Chapter 407: Settling Old Scores
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 407: Settling Old Scores
How much time had passed?
Lee Ye-seol, who had finally stopped crying, immediately hung her head low. The realization that she had sobbed like a child in front of Jang Sun-woo came rushing back to her.
Flush!
‘What on earth was I thinking?!’
Her face turned as red as a ripe apple. Even to herself, she felt she had looked utterly pathetic.
‘I’m crazy! I’ve gone mad.’
She began to berate herself internally over and over again. Who was she? She was the woman known as the Heavenly Phoenix, a renowned talent of the Murim. And yet, she had burst into tears like a toddler. To make matters worse, it was because she had been scolded by her mother. How could she not feel pathetic?
"Hey."
A deeply irritating voice pierced her ears.
"Feeling sheepish?"
It was a voice dripping with sheer spitefulness. Lee Ye-seol slowly lifted her head and glared at Sun-woo with daggers in her eyes. Hearing his mocking tone made her blood boil.
"It’s fine. It’s okay to be a little embarrassed when you’re young. You can just chalk it up to being immature."
Sun-woo wore a smirk, delivering words that were hard to distinguish between consolation and mockery.
Grind.
Lee Ye-seol ground her teeth. A fierce urge to strike that annoying mouth of his surged within her.
"Well, anyway, since the person in question seems to have pulled herself together, let’s talk business."
Sun-woo spoke, seemingly enjoying the way she was glaring at him.
"Yes~, I think that would be best."
Joo So-yang replied in a coquettish voice. A bright smile began to spread across her lips. Watching her mother, Lee Ye-seol’s jaw dropped. She couldn't understand Joo So-yang’s attitude at all.
True, her mother had said they would settle their old scores with Jang Sun-woo to win the succession competition. But how could human emotions change so easily? This was supposed to be a temporary alliance. There was no way all the ill will toward Jang Sun-woo could have vanished so quickly.
Yet, what was with this change in demeanor? Joo So-yang didn't look like someone harboring a grudge. She was acting soft and warm, almost as if she were facing a lover. The sweet voice, the radiant smile, and even the slight flush on her cheeks... it was baffling.
Lee Ye-seol was utterly confused by her mother’s sudden transformation.
‘What did you do to my mother?!’
She glared at Sun-woo with suspicious eyes, wondering if he had used some sort of trickery.
"What are you looking at?"
Perhaps noticing her gaze, Sun-woo spoke bluntly.
"......Nothing."
At his curt response, Lee Ye-seol averted her eyes. Though suspicion was blooming within her, she had no grounds to complain. Could she really interrogate him just because her mother’s attitude had changed? To anyone else, it would probably just look like she was being jealous.
"Then let’s review the proposal together."
Sun-woo spoke with a grin.
"First, Lee Ye-seol, my master has given his permission regarding your proposal."
He continued in a calm tone.
"......Really?"
Lee Ye-seol’s face brightened. Although she had taken the chance to make the offer, she had been half-doubting its success. If the Tang Clan Head chose bloodline over pragmatism, her proposal would have been for naught.
Sun-woo occupied a peerless position in this succession competition. He possessed such overwhelming martial prowess that he could suppress even the Rising Stars of Dragon and Phoenix—the best of their generation—in an instant. For the Tang Clan to lend him out meant turning their backs completely on their own kin, Tang Jin-seol.
That was why she had been skeptical. She thought the Tang Clan, with its strong emphasis on bloodline, wouldn't accept the offer so easily. Fortunately, it seemed the Tang Clan Head was a pragmatist who chose utility over blood.
‘Phew.’
Lee Ye-seol let out a sigh of relief. It felt like the first button had been fastened correctly.
"Then, does this mean the Tang Clan is on my side now?" she asked, her face slightly flushed with excitement.
"No, that’s not it."
Sun-woo shook his head.
"The only one on your side is the martial artist named Jang Sun-woo."
"What!?"
Lee Ye-seol asked back, her expression one of utter confusion. What kind of nonsense was this? How could the martial artist representing the Tang Clan stand behind her while the clan itself stayed out of it?
"The Tang Clan will support Tang Jin-seol as originally planned. And they will do so with everything they have."
"Wait... wait a minute!"
Lee Ye-seol spoke urgently, looking flustered.
"I don't think I understand. Could you explain that one more time?"
She asked again, wondering if she had misheard him.
"What’s there to not understand?" Sun-woo asked back, acting as if he didn't see the problem.
"You are the martial artist representing the Tang Clan! How can you support a different candidate than the clan does? Are you saying you’re going to play both sides?"
"Exactly. The Tang Clan intends to keep a foot in both camps."
Sun-woo replied with a smile.
"Do you really think that will be tolerated?! Even if I accept it, Tang Jin-seol will revolt! Not only that, but countless martial artists will condemn the Tang Clan!"
She shouted, finding the idea absurd. Supporting two candidates at once was unheard of. Of course, from Lee Ye-seol’s perspective, it didn't matter as long as she had Sun-woo. But Tang Jin-seol’s position was different. There was no way she would allow such double-dealing.
How could she stay still when the most important piece in the succession competition was being snatched away? Especially when it was a betrayal by the Tang Clan, whom she trusted. She would cry out to the world and turn the Tang Clan upside down, demanding they return every benefit she had ever received.
"It’s fine. I just have to make her accept it."
"And how exactly do you plan to do that? Money? Weapons? Secret manuals?"
Lee Ye-seol snorted at his words. It seemed impossible. In the current succession competition, the most vital resource was talent—fully realized talent, not money or items. How could Tang Jin-seol possibly accept losing such a person?
"It’s simple," Sun-woo said calmly. "I just need to be expelled from the Tang Clan."
"...What!?"
Lee Ye-seol asked back, her eyes wide with shock. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Expelled from the Tang Clan? What kind of madness was that?
"I plan to break my engagement with Tang Seo-yoon."
"............."
Lee Ye-seol fell silent. Her brain had momentarily short-circuited.
"..........You’re joking, right?"
Finally regaining her senses, she managed to squeeze the words out.
"I’m serious."
Sun-woo’s gaze was incredibly earnest.
"That’s insane!"
Lee Ye-seol stared at him in horror. What was he talking about? Breaking the engagement?
"Are you in your right mind?! An annulment?!"
"There’s no other way to make Tang Jin-seol accept this."
"Even so, an annulment is too extreme!"
Lee Ye-seol continued, her expression full of disbelief. Even if the Tang Clan had declined recently, they were still a prestigious family of the Murim. In such a world, breaking an engagement was a matter of immense dishonor. How could he speak of it so lightly?
"The Tang Clan, and especially Tang Seo-yoon, will suffer terrible disgrace!"
"Don't worry. I’ll shoulder all the dishonor myself."
Sun-woo continued calmly.
"The official reason for the annulment will be my own misconduct."
"........But... if you do that... your reputation..."
"Reputation doesn't put food on the table, does it?"
Sun-woo said, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"..........."
Lee Ye-seol fell into a stunned silence. A different kind of shock was rattling her mind. It was confusing. Honor and reputation weren't important to a martial artist? This was a mindset completely alien to the Central Plains.
Martial artists were people who killed for honor and threw their lives away like blades of grass for the sake of their reputation. In a way, it was more precious than life itself. Yet, the man before her was willing to toss it away just to gain a practical advantage. How could she not be bewildered?
Lee Ye-seol was also a martial artist who revered honor. There was no way she could understand Sun-woo’s strange way of thinking.
"Do you not realize what kind of position you hold in the Murim?"
"I wonder."
"You have so much prestige right now that people are calling you the next World's Greatest Martial Artist! You’re going to throw that away?"
"Is it really that big of a deal?"
"Of course it is! It means standing at the pinnacle of the world, surpassing the countless experts from thousands of sects! How can that not be a big deal!"
Lee Ye-seol argued passionately.
"Is that so?" Sun-woo replied indifferently.
"It’s not just 'is that so'! It’s a glorious honor! Are you really going to throw it in the gutter? You’d be better off just cutting ties with Tang Jin-seol! That would be better for you!"
"Let me ask you one thing."
"What!"
"If I break the engagement, does it make me weaker than the other Rising Stars?"
".........What?"
"I’m asking if the fact that I’m the next World's Greatest Martial Artist disappears just because I break off an engagement with the Tang Clan."
"......Well... no... but... your honor..."
"Then it’s fine."
Sun-woo continued as if it were nothing.
"It doesn't change the fact that I’m strong, does it?"
"............."
Lee Ye-seol bit her lip and remained silent. What he said was true. Even if he were branded a scoundrel, the fact that he was the next World's Greatest Martial Artist wouldn't change. People might curse his character, but they couldn't belittle his martial prowess. His reputation wasn't built on the Tang Clan’s name; it was built on his own strength. Therefore, he didn't care how others judged him. He had absolute confidence in his own power.
‘A Solitary Sovereign.’
Lee Ye-seol thought. He was a man for whom that term truly fit.
‘He’s... impressive.’
Her eyes began to soften and lose their focus. She felt a charm from him that was entirely different from the stuffy, honor-bound men she usually encountered.
Shake, shake.
But she quickly shook her head violently from side to side.
‘I must be going crazy!’
She began to scold herself. The man before her was her enemy. How could she harbor such wicked thoughts about her foe?
Sure, he had proven martial arts worthy of being called the next World's Greatest, a ruggedly handsome and gallant appearance, a solid build, and the boldness to discard honor for the sake of utility—but she couldn't let herself be swayed. He was the enemy who had humiliated her in front of so many people.
Lee Ye-seol widened her eyes and glared at Sun-woo. Her gaze was filled with a determined will not to be bewitched.
"Anyway, that’s the Tang Clan’s decision. To play both sides."
Sun-woo looked at her and continued in a calm tone.
"To make that happen, I need cooperation from the Heavenly Moon Palace."
"You want us to keep our mouths shut, is that it?"
"Exactly. Playing both sides is a top-secret matter. It must never reach the ears of others."
"People will find out eventually when I win the succession competition and the Tang Clan starts receiving support, won't they?"
"By then, we can just frame it as me feeling sorry for my former master. It’ll be fine."
Sun-woo spoke dismissively.
"Even if I’m expelled, the fact that the Tang Clan is my root doesn't change. People will understand."
"I suppose that’s true."
Lee Ye-seol nodded. It didn't seem like a flawed logic. Even if he sided with her, the source of Sun-woo’s martial arts was the Tang Clan. It wouldn't be strange for him to grant them benefits after winning the competition. In fact, as a former disciple, it would seem quite natural.
"Fine. I’ll keep quiet. Nothing good would come of this leaking out anyway."
Lee Ye-seol nodded her agreement.
"Excellent choice."
Sun-woo slowly reached his hand out toward her.
"What’s this?" she asked, frowning.
"Don't you know what a handshake is? Deals are always finalized with a handshake."
Sun-woo spoke with a sly grin.
"Once you take this hand, the grudge between the Heavenly Moon Palace and the Tang Clan is officially settled."
Lee Ye-seol stared intently at Sun-woo’s hand.
Clasp.
Then, she carefully took it. Seeing this, Sun-woo felt a sense of satisfaction. He had completely cleared the grudge with the Heavenly Moon Palace, which he had viewed as a ticking time bomb. How could he not be satisfied?
The smile on Sun-woo’s lips grew even deeper.