Chapter 293: Free to Misunderstand
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 293: Free to Misunderstand
Danri Sohwa, age 26.
The only daughter of the Danri Family head—a family that once rivaled the Five Great Families in prestige—she was now the Hao Clan's branch manager overseeing all of Hubei Province.
For the past five years, her life had been driven by a single force: revenge.
For Danri Sohwa, who lived for that purpose alone, the opposite sex was a concept both foreign and familiar.
As the one in charge of the Hao Clan's brothels in Hubei, she often observed men consumed by all sorts of desires from a close distance, but she never interacted with them directly.
Of course, before the Danri Family was annihilated, she had been engaged to a man from another prestigious family, but the relationship ended before they could even hold a proper engagement ceremony.
She had never even seen his face, so she felt no particular regret.
Her life had been one of martial arts training in her youth, and building her position within the Hao Clan as an adult—all for the sake of revenge. She was certain it would always be that way.
‘That’s what I thought, anyway...’
And yet, some handsome, annoying younger man had just given her a ring that looked like a wedding gift, calling it a present.
The situation was so absurd that, for once, Danri Sohwa found herself completely unable to control her expression.
Whether he noticed or not, Kang Hyun-woo smiled with satisfaction.
‘Yep, I picked out one hell of a gift.’
He was inwardly pleased with his choice. But there was one thing Kang Hyun-woo had forgotten.
This wasn't Earth.
No, even on Earth, a man giving a woman a ring would be seen as an act full of personal interest. In the socially conservative Central Plains, it was practically the same as presenting a wedding gift in advance.
And it wasn't just any ordinary ring.
Kang Hyun-woo had valued the ring based solely on the worth of the gem itself. In reality, if put up for auction, it was a masterpiece that would easily fetch billions.
This was because the gem-crafting techniques of the now-fallen Lafria Kingdom were considered the best on the continent, and the ring Kang Hyun-woo had given her was a masterpiece crafted by one of the apprentices trained by the kingdom's own Master Smith.
Of course, it was a shame that it wasn't a piece crafted by the Master Smith himself. But considering that the gem-crafting skills in the Central Plains lagged far behind, it was a different story entirely.
‘I’ve never seen anything like this, not even in my family...’
The ring, set with a deep, rich blue sapphire, emanated a subtle luster, quietly asserting its presence.
Giving an item that, at a glance, looked several times more valuable than a tribute meant for the Imperial Family to a woman he barely knew, and calling it a gift?
Naturally, she could only assume it came with that kind of intention.
A brief silence passed between them. After a moment of serious contemplation, Danri Sohwa made her decision.
“...I can't accept this.”
Danri Sohwa held the ring back out to him.
Setting aside personal feelings, Kang Hyun-woo was a flawless marriage prospect.
His youth, his unparalleled talent, and his striking good looks.
If he were to visit any of the Five Great Families and swing his sword a few times, the family head would surely come running out barefoot, begging him to marry his daughter.
For such a man to suddenly propose to her was confusing, but a part of her was also secretly pleased.
But that was all.
Danri Sohwa could not accept Kang Hyun-woo's feelings.
Her life was no longer her own.
For the sake of avenging her family and retainers who had been wrongfully killed, she had to completely cast aside all personal emotions.
“You don't like rings?”
“What? N-No, that's not it...!”
Danri Sohwa felt a surge of frustration at Kang Hyun-woo's reaction, as he stared at her with a look of genuine ignorance.
It was clear now that he wasn't just shameless; he was utterly clueless.
“If you really don't want it, you can just sell it later. So just take it for now. It's pretty expensive.”
“...What?”
In that moment, Kang Hyun-woo felt a strange killing intent.
“Sell it later? How can you say something like that?!”
Kang Hyun-woo was taken aback by Danri Sohwa's sudden outburst.
Why is she suddenly acting like this?
“Well, I mean... isn't it better to sell something you don't like than to keep it around?”
“It's n-not that I don't like it...!”
“Then what is it?”
“Ugh, really...!!”
Thump, thump.
Danri Sohwa stomped her foot on the floor in frustration.
“Huu, I'll be direct.”
Danri Sohwa took a deep breath and composed herself.
She had intended to be roundabout to avoid hurting his feelings, but she realized there was no way to get her point across to this clueless man with such vague methods.
“...I truly appreciate the sentiment, but I cannot accept Young Master Kang's proposal. I-It's absolutely not because you're unattractive. It's just... I have no intention of marrying anyone.”
Those few words, her true feelings, spilled from her lips.
Normally, she would have felt relieved, but for some reason, her heart ached.
Perhaps it was because she sensed that for the rest of her life, she would never form a deep bond with anyone.
“...Proposal?”
But Danri Sohwa wasn't the only one looking serious.
The sudden mention of a proposal threw Kang Hyun-woo into a state of profound confusion, the likes of which he had never experienced before.
It was as if he'd been struck in the back of the head with a steel pipe.
“...I think you've misunderstood something. I never proposed to you, Miss Danri.”
“?”
Danri Sohwa stared blankly at Kang Hyun-woo.
What is he talking about?
“...You gave me a ring.”
“That was an apology gift.”
“?”
“I felt I was a bit too harsh yesterday, so it was to apologize for that. And while I was at it, I had something to ask you.”
“...”
“...”
A dead silence fell between them.
Without a word, Danri Sohwa covered her face with both hands and squatted down on the floor.
Seeing her like that, Kang Hyun-woo stood perfectly still, even suppressing his presence.
He had no idea what would happen if he provoked her.
Some time passed.
“Huuu...”
When Danri Sohwa stood up, she looked relatively composed.
She straightened her clothes as if nothing had happened, then bowed her head to me.
“I deeply apologize for my unseemly behavior.”
“...It's fine.”
She looked fine on the outside, but Kang Hyun-woo felt a strange sense of unease.
It felt like if he didn't tell her it was okay, she might just jump out the window.
“The ring...”
“Just keep it. I was planning on selling it at an auction or something anyway.”
“...”
Danri Sohwa gave a slight nod and tucked the ring away.
“So, what was it you wanted to ask me while you were at it?”
“Oh, it's nothing major... Why was that old man, Old Monster Mangong, in Seoyu County?”
I had been wondering about that for a while.
An absolute master who had reached the Flower Realm was essentially one of a faction's key military assets.
For such a powerful figure to be hiding in the territory of a rival faction could only mean he had a specific purpose.
Of course, I had my suspicions.
‘He was definitely after Mujin.’
Cheon Yeo-hwa and I felt more like collateral targets.
But it made no sense for a master of Old Monster Mangong's caliber to make a move himself just to kill Mujin, who was only at the Peak Realm.
“I'm sorry, but I don't know anything about that matter. It was a top-secret mission.”
“Still, as the branch manager of the Hao Clan, I'd think you'd have at least a plausible hypothesis, wouldn't you?”
“...”
After a short silence, Danri Sohwa shot me a sidelong glance.
What's with her all of a sudden?
“Hah... It's a bit late for flattery after putting me on the spot...”
Danri Sohwa let out a light sigh.
“As you said, this is just a hypothesis, so don't take it as gospel. Take it with a grain of salt.”
Snap.
Creeak—
She flicked her fingers, and as if on cue, the door opened and a young maid appeared.
“You called for me.”
“Bring two cups of green tea.”
“Yes.”
Barely a minute later, the maid returned and set down the teacups.
“Please, have a seat. This might take a while.”
I followed Danri Sohwa and sat in a chair set up in a corner of the room. She casually crossed her legs and took a sip of her tea.
“First, how much do you know about the Evil Alliance Leader?”
“Hmm... Just that he's one of the Three Sovereigns...?”
Paehwang, Goo Yangcheon.
I'd heard he fought a life-or-death duel against the previous leader to claim his position.
“The current Evil Alliance Leader is a man who could have been called the Mad Demon before he became the Paehwang. He won't hesitate to do anything to achieve his goals, but the biggest problem is that he's an expansionist.”
“An expansionist?”
“It's common knowledge among those in the know within the Evil Alliance. He's displeased with the current power balance in the Central Plains between the Murim Alliance, the Evil Alliance, the Imperial Family, and the Heavenly Demonic Cult. He's even preparing for war to expand his territory. He lacks the power to take on the Imperial Family, and the Demonic Cult is too far away, so he's biding his time, looking for an opportunity to strike the Murim Alliance, which is closer and a more manageable opponent.”
War.
A bad memory suddenly surfaced.
“That must be why he tried to kill Daoist Mujin. It would have been a perfect declaration of war against the Wudang Sect.”
“But wouldn't that just give them a justification to retaliate?”
“That's exactly the point. The Wudang Sect would be enraged by the death of a cherished disciple and go on a rampage, but would the other sects and families do the same?”
“...?”
Slurp. Danri Sohwa took a sip of her tea and picked up a snack.
“Within the Evil Alliance, the Leader's authority is absolute. No one wants to get on his bad side, for fear of the consequences. The Murim Alliance, on the other hand, maintains a facade of equality among its members, whether they're from the Nine Great Sects or the Five Great Families. As a result, it's common for members to refuse the Alliance's requests or ignore summons.”
“What a mess.”
Creeak—
The young maid from before opened the door and came in.
She silently refilled the empty teacups with green tea and left again.
“The Evil Alliance is just as much of a mess. When discontent reaches a boiling point, rebellions can break out. Perhaps this war is a way to divert that internal dissatisfaction. In any case, if Daoist Mujin had died, the Wudang Sect would have undoubtedly demanded war. Of course, there would be others who would oppose it or suggest waiting to see how things play out. With such divided opinions, it's only a matter of time before internal conflict and resentment build up. History has always been this way.”
That was something I hadn't considered.
And as I listened to Danri Sohwa, another possibility occurred to me.
“...If the Wudang Sect couldn't stand it anymore and declared war on their own—”
“It would create an opportunity to eliminate the Wudang Sect, the Mount Tai and Big Dipper of the Orthodox Faction and a key power within the Murim Alliance. When all is said and done, the Evil Alliance is the weakest of the four major powers, so picking them off one by one would be their most desired outcome.”
“Hmm...”
As expected of a coalition of the Evil Faction, it was a more meticulous and sinister plan than I had imagined.
“By the way, didn't you say the Evil Alliance Leader was a madman? He seems smarter than I thought.”
“Well... he probably has a brilliant strategist by his side.”
“A strategist...”
“Oh, right.”
Clack.
Danri Sohwa set down her teacup and said.
“Young Master Kang, you should be careful for a while, too.”
“?”
“After all, you're the one who derailed the Evil Alliance's grand plan right from the start, aren't you? Knowing the Paehwang's personality, it wouldn't be strange at all if he ordered a kidnapping or an assassination.”
“...Didn't you say you'd keep it a secret that I killed him?”
“Of course, I'll hide it. My life is on the line, too. But even I can't do anything about the circumstantial evidence that's already out there.”
Circumstantial evidence?
“Now, think about it. A new master, the Shadowless Sword, suddenly appears and kills the Ghost Hand Twin Swords in a single blow. And with the appearance of this Shadowless Sword, Old Monster Mangong ends up dead. If you were the Evil Alliance Leader, what would be the first thing to cross your mind?”
“...”
Fuck.