Chapter 435: The Seal is Broken
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 435: The Seal is Broken
'Is she really getting this serious all of a sudden?'
Sun-woo was flustered.
The atmosphere between them certainly hadn't been bad. In fact, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was actually quite good.
So why was she coming at him so hard out of left field? And it wasn't just a sudden shift; it was as if she were trying to bore a hole right through him with a drill.
Sun-woo didn't want to have heavy conversations with her. He simply wanted to watch his favorite heroine talk, laugh, and be happy.
'What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?'
Sun-woo fell into deep thought, agonizing over how to break this heavy, solemn atmosphere.
After a moment of silence, he finally spoke.
"It's a personal matter."
Sun-woo kept his expression stoic as he spoke slowly. He had chosen avoidance. He felt that if he couldn't tell the truth, it was better not to say anything at all.
"..........."
Kang Ha-yoon stared at Sun-woo in silence.
"Is there any chance you might change your mind?" she eventually asked.
"My mind?"
"Yes. I'm asking if you have any intention of supporting Tang Jin-seol again."
She looked at Sun-woo with an incredibly serious gaze.
"Are you aware that your current situation is quite dire, Young Master Jang?" Kang Ha-yoon asked with a worried expression.
"My situation?" Sun-woo asked back, sounding puzzled.
"Until you broke off your engagement with Dok Seo-si and chose to support Joo So-yang, you were called the Divine Dragon. You were admired and respected by many. But now, people are pointing fingers at you, calling you a depraved traitor who betrayed even his own sect for the sake of power."
Kang Ha-yoon looked at Sun-woo with an unwavering gaze.
"Until I met you myself, I also vaguely thought of you as an ugly junior who had gone mad for power. But after experiencing you firsthand, I realized the truth is entirely different from the rumors. That is why I am making this suggestion. Because I’ve realized you aren't a bad person."
She continued in a serious tone.
"Please withdraw your statement about supporting Joo So-yang and support Tang Jin-seol instead. That is the only way for you to restore your honor."
Kang Ha-yoon's expression remained firm. She was sincere. She truly wanted to persuade him—to save him.
She was currently under orders from Tang Jin-seol to assassinate him, bound by the undeniable justification of a life debt.
But she didn't want to kill him. Though she hadn't known him long, she could tell that he was not an evil man.
To kill someone who wasn't evil—someone who could truly be called a chivalrous martial artist—over a mere power struggle? How could such a thing be allowed? It was preposterous.
That was why she was trying to persuade Sun-woo. She wanted him to retract his support for Joo So-yang and declare his support for Tang Jin-seol once more. If he did that, she wouldn't have to kill him.
"First of all, thank you for your concern," Sun-woo replied calmly. "But I'm afraid I cannot do that."
"And why not?"
"I already anticipated this kind of situation. I did what I did fully prepared to endure the consequences."
"I don't understand. Are you not a martial artist? Why would a martial artist willingly choose to carry such dishonor?"
She looked as if she truly couldn't comprehend his reasoning. To a martial artist, wasn't honor something more precious than life itself? How could he think of casting it aside so easily?
"Because honor isn't something I value," Sun-woo said firmly.
"................Are you serious?"
Kang Ha-yoon asked back, looking shocked. She found it impossible to believe.
"I am. I find that immediate profit catches my eye much faster than honor," Sun-woo continued calmly. "I can discard something like honor anytime for the sake of gain. It's not like honor puts food on the table."
"............."
Kang Ha-yoon fell into a stunned silence. She couldn't understand Sun-woo's philosophy at all. She had lived her entire life as a martial artist to her very core. To her, honor was more precious than life. How could he think of trading it away as if it were a piece of candy? It was incomprehensible.
"One can live without honor. What does it matter if others don't recognize me? As long as I'm living well, that's enough."
"..........I cannot understand your way of thinking, Young Master Jang," Kang Ha-yoon finally said, her voice cautious.
"You don't need to understand it. You can just accept that people like me exist. We're just different. It doesn't mean I'm wrong, does it?" Sun-woo replied with a slight smile.
".............."
Kang Ha-yoon fell into deep thought, seemingly chewing over Sun-woo's words in her mind.
"In the end... you're saying you won't return to Tang Jin-seol's side." Her voice was slow and tinged with gloom.
"That is not my intention," Sun-woo stated simply.
"...........Sigh."
Kang Ha-yoon let out a deep sigh. She realized that persuading him was a lost cause. And that meant she would have to kill him.
"I see....... Since your resolve is so firm, I won't press you any further." Her voice was weak.
"Thank you for understanding," Sun-woo said, bowing his head slightly.
Kang Ha-yoon looked at him with eyes full of pity. A wave of depression washed over her at the thought that she would have to take his life.
*
After Kang Ha-yoon's failed attempt to persuade him, the atmosphere between her and Sun-woo became incredibly awkward. Or rather, it became a situation where Kang Ha-yoon unilaterally avoided him.
If she sensed Sun-woo approaching, she would intentionally leave the area. Even when they were forced to cross paths, she would give short, one-word answers to cut the conversation short. She refused to engage with him at all.
"Haa..."
Sun-woo let out a heavy sigh. He was feeling the sting of her avoidance acutely. The friendly, harmonious atmosphere they’d shared when they first met was long gone. She radiated an aura that practically screamed 'don't talk to me' as she dodged him at every turn.
'Did I say something wrong?'
Sun-woo thought back carefully, wondering if he had made some kind of slip-up.
'Is it really because I refused to switch sides?'
He quickly landed on the most likely culprit: his rejection of her suggestion.
'I mean, she suggested it out of concern... so I guess it makes sense she'd be upset that I turned her down so flatly.'
While he understood her feelings, he also felt a bit hurt. He thought avoiding him for two days straight was a bit much.
'Did her personality change?'
Sun-woo was puzzled. The Kang Ha-yoon he knew was a woman who hated awkwardness like a mosquito bite. She was the type to face things head-on—either becoming an enemy or an ally—rather than dodging and walking on eggshells. Seeing her avoid him like this made him wonder if her personality had shifted over the last twenty years.
'Let's just apologize first.'
Sun-woo decided he would find her and apologize. If it had been anyone else, he wouldn't have cared whether they were angry or not, but she was different. She was his most beloved character among the heroines of High School Senior Goes to Murim.
He wanted to be close to her. He wanted to be on good terms again and see her vibrant, lively self.
'She said we're staying at an inn tomorrow. I'll call her out quietly at night.'
Sun-woo's eyes sparkled as he formulated a plan in his head. Tomorrow, he would definitely make up with her.
*
"Haa..."
Kang Ha-yoon let out a deep sigh as she stared up at the large full moon. Sleep eluded her. Whenever she closed her eyes, the letter Tang Jin-seol had sent flickered in her mind—the letter containing the order to kill Sun-woo.
No matter how hard she tried to forget it, it was no use. The command was already etched deep into her mind.
"I don't want to kill him..."
She truly felt that way. He was a young man far too precious to kill. A cheerful man who possessed martial arts profound enough to be called the Divine Dragon, yet showed not a hint of arrogance. A man of chivalry who had stood alone against the notorious Northern Wind Unit to uphold justice.
How could she turn such a man into a sacrifice for a power struggle? Normally, she would have refused. A young man with a bright future should not be sacrificed to the ugly desires of adults.
'That damn life debt.'
But the problem was the debt. She was the one who had begged Tang Jin-seol for help to escape the clutches of Paeng Ga-ryeon. And she was the one who had sworn to do anything in return. How could she now refuse her request?
A massive conflict between chivalry and loyalty began to rage within her, all because of a man named Jang Sun-woo.
After some time had passed...
[Kang Ha-yoon.]
A strange voice suddenly echoed in her ear.
'Huh?'
Snapped out of her thoughts, she quickly looked around. But the owner of the voice was nowhere to be seen.
'What was that?'
[Kang Ha-yoon.]
The voice rang in her ear again.
'Voice Transmission!?'
She slowly stood up, realizing she hadn't misheard.
[Walk southeast from where you are standing. Make sure no one notices you.]
Kang Ha-yoon looked conflicted. She hesitated, unsure if she should follow the instructions.
[Madam Tang sent me. I have been ordered to release your seal for the assassination of Jang Sun-woo.]
When she hesitated, the Voice Transmission came again. Hearing those words, Kang Ha-yoon's expression hardened. She began to walk slowly toward the southeast, moving with extreme caution.
.
.
.
.
.
.
After walking for some time, Kang Ha-yoon found herself deep within the forest, quite far from the campsite. Massive trees surrounded her, and the air was filled with the chirping of insects.
She eventually came to a halt. Not far off, she saw the figure of a small, elderly man.
"Heh heh heh... Come closer."
As she stopped, the old man, his face a map of deep wrinkles, spoke with a chuckle.
"Was it you? The one who called me?" Kang Ha-yoon asked, glaring at him with sharp eyes.
"That's right. I was ordered to release your seal. Heh heh."
Vroooooom.
The old man laughed frivolously. Every time he chuckled, a significant amount of energy wavered around him. He appeared to be a master of considerable standing.
"Who are you?" she asked, her expression tense.
"The one who will release your seal."
"My seal was placed by the Cheonmu Alliance Leader himself. It's not something that can be easily broken," she said, her voice full of disbelief.
The seal currently restricting her internal energy had been placed by Lee Jae-won, her husband and the man known as the World's Greatest Martial Artist. How could a suspicious, anonymous old man possibly break such a seal? It was preposterous.
"Heh heh heh... Just because he's the World's Greatest Martial Artist doesn't mean his seals are the world's greatest as well."
The old man clicked his tongue in amusement.
Step, step.
Having spoken, he slowly approached her.
Thud, thud, thud.
He quickly extended his fingers and struck her acupoints.
Click, click.
"What do you think you're doing!"
Her body completely frozen, Kang Ha-yoon raised her voice in alarm. Why would someone who came to release her seal suddenly paralyze her?
"Heh heh... I didn't think you'd stay still, you see."
The old man let out a sly laugh.
Grip.
He placed his hand over her Dantian. Then, he began to slowly pour his internal energy into her.
"Hmm... Indeed... As expected of the World's Greatest Martial Artist, he placed a very sturdy seal."
The man muttered in admiration as his energy flowed through her.
Vroooooom.
He began to pour in an even greater amount of internal energy.
"Ugh... Argh!"
As the energy began to run wild inside her body, Kang Ha-yoon let out a groan of pain.
"Heh heh... This is going to hurt a bit."
Vroooooom.
A massive amount of internal energy began to resonate within her Dantian.
After a while...
BOOM!
A loud sound erupted, and a white mist began to rise from her body.
Release.
The old man, who had his hand on her Dantian, slowly pulled it away. He felt no further need to keep it there.
"How is it?" the old man asked with a confident expression.
"........The seal... it's gone."
Kang Ha-yoon spoke with a look of pure shock. The seal had been completely broken.