Chapter 125: Pulling a Bluff - Part 3
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 125: Pulling a Bluff - Part 3
"Sob... hic... ugh..."
Lee Ye-seol’s sobbing began to fill the entirety of Pungcheonru.
Now liberated from the agonizing pain of the poison, she quickly realized that her lower garments were damp.
Despair instantly washed over her.
The sticky sensation of liquid running down her thighs, the pungent, stinging scent of urine hitting her nose—she, the greatest of the Dragon and Phoenix rising stars and the daughter of the Absolute Martial God Lee Jae-won, had lost control of her bladder because she couldn't endure the pain.
The shame was so overwhelming that she felt paralyzed.
To make matters worse, the people who had witnessed her disgrace weren't just anyone; they were the very rising stars who would one day lead the Orthodox Faction. She had humiliated herself in front of the peers she would have to face for the rest of her life.
She could do nothing but weep bitterly.
No matter how hard she thought, there was no way to fix this. The transfer of power within the Cheonmu Alliance, her future—it was all gone. Who would ever respect a bed-wetter as the leader of the Cheonmu Alliance?
Regret gnawed at her.
She shouldn't have cared whether Hwangbo Ak and Hwa Un-san fought or not. She should have had the grace to offer a seat when that woman entered Pungcheonru. She shouldn't have harbored the foolish thought of testing the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art.
She should have believed the words that man spoke.
She just cried. With nothing left to undo, she had no choice but to burst into tears like a small child.
"Ugh... waaaah!"
Meanwhile, watching her wail, Sun-woo felt a refreshing sense of catharsis.
Ever since he had fallen into the world of Murim, she had been a constant source of ill-fated encounters. She was the one who had brutally defeated Jang Sam, and she was the one who had barged in at the break of dawn, accusing Jang Sam of murder and dragging him away.
While she might have been acting on circumstances, from Sun-woo’s perspective, she was nothing but a nuisance. Furthermore, she was the one who had mercilessly slashed the defenseless Yorang.
Seeing her now—cheeks puffed out as if they were about to burst, sobbing and soaking herself—how could he not feel good?
Since Sun-woo shared memories with Jang Sam, he knew exactly how prideful this woman was. Her pride as the daughter of the World's Greatest Martial Artist and Cheonmu Alliance Leader Lee Jae-won; her confidence as the best among the rising stars; and her self-esteem, believing she was more noble than anyone else in the Murim.
All of it had been shattered by her own wrong choices.
She would regret it. She would regret the arrogance that led her to suffer such irreversible humiliation.
Sun-woo struggled to keep the corners of his mouth from twitching upward. If he laughed now, it would look like he had intentionally poisoned her, so he needed to maintain his poker face.
"Is it proven now?" Sun-woo asked calmly, looking down at the wailing woman.
One might expect a man to comfort a delicate woman crying so piteously, but he merely asked his question with indifference.
"Waaaaah!"
Despite his question, Lee Ye-seol only continued to shed a torrent of tears.
"Stop your damn crying," Sun-woo said, his voice laced with irritation.
She was the one who messed up; did she think she could just cry her way out of it? There was a saying: the first to shed tears wins. It was a tactic to garner public sympathy by playing the victim. It was a common move, but it made him realize that even the prideful Lee Ye-seol was just another girl at the end of the day.
"Hic."
Hearing Sun-woo’s irritated tone, Lee Ye-seol desperately tried to stifle her sobs. The fear that he might soak her in poison again if she didn't listen took hold of her.
‘Heavens...’
‘How can a man be so...’
‘He is utterly ruthless. Truly a man of the Tang Clan.’
‘Terrifying. Simply terrifying.’
The other members of the Dragon and Phoenix watched the scene, shuddering at his cold-blooded nature. Shouldn't a man show some gallantry and wipe away the tears of a beautiful, weeping woman?
But he showed no such inclination. He simply demanded she stop.
Sun-woo stared at her with annoyed eyes before rummaging through his bundle. He pulled out a set of clothes and thrust them toward her.
"Go change."
Sun-woo spoke while pointedly pinching his nose. Lee Ye-seol’s face flushed crimson with shame, but she took the clothes. She couldn't exactly keep wearing urine-soaked garments.
"Hey."
Sun-woo pointed a finger at Zhuge Jia.
"Me?! You mean me?"
"Take her and help her change."
‘Why me again?!’ Zhuge Jia cursed inwardly, but she quickly approached Lee Ye-seol.
‘Ugh, the smell...’
As she got closer, the stench of urine was overwhelming. Zhuge Jia reflexively frowned, an expression that only deepened Lee Ye-seol’s humiliation. Lee Ye-seol kept her head bowed low.
Zhuge Jia realized that if they were to settle this situation, they couldn't leave Lee Ye-seol in that state.
"Excuse me, please bring up some water for washing," Zhuge Jia requested of the waiter. She couldn't just have her change clothes without cleaning up.
Supporting Lee Ye-seol, Zhuge Jia slowly led her toward a private room on the second floor.
"Don't try to sneak off just because you're embarrassed. Come straight back," Sun-woo called out as they headed upstairs. It would be troublesome if they disappeared now.
Zhuge Jia nodded and continued walking.
*
After the women went upstairs, Sun-woo walked slowly toward Yorang.
Breathing softly...
The sleeping Yorang seemed to have stabilized, her breathing much more even than before. Sun-woo lightly lifted the Black Dragon Robe to check underneath.
He saw the lacerations on her body disappearing one by one. It seemed that the intentional suppression of her recovery had faded once she lost consciousness. Her condition looked much better than earlier.
‘If you could heal like this, why were you stupid enough to just endure it?’
Sun-woo gently stroked Yorang’s hair. Looking at her wounds filled him with a mix of apology and guilt. If not for his own negligence, she wouldn't have been hurt so badly.
As he stroked her hair, Sun-woo reflected on his actions over and over. He vowed, repeatedly, that he would never make the same mistake again.
"Mmm..."
Perhaps he had stroked her too much, as Yorang shifted her body. Sun-woo chuckled and pulled his hand away. He wanted to let her sleep peacefully.
It was then.
Thump, thump, thump.
Footsteps echoed from the second floor. Sun-woo turned his head.
He saw Lee Ye-seol, now dressed in the green martial arts uniform characteristic of the Tang Clan, being supported by Zhuge Jia.
Sun-woo felt a surge of internal satisfaction. Now that all the Dragon and Phoenix members had seen her in the green robes symbolizing the Tang Clan, his story would carry even more weight. Between the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art and the Tang Clan’s signature green, they would have no choice but to believe him.
Contrary to his inner thoughts, Sun-woo hardened his expression. Now that the protagonist of the incident had returned, it was time to wrap things up.
Sun-woo slowly approached them.
*
Thud.
Sun-woo sat down at a table in the center of the first floor.
"You guys sit, too."
He gestured toward Zhuge Jia and Lee Ye-seol.
Flinch.
Lee Ye-seol flinched at the sound of his voice but sat at the table as instructed. Zhuge Jia followed suit, cautiously taking a seat.
"Well?" Sun-woo began, looking at Lee Ye-seol.
"I... I've... calmed down... a lot."
"Who asked about your condition? I asked if it's been proven that I used the Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Source Divine Art."
Sun-woo spoke with an air of frustration.
"...Yes."
At Sun-woo’s irritation, Lee Ye-seol spoke in a small, defeated voice. She was a completely different person from the one who had charged at him screaming earlier.
Zhuge Jia watched her in shock. She had never seen this prideful woman so thoroughly cowed by anyone. Lee Ye-seol had lived her entire life never having to bow her head to anyone. Seeing her so pathetic and broken was a surreal experience for Zhuge Jia.
"So, what are you going to do now?" Sun-woo asked flatly.
"............"
Lee Ye-seol couldn't find the words. Now that it was proven he was the Poison King’s disciple, his claims had to be true.
The woman she had slashed was indeed the sixth primary wife of the Tang Clan Head.
Though they weren't blood-related, the Poison King Tang Jin-cheol was technically her maternal uncle by rank. By extension, that woman was her aunt-in-law.
She had essentially minced her own aunt. How could she possibly fix this?
"Say something," Sun-woo barked, seemingly indifferent to her inner turmoil.
"I... I am truly sorry."
She flinched at his raised voice and offered an apology.
"Do you think an apology solves this?"
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please, forgive me."
She could only repeat the same words, unable to offer a proper solution. If the man’s backer was the Poison King, she wasn't in a position to crush him with wealth or power. Nor could she overwhelm the man before her with martial force.
She just apologized, hoping this nightmare would end.
Sun-woo watched her closely. Since he had successfully broken her spirit, she was doing nothing but apologizing.
In truth, while Sun-woo claimed to be the Poison King’s disciple, there were several suspicious points. Publicly, the Poison King was known to be on a honeymoon with his sixth wife. So where was the Poison King, and why was a man claiming to be his disciple traveling with the sixth wife instead? Furthermore, if she was his master’s wife, why did he address her so familiarly?
However, the extreme pain, terror, and shame had robbed Lee Ye-seol of the mental capacity to notice such minor inconsistencies. She just kept repeating her apology.
Sun-woo cheered inwardly. Breaking them early on was making everything go smoothly. In her current state, she would believe any story he spun, as long as it wasn't completely nonsensical.
Sun-woo stroked his chin, lost in thought.
He couldn't kill them. But he couldn't just let it slide either, as that would insult the Poison King’s dignity. He needed to find a way to conclude the situation while upholding the Tang Clan’s honor.
After some time had passed...
"Whew."
Sun-woo let out a deep sigh. His thoughts were finally organized.
He slowly looked around at Lee Ye-seol and the other rising stars. Killing everyone here was an impossible absurdity. Gyunhyeon, located right at the foot of Wudang Mountain, was a large city. Hundreds of people had already seen him and Yorang heading here. This wasn't some remote village; if he tried to silence them all by killing them, the Orthodox Faction’s pursuit squads would swarm him.
Yet, simply forgiving them and ending it here would disgrace the Tang Clan. Sun-woo had already escalated things this far. If he ended it abruptly without a proper resolution, the Tang Clan would become a laughingstock, and the Poison King’s reputation would hit rock bottom. People would ask if they had lost their pride after being attacked by the Demonic Cult.
A drop in the Tang Clan’s prestige meant a weakening of their power. If Tang Seo-yoon found out, she would kill him.
There was only one answer. He had to provide them with a way out—a way to fix their mistake.
"Consider yourselves incredibly lucky," Sun-woo began, his voice much softer as he addressed them. "If my Master were here in Gyunhyeon, you all would have been turned into piles of toxic sludge by now."
The rising stars looked at him with questioning eyes. That meant the Poison King wasn't currently in Gyunhyeon.
"I don't want this to escalate either. As the one tasked with guarding the Sixth Lady, if Master finds out she was slashed like this, I won't be able to escape his wrath either."
Sun-woo spoke to them in a suggestive tone.
"You don't want this to blow up either, do you?"
Nod, nod.
The rising stars began to nod their heads without hesitation. If this incident became public, not only would their family honor be tarnished, but their own positions would be in jeopardy. Even though they were the elite "Dragon and Phoenix," there were countless others right behind them, waiting for a chance to take their place.
"So, let's do this. We act as if none of this ever happened. Simple, right?"
The eyes of the rising stars widened like saucers. A way out of the worst-case scenario had appeared. If they could cover this up, their sects' and families' reputations would remain intact, and their positions would be safe.
Their eyes sparkled. This was an unexpected stroke of luck.
"But there's a problem."
Sun-woo continued, looking at the hopeful faces of the young martial artists.
"As you can see, the Sixth Lady’s condition is quite serious. Right?"
Sun-woo pointed toward Yorang, who was covered by the dragon robe.
"Fortunately, her life isn't in danger, but her body is covered in lacerations from your blades. Even if we all keep our mouths shut, it won't matter if Master sees those scars. Right?"
They all nodded in unison. It was true. To a woman, her appearance was often more precious than life itself. And they had defiled that appearance—an appearance that could only be described as peerless beauty—with their blades.
Even if they stayed silent, it would be discovered eventually.
"Now, here is the question," Sun-woo said, looking at them. "What should we do about it?"
The expressions of the rising stars grew heavy once again.