Chapter 232: Plotting a Conspiracy
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 232: Plotting a Conspiracy
"Haa... haa... haa..."
Seol-hyang panted heavily, struggling to catch her breath. She waited and waited, staying still until her breathing finally stabilized. After some time had passed, her lungs calmed, and she returned to her normal state.
"Whew."
She let out a long sigh. She had never imagined she would run into him so abruptly.
After hearing Bulsok Satae’s tearful, earnest plea, Seol-hyang had resolved to keep her distance from Sun-woo. She believed that if she simply didn't see him, she could fold away her feelings for him.
She had done her absolute best to avoid a confrontation. Before heading out, she had even peeked down at the first floor of the inn, terrified that she might cross paths with him on her way to the carriage. Only after confirming that Sun-woo was seated firmly on the first floor did she finally work up the courage to head toward the carriage.
But despite her efforts, she had run into him anyway.
Sun-woo’s sudden appearance had thrown her into a panic. She had seen him sitting there with her own two eyes—how could he have appeared before her so suddenly?
Flustered, she had given him a quick, stiff bow and bolted. She simply didn't have the confidence to look him in the eye. She felt that if their gazes met, she might burst into tears without even knowing why.
"Haa... haa... haa..."
Once she had fully composed herself, she slowly lifted her head and looked around. Fortunately, it didn't seem like Sun-woo had followed her. While she felt relieved, a small part of her felt a twinge of disappointment that he hadn't given chase.
They had been so close until yesterday; shouldn't he have followed her to ask why she was running away in such a fright?
She felt a surge of resentment toward Sun-woo’s perceived indifference. But then, she quickly shook her head. How contradictory was it to feel hurt that he hadn't followed her when she was the one who had decided to keep her distance?
"Sigh."
Letting out another sigh, Seol-hyang slumped her shoulders. She began to trudge toward where the carriages were waiting.
*
Rattle, rattle.
The carriage began to jolted violently, likely due to the uneven mountain path.
Rattle, rattle.
The impact of the bumps was transmitted directly to the passengers inside. However, despite the constant shaking, Sun-woo remained perfectly still. He was currently lost in a very serious dilemma.
Compared to the weight of his thoughts, the discomfort of the carriage was nothing. His mind was entirely occupied by Seol-hyang.
Sun-woo furrowed his brow. The image of Seol-hyang running away the moment she saw him kept looping in his head. It bothered him. It bothered him immensely.
What had happened while she was with Bulsok Satae? Had Bulheo Satae done something to harm her? Or had he unknowingly committed some grave offense?
What on earth was going on?
All sorts of wild speculations began to swirl through his mind.
"Hmm..."
Sun-woo’s expression grew grim. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't find an answer. Finally, he set his jaw with a look of firm resolve.
I’ll just ask her myself.
He decided to confront her directly. Racking his brain alone for a hundred days wouldn't yield the right answer. Wouldn't it be better to just ask? It was a far better choice than letting his heart ache in silence.
Sun-woo’s gaze grew calm and focused.
*
"Sajae... are you still worrying about your martial arts?"
Un-hye asked, looking at Seol-hyang with a face full of concern.
"No, I don't need to worry about that anymore," Seol-hyang replied, shaking her head. Since she had decided to distance herself from Sun-woo, she felt there was no longer a pressing need to improve her martial arts.
"Then why do you still look so gloomy?" Un-hye pressed, sounding confused.
If she didn't need to worry about it anymore, didn't that mean the problem was solved? So why did she still look like the world was ending?
"I'm not gloomy," Seol-hyang said flatly.
"Don't lie to me," Un-hye countered firmly. "My usually cheerful Samae has been sitting here with a deathly pale face for two shijin. How can you say you're not gloomy?"
Un-hye presented her evidence with confidence. She knew her sister well. This scatterbrained Sajae loved to gossip so much that her mouth usually never stopped moving for a single second. Yet, she hadn't uttered a single word for the two hours they had been in the carriage.
How could she possibly claim she wasn't depressed?
"I'm just tired. It's not what you think."
"Liar. You're the one who always says that even if you're tired, your mouth can still move."
"Maybe I'm just getting old," Seol-hyang muttered dismissively. She had reached the point where even responding felt like a chore.
"You're barely twenty! What are you talking about? If the Elders heard you, they'd give you a thunderous scolding for being disrespectful!" Un-hye shouted, genuinely annoyed. She was trying to be considerate, and this was the half-hearted response she got?
"I've always been disrespectful, so it's fine," Seol-hyang replied nonchalantly.
"Sometimes I really envy that reckless side of yours, Sajae."
"Is that a compliment?"
"Of course. Though sometimes, I really want to ignore our seniority and give you a good smack."
A slight smile played on Un-hye’s lips as she spoke. Anyone listening could tell she meant it from the bottom of her heart.
"Un-hye, I can set aside our seniority whenever you like. Want me to do it right now?" Seol-hyang shot back, a small internal smirk forming at Un-hye’s cute rebellion.
"I'll pass. I don't have a death wish just yet."
Un-hye shook her head vigorously. She might joke about smacking her sister, but she had no desire to actually fight someone who had reached the Super-Peak Realm.
"Everyone dies eventually," Seol-hyang whispered in a chilling tone.
"I just hope that 'eventually' isn't today. Wouldn't it be a waste to die at such a beautiful age?"
"You say that, and yet you're just a nun who spends her days chanting sutras..." Seol-hyang remarked dryly.
"That's not the point! Why do you always have to twist my words? Like last time..."
Triggered by Seol-hyang’s comment, Un-hye launched into a long-winded lecture. Seol-hyang watched her, letting the sermon go in one ear and out the other. She watched the way Un-hye’s throat moved as she spoke with such passion that the veins in her neck stood out.
Pfft.
Seol-hyang let out a small, internal laugh. She could feel Un-hye’s consideration—her attempt to cheer her up. Seol-hyang simply sat there and listened to the lecture, knowing it was her sister's own way of offering comfort.
The carriage was filled with the sound of Un-hye’s voice.
*
Clatter, clatter.
The carriage, which had been speeding along the mountain path, began to slow down. The faint glow of the sunset had completely vanished. The coachman at the very front quickly raised a flag coated in fluorescent dye.
Upon seeing the signal, the carriages following behind all came to a halt.
"It seems we'll have to camp out here for the night," the lead coachman announced, looking back.
"How could you handle things this way!" Un-jeok-ja snapped, his temper flaring. The place where they had stopped was not their intended destination. He had every right to be angry.
"I am terribly sorry. The sun set faster than expected, so I had no choice but to stop," the coachman replied apologetically.
It was the truth. The mountain path they were traversing was higher than anticipated, causing the sun to drop much earlier. Since nothing was more dangerous than traveling through the mountains at night, the coachman had been forced to halt the convoy.
"Can't we push through?" Un-jeok-ja asked, his brow furrowed. He wanted to reach the North Sea as quickly as possible and hated wasting time like this.
"It's impossible. This area is famous for its many cliffs. One wrong move in the dark and the carriage could roll right off the edge," the coachman explained, waving his hands frantically in alarm. He also wanted to reach the destination, but the conditions simply wouldn't allow it. Driving a carriage on these dark, cliffside roads was a recipe for a fatal plunge into the abyss.
"Tsk. Honestly, there isn't a single thing about this that I like."
Un-jeok-ja clicked his tongue at the coachman’s attitude. He despised the man's lack of confidence. How could a man be so cowardly?
Damn it.
Un-jeok-ja cursed under his breath. He wanted to scream every insult in the book at the coachman, but the man was an employee of the Tang Clan. If he mistreated him here, it could cause friction with the clan.
Sigh.
He let out a heavy breath. He felt a sudden wave of mental exhaustion wash over him. When nothing went according to plan, the stress tended to explode all at once.
"Haa... haa... haa..."
Un-jeok-ja began to take deep breaths to calm his frayed nerves.
"Huuuuuuu."
The deep breathing seemed to work, as the throbbing headache began to subside. Once the pain eased, he made a silent vow to himself: tonight, he would swing his sword for a while to soothe his mind.
Having made his decision, Un-jeok-ja continued his deep breathing. Soon, the only sound echoing from his carriage was the rhythm of his breath.
*
Cheongsu had spent the entire day in the carriage thinking. He was obsessing over how to get revenge on Sun-woo, the man who had brought shame upon the Three Swords of Qingcheng.
He was burning with a desire for vengeance. From his perspective, Sun-woo was an utterly unscrupulous man who had humiliated them all just to satisfy his own twisted desires.
Having lived his life as a pampered young master, Cheongsu had never bowed his head to anyone. Yet, he had swallowed his pride and knelt before Sun-woo, all for the sake of his Sahyung’s love.
And yet, that sincerity had been ruthlessly trampled upon—and by a lecher who was cheating on his own fiancée, no less.
Cheongsu was furious and began to devise a way to strike back. He thought and thought. How could he make Jang Sun-woo feel so much shame that he wouldn't be able to show his face in public?
Generally, people felt the greatest shame when their pathetic nature was exposed in front of a large crowd. That meant he had to find a way to reveal Sun-woo’s insignificance before everyone.
Normally, the most legitimate way would be to show the gap in their martial arts, but he knew that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't defeat Sun-woo. Sun-woo was the man who had single-handedly suppressed the Rising Stars of Dragon and Phoenix, the future rulers of the Central Plains. It was obvious that even if all Three Swords of Qingcheng attacked at once, they wouldn't win.
Furthermore, Sun-woo had publicly declared himself to be in the Super-Peak Realm. There was no way Cheongsu, who had only recently reached the initial stage of the Peak Realm, could best him.
Cheongsu immediately discarded the idea of punishing him through martial arts. It was completely unrealistic.
He thought again. How else could he punish him? Money?
But he quickly shook his head. The Tang Clan possessed wealth so vast it was no exaggeration to say they were drowning in it. As their son-in-law, Sun-woo was unlikely to be short on funds. Even though Cheongsu came from a famous merchant family, they were nothing compared to the Tang Clan.
Cheongsu felt a headache coming on. He was a man who preferred direct, physical solutions. Forcing himself to use his brain didn't immediately produce a clever scheme.
Moreover, his opponent was Jang Sun-woo—a Super-Peak master who made even the Dragon and Phoenix crawl. There was no easy way.
Cheongsu’s expression grew even darker. He realized that in terms of martial arts and background, he was inferior in every way.
If only he wasn't the son-in-law of that damn Tang Clan... Wait?
Flash.
Suddenly, a spark of inspiration struck him. He closed his eyes and began to process the thought.
.
.
.
.
After some time had passed...
Snap.
Cheongsu’s eyes flew open. A bright, predatory smile began to spread across his face. A brilliant idea had occurred to him.
He thought to himself: if Sun-woo’s background was the problem, why not just strip that background away?
"Hehehehe..."
Cheongsu let out a villainous chuckle as he began to map out the plan in his head. A plan to get Sun-woo kicked out of the Tang Clan.
The smile on Cheongsu’s lips grew wider and deeper.