Chapter 243: Divine Sword Peak
Chapter 243: Divine Sword Peak
In Seonwoo Jin's head, Mukrang burst into loud laughter.
- Hahahahaha! This was getting more and more interesting! What a truly fascinating situation!
Seonwoo Jin felt his head begin to ache.
The survivors of the Hainan In Clan and the Sa Clan following him as their successor was already within his calculations.
And it was also an indispensable step to overthrow Jin Tae-do.
Of course, the cleanup afterward would become extremely troublesome, but he had thought it could be sufficiently resolved by handing over the sect's relic, the White Tiger Sword, and the In Clan's Southern Cross Sword.
But this was not something he had accounted for.
The sudden mention of Inparang's betrothed was a situation he had never even imagined, let alone had prior intelligence about.
Various thoughts surfaced in his mind.
'Was that true? Was she really Inparang's betrothed? Or was she trying to test me, suspecting my identity? If Inparang was truly betrothed to this woman, that meant Myo Cheong-ju had let his future in-law be killed — did that even make sense?'
Countless questions remained unanswered, but he did not have the luxury of time to ponder them leisurely.
If he did not answer her immediately, the other people of the Hainan Sect could also start questioning him.
Seonwoo Jin, irritated, asked Mukrang, who still had not stopped laughing.
- Stop enjoying my predicament and please just confirm whether she is right! Is that woman telling the truth?
At that question, Mukrang barely suppressed his laughter and answered.
- Keukeukeut! Ah, I don't know when I last laughed like this. Truly, you are the best successor.
'Elder!'
- Alright, alright. Now, what did you ask? Ah, whether that woman speaks the truth? Yes. It certainly seems true that she is your, no, Inparang's betrothed.
At Mukrang's words, Seonwoo Jin felt slightly relieved.
At least it meant she was not trying to test him.
But as Mukrang's next words immediately followed, that brief relief quickly vanished.
Because he said this:
- But it also seems true that this woman is suspicious of you. Her heart is full of doubt.
Seonwoo Jin cursed inwardly.
'Damn.'
Then, with an utterly expressionless face, he spoke to her.
"It is merely a matter of the past, something entirely forgotten. A betrothal to the daughter of my enemy — do you truly think that makes any sense? I never imagined I would hear such a reason."
These words were an excuse to rationalize not knowing she was his betrothed.
But even as he said it, regret surged that the excuse was too pathetic and long-winded.
Moreover, it did not seem to have much effect.
Because her expression did not look convinced at all.
Rather, the look in her eyes, somehow full of certainty, made him wonder if she had confirmed he was not Inparang.
'This is troublesome. Should I just dismiss her as my enemy's daughter?'
Seonwoo Jin was having such worries.
Suddenly, Myo A-ran collapsed to her knees.
Then she began to plead fervently.
"Please, just hear me out once! If my words prove unworthy, you may behead both me and my father. Please, just this once, to me..."
The sight of a woman, elegant as a painting, kneeling and pleading with a desperate expression and voice was enough to melt anyone's heart.
The expressions of the Hainan Sect martial artists watching her began to grow slightly sympathetic.
At that moment, a telepathic transmission suddenly reached Seonwoo Jin's ear.
[- Let us share a word alone for a moment. It will not be a bad proposal for you either, Gongja.]
It was Myo A-ran's voice, unmistakably the voice of the same woman before him.
But the feeling of the voice heard externally and the voice heard through telepathy was completely different.
Outwardly, her voice was desperately pleading, but in the transmission, it came across as proposing a transaction in a very cold, calculating manner.
Seonwoo Jin could now be certain.
'This woman has confirmed that I am not Inparang.'
Mukrang also agreed with that thought.
- It certainly seems so. Her heart is now filled with certainty.
Seonwoo Jin hesitated for a moment.
The surest method was to shut her mouth before she could reveal it elsewhere.
That meant... killing her on the spot.
But to kill her for that reason alone, he knew far too little about her.
So, talking things over once did not seem like a bad idea.
As Seonwoo Jin made that decision, Mukrang laughed in his head and said,
- Ooh! Having a conversation with your beautiful betrothed? How heart-fluttering!
Thinking that this was the first time he found Mukrang's presence so annoying, Seonwoo Jin spoke to Myo A-ran.
"Very well. I shall listen to your story for a moment. Let us move elsewhere briefly."
Then he looked at the warrior who appeared to be the leader among the forces of the Hainan In Clan and Sa Clan and asked,
"And you are?"
The warrior, a sharp-featured man who looked to be in his early forties, knelt on one knee with disciplined precision and declared,
"I am Hyeon Cheong-gun, a former member of the White Tiger Four Troops! You likely do not remember me well, Gongja!"
He was saying that a man who had been a mere squad member over a decade ago had grown to become the leader commanding the warriors of the Hainan In Clan and Sa Clan.
Seonwoo Jin went before him, knelt on one knee himself, and clasped his hand firmly as he spoke.
"Thank you for not forgetting, and for enduring until now, Warrior Hyeon."
At that, Hyeon Cheong-gun looked at Seonwoo Jin with startled eyes.
Overwhelmed by the unexpected words, Hyeon Cheong-gun's pupils trembled violently.
"So, Soju."
Seonwoo Jin looked straight into his eyes with a solemn gaze and said,
"I cannot promise you anything else. But this one thing, I will stake my life to vow. I will surely repay you for your years, and for their years, against that bastard. And I will console the spirits of the In Clan and Sa Clan who passed away unjustly."
At those words, Hyeon Cheong-gun could endure no longer and lowered his head.
Because he felt that if he kept looking at him, tears would burst forth.
With his head deeply bowed and his eyes squeezed shut, he cried out fervently.
"We! Will guard Soju's side to the very end!"
Seonwoo Jin lightly patted his shoulder, then stood up and said,
"For now, I entrust you with the disposal of the surrendered Black Dragon Ship warriors. In the meantime, I shall exchange a few words with Lady Myo."
Then, as he was about to move toward Myo A-ran,
Hyeon Cheong-gun suddenly spoke to his back.
"Soju! Please do not resent Lady Myo A-ran too much. She is a completely different person from Family Head Myo Cheong-ju. Moreover, along with Family Head Ja and Family Head Yoo, she is someone who helped us maintain our forces while avoiding the eyes of Jin Tae-do."
At those words, Seonwoo Jin paused for a moment.
He had never imagined that Myo A-ran had helped the warriors of the In Clan and Sa Clan while avoiding her father's gaze.
It seemed he had no choice but to completely rule out the option of eliminating her here.
"...I shall take it under consideration."
Having said that, Seonwoo Jin headed to a slightly secluded spot with Myo A-ran.
Then, Mukrang spoke to him again in his head.
- You really are a bad man. The natural enemy of women, without a doubt.
Seonwoo Jin asked with a hollow laugh.
'What are you trying to say now?'
Mukrang replied.
- Take a look at Lady Jin.
At Mukrang's words, Seonwoo Jin glanced over at Jin So-eun with puzzled eyes.
He then saw Jin So-eun looking at him with a pitiful expression as if she was about to cry at any moment.
Suddenly, his head began to ache.
***
"What became of Oppa Parang?"
When they had moved away from the others, the first question Myo A-ran asked Seonwoo Jin was this.
As expected, she had noticed that Seonwoo Jin was not Inparang.
But Seonwoo Jin could not acknowledge that very fact right then.
He first spoke coldly to her with an expression that seemed to ask what she was talking about.
"I was about to say something. If that is all you have to say, then I shall take my...."
Then Myo A-ran spoke firmly.
"Don't think you can deceive me. Others might not know, but I, who never forgot Parang orabeoni for a single moment, remember very well. The small mole under orabeoni's right eye, and the dimple that only appeared on his left cheek."
A small mole under the eye and a dimple on the left cheek....
Both were features that were difficult to lose even as one grew older.
'Damn.'
There was no rebuttal.
Because Seonwoo Jin had neither of them.
Moreover, her claim that she remembered the features of someone she had seen ten years ago was no lie.
Mukrang had confirmed it was true, and Seonwoo Jin himself knew that degree of memory was entirely possible.
Myo A-ran continued speaking.
"And you, you didn't even know that I was Inparang's betrothed, did you? I clearly saw your eyes waver the moment I said those words."
Seonwoo Jin eventually let out a hollow laugh.
It felt as though the outcome of this battle had been decided.
'A complete defeat.'
Letting out a dejected sigh, he suddenly asked Myo A-ran.
"But why didn't you reveal that to the others? Even for the sake of saving your father, you could have insisted that I am not Inparang."
Then Myo A-ran answered as if it were obvious.
"Because although you are not Parang orabeoni, it was clear that you at least have some connection to him. The White Tiger Sword you carry, and the Southern Cross Sword you used—none of that would be possible if you weren't connected to Parang orabeoni. And besides, you truly intend to fight Jin Tae-do, don't you? The fact that you slowed your pace here was because you were deliberately waiting for us."
Seonwoo Jin was genuinely impressed.
Since Hae Cheong-yeon, this young lady Myo A-ran was the first woman he had met who possessed this level of wisdom.
'They called her the Divine Sword Peak....'
Furthermore, Seonwoo Jin could sense something else from her words.
That she was on the real Inparang's side, and that she held completely different intentions from her father Myo Cheong-ju.
Hyeon Cheong-gun's words that she had supported the warriors of the Haenam In clan and the Sa clan appeared to have been true after all.
'If that's the case, there's no reason to hesitate any longer.'
Seonwoo Jin finally decided to tell her the truth.
There was no reason for hostility, and above all, he thought that she, who had not forgotten Inparang for a single day in ten years, deserved to hear the truth.
He began speaking with a heavy face.
"You are right, young lady. I am in fact not Inparang. I was merely pretending to be young master Inparang in order to fulfill the real Young Master Yin's last wishes."
Then Myo A-ran's expression hardened for the first time.
She asked back with a shocked face.
"Last... wishes? Then truly, Parang orabeoni has...?"
Seonwoo Jin explained to her in detail everything from the time he first met Inparang.
Her expression became one of desolation, and for a moment she could say nothing.
And after a moment, she hung her head and spoke.
"Even when everyone said he was dead, I somehow had faith that orabeoni might still be alive. So I kept waiting. And it turns out... he really had been alive. But then orabeoni... so futilely...."
Tears were streaming from her lowered eyes.
She must have truly loved Inparang. Enough to cherish that heart for ten years without seeing him.
Seonwoo Jin spoke to her with a heavy expression.
"I am truly sorry to have to deliver such news. I apologize, young lady."
Myo A-ran shed silent tears for a moment.
The way she forcibly suppressed her sobs made her appear all the more pitiable.
But she was a strong woman.
After a moment, when she raised her head again, she had already stopped crying and was looking at Seonwoo Jin with clear eyes.
She spoke in a steady voice.
"I've shown you an unsightly side. I apologize. And...."
She suddenly bowed her head deeply toward Seonwoo Jin in a respectful greeting and said,
"I am truly grateful that you resolved to avenge my betrothed. I know well how difficult it must have been to decide to fight the Hengshan Sect and the Hainan Sect, two great sects. Truly, I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
But at her greeting, Seonwoo Jin shook his head.
"It was a request from someone who is like a benefactor to me. It is not something you need to thank me for."
"I see. But regardless of the circumstances, you are the one who took action, young master."
Having said that, Myo A-ran now spoke with a flash of cool judgment in her eyes.
It was as if cold flames were kindling within her gaze.
And those flames were likely the ones named vengeance.
"From my humble deduction, young master, you probably intend to send the warriors of the Haenam In clan and the Sa clan back to the Hainan Sect. Am I wrong?"
Seonwoo Jin was genuinely impressed.
Because she had perfectly predicted his actions.
He was suddenly reminded of the moments with Hae Cheong-yeon, when they would read each other's thoughts without even speaking.
Seonwoo Jin smiled faintly and asked her,
"Do you have a reason for thinking so?"
Then Myo A-ran answered with certainty.
"Because you intend to draw Jin Tae-do out of Hainan Island. The declaration that you would go to Ma Gyeong, and the fact that you deliberately waited for us and crushed Jin Tae-do's subordinates—all of it was aimed at that. So that while Jin Tae-do, unable to restrain himself, comes out to find you personally, the opposition faction can seize control of Hainan Island."
Now even a hollow laugh escaped him.
For the first time since Hae Cheong-yeon, he had met someone he could put his heads together with and truly converse.
"You are exactly right, young lady. I suspect you are a far wiser person than I. By any chance, do you have any advice for me regarding this plan?"
Then Myo A-ran shook her head and answered.
"I also think your plan is the best for the Hainan Sect. That is why I was so impressed. But... I am worried that the young master, who is meant to draw Jin Tae-do in, might fall into danger. Do you perhaps have a separate plan to defeat Jin Tae-do, or at least some certainty that you can?"
At her question, Seonwoo Jin let out a light sigh and shook his head.
"How could there be any certainty in facing one of the Thirty-Six Stars of the World, someone I haven't even seen directly yet? But as for a plan...."
Seonwoo Jin explained the situation of the Hengshan Sect and Ma Gyeong that he had learned through Son Dae-su, and his plan that utilized them.
"...I am drawing this picture. However, as you have probably already sensed, there are so many variables in this plan that I can guarantee nothing. The odds are high that I will have to rely on improvisation from moment to moment."
Myo A-ran bit her lip for a moment at Seonwoo Jin's words.
Then with a heavy face, she opened her mouth with difficulty.
"It is... far too dangerous."
She hesitated briefly before asking.
"Why do you go that far? It is, in truth, a matter that has nothing to do with you."
Then Seonwoo Jin smiled faintly and answered.
"As I said earlier, it is something that someone who is like a benefactor to me wished for. And... sometimes, mustn't there be people who risk their lives simply because something is not right? Only then will the martial world be a place worth living in."
Myo A-ran gazed blankly for a moment at Seonwoo Jin's dazzling, smiling face.
It was a complex gaze in which several emotions—admiration, gratitude, longing—were mingled.
She soon bowed her head deeply and said,
"For In orabeoni's sake, and for our Hainan Sect's sake, thank you for stepping forward. I will earnestly pray that you remain safe."