Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Fifth Chapter - Dragon-Phoenix Tournament (11)
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Mok Ri-won's advancement to the finals shook not just Seo-hyeon, but all of An-hui Province.
The swordsmanship he had finally revealed was truly wondrous.
It was an irregular style of swordplay achievable only through pure talent.
And at the tender age of eighteen, he had reached the Pinnacle Realm with overwhelming inner strength.
For the prestigious clans of the Central Plains, who sought to dominate the next generation, it would have been stranger not to recruit him.
The prestigious clans moved without respite.
Some prepared wealth, others spiritual elixirs, and still others secret manuals.
But amid all that, there was one thing they universally prepared.
"Marriage proposal... you say?"
Marriage proposal.
In this land where bonds were forged with blood and flesh, it was one of the most binding contracts.
To claim Mok Ri-won, they offered their own daughters.
One peculiar point was that, unlike typical proposals, the daughters of these great clans were throwing themselves at him.
"Aren't they just full of all kinds of bullshit?"
In Seo-hyeon's inn.
Dang Hwa-seo explained the situation to Mok Ri-won, radiating a fierce aura.
Her expression was so intimidating that Jegal San was unusually quiet today, merely sipping his drink.
"I, I don't want that kind of marriage...!"
Mok Ri-won vehemently expressed his disgust.
"Marriage is when a man and a woman, out of mutual love, vow to spend eternity together! I want to marry the person I love!"
Mok Ri-won crossed his arms and snorted.
Dang Hwa-seo felt an inexplicable satisfaction at the sight, but soon shook it off and nodded.
"Yes, since that's Young Hero Mok's wish, I won't worry too much, but you still need to be careful."
"Hm?"
"As I mentioned before, the daughters of these great clans often play quite loosely. The moment they sense Young Hero Mok's innocence, they'll drool and try to devour you."
"I-Innocence...?"
"Young Hero Mok."
"Hm! Speak."
"Do you remember what to do if an unfamiliar woman approaches?"
"Say I'm busy and run away! And tell Little Sister!"
"Well done."
Dang Hwa-seo smiled warmly.
Mok Ri-won simply beamed with joy at the praise, while Jegal San watched the exchange and thought to himself.
'Brother Mok, following her like that will get your nose pierced.'
In this gathering, Jegal San was the most rational one.
He could see it.
Dang Hwa-seo was pretending to worry about Mok Ri-won while firmly blocking any path to marriage.
She was sweeping away every woman around him.
'Well, she doesn't even realize it herself.'
Unconsciously warding off rivals—what a terrifying instinct.
Truly the Sichuan Tang Clan.
Truly the Tang Clan's poison heart.
Jegal San shuddered in fear.
"Ah, in five days, it's Little Sister's match, right? How are the preparations going?"
Such was the topic that arose amid their lively conversation.
Dang Hwa-seo's fingertips twitched, but she soon forced a smile and replied.
"I'm preparing as best I can."
"I'm so excited! I'll cheer for Little Sister all the way!"
"Don't expect too much..."
Dang Hwa-seo started to speak but trailed off, letting out a hollow laugh.
What followed was a self-deprecating remark laced with disappointment.
"...No, you're right. I'll give it a try."
Dang Hwa-seo raised her cup.
'Yes, how can one call themselves a martial artist if they cower and give up before even trying? I have to do what I can.'
Upon reflection, it made sense.
She had come to the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament to showcase her strength, so wouldn't it be foolish to pick and choose opponents when displaying her skills?
Dang Hwa-seo whipped herself into resolve.
With that, she said.
"Enough of that talk. Let's drink today. We haven't even celebrated Young Hero Mok reaching the finals."
"Ah, sure!"
Mok Ri-won smiled and accepted, but he wasn't truly trembling with joy.
A wry smile flickered across his face from time to time.
'Should I be happy...?'
Though he tried to push it from his mind, Mok Ri-won had his own worries.
Hyeon-gong had come to lose.
He still hadn't uncovered the reason for the killing intent Hyeon-gong had shown.
Since the victory felt more unsettling than triumphant, it left Mok Ri-won uneasy.
"Come on, Brother Mok. Down it in one go."
But voicing such concerns felt like feigning misery after a win, so Mok Ri-won took Jegal San's cue and raised his cup.
*
The grasp of the prestigious clans targeting Mok Ri-won.
It was exactly what Dang Hwa-seo had warned about, yet the situation was unavoidable.
"It's Extreme Blade Paeng Do-wol."
A man who somehow evoked the image of a tiger.
He blocked Mok Ri-won's path in the middle of the street.
At his words, Mok Ri-won exclaimed "Ah!" and smiled.
"I know your name, Great Hero! You're the heir of the Hubei Paeng Clan, who won the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament ten years ago, right?"
"I'm honored you remember. Mind if we talk for a moment?"
"Talk?"
Mok Ri-won's head tilted.
Then, from behind the burly man's back, a young woman who still carried a girlish air sprang out.
Paeng Do-wol smiled awkwardly and said.
"It's my little sister. She watched your match, was deeply impressed, and begged to talk to you. Can you understand a brother's position?"
"I'm Paeng Ji-wol...!"
Her shy words, cheeks flushed red.
For some reason, they sent a chill down Mok Ri-won's spine.
-Unfamiliar woman approaching...
Dang Hwa-seo's warning echoed in his mind again.
'W-What do I do...?'
Mok Ri-won hesitated.
Naturally, to heed Dang Hwa-seo, he should flee immediately, but the opponent was no ordinary one.
Extreme Blade Paeng Do-wol.
Mok Ri-won had heard his name so often it rang in his ears, knowing the weight it carried in the current Central Plains martial world.
Even setting that aside, brushing off someone approaching with goodwill would be discourteous.
Mok Ri-won's body took a hesitant step back.
A pitiful smile hung on his face.
"Haa..."
If even that pitiful smile was beautiful, it was a laughable thing.
"I, I have someone to meet..."
"Please."
Paeng Do-wol was firm.
Truth be told, he had come at his stubborn little sister's insistence, but from Paeng Do-wol's perspective, Mok Ri-won was a talent worth coveting.
'I can't let the Silent Sword be taken.'
Precisely, he couldn't allow it.
His swordsmanship and talent were so brilliant that the Paeng Clan desired to claim them if possible.
Their age gap was just three years, after all.
Though she lacked martial prowess due to disinterest, his sister was still Paeng Clan blood.
If her latent talent met Mok Ri-won's genius, they could birth a hero to lead the next generation.
In the strangely tense atmosphere.
Suddenly, a person appeared whom Paeng Do-wol didn't want to see and Mok Ri-won had been awaiting.
"Greetings, Paeng Great Hero."
It was Dang Hwa-seo.
A chill like eternal snow gleamed on her face.
Her gaze, cold enough to freeze a man to death, fixed on Paeng Ji-wol.
"Eek!"
Paeng Ji-wol hid behind Paeng Do-wol.
Paeng Do-wol sighed regretfully and returned her greeting.
"Long time no see."
"Yes, six years."
"I've heard. You're on good terms with Young Hero Mok..."
Paeng Do-wol fell silent.
It was due to Dang Hwa-seo's gaze.
'It looks exactly like "Do you have to meddle when you know that?"'
Hm, indeed a daughter of the Tang Clan.
Shooting daggers with her eyes alone—it was impressive.
"Don't look at me like that. I couldn't refuse my little sister's request either."
Paeng Do-wol ignored Paeng Ji-wol pounding his back and continued.
"I'll take my leave for today. Silent Sword, until next time."
With that, he turned away.
Paeng Ji-wol gazed at Mok Ri-won with lingering reluctance, but cowed by Dang Hwa-seo's glare, she scurried after her brother.
*
Dang Hwa-seo's warding off continued.
Starting with the Hubei Paeng Clan, pillars of the Five Great Clans, then various families and sects ruling regions, and even escort agencies and merchants.
She was constantly on the move, fending off those salivating over the name Silent Sword.
'Why am I...'
Why am I doing this?
Such doubts occasionally welled up, but strangely, she had no thought of stopping.
This too stemmed from her petty heart lacking the courage for self-reflection.
She drove off those eyeing Mok Ri-won while focusing on her personal training.
On the night two days before the semifinals, Dang Hwa-seo encountered someone she didn't want to see.
"Long time no see, Young Lady."
A dark night where moonlight faintly lit the streets.
A group emerged from an alley.
Five warriors radiating refined auras.
At their forefront was...
"...Dang Un-gyeong."
Her half-brother, Dang Un-gyeong.
Dang Hwa-seo's expression hardened.
Yet Dang Un-gyeong approached without losing his smile, stopping right before her nose.
"Enjoying your outing?"
"..."
"I was shocked. The Young Lady, who never revealed her whereabouts, suddenly appearing at the Dragon-Phoenix Tournament, and Pyo San returning in such a state."
His whisper carried clear reproach.
Dang Hwa-seo regarded Dang Un-gyeong and his men with sunken eyes.
'...Yes, it was about time.'
Excluding Dang Un-gyeong, each was a Pinnacle Realm expert.
They were the Sichuan Tang Clan's elites.
Had they come to drag her back?
'No.'
That wasn't it.
Given the Clan Leader's personality, he wouldn't retrieve her so publicly, so their goal lay elsewhere.
'Persuasion, or threat.'
Now, which was it?
"Get to the point."
"Ah, no brotherly love at all."
"Were we ever that close? I didn't know. Even as I endured under our Clan Leader, you just laughed."
"It was my way of showing affection."
"Showing affection to someone in pain? I didn't know my brother was insane."
Dang Un-gyeong's brow twitched.
His sly demeanor turned slightly feral.
"Isn't it time to end this runaway?"
"A threat?"
"Hm, persuasion."
Dang Un-gyeong straightened his posture.
He deepened his smile and continued.
"The Clan Leader is very pleased. He never imagined the runaway Young Lady would secure such a genius."
"...What?"
"Silent Sword."
For an instant, Dang Hwa-seo's breath caught.
Dang Un-gyeong pressed on.
"Impressive. As expected, it's for the clan. The Clan Leader eagerly wants to meet Silent Sword. It's been ages since he smiled like that. My ears are still ringing. With you and Silent Sword, the next era of the martial world will bear the Tang Clan's name highest, he said so gleefully."
Dang Hwa-seo felt dazed by the brazenness.
"The Clan Leader, you say."
"You should call him Clan Leader."
"That mad old man linked Young Hero Mok and me like that?"
A question laced with hollow laughter.
Suddenly, Dang Hwa-seo's mind cooled to an eerie clarity.
The long-suppressed hatred surged from within, choking her throat.
"What right does he have to spout such nonsense?"
Dang Hwa-seo stepped forward.
A dark green aura began emanating from her body.
"You're too much. Who implanted that aura in you? How can you speak like that when..."
"Yes, he gave me this. Even though I didn't want it."
Before today, Dang Hwa-seo had thought.
Perhaps the Tang Clan wouldn't come.
Maybe, seeing Pyo San's return, they had grasped her feelings.
Perhaps guilt had finally set in.
'I've softened.'
Being with Mok Ri-won had softened even her heart, filling it with hopeful thoughts.
"Rotten scum."
Dang Hwa-seo glared at Dang Un-gyeong and his men.
Her gaze brimmed with hatred and curses.
"If not for this damned Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity, I would have forgiven the Clan Leader."
Dang Hwa-seo could not forgive the Sichuan Tang Clan.
Not just for the torment of her childhood—it fell short of explaining it all.
"I truly can't understand. How could the Clan Leader say such things to me?"
Dang Hwa-seo took another step forward.
Only then did Dang Un-gyeong erase his smile, looking down at her coldly.
Dang Hwa-seo found that gaze utterly loathsome and spat.
"You stole my future, even the chance to bear a child. How dare you pair me with a man?"
The truth she finally voiced was heavy.
And humiliating.
Dang Hwa-seo's veins flowed not with blood, but poison.
Her body brimmed with toxins, leaving no room for anything else.
That was why she could not forgive the Tang Clan.
As the mood turned vicious, Dang Un-gyeong spoke.
"...What's so impossible about it?"
"What?"
"I'm asking what's impossible."
Dang Hwa-seo's face went blank.
With icy composure, Dang Un-gyeong hurled words like sharpened daggers.
"Young Lady, the Tang Clan has plenty of women. Women who can bear children."
"What..."
"There are women to receive Silent Sword's seed in your stead. The entire clan will turn a blind eye. You just raise the child as your own, that's all."
Her heart seemed to stop.
No, not just her heart.
Every organ in her body halted at those words.
If there was a way to kill with words, it would be like this.
If there was ruthless cruelty that crushed even the faintest hope, it would be like this.
Dang Hwa-seo stared at Dang Un-gyeong.
In her eyes, the man before her was no longer kin or even human.
Thus, she found no words to retort.
One could not converse with non-humans; she only felt her chest tear with pain.
Her aura dissipated.
Her thoughts scattered.
Her insides emptied.
Then.
"...I can't bear to listen anymore."
A beautifully resonant voice pierced Dang Hwa-seo's ear.