Chapter 169: So Sik-2
Chapter 169: So Sik-2
In the Outer Hall Forest of the Sichuan Dang Clan.
Dang Yeo-eun usually came here to train with the White Crane Old Sword Yang Mun-heon.
"Hooooo!"
Dang Yeo-eun, who had just finished sparring with Yang Mun-heon's sworn younger brother, the Je Un Swordmaster Byeok Ri-jung, exhaled deeply and greeted him with a bright face.
"Thank you for your instruction, Elder Byeok."
Byeok Ri-jung chuckled with satisfaction and praised her.
"You've improved again. Of all the girls in their twenties I've ever seen, no one surpasses you. Hyung, at this rate, your honorary granddaughter might become the greatest woman under heaven—no, the greatest person under heaven."
But the answer came not from Yang Mun-heon, but from the diminutive, monkey-like old man beside him, the Red Sea Child Jeung Chil.
He laughed frivolously and retorted.
"Kheheheh! How dare you reduce my little sister to something as trivial as the greatest under heaven! With talent, character, beauty, and even fortunate encounters, shouldn't she be worthy of being the supreme one of all time?! Am I right, Brother Yang... no, Grandfather Yang?! Kheheheheh!"
At Jeung Chil's fussing, Byeok Ri-jung shook his head with a pitiful expression.
"Supreme of all time, my foot. Do not speak such nonsense elsewhere. Followers of the legends of the Martial God, Thunder God, and Sword God are scattered everywhere, and you will only bring trouble to Yeo-eun."
"Hmph! Why should I be afraid of those worthless wretches who chase past legends?! I'll just go and smash them all!"
"Tsk, tsk, aren't you aware that the family head, the Sword Emperor, is also a follower of the Sword God? Indeed, you'd smash them all. And if you're serving my brother as your grandfather, then isn't he my grandfather too? Why do you speak informally only to me?!"
"Wh-what?! Has this damned fool gone senile?! How could the likes of you be my grandfather?! Do you want to fight?!"
"No, you were the one who first said to my brother...!"
The two were bickering as always, and Yang Mun-heon watched them with his usual warm smile.
Then suddenly, Yang Mun-heon looked at Dang Yeo-eun and asked.
"Your expression doesn't look very bright. Is something the matter?"
At this, Dang Yeo-eun, who had been lost in thought for a moment, snapped back to attention and answered with a smile.
"No, Grandfather. I was just... thinking about how I have to tell the family head that I need to return to the front lines now."
"Hmm... you have to return to the front lines? Didn't you say before that there was someone waiting for you there?"
Dang Yeo-eun had previously received a letter from Seonwoo Jin explaining the situation in Gwijuseong and the Seonwoo family.
In that letter, he had mentioned that he would do his best, but that he might not be able to return to the Tang Family.
But Dang Yeo-eun was still waiting for him.
It was because she thought that since he said he would do his best, she too had to trust him until the end.
But now, it seemed it wasn't meant to be.
"It seems he won't be able to come. He had originally conveyed such words, and if he's heard the recent rumors about the duel between the Sword Saint and the Ghost Sword, he probably returned to the front lines immediately."
Dang Yeo-eun knew well just how much Seonwoo Jin respected and followed the Sword Saint.
So she thought that someone like him would naturally have returned to the front lines the moment he heard that news.
Of course, she couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed, but it was something she could fully understand.
At her words, Yang Mun-heon nodded with a heavy expression.
"I see, the duel between the Ghost Sword and the Sword Saint. I don't know how such a thing came to be. The Ghost Sword would never dare to challenge the Sword Saint. It feels as though there must be some unknown circumstance behind it."
Dang Yeo-eun also nodded at Yang Mun-heon's words.
And at the same time, she thought of Seonwoo Jin.
'If it were him, he probably could have properly guessed and told us the situation hidden within.'
But Dang Yeo-eun, who had been thinking of him for a moment, suddenly let out another sigh.
"Hooooo."
Seonwoo Jin, and the duel between the Ghost Sword and the Sword Saint were matters of importance, of course, but right now, the most urgent thing for her was something else.
Now, she had to go meet her father, the family head Dang Jeong-hu.
In order to receive permission to return to the front lines.
Dang Yeo-eun was certainly in a much more confident and bold state than before.
Even so, facing her father again was far too great a burden for her.
Because to her, he was an existence more terrifying than the greatest person under heaven.
But after a moment, she took a deep breath and steeled her heart.
It was something she had to face head-on at some point anyway.
'I can do this enough. Right, Jin?'
In her heart, the voice of Seonwoo Jin, who was always whispering to her, gave her strength.
'You can do this enough. I believe in you, Yeo-eun.'
Dang Yeo-eun clenched her fist tightly.
***
At the same time, in his office, the head of the Sichuan Dang Clan, the Poison Rock Sovereign Dang Jeong-hu, was handling various clan matters with his chief steward.
In the midst of this, a voice suddenly came to him.
"A request for an audience from the youngest lady, Dang Yeo-eun!"
At that voice, Dang Jeong-hu's eyes briefly showed a flicker of interest.
It was because it was a very rare thing for Dang Yeo-eun to come looking for him first.
"Hmm, that child came to see me first. What could be the matter?"
The chief steward beside him spoke.
"Is it not because of her return to the front lines? Her leave is nearly over, after all. Moreover, with the recent rumors about the duel between the Sword Saint and the Ghost Sword, she must have felt the urgency to return quickly."
"Hmm, has so much time already passed?"
Dang Jeong-hu, who had made an expression as if he only just realized this, fell into thought for a moment before opening his mouth.
"Then I must settle the marriage before she goes. Tell her to wait a moment, and summon On Je-ung first."
The chief steward bowed his head and answered.
"Understood."
Seeing that there was still no news, it seemed the Hongsa Sword Dragon On Je-ung had succeeded in dealing with Seonwoo Jin.
So now, there was no reason at all to hesitate any longer over the marriage between her and him.
The chief steward had someone summon On Je-ung, and when he re-entered the office, Dang Jeong-hu, as if a thought had just occurred to him, asked him again.
"By the way... what do you think about the duel between the Ghost Sword and the Sword Saint? Do you also naturally think the Sword Saint will win?"
The chief steward, Dang Sa-hyeon, known as the greatest intellect of the Tang Family, answered.
"I think somewhat differently."
And he began to explain the reason for his thinking to Dang Jeong-hu.
Dang Jeong-hu, listening to his explanation with an interested expression, nodded as if in admiration.
"Hoo, is that so?"
***
"I'll be off."
The Heavenly Robe Sword Saint Hae Un-baek gave his farewell with a light smile, as if he were simply stepping out for a stroll in front of his house.
However, the expression of his daughter Hae Cheong-yeon, who heard that farewell, was not so bright.
"...."
Seeing Hae Cheong-yeon not answering his greeting with a stiff face, Hae Un-baek chuckled and spoke to Seol Pung beside him in a whisper, with a mischievous expression.
"It seems my daughter is displeased with something again. Even though she's my daughter, even I'm terrified of her when she's like that. What's the use of being pretty and smart? I wonder if she'll ever be able to meet a man. What do you think?"
But Seol Pung also seemed to have no intention of playing along with his jest.
He too asked with a worried expression.
"Is it truly not possible for us to accompany you, Elder?"
Hae Un-baek answered with a bitter smile.
"Ah, this. Indeed, I miss that boy Jin-i. If that boy were here, he'd have matched my mood in an instant."
Then, with a grin, he answered.
"Where do you soldiers on duty think you're going? That's desertion of your post. Do you dare brazenly request desertion right in front of me, the one managing the front lines? And... if there's a trap laid out that even I find hard to handle, then your presence might make the situation even more difficult. Isn't that why Cheong-yeon is saying nothing as well?"
At those words, Hae Cheong-yeon bit her lip tightly.
It was because what her father said matched exactly with her own thoughts.
If a trap were laid that even her father, the Sword Saint, couldn't handle, then her presence beside him could actually be a hindrance.
If not, then whether she was there or not wouldn't matter anyway.
But even though she thought so rationally, emotionally, she couldn't accept it somehow.
That was the reason Hae Cheong-yeon couldn't relax her expression.
At that moment, Hae Un-baek smiled again and spoke.
"But what could possibly happen? Look at the personnel coming with me now. With this force, it seems we could even fight the Great Blood War once more."
Those currently moving with Hae Un-baek were over a hundred members of the White Tiger Squad, the elite armed forces of the Murim Alliance.
Their commander, the White Tiger Gentleman Sword Dong Bang Mu-geuk, was a master surpassing eighty years of internal energy, and all of them were renowned as fervent followers of the Sword Saint Hae Un-baek.
Furthermore, two more masters who had not been present until recently had joined the Sword Saint's side.
They were the Twin Dragon Palm U Cha-man and the Meteor Flying Dart Gyo Jae-gok, both supreme masters belonging to the Thirty-Six Stars of the World.
So in this group were gathered three figures ranked within the top fifty recognized as the strongest under heaven.
The reason the Sword Saint had summoned them was because of Hae Cheong-yeon.
Hae Cheong-yeon had insisted that more masters were needed to prepare for any unforeseen event.
'Even if you apologize for it later, for now you must summon as many masters as possible. Because we don't know what kind of trap might be laid.'
Due to Hae Cheong-yeon's insistence, Hae Un-baek had urgently sent word to his acquaintances.
But the schedule was so tight that many people could not arrive in time.
U Cha-man of the Twin Dragon Palm and Gyo Jae-gok of the Meteor Flying Dart were two of Hae Un-baek's acquaintances who, despite the pressing schedule, had hurriedly rushed to meet the time.
The giant U Cha-man of the Twin Dragon Palm laughed heartily and spoke.
"Hahahaha! Worry not, Cheong-yeon. Until the duel with that Ghost Sword bastard, this uncle will protect your father so that not even a single ant can approach him. Hahahaha!"
The slight-framed Gyo Jae-gok of the Meteor Flying Dart also smiled gently and nodded.
"Of course. How could anything happen when we're by his side? You needn't worry at all!"
At their bold affirmations, Hae Cheong-yeon still let out a sigh with a stiff face, but bowed her head to the two to express her gratitude.
"Thank you, Uncles. Your niece will place her trust only in you two uncles."
Hae Un-baek, who had been gazing at his daughter with warm eyes, suddenly sent a telepathic transmission to Sak Mu-heun, who was concealed in the shadows far behind.
- Please take good care of Cheong-yeon, Mu-heun.
- Do not worry, Master. Even at the cost of my life, I will protect Cheong-yeon.
Some time ago, Hae Un-baek had acknowledged Sak Mu-heun as his formal disciple and taught him the secret martial art, the Stellar Net Sword Art.
And he had kept this fact a secret from Hae Cheong-yeon.
It was because he did not want to show his daughter the sight of him preparing for his own aftermath.
Hae Un-baek, who had overcome countless crises in his life, knew all too well.
The fact that the greatest factor deciding a person's life or death was not skill, but luck....
So no matter how strong he was, if luck was not on his side, there was a sufficient chance that this journey would be his last.
And was Jegal Ji-gang not by any means an easy opponent? He was also someone who knew him all too well.
Perhaps the one who was currently most pessimistic about this duel was not his daughter Hae Cheong-yeon, but Hae Un-baek himself.
But he never showed that side of himself to others.
Hae Un-baek wore his carefree smile and spoke.
"For merely heading out for a stroll, the farewells have been far too long. It's bustling, so tell everyone to go back inside. I'll be off now."
Hae Un-baek set out on the path with a confident stride.
Behind him followed U Cha-man and Gyo Jae-gok, masters belonging to the Thirty-Six Stars of the World, and over a hundred members of the White Tiger Squad.
Hae Cheong-yeon endlessly stared at her father's retreating figure with anxious eyes.
But even she could not notice the fact that U Cha-man and Gyo Jae-gok, standing right behind Hae Un-baek, were covertly exchanging glances.