Chapter 197 : Seolyoung, Pays Back
Chapter 197: Seolyoung, Pays Back
Dan Woobin restricted the activities of the fake Lee Jaseung to a minimum.
His own enemies were one problem, but if his true identity were revealed to the Orthodox Faction personnel within the Murim Alliance, various issues were likely to arise.
Of course, someone of the Alliance Leader's rank might assume that a decoy Alliance Leader could exist, but still, many unwelcome rumors would circulate.
Baek Seolyoung also minimized her public activities. She spent most of her day practicing her martial arts technique, which was exactly what she desired.
And today, she arranged a special gathering.
"This is incredibly delicious."
Mujin said with a bright smile.
Baek Seolyoung had specially invited Mujin, Dan Woobin, and Ma Young-gi to partake in a meal she had personally cooked. She even told Mook Young, who was secretly guarding her, to come out and eat with them, but he politely refused.
"Our Alliance Leader can't enjoy this wonderful food. I wonder where he is and what he's doing."
Baek Seolyoung smiled and replied to Mujin’s words,
"I wonder the same."
Dan Woobin spoke, as if to comfort her,
"Please don't worry too much. He will return safely."
Mujin seconded his words.
"The most unnecessary worry in this land is worrying about our Alliance Leader."
"Hahaha."
Since the statement somehow resonated with her, Baek Seolyoung laughed out loud.
Everyone felt relaxed. They had received a letter from Lee Jaseung saying that he would be away for a while and that they should not worry.
Of course, Lee Jaseung had omitted the detail that his destination was the Heavenly Demon Secret Cave in the headquarters of the Heavenly Demon Sect. If he had not, they would all be sleepless with worry right now.
Even amidst this, Ma Young-gi was eating the food Baek Seolyoung had made without saying a single word.
Mujin narrowed his eyes and said,
"That’s too exaggerated of an act."
"An act, you say?"
"Our Captain Ma, you don't like garlic in your food, do you? I know you absolutely detest it."
"……You knew?"
Baek Seolyoung, looking flustered, spoke.
"Shoot, is that true? You should have told me earlier."
The food Baek Seolyoung had made was loaded with garlic.
Ma Young-gi quickly interjected,
"No, it's not. I've become fond of garlic starting today. I truly mean it."
Dan Woobin shook his head and spoke to Mujin.
"Well? How do you feel seeing the work you ruined?"
"How did I ruin it?"
"Captain Ma wasn't originally the type to flatter like that. He became like this from associating with you."
Mujin then turned his attack toward Dan Woobin.
"Oh ho, you think it's flattery and ruining his character when he forces himself to eat heartily because the our Lady personally prepared the food, even though it contains an ingredient he dislikes?"
Dan Woobin was momentarily flustered.
"No, that's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?"
Dan Woobin looked at Baek Seolyoung and said,
"You know how I truly feel, right?"
Baek Seolyoung then spoke with a slightly serious expression.
"What do you truly feel?"
Now Dan Woobin was truly flustered. "My Lady, you shouldn't misunderstand. I was merely…"
Mujin swiftly cut off Dan Woobin's last words.
"I merely spoke my mind, even if it was to you, my Lady."
"Hey, you!"
Dan Woobin moved to strangle Mujin, and Mujin acted out a dramatic death scene.
In the meantime, Ma Young-gi gulped down the last drop of soup. He picked up a single clove of garlic left in the empty bowl, put it in his mouth, and spoke.
"It's truly delicious."
Mujin and Dan Woobin, who were still grappling with each other, froze and wore bewildered expressions.
Mujin weakly said,
"I admit it. I ruined him."
"No, you wouldn't have thought it would come to this. Perhaps you didn't ruin him, but rather unearthed his original personality."
"You unearthed it far too thoroughly."
Baek Seolyoung laughed at the two men's nonsense. They were always a pleasant sight.
She looked out the window.
How wonderful would it be if Lee Jaseung were here right now?
She missed him. Cooking and inviting the three people over, even amidst her busy schedule, was an attempt to momentarily forget that longing.
The three men watched Baek Seolyoung's back, then looked at each other.
Words like 'don't worry' and 'he will be safe' rose to their throats, but they could not easily utter them.
They knew well that the best way to help her was simply to eat well and keep up their lighthearted banter.
Just then, one of the subordinates entered and reported.
"Someone has come to see the Lady."
Dan Woobin asked him.
"Who is it?"
The person the subordinate named was someone the three of them had not expected at all.
"The Lord of the Guanghai Blade Sect."
The Guanghai Blade Sect was one of the Three Great Guardian Families of the Murim Alliance in the past, along with Baek Seolyoung's Northern Sky Clan and the fallen Righteous Chivalrous Sword Clan.
Baek Seolyoung was surprised and asked,
"Why is he here?"
"I don't know, but he is requesting to meet you secretly outside."
"Outside, not at the Alliance?"
"Yes, correct."
Baek Seolyoung instantly had a hunch.
"Ah, I think I know why he came."
Her eyes sparkled as she spoke to the three men.
"I have a favor to ask of the three of you."
Dan Woobin spoke, representing the thoughts of all three.
"Not just one favor, but a thousand, do not hesitate to ask."
* * *
She met Sa Cheongwang at an estate near the Murim Alliance.
Baek Seolyoung met Sa Cheongwang, accompanied by the minimum number of guards.
Sa Cheongwang was pleased that things were unfolding according to his plan.
'If it were me, I absolutely wouldn't have come here.'
It was natural for the outcome to change depending on the place of the meeting, and there was no reason for her, the wife of the Alliance Leader, to leave the Alliance headquarters.
The fact that she had willingly come here was an indication of how naïve she was.
After the exchange of formal pleasantries, Sa Cheongwang, the Lord of the Guanghai Blade Sect, revealed the true reason for his visit.
"Shouldn't we start tidying up the Guardian Families now?"
That was the reason for his visit.
Among the three families, the head of the Northern Sky Clan had become the wife of the Murim Alliance Leader. The other, the Righteous Chivalrous Sword Clan, had fallen due to its involvement in Lee Jaseung's affairs. As he said, it was a situation that needed to be addressed.
Sa Cheongwang believed this situation was an opportunity to elevate his clan to the status of the greatest clan in the world.
What he wanted to achieve by somehow manipulating Baek Seolyoung was precisely this.
"In the current atmosphere, I wonder if there is a need to select a new clan. I'm also concerned about internal division."
He intended for the Guanghai Blade Sect to monopolize the role of the Murim Alliance Guardian Clan. If that happened, they would gain enormous profit. There was immense power that came with the position of a Murim Alliance Guardian Clan.
Baek Seolyoung looked slightly troubled.
"Those are wise words. However, guarding the Murim Alliance is a truly crucial task, and I wonder if it might be too difficult for the Guanghai Blade Sect to handle alone."
"Our Sect is fully capable of handling it."
Sa Cheongwang showed strong confidence.
Baek Seolyoung spoke in a pleasant tone.
"I trust you, Sect Leader. But I cannot resolve this matter on my own authority. I must discuss it with my husband and…."
Sa Cheongwang even committed the rudeness of cutting off her words.
"I don't believe that's necessary. Weren't you the former Lord of one of the Three Great Guardian Families? You are the most suitable person to decide this matter."
Sa Cheongwang secretly raised his Qi, pressuring her. This was the method he often used when subtly pressuring an opponent without openly showing it.
Indeed, Baek Seolyoung flinched under the strange pressure.
Sa Cheongwang was dismissive of Baek Seolyoung.
'No matter how much she tries to struggle, she's merely a young girl.'
Sa Cheongwang wanted to resolve this matter at this meeting no matter what.
"Trust me and make your decision, please."
Baek Seolyoung, who was wearing a troubled expression, spoke as if she had no choice.
"Very well. Let's do that then."
"Oh! A wise decision."
Sa Cheongwang pulled out a prepared document from his sleeve. It was a kind of contract promising to establish the Guanghai Blade Sect as the sole Murim Alliance Guardian Clan. Besides that promise, the document was complicatedly written with difficult terminology, containing conditions overwhelmingly favorable to the Guanghai Blade Sect.
'Hahaha, just looking at it will give her a headache.'
Sa Cheongwang smiled and said,
"Now, please put your seal on it."
"Yes, I shall."
Sa Cheongwang was overjoyed, ready to leap for joy. He truly had not expected the matter to proceed this easily. He had casually tested the waters, and a large prey had suddenly keeled over with a squeal.
'If I had known she was such a foolish woman, I would have planned this much earlier.'
But he had no regrets. He planned to use Baek Seolyoung to suck the blood of the Murim Alliance like a leech from now on.
At that moment, Baek Seolyoung took out a few documents from her sleeve and said,
"But instead, I will place the seal on this one."
Sa Cheongwang, faced with this sudden situation, asked with a perplexed look,
"What is this?"
"It's the same as the one you brought. Please read it and place your seal."
Sa Cheongwang was shocked. Why on earth would she have a contract with the same content?
Sa Cheongwang's expression gradually hardened as he distractedly read the opening paragraphs.
As she said, it contained the promise to recognize the Guanghai Blade Sect as the sole Guardian Clan.
But other than that, the contents were like a nightmare for the Guanghai Blade Sect.
It stipulated that a significant portion of the money earned by the Guanghai Blade Sect must be offered to the Murim Alliance, and a promise was written that a substantial number of their martial artists would be dedicated to supporting the Murim Alliance.
When Baek Seolyoung heard the news that Sa Cheongwang had come to see her, she had guessed why he was seeking her out. She smelled an odor of conspiracy from his suggestion to meet secretly outside.
That was why she had asked Dan Woobin to prepare a contract like this. Even then, she had been skeptical. She wondered if the leader of a great sect like the Guanghai Blade Sect would really commit such a cowardly and petty act.
Sa Cheongwang frowned openly and said,
"Isn't this going too far?"
Baek Seolyoung then looked slightly serious and asked.
"Is my action more excessive than Sect Leader Sa, who unilaterally prepared a contract while carrying out the crucial task of deciding the Murim Alliance Guardian Clan?"
Sa Cheongwang could not retort to that statement and hurriedly changed the subject.
"In any case, it seems this matter is not something I can decide alone."
Baek Seolyoung's expression hardened.
"That differs from what you told me just moments ago. Who could be more suitable to decide such a momentous matter than you and me, Sect Leader?"
This time, Baek Seolyoung exuded her Qi. She was a martial artist whose martial arts technique had developed to an incomparable level compared to before.
Sa Cheongwang flinched at her pressure. Because the momentum suggested that the result would be uncertain if they clashed, Sa Cheongwang took a step back. She was not the Baek Seolyoung he had known before.
"Please give me some time."
Baek Seolyoung's expression turned cold.
"You are deceiving me."
As she displayed an icy aura, Sa Cheongwang became flustered.
"No, that is absolutely not the case."
"Is anyone outside?"
Mujin and Ma Young-gi then entered from outside.
Ma Young-gi was officially the Captain of the Guard Hall, and Mujin was the Captain of the Virtuous Heroes in the Murim Alliance. The weight of their positions was by no means lighter than Sa Cheongwang's.
Mujin spoke in a stern tone, as if he had heard everything from outside.
"An act of deception against the Lady is an act of deception against my Alliance Leader, and furthermore, against the entire Orthodox Faction."
Ma Young-gi added coldly,
"That crime is extremely serious."
Baek Seolyoung asked,
"How do we punish that crime?"
Ma Young-gi glared fiercely at Sa Cheongwang and said,
"Beheading."
At the word beheading, which was like a clap of thunder from a clear sky, Sa Cheongwang was greatly startled.
"B-Beheading you say, what on earth are you talking about?"
"I am merely stating the principle."
Following Ma Young-gi, Mujin said. His tone was softer than Ma Young-gi's, but the content was just as bloody.
"Recently, our Alliance has been operating strictly based on principle. Anyone who breaks that principle, regardless of rank, is being executed by beheading."
"You must carry out an immediate execution. If you don't, you will be ridiculed by the martial artists of the land over this incident."
"Let's proceed as you suggest."
Sa Cheongwang was driven to the brink of insanity, watching Baek Seolyoung seriously contemplating the words of the two men.
'What in the world are these crazy people talking about!'
Yet, this was not a situation where he could resort to a display of force.
Right now, both Mujin and Ma Young-gi alone possessed the skill to overwhelm Sa Cheongwang's martial arts technique. With both of them and Baek Seolyoung pressuring him, he could not hold out any longer.
"Don't misunderstand. I intended to willingly sign it from the beginning."
In the end, Sa Cheongwang placed his seal on the contract. Originally, this was a matter that required more review and decision-making, but he could not do so in this atmosphere.
'What are all these wretched phrases?'
The sentences were written in language so difficult that he could not tell what content he had placed his seal on.
Sa Cheongwang tried hard to suppress his uneasy feelings and consoled himself. In any case, the Guanghai Blade Sect would gain more by monopolizing the Murim Alliance Guardian Clan.
But he did not know. The difficult words contained truly tremendous implications. The Guanghai Blade Sect would not only have to make immense sacrifices for the Murim Alliance, but the Murim Alliance could also exclude the Guanghai Blade Sect from the position of Guardian Clan whenever they wished.
It would drive Sa Cheongwang to death by illness. If he reformed himself, she might forgive him once, but that likely would not happen.
Baek Seolyoung showed no mercy toward him. The way he initially approached her was already wrong.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Baek Seolyoung no longer felt the need to think that she had changed in some way. There was no need to talk about being influenced by Lee Jaseung or anything else.
I've changed, and this is me.
After Sa Cheongwang left, clutching his head, Baek Seolyoung and her party also left the estate.
Ma Young-gi asked the question he had been holding back, with a curious expression.
"But how did you know he would act this way?"
Baek Seolyoung smiled and replied,
"I experienced something similar a long time ago."
When she became the Lord of the Northern Sky Clan, the Lord of the Great Eagle Clan had devised a conspiracy in this very manner. At that time, truly filthy methods, even including an aphrodisiac, were mobilized. Of course, she was able to safely overcome the crisis because Lee Jaseung was with her.
And today, she had properly utilized what she had learned from Lee Jaseung that day.
Mujin raised his thumb in admiration.
"Oh! So that's what happened. I am greatly impressed by the Lady's foresight."
"Don't say that. I was just lucky. Also, I couldn't have achieved this result without the two of you."
As they happily left the estate, someone approached.
Ma Young-gi blocked the person's path.
"Stop."
Mujin stood behind her and looked at the person.
The person's aura was unusual.
Then came Mook Young's voice transmission to the three.
— He is Yeo Su-in, the successor to the Demonic Cult Leader.
Although the opponent was thoroughly concealing his Demonic Qi, Mook Young, who was on guard duty, could not fail to recognize Yeo Su-in's appearance.
Indeed, he was Yeo Su-in.
He revealed his identity with a confident expression.
"I am Yeo Mo, who has recently come from the Cult. Could you spare me a moment?"