Chapter 111
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: The Leader's Choice
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Han Seol-hwa frowned.
“Are you saying you'll draw your sword against the benefactor who saved your daughter?”
Namgung Baek stared at Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi with a resolute gaze.
“They are the Ten Great Villains. They can never coexist with our Alliance.”
Namgung Baek slowly began to build up his aura.
“If you choose to stand with them, Fairy, I will not stop you.”
Though he said that, Namgung Baek believed Han Seol-hwa would not interfere in this fight.
He knew how proud she was.
Ganging up on one person in a situation like this was against her nature. Besides, hadn't he respected her wishes and waited for three days?
But there was a more immediate problem he had to face.
The two members of the Ten Great Villains, whose presence filled the space before him.
*Can I do this?*
If the report from the Qingcheng Sect was true, Cho Ak-ryang was seriously injured.
Not much time had passed, so it was likely he hadn't fully recovered from his internal injuries. But a tiger is a tiger, even without its claws.
The five strongest people in the world.
The name of the Five Absolutes Under Heaven was not one to be taken lightly.
He had even survived a joint attack from Ryobeom, the former Arhat Hall Master of Shaolin, Cheonsuamje, the head of the Sichuan Tang Family, and Elder Namgung Jin, the second strongest master in his own family.
He was, in a sense, a monster of a different kind than Han Seol-hwa.
And now, he had to face Beom Gye-wi as well.
*I have no choice.*
There was no other way.
How many warriors of the Martial Alliance had been sacrificed in the hunt for the Ten Great Villains? And now he, the one who had ordered their deaths and sent his men to their doom, was supposed to turn his back on them?
It was unthinkable.
Moreover, now that Jegal Yeon's claims had been proven true, he would have to take responsibility for his misjudgment upon returning to the Alliance. It was obvious that Jegal Yeon's followers would rise up like a swarm of bees, as if they had been waiting for this moment.
It might be better to die here than to return and face humiliation.
“Looks like he's really going to fight.”
Beom Gye-wi looked somewhat surprised.
It was rare for someone to confront them head-on, knowing who they were.
And alone, at that.
Cho Ak-ryang nodded.
“It seems I'll get to witness the divine power of the 'Hill-Sunderer, River-Cutter' with my own eyes.”
*Shing.*
Namgung Baek's sword slowly began to emerge from its scabbard.
“You will not be disappointed.”
At Namgung Baek's words, tangible killing intent poured from Beom Gye-wi's eyes in streams.
He had dominated the martial world for ages, but Namgung Baek was a master he could not afford to underestimate.
He recalled Namgung Baek's sword, which had sliced through a bed made of blue and silver jade with a single strike during a past visit to the Martial Alliance.
Though it was just for an instant, the milky-white flash that sparked like a cluster of stars was clearly Sword Aura, a power only wielded by those who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship.
The jade had been cut without a sound.
The smoothness of the cut surface alone was enough to tell him that the man wielded a very dangerous sword.
“Heh heh. This will be fun.”
Facing a worthy opponent for the first time in a while, Beom Gye-wi felt his blood boil.
He had finally found an adversary worth risking his life against, not some trivial weakling.
It was then that Han Seol-hwa spoke.
“Before that...”
Han Seol-hwa began, her gaze fixed on Namgung Baek.
“Let me say one thing.”
At her next words, Namgung Baek's half-drawn sword paused.
“They treated your daughter, knowing you were the leader of the Martial Alliance.”
Namgung Baek's eyes wavered slightly.
“What are you trying to say?”
“I'm saying they risked their lives to treat her, knowing she was the daughter of the enemy who ordered their deaths. Do you understand what that means?”
“......!”
Han Seol-hwa pressed the shaken Namgung Baek with a question.
“Since you love to distinguish between right and wrong, let me ask you this. Who is righteous now, and who is evil?”
“......”
Her words, forcing him to reflect on his own situation, left Namgung Baek momentarily speechless.
“Choose. Will you, as the leader of the Martial Alliance, point your sword at your benefactor? Or will you, as a father, bow your head to your benefactor?”
“......”
“What does the Namgung blood flowing in your veins command you to do?”
Namgung Baek's hand, gripping the hilt of his sword, trembled.
After a moment of conflict over a choice with no middle ground, Namgung Baek let out a heavy sigh and finally sheathed his sword.
*This is the end of my life as the Alliance Leader.*
As he resolved to let everything go and return to being an ordinary man, a sense of emptiness washed over him.
But strangely, he also felt a sense of relief.
Slowly rising to his feet, Namgung Baek silently gazed at Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi.
His gaze.
In it, incredibly complex emotions rose and fell.
It was a long while before Namgung Baek spoke.
“For the grace of saving my daughter, I thank you once again.”
Namgung Baek bowed his head respectfully to Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi. Then, just as when he had first entered the inn, he turned to leave, sword in hand.
Watching Namgung Baek's retreating back, Cho Ak-ryang was inwardly impressed.
He knew just how difficult that decision must have been.
He'd known Namgung Baek was an extraordinary man, but he never imagined he could relinquish the position of Alliance Leader so stoically.
Power was a monster that, once tasted, could never be escaped.
To be able to let it go.
“It's a relief he's a man who understands honor.”
At Cho Ak-ryang's words, Beom Gye-wi smacked his lips in disappointment.
***
Seeing Namgung Baek walk out of the inn, Yang Bul-wi hurriedly approached.
“Alliance Leader! Are you alright?”
Yang Bul-wi's face was tense.
He too had felt the intense killing intent pouring out of the inn.
The subsequent clash of formidable energies had been so powerful that his skin tingled, even from a considerable distance.
He had been on the verge of leading the Azure Sky Corps inside.
But then, the killing intent had vanished as if by a lie.
“Let's walk for a bit.”
With those words, Namgung Baek began to walk quietly.
Yang Bul-wi wanted to ask what had happened inside, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.
It was because of Namgung Baek's face, which was darker than he had ever seen it.
How long had they walked?
“Yes. The weather was just like this back then.”
Namgung Baek stopped walking and looked up at the sky.
“Do you remember?”
“......?”
“The day we returned after recovering my father's body.”
“Ah!”
“I made a promise then. That I had to unite the scattered powers of the great families. To ensure such a tragedy would never happen again.”
“Yes, I remember.”
“Thanks to that, you had to give up your position as the heir to the Divine Spear Yang Family.”
The Ak, Yi, and Yang families were known as the Three Great Spears Under Heaven, renowned spear-wielding clans with long histories and traditions.
Among them, the Divine Spear Yang Family was a clan whose influence rivaled that of the Five Great Families.
However, the Divine Spear Yang Family, along with the Jinju Eon Family, the Gwangdong Jin Family, and the Murong Family, had long followed a different path from the Five Great Families.
They had an especially difficult history with the Namgung Family, which had played the most central role among the Five Great Families.
That was also why he, the young lord who was the direct heir of the Divine Spear Yang Family, had turned his back on his clan.
Yang Bul-wi let out a small laugh.
“I've long since forgotten about it.”
“We were young then. Both you and I.”
A faint smile touched Namgung Baek's lips.
“Looking back, I realize that was our spring.”
“Alliance Leader?”
Yang Bul-wi looked at Namgung Baek with confusion.
It was strange that he was suddenly bringing up the past, but more than that, Namgung Baek's atmosphere was unusual.
Sure enough.
“It seems this is as far as I go.”
“Alliance Leader!”
Namgung Baek smiled quietly at the stunned Yang Bul-wi.
“They say no flower blooms for ten days. Now that we have the fruit of the Martial Alliance, the flower that is me must now wilt. That is the way of things.”
Leaving the speechless Yang Bul-wi behind, Namgung Baek started walking again.
Yang Bul-wi could only stare at his retreating back with a dumbfounded expression.
***
In the late afternoon, as dusk began to fall.
Descending from Wudang Mountain, Dan Ak-seon checked the joint petition he was clutching one more time.
“Hehe.”
The signature of the Wudang Sect's leader, Master Dangeum, was clearly written on the petition. After checking it again and again, Dan Ak-seon tucked it into his robes with a bright smile.
Un Jung-san, who had escorted him to the foot of the mountain, couldn't hide his disappointment.
“Are you leaving now?”
“Yeah.”
Dan Ak-seon also nodded with a sad face.
He wanted to stay with him forever if he could, but it wasn't possible.
There were still many signatures to collect for the petition.
“Let's definitely meet again.”
At Dan Ak-seon's words, Un Jung-san nodded vigorously.
“Yeah. I'll be stronger by then.”
“Me too.”
The two parted ways, blessing each other's futures with a firm handshake as their farewell.
“I should hurry.”
Realizing it was almost time to treat Cho Ak-ryang, Dan Ak-seon quickened his pace.
When he arrived at the inn, I Rip and Hong Jeok-mun, who had been escorting him, bid him farewell.
“Let's meet again next time.”
“Huh? Why aren't you coming in?”
He asked because it was almost dinnertime, but I Rip and Hong Jeok-mun exchanged glances and smiled bitterly.
“That doesn't seem like a very good idea.”
“It's better not to eat at all than to get indigestion from an uncomfortable meal.”
Then, without giving him a chance to insist, they disappeared in an instant.
They seemed to be in a hurry, as if afraid of being caught by someone.
Upon entering the inn, he saw his companions already waiting with food set on the table.
“I'm back!”
Beom Gye-wi's face lit up.
“You look happy. I take it things went well?”
“Hehe.”
Dan Ak-seon proudly took out the joint petition from his robes and unfolded it.
Cho Ak-ryang smiled and nodded.
“Good work.”
Han Seol-hwa was the same.
She pulled out a chair for Dan Ak-seon and offered a smile.
They had only been apart for half a day, but the atmosphere was as warm and friendly as a family reunion after a long time.
But then, a puzzled look crossed Dan Ak-seon's face.
“By the way, where's Divine Thief?”
“That guy left.”
Dan Ak-seon was startled by Cho Ak-ryang's answer.
“What? When?”
“This morning.”
“Why?”
The answer came from an unexpected place.
“To buy a gift for our Doctor Dan?”
Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi stared at the inn's entrance, dumbfounded.
The person who spoke as he entered was none other than Ga Du-dal, whom they thought had run off long ago. Carrying a handful of tanghulu, Ga Du-dal calmly walked over and held them out to Dan Ak-seon.
Taking the tanghulu, Dan Ak-seon smiled brightly.
“Thank you, Divine Thief. I'll enjoy them.”
But something seemed to displease Beom Gye-wi, and he scowled.
“Who said you could call him 'our' Doctor Dan?”
Ga Du-dal flinched as he met the eyes of the softly growling Beom Gye-wi.
He could feel the genuine killing intent in Beom Gye-wi's eyes.
“You didn't steal these, did you?”
Cho Ak-ryang gave him a suspicious look, and Ga Du-dal jumped.
“No! I paid for them!”
Suddenly feeling a piercing gaze, Ga Du-dal turned his head.
He found Han Seol-hwa staring at him and asked cautiously.
“Did I do something wrong?”
Han Seol-hwa raised her hand and pointed to the tanghulu Dan Ak-seon was holding.
“Doctor Dan needs to eat his meal. For proper growth.”
Dan Ak-seon, who had just taken a large bite of tanghulu, froze.
Ga Du-dal did the same.
“Sh-should I take it... back?”
Han Seol-hwa's gaze grew even colder.
Her eyes held a rebuke, as if to say, *Then why did you give it to him in the first place?*
Ga Du-dal's face fell.
As he stood there, at a loss, Cho Ak-ryang chuckled and said.
“Stop that and come sit down.”
Han Seol-hwa shot Ga Du-dal an exasperated look as he immediately sat down at the table as if he had been waiting for the invitation.
But she didn't say anything more.
Fortunately, things had worked out better than expected, and what they had feared did not come to pass.
She knew better than anyone that now was the time to cherish the moment they had been given.