Chapter 239 : Jaseung: Meets Sayeon
Chapter 239: Jaseung: Meets Sayeon
A rumor began to circulate through the Jianghu.
It was the most shocking of the many rumors that had recently struck the martial world. The men sitting together in the tavern were also engaged in a heated discussion about it.
“I heard that the Asura Demon Sect is planning to start a war with the Murim Alliance.”
“The Demonic Cult? Didn't they agree to join hands with the Murim Alliance to strike the Black Way Alliance?”
“Supposedly that was all just a trick to make the Murim Alliance lower its guard.”
“Those damn cult bastards! I knew this would happen.”
Of course, this rumor was leaked by Dan Woobin. He first leaked it to the famed martial artists, and through a few talkative individuals, the rumor spread throughout the entire Jianghu in an instant.
The reason for spreading this rumor was exactly as follows.
“Then we shouldn't just be sitting here like this, should we?”
“I agree. If we stay like this and get attacked by the cult, we'll be caught helpless.”
“The entire world would truly fall into darkness.”
“The partner the Murim Alliance should join hands with is the Black Way Alliance, yes.”
“Are you saying we should join hands with the Black Way Alliance and strike the cult?”
“Yes. As long as the cult exists, we'll have to live in fear forever.”
In a corner of the tavern, a man and a woman were listening to that story.
They were none other than Rain and Water.
“They are following the proper sequence.”
At Water’s words, Rain nodded heavily.
“To think there is someone who can make Yeo Su-in and the Great Demon destroy each other. I truly cannot believe it even after seeing it.”
In contrast, Water had anticipated everything.
“Furthermore, he is trying to swallow this entire Jianghu whole.”
“You look somewhat amused.”
“Do I?”
She opened her eyes wide for a moment and then honestly revealed her feelings.
“At least a possibility of wiping out Yao Hong has emerged.”
After staring at her for a moment, Rain asked worriedly.
“It would mean entrusting your revenge to someone else.”
“I don't mind. Though I don’t know how my brother will feel about this.”
In fact, she was worried about her brother, Ho Yeonshin. He was trapped in a deep sense of defeat. She knew well that he could never escape that feeling unless he summoned the Heavenly Demon Soul.
She quickly changed the subject.
“Twenty percent of the cult's combat power was wiped out in this internal strife. It might only be twenty percent, but since each part consisted of elite cult organizations, the damage can be seen as truly immense.”
“It's not just a matter to be happy about. Once Yao Hong collapses, the opponent we'll have to fight is Lee Jaseung.”
He meant to ask whether Lee Jaseung would be an easier opponent than Yao Hong.
The brilliant Water couldn't have missed that point, but at least for now, she seemed to have no countermeasure.
“We'll think about that when the time comes.”
* * *
Lee Jaseung and Baek Seolyoung were sitting in a pavilion, looking out over the fields.
This place was the very house Lee Jaseung had given her as a birthday gift.
It was a place that boasted the most beautiful scenery among the nearby houses.
With the clear sky and cool breeze added to it, it felt as if they were sitting in a paradise on earth.
Furthermore, the battle with Yeo Su-in was over.
Just like the saying that the grander things are, the more vain their fall becomes, Yeo Su-in’s end felt too simple considering his presence.
But thinking about it now, she felt that his death was both inevitable and the result of thorough calculation.
She finally understood.
That Lee Jaseung could have killed him at any time. That he had only kept him alive to achieve the maximum effect.
She felt that it wasn't the act of killing him that was great, but the fact that he endured even though he could have killed him, especially considering the extremely dangerous aura Yeo Su-in had projected.
She could truly feel how scary and dangerous it was to struggle for hegemony to occupy this Jianghu.
“I have something I'm curious about.”
“What is it?”
“If you kill Yao Hong, will the Demonic Humans submit?”
“They probably won't.”
The answer came immediately. It meant he already knew the result in advance.
“Then what will you do?”
“We'll have to set up a temporary Cult Leader for the time being.”
“A temporary Cult Leader?”
“A leader we can control as we please. He will have to rule for several years, or perhaps a decade or so.”
“And after that, you'll naturally merge them?”
Lee Jaseung nodded.
“They are people who have fought for a very long time, divided into the Orthodox, the Unorthodox, and the Demonic. They cannot become one overnight.”
The words were easy, but she got a sense of how difficult that would be.
“Who will you set up as the Cult Leader?”
“I haven't decided yet.”
She thought it was not an easy task. He needed to have a definitive ally among the Demonic Humans.
Just then, Mook Young’s voice was heard.
“Strategist Dan is requesting an audience.”
“Where is he now?”
“He is waiting in the guest hall.”
Lee Jaseung spoke to Baek Seolyoung.
“Shall we go together?”
Lee Jaseung didn't hide anything within the Alliance from her.
Therefore, Baek Seolyoung didn't feel the need to give up this pleasant breeze and beautiful scenery in the pavilion. If it was something she needed to know, she would find out at the necessary time.
“Go ahead, I'll wait.”
When Lee Jaseung entered the guest hall, Dan Woobin spoke with an apologetic air.
“I am sorry for interrupting your rest. I have a few things to report.”
“It's fine. What is it?”
“A report has come in that there is a possibility that the one who killed the Great Demon was Yao Hong.”
He already knew that Yao Hong had come down from the mountain. He also knew that he had met Yeo Su-in and the Great Demon. After meeting him, Yeo Su-in set out to kill him.
Dan Woobin accurately predicted the fact that Yao Hong would spare Yeo Su-in, and that Yeo Su-in would eventually move to strike Lee Jaseung. That was why he was able to mobilize the Divine Sword Regiment and the Berserk Dragon Army in advance.
“It seems Yao Hong finished him off personally.”
Lee Jaseung nodded silently. The fact that he coldly killed a subordinate who had dedicated his life to the cult was enough to tell what kind of person Yao Hong was.
“What about Yao Hong’s whereabouts?”
“Unfortunately, we lost track of him.”
Keeping track of Yao Hong, if no one else, was an almost impossible task. They could have poured in personnel while accepting sacrifices, but it wasn't worth the effort.
“Concentrate all manpower on the movements of the Demonic Cult.”
In any case, Yao Hong couldn't wage a war alone. It was important not to miss the movements of the organizations under the cult.
“Yes, don't worry.”
Since they were monitoring the cult through double and triple layers, they wouldn't be hit by a sudden surprise attack.
Moreover, the Murim Alliance started preparing for war one step ahead. It was an emergency measure against the cult's provocation, but in reality, it was preparation for a total war.
“Also, I haven't been able to find out why Mountain asked about the Heavenly Demon Soul as you mentioned before. Currently, he has no reason to ask such a question.”
Because he couldn't find out, there was one conclusion he could reach instead.
“So I made an assumption. That someone possesses the lost Heavenly Demon Soul.”
Lee Jaseung thought it was a good starting point. Dan Woobin was clever as expected.
“If the Heavenly Demon Soul was directly related to Mountain, would he have bothered to find Ho Yeonshin and ask him about it?”
“He wouldn't have. Instead, he wouldn't have even brought up the word 'Soul' to hide that secret.”
And he would have focused on searching his own internal ranks.
“Then it means someone around him is related to the Heavenly Demon Soul. Who would that be?”
An answer came from Lee Jaseung without hesitation.
“Cheon Myeongin.”
Dan Woobin nodded. He had also speculated that it was related to Cheon Myeongin.
“A while ago, Mountain went to Cheon Myeongin and suggested they join forces. What would be the reason for not abandoning a man who has nothing?”
These were words that lent weight to the previous speculation.
If this prediction was correct?
Lee Jaseung pointed out a part that even Dan Woobin hadn't thought of.
“It's not that he didn't eliminate him in the first place, but that he couldn't.”
Lee Jaseung didn't know much about the Heavenly Demon Soul either.
He only knew that it was an absolute demonic art that allowed the cult's thousand-year history to be maintained.
Suddenly, he thought of the Northern Sea Spirit Force.
A massive sword force in the shape of a demon.
He said the Heavenly Demon Soul wasn't merely at the level of sword force gathering to form a shape.
He said it was incomparably stronger, and that it could even think and speak.
It wouldn't be a martial art, but rather the manifestation of a Demon God.
Though he was fearful, part of him wanted to face it.
“I should go meet Cheon Myeongin.”
* * *
Since it wasn't something to be delayed, Lee Jaseung put it into action immediately.
He visited Yim Sayeon’s residence with Baek Seolyoung.
“It has been a long time.”
Yim Sayeon greeted Lee Jaseung and Baek Seolyoung with her unchanging appearance.
“Have you been well?”
Compared to Lee Jaseung, who greeted her as if he had seen her yesterday, Baek Seolyoung was hesitating on one side.
It was because she felt she had no face to see Yim Sayeon. Recently, she had forgotten about Yim Sayeon. Her mind was filled only with Lee Jaseung, martial arts, the Black Way Alliance, and the path Lee Jaseung would take.
When Lee Jaseung suggested they go meet Yim Sayeon together after returning to the pavilion, she shouted "Ah!" in her mind.
She had truly forgotten about Yim Sayeon completely. She only remembered her after hearing her name.
How could that be?
When she saw Yim Sayeon in person, that sense of apology surged up.
A streak of tears flowed down Baek Seolyoung’s eyes.
“Why are you crying?”
“Just seeing you, grandmother, makes me tear up. I've been so overwhelmed with my own happiness...”
To her, who couldn't continue her words, Yim Sayeon spoke with a smile.
“If you feel sorry, then introduce me to a handsome man. I like younger men too.”
Instead of Baek Seolyoung, who couldn't say anything because she was choked up, Lee Jaseung asked.
“How many years younger is possible for you?”
“Hmm. About fifty years?”
At the mention of fifty years, Lee Jaseung laughed loudly. Baek Seolyoung also laughed while wiping her tears.
The atmosphere loosened up thanks to Yim Sayeon’s joke.
“Now, let's go inside.”
Yim Sayeon took the two of them into the room.
The bed where Cheon Myeongin always used to lie was gone, and the interior had been newly decorated.
“What about your son?”
“That child is not here. He left a while ago.”
“I see.”
Lee Jaseung brushed it off as if it were nothing. He had come to meet Cheon Myeongin, but he wasn't at home.
Since he couldn't meet him anyway, he thought there was no need to tell Yim Sayeon the details.
He knew better than anyone that she was a good person.
He hadn't forgotten that she had given him great help.
Of course, there were times when she intervened and interfered with his work. Though it was to save Cheon Myeongin, a mistake was a mistake.
Therefore, he felt reluctant to tell her everything. For his own sake, and for hers.
“I heard you are doing well these days.”
At Yim Sayeon’s words, Lee Jaseung replied with a smile.
“I was doing well before as well.”
“That wasn't doing well, that was doing 'very' well.”
“Hahaha.”
She was a woman who still hadn't lost her cheerfulness.
Yim Sayeon approached Baek Seolyoung. Having walked quietly right up to her face, she suddenly asked.
“Is there no news of a child?”
Baek Seolyoung was flustered by the sudden question.
“Um, why a child all of a sudden...”
“Why are you so surprised? Since you are married, you should naturally have a child too.”
“Yes. That's true.”
“Have them quickly and raise them quickly. The later you have them, the harder they are to raise. One daughter who looks like you, and one rascal who looks like that boy. Two are enough.”
Baek Seolyoung’s face turned red.
It was a story that made her heart race just thinking about it. But it was also a story she didn't feel ready for.
Can I really become a parent?
As if she had read her mind, Yim Sayeon spoke.
“You will become a truly good parent.”
Baek Seolyoung’s face turned even redder.
As the atmosphere grew calm, Lee Jaseung finally brought up an important topic.
“I have something I want to ask you.”
“What is it?”
Lee Jaseung asked with a serious expression.
“What is your relationship with the Demonic Cult?”