Chapter 91
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 91
The Blue Shark Clan was the most powerful among the many retainers of the Eastern Land.
A few years ago, after the former Blue Dragon Clan Head passed away during a period of turmoil, leaving behind only a young heir, they had been certain of one thing. They were convinced that once the chaos settled, the Blue Shark Clan would naturally become the new masters of the Eastern Land.
However, their plans began to unravel when Cheong-ha returned and restored order.
Fortunately, unlike other clans that had openly rebelled, they had cunningly hidden their true intentions. This allowed them to evade the edge of the spear Cheong-ha wielded against the traitors, but…
[How does it make any sense for a woman who already married into another clan to return and serve as the Acting Clan Head?]
The Blue Shark Clan Head was deeply displeased with Cheong-ha exercising the authority of the Acting Clan Headship.
If someone had to fill the vacancy of the Clan Head, shouldn't it be someone from the Blue Shark Clan, which had protected the Eastern Land for so long?
The dissatisfaction that sprouted from such thoughts had now festered into a fierce resentment and a desire to topple the Blue Dragon Clan. He was constantly watching for an opportunity to seize that position.
In fact, it was their doing that public opinion within the Eastern Land had turned against Cheong-ha.
[Once that woman is brought down, the young Clan Head will pose no threat to us at all.]
Thus, they sought to nibble away at Cheong-ha’s prestige, weakening her influence to eventually usurp her place. However…
Cheong-ha, who had no contact with the White Tiger Clan after her divorce, began to interact with them again starting three years ago.
The White Tiger Clan of the West, led by Baek Sa-eon, held immense power that reached even this distant Eastern Land. Because of this, they could not easily lay a finger on her.
While waiting for the perfect moment, they recently succeeded in swapping the Blue Dragon Painted Halberd enshrined in the Cheonghae Palace’s shrine.
The supernatural ability of the Blue Shark Clan was ‘Mimicry.’ They created a fake Painted Halberd and deceived the people of the Cheonghae Palace perfectly. Then, they sealed the stolen divine object deep within the Blue Shark Clan’s estate.
The reason plants could grow so lushly even in the salt-heavy soil of the Eastern Land was entirely due to the life force emitted by the Blue Dragon Painted Halberd.
Once the Halberd was lost, the vegetation of the Eastern Land began to wither and lose its vitality. The Blue Shark Clan did not miss this opportunity, further spreading discontent toward Cheong-ha among the people.
Since the Blue Dragon Painted Halberd was a fake, the ritual ceremonies for the upcoming Dragon God Festival would surely be ruined. If that happened, the people’s trust in Cheong-ha would plummet even further…
‘But that alone isn't enough for a decisive blow. Simply claiming the Dragon God’s power has weakened won't be enough to push that woman out.’
It was then that he received news that the young lady of the White Tiger Clan would be visiting for this Dragon God Festival.
‘Oho. If I use that girl to cause a rift with the Western Land…!’
Using the festival as an excuse, he ordered his son to meet the young lady and stealthily swap her Sea Bead for a fake.
Since it was festival season, there were plenty of places to carry out the deed away from prying eyes—places like the seaweed maze or the coral reef garden.
Without a Sea Bead containing the Dragon God’s energy, land-dwelling beastkin cannot breathe underwater.
After finishing her tour of the festival today, So-ya would return to the Cheonghae Palace and die a mysterious death before another night passed, right under Cheong-ha’s nose.
His plan was to then pin all the blame on Cheong-ha, the temporary master of the Cheonghae Palace.
‘Then that wench will face public condemnation for a massive diplomatic failure, and her bond with the White Tiger Clan will weaken.’
The White Tiger young lords were Cheong-ha’s biological children, so they weren't suitable targets, but that girl—who didn't share a single drop of blood with Cheong-ha—was the perfect scapegoat.
It was a perfect plan.
And yet!
“What? You’re saying the White Tiger Lady disappeared while you were touring the festival together?”
So-ya had suddenly vanished.
And of all times, it happened while she was with his son.
“How on earth did this happen?!”
“I-I don’t know either. She vanished into thin air the moment I took my eyes off her…”
“The Sea Bead! What about the Sea Bead?!”
“Don’t worry, Father. I successfully swapped the Sea Bead.”
Ah-han showed his father the swapped Sea Bead, trying to reassure him.
However, upon seeing the bead his son held out, the Clan Head’s face turned pale, and he looked as if he were about to faint.
“You utter dimwit!”
“Father…?”
“We have to find that girl! We must find her and return her safely to the Cheonghae Palace!”
“Wh-what…?”
The Clan Head grabbed his son, who looked dazed and failed to understand, and shook him violently as he shouted.
“If that girl is going to die, she has to die at the Cheonghae Palace! If she goes missing and dies a mysterious death like this, the responsibility falls on us, not the Cheonghae Palace!”
“…!”
Only then did Ah-han understand his father’s words, and his face turned ashen.
“Th-then what do we do?”
A belated sense of dread washed over him.
Baek Sa-eon, the head of the White Tiger Clan. Who was he?
There were countless terrifying rumors surrounding the master of the West, who had inherited the most superior physical traits among the ancient Four Divine Beasts.
Wasn't he called the demon of the battlefield who tore the limbs off his enemies with his bare hands?
He had heard that even the demonic beasts on the battlefield would tremble and flee if they so much as locked eyes with him because of his ferocious nature.
The thought of that man’s blade turning toward the Blue Shark Clan instead of the Cheonghae Palace made a chill run down his spine.
“Mobilize every person in the clan and find that girl!”
The Clan Head screamed, the veins in his neck bulging.
“Somehow, by any means necessary, you must find her! You must!”
“Yes, Clan Head!”
The retainers of the Blue Shark Clan rushed out in a swarm to find So-ya.
* * *
Meanwhile, deep within the inner courtyard of the Blue Shark estate, which was now in an uproar.
A tiny bird was yawning, covering its beak with a short wing.
“Hwaaa-am.”
It looked incredibly bored.
It was So-ya, currently in her beast form.
And right in front of her was the ‘real Blue Dragon Painted Halberd.’
Finding the Halberd was all thanks to Jjaek-jjaek.
Yesterday, while chasing Jjaek-jjaek, who had been distracted by a plump insect, she had ended up deep inside the Blue Shark estate’s courtyard.
Unlike other places, So-ya noticed plants that were exceptionally lush and green. Feeling suspicious, she left Jjaek-jjaek alone in the estate and went back out.
Afterward, Jjaek-jjaek had wandered the courtyard, found the Blue Dragon Painted Halberd, and informed So-ya of its location.
Not only that, but he had also overheard the conversations of the Blue Shark Clan members and told her they were planning to harm her.
So-ya found it absurd that they thought she would let her Sea Bead be stolen so easily. She was a daughter of the White Tiger Clan, after all.
‘But the problem is how to let people know the Halberd is here.’
The Blue Shark Clan was a powerful family among the retainers of the Eastern Land.
The authorities wouldn't be able to just send soldiers to ransack the estate based solely on the accusation of a young girl from another land.
And more than anything, So-ya didn't want to just recover the Halberd; she wanted to teach them a lesson they would never forget so they would never dare covet her mother’s position again.
‘Making my mom upset… I won't forgive that.’
So, the method So-ya came up with was to transform into a small bird and hide here.
She had made a grand show of walking around with the Blue Shark young lord in front of many people before slipping away.
By now, her brothers would have realized she was missing and would be causing a massive scene outside. Soon, word would reach her mother, who was busy with the Dragon God Festival.
‘If they can't find me in the streets, the Cheonghae Palace soldiers will eventually come to the Blue Shark estate.’
Then, she would stay hidden here and—poof!—reappear to lure them into finding the Blue Dragon Painted Halberd.
Furthermore, she even had the fake Sea Bead that the Blue Shark young lord had swapped. This would serve as excellent evidence that they had intended to harm her.
So-ya glanced at the divine object in front of her.
Though it was tightly bound and sealed with seaweed, she could still feel an undeniable life force emanating from it.
‘Can I wake the Blue Dragon?’
Just in case, So-ya stretched out a wing and gave the Halberd a little poke, but nothing happened. It was because she didn't possess the blood of the direct lineage.
‘I guess Mother really does need to be here.’
So-ya quickly gave up on waking the Blue Dragon and plopped down on the ground.
Hiding like this in her tiny bird form reminded her of playing hide-and-seek with her brothers when she was younger.
So-ya’s body was very small when transformed, which gave her an advantage in hide-and-seek, but she was always caught in the end. It was because of the White Tiger beastkins' exceptional sense of smell.
So-ya had no doubt that her brothers would find her this time as well.
‘I’ll just take a nap until my brothers come to find me.’
So-ya soon fell fast asleep.