I Know Him Only Too Well
Eon So-hui was dumbfounded by Han Cheong-un's words.
What kind of man is he...?
Was he serious?
Was he truly, honestly saying this right now?
The Great Origin Divine Art was a peerless technique, one so magnificent that it had once elevated the Jinju Eon Family to a status rivaling the Five Great Noble Clans.
And he was just giving it away?
Returning it to the Jinju Eon Family simply because it originally belonged to them?
Because it was the right thing to do?
"Y-You're lying."
"Lady Eon."
"It's obviously a lie. Such unconditional goodwill, such frustratingly stubborn righteousness... even the renowned masters of the prestigious Orthodox sects don't live by those values. They only pretend to."
"..."
"Goodwill? Righteousness? If such things existed, why did our Jinju Eon Family have to spend over a century holding our breath and walking on eggshells?"
"...Lady Eon."
"If those things existed, why couldn't we return to our hometown? Why did we have to drift from place to place like duckweed?"
Tears spilled from Eon So-hui's eyes.
The tears rolling down her cheeks carried a heavy weight of raw emotion.
"If those things existed, why did we... why did I... *hic*..."
She finally bowed her head and began to sob.
Han Cheong-un gently placed a hand on her trembling shoulder. Then, he spoke.
"It must have been hard."
"..."
"I sincerely respect your efforts, Lady Eon. You have fought so hard to rebuild your fallen family and make it this far. You are truly an incredible person."
"..."
Eon So-hui's tears flowed without end.
It's so hard.
I want to give up.
I wish someone would help me.
She could never bring herself to utter such weak words, not even if her life depended on it.
How could she show weakness to the vassals she had to lead and protect?
As the head of the Jinju Eon Family.
Ever since she resolved to fulfill that duty, she had lived strong, never showing vulnerability to anyone.
I don't need anyone's help.
Even if the whole world tries to trample me, I will survive like a weed.
Into the life she had lived with such fierce determination...
"You can rest easy now."
"..."
"This manual is yours now. No compensation is necessary."
Han Cheong-un placed the Great Origin Divine Art directly into her hands.
Eon So-hui stared blankly at him.
What was this feeling?
What on earth could she call this sensation, as if a warm ray of sunshine had pierced through the cold, lonely winter of her life to shine solely upon her?
"Please, put your mind at ease. Everything will be fine from now on."
When winter ends, spring arrives.
And when spring arrives...
"Young Master... Han..."
Flowers are bound to bloom.
Han Cheong-un left.
But before he departed, he urged her to keep two warnings in mind.
"Do not trust the Namgung Family. To be precise, do not trust the man who is coming this time."
That was the first.
"And once everything is settled, please seriously consider working as the chief administrator of our Extreme Dao Sect."
And that was the second.
Leaving only those two requests behind, he went on his way.
"I wondered what you were up to, but did you really go through all this trouble just to tell her that?"
"Yeah."
"Don't you think the effort was a bit excessive compared to the payoff?"
"Nope, not at all."
"*Sigh*... I want to go back to Sichuan."
"Nope. You can't."
Han Cheong-un and Tang Jin bickered as they walked away.
Butler Jang, who had been staring blankly at their retreating figures, spoke up.
"M-My Lady. Did you receive the manual?"
"Yes. I got it."
"Oh..."
Butler Jang gasped in awe.
The long-standing wish of their family had finally been fulfilled. Now, they could truly reclaim the martial arts of the Jinju Eon Family. However...
"My Lady, by... by any chance..."
Butler Jang wondered if it would be better to keep his mouth shut. But...
Seeing his lady gaze so blankly at Han Cheong-un's back—a look he had never seen on her face before—he had to make sure.
This was his duty as the family butler.
And as the guardian who had watched over her for so many years, he had to know.
Butler Jang squeezed his eyes shut and asked.
"Did that insolent fellow make any... impudent demands of you in exchange for the manual?"
Eon So-hui, her eyes still fixed on Han Cheong-un's departing figure, replied.
"No. He didn't."
The answer came without a moment's hesitation.
Butler Jang let out a sigh of relief, clutching his chest.
"Hahaha. That is indeed a relief—"
"I wish he had."
"...Pardon?"
"He could have."
"...?"
Quantity over quality.
Expanding their numbers to create an overwhelming presence, thereby buying time to keep the Wugeuk Sect from acting.
That was Jinju Pavilion's plan.
Or rather, Eon So-hui's plan, and it had worked perfectly.
They confirmed that Cha Mu-seong of the Wugeuk Sect had entered Yueyang with his martial artists, but that was as far as it went.
They had not taken any action.
Upon receiving this intelligence, Butler Jang reported it to Eon So-hui with a sigh of relief.
"It is a relief, My Lady."
"I see."
"Everything seems to be unfolding according to your plan. We have established enough of a deterrent to keep the Wugeuk Sect from acting rashly, at least for the time being."
"I see."
"Now, we just need the Namgung Family to arrive on schedule. We have already received word that they have departed from their main estate."
"I see."
"...'The Blue Sky is dead, the Yellow Sky shall rise.'"
"I see."
"Are you a Yellow Turban?!"
Butler Jang roared in frustration.
"Huh? Oh... Butler Jang."
Eon So-hui finally snapped out of her daze.
Clearing her throat, she looked at him and said,
"Ahem. What is it? Do you have something to report?"
"I have been reporting this entire time!"
Eon So-hui gave an embarrassed smile.
"I'm sorry. I must be a bit tired lately."
"*Sigh*..."
Butler Jang felt a headache coming on.
He was a vassal of the Jinju Eon Family, and she was the lord he served.
But politics aside, he had raised her for twenty-four long years. There was no way he didn't know why she was acting like this.
Should I be happy about this or not...?
Love had found its way into his lady's heart.
That was a good thing.
A life with love was infinitely richer than one without.
Personally, he had always felt pity seeing her constantly work, calculate everything, and read between the lines of every scheme.
So, the arrival of a warm spring in her heart was indeed a wonderful thing.
At least, from the perspective of her personal guardian.
"My Lady. Soon... the Namgung Family will arrive."
"Is that so?"
"I heard that Young Master Namgung Sang, your fiancé, is coming with them."
"...Yes. I know."
"..."
Butler Jang could only sigh.
This marriage was something that could never be undone.
The arrangements were already too far along, and even though they had recovered the Great Origin Divine Art, they still needed the sturdy shield of the Namgung Family to ensure the Jinju Eon Family's safety.
The Wugeuk Sect, which was currently watching them like a hawk, was an opponent they couldn't possibly handle without the Namgung Family's influence. Therefore...
"Don't worry. Do you think I'm a child?"
"..."
"I will marry him. I have to. The wedding will go on."
"My Lady..."
"Why are you looking at me with such pity? Do you know how many women in the world dream of becoming the eldest daughter-in-law of the Namgung Family? This is a good thing."
"..."
On paper, she was right.
If they held a pageant for women who wanted to marry into the Namgung Family, the contestants would easily overflow Dongting Lake. However...
But that is not where your heart lies, is it, My Lady?
That was what broke his heart.
The reality that his lady, possessing both brilliant intellect and peerless beauty, could not be with the one she truly desired.
It was a deeply painful, bitter truth.
A few days later.
The Namgung Family entered Yueyang, holding high their blue banner emblazoned with the words "Blue Sky Namgung."
Strictly speaking, Yueyang was Unorthodox territory.
For an Orthodox sect to set foot here, they usually had to tread carefully.
Yet the Namgung Family paid no heed to such conventions, marching into Yueyang with their banners flying proudly.
Han Cheong-un and Tang Jin watched the spectacle from the second floor of a nearby tavern.
"Quite the grand entrance. Why bring the Blue Sky banner when we're not even at war?"
Tang Jin remarked dryly.
Han Cheong-un sat across from him, sipping his tea.
"That's just the kind of guy he is."
"Do you know him?"
At Tang Jin's question, Han Cheong-un smirked.
"Namgung Sang? Oh, I know him. I know him only too well."
"..."
"In fact, there probably aren't many people who know him better than I do."
The look on Han Cheong-un's face was...
...one of sheer, unadulterated disgust.
Seeing this, Tang Jin asked cautiously,
"How are you connected? Is he one of your enemies too, Sect Leader?"
"Not quite an enemy."
"..."
"But he's definitely more annoying than any of them."
"..."
"To put it simply, he was my first boss."
"Your first boss?"
"After graduating from the Wulin Alliance's training facility, the first place I was assigned to was the 7th Sword Squad. Back then, it was called the Changgung Squad."
"Don't tell me..."
"When I got there, that guy was running the show."
Han Cheong-un pointed at a man riding at the very front of the procession, dressed in blue martial robes, his head held high with pride.
It was the eldest son of the Namgung Family, the "Blue Sky Sword," Namgung Sang.
In any walk of life...
...relationships are crucial to surviving the professional world.
Having a competent superior above you makes all the difference. In that sense...
"My first job was completely ruined because of him. Ugh, just thinking about it pisses me off. Should I just go down there and kill him right now?"
Han Cheong-un reached for the spear resting beside him.
He seemed genuinely tempted.
"Calm down, please. Calm down."
Tang Jin quickly held him back.
"Did he do something terrible to you?"
"He didn't do anything overtly evil. Well, he did steal my achievements and inflate his own, but..."
"So he did do something terrible."
"Well, at least he didn't collude with the Unorthodox faction, embezzle funds, or use his authority to force himself on women..."
"What on earth is going to happen to the future Wulin Alliance?"
"..."
Han Cheong-un had no defense for the Alliance.
Not that I'd want to defend them anyway...
Even now, thinking back on it felt absurd.
Why on earth did I stick with the Wulin Alliance until the very end?
The memory only brought another sigh.
Had he just been too distracted by the war to think straight?
Or did he secretly believe that even if the Alliance wasn't perfectly righteous, it was still a lesser evil than the Sado-palmun?
Whatever the reason, his perspective back then had been far too narrow.
In any case, when it came to Namgung Sang...
"He didn't commit those kinds of blatant atrocities."
Money? Women? Why would the eldest son of the prestigious Namgung Family ever lack for those? No, Namgung Sang's real issue lay elsewhere.
"He was highly motivated but utterly incompetent."
"..."
"And because he lacked any self-awareness, he was incredibly overconfident."
"What kind of person is that?"
"To make matters worse, he never knew when to quit. He had this stubborn, indomitable spirit that drove him to keep trying impossible things until they failed catastrophically."
"..."
Tang Jin's jaw dropped.
That sounded like the absolute worst type of boss to work under.
Han Cheong-un chuckled at Tang Jin's reaction.
"Do you know who that guy's role model is?"
"His grandfather?"
"No. Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang."
"...Pardon?"
The name was completely out of left field.
Seeing Tang Jin's confusion, Han Cheong-un suddenly squared his shoulders and adopted a solemn, dignified expression.
He spoke in a mocking imitation of someone else's voice.
"'Today, luck was simply not on our side. But do not despair! Emperor Gaozu suffered countless defeats, yet he triumphed over Xiang Yu in the end to unite the land. Therefore...' and then he'd ramble on with some other absolute nonsense."
Tang Jin stared at him, utterly dumbfounded.
"Seriously, what is wrong with him?"
"Eventually, I started to resent Emperor Gaozu."
"..."
"For setting such a terrible precedent."
In history, those who comforted themselves with the story of Gaozu and Xiang Yu were almost always the ones on the brink of ruin.
"But if he failed that often, wouldn't his squad normally be wiped out? Why did the Alliance keep him in charge of the 7th Sword Squad?"
"Because they never actually failed."
"How?"
Han Cheong-un didn't answer. He just scratched his head and thought to himself.
Because I was there.
Back when Han Cheong-un was just a low-ranking soldier in the 7th Sword Squad.
He had achieved feats so monumental that they were unbelievable for a mere foot soldier.
And Namgung Sang had claimed all those achievements as his own.
As a result, the Wulin Alliance's evaluation of the 7th Sword Squad was:
A unit that frequently suffers heavy losses due to reckless maneuvers, yet consistently achieves matching merits. Highly suited for the vanguard.
Thanks to that, Namgung Sang managed to keep his position as the squad leader.
"Sigh... Anyway, now that he's here, we should start getting ready too."
Seeing Han Cheong-un stand up, Tang Jin asked,
"Are you absolutely sure the talks with the Namgung Family will fall through?"
"One hundred percent!"
Han Cheong-un was absolutely certain.