Chapter 419: Plotting Assassination-2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 419: Plotting Assassination-2
"I intend to kill Jang Sun-woo."
Tang Jin-seol continued, her venomous eyes glinting.
"I ask for everyone's cooperation."
Her gaze was thick with a terrifying murderous aura.
".............."
"............."
"............."
As she finished speaking, a chilling silence descended upon the meeting hall. Her sudden declaration was utterly bewildering.
"..........Madam Tang."
Zhuge Ju-kyung, who had been sitting quietly, finally spoke up.
"Go ahead."
Tang Jin-seol nodded, prompting her to continue.
"What on earth are you talking about?"
Zhuge Ju-kyung asked, her expression one of pure disbelief.
"I am requesting cooperation from the other wives. So that we may kill Jang Sun-woo."
Tang Jin-seol replied in a composed tone.
"Madam Tang!"
Eon So-so, who had been listening in silence, cut in, her voice rising.
"Have you forgotten your position? You are the mistress of the Cheonmu Alliance. How can you suggest a conspiracy to commit murder!"
Her face flushed red with anger as she shouted.
"Is there a reason I shouldn't?"
"Of course there is! This is the Cheonmu Alliance! An organization of justice that upholds chivalry! How can you propose the assassination of a fellow martial artist in such a place? It’s preposterous!"
She vented her indignation, raising her voice further. She simply could not tolerate Tang Jin-seol’s remark.
Who were they?
They were the wives of the leaders of the Cheonmu Alliance, an organization that stepped forward to protect the peace and justice of the Murim. Was she not the wife of Lee Jae-won, the Leader of the Cheonmu Alliance?
How could someone of her status speak so easily of killing an innocent person? And simply because he supported another candidate?
It was madness. It was something that could never be condoned.
"I don't see why it's impossible."
Tang Jin-seol replied with a cold smile.
"What!?"
"Aren't you all already acting in ways that have nothing to do with justice? Bribery, solicitation, embezzlement... You commit so many corrupt acts so boldly, yet now you seek justice?"
Tang Jin-seol’s smile remained icy.
"Even so, murder! To assassinate an Orthodox martial artist who isn't a demon or a criminal, just because he supports another candidate!"
"Sigh... Madam Eon... just listen to me first. Then even you will understand."
"No! I cannot understand! I pride myself on having lived a life without a single shred of shame before the heavens. I may lack the learning to be clever or use my head for schemes, but at the very least, I have not lived a life that would shame me before my children."
Eon So-so glared at Tang Jin-seol with burning eyes.
"To me, sacrificing someone for the sake of power is a deeply shameful thing. It is an act that brings disgrace not only to oneself but to one's children, husband, and clan!"
Eon So-so continued her passionate speech.
"I suppose you don't want your child to win the succession, then?"
"That’s not it! What parent doesn't want their child to succeed? But I believe that the seat of succession should not be filled with the blood of the innocent!"
Eon So-so looked at Tang Jin-seol with eyes full of determined will.
"You're soft."
Tang Jin-seol spoke flatly.
"What!?"
"I said your thinking is soft!"
Tang Jin-seol raised her voice.
"Did you really think you could take the succession without seeing blood? Do you truly believe such delusional thoughts will benefit your child? Wake up, Madam Eon. The place where this succession competition is happening is the Cheonmu Alliance! The Cheonmu Alliance, the strongest martial organization in existence!"
Tang Jin-seol glared at Eon So-so with venomous eyes.
"You expect to take a position that grants infinite glory just by ascending to it, without getting a single drop of blood on your hands? Is your head full of flowers? Or are you just a dreamer chasing ideals? Do you really think that's possible?"
Tang Jin-seol tapped her temple with her finger, mocking her.
"Look at reality! Thinking like that won't help your child at all. It will only turn them into a loser, the first to fall in the struggle for succession."
"..........."
"The noble Madam Eon might not know, but I doubt there’s a single woman here who hasn't gotten blood on her hands. It’s already been half a year since the succession contest was announced. How many people do you think the mistresses of the Cheonmu Alliance have killed in that time?"
Tang Jin-seol scanned the room.
"What methods do you think they used to win over talent?"
She glanced at Paeng Ga-ryeon before continuing.
"Whatever you're thinking, it's beyond your imagination. At least, beyond what the 'noble' Madam Eon can conceive."
Tang Jin-seol stared down Eon So-so.
"............."
Eon So-so fell silent. She was cowed by Tang Jin-seol’s aggressive eloquence.
"That’s why I said there’s no reason it can’t be done. What I said today is no different from daily life for every woman here. Ah... except for Madam Eon, of course."
Tang Jin-seol smiled faintly.
"You all agree with me, don't you?"
She looked around at the women gathered.
".............."
"............."
A heavy silence filled the room. It was a silent admission. An implicit agreement that they had not hesitated to kill for the sake of the succession.
"Heh, see? I was right."
Taking their silence as consent, Tang Jin-seol looked at Eon So-so with a smirk.
"..........."
Eon So-so bit her lip. The fact that everyone chose silence in response to Tang Jin-seol’s words was a shock. Tang Jin-seol’s remarks were rude enough that it wouldn't have been strange for anyone to shout or get angry.
Yet, no one refuted her.
What did that mean? It meant every single one of them had a guilty conscience.
Faced with this shocking reality, Eon So-so’s face turned pale. She felt a profound sense of shock and disappointment toward her friends, who had seemingly become dogs of power.
"Do you understand now? You are the minority here, Madam Eon. So, if you find this uncomfortable, you may leave, or you can sit quietly and listen until I am finished."
Tang Jin-seol spoke with a refreshing smile.
Scrape—
"I'm leaving!"
Eon So-so stood up and marched out of the meeting hall.
Slam!
The door closed harshly behind her.
"Is there anyone else who wishes to leave?"
Tang Jin-seol asked, looking around the room.
"..............."
No one answered.
"Good."
A deep smile spread across Tang Jin-seol’s lips. She felt that the clumsy amateurs were gone, leaving only the real players.
"I'll say it again: I intend to kill Jang Sun-woo. And as soon as possible."
Her eyes sparkled.
"So, please cooperate. For the sake of a somewhat fair competition."
"I don't know about that."
Hwangbo Yu-yeon, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.
"I wonder if there's really a need to go that far."
"What?"
"He may be strong, but isn't he just a Rising Star? I don't see why we need to take the risk and try so hard to kill him."
She couldn't understand why Tang Jin-seol was so worked up over a single Rising Star. She knew he was strong—that he had already surpassed the level of a typical Rising Star.
But this succession competition wasn't won simply because one Rising Star was exceptional. It was a stage where multiple Rising Stars displayed their abilities and were evaluated.
So why get so heated over him? Especially to the point of risking an assassination plot as the mistress of the Cheonmu Alliance?
"It seems Madam Hwangbo is no different from Madam Eon, who just left."
"What!?"
Hwangbo Yu-yeon’s voice rose in irritation. Being insulted like that made her blood boil.
"Aren't you similar in how complacently you think?"
"How am I being complacent!"
"How can someone like you have so little wariness toward Jang Sun-woo?"
Tang Jin-seol’s voice was sharp, like a stabbing blade.
"Within the limited conditions of being a Rising Star, Jang Sun-woo is the strongest. No one can beat him. To put it another way, no matter what talent you secure, you are guaranteed one loss. And yet you're just going to leave that alone?"
".............."
"If that isn't complacency, how else would you describe it?"
"............."
"Madam Hwangbo, try to think more broadly. Don't make it so obvious that your head is full of flowers."
Tang Jin-seol looked at Hwangbo Yu-yeon with a sneer.
"............."
Hwangbo Yu-yeon fell silent. She had no rebuttal. Excluding Jang Sun-woo, the talents secured by the various wives were all on a similar level. In such a situation, the existence of an "absolute win" card like Jang Sun-woo was bound to be a burden.
She had overlooked that point. How could she claim she wasn't being complacent?
"Well, she's not wrong."
Paeng Ga-ryeon spoke up calmly.
"It is an undeniable fact that Jang Sun-woo’s existence is a nuisance."
She nodded in agreement.
"But I have a question, Madam Tang."
"Go ahead."
"If it's about assassinating a supporter, couldn't we just kill someone else? Why does it have to be Jang Sun-woo?"
"Because he is irreplaceable."
Tang Jin-seol replied flatly.
"There are many geniuses in the world. Even if we kill other candidates, there are plenty of people to replace them. But Jang Sun-woo is different. There is no other card in the entire Murim that can replace him."
Tang Jin-seol’s eyes glittered.
"To put it another way, if we can just kill Jang Sun-woo, we can have a fair competition."
"Hmm, that's true."
Paeng Ga-ryeon nodded. An "absolute win" card was essentially a cheat. How could a competition involving such a card be called fair?
"Heh, heh, heh."
Zhuge Ju-kyung, who had been silent, burst into laughter.
"Why are you laughing?"
Tang Jin-seol asked, sounding offended.
"Because the situation is just so funny."
Zhuge Ju-kyung replied with a thin smile.
"What's so funny?"
"You didn't say a word when you held the 'absolute win' card of Jang Sun-woo. But now that he's slipped through your fingers, you're talking about fairness and trying to kill him? How could I not find that funny?"
Zhuge Ju-kyung spoke with a clean, sharp smile.
"..............."
Tang Jin-seol bit her lip. She hadn't expected such a blatant attack.
That bitch.
Tang Jin-seol cursed Zhuge Ju-kyung inwardly. She hated every single thing about the woman’s behavior.
"Well, I don't exactly lack sympathy for your wicked heart, Madam Tang. I would have done the same if I had secured a card like Jang Sun-woo."
Zhuge Ju-kyung let out a small smile.
"I'm so glad you sympathize."
"Don't mention it."
Zhuge Ju-kyung responded to Tang Jin-seol’s barbed gratitude with a bright smile.
"Anyway, I also agree with killing Jang Sun-woo. No one fits the description of 'outlier' better than that man."
"I feel the same. If we leave him be, the fight becomes too advantageous for Lee Ye-seol. In the worst case, the competition itself becomes meaningless. He must be eliminated."
Moyong Ran also began to agree with Zhuge Ju-kyung. She, too, recognized the unfairness Jang Sun-woo represented.
"I'm very glad to hear you're all cooperating."
Tang Jin-seol responded with a smile.
"I didn't say I was cooperating yet."
Zhuge Ju-kyung interjected.
"Didn't you just say you agreed?"
Tang Jin-seol asked, sounding confused.
"I will decide on cooperation after I hear your plan."
Zhuge Ju-kyung’s eyes sharpened.
"Jang Sun-woo is a talent on the level of a main force member of a prestigious sect, rumored to have reached the Super-Peak Realm. How do you intend to kill such a man?"
She stared intently at Tang Jin-seol.
"I don't think someone like you, Madam Tang, would throw around the word 'assassination' without a plan. So tell us. What is your plan?"
Zhuge Ju-kyung continued in a calm tone.
"I will convey my intent to cooperate after that."
"I agree. Assassination without a plan is preposterous."
Moyong Ran seconded her. Paeng Ga-ryeon and Hwangbo Yu-yeon also nodded silently. They all felt that Zhuge Ju-kyung was right.