Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: The Reason for Wearing the Veil
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Guest room.
Sitting motionless in the center of the guest room, where sunlight filtered through the gaps in the two windows, was Do Cheon.
Do Cheon stared fixedly at the bed in front of him.
Lying atop it, drunk and snoring softly in sleep, was Byeon Ryeo-gun. Do Cheon gazed only at her, without the slightest movement.
Advance scouting.
It was true that he had come out to check a few of the Yangtze Eighteen Strongholds with his own eyes. But there was one additional reason as well, almost incidental. It was to spend time alone with Byeon Ryeo-gun. He wanted to learn a bit more about what she was truly thinking. And to share a bit of his own heart as well.
'Byeon Ryeo-gun, I think I need you.'
It hadn't been a casual remark when he'd asked if she might stay with the Iron Lion Sect. He'd come all the way to the Yangtze just to hear her answer, so it was a serious matter—a worry he'd harbored for quite some time.
But Byeon Ryeo-gun had dodged the question.
Do Cheon had no choice. All he could do was wait.
The sun had risen high.
The sunlight slipping through the window cracks was gradually creeping toward Byeon Ryeo-gun's face. It seemed about to shine right into her eyes. Do Cheon subtly shifted the surrounding air currents to refract the light away.
In that instant, Byeon Ryeo-gun's eyes snapped open.
"Sorry."
Do Cheon said awkwardly.
He'd meant to keep her sleeping undisturbed, but had ended up waking her instead. She was so sensitive to qi flows that she'd instantly snapped awake at the reaction of the air around her.
Byeon Ryeo-gun closed her eyes again. Hearing Do Cheon's voice, she relaxed.
"How long has it been?"
"The sun's been up for a while."
"You know what?"
"What?"
"Young Master Do always gives the most offbeat answers. It's probably been up high for a while now, hasn't it?"
"It's high up."
"A bit higher than that, I think."
Byeon Ryeo-gun opened her eyes and propped herself up. She stretched her arms wide with a big yawn, then looked at Do Cheon, who had been staring at her intently, and asked.
"You were like that the whole time?"
"I said I'd keep watch."
"I asked you to keep watch, not to stare at me the entire time."
Byeon Ryeo-gun shot him a sideways glance.
She was pretending it wasn't a big deal on the surface, but inside, she was quite flustered at the thought that he'd watched her sleeping all night.
"I wasn't staring."
"Sure, you were staring right out in the open."
"I had a lot to think about. I was sorting through my thoughts looking out the window—no time to look at you, Byeon Ryeo-gun."
"Too late."
"I slept in my room and only just came in."
"Why didn't you say that from the start?"
"Just occurred to me."
Do Cheon grinned.
Byeon Ryeo-gun looked at him for a moment, then got down from the bed. Do Cheon also rose and pushed his chair aside.
Drag!
The chair scraped across the floor as it moved.
In that instant, a scene flashed into Byeon Ryeo-gun's mind. It was herself from last night, dead drunk, dragging the chair over.
- Sit down. Young Master Do, you sit here and don't take your eyes off me until I wake up. I'm just going to sleep... Don't talk to me. Got it?
Recalling last night's memory, Byeon Ryeo-gun glanced at Do Cheon opening the window and quietly sighed to herself.
"We sent the carriage back, so we'll need to get another one."
Do Cheon turned around.
Unable to meet his eyes, Byeon Ryeo-gun looked out the window instead.
"The weather looks nice. If it's all right with you, how about we walk today? Run when we need to hurry."
"I'm thinking of heading back to the main group."
"Giving up on the scouting?"
"I think I know how strong Yi Yeol needs to get, so we can head back now."
"Did I get in your way by any chance?"
"What do you mean?"
"The Dongting Lake Waterway Stronghold."
"Isn't that directly under the Chief Stronghold?"
"Yes."
"You gave me such valuable information—how could that be getting in the way?"
"...!"
"While we're on the topic, may I ask one favor?"
"What favor?"
"Since you've fought the Dongting Lake Waterway Stronghold leader yourself, could you later check how Yi Yeol measures up against him?"
"Of course I'll do that."
"Thank you."
"I'm the thankful one."
"...!"
"It's the first time since my master passed. The first time I've trusted someone. I felt safe even completely defenseless."
"I'm thankful. Thank you for trusting me."
Do Cheon smiled softly. Then, opening the guest room door, he turned back.
"Let's go. If we're walking a long way, we need a solid breakfast."
"Yes, I want to eat a lot. Got to nurse this hangover too."
Byeon Ryeo-gun replied as she stepped out through the door Do Cheon had opened.
"Let's do that."
"Must've been boring sitting there all night. Why didn't you peek under the veil?"
"I did."
"How was it?"
"Far more beautiful than I imagined. I was shocked."
"Why tell such an obvious lie that'll get found out right away?"
"Beats me. Why did I?"
Do Cheon chuckled foolishly and followed behind Byeon Ryeo-gun.
The road back to Gui-ju Castle, home of the Tyrant Emperor Sect.
With each passing day, Baek Na-chal grew more short-tempered. Ha Gun-pyo was already irritated enough, but Baek Na-chal's snappishness only fueled his rage further. He'd shown his pathetic side twice in front of the woman he fancied, and worst of all, the Do Cheon who'd crushed him was now cozying up to Byeon Ryeo-gun. How could he not be furious?
In that situation, as Baek Na-chal's temper worsened right up to the gates of the Tyrant Emperor Sect, Ha Gun-pyo's own anger finally exploded.
"If you're that pissed, just kill the bastard by any means necessary. Don't take it out on me—figure out how to rip open his gut and tear him apart."
"Dad said not to—how am I supposed to?!"
"You gonna just die if master tells you to? It's your life! Time to step out of master's shadow!"
"Hey! What makes you think you'd be fine without Dad?!"
"That's why we need to stand on our own now. Get independent and pay them back with our own strength."
"How?"
"We'll kill him. I'll crush that punk right in front of Byeon Ryeo-gun. Slam him into the dirt and grind him underfoot."
"So how are you gonna build that strength?"
"We've got big brother."
"Big brother? He couldn't handle him either!"
"That's because he hasn't completed the Hell Demon Scripture. So we just need to complete the Hell Demon Scripture."
"How?"
"We need to find Blood Heaven."
"Where do we find Blood Heaven?"
"If we really look, we'll find him. Big brother's the real issue."
"Big brother?"
"He refuses to learn the Hell Demon Scripture."
"Oh, right."
"That's why we need to find out where the Hell Demon Scripture is."
"How?"
"We blackmail big brother."
"...!"
"Younger brother."
"Shut your mouth! You can do anything else, but not that. He's big brother. I put up with you mouthing off to Dad, but if you do it to big brother, I won't stand for it."
"If we learn the Hell Demon Scripture, we can kill that punk ourselves."
"Still, no touching big brother!"
"If you help, big brother won't get hurt."
"...?"
Baek Na-chal's ears perked up.
The matter of the Dongting Lake Waterway Stronghold had thrown the nearby strongholds into an uproar.
They were certain the veiled woman, a ferocious beast of a fighter, must be from the righteous factions, so they went around threatening nearby orthodox sects, demanding to know the identity of the Veiled Woman. The orthodox sects moved swiftly as well, strengthening ties among the local gangs to thoroughly guard against the unorthodox onslaught.
Word reached Byeon Ryeo-gun, leader of the Secret Shadow Pavilion in the Great Righteous Alliance, as she returned to the Iron Lion Sect: the area around the Yangtze was walking on thin ice, tense with apprehension.
"I've gone and lit the fuse for war."
Byeon Ryeo-gun sighed. But she didn't regret it. The Dongting Lake Waterway Stronghold's thugs were far too vicious and ruthless. Slaughtering mountain folk to "prevent a plague"—what nonsense!
"So it was you, Pavilion Leader."
Spear Freak Ga Gyeom-chang, vice leader of the Secret Shadow Pavilion, frowned.
He had intuited it was Byeon Ryeo-gun from the mention of the veiled woman and come straight to her.
"Yes, it was me. But they deserved to die."
"Then why not kill them all?"
"Pardon?"
"You left some alive, and now word's spread that the Veiled Woman did it."
Byeon Ryeo-gun had no retort.
She understood Ga Gyeom-chang's point and even agreed they should have been finished off. Ga Gyeom-chang grumbled as if she'd acted rashly, while Byeon Ryeo-gun felt awkward despite no regrets. Seeing this, Do Cheon interjected.
"Is that how a righteous faction member talks—so casually about killing?"
"No one disputes that life is precious above all distinctions of righteous or unorthodox. But sometimes, to safeguard the many, we must cut down the few."
"Preventing some hypothetical future by killing people—that makes you no different from those bastards."
"Even you, Young Master Do, would have done the same?"
Ga Gyeom-chang turned to ask. True to his role in intelligence, he seized the chance to learn about Do Cheon before letting anger take over.
"I would have killed them all."
Byeon Ryeo-gun looked at Do Cheon in response.
Ga Gyeom-chang's face showed surprise at the unexpected answer.
"People differ, so thoughts differ. What matters is whether it was wrong, and if not, we discuss the future, right?"
"You're saying it wasn't wrong?"
"What did Byeon Ryeo-gun do wrong? She punished inhuman monsters as a human should. If that's wrong, then the Great Righteous Alliance shouldn't exist at all."
"...!"
It was true. No matter how you sliced it, the Great Righteous Alliance existed to punish the wicked and forge a just world—that was why the righteous factions had formed it.
Ga Gyeom-chang couldn't argue further and turned to Byeon Ryeo-gun.
"Pavilion Leader, what now?"
Caught off guard by the sudden crisis, Byeon Ryeo-gun couldn't readily provide an answer. Then Do Cheon spoke up again.
"I have a way. Want to hear it?"
Ga Gyeom-chang turned. Byeon Ryeo-gun looked over as well.
"Speak."
"Say it was the Iron Lion Sect."
"...!"
"...?"
"The Iron Lion Sect's great disciple, furious over the mountain village he was close with, had his righteous heroine Byeon Ryeo-gun punish the Dongting Lake Waterway Stronghold. It has nothing to do with the righteous factions. And add that the still-enraged great disciple of the Iron Lion Sect won't let the Yangtze Eighteen Strongholds off once winter ends."
"Really?"
"Yes. Say it was the Iron Lion Sect's great disciple—no ties to the righteous factions. If they want revenge, tell them to come to the Iron Lion Sect. What more could they do than come at me?"
He was utterly calm despite making enemies of all the Yangtze Eighteen Strongholds. Ga Gyeom-chang looked to Byeon Ryeo-gun, questioning if it was truly fine.
Byeon Ryeo-gun stared at Do Cheon for a moment before speaking.
"If the King of the Yangtze Waterways prepares defenses, it'll be harder."
"It'll be easier."
"Why?"
"No need to find an excuse to strike the Yangtze."
"...!"
"My junior brother is different from me. He's got a strong sense of justice."
"That's just convincing Young Master Yi Yeol—doesn't make it easier."
"If the King of the Yangtze Waterways sends his underlings in anger, it'll be even easier. We can sit back comfortably and swat them down as they come. Then, when winter ends and we head to the Yangtze, their forces will be that much weaker."
It made logical sense. But surely it wasn't just for that reason that he was volunteering over her deed.
Byeon Ryeo-gun gazed silently at Do Cheon, who smiled softly before turning to Ga Gyeom-chang.
"Better to move fast before things blow up, right?"
"You sure that will work?"
"Yes. Please do it."
"Very well. If the Pavilion Leader has no objection, I'll take my leave."
Ga Gyeom-chang looked to Byeon Ryeo-gun.
"Please keep a close eye on the Yangtze's movements at least until next spring."
"We'll do that. Farewell."
Ga Gyeom-chang departed. Having found a solution, he vanished like the wind.
"Thank you."
"It's nothing compared to what you've done for me, Byeon Ryeo-gun. And as I said, if the King of the Yangtze Waterways sends underlings, it's a gain for me too. Even if he doesn't, nothing bad happens."
"It's not about gains or losses—you stepped up for justice. That's what I'm thankful for."
"You really think so?"
"Yes. I'm sincerely grateful."
"Then answer one thing for me."
"What?"
"Maybe it's just me, but I feel like we've gotten pretty close."
"And?"
"Friends can ask awkward questions, right?"
"What are you curious about?"
"Can I ask?"
"I'm more curious now. Why beat around the bush? Ask away."
Byeon Ryeo-gun looked at him with sparkling eyes, genuinely curious.
Do Cheon stared straight at her and finally voiced the question that had long puzzled him.
"What's the reason for the veil? Is it really because you're too beautiful?"
"...!"