Chapter 249
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 249
Chapter Title: A Fortune Teller?
Namgung Hwa-u felt a chill run down his spine.
This wasn't the skill of a martial instructor—it was the prowess of the world's deadliest assassin, and he'd believe it without question.
Even appearing right beside him, he hadn't sensed a thing.
He wasn't off guard, either.
With their secretive plans unfolding, his senses were heightened to the peak.
He'd been hyper-vigilant to any approach.
Yet he truly hadn't noticed until Ha Mu-baek opened his mouth.
Not even with some unknown person in tow.
That meant Ha Mu-baek had perfectly erased even his presence.
He knew the man was a monster, but this surpassed all imagination.
Suddenly, a conversation from three days ago flashed in his mind.
If he broke their agreement, Ha Mu-baek would deal with him.
A cold sweat prickled around his neck.
Not that he had any intention of breaking it.
"Chu Dong."
Namgung Hwi muttered, eyeing the one-eyed man Ha Mu-baek had brought.
The one-eyed man's face drained of color at the sight of Namgung Hwi.
"H-how..."
Chu Dong trembled from head to toe.
"Y-you were supposed to die a horrible death..."
He muttered in disbelief, scrutinizing Namgung Hwi's face again as if his physiognomy reading couldn't possibly be wrong.
His gaze turned vacant.
"N-no way. Y-your features changed..."
The mangled scars on his face from Namgung Hwa-hyeon's attack.
Those very scars had altered Namgung Hwi's physiognomy.
He clearly hadn't foreseen this.
Chu Dong's face was blank with shock.
It had to be the power of heaven's decree overriding the divination.
Ha Mu-baek silently watched him.
"You need this one alive, right?"
Namgung Ji-yu nodded at the question.
"He's the only witness."
"Will this fool talk straight? And even if he does, who'll believe him?"
"With Father returned alive, what matters is one more person to testify to that day's truth. Only three people know what happened."
Namgung Hwa-hyeon, Namgung Hwi, and Chu Dong.
That was all.
Chu Dong snapped to attention at Ha Mu-baek and Namgung Ji-yu's exchange.
Their conversation was straightforward.
They planned to drag him to the Namgung Clan and make him recount that day.
'H-he's the one whose features herald heaven's correction... the benefactor meant to sever my ill fate... W-why...'
Chu Dong shuddered violently.
Had he misinterpreted his own divination too favorably?
No.
Until now, he'd only followed paths where the omen for life appeared, and Wu Chang had been the same.
Omens of death had cropped up too, and he'd avoided those places entirely.
That was how he'd survived Namgung Hwa-hyeon's clutches all this time.
Namgung Hwi gazed at Chu Dong with eyes full of complex emotions.
Meeting all four stares at once, Chu Dong struggled to compose himself.
He'd been reading fortunes on the street when a sudden gust swept him away, and now here he was.
Collar gripped by a benefactor's hand.
"Wh-what is all this... Give me a moment to..."
Chu Dong ventured cautiously.
"Who's this guy?"
Namgung Hwa-u asked Ha Mu-baek.
"Figure it out from context. Witness to that day."
Namgung Hwa-u stared at Chu Dong in disbelief.
"A fortune teller?"
"One who's also a sorcerer from the Mosan Sect."
Ha Mu-baek replied calmly.
"Mosan Sect? Sorcerer?"
Namgung Hwa-u searched his memory. The name Chu Dong that Namgung Hwi had muttered.
Three days ago, when he'd spoken of sorcery, that name had come up.
"So this guy's..."
"The sorcerer who confirmed Namgung Hwa-hyeon couldn't bear children. And he performed the gender divination for those two kids."
"Remarkable he's still breathing."
Namgung Hwa-u eyed Chu Dong with wonder.
His brother wouldn't have let this one live this long.
"He's a capable fortune teller, in his own way."
Namgung Hwa-u had no choice but to nod at Ha Mu-baek's words.
Namgung Hwa-hyeon would've mobilized the Shadow Phantoms to kill him, yet here he was.
Apparently, his divinations about his own life were spot-on.
Meanwhile, Chu Dong had finally pieced together the situation.
Those two youngsters were likely the children from back then.
And now he realized Namgung Hwi was their father.
As for the middle-aged man...
Probably someone from the Namgung Clan.
"Wh-what do you want from me?"
Chu Dong asked in a quavering voice.
Ha Mu-baek let out a smirk.
"You know damn well. And it's not what we want—it's what you have to do."
"Wh-what if I refuse?"
"You die by Namgung Hwa-hyeon's hand."
Chu Dong tilted his head at Ha Mu-baek's answer.
Complying wouldn't mean death by Namgung Hwa-hyeon?
"We'll subdue you and dump you in Hefei. His Shadow Phantoms will handle the rest."
Chu Dong's face went deathly pale.
"And if I do what you ask?"
"You won't die."
At Ha Mu-baek's nonchalant reply, Chu Dong's remaining eye darted frantically.
"Don't overthink it. Now that you're in my sights, escape's impossible."
"C-can I do a quick divination?"
Ha Mu-baek nodded at Chu Dong's request.
Chu Dong pulled a small bundle of yarrow stalks from his bosom.
He cast for both possibilities.
The results:
'Death. Disobey them, and you die. Crystal clear.'
But...
Even if he obeyed...
'Survival...'
Not the omen for "life," but "survival."
The meanings were similar, but why "survival" instead of "life"?
Usually, it was "life."
He couldn't fathom it.
As he puzzled over it, his gaze landed on Ha Mu-baek.
'Wh-what... Th-this...'
The omen changed.
The water radical dropped from "survival," leaving just:
Tongue.
'So my life hinges on my tongue after all...'
The divination proclaimed as much.
Watch his words, and a path to survival would open.
"Hoo."
No choice.
"Very well. I'll do as you command. But you must guarantee my life."
Ha Mu-baek nodded.
Chu Dong closed his eyes in resignation.
His face stung.
Namgung Hwi was glaring at him fiercely.
As the talk with Ha Mu-baek wrapped up,
Namgung Hwi asked.
"What do you mean 'die a horrible death'?"
Chu Dong clamped his mouth shut.
He had to be exceedingly careful from now on.
One slip, and he was dead.
Namgung Hwi glared a while longer, but eventually looked away at Chu Dong's steadfast refusal to meet his eyes.
That wasn't the priority now.
"Next step?"
Ha Mu-baek asked.
"We need a sorcerer who can perform the paternity ritual. Then head to Hefei together."
Namgung Ji-yu stated flatly.
"Pfft."
Chu Dong couldn't hold back a snort.
All five gazes snapped back to him.
"N-no... It's just so absurd..."
His sect, the Mosan Sect, had crafted the bloodline verification ritual.
So he knew well how arduous and advanced it was.
A paternity ritual was leagues beyond, pure fantasy.
Impossible.
"Ma Jin-gi the sorcerer said it was possible, no?"
Ha Mu-baek questioned.
Chu Dong's face twisted in shock.
"H-he's still alive?!"
Unbelievable.
Ha Mu-baek tilted his head at the reaction.
He only knew the man as a sorcerer from First Rain Valley, plus the name.
Namgung Hwa-u seemed equally in the dark.
"From what I know, he's well over a hundred..."
All four faces fell at once.
They hadn't expected such an ancient sorcerer.
No telling if he was even alive, as Chu Dong said.
If he'd passed from old age, the plan needed a total rethink.
"Might have to raze the Namgung Clan after all."
Only Ha Mu-baek muttered with mild annoyance.
Not keen on leaving scraps behind.
"We should hurry to First Rain Valley."
Everyone nodded at Namgung Ji-yu's words.
"I'll stay here then."
Namgung Hwa-u said.
"If plans go awry, I'll contact you separately."
Namgung Ji-yu replied, rising.
The five departed, leaving Namgung Hwa-u behind.
Chu Dong followed meekly.
No need for Ha Mu-baek to grab his collar.
Hunan Province, Mount Hengshan.
Home to First Rain Valley.
A breathtaking vista.
A landscape worthy of the southern sacred peak among the Five Great Mountains.
Ha Mu-baek surveyed the surroundings.
He'd forged good ties with First Rain Valley folk, yet this was his first visit.
Following the path Thunderclap Dog had described, he delved into the deep gorge, and sure enough, First Rain Valley's plaque appeared in the distance.
Had Thunderclap Dog sent word ahead?
Gong Son Mu-oe paced at the main gate, waiting.
Spotting Ha Mu-baek, he shot forward in a burst.
"Welcome! Haha, come on in!"
Gong Son Mu-oe seized Ha Mu-baek's hands in genuine delight.
The Namgung siblings and Namgung Hwi watched with fresh curiosity.
What kind of bond made the valley lord this welcoming?
"Long time no see."
Gong Son Bi-yeon, who'd come with him, smiled and greeted them.
Without her face veil here, her stunning beauty shone even brighter.
"Come, come. Long journey must've worn you out. Inside, quickly."
Gong Son Mu-oe personally led them into First Rain Valley.
They arrived at the guesthouse.
A lavish annex was assigned to them.
Reserved only for the most honored guests, he said.
"Rest up first. We'll catch up over dinner. Heh heh heh."
With that, Gong Son Mu-oe and Gong Son Bi-yeon departed.
"Instructor, what's your connection to First Rain Valley?"
Namgung Ji-yu asked, astonished.
"Just lent a small hand."
Ha Mu-baek downplayed it.
Then he flung open a random door and flopped onto the bed.
Time to shake off the travel fatigue, as Gong Son Mu-oe suggested.
The long trip had tired him out.
Physically fine at his level, but mentally draining.
He closed his eyes.
Rest until evening.
Chu Dong slunk into a small room after gauging moods.
Fully resigned.
He'd tried divining escape attempts a few times.
The stark "death" omens each time left him entrusting his fate to them.
Namgung Hwi, Namgung Ji-hu, and Namgung Ji-yu claimed rooms and rested.
Four bathrooms awaited, all filled with hot water.
Namgung Ji-yu washed away the road grime first.
Gong Son Bi-yeon's beauty had sparked a subtle rivalry.
She knew instantly.
This was First Rain Valley's Threaded Willow Flower, one of the Five Flowers of the Martial World.
Called the Namgung Clan's Warm Orchid Flower herself, she didn't want to seem lesser.
A woman's peculiar pride.
As the red sunset gathered,
Ha Mu-baek rose, bathed.
A guest's courtesy to be clean.
The others waited primly, so Gong Son Bi-yeon came personally.
Doing a servant's task herself showed how much First Rain Valley valued Ha Mu-baek.
Tension lightly etched the Namgung party's faces.
Now they'd inquire about Ma Jin-gi over talks.
All three desperately hoped he lived.