Chapter 193
Translator: penny
Chapter: 193
Chapter Title: Gratitude and Ghosts of the Past
The next day, at the promised time, I met Baek Iryeong again, and she greeted me with an unexpected remark.
"Thank you."
"...Pardon?"
Her sudden bow caught me off guard, leaving me momentarily dumbfounded.
But Baek Iryeong continued in a calm voice, head still lowered.
"I realized I never properly thanked you yesterday. If it weren't for you, the Mount Hua Sect would have been in real danger."
"No need. It was just the right thing to do."
I replied shamelessly, though a slight pang of conscience tugged at me.
In truth, the Mount Hua Sect had never truly been in danger.
Baek Iryeong finally lifted her head, her expression utterly serious.
"No. I was too flustered yesterday to say it, but without you, I would have helplessly lost my family all over again. I'll repay this debt someday, no matter what."
Instead of responding, I pressed my lips together in feigned embarrassment.
Not because I actually felt awkward, but because this seemed the easiest way to boost her favor.
'This might be easier than I thought.'
She had opened up a bit about her past near-loss of family and even vowed to repay the favor.
Truth be told, I wanted her to repay it with her body right then and there, but that could backfire and undo all the goodwill I'd built.
'Take it slow. Plenty of time anyway.'
I had three whole months.
As long as I claimed Baek Iryeong within that time, it was a win.
We first settled into a nearby restaurant and ordered lunch.
While waiting for the food, Baek Iryeong spoke up again.
"So, straight to the Mount Hua Sect then?"
"No. Arriving too early could mess up the plan, so we'll take it slow for now."
"The plan?"
'Plan' here meant two things.
First, seducing Baek Iryeong.
Second, actually getting an apology from the Mount Hua Sect.
'Sent the letters yesterday, so now we wait patiently.'
They wouldn't apologize just because I showed up demanding it.
I needed to apply political pressure first, then swoop in at the end to seal the deal.
"Yesterday, I sent letters to the Murim Alliance and a few other sects. We'll wait for their responses first, then..."
I gave her a rough outline of the plan.
These moves could be seen as attacks on the Mount Hua Sect, so I watched her reaction nervously, but she nodded readily, seemingly uninterested in the politics.
"That approach does raise the odds of the sect leader admitting fault. So we just wait here?"
This had been on my mind quite a bit last night.
It would take about fifteen days to walk from Jenam City to the Mount Hua Sect.
Using lightness skill, we could cut it down to five.
In short, we had plenty of time.
'Hell, we could lounge here for a month and still be fine.'
But that wouldn't help me get close to Baek Iryeong.
The Baek Iryeong I knew was a martial arts fanatic who spent every spare moment training.
I could use helping with her training as an excuse to bond a little, but there were limits.
So we needed to go somewhere.
But where?
'Best option would be heading back to the Murim Alliance...'
I could meet the Alliance Leader or Chief Strategist, even talk directly with the Sword Queen. Purely for the apology goal, it was most efficient.
However...
'Going there means no alone time with Senior Baek.'
No matter how I spun it.
So the Murim Alliance was out.
Places like the Eun Merchant Group in Peking or the Moyong family in Liaoning were in the opposite direction from Mount Hua.
After weighing all this, my decision was this.
"How about stopping by my family first?"
Heading straight to the Mok Family Clan.
As everyone knew, our Mok Family was in Shanxi Province—quite close to the Mount Hua Sect.
Specifically, right between the Saryeong Sect and Mount Hua.
Perfect as a base.
Plus, it was convenient for receiving letters from elsewhere or requesting aid from local minor clans—good excuses to show Baek Iryeong.
'And Taiyuan's my old stomping grounds.'
Seeing the family after so long was a bonus.
"Your family? The Mok Clan, right?"
"Yes. In Taiyuan, Shanxi Province..."
I explained, and Baek Iryeong nodded, seeming fine with it.
And so, our next destination was set: Taiyuan in Shanxi Province, home of the Mok Family Clan.
After leaving Jenam City, we walked and chatted along the road.
"Mount Tai Sect pulled something like that, huh."
"Yes. Betrayed like that... No wonder the Saryeong Sect Leader is furious."
I shared the details about Mount Tai Sect that I'd heard from the Shadow Gate Sect Leader,
"Wonder if Eun-i's doing okay."
"Don't worry. The family will be looking out for her."
briefly touched on my youngest sister who'd gone to Mount Hua,
and...
"Sword Phoenix said that?! No way!"
"Come on, why would I lie to you? Hui-a's softer than she seems..."
I even dragged Moyong Hui into the conversation to keep Baek Iryeong engaged.
These casual talks quickly closed the distance between us.
'This really is easy.'
The once curt and cold Baek Iryeong now even cracked small smiles.
Setting such a leisurely timeline had definitely been the right call.
'If I'd rushed in saying we were storming Saryeong Sect tomorrow, she wouldn't be smiling like this.'
Once I felt her walls starting to crumble, I opened my mouth with a hesitant expression.
"By the way, Senior..."
"Hm? What?"
"When you thanked me earlier, you mentioned your family. Said you almost lost them helplessly again. Mind if I ask what happened?"
"Ah..."
Baek Iryeong let out a low groan, her face stiffening.
Rather than press, I backed off a bit.
"If it's uncomfortable, you don't have to say. It's just... your expression earlier keeps bothering me."
I'm not asking out of mere curiosity—I'm asking because I care about you.
I let that vibe fill the air.
'It's stuff I already know anyway.'
But hearing it directly from her meant something else.
Opening up about a painful past was, in itself, baring her heart.
Maybe my 'sincerity' worked.
After a long silence, Baek Iryeong slowly spoke.
"It's... just a story from when I was little. Before joining Mount Hua. My parents ran an inn at Palgong Mountain in Anhui Province."
Her cautious tale matched what I knew.
But I feigned rapt attention with a grave expression.
Her story had plenty of happy moments.
Talking about her siblings, she even smiled brightly—uncharacteristic for her.
'Such a pretty face really suits smiling.'
The tale progressed for a while before nearing its tragic end.
"That day was like any other. Morning, old man Bang dropped off ingredients. Lunch, a wave of guests came and went. Evening, a group of drunken martial artists showed up..."
Her once-bright face had hardened.
She even trembled slightly, as if reliving it.
"That's when I was in mortal danger too—my master arrived. She punished them and told me to come with her. At first..."
Listening, something felt off.
'Hm? No mention of the rape?'
From what I knew, the Four Black Alliance thugs killed her family after raping her mother, to eliminate witnesses.
But her account skipped the rape entirely, painting them just as bad guys.
'Left it out on purpose?'
Makes sense. Hard to confess something that embarrassing to a guy who's not even her lover.
Perfectly understandable.
The rest covered Baek Iryeong, her master, and Mount Hua.
Not particularly interesting, but since she was opening up for once, I listened diligently.
"...Truth is, I owe you and Do Ryong an apology. Last time you came to see me, I said some harsh things."
"Water under the bridge."
"I hated the unorthodox sects. Thought they all deserved to vanish. So I didn't like you two trying to stop a war with them. And yet, when Mount Hua was in danger, you..."
Choking up, she clamped her mouth shut mid-sentence.
Seeing this, I knew my waited moment had arrived.
"No, Senior. If anything, we spoke carelessly without knowing your past. Must have been tough all this time."
I smoothly shifted the mood, stepping closer.
And lightly embraced her.
Or tried to.
Thwack-!
Baek Iryeong shoved me away with both palms.
The force was so strong, a stinging pain shot through my chest.
And the Baek Iryeong who'd pushed me...
'Tch, what's this now.'
Was trembling, her face filled with terror.