Chapter 679
Gongson Dan-gyeong lowered her head.
"In the end, it's come to this."
At the time, Gongson Dan-gyeong had tried every possible method to persuade Gongson Dan-a, but ultimately, it was futile.
The people of the Gongson Clan had this habit—once they became fixated on something, no matter what anyone said, it would all go in one ear and out the other.
"Well, I suppose I haven't been much of a daughter."
After joining the Martial Alliance, she had completely erased all thoughts of the Gongson Clan from her mind.
Yet, she felt more affection for Gongson Hwa-uk and his wife than she ever had for her birth parents.
If she had lived as So-min until the age of seven, she had lived as Gongson Dan-gyeong for twenty-three years since then.
To her, they were practically no different from her real parents.
'I always feel guilty.'
Because she had hidden her circumstances.
Because she had to seek revenge.
"There were times I thought about forgetting everything and just living as Gongson Dan-gyeong."
But she couldn't.
Even her survival was due to her desperate resolve for revenge.
Even Chu-so, who had calculated everything, had said he was helping her because he knew she was someone who could achieve that vengeance, hadn't he?
And Chu-so's prophecy had come true exactly as he said.
The burning desire for revenge in her heart had never faded—if anything, it had only grown stronger with time, becoming something she yearned for more desperately.
"Still... I should at least try to be a daughter sometimes."
Gongson Hwa-uk and his wife had given her a new life and the power to seek revenge.
Gongson Dan-gyeong had never once forgotten that debt.
Revenge was important, but fulfilling her duty as a filial daughter was also her obligation.
"Is anyone outside?"
Having steeled her resolve, Gongson Dan-gyeong spoke in an utterly grave voice, loud and clear.
"Summon Commander Seon-u. Immediately."
The interior of the carriage was comfortable.
It was an Eight Horse Carriage, reserved only for the highest echelons of the Martial Alliance, and designed by Yak-jeong, one of the era's Divine Craftsmen, for long-distance travel.
Not only was the interior spacious, but it was also equipped with a special mechanism that absorbed the bumps of the road, making it impossible to feel the uneven terrain.
Even as it raced forward, the inside remained so tranquil it felt as if they were floating on clouds.
However, the Martial Alliance possessed only four such carriages, and those permitted to ride in them were extremely limited.
In that regard, Bu Eun-seol was fortunate.
Despite not yet ranking among the top four in ceremonial precedence, he had been allowed to board this carriage.
Yet, his seat felt like a Thorn Cushion, and with every breath, it was as if a heavy lump of lead had been placed on his chest.
Had his patience been any thinner, he would have flung the door open and leaped out immediately.
Because Gongson Dan-gyeong was staring at him with burning intensity.
And because the words she kept repeating were utterly absurd.
—This is an urgent matter!
After forcibly hauling Bu Eun-seol from his office into the carriage, Gongson Dan-gyeong explained the situation.
—We must go to my family home to clear up the scandal involving Commander Seon-u.
Listening silently inside the carriage, Bu Eun-seol was dumbfounded.
Though there had indeed been rumors about him and Gongson Dan-gyeong in the past, they had both remained composed, so the gossip hadn't persisted.
But now, she—who had always been so coldly rational—had recklessly shoved him into a carriage bound for the Gongson Clan without any forethought?
Wasn't this far too sudden?
"Can't you simply tell them it was just a baseless scandal?"
"That wouldn't have worked."
Gongson Dan-gyeong spoke frankly.
"I never could have imagined my parents would send Dan-a to verify that old rumor."
"What do you mean?"
"I thought Dan-a had taken a liking to you, so I made a mistake."
Gongson Dan-gyeong briefly recounted what had happened at the Ten Thousand Blossoms Store.
She had misunderstood Gongson Dan-a's feelings and, in an attempt to prevent disaster, ended up lying that she herself had feelings for Seon-u Jin.
"I see."
"Will you help me?"
"No, I refuse."
"What?"
"I have a mountain of work waiting for me."
Bu Eun-seol's posture suggested he was ready to leap from the carriage at any moment.
In truth, he had countless matters piling up before him.
He had no intention of playing along with this farce by going to the Gongson Clan.
"Regardless of rank, we've weathered many hardships together and fought side by side as comrades."
Seeing that persuasion wasn't working, Gongson Dan-gyeong began appealing to his emotions.
"Surely you wouldn't abandon a comrade in crisis after sharing the same boat, would you?"
"How is this a crisis?"
"It is for me."
Gongson Dan-gyeong spoke with utmost solemnity.
"That's how my family is. Once they fixate on something, they won't listen to anything else."
"..."
"Until they're convinced, I—no, this Chief Strategist—will be relentlessly hounded by my parents."
Bu Eun-seol nearly burst into laughter.
But her expression was so deadly serious that he swallowed his mirth.
She genuinely seemed to believe that this situation was a dire crisis.
"Is there truly no way for the Chief Strategist to persuade them alone?"
"None. If Commander Seon-u does not come to the main house, my parents would have visited the Alliance headquarters themselves."
Bu Eun-seol's face stiffened.
Wouldn't that mean endless trouble for him as well?
"Very well."
Realizing there was no choice, Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath and spoke.
"But even if I accompany you, I doubt I'll be of much help. What method does the Chief Strategist intend to use for persuasion?"
"There's no need for persuasion."
Gongson Dan-gyeong replied firmly.
"Relationships between men and women are fickle, aren't they? They grow close, then distant again."
"..."
"In a situation like this, stubbornly insisting we have no connection will only invite more nuisance."
She spoke decisively.
"Rather, if we simply show them that we're meeting amicably and reassure them, my parents will be satisfied with that alone."
Bu Eun-seol's lips parted slightly.
Was she suggesting they drive a spike into the Gongson Clan's perception by pretending to be lovers?
"That would not bode well for the Chief Strategist's future marriage prospects."
It was said that Gongson Dan-gyeong had once maintained a romantic relationship with Baek Mu-seong.
But since that had never been known in the Murim world, it hadn't affected her reputation.
But if word spread that she had gone to the Gongson Clan with him?
Acknowledging publicly that she and Seon-u Jin were involved?
Her path to marriage would be blocked entirely.
"That doesn't matter to me. I have no intention of marrying anyway."
"You have no intention of marrying?"
"Is that strange?"
"No, not at all."
Gongson Dan-gyeong replied calmly.
"Besides, isn't Commander Seon-u also in a difficult situation lately?"
"Me?"
"You've been receiving numerous marriage proposals, haven't you?"
"I wouldn't say I've been particularly troubled by them."
Bu Eun-seol answered shamelessly.
After all, right now, he was Seon-u Jin.
"Sooner or later, won't I have to establish a household as well?"
Gongson Dan-gyeong's lips curled slightly.
"Do you truly mean that?"
Her smile carried absolute certainty.
She knew.
That Bu Eun-seol, too, had no thoughts of marriage.
"Why are you so certain?"
A lonely light flickered in Gongson Dan-gyeong's eyes.
"Because..."
Though she was looking at Bu Eun-seol, her gaze seemed to drift somewhere far beyond.
"Those who run toward a single goal never turn their eyes elsewhere."
All living creatures, mysteriously enough, instinctively recognize their own kind.
Gongson Dan-gyeong had long sensed that Bu Eun-seol was of the same breed as her.
A person who lived—
Breathing, eating, sleeping, surviving each day—
For the sake of a single purpose.
'Terrifying.'
Gongson Dan-gyeong could discern another's abilities, temperament, and personality in an instant.
And that ability sometimes sent chills down even Bu Eun-seol's spine.
"But even so, that method still won't work."
"What do you mean?"
"Deceiving your parents like that would ultimately be no different than harboring defiance toward them, wouldn't it?"
“I have no such intention. It’s just...”
At Bu Eun-seol's sharp observation, Gongson Dan-gyeong smiled bitterly.
"It's just that... a sweet lie is better than a bitter reality."
Her expression was infinitely desolate as she murmured,
"Life is but a long dream, after all. So if possible... it's better to dream a happy one."
Her face and eyes looked as though she might burst into tears at any moment.
'She has her own circumstances, it seems.'
One might assume she had grown up carefree and happy, but hidden pains seemed to linger beneath the surface.
"Of course, I know such things cannot be forced."
Gongson Dan-gyeong spoke calmly.
"If Commander Seon-u truly believes this is impossible, say so now. I'll turn the carriage around immediately."
'And then she'll come to the Martial Alliance instead.'
Though she said that, Bu Eun-seol was already ensnared in the web Gongson Dan-gyeong had spun.
Realizing there was no real choice, he let out a deep sigh.
"I may regret this somewhat... but very well. I'll help you."
"I won't thank you."
Gongson Dan-gyeong smiled faintly.
"Because I know the Chief Strategist would never turn her back on Commander Seon-u if he were in danger either."
After several days and nights passed, the carriage finally came to a stop before a picturesque manor.
Stepping out, they were met with the illusion of countless flower petals scattering through the air.
'This is the Gongson Clan.'
The person who had refined the most exceptional formation studies in the world was none other than the Water-Cloud Poet Sage, Gongson Hwa-uk.
The Gongson Clan had for generations held government posts, never involving themselves in the martial world.
Thus, the Gongson Clan was not counted among the Eight Great Murim Families, and Gongson Hwa-uk himself was not a martial artist but a scholar who pursued academic learning.
Yet, whether due to innate talent or a series of fortuitous encounters,
around the age of thirty, he accidentally mastered the True Legacy of Formation Studies left behind by Bang-il, the founder of Ghost Valley Academy—a place said to rival Jegal Academy in prestige.
From then on, he became utterly absorbed in battle formations, abandoning scholarship to wander the Rivers and Lakes, ceaselessly researching formations.
Then, he fell in love with and married Ok Jeong-yeong—the Young Palace Lord of the Jade Moon Crystal Palace, one of the Eight Great Secret Palaces,
a woman who, despite her youth, had reached the pinnacle of musical artistry and sound-based martial arts.
The meeting of the world's foremost formation master and the world's greatest artist.
Moreover, with the Jade Moon Crystal Palace—whose wealth was said to rival even that of the Fleeting Moment Boat of the Demonic Path—merging with the Gongson Clan,
though they were not counted among the Eight Great Murim Families,
the Gongson Clan in truth rose to a prestige rivaling even the Namgung and Tang Clans.
Naturally, people grew curious.
They often whispered: What in the world will the children of such extraordinary parents become?
And in this generation, that curiosity was answered.
One of the Gongson children became the youngest chief strategist in the Martial Alliance,
while the other became the next Young Palace Lord of the Divine Beast Palace.
"Follow my steps exactly as you enter."
Standing before the gate, Gongson Dan-gyeong strode forward without hesitation, parting the fluttering petals.
Bu Eun-seol meticulously traced the same directional placements she stepped on and followed her inside.
After walking for some time, a landscape like a painting unfolded before his eyes.
It was nothing short of Wuling Paradise.
Passing by a beautiful cascading waterfall and arriving at the Plum Grove, he saw the towering stone walls and the vast interior of the manor.
The buildings there were constructed in a style utterly unlike those of the Central Plains, filled with flowers, trees, and sculptures—
things Bu Eun-seol had never once seen in all his life.
"Have you arrived?"
The servants there, upon seeing Gongson Dan-gyeong, all rushed over in delight to greet her.
Among them, there were almost no young people—most were elderly.
"It's been a while, Seventh Uncle, Fourth Aunt."
Her tone and demeanor were respectful, treating them not as servants but as family.
"The Family Head has been waiting. Please come this way."
The eldest among the servants stepped forward to guide her.
And when they arrived at the pavilion at the heart of the manor, he announced in a loud voice:
"Family Head. The eldest young mistress has arrived."
Creak.
The doors slid open, revealing a middle-aged man with the bearing of an immortal and a beautiful middle-aged woman of peerless grace.
None other than Gongson Hwa-uk and his wife, Ok Jeong-yeong.
"Father. Mother."
As Gongson Dan-gyeong bowed respectfully, her mother, Ok Jeong-yeong, immediately took her hands and embraced her.
"How long has it been since we last saw you?"
Gongson Hwa-uk also approached, clasping his daughter's hands with a bright smile.
"Your old father was on the verge of forgetting your face."
The couple exchanged warm glances with their daughter, overjoyed.
Then, after a long moment, their gazes shifted to Bu Eun-seol.
"Peak Leader Seon-u Jin pays his respects."
As Bu Eun-seol saluted with perfect courtesy, Gongson Hwa-uk's eyes gleamed.
"Ah, so you are Seon-u Jin."
Gongson Hwa-uk observed Bu Eun-seol with a complicated expression.
"To see in person the young grandmaster who has shaken the world—my emotions are truly boundless."
"You flatter me too much."
"Come this way."
He extended a hand toward Bu Eun-seol and said:
"We've prepared a feast. Let us share a meal."
The banquet hall was filled with delicacies from land and sea, with fine liquor prepared in great jars.
The Gongson couple, overjoyed at Gongson Dan-gyeong's return after years apart,
exchanged a few ceremonial cups with Bu Eun-seol before devoting all their attention to her.
But Bu Eun-seol, in truth, felt more at ease this way.
Had they suppressed their joy for their child just to entertain him, there could have been no more uncomfortable gathering.
So he quietly enjoyed the feast, careful not to disrupt the atmosphere.
'How strange.'
Gongson Hwa-uk kept asking his daughter this and that, while Ok Jeong-yeong picked choice dishes and placed them in her bowl.
The truth was, Bu Eun-seol had never before experienced such a harmonious family atmosphere in another household.
The first he had visited, the Sichuan Tang Clan, was a place where blades hung in the air, and the Namgung Clan, stern and solemn due to the Family Head's personality,
had never conveyed this kind of warmth and unity.
Moreover, the Jongri Clan had their own peculiar, stubborn atmosphere unique to the Haengnim Family.
That place hadn't been comfortable either.
But the Gongson Clan was warm and welcoming.
It was the very picture of an ideal family—the kind everyone dreamed of.
A father revered by all, a kind and gentle mother. Their eyes brimmed with deep affection.
'Was I like that too?'
Bu Eun-seol's gaze grew distant.
If he could recall his childhood memories... perhaps he, too, would have grown up in such an environment.
The feast ended after an hour.
Gongson Dan-gyeong had been making tired expressions throughout the meal, and so the Gongson couple arranged for Bu Eun-seol to rest in one of the most serene pavilions of the Gongson estate.
"I'll have a brief talk with Commander Seon-u before retiring. You and Gyeong-i should go ahead and rest."
When Gongson Hwa-uk spoke to his wife, Ok Jeong-yeong nodded.
"Very well."
"Father."
Gongson Dan-gyeong, sensing something unusual, spoke up. Gongson Hwa-uk smiled faintly.
"Don't worry. It's just a cup of tea. There are a few things I'd like to ask Commander Seon-u."
"But..."
As she trailed off,
"It's alright."
Bu Eun-seol, understanding her concern, gave her a gentle smile.
"I'll handle the conversation well, so please rest comfortably, Chief Strategist."
His expression and gaze held the tenderness one might show a beloved partner.
Seeing that smile, Gongson Dan-gyeong relaxed and nodded.
Bu Eun-seol's wisdom was no less than hers—he would handle any situation with certainty.
"Alright."
With a faint smile, she left with Ok Jeong-yeong.
"Come. Let's have some tea."
Gongson Hwa-uk led Bu Eun-seol to a beautiful pavilion overlooking a picturesque landscape.
Over tea, they exchanged various words.
Most of the conversation revolved around Bu Eun-seol's background—his family, his history.
The meticulous questioning felt almost like screening a prospective son-in-law.
Bu Eun-seol answered each inquiry smoothly.
The more they spoke, the more a smile tugged at Gongson Hwa-uk's lips.
'He's well-mannered. Neither arrogant nor pretentious.'
He found himself liking Bu Eun-seol's composed and steady nature.
Moreover, since the Gongson Clan wasn't a Martial Clan, the fact that Bu Eun-seol's family was connected to the commercial world wasn't a bad condition either.
'However...'
There were still points of dissatisfaction.
Compared to the peerless beauty of Gongson Dan-gyeong, his appearance was far too plain.
And his temperament was too mild—he didn't seem like someone who could accomplish great things.
'I don't understand. No matter how I look at it, he doesn't seem like the kind of man Gyeong-i would favor.'
Gongson Hwa-uk knew his daughters well.
Especially how high Gongson Dan-gyeong's standards were.
Hadn't she repeatedly rejected even the Golden Upright Divine Dragon, Baek Mu-seong—a man of extraordinary talent and prestige—saying he still didn't meet her expectations?
'And if he can defeat the Fist King, he must possess immense martial prowess.'
No matter how deep one's Return to Plainness was, one's qi shouldn't appear this ordinary.
'Then he must have reached the realm of Tranquil Stillness.'
Gongson Hwa-uk blinked as he studied Bu Eun-seol.
'Just how profound is his Internal Energy, to be able to conceal even his Shockwaves?'
The more he observed, the more ambiguous it became. The harder he tried to gauge his martial prowess, the more it felt like peering through fog.
"Commander Seon-u, I'll be blunt."
Gongson Hwa-uk finally broached the main topic.
"What are your thoughts on our Gyeong-i?"
Bu Eun-seol answered honestly.
"In all my years, I've never met a woman more outstanding than the Chief Strategist."
"So you don't see her as a romantic interest?"
"Far from it. I believe she would make an incomparably excellent partner."
Gongson Hwa-uk frowned.
It was an exceedingly polite and respectful answer.
But there was no trace of the fervor one would expect from a young man in love.
Of course, those with heroic dispositions tended not to fall deeply for women.
'Yet I see no hint of a hero's temperament in him.'
Swallowing his thoughts, Gongson Hwa-uk pressed further.
"Be honest. What is the real reason you came here?"
"What do you mean?"
"Don't think to deceive this Family Head."
Gongson Hwa-uk was the foremost master of Formation Study in the world.
In other words, his profound strategic mind and exceptional wisdom were no less than Gongson Dan-gyeong's.
His sharp gaze seemed to pierce through Bu Eun-seol's very being as he spoke.
"There is no genuine affection in the way you look at Gyeong-i."
As Gongson Hwa-uk continued, an overwhelming presence—one capable of shaking another's Spirit and Mind—radiated from him.
"Clever young men sometimes make a mistake."
Each of his words was like a sharp dagger aimed at Bu Eun-seol's pressure points.
"They think deceiving old men is very easy."
For a moment, Bu Eun-seol's gaze wavered like rippling water.
Gongson Hwa-uk had already seen through it—that he and Gongson Dan-gyeong were putting on an act.