Chapter 169: There Is a Woman More Beautiful Than You
Chapter 169: There Is a Woman More Beautiful Than You
The award ceremony was every bit as grand as the tournament itself.
The winner was presented with a gold token and a substantial purse of prize money. Even more prestigious was the fact that the Murim Alliance Leader himself presented the awards.
The crowd chanted Seo Dae-ryong’s name in unison. It was the first time in his life he had heard his name called so many times. It would likely be the last.
As he handed the gold token to Seo Dae-ryong, the Murim Alliance Leader spoke.
“Your skills were magnificent. Dedicate yourself to the peace of the Murim from this day forward.”
“Thank you, sir.”
However, the Alliance Leader’s true message was delivered via Voice Transmission.
— If you ever use that blade technique to harm a martial artist of the Orthodox Faction, you will surely die by my hand.
Seo Dae-ryong didn't dare talk back. He quietly accepted his gold token and prize money and stepped down. Considering the Leader knew he was a demonic cultist, he was grateful just to receive the prizes at all.
Jin Ha-ryeong, the runner-up, was also given a plaque and prize money.
“Well done,” the Leader said.
“I’m sorry, Grandfather.”
“Do you feel it now? Just how vast the Jianghu truly is?”
“Yes. I thought I was at least a snake, if not a dragon, but I’ve realized I was merely a frog in a well. I will devote myself even more to my training, Grandfather.”
That was enough. The Murim Alliance Leader patted her shoulder with a satisfied smile.
As she stepped down from the sparring arena, Jin Ha-ryeong caught a glimpse of Geom Mu-geuk standing in the distance. He waved at her, his gesture carrying a silent sentiment: Well done, friend.
Seeing him, tears suddenly welled up in Jin Ha-ryeong’s eyes. She hadn't thought much of her loss until then, but the moment she saw Geom Mu-geuk, a wave of unbidden sorrow washed over her.
Since she couldn't cry in front of the gathered heroes, she walked away with brisk, spirited steps. It would be terrible if rumors spread that Jin Ha-ryeong had wept at the ceremony out of bitterness.
Someone called out to her from the side, but she didn't even look back, leaving the area as quickly as possible.
The person who had tried to speak to her was Jo Sin. Looking frustrated, he couldn't bring himself to follow her. Tucked inside his robes was a gift to celebrate her victory. He had even engraved a congratulatory message on a dagger, but now he couldn't give it to her. He truly hadn't imagined she would lose; he was supposed to have presented this to her gallantly after her win.
“Dammit! To hell with this!”
His gaze shifted toward Seo Dae-ryong, who was still basking in the congratulations of the crowd.
That country bumpkin actually won? How does that make any sense?
The master wins the tournament, and the servant seduces the woman Jo Sin was supposed to marry. They were a pair of bastards who deserved to be beaten to death. This situation could not possibly end well.
Fuming with rage, Jo Sin returned to his quarters.
As he entered his room, Jo Sin flinched. A man was waiting for him inside. It was Cheol-gon, the man who delivered the orders of the Heavenly Mandate Society Leader.
At first, Jo Sin had wondered if this Cheol-gon was actually the Society Leader himself in disguise. The aura Cheol-gon radiated was that extraordinary.
A man like this is a mere subordinate? Then just how incredible is the Heavenly Mandate Society Leader?
He had yet to meet the Society Leader in person, but they were scheduled to meet once he successfully completed this task. Regardless, Jo Sin was displeased that the man had entered his room without permission, but he couldn't voice his frustration.
“You’ve come?”
“Weren't you the one who called for me, Young Master Jo?”
“I called for you?”
“Didn't you say you were confident in the marriage with Jin Ha-ryeong?”
“Of course.”
Only a year ago, Jo Sin had been losing the succession struggle within Jinryong Manor. That was when the Heavenly Mandate Society appeared before him. He couldn't refuse their offer to make him the successor if he joined hands with them.
It was all well and good that he became the successor with their help. But once his position was secured, they made a demand: marry the granddaughter of the Murim Alliance Leader. It wasn't an impossible request. Jinryong Manor was a family prestigious enough to form a marriage alliance with the Alliance Leader’s house.
Jo Sin had persuaded his father and even provided massive financial support to the Murim Alliance to make this marriage happen. He had chosen the period of the Young Dragon Tournament because it would allow him to see her frequently. He was confident that with his family background and his looks—which people always praised—he could easily win Jin Ha-ryeong’s heart. That was, until he learned of the existence of that damned servant.
“Rumor has it you’re standing in line behind a servant,” Cheol-gon said.
“Where did you hear such nonsense? That fellow is my subordinate.”
When Jo Sin spoke with such confidence, Cheol-gon stared at him intently. Meeting his eyes, Jo Sin felt intimidated, just as he had during their first meeting. If this killing intent had been an intentional attempt to cow him, Jo Sin might have held his nerve.
But Jo Sin could feel it—this killing intent was innate, born from the man’s very nature. It was a primal bloodlust that could only be emitted by someone who placed no value on human life. It was a killing intent that inspired the fear that if he dared to cross him, he would be hacked to pieces and tossed into a filthy gutter.
“That man is your subordinate?”
“I recruited him to help with the marriage to Jin Ha-ryeong. I intend to use him to ensure the marriage is a success.”
It wasn't a lie. He had promised the servant a hundred thousand nyang to bring him to his side. Of course, that hadn't been the plan from the start.
Cheol-gon stared at Jo Sin once more. If this gaze had been that of a clever person trying to figure him out, it would have been fine. But the current gaze was closer to indifference—the blunt stare of a killing ghost who didn't care about the truth, as long as the results were good.
As one could tell just by looking at Cheol-gon, these people were not ordinary. They weren't the typical shadowy figures behind some incident in a random region. They were special. They were the type of people who would surely provide a reward if he kept his end of the bargain. They were villains who moved only for their own profit, but for that very reason, one could definitely get what they wanted from them. That was why he had joined hands with them.
Cheol-gon stood up and walked to the window.
“Come here and look at that.”
Jo Sin walked over cautiously and stood beside him.
“That broken sapling down there is one I stepped on and snapped on my way here. Whoever planted them put them too close together. If they stay like that, neither tree can grow into a giant.”
Cheol-gon slowly turned to look at Jo Sin.
“We hope you grow into a giant tree.”
Jo Sin knew those words held no sincerity. Cheol-gon didn't care at all. Whether Jo Sin became a giant tree or not, if the Society Leader ordered him to kill, he would kill; if ordered to let him live, he would let him live. To him, Jo Sin wasn't even worth as much as that snapped sapling.
Part of him wanted to shout at Cheol-gon to go say that "giant tree" nonsense to his own children. He loathed being nagged and pressured like this. He knew that showing courtesy to villains only made them look down on you more.
But Jo Sin didn't dare.
“I won't disappoint you.”
“I’ll be waiting with the wedding gift ready.”
Cheol-gon quietly left the room.
Once he was gone, Jo Sin let out the breath he had been holding. It was a sigh mixed with tension, fear, annoyance, and rage. The marriage, the servant, the Heavenly Mandate Society—nothing was as easy as he wanted it to be. It felt as though his life, which had been comfortable until now, had entered a new level of difficulty. Of course, that didn't mean Jo Sin would give up.
One day, I’ll pay you back in full.
He didn't say those words out loud yet. That would have to wait until after he had grown his family into the strongest power in the Murim.
*
“The prize money is a whopping ten thousand nyang!”
Seo Dae-ryong was beside himself with joy at the sudden windfall. He handed five thousand nyang to me.
“Here. We won this together, so let’s split it in half.”
“Aren't you going to regret this later?”
“Five thousand nyang is more than enough for me. I’ll use this to treat Commander Jang and this martial artist. And also…”
“And also?”
“I want to buy something delicious for the woman who cheered for me.”
“Are you planning to meet her?”
“No, I don't even know her name yet.”
He would find out soon enough. She would surely approach Seo Dae-ryong one way or another. I wondered what method she would use.
“She was cheering for me long before I won. That makes her special.”
Seo Dae-ryong was already completely smitten with the woman.
“Oh, you’re coming to the banquet with me, right?”
The Murim Alliance had invited the winner and all the finalists to a celebratory banquet.
“I should.”
“I’m going to go buy some clothes to wear to the banquet. Why don't you come with me? I’ll buy you an outfit.”
“I’m fine. You go ahead and buy yourself something nice.”
“Of course! I’m really going to buy an expensive set of clothes this time!”
Once an excited Seo Dae-ryong left, I spoke to the empty air.
“I’m sorry I couldn't tell you in advance. The situation was too urgent at the time.”
I was speaking to the martial artist sent by the Alliance Leader who was hiding nearby. When I had taken Seo Dae-ryong to see Chung-ui, I had moved so fast with my Rapid Speed Step that he hadn't been able to keep up.
I felt him hiding near me again after we returned to the Murim Alliance, but I hadn't had the chance to speak to him separately while training with Seo Dae-ryong. He must have been displeased for various reasons.
But as usual, the hidden martial artist showed no reaction. He was a man truly faithful to his orders.
Being sorry was one thing, but I didn't tell him that the woman who approached Seo Dae-ryong was from the Heavenly Mandate Society. I decided there was no need to mention it yet.
*
I didn't enter the banquet hall.
Today, the spotlight had to belong to Seo Dae-ryong. As if I were truly a servant, I stood outside the banquet hall, keeping an eye on the situation inside.
However, Jin Ha-ryeong somehow found me and came out.
“Why aren't you going in?”
“It’s just a bit stuffy.”
“Want to walk for a bit?”
“Sure.”
I strolled through the inner court with her.
“Actually, I went to find you before the final match. Do you know what I was going to say? I was going to tease you by saying, ‘I might lose on purpose if you ask me to.’ That’s what I was going to say.”
She still seemed embarrassed and bothered by her loss in the duel. She was talking more and faster than usual.
“And then I went and lost like that. Isn't it ridiculous? I’m so embarrassed I don't think I’ll be able to sleep. Anyway, where did you go? Oh, and which organization do you think your young master will join? And you…”
I cut off the stream of words pouring out of her.
“Friend, that’s enough.”
Only then did Jin Ha-ryeong take a deep breath. After calming herself for a moment, she revealed her true feelings.
“When I lost yesterday and saw you, I felt like I was going to cry.”
“It’s okay to lose once in a while.”
In fact, it’s okay to lose many times, as long as you have the will to keep moving forward. Looking back from an older age, these failures are really nothing, but why did they feel like the sky was falling back then?
Perhaps that’s why I miss my youth more—those days when my entire body and soul reacted so vividly to even the smallest things.
“I don't want to have such a weak heart already.”
“First, let go of the burden of being the Alliance Leader’s granddaughter. The Leader is the Leader, and you are you. You can't even enjoy yourself because of that pressure, even though you came in second in this huge tournament.”
Jin Ha-ryeong gave a small smile.
“What? You feel better already?”
“Yeah. Seeing you try so hard to comfort me made me feel better.”
“You’re easy to please.”
“Keep doing it often in the future.”
She firmly believed that Seo Dae-ryong would join the Murim Alliance. Naturally, she assumed I would be living there as well.
“I might return to my hometown.”
At those words, she looked startled.
“Return? Why?” After staring at me for a moment, she asked cautiously, “Is there a woman in your hometown? Someone you like?”
“There is.”
She flinched for a second. Perhaps because I answered so easily, she seemed half-skeptical.
“There is a woman more beautiful than you.”
“More than me? Now your credibility is dropping fast.”
“You’re the Beauty of Hubei, aren't you? She is the World’s Most Beautiful Woman.”
She relaxed and laughed. She seemed to think I was teasing her.
“Make sure to show me this ‘World’s Most Beautiful Woman’ next time!”
“If there’s a chance.”
I wondered if the day would ever come when Lee An and Jin Ha-ryeong would meet. Even I couldn't say. Anyway, I wondered what Lee An was doing. She was probably immersed in her martial arts training even at this moment. Had she surpassed her limits and moved on to the next stage? Ah, I miss you, Lee An!
After walking through the inner court, I returned to the banquet hall with Jin Ha-ryeong. When we arrived, I looked through the window and saw Seo Dae-ryong surrounded by the Rising Stars.
Regardless of what they truly felt, everyone was smiling and trying to build a rapport with him. From now on, Seo Dae-ryong would join the core elite organizations of the Murim Alliance and rise rapidly.
“Our young master looks happy.”
No one ignored the short man with the gloomy impression anymore. As they say, clothes make the man, and he looked more dashing than usual.
Yes, enjoy yourself to your heart’s content today.
Watching Seo Dae-ryong, Jin Ha-ryeong said to me, “I’ve talked to you this much, but I haven't even been able to have a proper conversation with your young master, the one who beat me.”
“Go in and talk to him.”
“No. I’ll stay here. If I go in, I’ll just get more pity. Your comfort is enough for today!”
Just then, someone new entered the banquet hall. When I identified the person, I was stunned. Surprisingly, it was the woman who had been cheering for Seo Dae-ryong.
Seo Dae-ryong was also shocked to see her. She had appeared at a banquet where only invited guests were present. How on earth did she get in without an invitation?
With everyone’s eyes fixed on her, the woman walked slowly toward Seo Dae-ryong.