Chapter 96
Chapter 96
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Grace
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I cautiously averted my gaze from the burning stare directed at me.
A man presumed to be the head of the Tang Family.
I could understand him harboring negative feelings since he'd been dragged here on my account, but the hostility was so blatant that I wondered if I'd done something wrong.
One uneasy suspicion flashed through my mind.
'...He kinda looks like Dang Ayoung.'
It wasn't strange for members of the same Tang Family to resemble each other, but this went beyond that... It felt like their blood was deeply intertwined.
Like parent and child.
'...Dang Ayoung's the same age as me right now. If I think about the age people get married and have kids in this world...'
The timelines roughly matched.
Considering Dang Ayoung was the most outstanding Poison Phoenix among the younger generation and the man before me was the Tang Family head, the possibility of my guess skyrocketed.
She must have inherited that talent from him.
So if my hunch was right, this man was Dang Ayoung's father.
Any other day, even yesterday, might've been fine, but today was especially awkward timing.
After what happened just yesterday, how could I face her father so boldly?
Sweat beaded on my forehead.
'He doesn't know. No way he knows about yesterday. Right.'
Cold sweat poured down inside as I desperately averted my eyes from the hostility pouring my way.
Thankfully, it wasn't just him and me in the room.
"Well then, now that the man of the hour is here, shall we get started?"
There were plenty of others paying attention to me too.
I locked eyes with Yeo Sochen from within my cloak and took a deep breath.
There was no escaping now that I'd come this far.
'Don't chicken out. I haven't done anything wrong.'
I'd come here under the pretext of being commended for saving the Sword Empress's life.
As long as I wasn't rude, nothing bad would happen to me.
...
Scratch that.
If I'd known it'd turn out like this, I would've refused to come no matter what.
"Thank you. I hope you'll continue working hard for the righteous Murim factions going forward."
I shook hands with the Wudang Sect leader.
"No, no... It's just what I should do..."
His soulless voice made me feel embarrassed too.
At first, I wondered what the hell they were planning to do to me by dragging me here.
Was it pressure? A blatant setup? Trying to undermine my abilities? I'd been racking my brain with possibilities and countermeasures.
Clap clap clap clap.
"Wooow. Applause~"
And that was it? Just a handshake session?
With the heads of the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families no less.
'What? What's their angle?'
I pondered Yeo Sochen's intentions while mechanically shaking hands.
Then, at one point, a slight pain shot through my hand.
I checked who it was.
"...Pleased to meet you. I've wanted to see you in person."
The Tang Family head stood before me.
"Ah, hello."
"Seems like my daughter has been a great help to you lately."
"Your daughter...?"
"Dang Ayoung. Don't pretend you don't know."
'Shit.'
Realizing my worst fear had come true, cold sweat poured even harder, and my heart started pounding.
"Haha... Yes, she's helped me a lot. She's been a true benefactor."
"...I'd like to have a frank talk sometime. Mind if I summon you to the main house later?"
"...If you summon me, I'll visit as soon as possible."
"Good... See you then."
The father-in-law(?) said that and returned to his seat.
Fortunately—or was it?—he was the last one, as no one else approached.
'Haaa...'
I sighed inwardly and slumped into my seat.
That alone had left me utterly exhausted.
I hadn't even properly sorted things out with her before fleeing, and now I'd met her father.
If he knew what happened yesterday between Dang Ayoung and me, I'd probably be a cold corpse by now.
'He didn't call me here knowing, did he?'
I glanced at Yeo Sochen, still wearing an inscrutable expression, wondering if she'd orchestrated this knowing about me and Dang Ayoung.
"Well, now that greetings are out of the way, time to hear the details?"
I flinched.
Her words sent a wave of unease through me.
And sure enough—
"Could our hero tell us exactly how he saved the Sword Empress's life?"
She went straight for my most vulnerable spot.
I had no idea precisely how I'd saved the Sword Empress.
I only knew because she'd told me.
'H-how do I dodge this...'
As I floundered in panic at Yeo Sochen's question, a voice cut in from above.
"I'll explain that instead. I'm the one involved, after all."
The Sword Empress spoke up herself.
"...Pardon?"
"Any issue with that? The beneficiary wants to speak."
"No... Wait... This isn't how the script went... Why suddenly..."
Yeo Sochen looked visibly flustered.
Like she hadn't anticipated this at all.
'...What?'
Thinking about it, given the Sword Empress's personality, it was entirely possible she'd step in. Her obvious shock suggested she hadn't seen it coming.
But "not how the script went"...?
'She couldn't predict even this?'
"Uh... Sure... Yeah, no problem...?"
As I doubted Yeo Sochen's abilities, she stammered and yielded the floor. The Sword Empress began.
"I was traveling with him on business, and he gave me various readings. Then, in Guangdong battling Blood Cult remnants, I nearly fell to their sorcery and risked qi deviation."
"Blood Cult...?"
"Surely you're aware. Strange phenomena and monsters resembling Blood Cult traces have been appearing across the Central Plains lately."
"...Indeed."
"Mm..."
They nodded at the Sword Empress's words.
"In that crisis, from his reading, I overcame qi deviation and even found clues to the next realm."
"...!"
"Is that true?"
They widened their eyes and turned to me.
It was incredible.
Not only curing qi deviation but guiding someone of the Sword Empress's caliber to the next breakthrough. No small feat...
'Wait, I did that?'
Even I, just listening, was stunned.
It was so huge that if I hadn't barely kept my wits, I'd have asked for confirmation too.
'Did I ever give her a reading that helpful...? I did so many random ones...'
Since business was dead anyway and she was the only one around, I'd idly read every trivial thing under the sun. No clue what had helped.
Warriors find clues in the smallest things, but from that...?
Was I amazing, or was she...?
'But spilling this here...'
The stares intensified.
Even sect leaders were warriors at heart. Clues to the next realm lit a fire in their eyes.
Gulp.
Feeling their intense gazes—like I might get kidnapped—I shot the Sword Empress a pleading look.
It was useless under the cloak, but thankfully, she didn't abandon me.
"If any of you covet his ability and threaten him, say it now. I'll show you what happens."
Tongue clicks echoed somewhere at her threat, but the stares on me sharply dwindled.
'...Sword Empress, I love you.'
I wondered how I'd survive without her constant aid.
I glanced at Yeo Sochen to see her reaction.
Oddly, she alone wasn't sitting but perched on the highest desk.
She trembled visibly.
She reeked of dissatisfaction.
Things clearly hadn't gone as she'd planned.
"Hmph~ Hmph~"
Dang Ayoung hummed contentedly in the kitchen, preparing a lunchbox.
Not her usual weird potions, but pure food without a trace of drugs.
Her refreshed expression—like all tension had melted away—and glowing skin showed she was in peak condition.
Click.
She packed the finished dish into the box, then recalled a trend among women with lovers: writing your beloved's name on the lunchbox with sauce.
Thinking it romantic, she reached for the sauce container to write his name—but her hand froze.
'...What's his name?'
She realized she didn't even know it.
Faceless Golden Ghost was just a nickname he didn't like much.
She usually called him by title or "you." Come to think of it, she'd never heard his real name.
'He's soon to be my husband. I need to know his name.'
No idea why he hid it, but she'd find out today. For now, she drew a cute bunny instead.
She wrapped the lunchbox, fantasizing about a romantic meal together, and headed to the fortune-telling stall.
It didn't take long to learn he'd been summoned to the Murim Alliance.