Chapter 250: Blue-Robed Demon Lord
Chapter 250: Blue-Robed Demon Lord
"Seonu Gongja, how, how could you do that to me? I truly thought you had abandoned me, I really.... Euh-heuk!"
Jin So-eun finally burst into tears.
It was right after they had finished dealing with all the Blood Rain Union assassins who had still been resisting and had paused to catch their breath, when she suddenly spotted Seonwoo Jin standing there watching her with a smile.
At that, Seonwoo Jin grew flustered.
He had never once imagined that she, who had always been somewhat boyish, would burst into tears.
"J-Jin Sojeo, I never abandoned you, I...."
Seonwoo Jin tried to make some excuse.
An excuse meant to convince her that he had not abandoned her but had done it to help her grow.
But it was no use.
"I don't want to hear it! It was too much! I hate it! Seonu Gongja, I truly hate it! Euh-heu-heu-heuk!"
Jin So-eun did not even try to listen to Seonwoo Jin's words and poured out even more tears.
They were tears that seemed as though all the sorrow of the past several days was spilling out in that moment.
"Ah, no, J-Jin Sojeo, that's...."
Seonwoo Jin had absolutely no idea what to do in this situation.
That was only natural, since the first and last woman he had ever comforted while she cried was Dang Yeoeun, but he could not hold and soothe Jin So-eun the way he had with her.
So after floundering helplessly for a moment, Seonwoo Jin finally decided to seek advice from the most respected elder closest to him, Mukrang.
'E-Elder. What must I do at a time like this?'
At that, Mukrang answered coldly.
- Why are you asking me that? The one who caused the trouble should deal with....
It was an exceedingly firm voice, an answer that seemed to draw a complete line in the sand.
At that unimaginably heartless reply, Seonwoo Jin's jaw dropped open.
Was that not an attitude of it having absolutely nothing to do with him?
No, it was a voice that seemed to suggest he was not only uninvolved but even somewhat enjoying the spectacle.
For the first time, Seonwoo Jin felt a sense of betrayal toward Mukrang.
He burst out shouting at Mukrang.
'Elder! Was it not you yourself who said that since she is also a martial artist, she would actually be pleased if she came to understand it was for the sake of her own growth?! How can you say such a thing now after that?!'
That was indeed what had happened.
When Seonwoo Jin had asked, saying that even if it was for her growth, leaving her alone and disappearing seemed a bit excessive, Mukrang had answered exactly that way.
And in a tone brimming with certainty, no less.
So if one were to be precise, while the person who had carried out the plan was Seonwoo Jin, the one who had devised the plan could be said to be Mukrang.
At that, Mukrang, having heard Seonwoo Jin's outcry filled with resentment, remained silent for a moment without answering.
- .......
And Seonwoo Jin, taking that silence as disregard, let out another furious shout.
'Elder! I am truly disappointed! That you, whom I have revered not only as a teacher of martial arts but as a mentor for life, would abandon me so irresponsibly...!'
At that, Mukrang quietly opened his mouth.
- ...I am sorry.
'...Pardon?'
- Did I not say so before? That even after having existed for so long, if there is one thing I still cannot understand at all, it is the heart of a woman. So you should have been more discerning when listening to what I say about women....
'Elder!'
Seonwoo Jin squeezed his eyes shut.
To be betrayed like this by Mukrang, the person he had trusted most in the world—it was something he had never imagined.
Having heard the apology, he felt even more deflated instead.
But he had no leisure to dwell on that.
Because this was a real situation, and right before his eyes, Jin So-eun was still shedding tears in streams.
On top of that, his trusted ally had been judged an incompetent traitor—this was undeniably the highest-difficulty crisis among those he had faced recently.
By feel, it seemed to be of even higher difficulty than when he had faced the Blood Sea Demon Blade Yun Sak.
'What to do? How am I to overcome this crisis....'
After agonizing for a moment, Seonwoo Jin finally let out a deep sigh.
"Huuu."
It seemed he would have no choice but to give up on attempting to use a clever stratagem to get past this crisis as he usually would.
Because he himself knew all too well that when the subject was limited to matters concerning women, his knowledge and crisis management abilities were nothing more than below average.
'No, to be honest, it might not be below average but close to the lowest value among all men under heaven. But to think that even the elder I have served as my master would be of the same kind as me....'
For a moment, he wondered if this was simply his unavoidable fate.
It was a moment when he felt newly grateful toward Dang Yeoeun, who endured this side of him and still loved him.
In any case, Seonwoo Jin decided to surrender completely.
Because, knowing himself, he had concluded that he possessed absolutely no ability to secure victory in this situation.
He spoke to Jin So-eun with all sincerity.
"Jin Sojeo, I shall apologize with my whole heart. That Jin Sojeo would be wounded so deeply, I... of course I did consider it, but in my eagerness to help Sojeo grow, I ignored it and went ahead."
Although, to be precise, the one who had indulged in such eagerness was not Seonwoo Jin but Mukrang.
A renewed sense of injustice washed over him.
- Hm, hm.
Letting Mukrang's cough go in one ear and out the other, he continued speaking.
"It was a foolish act. No matter how much it was for Sojeo's sake, I ignored the obvious fact that it must be done with Sojeo's consent. Even the fact that Sojeo's safety ought to have been my highest priority. All of it was my fault. I am truly... sorry, Jin Sojeo."
At that, Jin So-eun's tears lessened slightly.
By feel, it seemed the waterfall had diminished to the level of rapids.
Seonwoo Jin felt a moment of hope.
'Did my heartfelt apology have some effect?'
But Jin So-eun, still sniffling, asked him with resentful eyes.
"Truly, were you, worried, about me?"
'It worked!'
Seonwoo Jin instinctively realized that an opportunity had come.
She was now willing to listen to what he had to say.
So he absolutely had to seize this chance.
A strong feeling washed over him that if he failed to make use of this opportunity now, things would simply return to the earlier state.
Focusing his entire mind, he answered rapidly.
"Of course I was worried! I was so worried that I could not bring myself to leave Sojeo's side! So when there were too many assassins using Earth Shield, I reduced their numbers in advance, and ah! While Sojeo was fighting that elder who used throwing weapons earlier, I took care of two other similar elders first! I left only just enough that Sojeo would not be in danger! Truly, truly, even just watching, my heart was pounding so frantically that I thought I might die!"
Seonwoo Jin poured out his words without taking a breath.
Because he felt that if he paused to breathe mid-speech, he would lose this opportunity.
At that, Jin So-eun, who had been listening to his words, stared blankly at Seonwoo Jin for a moment.
And then she asked.
"By any chance, did you memorize that speech? Because there are too many women you've done this to, like you did with me, and you plan to use it each time?"
'Ugh!'
Suddenly, the back of his head throbbed.
Apparently, his words had been far too glib.
The saying that too much is as bad as too little flashed through his mind.
"Ah, no, how could that be...."
In the end, Seonwoo Jin squeezed his eyes shut again, let out a deep sigh, and this time spoke slowly, with more sincerity.
"If I had done such a thing before, would I not already know that it is a foolish act? I swear, it is the first time I have done this to Jin Sojeo. And... I was worried with all my heart. If by any chance Jin Sojeo had been gravely injured, I would never have been able to forgive myself."
They were words unraveled in the most candid voice possible, carrying all the sincerity he could muster.
At that, Jin So-eun, who had been gazing at Seonwoo Jin with moisture-laden eyes, finally let out a soft laugh.
She had gone beyond ceasing her tears and had at last smiled at him.
At that sight, Seonwoo Jin's expression brightened in an instant.
A sense of accomplishment was welling up—that even he, a hopeless incompetent with women, could succeed by making an effort like this.
Jin So-eun smiled faintly with tear-moistened eyes and spoke.
"Truthfully, I already knew too, that Seonu Gongja did that for my sake. That I was able to grow tremendously thanks to it as well. And I know you were watching over me from nearby too. Like when you cut the net with the explosive bombs attached, and when you told me things through telepathic transmission. I knew all of it."
At her words, Seonwoo Jin was at last able to let out a sigh of relief.
"Ah, so that was the case. As expected...."
But in that moment, tears suddenly poured from Jin So-eun's eyes again.
"Hik!"
At that, the flustered Seonwoo Jin could do nothing but open and close his mouth, having started to speak and then stopped.
He simply could not understand why she was crying like that again when she said she already knew everything.
But however much of a woman-incompetent Seonwoo Jin might be, he could at least feel this much instinctively.
That such a question must absolutely never be asked.
In the end, he decided to stay still for now, without even breathing too loudly, until the situation became clearer.
Then Jin So-eun, who had been shedding tears, suddenly approached Seonwoo Jin slowly.
Her scent abruptly wafted into his nose.
Having rolled around on the ground fighting for nearly two days, it should have been normal for a strong odor of sweat to be present, but strangely, something like a strand of wildflower fragrance brushed past his nose.
It was fragrant.
Jin So-eun slowly buried her forehead against Seonwoo Jin's chest and whispered.
"Still, please don't ever do it again. Being treated coldly for the sake of my growth, my grandfather alone is more than enough for that. Seonu Gongja... I wish you would not do that to me."
At her sorrowful gaze, her tear-moistened voice, and the single strand of wildflower fragrance drifting over him, Seonwoo Jin could not help but slowly nod his head as if bewitched.
"...I understand. I shall never do so again. I promise."
At that moment, Mukrang's voice suddenly sounded inside his head.
- As expected, you are indeed one who is... with women....
'Be quiet, Elder.'
- Hm, hm. Understood.
The two of them stood still like that for a moment.
Then, suddenly, it was a short while later that Jin So-eun dashed off as if fleeing, her face flushed bright red.
"Aack! I must smell of sweat! You fool!"
Seonwoo Jin chuckled as he watched her retreating figure.
She was adorable.
***
The next day, the two were able to enter Shantou, the port city located at the eastern tip of Guangdong Province.
From here, they planned to board a ship and head for Daenam Island.
No, to be precise, they had made it so that people perceived that as their plan.
As she looked around the bustling streets of Shantou, thronged with countless sailors, and the harbor by the sea packed with ships, Jin So-eun suddenly asked Seonwoo Jin.
"But what does that mean? That you've made people perceive it as your plan to go to Daenam Island?"
Jin So-eun had been sparring with Seonwoo Jin since the day before and asking him about the things she was curious about, so she still had not heard the exact details of their plans from here on.
But Seonwoo Jin simply looked around at the crowd of sailors filling the port and answered as if in passing.
"I will explain the details to you later."
At that, Jin So-eun puffed out her cheeks and glared at Seonwoo Jin.
"You told me you wouldn't hide things from me anymore."
Seonwoo Jin was suddenly flustered by her reaction.
"Ah, th-that is...."
Since the Blood Rain Union incident, their relationship had changed somewhat.
Now Jin So-eun no longer felt intimidated by Seonwoo Jin.
Whether it was because she had crossed a wall or because they had been through so much together, she no longer retreated and now revealed her feelings far more boldly.
On the other hand, Seonwoo Jin now found Jin So-eun somewhat intimidating.
On top of feeling sorry toward her because of this affair, the emotions she sometimes suddenly launched at him were simply too pure and intense.
Seonwoo Jin smiled awkwardly and placated her.
"There are many people here. The surroundings are a bit... for discussing plans."
"Before, you explained perfectly well using telepathic sound transmission."
"Ah, well, of course that's true, but...."
That was when it happened.
Seonwoo Jin's eyes sharpened in an instant as he turned to look to the side.
And he spoke to Jin So-eun via telepathic sound transmission.
- Prepare yourself, Miss Jin.
He didn't say what she was to prepare for, but Jin So-eun asked no further and turned her head to follow Seonwoo Jin's gaze.
Although she couldn't detect it as quickly as Seonwoo Jin, after hearing his words, she too could sense it.
From the direction his gaze was pointed, a group of people bearing an unusual level of martial prowess was approaching.
The eyes of Seonwoo Jin and Jin So-eun landed on the sharp-featured middle-aged man in blue robes walking toward them.
With dozens of subordinates at his back, he was approaching the two, staring straight at them with a sardonic smile.
Step! Step! Step! Step!
Their momentum was like a pack of wild beasts.
They strode over as if they owned the place, like a band of thugs, yet their bearing felt sharper than most respectable armed forces.
Unable to endure the oppressive force, even the rough sailors chattering nearby held their breath, parting to either side and clearing a path.
At last, the blue-robed man who had come up before the two of them smiled sardonicly and asked.
"Are you the whelp called Inparang?"
His tone and expression were contemptuous, his attitude utterly discourteous.
At his words, the incensed Jin So-eun seemed liable to step forward first.
But at that moment, she heard Seonwoo Jin's telepathic voice in her ear.
- Miss Jin, stay still.
Jin So-eun decided to stand still for now and watch how Seonwoo Jin reacted.
However, just because she didn't move on the spot didn't mean she forgot to prepare herself to attack at any moment.
It was because she believed Seonwoo Jin would, of course, punish him.
The Seonwoo Jin she had seen so far was never someone who simply laughed off an opponent's provocations.
Rather, he always repaid them more fiercely than what he received.
So she thought a fight would, of course, break out this time as well, but this time, her thoughts missed the mark completely.
It was because, despite the man's quarrelsome tone, Seonwoo Jin had returned the question with an exceedingly polite attitude.
"Did the Demon Sovereign send you?"
Moreover, what surprised her wasn't only Seonwoo Jin's unexpectedly polite tone.
The content itself was also shocking enough.
The Demon Sovereign?
The Southern Sea Demon Sovereign Man Hak-sung?
At his words, the blue-robed man answered with a slightly admiring expression.
"Hoh, you're a quick-witted one. Correct. The Demon Sovereign ordered me to bring you in."
Seonwoo Jin looked at him for a moment before asking again.
"Then you, Senior, must be the Blue Dolphin Hyo Chi-gon, one of the Demon Sovereign's Four Heavenly Kings."
At those words, the blue-robed man bared a fierce grin.
"You've got a decent eye as well."
It meant he was right.
'Cheongpo Magun Hyo Chi-gon.'
Jin So-eun looked at his face once more with a renewed expression.
It was because the opponent was a far greater heavyweight than she had thought.
Called the Blue Dolphin or Cheongpo Magun, Hyo Chi-gon was one of the Four Evils of Daenam, the four transcendent peak masters who were the Demon Sovereign's direct subordinates.
As could be seen just from his nickname of the cleverest dolphin in the sea, among the Demon Sovereign's underlings, he was the one with the greatest cunning and resourcefulness, the very right hand of the Demon Sovereign, so to speak.
When compared among the forces of the Hainan Sect, their enemy, he was a figure counted rather higher in rank than the heads of the twelve clans.
Yet such a man had personally shown himself to bring Seonwoo Jin in.
The man who had been grinning fiercely suddenly burst out with powerful killing intent as he spoke.
"But... you recognized this old me yet still carry that attitude? Your back seems very stiff. Shall I bend it for you myself?"
Whoosh!
"!"
It was a blade-sharp aura, to say the least.
Jin So-eun involuntarily thrust her wooden staff forward and adopted a defensive stance.
Even though he was at the same transcendent peak, the oppressive force was incomparable to the three elders of the Blood Rain Union whom she had fought before.
On top of that, the subordinates standing behind Hyo Chi-gon were also watching the two with intimidating smiles.
It was like watching a pack of wolves ready to charge at the slightest slip.
Tense, Jin So-eun swallowed dryly.
Judging by their aura, they certainly had not come with good intentions.
Not knowing how she should respond, she glanced sidelong at Seonwoo Jin.
'Young Master Seon?'
At that moment, unlike herself, Jin So-eun realized that Seonwoo Jin had not moved at all.
As if he felt none of the pouring killing intent or hostile stares whatsoever, he had simply been staring fixedly at Hyo Chi-gon.
And he wasn't just being still, either.
Seonwoo Jin, who had been looking at the other party for a moment, abruptly bowed his back politely to Hyo Chi-gon in a cupped-fist salute and said.
"I am honored to meet you, Senior Cheongpo Magun."
It was an exceedingly polite greeting.
To Jin So-eun, it seemed almost servile.
At that, Hyo Chi-gon, who had been glaring at Seonwoo Jin as if to devour him, twisted his eyes and spat out his words.
"A spineless brat. I heard you were a tiger cub, but seeing for myself, I suppose it was a kitten."
It seemed he had no intention of letting Seonwoo Jin off easy, no matter what.
Earlier he had picked a fight over not greeting him, and now he was picking a fight saying the greeting was servile.
At that, the subordinates standing behind him also snickered and added their own remarks.
"Seems it was the Haenam Myo Family, not the Haenam In-ga."
"If we rub his belly, won't we see him flip over too? Kuh-kuh-kuh!"
"All those rumors about crushing the Hapsan Sect and crushing the White Religion Sect were noisy, but looks like the wench behind you did all that? Kuh-kuh-kuh-kuh!"
Every single one of them were words meant to provoke Seonwoo Jin.
But Seonwoo Jin simply smiled faintly and answered.
"Whether I am a tiger cub or a kitten, I believe that is something for the Demon Sovereign to judge."
Hyo Chi-gon, who had been glaring at Seonwoo Jin for a moment, clicked his tongue and said.
"Tch, a boring bastard. Follow me."
With those last words, Hyo Chi-gon turned his back and began walking with long strides.
Seonwoo Jin, as if nothing were amiss, also followed behind him.
Jin So-eun, who had been extremely tense, stuck close beside Seonwoo Jin, keeping guard against Hyo Chi-gon's subordinates who were following behind them.
That was when Seonwoo Jin's telepathic voice suddenly came through.
- You don't need to be so on guard. As long as the Demon Sovereign has ordered us to be brought in, they won't lay a hand on us first. It's just that fellow Hyo Chi-gon doesn't seem to like me much. So it appears he tried to provoke us into striking first, by any means.
Only after hearing his words could Jin So-eun understand the full story of what had just happened.
And the reason why Seonwoo Jin, unlike his usual self, had shown no reaction to their provocations.
And she could feel it anew.
That it wasn't only martial arts that she lacked.
***
A short while later, the place Hyo Chi-gon led them was where a massive ship was anchored.
It was the most overwhelmingly large of all ships anchored around, and on its mast, a black whale flag fluttered.
It was the Demon Sovereign's pirate ship.
Hyo Chi-gon went aboard the ship without hesitation and guided the two to a small cabin.
It was a cabin where a single small cot sat all alone.
In a curt tone, he spoke to the two.
"It will take about a day. Behave yourselves and wait here until then."
And just as he was about to leave, he suddenly looked at Jin So-eun, smiled lecherously, and added.
"Still, you've got a wench with you, so I doubt you'll be bored."
"!"
At those words, Jin So-eun's face instantly turned bright red.
It was because, thanks to Son I-rang's education, she now knew something about relations between men and women.
Hyo Chi-gon looked at Jin So-eun with lecherous eyes, then left the cabin, leaving one last remark.
"Then, have a pleasant time. Ah, be careful not to make too much noise—the other men might not be able to hold back and come in."
Thud!
The door closed, and for a moment, silence hung over the cabin.
Seonwoo Jin sat on the edge of the cot as if nothing were amiss, while Jin So-eun had to stand frozen in place, stiff as a board.
The words Hyo Chi-gon had just said lingered in her ears, so she couldn't bear to look straight at Seonwoo Jin's face.
A thought about the current situation suddenly rose in her head.
'So, I have to be in here alone with Young Master Seon for a day?'
Without realizing it, she swallowed dryly.
The memory of burying her face in his chest the day before suddenly surfaced in her mind and refused to disappear.
So too did the stories about relations between men and women that Son I-rang had told her.
'I-rang said, when a man and a woman are together in a small place....'
That was when it happened.
Suddenly, the ship began to move.
Thump!
"!"
Jin So-eun was startled before realizing that the ship had set out for Daenam Island.
That was when it happened.
Suddenly, Seonwoo Jin sprang up from the cot and called out to Jin So-eun.
"Miss Jin."
"Huh?!"
Jin So-eun, startled, automatically wrapped her arms around herself as she answered.
Seonwoo Jin looked at her with flashing eyes and said.
"It is time to move now."
"Huh? Move... you say? What do you mean, how?"