Chapter 69
First, let me explain about the third son of the Namgung family, Namgung Jin.
As the young master of a great household, he had lived his entire life without wanting for anything.
If he wanted something, he took it freely.
As the youngest in the family, he monopolized the affection of the family elders.
With outstanding martial talent, he received all kinds of praise and recognition from those around him, and so on.
As a result, he became quite willful.
Outwardly, he acted like a young master of a prestigious family who valued righteousness and loyalty, but inside, he became a greedy lecher who simply had to possess whatever caught his eye.
And now, Namgung Jin's gaze was fixed on Lee Rin's ice-cold beauty.
Naturally, she was a woman he very much wanted to have.
'... When Grandfather talked about a marriage with the North Sea Ice Palace, I thought it was a chance to create my own power base. After all, this Namgung House will end up belonging to my eldest brother.
I just have to become the North Sea Ice Palace's son-in-law and make their forces my own...
But to think the woman who would hand me the North Sea Ice Palace would also have such beauty...!'
Namgung Jin's black eyes darkened even further.
In fact, of all his many desires, his lust was especially abnormal.
He often caused trouble at brothels in remote regions where few eyes watched.
At some establishments, he was even called a "lech" for his behavior.
But now, when Namgung Jin's eyes gleamed after seeing Lee Rin's beauty, his mood soured as he saw Jaseong standing next to her.
'... Who the hell is that guy, sticking right next to the young mistress?'
Having already imagined himself married to Lee Rin and head of the North Sea Ice Palace, he could not help but find Jaseong's presence irritating.
First, Namgung Jin approached Lee Rin.
With a gentle smile, he broke the ice.
"Perhaps you are the young mistress from the North Sea Ice Palace?"
At Namgung Jin's question, Lee Rin's eyebrows twitched.
"How do you know me?"
"Ah, I haven't introduced myself yet. I am the third son, Namgung Jin, of the Great Namgung family."
"......."
"The Ice Palace Mistress informed me you would be coming to the Murim Alliance. I did not expect to meet you here."
"... My mother did? But for what reason would she tell you such a thing...?"
"Ah, it seems you haven't heard yet. There are marriage talks between you and me."
"......?!"
Lee Rin's face instantly stiffened.
Marriage talks? She had never heard of such a thing.
"Ha ha. Is it surprising? Well, I was just as surprised when Grandfather first told me."
"......."
"Let's go upstairs and have some tea. There's something I wish to discuss with you."
Namgung Jin suggested this, flashing that cheerful smile that usually melted the hearts of nearby women.
But unlike his expectations, Lee Rin's gaze was just icy.
"No. I have to see my mother first."
"What do you mean?"
"Let's go, great hero."
Lee Rin grabbed Jaseong's sleeve and turned away.
At that moment, Namgung Jin's smile vanished.
'How dare she ignore Namgung Jin?!'
To be rejected so coldly in front of so many people—
such humiliation was unthinkable for the young master of the Namgung family.
"... Young mistress. Is it not quite improper to walk around with another man in front of your fiancé?"
"Ha! Who said you're my fiancé?!"
Lee Rin retorted coldly.
But Namgung Jin ignored the question.
Now, his gaze remained fixed on Jaseong.
His presence, which had bothered Namgung Jin from the beginning, was now an outright nuisance.
"And who are you? I've heard the North Sea Ice Palace's guardians are all women..."
Jaseong looked at Namgung Jin for a moment before answering calmly.
"I am a branch leader of the Hao Sect."
"... Hao Sect?"
Namgung Jin repeated, hardly believing his ears.
"I haven't much experience in the martial world, but I've heard rumors of the Hao Sect... Isn't that the organization with courtesans and errand boys? Why would the esteemed young mistress of the North Sea Ice Palace be with someone like that?"
Namgung Jin's words were a direct insult to Jaseong.
And it didn't stop there.
"So, where are you from?"
"My origin?"
"I'm asking which family you belong to."
"......."
"Don't tell me... You're a commoner?"
A blatant sneer appeared on Namgung Jin's face.
At that, Lee Rin could no longer hold back.
"What a rude man!"
Shiiing!
Lee Rin unsheathed her treasured sword from the North Sea.
The brilliant blue radiance from her blade illuminated the lavish interior of Clear Heart Pavilion.
Startled, the surrounding members of the Righteous Faction began murmuring.
Namgung Jin gazed at Lee Rin, eyes now cold.
"Young mistress. Do you know what it means to draw your blade here in Clear Heart Pavilion? It means you wish to duel your opponent."
"A duel? I'll gladly accept. You insulted the great hero!"
Seeing Lee Rin stand up for Jaseong only made Namgung Jin's mood worse.
In the next instant, his murderous intent was directed at Jaseong.
"... I can't cross blades with the woman who'll be my fiancé, so why don't you take my sword for her?"
To that, Jaseong slowly nodded.
Beneath his human-skin mask, his eyes were icy cold.
'He must have a death wish.'
* * *
Soon, the spacious main hall of Clear Heart Pavilion was crowded with members of the Righteous Faction.
A duel between two men over a woman—how could they miss spectacle like this?
"But who is that person challenging Young Master Namgung to a duel?"
"No idea. Just heard he's from the Hao Sect."
"What? Hao Sect? How could a leader from such a third-rate group challenge the young master of the Namgung family...?"
"Looks like he's just here to die."
Namgung Jin arrogantly drew his sword and scoffed.
"Come then. I'll use the Namgung family's signature sword style, the Boundless Heavens Sword Technique."
A blue aura rose from Namgung Jin's blade.
Worthy of the title "Sword of the Central Plains," it was a powerful and overwhelming presence.
The Namgung sword style emphasized the "strength" and "weight" of the tyrant's blade.
It was the complete opposite of Jaseong's Heaven Evading Flash Sword, which sought the mysteries of "speed."
And as they said, if brought to the ultimate level, this "sword of kings" could even cut a mountain in a single stroke.
"Wow... that blue light is proof he's mastered the Boundless Heavens Sword Technique...!"
"The Namgung third son's already reached this level?"
"That Hao Sect leader's body will surely be crippled."
"But... why's he still not drawn his sword?"
While the spectators whispered among themselves, Jaseong remained standing with his hands behind his back.
Seeing this, Namgung Jin asked, looking puzzled.
"Why aren't you drawing your sword? Have you lost the will to fight already?"
"My bare hands will be enough."
"W-what...?"
The onlookers were speechless.
Namgung Jin, who'd grown up taking various elixirs to the point that, based on internal power alone, he was on par with even the elders of mid-sized clans, was being told that bare hands would suffice?
And by the leader of the Hao Sect, no less...!
'I was going to just break an arm or leg with people watching... but it seems I'll have to turn him into a real cripple!'
Angry, Namgung Jin immediately unleashed the fiercest move in the Boundless Heavens Sword Technique—the "Heaven-Shattering Sword".
Whish!
The blue blade roared like a whirlwind as it threatened Jaseong.
But in that moment, something no one had expected happened.
Swish!
Jaseong coolly twisted his body, deftly dodging the whirling blue blade.
'?!'
A shocked Namgung Jin quickly regained his sword stance and executed another move.
But, regrettably,
Slik!
Namgung Jin's second attack also slashed nothing but empty air.
'What is this...?'
Flustered, Namgung Jin even started using killing moves forbidden in duels.
But no matter how many attacks he unleashed, the result was unchanged.
Jaseong, with his hands behind his back, evaded every one of Namgung Jin's attacks.
Ssshhh—
At that moment, a blue aura flickered in Jaseong's eyes.
It was the Samadhi Eyes.
Those special eyes, which could slow down time, had even let him dodge the attacks of peerless expert Murong Dangcheon.
Someone like Namgung Jin was no problem at all.
"What was that...?!"
"That speed...! How can someone so young move like that?!"
"He's reading every one of the third young master's sword paths!"
To the astonished shouts of the crowd, Namgung Jin gritted his teeth and continued his attacks.
But however hard he swung his sword, he couldn't even graze Jaseong's clothes.
And then—
SMAAAACK!
With a crisp sound, Namgung Jin's right cheek snapped to the side.
Jaseong's hand had moved like lightning and slapped him hard across the face.
"Gah!"
The force was such that blood immediately spurted from Namgung Jin's mouth.
But that wasn't the end of Jaseong's punishment.
SMAAAACK!
"Gah!"
SMAACK!
"Urgh?!"
WHAAAP!
With those sharp, resounding slaps, Namgung Jin's cheeks swelled red in real time.
Stunned from the blows, Namgung Jin tried desperately to counterattack, blood in his mouth, but—
"You're slow."
Jaseong commented expressionlessly.
And then, once more, he easily dodged Namgung Jin's attack and—
SMACK! SMAAACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMAAAACK!!
His hands moved like lightning as he slapped both of Namgung Jin's cheeks repeatedly.
By the time he was done, Namgung Jin's once-handsome face looked like minced meat.
Moments later—
CLANG!
Namgung Jin's sword fell to the floor.
His knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground.
Shiiing—
Amazingly, only then did Jaseong finally draw his sword.
The sharp aura that spilled from his sword instantly filled Clear Heart Pavilion with a chilling atmosphere.
"H-hieek...!"
Namgung Jin trembled as he shrank back, all his previous arrogant presence gone, now shivering in terror of death.
"I-I lost...!"
Step, step—
"T-this was just a friendly duel...!"
Step, step—
"S-spare me! Please, someone—someone help...!"
As Jaseong advanced, Namgung Jin cried out.
But before anyone could respond, Jaseong's sword flew at Namgung Jin.
SWOOSH!
Namgung Jin squeezed his eyes shut, face pale.
THUD!
But the next sound that came was a dull thunk.
Namgung Jin opened his trembling eyes to see Jaseong's blade stuck deep into the wooden floor between his knees.
"Since this is a duel, I'll leave it at that."
"H-hieek...!"
Jaseong sheathed his sword with indifference and turned away.
At that moment, overwhelmed by the terror of death, Namgung Jin felt a warm liquid pour down his lower body.
Around where he sat collapsed, a bright yellow puddle spread.
* * *
Clear Heart Pavilion fell silent.
The eyes of the onlookers were full of shock and fear,
and those who had overheard talk of marriage between the Namgung family and the North Sea Ice Palace clicked their tongues inwardly.
'After ending up like that...'
'I guess talks of marriage with the North Sea Ice Palace are over now...'
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
This was the perfect example.
But just then, as the members of the Righteous Faction stirred, a cold wind swept in from the entrance of Clear Heart Pavilion.
When people turned, women in snowy martial robes were entering.
"M-mother...!"
The Ice Palace Mistress, Lee Seol-hwa, and the guardians had arrived.
The dignity evident in her cold beauty was befitting the queen of the North Sea.
But the moment she entered Clear Heart Pavilion, Lee Seol-hwa's eyes twitched.
Once to see Namgung Jin, not only a bloody mess but also having wet himself.
Once more to see Jaseong standing beside Lee Rin.
[What in the world is going on here?]
Lee Seol-hwa sent a sound transmission to her daughter, Lee Rin, asking what had happened.
Lee Rin answered by detailing everything that had just occurred.
After listening to everything her daughter said, all of Lee Seol-hwa's attention turned to Jaseong.
'He's definitely about the same age as my Lee Rin. But such an intense aura...'
Lee Seol-hwa's eyes narrowed.
'His internal power is only at the level of a rising star from the Nine Great Sects, so how can he emit such an aura? What kind of cultivation method has he learned...?'
As the Ice Palace Mistress of the North Sea, Lee Seol-hwa was an expert who had long surpassed the normal limits of martial artists.
She could gauge a person's level of internal power, cultivation, and spirit at a glance.
But right now, even she could not fully read Jaseong.
He was like a deep well whose bottom could not be seen.
At that moment, Lee Seol-hwa recalled the words of nursemaid Han Soweol, who had gone to find Lee Rin.
'The martial arts of that Hao Sect Ansun branch leader are extraordinary, mistress. He may be young, but I fought to a standstill with him, even though I'm a peak expert.
What's more unusual was the strange sense that, when crossing swords with him, he could read all my sword paths. Even though my cultivation and internal power were superior, my sword could never reach him...'
Recalling Han Soweol's report, Lee Seol-hwa's gaze grew deeper.
'And above all, to remain so composed even before me... Truly, he isn't ordinary.'
Just as Lee Seol-hwa's gaze deepened upon seeing Jaseong, so too did Jaseong return her gaze in the same manner.
'At last, I've met the Ice Palace Mistress.'
As previously mentioned, Jaseong had two goals in coming to Hubei with Lee Rin.
One was to help Lee Rin remain in the martial world as she wished;
the other was to form an alliance with one of the four great external powers, the North Sea Ice Palace.
Of course, to anyone else, this would sound ridiculous.
Even if Jaseong's reputation and influence had grown recently, the difference in scale compared to the North Sea Ice Palace was immense.
An alliance with the North Sea Ice Palace? How could that be possible?
But Jaseong had a way to make it happen.