Chapter 54
The elder said that annihilating the strongest martial force of the Cho family was an impossible task to begin with.
"Then would it be impossible for us to attack the Cho family?"
Baek Yuhwa asked with a smiling face.
No one in the Baek family would say yes to that.
The Baek family had continuously kept the other four great families in check, and they were people with strong pride.
But to say that they couldn't attack the Cho family?
That was a statement that shook the foundation.
"What do you mean by that! Why can't we attack the Cho family!"
"It's possible to attack the Cho family, but is it impossible to annihilate one martial force?"
"..."
The elder was dumbfounded.
Wasn't that not the point right now?
Wasn't it different whether something was objectively possible and whether they actually proceeded with it?
Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you have to do it all, does it?
If the pillars of the family were to be uprooted in the process, who would say that that success was meaningful?
It was just frustrating that Baek Yuhwa, who seemed to know that fact better than anyone else in this place, was asking such a thing.
"I know the questions that those of you in this place have. You do not know why this must be done. So from now on, I will tell you that. I believe that if you just know that it is something that must be done, you will also accept my will."
At that, a few people nodded.
They also had the same thought.
They had repeated the same thing as if they were chasing each other's tails in a circle because they didn't know why that had to be done.
"We must now prove that we have a reason to exist. So that we are not annihilated."
The people who had been listening with unblinking eyes, wondering what would come out of Baek Yuhwa's mouth, wondered what they had just heard.
Then they jumped up and down in a great rage, as if they had been slapped on the ear.
"Yuhwa! What are you saying right now! Although you are receiving the Sect Leader's favor, there are things you can say and things you can't, no matter what!"
One of the elders shouted, and starting with that, denunciations followed from here and there.
Baek Yuhwa, as if she thought that that time was necessary, did not stop them for a while and just listened quietly.
That rather stimulated the people more.
It was so hateful and infuriating that she alone was calm, as if she already knew that this would happen.
Looking at Baek Yuhwa, who seemed to have a peaceful face alone after pouring hot water on them, they wondered what on earth her ulterior motive was.
"It seems you still do not know. That the grill you are sitting on is slowly getting hot. I'm saying that you are acting complacently without even knowing where you are sitting."
Until she had first come there, Baek Yuhwa had been polite to them.
The warmth disappeared from such a Baek Yuhwa's eyes, and she glared coldly at each of them.
"Do you not know that you are the ones who are dragging the Baek family down the path of annihilation? It is truly a spectacle to see you running wild like this for mentioning annihilation while being so afraid of it."
Baek Yuhwa's words were increasingly crossing the line.
But at that time, there were not many people who were angry at Baek Yuhwa.
Although she was a young person, if she spoke in that way, they had a feeling that she was saying it knowing something they didn't.
No one in the family's leadership was unaware of Baek Yuhwa's insight.
"If we are to destroy the strongest martial force of the Cho family, there will surely be sacrifices in the process. It is not a fight that we can refuse because we don't want to. We are already in a state where our arm is in the mouth of a beast. It would have been good if we could have avoided it before our arm went in, but what we can do now is to cut off our arm and get out. I'm saying that if we hesitate because we don't want to lose our arm, our whole body will be eaten."
The people now tried to understand those words.
Then Baek Yuhwa's uncle asked in a mumbling tone.
"Who on earth is that beast?"
"..."
Baek Yuhwa, who had been freely telling all the stories until now, did not speak right away at that time.
At that, the people's gazes all turned to Baek Yuhwa.
And they seemed to be trying to find the answer on their own.
Then someone asked.
"Could it be Pae Maseong? I have heard what the young martial artists say about Pae Maseong. They say that his martial prowess has surpassed all the masters of the sect. Could it be that he is behind this? There was a rumor that Pae Maseong had been a member of the Cho family and had left for an unclear reason. Could it be that what is happening now is something he has planned?"
At those words, murmuring sounds were heard from here and there.
Hearing that, it seemed that they thought it was possible.
Baek Yuhwa smiled.
"You are finally using your heads a little. It was very similar, but you were wrong when you were almost there. Still, you have pointed it out very well."
Although it might have been unpleasant for the young Baek Yuhwa to speak in that way, no one pointed it out.
They were just curious about who the beast was that Baek Yuhwa was so worried about and afraid of.
There was a valid reason for them to be like that.
Until now, Baek Yuhwa had not even blinked an eye while refusing the Heavenly Demon's courtship.
Seeing that, the leaders of the Baek family had often felt a fear as if their hearts were falling to their feet.
If the Heavenly Demon were to get angry, they could suffer the disaster of annihilation in a single day, but Baek Yuhwa showed no signs of fear at all.
And yet, for such a Baek Yuhwa to talk about a beast and be afraid.
"It is not Pae Maseong. If it were Pae Maseong, I would not have been afraid either. Pae Maseong's individual martial prowess is strong, but if we just block his movements, we will be able to find a way to preserve our safety. But..."
In the moment that Baek Yuhwa paused, dry saliva went down the throats of numerous people.
What did that mean?
A person whom Baek Yuhwa, who was not even afraid of Pae Maseong, was genuinely afraid of.
Listening to Baek Yuhwa's words, didn't it mean that the one whom Baek Yuhwa called a beast was not only strong in his individual martial prowess, but was also surrounded by strong people who were trying to protect him?
"You must remember the name of Young Master Ya Socheong in the future. You should consider it a relief that you have come to know that name faster than others. While people are focusing on Pae Maseong, the person who is quietly building up his strength is Young Master Ya Socheong. And the person whom Pae Maseong is now assisting with all his strength is also that young master."
"How can that be..."
One of the elders started to speak and then quickly shut his mouth.
Baek Yuhwa looked at him and smiled.
He was a person who could read the heavenly ki and see one's fortune, and he was also the person whom Baek Yuhwa respected and followed the most in the Baek family.
When her path was blocked or she couldn't see ahead, he was also the one whom Baek Yuhwa secretly went to for advice.
He had told Baek Yuhwa, who had received the Heavenly Demon's proposal, after reading her fortune.
That she would become the Demonic Empress, but she would become the first Demonic Empress, and her husband would not be Dan Mok-san.
Knowing how dangerous that statement was, he had told Baek Yuhwa never to tell anyone else about it, and he had also taken a step back, saying that he could not be sure of his own words.
The current Dan Mok-san had a power and authority that no one could look down on.
All the people of the sect obeyed and were loyal to him, and there was no one who tried to raise a hand against him.
Even if there were someone who tried to raise a hand against him, they would not be able to surpass his martial prowess, so he did not know how Baek Yuhwa's fortune had come out like that.
Naturally, he did not know who Baek Yuhwa would marry.
He just knew that Dan Mok-san and Baek Yuhwa would not be connected.
In the meantime, after hearing what he had said, Baek Yuhwa had gained some confidence.
But there was no time for Baek Yuhwa to think about that for long.
All the people were looking only at her with faces that asked for an explanation.
"If I have talked this much, won't you believe me and move? If you still don't believe me, how about this? I promise that when I become the Demonic Empress, I will personally cut the necks of those who do not move even after this."
The blood quickly drained from the faces of those who were there.
Who could say such a thing with a smile like that?
But there was no one who could think that those words were just empty words.
They sighed quietly.
It seemed that it was for the better.
When they were just worrying about whether to do this or that, their heads ached and their insides boiled, but now that they were driven into a dead end, they felt relieved.
"Do not waste any more time on the same thing. Now, everyone, gather your wisdom and devise a way to attack the strongest martial force of the Cho family."
Baek Yuhwa said and stood up.
The family head looked at the seniors and the elders.
It was a face that said he would listen if they had more to say, but everyone was quiet with their mouths shut.
He sighed quietly.
The family head also did not know what he had been hoping for.
He felt relieved, and at the same time, he didn't, and he was confused.
In any case, what he had to do from now on was one thing.
"Then how should we proceed with this? If we want to reduce the damage, it is better for many people to participate and attack at once."
Here and there, opinions were added one by one.
The heat quickly became intense.
Shouldn't the meeting room of a martial family be heated up by such things?
The fire that had lit that place did not know how to go out until late dawn.
* * *
The Danmu family and the Baek family walked completely different paths.
The rumor that the Baek family had attacked the martial force of the family head of the Cho family spread in an instant.
It was said that the operation was so exquisite that not a single member of the martial force had survived.
The operation was a great success, but the Baek family's sacrifice was not great.
That story did not easily subside within the Heavenly Demon Sect and continued to spread.
Although it was the Baek family that had attacked the martial force of the family head of the Cho family, the Danmu family was also openly mentioned.
A rumor circulated that the Danmu family had also been provoked by the Cho family, but they had not protected the people of their territory and had consistently feigned ignorance.
Other people were like that, but especially the dissatisfaction of the people who lived in the territory of the Danmu family was gradually increasing.
(End of Chapter)