Chapter 226
Chapter 226
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 226
Chapter Title: Taiji Yin-Yang Physique (29)
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"Come on in. It's been a while, everyone."
"Hahaha. Long time no see, Clan Head."
There he was. The protagonist. Surprisingly, his name wasn't Siwoo, but this guy with the moniker Siwoo Sword had come to the Wiji Clan. Bringing three women with him, no less. I half-listened to Siwoo Sword's story while stealing glances at them.
"Uncle, long time no see! How's Eun-ah doing?"
First up, Dang So-yeon. Her mannerisms made her seem pretty cheeky, but for some reason, even that came off as cute. Appearance really is everything. Just looking at her face brought out an involuntary dad smile—it was that lovable.
Her figure was a bit on the slim side, though. Those pitiful half-developed-looking breasts seemed about even with Eun-ah's current size. Still, whatever. Big breasts on that height would look weird anyway. In a way, it was the most fitting size.
"It's been a long time, Clan Head. I'm Zhuge Lianhua. I heard about the major incident, but seeing your calm expression puts me at ease."
Next, Zhuge Lianhua. Unlike Dang So-yeon, she was incredibly polite, but there was a slight sense of incongruity, like she was hiding her true feelings. Prejudice against the Zhuge family? Or maybe just my imagination.
But her fairy-like beauty wasn't my imagination. Her elegant, refined face had the servants around us gasping in admiration. No wonder she was a sub-heroine. And with a figure that had all the right curves, that might've amplified their awe.
"...Long time no see. Elder Moon Night Sword. You haven't forgotten that promise from back then, have you?"
Finally, Nangong Bin... but oddly, instead of 'Sub-Heroine' floating above her head like with the other two, there was something else written there.
True Heroine...
I stared at Nangong Bin, inwardly chewing over the word 'true'.
"Hoho, Bin hasn't changed a bit. Of course not. I'll accept your challenge anytime."
"Thank you, Elder! Then right now..."
"Bin, this isn't the time."
"Ah, right... Thanks, brother. And sorry, Elder."
"Hohoho, even that side of you is the same as ever."
True Heroine—I knew full well the immense destructive power that term carried. The moment 'true' gets slapped in front of one heroine, all the others become 'fake.' Like they were never the protagonist's love interest to begin with.
'Yeah, number four takes the win, right? The rest are all decoys. Good job, So-yeon.'
'That damn author... ruining the story like this.'
But to actually see that term pop up...
Only now did I understand why my NTR rank was still stuck in place. Wi Ji-hye hadn't been the heroine from the start. No wonder it felt off. Having grasped the truth, I scanned the true target from head to toe.
"......"
Beautiful. What more needed to be said? The two sub-heroines were plenty stunning, but Nangong Bin was on another level. Like an actress standing next to an idol. She had that unique aura that drew all eyes. Just like Wi Ji-hye.
At that level, she earned the True Heroine title.
I nodded silently, then noticed one shocking fact.
But wait... she's Siwoo Sword's little sister. No way... this guy's an incest freak?
***
"...And so, to aid the Wiji Clan after losing the Fei Lian Corps and to protect Lady Wiji with her Taiji Yin-Yang Physique, the Martial Alliance sent us here with me."
"Hmm, I see. So that's how it is."
Filthy creep. I silently cursed Siwoo Sword Nangong Jin as he finally got to the main point. What a total scumbag! Incestuous perv who was once engaged to Hye-mae. If it weren't for me, she would've been in serious trouble.
I let out a secret sigh of relief and focused on his story.
"And one more thing I'd like to discuss."
"Go ahead."
"Could you please reconsider our broken engagement...?"
"...What?"
"The rumors about the Taiji Yin-Yang Physique spreading and failing to protect Lady Wiji—those faults lie squarely with us. Our clan overlooked her importance."
"Umm..."
"But the Nangong Clan has reflected on this. We've imprisoned my loose-lipped uncle and assembled a special escort force. We won't repeat the same mistake. So for Lady Wiji's protection, we'd be grateful if you'd rethink the marriage alliance."
"Hah..."
This guy was totally insane.
I tried to hear him out to the end, but I couldn't hold back anymore. Why was this rotten incest freak after Hye-mae? To use her as an inner power battery, obviously. The absurdity of his intentions had me scoffing in disbelief.
"Hey, do you really have to marry her? Just protect her, that's all."
So I opened my mouth to speak up, but the voice that came out was Dang So-yeon's.
"And the Martial Alliance is providing help on their end, so why do you need to marry Sister Hye-ah specifically? No matter how I think about it, it doesn't make sense."
"Exactly. Is there really any reason for you to marry her? As far as I know, the Alliance never mentioned anything about an engagement. Is this just the Nangong Clan's unilateral decision?"
And backing her up was none other than Zhuge Lianhua.
From the looks of it, both sub-heroines had already fallen for the protagonist, but thanks to that, I'd gotten some unexpected help.
So, what now, you incest freak? Having gained reinforcements I hadn't anticipated, I gleefully watched Siwoo Sword's face. But contrary to my expectations, he answered their questions with a perfectly composed expression, as if it were no big deal.
"It's not unilateral—the Alliance Chief advised it. And the reason for the engagement is Lady Wiji's reputation. Proper protection means sticking by her side twenty-four-seven, which could lead to unsavory rumors. The marriage talk is to prevent that."
"I-is that... how it is? Hmm..."
"Indeed... You always have a plan."
No way. Falling for that ridiculous nonsense? I'd thought they'd help, but I was dead wrong. Was this the protagonist buff? Furious at the world's unfairness, I yelled at the incest freak without hiding my irritation.
"Enough! There's someone right here to protect Hye-mae—why are you stepping up? Already forgotten I'm her new fiancé?"
"Hahaha. Not at all. But the situation's changed, so shouldn't we reconsider that engagement too? For Lady Wiji's sake."
"...What the hell are you talking about?"
"I'm saying a stronger person should protect her."
"...You prepared to back that up?"
"Nangong Jin has never uttered a word he couldn't stand behind."
"Fine, you wanna go?"
"If that's what you want."
This bastard? I fell for the incest freak's blatant provocation. But as Hye-mae's man, I couldn't just sit there. The patriarch might've blocked it anyway, but I wanted to give this scum a proper thrashing.
So what if he was the protagonist? I had cheat skills like Observation and Telekinesis. His cultivation seemed higher, but I was confident I'd win a spar. I glared defiantly at the incest freak.
"Enough. Both of you, stop there. I'm fine with a spar, but not today. It's already too late anyway—what's the point of fighting now? Tomorrow. If you're sparring, do it at the Si hour."
"Understood, Father-in-law."
"Understood, Clan Head."
But... for some reason, the incest freak's vibe was off. He was grinning like things had gone perfectly, as if he'd brought up the engagement just to bait this spar.
...Nah, probably overthinking it.
Convincing myself no one with the moniker Siwoo Sword would scheme like that, I headed back to the two sisters to prepare for tomorrow's match.