the sake of a mere servant…
I was grateful, but at the same time, I felt sorry for the Manor Lord.
However, the Manor Lord said nothing more. He merely spoke with a serious expression.
“It’s a relief that both of you are safe. Now, let’s go.”
We nodded.
With the Manor Lord leading the way, the people gathered in the chamber began to move.
Some were trembling. Others were secretly crying.
If there was one thing they all had in common, it was that they had already resigned themselves to their fate.
The group walked through the passage. The path narrowed and widened at times. And as we approached the exit, the scent of grass brushed against the tip of my nose…
Boom!
“…they’re… chasing!”
The distant sound made the Manor Lord’s expression stiffen slightly.
I turned around in surprise. But there was no time to inspect things carefully.
The young lady grabbed my hand, and at the same time, the Manor Lord shouted quietly.
“Run!”
Everyone began running like mad. Even so, the footsteps behind us were steadily drawing closer.
Fortunately, the exit wasn’t far. The passage ahead gradually grew brighter, and soon the group was able to escape the passage. But the Manor Lord’s face was still stiff.
No, if anything, it had grown even darker.
“We managed to get out, but at this rate, it’s only a matter of time before they catch up to us. What are we to do…”
“Manor Lord.”
The Chief Steward stepped forward.
“There’s a mechanism here, isn’t there?”
“What…”
“We can block the entrance to the passage.”
The Manor Lord’s complexion instantly turned pale. He hesitated for a moment before muttering with a look of anguish.
“…But to activate the mechanism, someone has to be inside the passage. You know that as well, don’t you? To block the entrance, someone has to go in…”
“I will go.”
I looked up at the Chief Steward in surprise.
He was wearing a gentle smile.
“I am already old enough. I am not afraid of death, and if I can protect the two of you, what could there possibly be to fear?”
“…….”
“Besides, I learned a little martial arts when I was young. It is nothing impressive, but if I can hold the enemy back, I should be able to buy you two enough time to escape.”
“…….”
“Go quickly. There isn’t any time.”
The Manor Lord closed his eyes and nodded.
A groan-like voice came from the young lady.
“Chief Steward Jeok…”
The Chief Steward did not answer. He merely smiled warmly at the young lady.
Then he turned toward me and spoke kindly.
“Take good care of the young lady.”
I could only lower my head.
Shing
Before long, the Chief Steward drew the sword from his waist.
The Chief Steward entered the passage again. He felt along the wall as though searching for something, then suddenly looked toward us.
The Chief Steward brought his hands together in a formal gesture and spoke solemnly.
“I pray for the safety and well-being of the Xiao family.”
Then, without the slightest hesitation, he struck a certain section of the wall with the back of his sword.
Rumble…
With a sound like thunder, the entrance to the passage began to shake.
And before long, the entrance suddenly collapsed.
Boom!
All that remained was a pile of rubble.
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