Chapter 176
Translator: penny
Chapter: 176
Chapter Title: Baek Iryeong's Past
The day after spending a passionate night with Eun Garyeon.
Around lunchtime, Pang Deokjo sent me a message asking to meet privately.
Part of me wanted to ignore it, but since Eun Garyeon had to head off to work anyway, I graciously made time for him.
When we met at the restaurant, the first thing out of Pang Deokjo's mouth was this.
"Hmm, Jimyeong... so you really are involved with the head of the Eun Merchant Group, huh?"
It was a tone that assumed our relationship was confirmed.
Now that word had spread about Moyong Hui and me being lovers, this wasn't exactly something I wanted to advertise.
But it's not like it has to be hidden at all costs either.
Moyong Hui already knew about it anyway.
My reputation might take a slight hit, but it wasn't a big deal.
In this era, a capable man having multiple concubines wasn't unusual at all.
If it caused issues when seducing women, I'd keep it under wraps, but...
To women, what matters is that I already have a lover—not whether it's one or two.
Revealing there were two or more might even have upsides.
It could ease any guilt they felt about being the "other woman."
Nangong Sua's an exception, though.
She seemed to like the thrill of sneaking around.
Anyway, with things as they were, I decided to own it boldly.
"That's right."
Maybe I owned it too boldly, because Pang Deokjo looked flustered.
"I... I see. It's not my place to judge your personal life. But won't the Sword Phoenix mind if she finds out?"
"Hui already knows."
"...She does?"
He looked like he had a lot to say but held back.
I smirked and changed the subject.
"How was it reuniting with your clan after so long yesterday, Brother Pang?"
"What else could it be? Just catching up on this and that."
After saying that, Pang Deokjo paused and glanced at me.
Then he broached it carefully.
"Ahem. I know you're close with the head of the Eun Merchant Group, so I'll tread lightly, but... I can't shake my suspicions about them."
"Is that so?"
"From what Sa-wol-i and Gold Elder told me yesterday, there are too many odd things about the Eun Merchant Group. They seemed to know a war was coming way in advance and acted accordingly. And they targeted Shandong Province from the start."
I already knew the Eun Merchant Group was innocent, so it sounded like nonsense to me. But I couldn't just bulldoze him with "They're clean, so drop it."
The Eun Merchant Group and the Northern Pang Clan were currently allies.
And Pang Deokjo was the young lord of the Northern Pang Clan.
If I acted on impulse and soured their relationship, how could I face Eun Garyeon?
Eun Sojeo worked so hard for this.
So I probed his intentions.
"What would you like to do, then, Brother Pang?"
"I'd like to investigate the Eun Merchant Group a bit more while traveling with my clan members."
I thought it over briefly.
Dragging him along on my whims would be the worst option.
Honestly, I didn't need him that badly.
What was the reason I'd been keeping him around in the first place?
Because he was pretty? Or because I needed his martial prowess?
As if. It was just easier to seduce Baek Iryeong with him along.
But in the end, I hadn't even linked up with Baek Iryeong.
Tsk. But ditching Pang Deokjo now feels awkward...
The Harmony Squad's nature allowed us to operate separately without issue, but leaving like this would draw Moyong Hui's ire.
And giving up on Baek Iryeong was a shame.
So the best bet was sticking with the Eun Merchant Group until his suspicions cleared...
Should I just do that?
It didn't sound bad.
I could spend some intimate time with Eun Garyeon for once.
We had plenty of time anyway—no rush.
As I said, the Orthodox-Righteous War lasted two years.
The Harmony Squad's mission just needed completing within that.
But I couldn't do it immediately.
"Brother Pang, mind if I make a quick trip to my clan's southern branch?"
"Hm? Your clan's southern branch?"
"Yes. I have some business with the Baek Clan that I requested earlier. You can travel with the Eun Merchant Group in the meantime."
In truth, it was the Shadow Gate Sect leader, not the Baek Clan.
By now, he should have all the intel on Baek Iryeong gathered.
Better to check that, then replan.
My immediate goal was Baek Iryeong, after all.
"Got it. I should consider your position since you're close with the Eun head."
He seemed to misunderstand something, but correcting him was too much hassle.
We exchanged casual farewells, and I stood.
"See you in two days, then."
"Sure. Safe travels."
And so, I left Pang Deokjo behind and headed back to Jeonam City.
Back in Jeonam City, I met the Shadow Gate Sect leader and received the intel on Baek Iryeong.
A thick booklet, much like the one on Moyong Hui before.
I found a quiet spot and dove right in.
A list of details laid out one after another.
Most were things I knew, but there were some I didn't.
Birth name: Yuk Jeongmi. Born in a small village near Palgong Mountain to parents who ran an inn. Eldest daughter with five younger siblings. At age 11, she lost her entire family and became the disciple of Cheonha Do-in (an elder of Mount Hua Sect at the time and the sect leader's senior brother; he passed away from old age three years ago).
I nearly burst out laughing at the name Yuk Jeongmi, but the follow-up stopped me cold.
I already knew Baek Iryeong had entered as a first-generation disciple.
I didn't know the name of that Cheonha Do-in guy, but what did it matter? He was dead anyway.
But...
'Lost her entire family?'
That part about losing everyone at age 11 nagged at me.
The next section covered her time at Mount Hua Sect, so I skimmed it and flipped ahead.
About five pages in, I found what I was looking for.
At age 11, uninvited guests from the Four Black Alliance showed up at Yuk Jeongmi's (Baek Iryeong's) parents' inn. Drunk out of their minds, they harassed Dumi-ok (Baek Iryeong's mother) as she served food. Her father, Yuk Mok-il, tried to intervene. But the blacked-out thugs killed him and grabbed the children to threaten Dumi-ok.
The Four Black Alliance warriors stopping by an inn wasn't unusual.
Baek Iryeong's hometown was near Palgong Mountain, after all.
Palgong Mountain is in Anhui Province, near Hefei at that.
For reference, Hefei housed the Four Black Alliance.
Meaning the inn was under their influence from the start.
The problem was the drunks crossing the line and harming civilians.
It happens all the time, though...
The Four Black Alliance weren't called an evil faction for nothing.
I set aside my rising thoughts and read on.
The Four Black Alliance warriors raped Dumi-ok in front of her children, then killed her and all the kids to cover their tracks. But they spared Yuk Jeongmi for her striking beauty and tried dragging her off. As they abducted her, Cheonha Do-in happened by the inn while passing near Palgong Mountain. He walked in, grasped the situation, slew them all, and saved her.
The rest was uneventful.
Cheonha Do-in recognized Yuk Jeongmi's—er, Baek Iryeong's—talent and took her as a disciple.
"Tsk..."
Having read everything relevant, I sank into thought.
A warrior brutalizing civilians? Covering it up with mass murder?
Honestly, it was all too common.
If anything, Baek Iryeong was lucky from her perspective.
She survived, after all.
And even became a Mount Hua Sect disciple.
But would Baek Iryeong see it that way?
No chance.
Her parents murdered before her eyes. Her siblings too.
All at just 11 years old.
Even if Cheonha Do-in killed the culprits, it was seared into her memory for life.
—"What's wrong with fighting evil faction scum?"
Her sharp reaction on Mount Tai made sense now.
How long had she dreamed of vengeance?
But learning the truth only complicated things further.
...How do I seduce her now?
Normally, I'd rack up favor by slaughtering evil faction goons and toppling the Four Black Alliance.
But what was my Harmony Squad mission?
Uncover the war's instigators and reconcile with the Four Black Alliance.
I couldn't even see a way to recruit her right now.
If I'd known sooner, I'd have kept the Harmony Squad under wraps...
But I spilled everything, damn it.
Would she even team up with me now?
To seduce her per my plan, I needed to travel with her first.
Hell, being around a woman was prerequisite for seduction.
Can't quit the Harmony Squad now and beg to rejoin the White Tiger Squad.
Would they even take me back?
And what would I tell Moyong Hui or the others?
No path forward.
Seduce her later? That'd be after the war ends...
And I wasn't even sure it'd work then.
If it was tough now, what would change?
Plus, no time for solo travels by then.
Sure, Pang Deokjo was around now, but he was just a guy.
The "alone time" I meant was with my woman.
After all my schemes, I'd finally carved out solo wandering time.
By war's end, who knew how many women would be with me.
How to seduce Baek Iryeong then?
In other words, now was prime time...
No way in.
Every angle led nowhere.
No matter how I tapped the table, nothing changed.
Baek Iryeong will never join the Harmony Squad.
Her lone White Tiger Squad stint among the Five Dragons and Phoenixes screamed it.
Their frontline against evil factions.
How could I convince her?
"Hoo..."
After agonizing, I reached a firm decision.
Just rape her.
That seemed easiest.