Chapter 139: Hidden Blade-2
Chapter 139: Hidden Blade-2
At that moment, Seonwoo Yeon-ha was meeting a young master named Baek Sang-yu, a newly recruited warrior of the Un Clan, her maternal family.
Seonwoo Yeon-ha crossed her arms and asked him in a cold voice.
"What brings you here again, Baek Daehyeop?"
But despite her feigned coldness, her heart was fluttering slightly.
Though this was only the second time she had seen him, he was truly a man so handsome that his face seemed to radiate light.
Seonwoo Yeon-ha was accustomed to the looks of the Seonwoo brothers, who were famous throughout the region as handsome siblings, but his appearance truly seemed to exist on an entirely different plane.
And that man was speaking to her with a beautiful smile.
"I came because I missed you, Sojeo."
It was the kind of statement that could make one's heart drop with a jolt.
Just as he had at their first meeting, this man casually tossed out such words as if they were nothing.
Seonwoo Yeon-ha thought to herself that if it weren't for Jeong-in, to whom she had already given her heart, she would have fallen for him completely. She replied coldly.
"How absurd. Don't the noble families manage their recruited warriors these days?"
At that bold retort, Baek Sang-yu — originally known as Sichuan's First Noble Son, Gu Yu-sang — burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! As expected, Sojeo, your replies always surpass my expectations. Hahahaha!"
Gu Yu-sang had never once in his life seen a woman who could speak to him like this.
Every other woman had always clung to him desperately after just one glimpse of his face.
And so, Gu Yu-sang was genuinely finding his conversations with Seonwoo Yeon-ha to be enjoyable.
He smiled faintly and asked again.
"Does it not occur to you that this humble one might be someone of considerable importance within the Un Clan?"
Every time she saw him smile, it was as if he scattered light, and she felt herself being drawn in against her will. But Seonwoo Yeon-ha struggled to keep her heart firmly in check.
'My heart already belongs to one person. This man is merely someone passing by.'
Having repeated that to herself, Seonwoo Yeon-ha was able to answer once more in a frosty tone.
"Important? Unless one is the Family Head, the truly important people in a clan are far busier than this. You aren't trying to claim you're more important than the Family Head, are you?"
Though that was actually true, Gu Yu-sang merely smiled faintly.
The way this young lady bristled was as endearing as a cute kitten being playful.
Gu Yu-sang smiled faintly and gazed at Seonwoo Yeon-ha with gentle eyes.
Feeling as though she couldn't endure it any longer, Seonwoo Yeon-ha hastily changed the subject.
"And this is no time to be so leisurely. Word will spread soon, but Father has decided on First Oppa as the successor."
Seonwoo Yeon-ha's intention hit its mark.
At those words, Gu Yu-sang's expression hardened instantly.
"First Oppa... you mean Seonwoo Seong Gongja has been named the successor of the Seonwoo Clan?"
"It hasn't been formally finalized yet, but it's as good as confirmed. He declared that the successor will be decided solely through a martial arts contest a week from now. First Oppa's martial arts have already reached the first-rate intermediate level, so there's no way the other oppas could compete. You'd best return to the clan quickly, inform your Family Head, and devise a countermeasure. Wouldn't you agree, important recruited warrior?"
Gu Yu-sang furrowed his brow.
Originally, the Un Clan, Seonwoo Yeon-ha's maternal family, had been backing the fourth son, Seonwoo Gi.
The Seogidang, Seonwoo Gi's maternal family, was weak in influence. Since Seonwoo Yeon-ha, backed by the powerful Un Clan as her maternal family, was a woman and thus could not become the successor, the two factions had allied to oppose the eldest son Seonwoo Seong and Seonwoo Hyeok, whose maternal family was the Ha Clan.
That was why Gu Yu-sang had also been entertaining the idea of seizing control of the Seonwoo Clan through Seonwoo Yeon-ha and Seonwoo Gi.
But to suddenly decide the successor in such a manner...
'This is strange. The reason they hadn't been able to name a successor until now must have been out of consideration for the backlash from the other factions. Has he suddenly gained some measure to suppress that opposition?'
Thinking this, Gu Yu-sang asked Seonwoo Yeon-ha again.
"Could you explain the situation in more detail?"
Seonwoo Yeon-ha then told him about the promised martial match with the Jegal Clan, and that it had been decided that win or lose, they would become one family with the Jegal Clan.
'The Jegal Clan! So that was it.'
If he had set his course toward subordination to the Jegal Clan, then there certainly would no longer be any need to heed the reactions of the other factions.
After all, the Jegal Clan was a colossal power on an entirely different level from the forces that merely dominated the Guizhou region.
And that was nothing but troublesome news for Gu Yu-sang, who had his sights set on the Seonwoo Clan.
It meant that if the Jegal Clan was the opponent, he would have no choice but to withdraw.
It seemed some sort of countermeasure would indeed be necessary.
At that moment, Seonwoo Yeon-ha spoke again.
"And in a few days..."
It was just as Seonwoo Yeon-ha was about to speak about the visit of Seonwoo Jung and Seonwoo Seong to the Dan Family Estate.
Suddenly, a voice that sounded like someone wailing was heard.
"Yeon-ha-yaaaaa!"
When Seonwoo Yeon-ha and Gu Yu-sang turned abruptly to look, they could see Seonwoo Jin running toward them, practically in rags and on the verge of tears.
"Yeon-ha-ya! Gi, that bastard beat me up like this, what do you say to that?! If you had been there, you could have stopped him! Oppa seriously thought he was going to die!"
At that wretched sight, Gu Yu-sang furrowed his brow and asked.
"Who is that?"
Seonwoo Yeon-ha looked at Seonwoo Jin with eyes full of pity and answered.
"It's Third Oppa, home on leave from the front lines. I wondered if he might have changed a bit since he lost so much weight, but seeing him act like this, he's the same pathetic fool as before."
But in Seonwoo Yeon-ha's eyes as she spoke, there lingered a hint of relief.
She didn't know how he had survived, but didn't it seem like her idiot oppa had no idea that she had put poison in his rice balls?
As Seonwoo Yeon-ha was thinking such thoughts, Seonwoo Jin, battered and bruised all over, arrived before her, practically stomping his feet on the ground.
"Yeon-ha-ya! Gi really tried to kill me!"
Seonwoo Yeon-ha let out a sigh and began to soothe him in a gentle voice.
"It's alright, Oppa. Gi Oppa can't have truly meant it. Look. You're a mess, but you don't have any broken bones, do you?"
"R-really?"
"Yes, it's alright. Let's go in and I'll apply some medicine, and you'll be perfectly fine."
"Y-yes. Whenever you applied the medicine, it always healed well."
Having soothed Seonwoo Jin as if calming a child, Seonwoo Yeon-ha now looked at Gu Yu-sang and spoke.
"I think I must go inside now. Don't waste time on useless talk and return to the clan quickly. You need to devise a countermeasure."
At her words, Gu Yu-sang, who had been looking at Seonwoo Jin as if he were an insect, nodded reluctantly and launched himself away.
To think that because of such a wretched creature, he had once again failed to win Seonwoo Yeon-ha's heart — he felt like killing him on the spot.
But he couldn't do that yet.
Gu Yu-sang decided to return for now, thinking that he would crush that insect-like bastard someday.
As she had said, this was a time to prepare countermeasures.
And Seonwoo Jin smiled secretly as he watched the retreating figure of Gu Yu-sang.
It seemed he had succeeded in leaving a good first impression, after all.
***
After changing into fresh clothes, I headed to the indoor training ground to carry out the next part of my schedule.
The people I had requested of Father would be waiting there by now.
The Seonwoo Clan had four elders, and its military force, the Divine Eagle Unit, existed in four divisions, from the First to the Fourth.
They were, without doubt, the people who could be called the core of the Seonwoo Clan's fighting strength.
But...
'Are they truly people loyal only to the Seonwoo Clan?'
If someone were to ask that, there wouldn't be many who could answer with confidence.
Of course, I could understand it.
It must not have been easy to maintain one's original resolve without being swept into factional strife within the already fractious Seonwoo Clan.
'But just because I can understand, doesn't mean I can tolerate it.'
Suddenly, a memory from his past life surfaced, and his teeth ground together.
In his past life, when he had been forced to become the family head of the Seonwoo Clan, the clan's military strength had already been reduced to tatters.
This was because the Elders and the commanders of the Divine Eagle Units had each colluded with the maternal families of different brothers, and after losing the succession struggle, they had either become estranged or even betrayed the Seonwoo Clan.
Thus, knowing the future, he absolutely could not leave them be.
'I had to crack down on those who could be controlled before such things happened, and cut down those who would betray us in advance.'
That was his current line of thinking.
However, the people he was now asking his father to let him meet were those who stood on the opposite side of such traitors.
They were the grateful people who had steadfastly protected the crumbling Seonwoo Clan until he became the family head in his past life. He was now trying to meet them.
After all, solidifying one's allies before striking at the enemy was the natural order of things.
When he opened the door and entered the indoor training hall, his father, Grand Elder Heo Jin-guk, and the Divine Eagle Squad Commander Dam Mu-ho, along with some fifty Divine Eagle Squad members, were waiting.
His father welcomed him with a warm smile.
"Have you come, Jin?"
"Yes, I am a little late because I had to let Gi that bastard hit me. I apologize."
He then turned his eyes to the others.
Grand Elder Heo Jin-guk and Divine Eagle Squad Commander Dam Mu-ho offered him a respectful clasped-hand salute.
"We greet the Third Young Master."
"We greet the Third Young Master."
But their expressions were not very bright.
It seemed they were not particularly pleased that the person they had gathered so much for was him.
Grand Elder Heo Jin-guk asked him directly.
"But, Young Master, for what business have you sought us out?"
He was known by the alias Five Flying Swords because his right hand appeared to multiply into five when wielding a sword. Alongside his father, Seonwoo Jung, he was one of only two peak-level masters in the Seonwoo Clan.
He had a stiff personality, did not know how to use flattering words, and was criticized as a lone wolf who could not manage personal relationships or build his own faction.
So, in his past life, he had not liked him very much either.
But now, he knew the truth.
He knew that this man, who never compromised with anyone, had protected the Seonwoo Clan without compromising until his very last moment.
And so, to him, this man was nothing short of someone he felt deeply sorry toward and immensely grateful to.
With these feelings in his heart, he looked at him for a moment before speaking.
"I wish to test the skills of the Grand Elder and the Divine Eagle Squad."
At that, the man looked at him with an incredulous gaze and asked again.
"You say you wish to test our skills? The Third Young Master, who just said he was beaten by the Fourth Young Master, is saying this?"
Given what he knew of him, such a question was only natural.
He smirked and slowly drew Mukrang.
For a martial artist, words were unnecessary when proving oneself.
"Haaap!"
Hwaaaak!
In an instant, an explosive sword aura burst forth from Mukrang.
It was a sword aura so large and vivid that neither his father nor the Grand Elder, who had only just entered the peak level, could dare to approach it.
"Huh...!"
"Wha, wha, what...!"
"Ho, how is the Third Young Master...?!"
This much alone should have been enough to prove himself.
But he had no intention of stopping here.
Concentrating his internal energy, he swung his sword and unleashed it all at once.
The Fourteenth Form of the Seonwoo Thirteen Swords.
The Vermilion Bird Manifestation.
Piiiiiiiiiiik!
A great, pale purple phoenix spread its wings wide from his Mukrang and soared up, beating the air.
Then, it began to fiercely swoop down upon the Grand Elder and the Divine Eagle Squad members.
Piiiiiiiiiiii!
"Urgh?!"
"Aaaaaaaargh!"
Terrified, they instinctively covered their faces with their hands.
It was an instinctive action, as they had no time even to draw their swords.
But at that moment, he let out another martial shout.
"Hyaaaap!"
Then, the phoenix, changing direction in an instant, shot up toward the roof.
Kwaaaaaaaang!
Now, the people inside were so stunned they could utter no sound at all.
They merely stared blankly at the gaping hole the phoenix had pierced through the roof.
He smirked and spoke again.
"You had best give it your all. That is, if you do not wish to be harassed by me, who was known as the disgrace of the Seonwoo Clan."
Then, among the people staring at him with dazed eyes, he caught sight of his father's face, the only one looking at him with a deeply moved expression.
For the first time in his life, he felt as if he were performing an act of filial piety.
***
The Ha Clan, located in Guiyang, the provincial capital of Guizhou, was the mightiest martial clan in Guiyang—one that once, alongside the Seonwoo Clan, had divided the city. No, it was no exaggeration to say they had divided it in the past, but now they effectively dominated it.
And now, two of the Ha Clan's elite armed units, over a hundred warriors, were preparing to sortie at once.
The family head of the Ha Clan, Ha Gu-yang, spoke to the commanders of the Baekho First and Second Squads, who were just about to depart.
"According to intelligence, the party heading to the Dan Family Estate consists only of the family head, Seonwoo Jung, and his eldest son, Seonwoo Seong. We checked several times, but seeing that neither the Elders nor the armed detachments moved, this seems certain. But do not let your guard down. Although the Seonwoo Clan has declined, the Seonwoo Thirteen Swords are no trivial sword technique. Seonwoo Jung himself is also no trivial man."
"Yes! Family Head!"
"Yes! Family Head!"
Twenty-some years ago, the Seonwoo Clan, a rival of the Ha Clan, had suffered the worst catastrophe when their masters were annihilated in a battle against villainous foes of the evil faction.
And this presented a golden opportunity that could not have been better for their rival, the Ha Clan, which had divided Guiyang with the Seonwoo Clan.
However, Ha Gu-yang, who was already the family head at that time, could not bring himself to make the easy decision to strike the Seonwoo Clan.
Having long observed the Seonwoo Clan's true strength, he knew that no matter how weakened they were, he would have to brace for considerable damage. Above all, as a righteous faction, they simply lacked justification to attack the Seonwoo Clan, which had been weakened while fending off the evil faction's villains.
Thus, Ha Gu-yang had no choice but to content himself with accepting the marriage proposal the Seonwoo Clan had conveniently offered at that time.
But the result had been quite satisfying.
'Though it was something I had no choice but to do, even thinking back now, it was a fairly decent choice.'
Over the twenty-some years since then, the power gap between the two factions only grew wider as time passed.
And above all, through his position as Seonwoo Jung's father-in-law and his correspondence with his married daughter, Ha Gu-yang had become able to effectively control the Seonwoo Clan at will.
So now, he felt that if only his maternal grandson, Seonwoo Hyeok, would become the family head of the Seonwoo Clan, he could finalize the complete subjugation of the Seonwoo Clan.
But then....
Ha Gu-yang thought, grinding his teeth.
'How dare that bastard Seonwoo Jung hand the succession to a boy backed by the likes of the Gaeyang Sect?'
It was something Ha Gu-yang could never tolerate.
Because it meant losing the Seonwoo Clan, which he had thought was practically in the palm of his hand.
Moreover, according to his daughter's message, did they not even have a plan to be absorbed into the Jegal Clan?
He absolutely could not remain idle.
Ha Gu-yang once again ordered the Baekho Squad commanders.
"Bear in mind, and bear it again. You must definitely kill Seonwoo Jung and his son Seonwoo Seong, and you must leave absolutely no trace of our involvement. Their deaths must be made to look like a murder carried out by the grudge-bearing Dan Family. Do you understand?!"
At his repeated orders, the Baekho Squad commanders shouted in unison.
"Yes! Family Head! Worry not!"
Only then did Ha Gu-yang nod with satisfaction.
In truth, he was convinced that even without going this far, there was absolutely no chance of failure.
Because a hundred warriors from the armed units, including the peak-level masters—the First Squad Commander Gan Jong-chi and Second Squad Commander Guk Sa-hang—could not possibly fail to kill just two men.
Ha Gu-yang smiled greedily.
It seemed the day to subjugate the Seonwoo Clan was not far off now.