Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: The Divine Maiden Palace
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Bu Eun-seol, who had been listening silently to Namgung Un, furrowed his brow.
“Why do you wish to accompany me?”
“There may be those in the martial world stronger than you, my friend. But I doubt there are many your age more knowledgeable about its history.”
Namgung Un had instantly perceived that Bu Eun-seol not only had extensive experience in the world of martial arts but also possessed outstanding insight.
“I am currently living as a wanderer.”
“I know. That’s why I registered as a wanderer too, isn’t it? I’m asking to travel with you.”
He cleared his throat and spoke again.
“Of course, even if we travel together, I have no need for my share of the money. In fact, I could even give you money if you wished.”
Bu Eun-seol resolutely shook his head.
“I refuse.”
“Think about it carefully, won’t you? I may lack experience in the martial world, but I can be quite helpful.”
“That lack of experience is the biggest problem. If I have to drag a greenhorn around, I’ll be hindered in whatever I do.”
At the cold refusal, Namgung Un’s head drooped.
As a proud, direct descendant of the Namgung Clan, when had he ever been treated so poorly?
Just then, Heuk-pyo suddenly let out a small “Ah.”
“Young Master. How about accepting this gentleman?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Doesn’t the Divine Maiden Palace have a considerable friendship with the Namgung Clan?”
Bu Eun-seol made a thoughtful sound.
Many of the masters of the Divine Maiden Palace were originally from the Namgung Clan. For that reason, even the reclusive Divine Maiden Palace maintained a fair amount of exchange with the Namgung Clan.
“The Divine Maiden Palace?”
Hearing Heuk-pyo’s words, Namgung Un blinked.
“Don’t tell me you’ve received a mission that puts you at odds with the Divine Maiden Palace?”
“No, of course not.”
Heuk-pyo quickly replied.
“There’s a job to retrieve an item from the Divine Maiden Palace.”
“An item?”
“They said it was some kind of bead… and that we could obtain it just by taking a test. But how are outsiders like us supposed to enter the Divine Maiden Palace, which is filled with all sorts of formations?”
“Oh, is that all? It’s nothing.”
Namgung Un grinned and pointed at himself with his thumb.
“My aunt is at the Divine Maiden Palace, so I used to visit there often. Getting inside is no trouble at all for me.”
Then, a faint smile touched his lips.
“If you permit me to accompany you, I’ll put in a good word for you on that matter. What do you say?”
Bu Eun-seol considered it for a moment.
With his current level of martial arts, it would be difficult to force his way through the Divine Maiden Palace.
For the first time since he had set out into the world, a problem had arisen that could not be solved by martial arts or wits alone.
But if it could be resolved with a single word from Namgung Un, it was by no means a losing proposition.
“Very well.”
After a moment of thought, Bu Eun-seol nodded.
“But only for as long as I work as a wanderer for the Jeok-cheon-mak-ji.”
“Excellent. But I still don’t even know your name, my friend.”
“Seol So-yo.”
At that, Namgung Un smiled brightly.
“I’ll be in your care, Young Hero Seol.”
The Divine Maiden Palace.
Located on Mount Wu in Hubei Province, it was often called the Mount Wu Divine Maiden Palace.
For a long time, it was a sect exclusively for women, forbidding men, but recently it has begun to interact with various orthodox sects.
In particular, because the daughters of the Namgung Clan who had entered in the past now held key positions, it maintained a close relationship with the Namgung Clan.
“Namgung Un pays his respects to the Mistress of Haehwa Hall.”
Inside the Haehwa Hall of the Divine Maiden Palace.
As Namgung Un bowed deeply, the Mistress of Haehwa Hall, Namgung Se-a, smiled and shook her head.
“I heard you were journeying through the martial world.”
Namgung Un had been a troublemaker since he was young. Even when she was still at the Namgung estate, he had caused an incident so big he was beaten half to death by the Hall of Justice Master.
But now, he had come to the Divine Maiden Palace as such a fine young man. Namgung Se-a was struck by a fresh wave of emotion.
“So, what brings you here? And who are they?”
“These are friends I’ve made in the martial world, wanderers from the Jeok-cheon-mak-ji. This is Young Hero Seol So, and his attendant.”
“Wanderers? Why have they come to this palace?”
“It’s just that they…”
As Namgung Un explained, Namgung Se-a’s brow furrowed slightly.
“A treasure of this palace?”
The reason he brought men to the Divine Maiden Palace, a place where only women resided, was to obtain one of its treasures?
She suppressed her anger and said.
“I cannot give a treasure of this palace to outsiders.”
“I heard that one can obtain some kind of bead just by taking a test at the Divine Maiden Palace?”
“A test? Don’t tell me… you mean the Bo-won-sin-ju?”
Namgung Se-a’s expression turned peculiar.
It was the look of someone who had just discovered an unidentifiable foreign object in their rice bowl while eating.
However, Namgung Un, who failed to notice her expression, clapped his hands.
“That’s right. If you give them a chance to take that test, they would be eternally grateful to you, Aunt.”
Namgung Se-a, who had been staring intently at Bu Eun-seol and Heuk-pyo’s faces, shook her head.
“I don’t think it will work.”
“Pardon?”
“He’s too ordinary.”
“Ah, that’s not true. He recently took care of Wang Jeong, who had plunged the Mount Buljeong area into terror.”
In response to Namgung Un’s answer, Namgung Se-a said something completely unrelated.
“I’m not talking about his martial arts…”
Muttering something to herself, Namgung Se-a shook her head.
“In any case, it is impossible.”
“Aunt.”
Namgung Un clasped his hands together and pleaded with Namgung Se-a.
“To be honest, Young Hero Seol saved my life recently.”
“Your life?”
“That’s right. I came here with him to repay that debt.”
“Hmm.”
Namgung Se-a sighed.
Though she was a Hall Mistress of the Divine Maiden Palace, she prided herself on being a member of the prestigious Namgung Clan.
She could not simply ignore the fact that her nephew owed a debt of life.
“Hmph.”
After a short grunt, Namgung Se-a stared at Bu Eun-seol and asked.
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-three.”
“Are you married?”
“Not yet.”
“Hmm.”
Staring at Bu Eun-seol’s face, disguised by the Face-Changing Bone-Altering Technique, Namgung Se-a nodded.
“Very well. I shall try to make a request.”
“Thank you, Aunt!”
“There’s no need to thank me.”
Namgung Se-a sighed and shook her head.
“That test is not an easy one. One could very well lose their life.”
“I don’t mind.”
When Bu Eun-seol answered calmly, Namgung Se-a nodded.
“Then let us go.”
Following Namgung Se-a’s guidance, Bu Eun-seol’s party entered the Eunhyeon Palace, where the Young Palace Mistress resided.
There was a beautifully decorated garden and a unique building shaped like a water droplet.
Upon entering the building, a wide hall appeared, and before it was a large door with a beaded curtain.
“Please wait a moment.”
Seeing a maid go inside to announce Namgung Se-a’s arrival, it seemed the Young Palace Mistress received her guests here.
“Hmm. I really don’t think this is a good idea.”
Namgung Se-a looked at Bu Eun-seol and sighed softly.
“I don’t know your origins, but there’s no need to risk your life for some useless ambition.”
“What are you suddenly talking about?”
“In the past, there were many outstanding prodigies who tried to obtain the Bo-won-sin-ju. But most of them lost their lives.”
“Aunt.”
Hearing this, Namgung Un suddenly stepped forward.
“Then how about I try challenging it first?”
“What are you suddenly talking about?”
“I owe Young Hero Seol a debt. If I pass the test first and obtain the Bo-won-sin-ju, wouldn’t that give me a chance to repay him?”
At that, Namgung Se-a spoke with a stern face.
“You will absolutely not get involved.”
“Pardon?”
“You can’t succeed with skill alone, but in truth, obtaining the Bo-won-sin-ju is…”
Just then, with a soft rustle, a faint shadow appeared behind the beaded curtain.
The Young Palace Mistress of the Divine Maiden Palace had just sat down behind the curtain.
“Young Palace Mistress.”
As Namgung Se-a gave a light greeting, a small voice came from within the curtain.
“What brings you here so suddenly, Mistress of Haehwa Hall?”
For a moment, the faces of Namgung Un and Heuk-pyo reddened slightly.
The voice from behind the curtain was as sweet and gentle as if someone were whispering with their lips against one’s earlobe.
“Who are those people?”
“My nephew and his friends. They wish to obtain the Bo-won-sin-ju…”
At that, the Young Palace Mistress spoke in a small voice.
“Do people… still remember that promise these days?”
“It seems so.”
Turning her head, Namgung Se-a spoke to Bu Eun-seol in a suggestive tone.
“Come forward to the curtain.”
As Bu Eun-seol approached, Namgung Un also quickly stepped forward.
“Oh! I, I will also try the challenge!”
“You brat!”
As Namgung Se-a scolded him with a solemn gaze, Namgung Un spoke in a timid voice.
“Please, Aunt.”
“Un, you scoundrel…”
She wanted to slap his cheek, but she couldn’t act rashly in front of the Young Palace Mistress.
“Be quiet and stay back.”
Since her youth, Namgung Se-a had been called a heroine, excelling in martial arts and possessing a fiery temper.
Faced with her stern gaze, Namgung Un had no choice but to retreat.
“Would it be alright to give this man a chance to obtain the Bo-won-sin-ju?”
But an unexpected answer came from behind the curtain.
“Please don’t. It’s an impossible test anyway, isn’t it?”
The reason was unknown, but the Young Palace Mistress’s voice was filled with resignation and pity.
“Countless prodigies have challenged it so far, but all have failed. I don’t want to see them get hurt over something so pointless.”
“I understand. In that case.”
Just as Namgung Se-a was about to nod with a regretful expression,
“Nothing is impossible.”
Bu Eun-seol stepped forward and spoke confidently.
“Give me the chance. I will definitely pass.”
“Do you even know what kind of test it is?”
“I do not.”
“Then I shall tell you. You must break through the Twenty-four Heavenly General Formation, personally installed by the Palace Mistress in the Jaha Secret Cave.”
The Divine Maiden Palace was renowned for its mysterious formation arts.
Though he had never heard the name, since the Palace Mistress herself had installed it, it was sure to be a strange and difficult formation.
“The Twenty-four Heavenly General Formation is a superposition of this palace’s twenty-four best formations, and it includes a bewitching formation that delves into the human spirit.”
The Young Palace Mistress behind the curtain spoke in a sigh-filled voice.
“Therefore, no matter how knowledgeable a person is in martial arts or formations, they cannot break it alone. At best, they will see illusions; at worst, they may fall into Qi deviation.”
After a brief pause, she spoke again.
“I absolutely do not recommend it. I hope you will reconsider.”
“Give me the chance.”
“Even if you lose your life?”
“Yes.”
At Bu Eun-seol’s firm words, the Young Palace Mistress behind the curtain spoke in a low voice.
“If you desire it that much… it should be fine for the Mistress of Haehwa Hall to grant you the chance.”
“Understood.”
As if his mischievous nature had surged again, Namgung Un avoided Namgung Se-a’s gaze and abruptly stepped forward.
“Young Palace Mistress. Could you not give me a chance as well?”
“You too?”
At that, Namgung Se-a’s eyes sharpened.
“Un! Didn’t I tell you no?”
Despite her scolding, Namgung Un put on a brave face.
“You never know until you try, right?”
He then straightened his shoulders and spoke confidently.
“I am currently on a journey through the martial world. If I avoid and turn away from danger, I will never become a proud member of my clan.”
“Hmm.”
Namgung Se-a grunted.
Only now did she realize that bringing her nephew, infamous for being a troublemaker, here was a mistake.
“Alright.”
Just then, the Young Palace Mistress behind the curtain spoke calmly.
“Alright. If you wish it so… go ahead and try.”
“Thank you!”
At Namgung Un’s words, Namgung Se-a had no choice but to bow her head.
“Then we will head down to the Jaha Secret Cave.”
“Wait a moment.”
At that moment, the Young Palace Mistress, who had been sitting behind the curtain, slowly rose to her feet.
“I will accompany you.”
“You will, Young Palace Mistress…?”
“Not only an outsider, but the Hall Mistress’s nephew is also taking on the challenge. How can I simply stand by and watch?”
“To show such consideration… thank you so much.”
As Namgung Se-a made a moved expression, Bu Eun-seol, Heuk-pyo, and Namgung Un tilted their heads.
—Is her observing really something to be so grateful for?
As if she had read their minds, Namgung Se-a spoke in a low voice.
“If the Young Palace Mistress observes with you, she can stop the formation midway. That way, you will at least not lose your lives.”
“Ah, I see. That’s a relief.”
Just as Namgung Un was grinning,
*Rustle.*
The beaded curtain was drawn, and a woman dressed in white robes as pure as snow, preceded by two maids, slowly walked out.
Her face was covered with a veil of heavenly silk, so her features were hidden, but her large, clear eyes were tinged with a faint blue light.
The pinnacle of beauty.
With just that pair of eyes, she seemed to hold all the beauty in the world.