Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: Rumor
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"Uh, hey... Can we talk about this later? I was in the middle of a conversation just now..."
"...You won't run away, right?"
-Flinch
The truth was, I had at least considered bolting right then and there, so I felt a pang of guilt.
"Wh-what? What do you take me for? I'll head home later, so we can talk then."
"...You're not planning to sleep at an inn, are you?"
"Of, of course not."
"..."
Dang Ayoung shot me a suspicious look.
Her father and Yeo Sochen were nearby, but in that moment, Dang Ayoung scared me the most.
-Gulp
I wanted to avert my eyes, but something told me that would be a bad idea, so I trembled as I met her gaze.
"...Come back before sunset."
"Y-yes!"
Fortunately, she said that and finally stepped away from me.
Her father seemed to say something to her, but I couldn't hear it as the two of them vanished from sight.
"Phew..."
Even after escaping the crisis(?), a faint tremor lingered in my body, so I hugged myself with my arms.
I figured it was about time for Yeo Sochen's snide remark to come flying in, but oddly enough, nothing came.
So when I glanced over at her...
"...What are you doing?"
-Startle
"Wh-what do you mean?!"
She had brought her sleeve up to her face.
She'd yanked her arm down so fast that I couldn't tell exactly why, but it looked like it had been covering her nose or mouth.
"Well... You suddenly brought your sleeve to your face..."
"Sh-shut up! Keep your mouth shut, you pervert!"
"What did I even do to get called a pervert?!"
"Don't pretend you don't know!"
Thinking about it, I was in no position to argue after being called a pervert, which only made it hurt more.
"...Haa."
"Ahem. You should've shown some restraint. Do you know how many people have died in love triangles because they couldn't keep it in their pants? History's full of cases."
"I don't know... and I don't want to."
Of all people, I had to mess with a righteous hero of the orthodox sects and the Phoenix.
Even if it hadn't been those two, getting caught by anyone would have turned the world upside down.
If I were incredibly strong or famous enough to handle them, maybe it would've been different...
'But that's exactly the problem...'
In this situation, "pervert" fit me perfectly.
I wanted to ask my past self what the hell I'd been thinking.
With the Sword Empress, it was unavoidable, but with Dang Ayoung, I was fully conscious—no excuses there.
"...You won't tell, right?"
"Tell what?"
"That... I... with Dang Ayoung and the Sword Empress... I'm two-timing..."
"Ah..."
An ominous smile crept across Yeo Sochen's lips.
"Hmm. What should I do? The Sword Empress wasn't enough, now the Poison Phoenix too... You wouldn't have a leg to stand on even if a warrant went out for you. Right?"
"Th-that's..."
"Even without a warrant, the Tang Family of Sichuan and Mount Hua Sect would be out for blood, and neither the Poison Phoenix nor the Sword Empress would sit idly by. Your life's about to get real interesting. Wonder how long you can keep running."
"Eek!"
Running was impossible at that point.
How was I supposed to shake them off?
The moment I got caught, I'd be dragged away before I could even leave Shaanxi.
"If I just whispered it to one of those two right now, that's exactly what would happen. I'd basically have your life in my hands, wouldn't I?"
"Wh-what do you want?"
"What I want..."
Yeo Sochen rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought.
-Gulp
The longer time dragged on, the more anxious I got in real time.
I was uneasy about why she was dragging it out like this—what demand was she building up to?
I knew she didn't hold any goodwill toward me, so if she decided to screw me over just for kicks, my life was done right there.
I couldn't even imagine the mess I'd be in.
So I waited desperately for her to speak.
I was even prepared to beg if she made an unreasonable demand.
And soon enough, Yeo Sochen opened her mouth.
"Then grant me one favor later."
"A favor...?"
"Yeah... Actually, make it a wish. Just do whatever I ask, no questions, no complaints. How's that?"
"..."
A wish voucher, huh.
It was like putting a shackle on myself, but in this situation, it was a demand I had to accept.
"...No using wishes to get more wishes."
"Whoa, didn't think of that."
"And nothing involving my life."
Just in case, I laid down some insurance before accepting her proposal.
"Contract established. Looking forward to it."
"Haaa..."
I let out a huge sigh and slumped to the ground.
My situation was truly pathetic.
To end up like this from messing around down there.
If total annihilation wasn't on the table, I'd have ditched everything and fled to the mountains.
The problem was, even if I did, they'd drag me back out now that things had gone this far.
'If I disappear... Dang Ayoung and the Sword Empress would probably come looking for me... The Sword Empress might be fine, but Dang Ayoung would definitely keep an eye on her...'
If—and I mean if—Dang Ayoung ever said something like, "What's your deal with my husband that you're looking for him?" to the Sword Empress, it was all over.
So what I could do right now wasn't anything else.
'...I have to manage both of them and make sure they never find out about each other.'
The so-called harem management.
Skillfully keeping multiple partners in the dark about one another.
It was trashy as hell, but I had no other options.
Get caught, and my life was over.
'Later... Later, I'll come clean and apologize.'
The silver lining was that the Sword Empress mostly stayed within Mount Hua Sect, so she rarely heard outside news.
Of course, I had to prepare for surprise visits, but that wasn't urgent.
In the end, the one I really needed to watch was Dang Ayoung.
Unlike the Sword Empress, she didn't hole up at home—she even attended the academy, so she was quite sociable.
And unlike with the Sword Empress, things weren't neatly sorted with her yet.
The slip-up with her was just yesterday, and today I'd run off, landing me in this mess.
'If only Yeo Sochen weren't here... No.'
She'd complicated things by calling her father-in-law(?), but even without her, the outcome wouldn't have changed much.
"By the way, why did you call me here today?"
"Huh?"
"Wasn't there some scheme behind inviting me?"
"Oh, that? I just figured you hated all the attention, so I called you here to mess with you. Nothing grand. There was a bit of an intent to show off how amazing I am, but... the Sword Empress ruined that plan."
Yeo Sochen clicked her tongue with a disappointed look.
"I was planning to poke at you fumbling my questions and make you squirm... But you answer like that, and it only boosts your value. Makes it even easier for you to line your pockets with that talent."
The Sword Empress's words really were something else.
A future sight ability that could cure heart demons and provide clues to the next realm—if word got out, it wouldn't be a joke; it'd draw martial artists from across the Central Plains.
"Good thing the story only spread here."
I breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.
More customers were fine, but that level of excessive attention? No thanks.
Especially not from terrifying martial artists.
So it was truly fortunate that it stayed as local chatter...
"...Uh."
"...?"
"I... earlier, I told someone to watch the meeting... and spread what came out as rumors far and wide..."
"...Pardon?"
"But... I think I forgot to tell them to retract the order..."
My body froze solid at her words.
"Are you insane?! Are you in your right mind?! You told them to spread it as rumors?!"
"C-calm down. You have the Poison Phoenix by your side anyway, right? No random riffraff can get close. Worst case, throw yourself on the Tang Family of Sichuan's protection—no top expert would touch you then."
"You're crazy... How are we supposed to fix this..."
"I-I didn't expect the Sword Empress to say something like that!"
"The root cause is you to begin with...!"
"..."
She at least had a shred of conscience, turning her head away as I glared at her and prayed inwardly.
If the rumors had already started spreading, it was too late.
Please.
Please don't let it spread far.
I prayed over and over.
-Thud thud
"Come to think of it, Ayoung. Do you know that man saved the Sword Empress's life?"
"He saved the Sword Empress?"
"Yes. Among the things he told her using that ability, there was even something that cured her heart demons and gave clues to reaching a higher realm."
"Oh..."
Dang Ayoung thought he was amazing as she heard about his exploits from her father.
Not just hot, but talented too. He was the perfect husband material.
'Was the Sword Empress the one traveling with him?'
He'd told her his companion was a man, but her background check had confirmed it was a woman.
She was miffed about the lie, but she could let that much slide as cute.
Traveling alone as grown man and woman did spark all sorts of worrisome thoughts,
'But if it's the Sword Empress, it's fine.'
Any unease vanished with that name.
To an orthodox sect member, the Sword Empress held that much weight.
A name that forbade even rude imaginings.
That was the image she'd built up over time.
"Speaking of which, I heard you recently reached the Peak realm. Was it his help...?"
"Not really."
"...Is that so?"
"Yes... More like..."
Dang Ayoung recalled herself back then.
After already falling for his temptations, he'd left on his trip, leaving her alone to grapple with surging lust she could barely contain, so she'd thrown herself into training to manage it...
"...He helped me in another way."
In the end, she'd broken through the wall.
Though somehow, after advancing, her lust felt even stronger than before.