The Matchmaker Arrives (2)
“You’re saying you want to marry me?”
Baek So-cheon was so shocked he even stuttered. News of an all-out war would have been less of a jolt. Even when Yeom Hwa-sin had suddenly shown up at the main headquarters, it hadn’t rattled him this much.
“Yes, I sent a matchmaker because I want to marry you.”
Baek So-cheon glanced back and forth between Ak So-gun and Je-gal Hyeon. Their faces mirrored his own shock and bewilderment perfectly.
“What’s the angle here?”
Neither man could answer Baek So-cheon’s question. If anything, they’d been waiting for him to explain.
“Have you ever met Myeol Saeng’s daughter, by any chance?”
Baek So-cheon shook his head at Je-gal Hyeon’s question.
“No.”
“I thought as much.”
He’d never once heard Baek So-cheon mention Myeol Saeng’s daughter.
“Has the alliance with the Black Heaven Alliance fallen apart?”
Je-gal Hyeon responded to Baek So-cheon’s query.
“No reports of that from our spies still embedded in the Black Heaven Alliance or the Blood Cult, but it’s certainly possible. The alliance was handled with utmost secrecy, so it’s not easy to uncover details.”
Even if that were the case, one crucial puzzle remained inexplicable.
“The Blood Cult knows you lost your martial arts.”
At that, Baek So-cheon asked Ak So-gun to clear the room. The Alliance Lord dismissed all the guards inside and outside Yun-ryong Hall.
“It’s time to tell you, Grand Strategist.”
“What is it?”
“I’ve recovered my inner power.”
“What?”
Before Baek So-cheon could explain, Je-gal Hyeon seized both his hands.
“Wonderful! Truly wonderful!”
Like Ak So-gun, Je-gal Hyeon rejoiced as if it were his own victory.
“Thank you.”
“How on earth did this happen?”
Baek So-cheon recounted everything involving Ban Yun-saeng. How he’d learned of the man’s location through Go-yeo in the Murim Alliance’s thunder prison, met him, and undergone the Hwan-gol Tal-tae Great Law.
“I told the Alliance Lord first.”
“Of course. That’s only right.”
Je-gal Hyeon beamed at Ak So-gun. At last, the massive stone weighing on his chest lifted. As Grand Strategist, how could he not feel responsible for Baek So-cheon’s loss of inner power?
“It’s Deputy Leader Baek’s fortune, but also the Alliance’s great fortune. This is all thanks to the Alliance Lord’s vast merits.”
“Come now, how could it be thanks to this old man? Heaven hasn’t abandoned the righteous Murim.”
“Ah, what a joyful day. The second happiest day of my life, after the war’s end.”
A faint bitterness tinged Baek So-cheon’s subtle smile. Je-gal Hyeon’s life mirrored his own—they’d both devoted everything to the Murim Alliance.
He could understand the first happiest day. But the second—another man regaining his inner power?
Whether himself or Je-gal Hyeon, it hit home just how trapped their lives had been within the Alliance’s framework.
Not that the framework was worthless or wrong. Without it, the righteous Murim wouldn’t exist today.
It wasn’t something to smash and spit on before leaving. No, it was a structure to build sturdy, cherish, and perfect before departing.
“Could they have found out you recovered your inner power?”
Baek So-cheon shook his head at Je-gal Hyeon’s question.
“No. Only four people in the world know I’ve regained my inner power. People I trust completely. They have no idea.”
If Baek So-cheon was this certain, the Black Heaven Alliance wouldn’t know either. Besides, if Yeom Hwa-sin had known, Baek So-cheon wouldn’t have returned from their headquarters last time.
“Do you think the Blood Cult sent the matchmaker assuming this marriage would proceed normally? I doubt it.”
The man himself had zero intention of marrying. Naturally, the Blood Cult would expect rejection.
Je-gal Hyeon nodded and turned to Ak So-gun.
“They might have sent her to show the Black Heaven Alliance.”
“To the Black Heaven Alliance?”
“With Yeom Hwa-sin père et fils’ Cheon-oe Won-go threat neutralized, tensions between them could be rising. This could be a warning: ‘We can ally with the Murim Alliance instead of you.’”
Je-gal Hyeon’s theory rang true.
“If so, we should refuse. We can’t let them play us.”
“Agreed.”
Then Baek So-cheon spoke up.
“Before refusing the marriage, arrange a meeting with Myeol Ji-ryun. It’s unreasonable without even seeing her face. Ask to let the parties meet first.”
“You want to see her?”
“We need to gauge why they’re doing this. The key to this fight is splitting the Black Heaven Alliance and Blood Cult. If there’s a rift, we can exploit it.”
“Isn’t that risky?”
“Staying ignorant is riskier. The Cheon-oe Won-go and this matchmaker prove their alliance defies logic.”
They’d allied despite the Cheon-oe Won-go, and now sent a matchmaker to the Murim Alliance anyway.
“If we don’t probe their relationship actively, we can’t predict what comes next.”
Ak So-gun looked to Je-gal Hyeon.
After a moment’s thought, the strategist replied.
“Propose the meeting at our Murim Alliance headquarters. Meeting at their chosen spot could endanger Deputy Leader Baek.”
“Will they accept?”
“They proposed first. They’ll have to swallow our terms. If they refuse, we lose nothing.”
“A sound plan.”
Ak So-gun addressed Baek So-cheon.
“No more concessions. What say you?”
Baek So-cheon realized neither the Lord nor the strategist would let him go to the Blood Cult.
He nodded.
“I’m fine with that.”
Would the Blood Cult Lord really send his only daughter to the Murim Alliance? He doubted it.
* * *
Baek So-cheon visited Cheon-geuk again.
“Why’re you back?”
His expression alone told her something was wrong. It must tie to Sa-ma Il-jung’s urgent visit to Daroo Tea House earlier.
“Big trouble.”
“What? War broken out?”
“Worse.”
“What the hell is it?”
She tensed up. Worse than war?
“I’m getting married.”
“······!”
She froze in place. Far more shocking than any war news.
Normally, she’d spot the joke, grin, and fire back. But this stunned her speechless.
Cheon-geuk swallowed hard.
“To who?”
“Blood Cult Lord’s daughter.”
“For real?”
Seeing her genuine shock, Baek So-cheon dropped the act.
“Nah, just kidding.”
Cheon-geuk, dazed for a beat, exploded.
“You wanna die?”
Her real anger made him apologize hastily.
“Sorry.”
She sat down.
“Alliance is tight on funds lately—no wedding gift from me. So hold off on marrying for a bit.”
“Got it.”
Overpowered by her momentum, he stayed quiet.
Then she burst out laughing.
“Gotcha, huh?”
Her sudden cheer startled him—or so he pretended. Moments ago, she’d been truly flustered. Now she was covering it up.
“Yeah, thought you were pissed for real.”
“Hahaha. You knew it was a joke.”
“From the start?”
“Duh. And why would I get mad if you got married?”
She said it casually, but she’d been genuinely shocked. Her vision had gone white; she hadn’t known what to say.
“So why pull that prank all of a sudden?”
Baek So-cheon explained the Blood Cult’s matchmaker.
Cheon-geuk’s eyes widened.
“The Blood Cult sent a matchmaker? To make you their son-in-law?”
“Yeah.”
“Then it’s not a joke?”
She turned serious again.
“Like the Blood Cult Lord would want me as a son-in-law?”
“Who knows?”
“It’s obvious. Anyway, figured you should know.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why do I need to know?”
She pressed relentlessly. Feeling guilty for the prank, he humored her.
“Can’t hide secrets from the Assassin Queen?”
She shot back at his teasing.
“Worried I’ll find out later and kill the girl?”
“Nah. That’d be underestimating you.”
“You know it.”
“We’re meeting at the Murim Alliance anyway. The Cult Lord won’t send his daughter here.”
“What if he does? He might.”
“Unlikely, but if he did······ haven’t thought that far.”
“Think about it. Or you’ll panic.”
“No panic. No plans to marry, and even if, it wouldn’t be the Blood Cult Lord’s daughter.”
“What if she’s drop-dead gorgeous?”
To her anxious gaze, Baek So-cheon played the “good” playboy.
“Seeing you so often? Hard to call any other woman beautiful.”
After Baek So-cheon left, Cheon-geuk drank alone, needlessly unsettled.
Nearing the end of a bottle, Seo-seong appeared. She was the only woman among the four guardians.
“Mind if I join for a drink?”
“Sure, sit.”
They’d drunk together plenty, but Seo-seong never initiated.
Cheon-geuk poured for her.
“Been a while just us girls.”
“Yeah.”
“Work tough lately?”
“Lying if I said no, but I’m enjoying it.”
“Four women guardians would be easier. Three guys and one gal.”
“Doesn’t that make it easier? Than four women?”
“Hahaha. True enough.”
Cheon-geuk laughed heartily. Seo-seong deliberately avoided Baek So-cheon talk. No knowing the Blood Cult’s intent meant speculation would just complicate things. Best to quietly keep her company.
In her heart, Seo-seong cheered Cheon-geuk on.
Have confidence, my lady. You’re cooler than any woman in the world.
* * *
Days later, Baek So-cheon entered Yun-ryong Hall.
Ak So-gun and Je-gal Hyeon waited, even more tense than when they’d first shared the matchmaker news.
“What’s going on?”
“A letter flew in from the Blood Cult.”
They’d conveyed wanting to meet the daughter at the Alliance, and a reply had come.
“What’d it say?”
“They accepted our proposal.”
“What?”
Baek So-cheon was stunned. He’d figured the Cult Lord wouldn’t send his daughter into righteous territory—let alone Murim Alliance headquarters.
Even more shocking words came from Ak So-gun.
“The Blood Cult Lord’s daughter is already en route to our headquarters.”
Curiosity gave way to dread in Baek So-cheon.
Myeol Ji-ryun was Myeol Saeng’s only child.
What kind of father sends his sole daughter into enemy territory?
“Maybe······ they’re sending a fake Myeol Ji-ryun.”
Je-gal Hyeon nodded in agreement.
“Entirely possible. No one’s seen her in person.”
“No one?”
“Not among Murim Alliance warriors, to my knowledge.”
Suddenly, Baek So-cheon recalled one person who might know her.
If even that person didn’t, then truly no one did.