Chapter 183
The Black Lotus Sect Master and Sama Yuryeon are said to be getting married soon.
Though it's a political marriage born out of necessity, it's still quite startling in many ways.
“Goodness, if what you say is true, Cheon Hwi-da, then Lady Sama only headed to the Black Lotus Sect after delivering the items from the secret archive to the Tang Clan. That means it hasn’t even been a full month since she met the Sect Master…”
“Right. In less than a month, she dressed up the Sama Clan like a gift box and handed it over to the Black Lotus Sect Master. They must have been preparing this for a long time.”
“Eh? Ah, no. I was just surprised that they’re getting married so suddenly, that’s all.”
“If we’re talking about sudden marriages, ours is no different. It’s just an engagement since we're not of age yet, but Sama Yuryeon, if I recall, is quite a bit older.”
I remember that Sama Yuryeon is slightly older than Tang Sowol. Martial artists have some freedom when it comes to the “right age” for marriage, but she’s not young either.
In some cases, people already have several children by that age.
“But isn’t the Black Lotus Sect Master also fairly old?”
“He’s young for a martial artist who has reached the Flowering Stage. But since this is a political marriage from the start, the age gap likely doesn’t matter.” The Sichuan Tang Clan is unusual, and Tang Sowol is even more of a special case within it. But for most prestigious families, political marriage is the norm.
The story of the Peng and Yeon Clans caused a stir in Murim precisely because they were sworn enemies, yet allegedly eloped for love and love alone.
That’s how rare love-before-marriage is. Most marry for practical reasons and develop feelings afterward.
More importantly—
“Huh?”
“If it’s Sama Yuryeon, I imagine she’s thrilled and skipping about right now.”
Tang Sowol tilted her head, not quite understanding what I meant. Then again, if I hadn’t known them before regression, I’d have reacted the same.
“Do you remember the conversation we had when entering the archive? Sama Yuryeon said her type is a man with ambition.”
“Ah, right. She did say that.”
“The Black Lotus Sect Master is, as far as I know, a man with the greatest ambition.”
He looks after his own people, but at heart, he’s the classic Unorthodox martial artist—petty and greedy.
His ambition is so overt it’s hard not to notice once you get close, and yet, he managed to found and maintain the massive organization that is the Black Lotus Sect.
Why? Because he can take others along with him on his grand ambition.
Those who follow him are often swept up in that ambition and end up looking in the same direction.
Combine that with his fierce loyalty to his own people, and you get subordinates so devoted that they pledge their loyalty without hesitation.
Putting aside my personal feelings, if he were born in an age of chaos, he could’ve easily founded his own nation.
“He’s that capable? What kind of ambition does he even have?”
“What else would an Unorthodox martial artist desire? Wealth and power.”
“…You’re saying he sways people just by offering wealth and status?”
“Not ordinary wealth. He means to seize the kind of power and riches one can only have by owning everything in the world.”
“…Ah.”
Creating a family or founding a sect is difficult but achievable through talent and effort.
Some will cheer for such ambition, others will be jealous, and some will become enemies because it threatens their interests.
It’s grand, yes, but ultimately still within the realm of reason.
But what if your goal is to conquer all of the Central Plains?
No one would be envious or admiring. They’d just call you insane.
So the only ones left around you would be the rare few truly inspired enough to join that absurd goal.
“The Black Lotus Sect Master is exactly that kind of person.”
“You’re saying he’s trying to accomplish such a massive goal purely for his own greed?”
“And that’s precisely why so many Unorthodox martial artists follow him.”
He’s not all talk either—his abilities match his ambition. He started with nothing and built the Black Lotus Sect. By the time of the Demonic Cult’s invasion, he had nearly absorbed the Hao Clan and held sway over nearly half of Central Plains Murim.
Even the Murim Alliance, which is considered the counterpart to the Black Lotus Sect, has a leader, but their leader is merely a representative figure of the Five Supreme Clans and the Nine Great Sects.
In contrast, the Black Lotus Sect is a power structure wholly centered around the Sect Master.
It’s no wonder Sama Yuryeon fell for him so completely in my past life—and why she took her own life in despair upon hearing of his death.
To her, his goal had become her goal.
She couldn’t withstand the reality that he was gone, nor the despair of the Heavenly Demon, who easily crushed even a top-tier Flowering Stage martial artist like him.
I suspect it was Sama Yuryeon who actively approached the Black Lotus Sect Master again this time...
But what really surprises me is something else: that despite it being a political marriage, they’re actually holding a wedding.
“Did you know? Despite building such a vast force and reaching his age, the Black Lotus Sect Master has never taken a concubine.”
“I knew he hadn’t married, but even no concubines?”
“Right. He believed favoring one person too much would mean surrendering part of his power to them.”
It’s common enough—a man who dominates the world loses his way over a single woman, making poor decisions.
That’s why, while the Black Lotus Sect Master enjoys women, he always avoided growing too attached to any single one.
For such a man to marry... Even though the Sama Clan is an unusual case in the Unorthodox world—a long-standing lineage—it makes one wonder: was it the clan he saw value in, or in Sama Yuryeon herself?
Either way, I can’t say for sure—I’m not him. I can only guess.
For example... maybe the current Black Lotus Sect isn’t as strong as the one I remember.
They’ll likely grow in power. In fact, back in the day, people were already worrying that the Second Great Conflict between the Orthodox and Unorthodox factions would erupt again within a decade or two.
But how are they now?
Certainly, the Black Lotus Sect is acknowledged in the martial world, but they haven’t unified all of the Unorthodox martial artists.
Their sphere of influence is largely limited to Zhejiang Province. Outside that region, there are just loosely affiliated forces—more like allied factions than true subordinates.
Normally, that’s fine. The imperial court hasn’t fully subdued the martial world, and the Murim Alliance, while powerful, is a coalition, not a ruling body.
But the Black Lotus Sect Master doesn’t want a mere alliance. He wants total submission.
So in his mind, the current state of the Black Lotus Sect must seem unstable.
Trying to recruit Seo Mun-Hwarin, absorbing the Sama Clan entirely—these are likely steps in that grand plan.
Maybe he’s now planning to make other prestigious Unorthodox factions kneel one by one, starting with this.
Of course, it’s also very possible that he genuinely likes Sama Yuryeon.
She’s bold and aggressive—when she heard the Sect Master never formed attachments, she didn’t give up. She became the General Administrator of the Black Lotus Sect and visited him daily.
He could’ve turned her away at any time—but he didn’t.
That, in itself, shows he held special feelings for her.
In my previous life, their strange relationship worked because Sama Yuryeon knew not to cross a certain line, and the Sect Master allowed her presence.
When I explained it this way—without mentioning things I was forbidden to say due to mental restrictions—Tang Sowol finally nodded in understanding.
“I see. So, what will you do now, Cheon Hwi-da?”
“Hm? About what?”
“We can’t move now due to our condition... but both of them know you, don’t they?”
“Tch. I was already planning to visit eventually, but now I have no excuse not to.”
The Black Lotus Sect Master may be generous to his people, but he’s always petty with outsiders.
Since I have no intention of joining him, it’s best to avoid unnecessary conflict.
More importantly, I plan to unite the Murim Alliance and the Black Lotus Sect earlier than in my past life to prepare against the Demonic Cult. For that, I need to maintain good relations.
“Fine. I’ll send a letter saying I can’t attend the wedding due to recovery, but will visit once I’m better.”
“I’m going with you, right?”
“What, were you planning to send me alone?”
“Fufu, of course not. I was just a bit excited at the thought of getting to see the Black Lotus Sect—practically off-limits to Orthodox martial artists.”
“What are you expecting from the stronghold of the entire Unorthodox world...”
“Good or evil aside, they’re all honest about their desires. The food’s probably great.”
“That... I can’t deny.”
Buddhist monks discourage meat, and Taoists often avoid cooked meals to preserve inner purity, so their food tends to be bland.
Even prestigious clans try to keep meals balanced and modest as part of their training.
They try to make the food taste good, but sometimes the ingredients themselves are just... not.
Even the Tang Clan, which always serves a variety of meat dishes, also includes a lot of herbs—some of which are honestly pretty awful.
But for the Unorthodox faction, food is just food. It’s not part of cultivation—it’s about indulging in flavor and luxury.
Their culinary culture is far more advanced, much like how their entertainment districts outshine the Orthodox ones.
They’ve perfected decadent cuisine.
“In that case, why don’t we invite Sister Hwarin and Lihyang too? Let’s make the most of it at the Black Lotus Sect.”
“I wouldn’t mind. With Senior Seo Mun-Hwarin and me, we’ll be safe no matter what happens.”
I barely finished nodding when it happened—speak of the devil, and they appear.
Seol Lihyang and Seo Mun-Hwarin, who treated my room like their own, burst in dramatically.
Bang!
“Cheon Hwi! Sister Seo Mun and I just got back from the market nearby, and there was this new shop, so we checked it out, okay??”
“The tea was ordinary, but the snacks were divine! We brought back some sweets. Come, let’s eat together!”
Seol Lihyang, giggling over candy like a girl her age should, and Seo Mun-Hwarin, age unknown but definitely enjoying herself.
Tang Sowol and I exchanged glances and chuckled softly.
“Perfect. I was just in the mood for a snack.”
“I’ll go make some tea.”
I could’ve asked a servant, but I decided to do it myself.
After all, when you’re stuck indoors every day, even something like making tea becomes a pleasant way to pass the time.
***
Nearly a month later, I finally recovered enough to wield a sword again.
With the poison in her body stabilized, Tang Sowol was permitted to resume poison arts, and within less than a week, she reached the Sub-Perfection Realm.
And I finally understood what made my Rebirth different from the norm.
“Wow! You’re immune to all poisons!”
“To be precise, only poisons weaker than yours, Tang Sowol.”
“But since the Thousand Poison Gate was wiped out by your hand, the only person who uses stronger poisons than me is my father.”
Yes—I’m still vulnerable to Father-in-law’s poison. That’s the most important fact.