Chapter 110
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: Three Days of Grace
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Beom Gye-wi chuckled.
“It's a bit late to act all cool by yourself now.”
Cracking his neck, Beom Gye-wi steeled his resolve.
“Since it's come to this, let's have a proper fight. My patience with those Martial Alliance bastards was wearing thin anyway.”
A formidable killing intent poured from Beom Gye-wi's eyes.
“They'll have to pay the price for plucking the whiskers of a sleeping tiger.”
“Is that tiger you, by any chance?”
“Nope. There are two.”
Beom Gye-wi grinned and pointed at Cho Ak-ryang.
“A sickly tiger.”
Then he pointed to himself.
“A healthy tiger.”
Joking around, Beom Gye-wi tilted his head.
“Should I include the witch?”
“The three of us won't be taken down so easily. I'm just worried that Physician Dan's efforts will all be for nothing.”
“He'd be even sadder if we left or died. There must be another way.”
Cho Ak-ryang gave him a peculiar look.
He found it strangely fascinating that Beom Gye-wi, who usually seemed to live without a thought in his head, could occasionally offer such a sharp, insightful answer.
Cho Ak-ryang smiled and nodded.
“You're right. I'm too embarrassed to even mention leaving now.”
Just then, Dan Ak-seon entered the inn.
“I'm back.”
“Huh? Why are you alone?”
At Beom Gye-wi's question, Dan Ak-seon looked puzzled.
“I went out by myself, didn't I?”
“Ah, right. You did, didn't you?”
Beom Gye-wi laughed awkwardly.
Dan Ak-seon was unaware that Han Seol-hwa had secretly followed him.
“I met the Beggar's Sect Leader today.”
A look of interest appeared on Cho Ak-ryang's face.
“The Beggar's Sect Leader?”
“Yes.”
Dan Ak-seon explained the conversation he had just had with I Rip to the two of them.
Listening to the story, Cho Ak-ryang wore a baffled expression.
At first, he'd thought I Rip had come to aid the Martial Alliance, but from what he heard, he had been quite friendly to Dan Ak-seon.
With the Beggar's Sect's intelligence network, they couldn't possibly be unaware that he and the others were with Dan Ak-seon. As a member of the Nine Sects One Union, it would be natural for them to be hostile...
“I'll go prepare the medicine.”
As Dan Ak-seon disappeared into his room, Cho Ak-ryang furrowed his brow.
*What are they thinking?*
He couldn't grasp the Beggar's Sect's intentions.
Beom Gye-wi, on the other hand, was still distractedly looking around.
“What are you doing?”
“Looks like the witch's martial arts have improved.”
“...?”
“I can't feel her presence anywhere.”
Cho Ak-ryang scoffed.
“Do you know what you and Sister Han have in common?”
Cho Ak-ryang said to the bewildered Beom Gye-wi.
“That neither of you is skilled at concealing your presence.”
Since entering the martial world, the two had rarely encountered dangerous enemies. They had always strode about confidently, so they lacked the knack for hiding or erasing their presence; in truth, they'd never had a reason to.
“That's not true. Don't you remember when we went to the Martial Alliance? No one recognized me then.”
“That's because you were overshadowed by Sister Han's presence.”
“What about when we went to the Shaolin Temple?”
“There were tons of worshippers then. It was noisy, too.”
Only then did Beom Gye-wi laugh, seemingly relieved.
“Phew. I got nervous for nothing.”
Cho Ak-ryang said casually.
“She probably has some business to attend to.”
Cho Ak-ryang was right.
At that moment, Han Seol-hwa was waiting for someone at the village entrance.
After confirming that Dan Ak-seon had returned to the inn, Han Seol-hwa had gone back and pressed I Rip for a piece of information.
That was why she couldn't just go back.
There was something she had to do.
Her wait was not in vain; a group of people riding toward the village came into her view in the distance.
Han Seol-hwa's gaze grew deep.
As the distance closed, she could make out the face of Namgung Baek at the front. Dressed in light martial arts attire, he was accompanied by only a minimal entourage.
Spotting Han Seol-hwa, Namgung Baek faltered.
He had expected to encounter her, but not that she would be waiting for him like this.
Slowing down, Namgung Baek faced Han Seol-hwa with a complex expression.
He remained that way for a moment.
Namgung Baek bowed his head.
“This junior martial artist, Namgung Baek, greets the Venerable Ice Jade Fairy.”
Han Seol-hwa spoke to him.
“Three days.”
“...?”
Han Seol-hwa gave the perplexed Namgung Baek a resolute look.
“Come back in three days.”
“What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said.”
Meeting Namgung Baek's gaze, Han Seol-hwa continued.
“They will not run, nor will they hide.”
Namgung Baek's eyebrow twitched.
*Did she know why we were coming?*
As he tried to figure out where the information had leaked, Namgung Baek tasted bitterness in his mouth.
*The Beggar's Sect.*
Namgung Baek let out a light sigh.
“I take it you also know the reason I have come here?”
When Han Seol-hwa nodded, Namgung Baek said calmly.
“I merely need confirmation. Is there really a need to waste three days?”
“There is.”
“Why is that?”
“Because the outcome will not change.”
Han Seol-hwa stared at Namgung Baek, her will unyielding.
“But to someone, this time is priceless.”
Just then, a man who had been standing silently behind Namgung Baek stepped forward.
It was Yang Bul-wi, the leader of the Azure Sky Corps.
“Alliance Leader, this subordinate, Yang, presumes to say a word.”
As Namgung Baek turned to him, Yang Bul-wi spoke.
“Alliance Leader, you carry the full authority of this alliance. Moreover, you are on official business. No matter how renowned the master, they cannot dare to obstruct the Alliance Leader's path.”
He then glared at Han Seol-hwa with displeasure.
Namgung Baek let out a dry laugh.
He understood the loyalty of the man who had protected him for many years, but the woman before them was an entirely different being from the old masters known as 'renowned'.
Above all, her level of martial arts.
It was a foolhardiness born from not knowing what an absurd monster she was.
“Stand down.”
“But...”
As Namgung Baek stared at him silently, Yang Bul-wi sighed and stepped back.
Namgung Baek turned his head back toward Han Seol-hwa.
“Is that a warning?”
A faint, barely perceptible smile appeared on Han Seol-hwa's face.
“No. Let's just call it advice.”
“And what happens if I don't take that advice?”
In an instant, Han Seol-hwa's atmosphere changed.
The gentle smile vanished without a trace, replaced by eyes as cold as ice.
“You will have to face me before you can meet them.”
A strange light flickered in Namgung Baek's eyes.
Still, there was that one-in-a-million chance.
He couldn't ignore the possibility.
What if, as Jegal Yeon claimed, the physicians named Ak-gong and Ak-il were indeed Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi?
With his current forces, just the two of them would be a handful.
In a situation where he couldn't guarantee victory, he couldn't afford to make an enemy of her as well.
“I will accept that advice.”
At his words, Han Seol-hwa smiled quietly.
*Like father, like son, they say...*
Namgung Baek's spirit, maintaining his composure even against her, was no less than that of his father, who had once faced the Demonic Cult's offensive alone.
Namgung Baek was already said to be rewriting his family's history with martial arts that surpassed the previous family head.
On top of that, he possessed prudence and patience.
It was no mere coincidence that he had become the leader of the Martial Alliance.
***
The next morning.
Dan Ak-seon left the inn as soon as dawn broke.
“I'll be back at noon!”
Watching Dan Ak-seon's back as he ran off as if flying, disappearing in an instant, Cho Ak-ryang smiled warmly.
“Look how happy he is.”
“Well, it's his first friend...”
Cho Ak-ryang snorted at Beom Gye-wi's words.
“He did have one. A rabbit friend. Though someone ate it.”
“...!”
Beom Gye-wi's eyes widened.
“Was I the only one who ate it? You ate it too, Brother Cho! And how was I supposed to know!”
Ignoring Beom Gye-wi, who was shouting his lungs out with an aggrieved expression, Cho Ak-ryang cast his gaze toward Han Seol-hwa.
“Did you buy three days for Physician Dan?”
Han Seol-hwa nodded.
“Because he's a child who deserves to be happy.”
Even if it's only for a short while.
And so, on the third day.
Two people came to the inn.
It was I Rip and Hong Jeok-mun.
They had come early to escort Dan Ak-seon, who was visiting the Wudang Sect to get a signature for the joint petition.
Coming face to face with Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi, an unconcealable tension appeared on the two men's faces.
Hong Jeok-mun, in particular, who was responsible for the sect leader's safety, had an exceptionally stiff expression.
In contrast, Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi were relaxed.
Beom Gye-wi glanced at Hong Jeok-mun and spat out a single remark.
“Is that Swift Hand As You Wish? He looks weaker than I thought.”
At the blatant insult, a cold glint flashed in Hong Jeok-mun's eyes.
Cho Ak-ryang smiled and spoke to him.
“Don't mind him. He's the type to speak without thinking.”
“Ah, no, it's fine.”
Hong Jeok-mun bowed his head deeply.
Apart from his infamy in the martial world, Cho Ak-ryang was an absolute master who held a spot among the Five Absolutes Under Heaven. Moreover, the world grouped him, Fa Liao of Shaolin, and himself together, calling them the Three Great Fists of the Central Plains.
That alone was a great honor for him.
In comparison, he felt he could hold his own against Beom Gye-wi.
Reading the look in Hong Jeok-mun's eyes, Cho Ak-ryang couldn't help but laugh inwardly.
Then again, how many people in the martial world truly knew Beom Gye-wi's real strength? Most of those who did had long since become guests of the underworld.
“Well then, off you go.”
Han Seol-hwa neatly straightened Dan Ak-seon's clothes.
“I'll be back.”
Clutching the joint petition preciously, Dan Ak-seon headed for Mount Wudang, escorted by I Rip and Hong Jeok-mun. It wasn't long after they had sent Dan Ak-seon off with the two men.
A person entered the inn.
It was Namgung Baek.
His guards and attendants had all been left far behind; he held only a single sword in his hand.
“You've come?”
Cho Ak-ryang greeted Namgung Baek with a smile.
They faced each other across a single table for a moment.
“Sit.”
Namgung Baek sat silently in the chair Cho Ak-ryang offered.
*Thud.*
Namgung Baek placed his sword on the table.
At the same time, a chilling killing intent rose in Beom Gye-wi's eyes. But in terms of presence, Namgung Baek didn't back down either.
A suffocating tension, stretched so taut it seemed it could snap at any moment, descended upon the room.
How much time passed like that?
“There are those who call you the Blood Hand Honored One and Mang Mountain's Thistle. Is this correct?”
Namgung Baek asked bluntly.
“What do you think?”
At Cho Ak-ryang's counter-question, Namgung Baek sighed.
He had realized their identities the moment he stepped into the inn.
It was because their presence was distinctly different from when he had encountered them at the Martial Alliance.
Namgung Baek shifted his gaze to Han Seol-hwa.
“You deceived me.”
“What would have changed if I had told you the truth?”
As deep doubt clouded Namgung Baek's eyes, Cho Ak-ryang added.
“I'm asking if you could have refused, had we revealed from the start that we were of the Ten Great Villains.”
“...!”
Namgung Baek's gaze wavered.
Cho Ak-ryang was right.
At the time, they were the only hope for saving his daughter, whose life hung by a thread.
If he had known?
Could he still have given up on his daughter's life?
“...”
Namgung Baek's silence stretched on.
But it was only for a moment. Namgung Baek slowly moved his hand and gripped his sword.