Chapter 464: The Summons Arrives
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 464: The Summons Arrives
"Unbelievable."
Sun-woo let out a hollow laugh after reading the letter sent by Tang Jin-seol.
The letter contained a plea addressed to Tang Jin-cheol, begging him to kill Sun-woo. Since Tang Jin-cheol was Sun-woo and Sun-woo was Tang Jin-cheol, the irony of someone asking him to kill himself was too much to handle.
He couldn't help but chuckle.
"Sun-woo, why are you laughing?"
Yorang, who was standing beside him, asked with a curious tilt of her head.
"Because something hilarious is written here."
"Let me see too."
Yorang reached out, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. Sun-woo handed her the letter without hesitation.
Snap.
"Hmm..."
Yorang took the letter, unfolded it, and began scanning the contents rapidly.
"Pfft! Is she an idiot?"
Soon, she too burst into a fit of giggles. The sheer absurdity of the situation was simply too much.
"What does it say?"
Seeing even Yorang laughing, Geum Jeok-hwa asked, her head tilted in confusion.
"She’s asking Sun-woo to kill Sun-woo!" Yorang blurted out, her voice laced with mockery.
"Pardon?"
Geum Jeok-hwa’s expression turned blank, unable to process the statement. Asking Sun-woo to kill Sun-woo? Was she asking him to commit suicide?
"The letter is a plea to her brother, Tang Jin-cheol, to kill me," Sun-woo explained, seeing her bewildered face.
"Ah..."
Geum Jeok-hwa let out a soft exclamation as the realization dawned on her. But almost immediately, her expression darkened.
"What do you intend to do?" she asked, her tone turning serious.
"What else? I have to refuse, of course. I can't exactly kill myself, can I?" Sun-woo replied nonchalantly.
"But... do you have a valid excuse to refuse?"
"Isn't it enough to say I won't commit the atrocity of killing my own disciple? As the Head of the Sichuan Tang Clan, isn't that a line I shouldn't cross?"
"No... I don't think that will be enough."
Geum Jeok-hwa continued with a heavy expression.
"My husband—that is, the real Tang Jin-cheol—is a man who wouldn't hesitate to abandon chivalry if it were for the sake of the clan. Committing the 'atrocity' of killing a disciple would be no different. If you refuse using that as an excuse, Tang Jin-seol might become suspicious of the Tang Clan."
".........Hmm... I see the problem."
Sun-woo’s expression mirrored hers. He hadn't anticipated that Tang Jin-cheol’s own ruthless reputation would come back to haunt him like this.
"Since it's come to this, what if I just cut ties with her entirely?"
"If she starts doubting the clan, she might visit in person. Are you confident you can fool her completely?"
"............"
Sun-woo fell silent. He wasn't confident. He could mimic the appearance, but he couldn't perfectly replicate Tang Jin-cheol’s inner nature.
"If she finds out the Clan Head is an impostor, it’s all over. She’ll bring her husband, Lee Jae-won, and turn the Tang Clan into a wasteland."
".......That is indeed a problem."
"We need a justification. A reason why it wouldn't be strange for the Poison King to fail to kill Jang Sun-woo."
"............"
Sun-woo fell into deep thought, trying to come up with a plausible excuse.
".....Nothing's coming to mind."
Eventually, Sun-woo spoke up with a frustrated look. He couldn't think of anything suitable.
"......Unfortunately, I'm in the same boat," Geum Jeok-hwa added, her face grim. She couldn't think of a single reason that would satisfy Tang Jin-seol.
"Sigh...... I suppose I should consult with the Young Lady."
".....That would be best."
Sun-woo nodded in agreement. Surely, she would be able to provide a proper solution.
*
"There isn't one."
Tang Seo-yoon spoke flatly.
"What do you mean, there isn't one?" Sun-woo asked, taken aback.
"Exactly what I said. I couldn't think of a justification to refuse my sister's request either," Tang Seo-yoon replied calmly.
She wasn't lying. She had been pondering the matter ever since she first read the letter—searching for a reason for refusal that Tang Jin-seol would actually accept.
But no matter how much she thought about it, nothing fit.
Sun-woo was currently the most significant threat in the succession competition. Not only was he being hailed as the future World's Greatest Martial Artist, but he possessed enough power to easily suppress even the Dragon and Phoenix, who were considered the top Rising Stars.
Furthermore, he had recently captured the legendary assassin known as Salhon. From Tang Jin-seol’s perspective, he must have seemed more dangerous than ever. Dangerous enough to want him dead at any cost.
That was why she had asked her brother, Tang Jin-cheol, to commit the immoral act of killing his own disciple. She knew that Tang Jin-cheol, who could be infinitely ruthless for the sake of the family, would never refuse her request.
How could they manufacture an excuse to refuse in such a situation? Especially now, during the Great Cataclysm of the succession struggle that could completely overturn the power structure of the Cheonmu Alliance.
"You're saying there's nothing?" Sun-woo asked again, bewildered.
"Yes, nothing," she replied firmly, leaving no room for doubt.
Seeing her resolve, Sun-woo felt a throbbing headache coming on. He had come here relying on her, but her lack of a solution left him in a state of confusion.
What do I do? Should I kill her? No, she's Seo-yoon's sister, killing her is a bit much... Or should I try to fool her with perfect acting? I'm great at acting like a dog, so maybe I can pull off Tang Jin-cheol?...... No.... she'll catch on.... Then should I use Phallic Submission like I did with Joo So-yang? No........ a sister sandwich is going too far...... I'm not a beast..... What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?
Sun-woo’s mind raced as he searched for the best possible solution to resolve this mess. But no matter how hard he thought, no answer appeared.
"Ugh... Argh..."
Sun-woo groaned, clutching his throbbing head. It felt like his brain was overheating from thinking too much in such a short span of time.
"Sun-woo, does it hurt?"
Seeing this, Yorang asked with a worried expression.
"It hurts.."
"Why?"
"I think I thought too hard."
"When that happens, you should eat a Tang-gwa. It'll make you feel better."
Yorang said, pulling a piece of Western confectionery from her robe.
"Right, sweets do help when your head hurts."
Sun-woo managed a small smile and reached out to take the treat.
Swish.
But Sun-woo’s hand only caught empty air. Yorang had snatched her hand back.
"What are you doing, Sun-woo?" Yorang asked, looking genuinely puzzled.
"Weren't you giving that to me?"
"I never said I was giving it to you."
"Then why did you take it out?"
"To eat it myself while I explained."
Lick.
Yorang licked the Tang-gwa with her tongue and continued.
"Are there any more?"
"Nope."
"Any intention of giving me the one in your mouth?"
"Absolutely none."
Yorang shook her head briefly and began licking the candy with great relish.
"............."
She looked incredibly obnoxious. Annoyingly so. Sun-woo made a mental note to set aside a day to thoroughly discipline this cheeky spiritual beast.
"Seo-yoon, what do we do now?"
Sun-woo quickly returned to the main topic, asking Tang Seo-yoon. He realized he didn't have time to bicker with Yorang over a piece of candy.
"In this situation, there's only one course of action we can take," Tang Seo-yoon said calmly.
"I know... we have no choice but to cross Tang Jin-seol... but if we do that, her suspicions will..."
"Let's accept my sister's request."
Tang Seo-yoon cut Sun-woo off mid-sentence.
"What?"
Sun-woo asked, stunned. What on earth was she talking about? Accept Tang Jin-seol’s request? She wanted him to assassinate himself?
"Let's accept her request to kill you. That way, everyone can be happy," Tang Seo-yoon said, a smile playing on her lips.
"Seo... yoon... I can't believe... you're... telling me... to die."
Sun-woo’s voice trembled as if he were deeply wounded, his entire body shaking. He looked as though her words had struck him to the core.
"That's right. Your usefulness has ended. Your regency is over, and your life as a kept man is finished! Get out!"
".......Urgh... Seo-yoon... how could you..."
Sun-woo clutched his chest with an exaggerated gesture. His face was a mask of grief and sorrow.
"I'm tired of your filthy behavior. You break promises like you're breathing, you're supposed to be the regent but you just play around instead of working, and every time you go out, you seduce some woman and bring her back. Besides, lately, you haven't even been acting like a dog when we sleep. Let's end this. We've done enough."
Tang Seo-yoon unleashed a relentless torrent of criticism, lashing out at Sun-woo.
"Seo-yoon.... that sounded a little too sincere?"
Sun-woo asked, looking flustered by her sharp rebuke. He felt a distinct sting of genuine emotion behind her words.
"Oh, I'm just joking," Tang Seo-yoon said with a sly smile. "You still act like a dog quite well."
"Then that means everything else was sincere!"
"I guess it does?"
Tang Seo-yoon wore a mischievous expression before turning serious again.
"Anyway, I plan to accept my sister's request. It'll actually be safer that way."
She decided she had teased him enough.
"Hmm... do you have a plan? Or are you actually planning to kill off my identity?..... That's problematic.... discarding the identity of Jang Sun-woo just like this..."
Sun-woo looked troubled. Killing off 'Jang Sun-woo' publicly wasn't hard. They could just toss a similar-looking corpse and have him change his appearance. But he hated to waste the identity and the achievements he had already built up.
"No, Jang Sun-woo won't die."
Tang Seo-yoon shook her head.
"I'll create a situation where he won't die even if the Poison King targets him with everything he has."
"How?" Sun-woo asked, curious.
"You just have to go to the Cheonmu Alliance."
"What?!"
Sun-woo shouted in surprise. The Cheonmu Alliance? Where did that come from?
"If you're at the Cheonmu Alliance, where the World's Greatest Martial Artist Lee Jae-won resides, it creates a perfect situation where even the Poison King can't kill you, no matter how hard he tries."
She continued in a matter-of-fact tone.
"No... wait. The Cheonmu Alliance... you want me to go where Lee Jae-won is? Do you think that makes sense?"
Sun-woo asked, unable to comprehend her logic. Who was Lee Jae-won? He was his sworn enemy and the final boss he eventually had to overcome. How could she suggest such a thing?
"You had to go to the Cheonmu Alliance in a month anyway. Just think of it as going a bit early."
"That might be true, but I'm not mentally prepared yet!"
Sun-woo raised his voice in protest. As she said, he was scheduled to enter the Cheonmu Alliance in a month for the succession competition. But he wasn't ready.
"Besides, I have no reason to go to the Cheonmu Alliance right now! They'll definitely suspect we're up to something!"
"Didn't you read the other letter?"
Tang Seo-yoon looked at Sun-woo with a questioning gaze.
"The other letter?"
"There's another letter Lee Jae-won sent you, isn't there?"
"Ah."
Rustle, rustle.
Remembering it now, Sun-woo began fumbling through his robes. Soon, he pulled out a sealed envelope. It was indeed a letter from Lee Jae-won.
Rip.
Sun-woo tore open the seal and began reading. His expression quickly shifted to one of bewilderment. The contents were entirely unexpected.
"Crazy bastard..."
Sun-woo cursed under his breath. Irritation surged through him.
The letter was a summons. A notice that all Rising Stars participating in the succession competition were to gather at the Cheonmu Alliance immediately.
He couldn't help but be annoyed. The competition was still two months away; why were they being called in so early?
"Is that enough of a justification for you?"
Tang Seo-yoon smiled slightly as she watched the irritated Sun-woo. She seemed pleased with herself for finding the excuse he was looking for.
".......It's plenty of justification, but....."
Sun-woo hesitated, his words trailing off.
".........I don't want to go."
"If you don't, Lee Jae-won will be furious, won't he?"
"How about we just make the person 'Sun-woo' disappear?"
"And how would you do that?"
"We say the Tang Clan Head killed him," Sun-woo suggested casually.
"Do you think Lee Jae-won would just let that slide? Especially when a Rising Star he personally invited turns up dead?"
Tang Seo-yoon dismissed the idea with a look that said it was impossible.
"Still....... Sigh."
Sun-woo let out a long breath.
It seemed he was well and truly checkmated.