Chapter 154: Zhuge Seo-yul's Heart
Chapter 154: Zhuge Seo-yul's Heart
Gaeyang Gate of Gaeyang, Gwiju Castle.
The atmosphere of Gaeyang Gate, which had barely managed to fend off the Blood Cult's attack thanks to the help of a weirdo called the Cheonghong Ssanggeom, was extremely grim at present.
It was because over half of the hundred-plus Black Five Squad members, the pride of Gaeyang Gate, had perished, turning the place completely into a house of mourning.
Fortunately, the Gaeyang Gate Master had at least managed to survive, but even so, it seemed that Gaeyang Gate's recovery to its former glory would be an exceedingly difficult task.
In contrast, the mood of the party from the Seonwoo clan was not so bad, relatively speaking.
There had been some bloodshed among the warriors, but the key figures — the eldest young master Seonwoo Seong, the only daughter Seonwoo Yeon-ha, and the Jegal clan's honored guests Jegal Ji-yong and Jegal Seoyul — were all unharmed.
That was, however, only until the letter from the Seonwoo clan arrived.
When the letter sent by Seonwoo Jung arrived and Seonwoo Seong read it aloud, everyone was utterly horrified by what was written inside.
Reading the letter before the party, Seonwoo Seong stared at Seonwoo Yeon-ha with a dazed expression and muttered.
"I-is this really...?"
The beginning of the letter stated that the Seonwoo clan had also been attacked by Blood Cultists.
But up to that point, it was fine.
They had safely repelled them, so that was rather fortunate.
The problem was what followed.
Seonwoo Jung said he had identified the mastermind behind the assault from the Blood Cultists who had invaded the Seonwoo clan.
Namely, that it was the Un clan.
At that news, the entire party was greatly shocked.
And then, with a trembling voice, Seonwoo Seong read the next part, which was even more shocking, while looking at Seonwoo Yeon-ha.
"The Un clan... is already in a state of being Blood Cult puppets, and the ones who attacked Gaeyang Gate also came to prevent Yeon-ha's marriage and to kill me?"
At that, everyone's gaze instantly turned toward Seonwoo Yeon-ha.
Her face had already been starting to grow flustered the moment the talk of the Un clan came up, and when the part about preventing the marriage was mentioned, it had gone utterly pale.
Seonwoo Seong asked with a horrified expression.
"And what's more... the one who directly asked the Un clan to prevent the marriage was you, Yeon-ha? Is-is this truly the truth?"
Seonwoo Yeon-ha trembled and shook her head frantically.
"N-no, orabeoni! I-I never asked them to prevent it in this way...!"
In that moment, both Seonwoo Yeon-ha, who was shaking her head, and Seonwoo Seong, who was listening, froze.
Because they immediately realized what she had just said, and what those words meant.
"...So it is true that you asked them to prevent it."
With a hollow expression, Seonwoo Seong let out a mirthless laugh before immediately moving to seal her acupoints.
Tatak!
"!"
Seonwoo Yeon-ha stared at him with horrified eyes, but already sealed, she could no longer say a single word.
Looking at his younger sister in that state, Seonwoo Seong spoke coldly.
"Father says not to inform Gaeyang Gate of the detailed situation and to bring you back as quickly as possible. Your disposition will be decided by Father himself."
Tears welled up in Seonwoo Yeon-ha's eyes, which had dilated wide with shock.
But now, no one looking at her was sending a gaze of sympathy.
Seonwoo Seong went to the shell-shocked Gaeyang Gate Master to console him, and explained that because the Seonwoo clan had also been attacked, they needed to return to the Seonwoo clan quickly.
Meanwhile, Jegal Seoyul surveyed the acupoint-sealed Seonwoo Yeon-ha and the Gaeyang Gate, which had become a house of mourning, with a complicated gaze.
Everything was unfolding far too rapidly.
And somehow, it all seemed to be connected to him — the one who was not present here.
She suddenly recalled the pale-faced Blue-Clothed Weirdo who had appeared like a ghost and saved them.
'Was he truly... Young Master Seonwoo Jin?'
It was an absurd notion, something no one would ever believe.
That Young Master Seonwoo Jin, called the disgrace of the Seonwoo clan, had defeated that monstrous demon head and saved them.
But the more Jegal Seoyul thought about it, the more certain she became that it was indeed Seonwoo Jin.
That gaze, that build, and moreover, that mysterious aura.
Jegal Seoyul glanced at her uncle Jegal Ji-yong, who stood beside her with a serious expression, lost in thought.
It occurred to her that perhaps she should tell him about her suspicions.
"Um, Uncle..."
At that moment, Jegal Ji-yong spoke to her first.
"Things are clearly far from ordinary, Seoyul. We must not let our guard down, it seems."
"...Pardon? What do you mean?"
At that, Jegal Ji-yong began explaining to her with serious eyes.
"This uncle of yours has thought from the very beginning that this entire affair stemmed from the schemes of Seonwoo Jung, the clan head. A scheme to use us to clean house within the Seonwoo clan and solidify the succession of the eldest, Young Master Seonwoo Seong."
At his words, Jegal Seoyul nodded with a puzzled look. It was something she had already heard.
But Jegal Ji-yong continued speaking.
"So I have been thinking that this current visit to Gaeyang Gate was a bit strange. Because to send Seonwoo Seong, the successor, to Gaeyang Gate with Seonwoo Yeon-ha, while they are in the middle of rooting out other factions, would be far too dangerous."
"Ah, I... see."
That much Jegal Seoyul could fully understand.
In fact, having been attacked by Blood Cultists said to be from the Un clan, it even resonated viscerally.
At that, Jegal Ji-yong glanced around carefully before conveying his next words cautiously.
"But... looking at all these events, it also occurs to me that perhaps the Seonwoo clan head was deliberately trying to have Young Master Seonwoo Seong eliminated."
Those words startled Jegal Seoyul greatly.
If they eliminated Seonwoo Seong, who was clearly meant to be the successor, then who in the world would become the successor of the Seonwoo clan?
"What?! But if that happens...!"
"Yes, if that happens, the only person left to become the successor of the Seonwoo clan would be the fourth young master, Seonwoo Gi. And he is clearly someone who cannot be considered better than Young Master Seonwoo Seong. That is why this uncle cannot yet be certain on that point either. But..."
Having spoken up to there, Jegal Ji-yong let out a heavy sigh with a grave expression and opened his mouth again.
"This uncle had also thought it tremendously astonishing that we managed to survive unscathed. That we could survive without a scratch despite being attacked by peak-level demon heads including the Bloodsucking Demon No Jo-song, truly, it was heaven-sent luck. And yet... the Seonwoo clan also survived unscathed, they say. If the Bloodsucking Demon came to us, then surely those sent to them were not easy opponents either. Could all this really be possible by mere coincidence? This uncle simply cannot know."
Jegal Seoyul could understand what he was saying.
Because Seonwoo Jin's handsome face surfaced once more in her mind.
His face, which she suspected might have orchestrated all of this...
Jegal Ji-yong spoke as if delivering a verdict, with a look of helplessness.
"I intend to report all of this to the Jegal clan from now on. The fact that the demon heads of the Blood Cult have brazenly attacked the martial clans of Gwiju will likely cause an uproar. And... if even accompanying us here was a ploy to make us report the Blood Cult's appearance to the Murim Alliance, then this uncle is sincerely beginning to fear Seonwoo Jung, that man. So you must never let your guard down either. Because there is absolutely no way that such a Seonwoo clan head would have proposed a duel to simply hand the Seonwoo clan over to us."
At those words, Jegal Seoyul went blank, as if struck on the back of the head.
He was right.
There was no way that Seonwoo Jin, the one she suspected of planning all this, would have the mere notion of making Seonwoo Seong the successor of the Seonwoo clan.
He was too outstanding.
No, excessively outstanding.
So outstanding that even her uncle Jegal Ji-yong, considered one of the sharpest minds in the Jegal clan, had not suspected him in the slightest until this situation came to pass.
Jegal Seoyul entertained a certain hypothesis in her mind.
'What if the successor of the Seonwoo clan is not Seonwoo Seong, but Young Master Seonwoo Jin?'
At that, goosebumps suddenly rose.
If so, then everything was explained.
All these affairs of eliminating the factions influencing the Seonwoo clan.
'Th-then the successor of the Seonwoo clan who will duel me is...?'
It was Seonwoo Jin.
The person who would duel her and decide the relationship with the Jegal clan was not Seonwoo Seong, but Seonwoo Jin.
Her heartbeat suddenly began to quicken.
Just until yesterday, Jegal Seoyul had taken victory in the duel for granted.
Because she had thought there was absolutely no way she could lose to the likes of Seonwoo Seong.
Even if she had thought the duel opponent was Seonwoo Jin, it would have been the same.
No matter how much he hid his skills, she had never imagined he could be a match for her.
But today was different.
The image of that weirdo surfaced in her mind once more.
'If that weirdo is truly Young Master Seonwoo Jin...'
She recalled the overwhelming martial prowess he had displayed.
The sight of him felling a peak-level demon head, an equal to herself, with a single sword strike, and even the sight of him single-handedly slaughtering the monstrous Bloodsucking Demon, who possessed over ninety years of internal energy.
Jegal Seoyul shook her head unconsciously.
If that was Seonwoo Jin, the outcome was obvious.
There was no way she could possibly win.
And that meant, soon...
'Don't tell me... I have to become his wife and a member of the Seonwoo clan?'
In that moment, Jegal Seoyul felt her mind go dizzy.
Because it was a shocking conclusion she had never even imagined.
At that, her uncle Jegal Ji-yong suddenly asked her in a worried tone.
"Seoyul, are you alright? Your face suddenly turned bright red. Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
"Wh-what?"
At her uncle's question, she suddenly touched her own cheeks with both hands.
Then she could feel the heat of her own skin, which had grown hot before she knew it.
She was flustered.
Her heart... was fluttering.
"N-no, Uncle. I am fine."
Jegal Seoyul smiled hastily and reassured her uncle.
Then she tried to calm her racing heart.
In the end, Jegal Seoyul could not bring herself to broach the subject of Seonwoo Jin with her uncle.
It was for a reason that even she herself could not precisely explain.
***
"Third Young Master, did you sleep well?!"
"Third Young Master, was your night peaceful?!"
I smiled brightly and returned the greeting to the warriors who bowed at a right angle.
"I slept well. It's a fine morning."
"Yes! It certainly is!"
"May your day be peaceful as well, Third Young Master!"
A bitter laugh escaped me at the sight of the warriors, their eyes sparkling as they shouted back just because I had offered a reply.
This morning, every single warrior I encountered was deliberately running up to me and greeting me like that.
Whereas just two days ago, they would only reluctantly offer a greeting if we made direct eye contact.
This was all a change that occurred after yesterday's fierce battle with the Hell's Blood Monk.
'It's not that it feels bad, but it is a bit bitter, though.'
It was only natural for warriors to acknowledge and follow the strong.
But still, the bitter feeling was unavoidable. Because human relationships weren't solely built on such things.
However, I soon shook my head, shook off the thought, and resumed walking.
They too were people I had to accept and take responsibility for.
Just as in my past life.
The place I was heading to now was a detached building located on the outskirts of the Seonwoo family estate.
It had been a very long time since I'd last been there....
My feelings on the way there after so long became oddly strange.
Because it was the place where my mother had resided a very long time ago.
And right now, someone else was temporarily staying there.
Standing before the gate of the detached building, I asked.
"By chance, have you risen?"
Then a woman's clear voice came from within.
"Yes! Please enter, Gongja!"
When I opened the door and went in, the face of a beautiful woman, somewhat pale yet still looking lively enough, came into view.
"Are you feeling somewhat better, So Seonbae?"
Then she smiled playfully and answered.
"Fufufu, my body is so-so, but my mood is very good. To think the day would come when I'd hear the word 'Seonbae' from an orthodox faction prodigy like Seonu Gongja."
I answered with a soft smile.
"Would addressing you as 'Seonbae' be too much for a benefactor who protected my family? If you wish, I could even call you Sojeo."
Then she made a slightly flustered expression for a moment before bursting into peals of laughter.
"Huh? Kyahahaha! To call a woman past forty like me Sojeo, it seems Gongja wants to tease this old lady."
"Not at all. Outwardly, you look to be the same age as me."
Those words weren't entirely a lie.
Not quite the same age, but she truly looked far too young.
Not only her taut skin and appearance, but her distinctively mischievous atmosphere added to that feeling.
Late twenties to early thirties?
Considering her original age was in her forties, it was an astoundingly youthful appearance.
After laughing for a good while, she finally stopped and asked me with gentle eyes.
"My mood has improved thanks to you. You're a Gongja who knows how to lift a woman's spirits. Now, if you have anything you're curious about, feel free to ask. You came here for that anyway, right?"
I nodded and asked point-blank.
"Could you tell me about the Blood Cult forces secretly operating within Gwijuseong? Including the Hao Gate branch."
That was extremely crucial intelligence for purging the Blood Cult followers in Gwijuseong.
Of course, I already had some information provided by No Sam-ryong, the branch leader of the Hao Gate in Gwiyang, but I figured that she, as the former Hao Gate leader, would possess even more information.
And I needed cross-verification as well.
Then she let out a sigh and answered.
"What would I bother hiding at this point? Most of the Hao Gate members who followed me, not the Blood Cult, were already killed by Gu Yu-sang anyway. I'll tell you everything. First of all, you'd know about the Un clan...."
She immediately began listing all the places where the Blood Cult's influence had reached.
My eyes glinted as I contrasted what she said with the information I already knew.
The details she provided were indeed more thorough than the intelligence No Sam-ryong had given me.
Listening to her, I clenched my fist tightly.
Finally, it had become possible to completely annihilate the Blood Cult's influence in Gwijuseong.
Of course, I would have to deal with Gu Yu-sang first, though.
"...Of course, the things I've mentioned so far are intelligence from up until a few months ago, when I was the Hao Gate leader. So the situation might have changed somewhat by now. Was it of any help?"
I answered with a soft smile.
"Absolutely, Seonbae. It was of tremendous help."
Then, as if suddenly surrendering, she raised both hands in the air and asked me.
"Well then, what happens to me now? Now that you've extracted all the intelligence, will you discard me? Kill me? Or imprison me? Although, this is my request: please, just don't hand me over to the Murim Alliance or the Blood Cult."
At her playful cheekiness, I couldn't help but let out a chuckle.
Truly, she was a cheerful person, hard to believe she was a demonic leader of the Blood Cult.
And it was even harder to believe that she was the infamous Chaos Soul Witch who gained notoriety during the past Great Blood War.
But her words were certainly correct.
She was clearly a notorious demonic leader of the Blood Cult, and I had to decide how to deal with her.
I suddenly spoke to her.
"I have one thing I'm curious about."
"Yes, yes, ask whatever you like. I'm fully ready to open my heart."
She was certainly strange.
The last time I met him, old man Seok Gyeong-dal had said he deliberately made himself half-paralyzed.
In order to prevent the madness that accompanied Blood Cult martial arts.
But how could So Nan-so, the Chaos Soul Witch, who had reached a far higher realm of the transcendent peak than even old man Seok Gyeong-dal, remain so perfectly fine?
How was that possible?
"As I understand it, I've heard that if you learn Blood Cult martial arts, you gradually become eroded by madness. Yet So Seonbae, you don't seem like that at all. May I know the reason?"
Then So Nan-so let out a small sigh and answered.
"Mm, Seonu Gongja is right. If you learn the martial arts of the Blood Cult, you gradually get swept up in madness. You lose control of your emotions and come to take pleasure in blood.... I was the same before I came here, too."
"By 'here,' do you mean Gwijuseong?"
"Yes. Even up until I first arrived here in Gwijuseong, I planned to gradually tighten our grip on the city according to the Blood Demon's orders. But then...."
According to her story, she was apparently originally a gisaeng from Gwijuseong.
And upon returning to her hometown, the very first person she met was her childhood friend, No Sam-ryong, the branch leader of the Hao Gate in Gwiyang.
And No Sam-ryong, worried about her as she was falling into madness, had given her a book, calling it a secret method for disciplining the mind.
And that book was something I also knew quite well.
Upon hearing the name of the book, I asked back in surprise.
"Did you say it was the Great Calm Mind Technique?"
"That's right. At first, I scoffed at it, but I did come to think there was something wrong with my state, since I kept harboring killing intent even toward my old friend Sam-ryong. So I decided to try learning it, figuring I had nothing to lose. Amazingly, as I learned it, I became able to look back on my past actions. I was able to escape the madness. Of course, I'm sure it's hard for Seonu Gongja to easily believe, but that Great Calm Mind Technique really...."
A hollow laugh suddenly escaped me.
To think I'd hear the name of the Great Calm Mind Technique again here.
I suddenly cut off her words and asked.
"By chance, was that Great Calm Mind Technique also bundled together with the Iron Arhat Mind Technique and the Arhat Fist?"
Then her eyes went wide.
"Huh? How does Seonu Gongja know that?"
I could no longer suppress my laughter and answered, my face completely brightening.
"I learned it too. So I can fully believe Seonbae's words."
"Pardon? Is that true?"
Looking into her surprised eyes, I suddenly thought of Master Gwanggeom.
That thanks to the Great Calm Mind Technique that Master had released into the world, the Chaos Soul Witch So Nan-so regained her sanity, and that she in turn protected my father against the Hell's Blood Monk Chuk Ho-tak.
I felt like invisible strings of connection were intricately woven together.
Once more, I was grateful to Master.
At that moment, as if something had suddenly occurred to her, So Nan-so asked me cautiously.
"Then, by chance, the martial arts that Seonu Gongja learned...?"
From her cautious gaze looking at me, I could immediately tell what thought had crossed her mind.
She was probably recalling how, unable to escape the Moonlight Illusion Sword Dance, I had torn Chuk Ho-tak to shreds.
Recalling that moment made even my own back feel damp.
It had been a moment where I'd almost been consumed by the Moonlight Illusion Sword Dance without realizing it.
I had only deployed up to the second form, Hyeon Wol, yet in that moment, I had fallen into a hallucinatory state and couldn't control myself.
If I had stayed in that state just a little longer, there was no telling what I might have done even to So Nan-so.
'That was really dangerous.'
What had awakened my mind at that time was, amusingly, my father's worried shout.
At the sound of my father's voice shouting, 'Jin-a!', I had been able to snap to my senses and realize what state I was in.
It suddenly made me wonder if this was why you're supposed to learn to drink in front of your parents.
I answered So Nan-so with a bitter smile.
"What I learned is not a Blood Cult martial art. However, it does have some mentally dangerous aspects, so I too am greatly indebted to the Great Calm Mind Technique."
"Ah!"
She nodded with a bright face.
She seemed to feel a sense of camaraderie from the fact that we had both learned the same Great Calm Mind Technique.
And I felt the same way.
Now that I had confirmed she had learned the Great Calm Mind Technique and escaped madness, there seemed to be no further need to harbor suspicions about her.
I asked her.
"Well then, what are Seonbae's plans now? Do you have somewhere else to go?"
Then she answered with a slightly surprised expression.
"Huh? Is it okay for you to just let me go? I'm...."
She didn't finish her words, but I could fully guess what she was going to say.
She must have been about to say that she was the Chaos Soul Witch of the Blood Cult, a public enemy of the martial world.
I answered with a soft smile.
"How could we dare to stop a benefactor who protected the Seonwoo family from going wherever she wishes? Though we would certainly like to serve Seonbae for a longer time. If you have no place to go, could we perhaps welcome you as a guest within our Seonwoo family?"
Then her gaze, which had been full of surprise, gradually shifted to mischief.
"Hmm, I do have many places to go, but if you plead so earnestly... shall I give it a try?"
To her, asking like that with a playful smile, I too answered with a playful smile.
"If you would only agree to that, it would be an unparalleled honor for our Seonwoo family. We shall do our utmost to serve Seonbae."
It was fortunate.
If it was her, she would be able to protect my father and the Seonwoo clan even while I returned to the frontlines.
And No Sam-ryong would keep the intelligence about her under good control.
Everything was perfect.