Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: He's My Fiancé
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On the way back to Dong-ro Prefecture, Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo glanced at me several times before finally speaking.
“Brother Yong, did something happen?”
“What do you mean?”
“I noticed you've been different since breakfast.”
“Have I?”
“Not only that, but you seem a little taller, and your frame is broader. Did you perhaps undergo a metamorphosis of bone and a cleansing of marrow?”
She cut straight to the point.
“You're sharp.”
“I am, aren't I? I was right, wasn't I?”
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo, overjoyed, grabbed my arm.
“How could you achieve both a metamorphosis of bone and a cleansing of marrow in a single night?”
I smiled faintly.
“I got lucky.”
“Brother! Congratulations!”
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo didn't press me with questions about how I'd managed the transformation.
Nor did she show any envy or jealousy, simply sharing in my joy as if it were her own.
***
A middle-aged man and woman, who looked as if they were not of this world, were waiting for us in a detached villa of the Dong-ro Branch.
As we entered the lounge, the couple stood up.
I said to Go Un-hyo.
“Keep watch outside and don't let anyone approach.”
The man had a generous and benevolent air, while the woman gave a warm and gentle impression.
The woman looked at Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo and spoke brightly.
“Might you be the Alliance Lord?”
“I am Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo.”
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo smiled elegantly.
The couple clasped their fists and bowed respectfully, and the woman spoke.
“We are known as the Divine Strategist Couple.”
The woman spoke softly, her voice gentle enough to soothe the listener's heart.
“We didn't expect to find the Alliance Lord at the Dong-ro Branch.”
“I also didn't know you two would be coming.”
“Has the Alliance Lord been briefed by Chief Sang?”
“Chief Sang explained everything in detail. I don't know how to thank you.”
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo asked, looking curious.
“What brings you here?”
Even for the brilliant Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo, a sudden visit from people of the Chungmu Stronghold was beyond imagination.
Just then, Hye-so entered with tea, and the conversation paused.
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo invited the Divine Strategist Couple to sit.
“Please, sit and have some tea.”
The man wore a gentle smile, and the woman spoke with a smile full of conviction.
“Actually, we heard from Chief Sang that you haven't been able to find a location for the Martial Alliance's main headquarters.”
That was the situation when Sang Gang-jo met with the people from the Chungmu Stronghold.
“So we decided to step in, hoping we could be of help to the Martial Alliance.”
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo and I had an idea of what the couple was about to say, but we remained silent.
“We heard rumors that a mere branch of the Martial Alliance, the Dong-ro Branch, had swept through the Zhejiang region in just half a year, driving out the Demonic Emperor's Grand Union and the Ten Heavens of the Unorthodox Path, and turning Dong-ro Prefecture into a sanctuary of the martial world.”
The woman looked at me, gesturing with both hands as if presenting me.
“And of course, this young man must be the one who has the martial world in the palm of his hand—the Fire Dragon Sword, Grand Branch Master Ak of the Dong-ro Branch, correct?”
I gave a slight nod.
“After careful and thorough consideration, we've concluded that Dong-ro Prefecture is the ideal location for the Martial Alliance's main headquarters.”
“I see.”
“So, we arrived in Dong-ro Prefecture five days ago and carefully verified whether the rumors were true.”
“And what did you find?”
“What we confirmed firsthand was even more impressive than the rumors. The Fire Dragon Sword is a Great Just Hero of the martial world, and Dong-ro Prefecture is in no way lacking as a site for the main headquarters.”
In the martial world, a person more righteous than a knight-errant or a hero is called a Just Hero, but she was calling the Fire Dragon Sword not just a Just Hero, but a Great Just Hero.
The woman couldn't hide her expression of admiration.
“What surprised us even more is the fact that an incredible number of applicants are flocking to join the Dong-ro Branch!”
Her voice grew a little louder, and her gestures became more expansive. She was getting excited. The man watched her with an affectionate gaze.
“And that's not all! Even when selecting mere branch members, the Dong-ro Branch has remarkably high standards! As a result, most of the applicants who pass the martial arts examination are first-rate warriors or better!”
The man pushed a teacup toward her, as if to tell her to calm down.
But this only made the woman more excited.
“But the most important thing is that all those applicants were drawn here by the reputation of the Fire Dragon Sword! Isn't that incredible?”
The woman leaned toward me, her expression filled with curiosity.
“Tell me! Did you accomplish all this with the plan of building the Martial Alliance's main headquarters in Dong-ro Prefecture?”
Despite being in her mid-forties, the woman was passionate, pure-hearted, and persistent.
And yet, there was something oddly charming about the way she blinked, staring at me intently.
When I just stared back at her in silence, the woman waited patiently for my answer.
I looked at Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo.
“It would be best if the Alliance Lord answered.”
“I will.”
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo elegantly sipped her tea and sent me a telepathic message.
[May I embellish things a bit to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings?]
I sipped my tea and gave a slight nod.
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo set down her teacup and smiled beautifully.
“I entrusted the matter to Brother Yong with full faith, but I never imagined he would handle it so perfectly, exceeding all my expectations.”
“Ah!”
The Divine Strategist Couple was surprised, both by Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo calling me 'Brother Yong' and by the fact that the Martial Alliance had planned this from the beginning.
The woman blinked, leaning forward even more with a look of great interest.
“Is the Fire Dragon Sword, Lord Ak, the Alliance Lord's brother?”
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo beamed.
The moment I saw her smile, I sensed danger.
“He's my fiancé.”
“Oh!”
The Divine Strategist Couple shot to their feet in surprise and admiration.
I stared at Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo, dumbfounded.
“Byeok-gyo!”
“Yes, Brother Yong.”
“...”
Even though I had called her name in a scolding tone, Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo answered demurely with her hands clasped in front of her, like a wife addressing her husband. At times like this, she was a fox.
And to the Divine Strategist Couple, we must have truly looked like a betrothed couple.
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo reached under the table and gently took my hand.
Her hand seemed to say.
—I'm sorry.—
***
Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo and I headed to the Jaun Pavilion with the Divine Strategist Couple.
Ever since Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo had called me her fiancé back at the villa, the Divine Strategist Couple had been treating us almost like a married couple.
For Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo, the couple was like an imperial envoy from the Chungmu Stronghold, so she couldn't afford to treat them poorly.
As always, passersby and shopkeepers along the road showed me respect, and some greeted me informally.
The Divine Strategist Couple introduced themselves: the husband was Seomun Hak, and the wife was Ak Ja-gyeong.
Ak Ja-gyeong was from the Yue Family of Shandong, and Seomun Hak was her husband, married into the family.
Seeing the endless procession of commoners migrating into Dong-ro Prefecture, just as on any other day, Ak Ja-gyeong marveled.
“At this rate, it will become larger than Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang.”
“As of today, the population of Dong-ro Prefecture has surpassed three hundred thousand.”
“Ah! That's incredible!”
Ak Ja-gyeong looked at me in admiration.
“To think that all of this is the great achievement of the Fire Dragon Sword, Lord Ak... it's truly respectable!”
Then, with a fresh look of curiosity, she asked.
“Lord Ak, which Ak family are you from?”
“The Five Elements Sect in Qingyang County, Anhui Province.”
Qingyang County was where my master, who took me in as an orphan at the age of ten and made me his disciple, had lived. The sect was called the Five Elements Sect, a name far grander than the sect itself.
I gave a vague answer. How could I answer about a hometown I didn't even know?
“I see.”
An Ak from Qingyang County, Anhui, would have no connection to the Yue Family of Shandong.
Ak Ja-gyeong quickly changed the subject.
“Darling, we should open a bank in Dong-ro Prefecture.”
“Let's do that.”
Seomun Hak spoke for the first time. A bank was a place where one could deposit or borrow money.
This meant that not the Chungmu Stronghold itself, but the Guju Cheonjong, which it owned, would be establishing a bank in Dong-ro Prefecture.
Just then, a shout erupted from above.
“Stop!”
“Get back!”
Then, the clash of weapons was followed by a flurry of screams.
Clang, clang, clang!
“Hwaak!”
“Kuaargh!”
Subsequently, three corpses thudded onto the street, and the startled pedestrians scattered.
The three bodies belonged to martial artists, still clutching sabers and swords. One was decapitated, his head lying separately, while the other two were bleeding from pierced brows and hearts.
Just then, two figures landed lightly on the street from mid-air, bickering with each other.
“Why did you steal the target I was about to kill?”
“What does it matter who kills them?”
The two were Song Ga-hyeon and Geum Cheong-san. It seemed Song Ga-hyeon had killed the target Geum Cheong-san was after.
“That's enough.”
“Ah! Grand Master!”
At my words, the two noticed me and greeted me warmly.
“How's it going?”
Song Ga-hyeon and Geum Cheong-san clasped their fists respectfully.
“I've killed seventeen so far.”
“I've killed fifteen as of just now.”
“Didn't you see that one guy running away bleeding earlier? He got away, didn't he?”
“Did he?”
Geum Cheong-san smacked his lips.
Ak Ja-gyeong spoke, looking intrigued.
“Who are they?”
Having seen the two display high-level martial arts just moments ago, she was curious about their identities.
I said.
“They're my direct branch members.”
“Branch members?”
“This one is the Thousand Illusions Wanderer, and this one is the Life-Ending Saber.”
“Ah!”
As both were renowned rising masters whose names were listed on the Divine Continent's Invincible Record, Ak Ja-gyeong and Seomun Hak had heard their titles before.
Song Ga-hyeon said coolly.
“We're not branch members.”
Geum Cheong-san nodded vigorously.
“That's right! We are the Grand Master's members, direct subordinates of the Grand Branch Master!”
It was six of one, half a dozen of the other.
Song Ga-hyeon spoke as if she'd just remembered something.
“Grand Master, are you going to pay us a salary?”
“Of course.”
“How much?”
Geum Cheong-san's eyes also lit up with curiosity.
“Let's make it ten taels of silver.”
The Grand Branch Master's salary was four taels of silver, so ten was an exceptional amount.
“Fine. But give us a bounty for each prey we hunt.”
“Ten taels of silver per person.”
“That's too stingy.”
When Geum Cheong-san protested, Song Ga-hyeon scolded him.
“Did you join the alliance to make money?”
“That's not it...”
It seemed Song Ga-hyeon already had Geum Cheong-san wrapped around her finger.
“Grand Master, I've killed sixteen so far, so that's one hundred and sixty taels of silver. Don't forget.”
“Got it.”
“Let's go, Cheong-san.”
Whoosh! Whoosh!
In a flash, the two shot into the air and were gone in an instant. It was a magnificent display of superior lightness arts.
Geum Cheong-san's disgruntled voice could be heard from a distance.
“By the way, why have you been speaking informally to me?”
“Are you saying I spoke informally to you, Brother Geum?”
“Yes.”
“You must have misheard. I don't speak informally to just anyone.”
“Didn't you just speak informally in front of the Grand Master?”
“If I said I didn't, you should believe me! Right?”
The sound of their bickering faded into the distance.
***
We arrived at the Jaun Pavilion, where Ak Ja-gyeong and Seomun Hak rested for a while in a guest room, while I took a walk with Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo along the riverbank.
“Brother Yong, you were surprised earlier when I said you were my fiancé, weren't you?”
I had suggested the walk to talk about that very thing, but Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo brought it up first.
“I was.”
“Don't you think the Chungmu Stronghold will trust us more if they believe we are to be married?”
I stopped walking, placed my hands on Hyukryeon Byeok-gyo's shoulders as we faced each other, and said firmly.
“That doesn't matter.”
“Thank you.”
“Look at me.”
“Yes.”
I said, cuttingly.
“I am not going to marry you.”
“Why not?”
“What?”
“What is your reason for not wanting to marry me?”