Chapter 45
Translator: penny
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Orthodox Dao Tournament (3)
My eyes met A-han's.
She looked shocked too, probably because following me around had become such second nature that she'd done it unconsciously.
But along with the surprise, a hint of puzzlement flickered across A-han's face.
I glanced at her with wavering eyes, then turned back to Hyang Mae as naturally as I could and said,
"You know I do spirit farming, right?"
"Yes, I know."
"It requires formations, but I can't use them... So Master saved one servant for me."
"I see."
Hyang Mae smiled softly after hearing my explanation and asked again.
"But why the reaction?"
"W-what reaction?"
"You looked like you'd been caught hiding something more than just a simple servant."
Sharp as ever.
I racked my brain for words to slip out of this, but realized that agonizing over it was the problem itself.
Didn't it just scream that there was something noteworthy about my relationship with A-han?
'...Can't dodge this one.'
Fine. Time to brace myself.
"Hyang Mae, let me reintroduce her."
I pulled A-han to my side and said,
"She's my servant and concubine, Wi A-han. A-han, say hello. This is my dao companion, Do Mun-hyang."
"Pleased to meet you, Mistress."
Once I introduced her, Wi A-han naturally humbled herself and treated Hyang Mae not just as a dao companion, but like my wife.
"M-Mistress...?"
And surprisingly, it worked on Hyang Mae. Her frozen expression softened.
"Ah, not yet, but..."
"But it will be soon, won't it? Master always spoke of his love for you, Mistress."
...Did I? No, I just mentioned having a dao companion.
"H-He did? Yoo Lang, you know."
It landed! Perfect!
Incredibly, with just some flattery and a white lie, A-han had melted Hyang Mae's icy heart.
"Ahem. Heroes have three wives and four concubines, so I can understand Yoo Lang having other women by his side. But you should've introduced me sooner."
She even acknowledged her own position!
"Master said you were at the cusp of Core Formation Realm, so he hid me to avoid distracting you from breaking through safely. Now that your cultivation has stabilized, he brought me to meet you."
"I-I see!"
....
Hyang Mae seemed to have forgotten her initial reaction entirely. She beamed at every word from A-han, squealing with delight.
Good lord.
She seemed even happier talking to A-han than to me.
"Whenever loneliness struck Master, he'd call for you as 'Hyang Mae' with such longing. I understand now. Please, consider Master's thoughtfulness and forgive him for hiding me and introducing me late."
"Ahem! Of course, I'm Yoo Lang's dao companion... I understand completely. Yes."
"Yes. As the saying goes, men till the fields while women weave at home, supporting their husbands. Your understanding, Mistress, is..."
A-han's tongue was slick as oiled silk, slipping into Hyang Mae's heart and toying with it at will. By the end, Hyang Mae had accepted A-han like a benevolent, understanding wife, treating her naturally.
"I look forward to a long and happy time together, Mistress."
"Ehehe. Of course. Take care of Yoo Lang when I'm not around, A-han?"
How did it end up like this...?
"A man of Master's looks, strength, and talent naturally embraces many women. So please, Mistress, help mediate between them in the future..."
"Yes, I will."
She even got a preemptive nod for a bigger harem later.
'...A-han is capable.'
I felt like I'd glimpsed my servant's hidden talents. A-han shot me a sly smile from near the beaming Hyang Mae.
I gave her a subtle thumbs-up of praise, and she bowed with an even warmer smile.
They say one word can repay a debt of a thousand nyang, but I never thought I'd witness it firsthand.
'Hyang Mae saw A-han as a rival dao companion, sparking jealousy. But A-han defused it from the start by humbling herself and elevating Hyang Mae—not just as a companion, but as my wife. That solidified Hyang Mae's place in my heart while positioning A-han as mere side support, earning acceptance...'
I was so impressed that I analyzed every step of how A-han won her over, marveling at each one.
It was like slipping under an opponent's center of gravity, lifting and flipping them effortlessly—yielding low to burrow deep into Hyang Mae's heart and claim it.
'This is actually pretty instructive.'
Bend when you must, but seize what you need and turn a profit.
'Maybe I should try something similar with an overwhelming foe someday?'
I listened as Hyang Mae and A-han chatted happily about cosmetics. Some things never change across eras, huh?
"Yes, the powder there feels so natural, like you aren't wearing any..."
"Next time, I'll show you some good brow ink. A-han, your hair and brow color are so distinctive, so regular ink might not suit..."
"What robes do you prefer? The fabric has such depth, and the cut is elegant. Especially the finishing here..."
"I get mine from the market..."
What on earth are you two talking about?
I got that powder whitens the face and brow ink shapes eyebrows nicely, but they dove so deep into details that I was lost.
Still, my women getting along was a good thing, so I watched their exchange.
...!
Suddenly, a stealthy yet potent divine sense swept over us.
'Enemy?'
The thought flashed, but I dismissed it.
Not an enemy. A familiar divine sense.
It scanned the area several more times, then focused on us.
"Eh?"
Hyang Mae noticed too and changed expression.
"Isn't this Senior Brother Yeom's divine sense?"
Her words jogged my memory. It was the divine sense from Yeom Suk during the direct disciple exam! I'd heard later that it was just an avatar, not the real him.
Yeom Suk only sent avatars for direct disciple exams; his true self stayed in secluded cultivation deep underground in the eastern cave.
Then, the probing divine sense cut off abruptly, and a voice came from outside the eastern cave.
"Junior Sister Do. I wish to meet Junior Brother Yong. Open this formation."
"..."
"..."
At Yeom Suk's voice, we exchanged silent glances.
Moments later, I gestured to open the eastern cave and headed to the entrance.
Hyang Mae opened it, and I stepped out to face Yeom Suk.
The man before me looked much like the avatar from the exam.
Towering over eight feet tall. Broad shoulders. Not from body tempering techniques—just born massive.
Unlike the neatly dressed avatar, the real Yeom Suk wore threadbare robes nearly in tatters, covered in talismans he'd made himself.
'Fewer talismans than expected.'
When he appeared at Nascent Soul in the original story, he was buried under so many you couldn't see his robes.
"What business do you have with me, Senior Brother Yeom?"
"..."
Yeom Suk stared silently.
The real him had a different aura from the avatar. The avatar's gaze had been calm and detached; Yeom Suk's devoured me like prey.
'What's his deal?'
I wondered what I'd done to offend him, but nothing came to mind.
"You."
"Yes, Senior Brother Yeom."
"If you're thinking of using that face to mess with Master, I'll kill you right now."
...Threatening murder against a fellow disciple inside High Heaven Sect? Is he insane?
"I don't follow, Senior Brother Yeom. If you have something to say, be direct."
"Just as I said. Master's dao heart is unshakeable as a cultivator; appearances don't sway her. She judges only inner talent. You might charm others like a fox spirit, but not Master. Abandon any foolish thoughts now."
Listening to his tirade, it clicked.
'Right, this guy's obsessed with Geum So-ryeo.'
Yeom Suk loved Geum So-ryeo.
He cultivated for her, stayed loyal to High Heaven Sect for her, lived for her.
Geum So-ryeo judged disciples solely on talent, so Yeom Suk flaunted his to win her love and attention.
After winning the Orthodox Dao Tournament, he aimed for Nascent Soul in the upper secret realm to impress her more.
'Mun Yoo once told me he regretted accepting that fortuitous encounter there.'
Extended lifespan was great, but cultivation slowed so much he lamented failing to surpass Nascent Soul for 3,000 years.
Yet with that prolonged life, he overcame the lag, ascended, and chased her in mad obsession.
By then, his beloved Geum So-ryeo had ascended and become Mun Yoo's dao companion, turning him into Mun Yoo's enemy, vowing to kill him.
Yeom Suk wasn't corrupted into a demonic cultivator; he wielded taboo auspicious powers to push Mun Yoo hard.
"Senior Brother Yeom, rest easy. I harbor no such thoughts toward Master."
I didn't want to waste spirit arguing, so I tried to brush it off.
"...Fine. Know your place. Don't cultivate too fast, don't draw Master's attention, just stay quiet."
As he spoke, he gripped and crushed my shoulder.
Despite my sturdy build, it hurt like it might snap.
'Did Hyang Mae go through this too?'
I recalled her initial timidness and how she'd teared up at simple praise.
Thinking of that stirred quiet anger in me.
"Senior Brother Yeom, forgive me in advance—hope that's okay?"
I slapped his hand off my shoulder.
"What?"
"Sorry, but I'm planning to win this Orthodox Dao Tournament. If you don't want to look bad, forfeit early."
Yeom Suk's face hardened coldly, and he unleashed his divine sense at me.
The Core Formation prodigy's mighty divine sense pressed down, but I countered with mine undaunted.
"..."
"..."
We clashed for a while, then withdrew simultaneously as if by agreement. Yeom Suk glared, then turned and left without a word.
I watched him go, then returned to the eastern cave where Hyang Mae and A-han waited, spending time with them until the tournament began.
And the next day.
Finally, the long-awaited Orthodox Dao Tournament started.