Chapter 81
Translator: penny
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Yang Hajeong's Past
Cheon Woojin and Baek Rihyeon had stepped out, leaving behind the shabby straw hut.
In that space, Yang Hajeong began to share her story.
She said she had originally been a servant in the Baek Ri family.
Yang Hajeong had lost her parents at a young age and been taken in by the Baek Ri family, where she worked as a maid.
But as she grew older, her beauty became a problem.
She glanced a bit awkwardly at me and Moyong Hui, as if embarrassed to say it herself, but I had no doubt she was a beauty.
Her appearance was so stunning it was hard to believe she had given birth.
And this was even after falling ill and wasting away.
So how breathtaking must she have been in her prime?
Yet for a woman, beauty wasn't always a blessing.
Especially for the weak and powerless.
In the end, she caught the eye of the Baek Ri family head, a man named Baek Ri Ja-cheong, and he forcibly took her virginity.
With no relatives to turn to, Yang Hajeong, who depended entirely on the Baek Ri family, tried to stay on anyway.
"...But I ended up getting pregnant with Rihyeon."
The lady of the house found out about the pregnancy and kicked her out of the Baek Ri family.
After that, she somehow gave birth to Baek Rihyeon and did all sorts of jobs to feed and raise him.
'Well, nothing special.'
There was a lot of chit-chat that dragged on, but the gist was simple.
Baek Rihyeon was just an illegitimate son.
Getting thrown out of the family was harsh, but it was a common tale.
'But in the future, Baek Rihyeon becomes the head of the Baek Ri family.'
Meaning they take him back for some reason.
So what could that reason be?
'They wouldn't accept him back after he became a master. The martial arts he used in the future were the Baek Ri family's hereditary techniques. He probably started learning them after returning. So... maybe a problem with the heirs?'
Even as an illegitimate son, Baek Rihyeon carried the direct bloodline.
If all the legitimate heirs vanished for some reason, it wouldn't be strange for the Baek Ri family to bring him back.
So when would that happen?
'During the Orthodox-Demonic War?'
It was a war that ended in just two years, but countless lives were lost.
It wouldn't be odd if the Baek Ri bloodline suffered too.
'The Shandong Evil Family next door was practically wiped out.'
I ran the timeline through my head.
'It's almost October now, so just a few months left?'
I didn't know why the Orthodox-Demonic War started.
But I knew it kicked off next year, in the spring when I, Mok Jimyeong, turned twenty-one.
So if the Baek Ri heir died then, and that's when they brought Baek Rihyeon back... that would fit roughly.
"Cough, cough-."
As I was deep in thought, Yang Hajeong finally let out the cough she'd been holding back.
And Moyong Hui worried over her again.
"Sister Hajeong, please go to the physician with us first. This could turn serious."
"I'm fine. I just talked too much."
The reason Yang Hajeong refused the physician was obvious.
'Money.'
How could she afford a doctor when she could barely put food on the table?
Moyong Hui surely knew this too.
"Sister, I'll cover the treatment costs, so don't worry and just..."
Even offering to pay didn't work.
"Miss, I'm really fine."
The wheels kept spinning in place.
I listened quietly for a bit, then cut in.
"Hui-ya. Can we talk alone for a moment?"
Moyong Hui looked puzzled but soon followed me out.
"Brother, what's going on?"
Once we reached a quiet spot outside the hut, she asked first.
I smoothly opened as if I'd been waiting.
"Hui-ya, don't you get why Yang is avoiding the physician?"
"...Because of the treatment costs?"
"Exactly."
"But I said I'd pay..."
Still, Yang Hajeong refused. The reason was simple.
"Treatment doesn't end after one visit, though."
Health doesn't bounce back from a single check-up and a dose of herbs.
Regular meals three times a day mattered far more.
'Of course, spirit pills would be different...'
Even Moyong Hui couldn't just buy spirit pills on a whim.
The Moyong family was filthy rich, but that didn't make her personally so.
And she couldn't support Yang Hajeong forever.
Moyong Hui lived off an allowance from her family, without earning her own keep.
Sure, that allowance was a fortune to common folk, but she couldn't sustain two people—Yang Hajeong and Baek Rihyeon—for life on pocket money.
She looked dejected after my explanation.
"Then what do we do? Just leave her like this?"
There was the question I'd been waiting for.
'Now I have to choose my words carefully.'
One slip, and it was over.
Moyong Hui wouldn't leave me, but I'd blow all the goodwill I'd built, and it'd hinder my plans going forward.
I took a mental deep breath and spoke cautiously.
"Hui-ya, hear me out without misunderstanding."
"Huh? What is it, brother?"
'If I get approval just this once, it'll be easier next time.'
The first is always the hardest; after that, it gets smooth.
So this moment mattered.
"You know my Harmony Art has effects like spirit pills, right?"
"Yeah, of course... Brother, no way?!"
Moyong Hui caught the implication and looked shocked.
She stared at me, as if confirming she'd heard right.
"..."
I stayed silent, and she finally yelled.
"Brother!!"
Loud enough for Yang Hajeong back in the hut to hear.
But I trusted her anyway.
'Hui-ya has a strong sense of justice.'
I could heal the sick woman.
Not just heal—cure her for life, no more chronic ills.
Moyong Hui, having experienced the Blissful Creation Art herself, couldn't be unaware.
I believed in her compassion, her kind heart for others.
After glaring at me for a long while, Moyong Hui slowly spoke.
"...Fine. No, I hate it a ton, actually... But if it'll make Sister Hajeong healthy, I'll endure it."
She hated it so much her eyes reddened.
Seeing her like that stabbed at my heart a bit, while stoking my desire for her even more.
'This is a new feeling.'
A woman's jealousy fueling desire for another woman—for the first time.
It was intriguing, but I hid it and looked apologetic.
"You sure you're okay?"
"No!"
Moyong Hui wailed, eyes brimming with tears.
Then she threw herself into my arms.
As I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, she asked glumly,
"Never mind me... How will you convince Sister Hajeong?"
"Beats me."
I'd figure out how to persuade Yang Hajeong later.
Offering treatment in exchange for her body? She'd never buy it.
'At least I cleared the biggest hurdle.'
I'd gotten permission from Moyong Hui, who was always by my side.
As I said, the first time is tough; it'll be much easier after.
As I held her and pondered methods, two familiar figures approached from afar.
Cheon Woojin and Baek Rihyeon, whom I'd shooed out earlier.
"My lord, why are you out here?"
Cheon Woojin took our embrace in stride.
Baek Rihyeon's eyes, though, burned with jealousy.
He met my gaze and quickly schooled his expression, but I'd already seen.
'Kid's jealous, huh...'
Moyong Hui was mine anyway.
And soon, even his mother would be under me.
'Oh! That's right—this guy's the key!'
Nothing beats a parent's love for their child; parents sacrifice anything for their kids.
Yang Hajeong's life, from what I'd heard, had been all for Baek Rihyeon.
My mind raced.
I still needed to refine the plan, but the big picture was set.
Moyong Hui had calmed down a bit and slipped from my arms.
I shoved my thoughts aside and questioned Cheon Woojin first.
"Why are you back so early, anyway?"
I'd told him to return around dinnertime.
Even to buy ingredients for dinner.
Yet here he was, empty-handed at this hour...
'Did he ignore me?'
You've grown bold, Cheon Woojin.
Time for some re-education.
Sensing my look, he startled and spat out an excuse.
"My lord, it's not that... Those guys from earlier. The Red Serpent Sect thugs came looking. That's why I came back."
"Red Serpent Sect?"
"Yes. This little guy and I were strolling the market when about thirty of them swarmed us."
I'd forgotten about those Red Serpent Sect bastards, but here they were.
"So what happened?"
Cheon Woojin didn't answer.
Baek Rihyeon, beside him, did.
"Heavenly Warrior took them down in seconds! They surrounded us at first..."
His eyes sparkled with excitement, like he was recounting an epic tale.
This was pure hero worship for martial prowess.
That clicked the final piece into place for persuading Yang Hajeong.
'Perfect timing—I was wondering what to do with this Baek Rihyeon kid too.'
Looks like I could catch two rabbits at once.