Chapter 101
Chapter 101
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: Dang Yeowon
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‘The flow of the air has completely changed.’
Dang Hoseon, who had quietly taken his place behind the Dark Venerable’s seat, smiled.
It was because he could sense the enthusiasm rippling through the gathered crowd.
‘Even that sly old fox looks flustered in a way that’s unlike him.’
The instructor was still wearing his usual affable smile, but the corners of his eyes were trembling faintly.
He must have realized that not only had his attempt to elevate the Harmony Sect’s position failed, but the Tang Clan’s dominance would continue unabated.
Their grudge against the Tang Clan only held when there was a common enemy in the Mad Wind Corps.
But if they could share in that power, the story changed entirely.
Their shared goal would vanish.
From there, it was simple.
Just pull them in one by one.
If necessary, they could subtly push the Harmony Sect to the outside.
That would spell doom for the Harmony Sect.
Politics had always worked that way.
The side holding the reins pretends to loosen them while gripping even tighter, trapping those inside so they can’t escape.
By the time they woke up to reality, it was too late—they’d become utterly dependent, unable to break free.
That was the true essence of the Western Heaven Alliance the Dark Venerable envisioned.
‘As expected of the clan head. With him—’
Resolve gleamed in Dang Hoseon’s eyes.
The moment he had long awaited was truly just around the corner, spurring him on.
Then he turned his head to the side.
Standing next to him was someone with a sullen expression, showing no particular emotion.
It was Dang Yeowon.
‘Being dragged out here during training time must feel like a total waste to her.’
Knowing how much the Dark Venerable enjoyed teasing his granddaughter, Dang Hoseon couldn’t help but chuckle.
At that moment, Dang Yeowon caught his gaze and turned her head slightly toward him.
Dang Hoseon smiled faintly and mouthed the words.
『I heard the trip here was tough because of the clan head. You’ve been through a lot.』
『…I was just doing my duty. Thank you anyway.』
True to her taciturn nature, Dang Yeowon gave a slight nod.
She had always been like that.
The two shared a master-disciple bond of sorts in private.
Whenever Dang Hoseon visited the Tang family hall to offer martial guidance, Dang Yeowon’s eyes would sparkle silently.
『I should be the one thanking you. You saved Unhwi, I heard.』
『Yeah. It just sort of happened.』
『It’s been a while—how did he seem?』
『Hmm.』
Dang Yeowon recalled Unhwi sorting his inner energy with the Dark Venerable’s help inside the carriage.
A stranger who seemed to have no memory of her.
Did he know?
The rudeness he had inflicted on her long ago.
‘You—’
‘?’
‘You’re too scary!’
‘…….’
‘Agh! You hit my head! My head! I’ve got a bump now!’
‘…….’
‘Aaaah! It hurts! Stop hitting me!’
She had been so furious back then that she’d left a mountain of lumps on Unhwi’s head.
Still, it irked her a little even now.
『…He seemed like a different person. In many ways.』
The words carried layers of meaning.
* * *
Dang Yeowon didn’t actually harbor a bad impression of Unhwi, to whom she had been betrothed in the womb before she was even born.
Given the Dark Venerable and Dang Hoseon’s relationship, the Tang family hall and the Nine Dragons Branch Family had long exchanged frequent visits.
Thanks to that, she had often played with Unhwi, who had been dragged there by Dang Gyujin.
Unhwi had been timid and not great with words, which could be frustrating, but she knew his heart was kind, leaving her with fond memories.
No, if she delved deeper, she had actually liked him back then.
Why?
‘He was handsome. So fragile-looking, it stirred a protective instinct.’
From a young age, Dang Yeowon had firmly believed a husband had to be handsome.
‘Daughter, remember this. What are men?’
‘Their faces!’
‘Right. It’s all about the face. Men are basically all kids at heart. Even if they seem mature, marriage turns them into total babies. Imagine if your husband’s ugly? You’d boil with rage from the inside. But if he’s handsome? What do you think?’
‘It’d feel great!’
‘Exactly!’
‘Is that why you and Dad fight all the time?’
‘Oh my! This girl says whatever comes to mind. Ahem!!’
‘But Mom, you never actually said no… Sorry, Dad.’
In any case, Unhwi’s face had passed with flying colors.
But her childhood crush—not quite a crush—had crumbled soon enough.
‘Sorry! I… I’m scared of girls taller than me—’
Unhwi’s stammered blow had cut deep.
Dang Yeowon had frozen, speechless.
Rejected?
By me?
When all the boys in the neighborhood lined up at my door confessing?
I’m super pretty, straightforward, slim, and our family’s loaded?
Doesn’t that make me top-tier bride material?
It was utterly unforeseen.
‘Yeonga got dumped! Yeonga got rejected by Unhwi!’
‘Hey! It’s not like that!!’
‘Puhahaha!’
The problem was that her two idiot brothers(?), who happened to witness it, teased her endlessly about it.
Even Dang Gyujin had turned beet red, failing to hold back his laughter.
The memory of her jumping up and down, insisting they pretend it never happened, still burned vividly in her mind even a decade later.
That was why she had piled lumps on Unhwi’s head like a mountain.
Of course, a lot of time had passed since then, and with all her responsibilities now, she had little interest or excitement for marriage.
She had even planned to carefully broach the topic of breaking off the engagement during this visit to the Nine Dragons Branch Family.
Who could have predicted they’d run into each other like that?
She had been en route to the Nine Dragons Branch Family, keeping a tight watch on the Dark Venerable she’d finally captured to prevent another escape.
They’d coincidentally encountered Nine Dragons Branch warriors moving near Nine Dragons County outskirts, explained the situation, and headed that way.
Thank goodness the Dark Venerable arrived in time—otherwise, Unhwi might have been in real danger.
Who could have foreseen the North Sea Sect Master showing up alone in a place like that?
Dang Yeowon and the Verdant Elder Corps had arrived a step late, so they hadn’t clashed with him directly, but the traces left behind made it clear the battle with the Demon Ear Ghosts had been fierce.
Especially Unhwi, who was said to have shone brightest among them—the man she met after ten years—
“…He’s still handsome.”
『What?』
『Oh, nothing.』
It seemed she’d muttered to herself without realizing.
Anyway.
The Unhwi she’d run into by chance still carried the exact face she remembered.
The only difference was the aura he exuded, which felt entirely different.
Word had it his repressive family environment had left him as timid as ever.
But rumors apparently weren’t reliable—the figure rising from the carriage had struck her with a whole new impression.
She’d grumbled because of her embarrassing childhood memory.
Yet Unhwi had greeted her warmly, as if he’d forgotten everything, even making her feel a bit guilty.
Of course, that didn’t spark some fairy-tale rekindling of childhood feelings.
It was just simple gladness.
Like reuniting with a friend from childhood you hadn’t seen in ages, in the most unexpected place.
Plus, beyond his cheeky side, his demeanor toward her grandfather was impressive.
‘He’s already figured out who Grandpa is—his personality, speech, everything.’
Any Tang clansman might buckle under the weight of the Dark Venerable’s name, but Unhwi showed a hidden composure.
‘Breadth of mind, mental fortitude, eloquence… All exceptional. Enough to make me want to recruit him to the Verdant Elder Corps.’
How to put it?
In one phrase, Unhwi was a ‘righteous face with an unrighteous personality.’
His apparent failure to remember her properly irked her, but as a Tang clansman, he got full marks.
‘Maybe buy him a meal next time we meet.’
He seemed to be recovering and gearing up for the duel with the Lion Blade King.
She couldn’t help but wonder if he was doing okay.
* * *
At that moment, in the Azure Hall.
Was it thanks to the Dark Venerable’s treatment?
Dang Gyujin regained consciousness far sooner than Dang Gyujin had expected.
“Sister!”
“Sister, are you okay?”
Yu Sumin and Sama Seonui rushed over, gripping Dang Gyujin’s hands tightly.
Dang Gyujin nodded, her face pale but her energy steady.
It meant the Heaven-Earth One Qi Gate was functioning properly.
She’d be up in no time.
“Are you feeling better, sis?”
I nodded in relief too, but Dang Gyujin spoke up.
“Unhwi.”
“Yes. What is it?”
“I want to get stronger.”
Yu Sumin and Sama Seonui’s eyes widened.
So did mine.
「Everyone seems to be thinking along the same lines.」
「Makes sense—they’ve all felt the massive gap with the Divine Cult firsthand this time.」
After Gu Min-chae’s interrogation wrapped up, Yu Sumin and Sama Seonui had requested a private word with me.
‘We realized it. We’ve been too arrogant. Everyone called us prodigies, and we started believing it.’
There’s a saying: a frog in a well.
It only sees that much sky.
But once it hops out, it grasps how vast the real sky is.
People react in one of two ways: despair or rise anew.
Yu Sumin and Sama Seonui chose the latter.
Encountering the demonic cult’s new sky, they’d felt their own shortcomings acutely and sought to grip their swords afresh to match it.
Having learned the sword from me—who’d felled a Demonic Ten Lord—it must have spurred them even more.
I agreed to help without hesitation.
Exchanging with them was perfect training material for me as I sequentially mastered the Heavenly Demon Battle Swords.
‘Above all, I feel the need to grow stronger myself.’
The North Sea Sect Master had come right to our doorstep.
My takeaway from facing him: this wasn’t enough.
I had to get stronger.
Much stronger.
I needed to acquire not just the new Heavenly Demon Battle Swords but the Heavenly Demon Tiger Heart Technique to claim full qualifications.
But apparently, Dang Gyujin had reached a similar conclusion while unconscious.
I let out an involuntary chuckle.
The guests’ grand title of Vertical Death Three Origins wasn’t for nothing.
“Alright.”
“Thank—”
“But on one condition.”
“What?”
The same condition I’d given Yu Sumin and Sama Seonui.
“It’ll be hell. Still okay with that?”
Dang Gyujin grinned.
“That’s what I want.”
“Alright.”
I clasped Dang Gyujin’s hand firmly.
「Why do they all dig their own graves like this? Tsk tsk!」
「Humans are foolish creatures by nature. Turn your back, and they forget the past—」
And so.
True hell week began.
Reincarnation Demon God Chronicles