Love Ballad of the Tyrant King

Chapter 202: Sayeon, Tells

Cheon Myeongin had come to Yim Sayeon.

The reason he sought her out was not because this was the safest place in Jianghu to his knowledge. He had come because there was something he wanted to ask her.

"Mother, did you know that the Demonic Cult injected a certain Great Law into my body?"

Yim Sayeon was startled by Cheon Myeongin’s sudden question.

"A Great Law?"

From her reaction, Cheon Myeongin could tell that she had been unaware of this fact.

"Tell me in detail."

Cheon Myeongin repeated exactly what Mountain had told him.

In truth, Mountain had deceived Cheon Myeongin that day. He had not mentioned the strange presence inside his body, merely stating that it seemed the Demonic Cult had placed a Great Law upon him. He explained it only to the extent that it was why extreme poisons did not work and why he had not died yet.

After hearing the whole story, Yim Sayeon wore a grave expression.

Cheon Myeongin sensed that Yim Sayeon was hiding something.

'So Mountain did not lie to me after all.'

Until he asked this question, he had harbored doubts that Mountain might have been deceiving him. No matter how much he searched his memory, he had no recollection of ever consenting to a Great Law.

At that moment, Yim Sayeon was remembering a day from long ago that she had completely forgotten.

A younger Yim Sayeon.

She was climbing a mountain with a child.

The little boy walking side by side with her was her son, Cheon Myeongin. Both of them were wearing mourning clothes.

"Mother, where are we going?"

Yim Sayeon stopped walking for a moment and looked up the mountain.

"It is the place where your father was born."

"Dad’s hometown?"

"Yes, it is his hometown."

Cheon Myeongin tightly held Yim Sayeon’s hand. After stroking Cheon Myeongin’s head once, Yim Sayeon began walking again.

The two eventually arrived in front of a massive gate. Demon statues boasting immense majesty stood on both sides of the giant castle gate. Just looking at them inspired fear.

A young man was waiting in front of the gate. Surprisingly, he was Ho Yeonbaek, the grandfather of Ho Yeonshin and the man who had left behind thirty Demon Restoration Pills.

He was at a young age, just like Yim Sayeon.

Ho Yeonbaek looked at Yim Sayeon and spoke.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, sister-in-law."

Surprisingly, Yim Sayeon’s husband, and thus Cheon Myeongin’s father, was Ho Yeonjong, the younger brother of Ho Yeonbaek of the Demonic Cult.

Because he did not wish to fight his brother over the position of successor, he had left the Demonic Cult early on. He met Yim Sayeon while living in Jianghu after changing his surname to Cheon.

The two fell in love and gave birth to Cheon Myeongin the following year.

Their love, which seemed eternal, eventually ended with the death of Ho Yeonjong.

After his death, word came from Ho Yeonbaek. He wished to see the two of them one last time.

Even though they were far away, Ho Yeonbaek had known how his brother was living. Whether that was surveillance or protection was unknown.

"It is a pleasure to meet you."

Yim Sayeon greeted him politely.

Ho Yeonbaek gazed at the child with affectionate eyes.

"So this child is Myeongin."

They stayed at the Demonic Cult with Cheon Myeongin for three months afterward.

She had no desire to form a connection with them, but she felt it was her duty to allow this much since they were blood relatives.

'Could it have happened then?'

Yim Sayeon’s eyes grew intense.

Cheon Myeongin, who had been watching her reaction until then, spoke with determination.

"Please tell me what you are hiding from me."

Yim Sayeon had never told him this fact. She had intended to keep it a secret forever.

However, it was a moment where she realized anew that there are no eternal secrets in this world.

Yim Sayeon began to speak in a low voice.

"Listen carefully to what I am about to say."

* * *

Yeo Su-in’s sword was irritably cutting through the air.

Rough techniques, more violent than ever before, continued one after another.

The surging rage did not subside easily. In fact, he had not been this angry when he left the manor yesterday.

However, the more time passed after he lay down to sleep, the angrier he became. There must have been more infuriating events in his life, yet strangely, he could not suppress his anger this time.

It reached a point where he thought he was learning for the first time that he was someone so incapable of emotional control.

The cause of the anger was simple.

What happened yesterday was a crude and primitive insult.

He felt like he had become back-alley trash that spews such profanity, and then felt like even greater trash for hearing such insults from a piece of trash.

And decisively, the fact that Baek Seolyoung was watching all of it.

Boiling jealousy.

The image of her finding relief while leaning against Lee Jaseung’s chest came to mind.

Unbearable rage surged again.

"This bastard! I will definitely pluck his eyes out."

Swoosh! Swoosh!

The surroundings were smashed into powder by his Sword Qi and Sword Wave as they flew through the air. Only after venting his anger in such a fashion did Yeo Su-in sheathe his sword.

He looked at a tree standing far off and spoke.

"What is the result?"

His voice was calm, incomparable to before. No trace of his previous excitement could be found. Like a lie, Yeo Su-in had brought his emotions under control.

A man walked out from behind the tree. He was Do Cheolgi, Yeo Su-in’s right hand, who had been waiting for his master to calm his rage.

"As a result of re-investigating the incident involving the Black Way Alliance main branch, it has been clearly concluded that Lee Jaseung broke in alone and resolved it. The martial arts level estimated from his display of power that day is..."

Do Cheolgi hesitated for a moment before continuing. Given the content of the following words, it was a natural hesitation.

"It is estimated to be equal to the Cult Leader."

Yeo Su-in was shocked by those words. He knew well enough that Lee Jaseung was strong.

But to be at the same level of skill as the Cult Leader?

He truly could not believe it.

Yeo Su-in, who had been standing dazed, suddenly clutched his stomach and laughed loudly.

"Hahahahaha!"

For some reason, his heart felt at ease. He rationalized that if the opponent was that strong, yesterday’s disgrace was only natural.

Do Cheolgi watched the laughing Yeo Su-in with inward fear.

Though his master had been humiliated like a fool and was taking out his anger on silent trees and rocks by performing a sword dance, Do Cheolgi knew that was not his true nature.

Do Cheolgi truly feared him.

It was not because he was the successor of the Demonic Cult or because his martial arts were strong. It was not because of the persistent malice that sought to kill by any means once a grudge was formed, nor was it because of the mood swings that oscillated between heaven and earth.

It was not even because of the cruel and inhuman personality that allowed him to embrace another woman on the very day he personally stabbed and killed a junior he once liked.

What Do Cheolgi feared most was his unpredictable personality.

Despite serving him for a long time, he never knew what the master would do tomorrow. Even his recent closed-door cultivation was a decision made suddenly while eating a meal.

Because it was such a ridiculous and impulsive decision, everyone expected him to come out after a few days, but he did not break his seclusion for three years.

He seemed to like Baek Seolyoung now, but there was no telling when he might suddenly decide to kill her.

This unpredictable nature was terrifying. To Do Cheolgi, Yeo Su-in was, in a word, a madman. He was even scarier because he appeared perfectly normal on the surface.

"What do you intend to do?"

"Now that I know what kind of guy the opponent is, I should begin the hunt in earnest."

"He is an extremely dangerous man."

Yeo Su-in gave a chilling smile.

"That is the charm of the hunt."

* * *

When Lee Jaseung returned to the Murim Alliance, the fake Lee Jaseung removed his disguise.

Having become a different person, he remained inside the Murim Alliance so that he could fill that position again at any time.

Dan Woobin mixed him among the guard warriors led by Mook Young. Rather than providing a separate guard to protect him, mixing him into the group was the safest way Dan Woobin could think of to keep him safe.

Dan Woobin, Mujin, and Ma Young-gi gathered in Lee Jaseung’s office.

"He calls for us and then isn't here."

When Mujin pouted, Dan Woobin spoke.

"He must be having a private time with the Lady."

"So my precious time isn't important?"

"It is one hundred times more important than yours at least."

"Okay I wouldn’t go that far."

"A thousand times!"

Ma Young-gi was not listening to their childish conversation. He was looking down as if lost in deep thought.

Mujin could tell that he was angry.

Mujin, who had arrived at the manor a step late, had heard about the day’s events through Mook Young. It was something worth being angry about. Even he would have found it difficult to endure easily.

He had endured well, and Mujin was grateful to Baek Seolyoung for protecting Ma Young-gi.

Just then, Lee Jaseung entered the room.

"Everyone is gathered I see."

Mujin, who was about to complain about how pleasant the atmosphere with the Lady must have been, tilted his head while examining Lee Jaseung’s face closely.

"Did you perhaps lose weight?"

"Do I look that way?"

"For some reason, your impression seems to have changed. Don't you think so?"

Mujin sought agreement from Dan Woobin. However, Dan Woobin did not feel anything had changed at all.

"He looks the same to me. Isn't it because you kept looking at the fake?"

"No, something has definitely changed."

As expected, Mujin was the first to recognize the change in Lee Jaseung.

As Lee Jaseung’s inner Qi changed, it influenced his aura and his gaze. Because it was such a significant change, the signs showed even when Lee Jaseung tried his best to suppress his aura.

"What does Captain Ma think? Doesn't he seem changed?"

"Now that you mention it, it does seem that way."

Ma Young-gi wore an ambiguous expression. This was a point that showed Mujin’s martial arts level was above his.

Dan Woobin stood before Lee Jaseung and bowed politely.

"Thank you."

He was formally giving thanks for saving Songhwa. If it hadn't been for Lee Jaseung, Songhwa would have died, and Dan Woobin would have fallen into deep despair. He knew that Lee Jaseung had rushed to the main branch without resting for even a single moment.

Lee Jaseung patted Dan Woobin on the shoulder once.

"Heaven helped us."

Lee Jaseung did not bother to mention the others who died that day. He knew better than anyone how much the three men here cherished the Black Way Alliance.

Burying them in their hearts, everyone must have been furious. It was a matter that required no long explanations between them.

It was now time to handle the issues related to Yeo Su-in.

"Based on the circumstances, it is certain that Yeo Su-in was involved in the matter at the main branch. How do you intend to cook him?"

At Dan Woobin’s question, Ma Young-gi spoke up suddenly.

"You must do it passionately."

He did not hide his hostility toward Yeo Su-in. In truth, Ma Young-gi was not angry merely because the man had tried to kill him.

At the moment the man tried to kill him, just before Baek Seolyoung stepped in to stop him, Ma Young-gi felt a certain fear in that brief moment.

The fear that he might die at the man's hands.

He had met all sorts of Unorthodox people until now, but this was the first time he felt such a chill. He hated that foul feeling. He was angrier because he hated the fact that he had felt fear.

Yeo Su-in was not the only one whose pride had crumbled that day.

Dan Woobin hid behind Mujin and pretended to tremble.

"I'm scared. Look at that gaze."

"Only that guy ended up being pitiful. Our Captain Ma is a terrifying person. He is the person with the second-best memory for grudges in the world."

"Who is the first?"

"The one whose time is worth a thousand times mine."

"Aha."

Despite the joking of the two, Ma Young-gi’s expression did not soften at all. His gaze grew even scarier as if he were thinking of Yeo Su-in.

Lee Jaseung looked at Ma Young-gi and spoke.

"Leave him to me."

Everyone’s attention focused on Lee Jaseung.

Lee Jaseung, who would usually say he would leave such a matter to Ma Young-gi, had refused him in a single word.

Lee Jaseung stated the reason simply.

"He is a man who tried to lay hands on my woman."

It was a statement that even Ma Young-gi accepted.

"Understood."

He had no intention of arguing further. His own pride was important, but Lee Jaseung’s love and honor were more important matters.

At that moment, Mujin sent him a sound transmission.

— Let's get rid of him all together.

Ma Young-gi nodded once while looking at Mujin.

Dan Woobin spoke with strength in his eyes.

"I will put the water on the stove."

It meant he would properly devise a plan to deal with Yeo Su-in and the Demonic Cult.

Lee Jaseung’s expression was more serious than ever. That man was the most difficult opponent he had met among all his enemies so far. Furthermore, his status was the successor of the Demonic Cult.

Lee Jaseung looked back at the three men and spoke calmly.

"To complete this dish, we will have to stoke the fire intensely. Everyone, take special care not to burn your hands on the hot water."