Chapter 201: To the North Sea-2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 201: To the North Sea-2
'Fuck.'
Sun-woo let out a curse under his breath.
The conclusion had finally been reached: either he or Tang Seo-yoon had to go to the North Sea to provide support.
Sun-woo fell into deep thought. He understood that the situation left them with no choice, but he desperately didn't want to go all the way to the North Sea.
From what he remembered, the North Sea was located incredibly far from the Central Plains. Just traveling back and forth would take months. He had only just arrived at the Tang Clan; he didn't want to leave for such a long period again.
Sun-woo stole a glance at Tang Seo-yoon. The thought of sending her instead began to creep into his mind.
"What are you looking at?"
Noticing his gaze, Tang Seo-yoon spoke up while looking back at him.
"Seo-yoon, don't you want to go on a little sightseeing trip to the North Sea?" Sun-woo asked in a suggestive tone.
"No, I don't."
"Don't be like that. Why don't you think it over? You've been working so hard lately, haven't you? Take this chance to get a change of pace."
"You're the one who needs a change of pace."
Tang Seo-yoon's response was firm, showing she wasn't falling for it.
"Seo-yoon... I just got back after six months. And now you want me to go all the way to the North Sea?" Sun-woo pleaded, looking at her.
"You spent those six months taking care of your own business, didn't you?"
Tang Seo-yoon cut off his pleading instantly.
She was right. Most of those six months had been spent practicing the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth and cleaning up the messes he had made.
".........."
Sun-woo fell silent, tongue-tied by her words. He couldn't think of a single rebuttal.
Come to think of it, although he was technically the regent of the Tang Clan, he couldn't remember doing much for the clan other than causing trouble. He had forced the Hwangbo Clan into Sect Seclusion and spread the Poison King's fame, but even that was just a byproduct of fixing his own mistakes.
Sun-woo's expression turned visibly gloomy. It looked like he was well and truly stuck going to the North Sea.
Tang Seo-yoon watched him closely. Seeing him look so dejected, she felt her heart soften. Even if he had caused trouble on his own whim, it was also true that he had ultimately risked his life for the Tang Clan. She felt she might have been too harsh.
However, she soon shook her head. It was unfortunate, but Sun-woo was the only person available to go to the North Sea in this situation.
In her heart, she wanted to leave Sun-woo at the Tang Clan and go herself. But she knew better than anyone how chaotic the clan's internal affairs would become if she were to leave. Furthermore, the round trip to the North Sea would take four months at the very least, and half a year if they were being generous.
Four to six months was more than enough time for the Tang Clan to fall apart under Sun-woo's management.
Though she felt sorry for him, she hardened her expression. She told herself this was a responsibility he had to bear as the one regenting the clan.
'Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.'
Meanwhile, Sun-woo was cursing non-stop in his head.
In truth, Sun-woo knew it too—that he was the only one who could go. The Tang Clan only had two masters at the Elder level. One of them, Tang Seo-yoon, was in charge of internal affairs and couldn't possibly be away for half a year.
He had tried to deny it out of desperation, but it seemed futile.
"......When do I leave?" Sun-woo asked Geum Jeok-hwa with a depressed face.
"You'll be departing within seven days and nights."
"That soon!?" Sun-woo blurted out in surprise. Seven days seemed far too quick.
"The situation is urgent," Geum Jeok-hwa replied calmly.
In missing persons cases, the longer it took, the more danger the victims were in. In reality, seven days was a generous estimate.
"Then should I go in the guise of the Poison King?" Sun-woo asked, looking at Tang Seo-yoon.
"No, you can't do that," Tang Seo-yoon replied, shaking her head. "Even if time is of the essence, we shouldn't give the impression that the Poison King himself has to step out for something like this."
"Why not?"
"The Clan Head is the pillar of the family. If the Clan Head personally steps out every time something like this happens, it'll look ridiculous."
She was right. The Clan Head was the pillar and spiritual anchor of the clan. If someone in that position moved too lightly outside the clan, many would look down on the Tang Clan.
"Didn't I leave for months last time under the guise of a honeymoon?"
"A honeymoon and this are completely different cases. In a prestigious clan, marriage is one of the Great Human Affairs. It can't be compared to a few martial artists from the Alliance going missing."
Tang Seo-yoon shook her head as she countered Sun-woo's point.
"Then what do I do?" Sun-woo asked, at a loss. If he didn't transform into the Poison King, how was he supposed to go to the North Sea?
"Let's use this opportunity to make the name 'Jang Sun-woo' known."
"What!?"
Sun-woo looked bewildered. Why bring up the name Jang Sun-woo all of a sudden?
"We can't hide your existence forever. I think it's not a bad idea to show that the Tang Clan has a new source of power."
"Will Qingcheng and Emei accept me if I step forward?" Sun-woo asked worriedly.
The only Elder-level masters they knew of were the Poison King and Dok Seo-si. If Sun-woo, who didn't even have a title, suddenly showed up as support, they weren't likely to welcome him.
"No, they'll actually like it."
"Why?"
"Because I suspect the Nine Sects already know about you."
"What!?" Sun-woo asked, startled. How could the Nine Sects know about him?
"The Dragon and Phoenix Gathering," Tang Seo-yoon continued calmly. "The leadership of the Nine Sects must know the story of how you crushed all the Rising Stars of Dragon and Phoenix in Gyunhyeon."
"W-What!?"
"You didn't think twenty of those young geniuses would actually keep it a secret, did you?"
"W-Well, no, but..."
"Surely one of them reported you to their sect. And they would have shared that information with other sects."
"So they know I exist?"
"That's my guess. There probably won't be much pushback even if you step forward this time. In fact, they'll welcome you—the man who single-handedly crushed the Dragon and Phoenix who were supposed to lead the next generation of the Murim."
"............"
Sun-woo fell into thought. It wasn't a bad idea. He realized this was an opportunity to bring the identity of 'Sun-woo' to the forefront.
Staying disguised as the Poison King wasn't bad, but it placed too many restrictions on his actions. Since the Poison King's name and face were well-known, he had to be extremely careful with his words and deeds.
But if he had a new identity as Sun-woo, the story changed. He would be able to act and speak much more freely than he could as the Poison King.
"Then what level of strength should I show?" Sun-woo asked, looking at Tang Seo-yoon.
Even if he planned to step forward, he couldn't show his full power. He was already under the burdensome title of the Poison King's disciple; if he showed martial arts at the Transcendent Realm, he would draw far too much attention. He couldn't allow that.
"I think the Super-Peak Realm would be appropriate."
Knowing the circumstances, Tang Seo-yoon suggested a level she thought was reasonable.
"Isn't that too strong?" Sun-woo asked with concern.
Sun-woo was twenty-eight this year. Reaching the Super-Peak Realm at such a young age would shock many people.
"If the man who crushed the Dragon and Phoenix wasn't at least at the Super-Peak Realm, that would be even more suspicious, don't you think?" Tang Seo-yoon replied lightly.
She was right. Even though they had lost to Sun-woo, the Dragon and Phoenix were the pillars of the Murim, expected to lead the next generation. If Sun-woo's skill, which had suppressed them so easily, was only at the Upper Stage of the Peak Realm, it would only invite suspicion.
"I guess that's true."
Sun-woo conceded. Her logic was sound.
"Am I the only reinforcement?"
"No, I'll send a few Tang Clan warriors with you."
"Is that really necessary?" Sun-woo asked, not quite understanding. He was the clan's strongest asset; what was there to worry about?
"It has to be done. At the very least, we need to give the impression that the Tang Clan is taking this matter seriously."
Tang Seo-yoon shook her head as she explained. The Sichuan Alliance formed by Qingcheng, Emei, and the Tang Clan looked grand on the outside, but it was a fragile relationship. They had gathered for mutual benefit, but because it was a hasty union, they lacked trust. Moreover, Qingcheng, Emei, and the Tang Clan had always been rivals competing for dominance over Sichuan.
That was why their response to this incident was so important. If they showed a passive attitude here, the Tang Clan would lose trust, and the Alliance would be shaken.
"About twenty first-class warriors should be enough to save face."
"Will that be enough?"
"It's plenty."
Tang Seo-yoon nodded. Twenty first-class warriors might not be a massive force, but with Sun-woo there as a Super-Peak master, she believed Qingcheng and Emei would be satisfied.
"Then the team is pretty much set?"
"Yes, it likely won't increase or decrease from there."
Tang Seo-yoon nodded. Twenty first-class masters was the minimum sincerity the Tang Clan could show. Dispatching more than that would be a burden even for them.
"Um... excuse me."
It was then. Ok-ryeong, who was standing beside Sun-woo, cautiously raised her hand and spoke.
"Yes, what is it?"
"......Could I go along as well?" Ok-ryeong asked Tang Seo-yoon, her face flushing with embarrassment.
"No."
Tang Seo-yoon flatly refused.
"W-Why not!" Ok-ryeong asked, raising her voice—a rare occurrence for her.
"From what I understand, you, Senior Blood Sword Fragrance, need to keep your identity hidden."
Tang Seo-yoon spoke with a calm face.
"T-That's true." Ok-ryeong nodded.
"In that situation, isn't it too risky to go to the North Sea with people from Qingcheng and Emei?"
"It's already been over twenty years since I went into seclusion. Most people will have forgotten about me."
Ok-ryeong tried to argue her point. As she said, it had been over twenty years since she disappeared. Those who remembered her would mostly be middle-aged or elderly masters.
"The younger ones might not know, but anyone with some years on them will definitely remember you, Senior."
Tang Seo-yoon's voice was firm.
"That can't be! I was only active in the Murim for about a year!"
Ok-ryeong shook her head, denying Tang Seo-yoon's words. She felt it was unfair. When she first appeared in the Murim, she had destroyed the Geoak Sect—the largest unorthodox sect at the time—and then vanished. It had only taken her a single year to wipe them out. She had left a massive footprint in just one year and then suddenly chose seclusion.
The idea that so many people still remembered her seemed impossible.
"Because in that 'mere year,' you accomplished things no one else could," Tang Seo-yoon said slowly, looking at her. "Senior, you single-handedly destroyed a massive unorthodox power like the Geoak Sect and saved countless lives."
"I was just avenging my parents! Besides, an unorthodox group like the Geoak Sect... if it wasn't me, someone else would have destroyed them eventually."
"No."
Tang Seo-yoon shook her head slightly, refuting her.
"At the time, the Geoak Sect had been established in the Murim for over forty years, but no one even thought about subjugating them. They were too afraid of what they would lose in a war against them."
Tang Seo-yoon continued with a calm expression.
"Who would dare touch the Geoak Sect, which was led by Ju-tae—a master at the Upper Stage of the Super-Peak Realm—and commanded countless unorthodox experts?"
It was the truth. At the time, many prestigious sects condemned the Geoak Sect as evil, but none stepped forward to eliminate them. The Geoak Sect possessed enough power to easily swallow up most mid-to-small-sized sects. Who would risk the survival of their own sect to fight a life-or-death battle against them?
Left unchecked by the prestigious sects, the Geoak Sect grew rapidly, eventually possessing power rivaling that of the Nine Sects. They had grown from a mere nuisance into something truly terrifying.
"No one stepped forward. Countless commoners were extorted, tormented, and even raped, but those called 'prestigious sects' simply looked the other way. They were afraid."
A spark began to flicker in Tang Seo-yoon's eyes.
"That was when you appeared, Senior Blood Sword Fragrance. You declared war on them alone and purged all those evil and heretical sects with a single sword. And you did it in just one year."
Tang Seo-yoon was now looking at Ok-ryeong with eyes full of pure admiration.
"The one year you spent in the Murim is on a completely different level from the years others spend meaninglessly."
Tang Seo-yoon spoke with absolute conviction.
"So, please do not undervalue yourself. I am certain of this: if you hadn't gone into seclusion after that year, the title of the Best Among Women would have been yours."
"Ah... uuuu..."
Ok-ryeong's face turned bright red with embarrassment. she had intended to argue about why she couldn't go, but being showered with such sudden, high praise made her feel incredibly shy.
"Therefore, you cannot go, Senior."
Tang Seo-yoon spoke as if setting it in stone. Ok-ryeong could only lower her head in silence.