Chapter 663
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 663
Chapter Title: How's the Real Battle You've Experienced Firsthand?
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Yu Eon-bi and Cheon Su-ryeon had summoned the chief steward early in the morning to request a meeting with Ha Mu-baek for one simple reason.
They had learned just yesterday that he might soon depart.
They had even heard that her son-in-law, Yeon Baek-pung, had flown into a rage over it.
It was a bitter reality, but the two women no longer dwelled on such matters.
From the start, he had fiercely opposed their daughter's marriage.
The wedding had only gone ahead because of their daughter's stubborn determination.
They had regretted it countless times, wishing they had married her off to Yeon Ja-kyeong's fourth son, Yeon Baek-u, even with the age gap.
They couldn't afford to regret it again now.
Whether Yeon Baek-pung acknowledged her or not, his daughter was still their granddaughter—Yeon Da-hye.
They could no longer leave the child like that.
Though they desperately wanted to go themselves, they couldn't, so they had called for the chief steward.
Thus, having received what amounted to a plea from the two women, the chief steward moved swiftly and infiltrated the Yeon Clan estate.
The estate boasted ironclad security, but he was able to slip in quietly using the secret passage Yu Wol-a had prepared for the Geumui Merchant Group.
And then.
After Jin Na-yeon's family departed, the chief steward revealed himself before Ha Mu-baek.
Or rather, he was exposed.
After Jin Na-yeon left, Ha Mu-baek had summoned him.
"What business brings you here?"
Having hidden behind the wall but felt as if his body had been pierced through by that gaze, the Geumui Merchant Group's chief steward, Heuk Hwa-rin, immediately stepped out before Ha Mu-baek.
A middle-aged beauty had appeared out of nowhere.
He had already sensed from her presence that she was a woman.
"I am Heuk Hwa-rin, chief steward of the Geumui Merchant Group."
After a proper bow of greeting.
She stated her business.
"Would you please spare a moment to meet with our young miss?"
"Your young miss?"
"Miss Yu Wol-a."
She still referred to Yu Wol-a as "young miss."
Even after the marriage.
Even though it was to the man Yu Wol-a so desperately longed for.
As if refusing to acknowledge the union.
"Do you know what this is about?"
"Yes."
Heuk Hwa-rin affirmed Ha Mu-baek's question.
"What is it?"
"It's about the Blocked Meridian Syndrome."
Heuk Hwa-rin replied with a calm expression.
Ha Mu-baek, on the other hand, looked surprised.
"You already knew?"
At that question, Heuk Hwa-rin's expression changed this time.
She hadn't expected Ha Mu-baek to have already figured it out.
Soon, composure returned to her face, now shining with trust.
He hadn't even taken her pulse or examined her internals.
Just from that one meeting, he had discerned the Blocked Meridian Syndrome—his skill inspired faith.
"Please, meet with our young miss."
Heuk Hwa-rin bowed deeply, pleading earnestly.
"This is also the desperate request of our master and madam."
She meant the merchant group leader and his wife.
"Very well, I'll go."
Ha Mu-baek gazed into Heuk Hwa-rin's earnest eyes for a moment before making his decision.
Thus, he arrived at Yu Wol-a's rear garden with the two children in tow, following Heuk Hwa-rin.
Today, she was there alone.
The children glanced around cautiously, gauging the situation.
"It's an honor to see you again, Hero Ha."
Yu Wol-a greeted him with proper courtesy.
Then she looked at Ha Mu-baek's disciples and said,
"No one else is in the garden today, so the young lady and young master are free to explore as they please."
At Yu Wol-a's words, the two children, who had been hesitating by Ha Mu-baek's side, soon became entranced by the garden's beauty and began wandering about.
Heuk Hwa-rin followed carefully behind them.
In the meantime, Ha Mu-baek glanced toward the direction of the clan head's residence.
His senses had picked up the battle unfolding there.
In two places.
For now, it was still a situation worth observing, so he decided to speak with Yu Wol-a first.
"So that look you gave me back then was because you saw through my Blocked Meridian Syndrome."
The gaze Ha Mu-baek had given her when he left.
She had pondered its meaning endlessly, and this possibility had crossed her mind.
Heuk Hwa-rin's transmission had confirmed it was correct.
"Ah... so that child tried to treat it, I see."
Ha Mu-baek recalled the tangled qi and blood in Yeon Da-hye's merchant group quarters, like a wild dog's den.
He had wondered if the generational Blocked Meridian had mutated in her generation, but no.
If they already knew of their condition, this must be the result of a failed treatment attempt.
"Yes. It only made things worse, unfortunately."
"You're lucky it stopped at that. I don't know who the physician was, but they at least knew their limits."
At Ha Mu-baek's words, Yu Wol-a remembered that day when Yeon Da-hye was being treated.
The physician had suddenly stopped mid-treatment and prostrated themselves on the floor, begging forgiveness.
"Then, Hero... could you...?"
She couldn't finish the sentence.
She couldn't bring herself to ask if he could heal her daughter.
Not when she knew the child's crimes.
"If it were me..."
He understood the intent behind the question and was about to answer.
Ha Mu-baek turned his head.
Toward the clan head's residence.
"Hm? Well, now."
Yu Wol-a was startled.
She sensed thick killing intent in Ha Mu-baek's mutter.
A dark smile played on his lips.
"Wh-what's going on...?"
She knew his gaze was fixed on the clan head's residence.
She also knew Jin Na-yeon had gone there today to hear the clan head's response.
"N-no way!!!"
Had he finally given in to his desires and caused an incident!
"I've found the rat's tail. Deal with that first, then we'll continue our talk."
"R-rat... what?"
Yu Wol-a asked urgently.
"Demonic Cult."
The moment the curt reply reached her, Ha Mu-baek had already vanished.
"Wh-where... is this...?"
Yeon Ha-min snapped out of her shock and looked around.
It was a space illuminated by night pearls.
"Hm? So you followed after all."
Yeon Baek-pung, who had been gripping Jin Na-yeon's wrist tightly, muttered upon spotting Yeon Ha-min.
"Time is short, but... fine. I'll give you a fitting punishment while I'm at it."
His eyes were already bloodshot.
Eyes filled with lust.
With his goal finally in reach, he no longer bothered hiding his ugly desires.
"You, wait quietly over there."
When had he prepared it?
There was a large bed against one wall, and Yeon Baek-pung threw Jin Na-yeon onto it.
Riiip.
Her clothes tore in the process, her collar parting slightly.
Yeon Baek-pung had done it on purpose.
"Kuhuhuhu."
He leered at the glimpse of pale skin.
Then he turned to Yeon Ha-min.
"What should I do with you? Hm?"
He was already holding his sword.
"Y-you... lecherous bastard!!"
Yeon Ha-min drew her sword and charged straight at Yeon Baek-pung.
Killing intent exploded from her entire body.
"Hmph! How arrogant, barely reaching the Peak realm!"
Though Yeon Baek-pung's talent paled compared to Yeon Baek-un's, he had only recently stepped into the early Transcendent stage.
Thus, he thought suppressing someone like Yeon Ha-min would be child's play and unleashed his sword.
The initial forms of the Wall of Heaven Flower Sword flowed from his hand.
Yeon Ha-min's sword wove gracefully between his blade's path and thrust forward.
"Wh-what?"
Startled by her sudden strike, Yeon Baek-pung retreated.
Just a woman who had newly entered the Peak realm.
What was that strike just now?
It had perfectly exploited his opening.
"You really want to die, don't you."
Yeon Baek-pung circulated his inner energy.
He had planned to conserve some for the pleasure to come, but he needed to deal with her first.
As his energy surged, his lust boiled even higher.
In that instant, a flash of inspiration.
"Yes... heh. Perfect. Taking mother and daughter together sounds delightful. I wonder how resentful Brother Baek-ryang will be from the afterlife. Kuhuhu."
At his blatant spewing of depraved desires.
Terror filled Jin Na-yeon's eyes, rage burned in Yeon Ha-min's.
Why was that?
Yeon Baek-pung's lust and perversion seemed boundless, swelling ever greater.
Like flames devouring heaps of dry tinder.
They roared fiercely.
In that fleeting moment.
Crack!
A sensation like a shell shattering, and his dantian exploded with inner energy.
He had no idea what caused it.
But Yeon Baek-pung didn't ponder the reason.
He simply surrendered to his desires.
"Kuhahaha! Kneel nicely and strip!"
He kicked off the ground, his sword surging with sword aura as he struck at Yeon Ha-min.
His blade traced the profound path of the Wall of Heaven Flower Sword.
Explosive energy burst through the aura, whipping up sword winds around them.
Pink sword aura also rose from Yeon Ha-min's blade.
In her trance-like state, she had formed sword aura for the first time under her own will.
She had doubted if it would work, but it emerged as naturally as breathing.
"Kuhuhu. Even the color of your sword aura stirs my heart!"
Yeon Baek-pung shouted as he swung at Yeon Ha-min.
She grimaced, focusing on his sword.
In that moment.
She saw it with her eyes.
Where that damned lecher's blade would aim.
Thus, she countered.
Clang! Clang clang! Clang clang!
Their swords clashed repeatedly.
Though Yeon Ha-min's realm was lower, her unique precognition ability shone.
She was holding her own against Yeon Baek-pung.
But that was her limit.
No matter how she read his sword path with foresight and moved, she couldn't overcome the overwhelming gap in energy and realm.
She should have landed that first strike when he was off-guard, using her foresight.
"Kuhahahaha! Excellent! Finally! Finally!"
Yeon Baek-pung's eyes gradually turned redder.
The sword aura on his blade began darkening.
Yeon Ha-min read even that shift in energy and wielded her sword with all her might.
Even knowing in advance, she could only dodge attacks too powerful to block.
She was barely holding on.
If an unavoidable strike came, it would be over.
Fortunately, Yeon Baek-pung's realm wasn't that advanced.
There were no attacks she knew of but couldn't block or evade.
'I can't keep this up forever.'
In the end, Yeon Ha-min decided to drag it out as long as possible, waiting for Yeon Baek-pung's strength to wane.
Swoosh! Whiiing!
She blocked and dodged the lethally fierce sword strikes with full power.
But.
Slash.
She couldn't prevent her clothes from being sliced.
The moment he glimpsed Yeon Ha-min's pale skin.
"Kuhuhuk."
Yeon Baek-pung's lust exploded.
And with it, his energy surged explosively.
At the same time.
"If you keep scurrying like a rat..."
Yeon Baek-pung changed direction.
Seeing it through foresight, Yeon Ha-min paled and leaped away.
He was targeting her mother.
She had no choice but to block his path, and now she couldn't evade.
Thus, she was gradually pushed into a corner.
Yeon Baek-pung's sword kept wounding her, and the tears in her clothes grew.
The wall was closing in.
He poured all his power into breaking it, but instead, Yeon Gong-hu's sword threatened to shatter from the rebound.
"Kuhk."
Defense turned to disadvantage, now a crisis.
Yet Yeon Gong-hu didn't give up.
Though Ko Gwang-un charged to kill him, Yeon Gong-hu aimed to kill in return.
Crises layered upon crises, but he sought the opportunity beyond.
After enduring, he spotted an opening.
Pouring his last reserves into a strike at that gap.
Ko Gwang-un's lips curled.
'A... trap...'
Impatience gripped him.
Cornered, his vision narrowed, leading to rash action.
He tried to alter his sword path, but Ko Gwang-un's blade was faster.
Aiming to sever Yeon Gong-hu's neck in one stroke.
Yeon Gong-hu refused to yield to the end, struggling to shift his path while staring straight at the incoming blade.
In that instant.
Bam!
A powerful force sent the blade flying back.
"I'll clean this up first."
Yeon Gong-hu widened his eyes at the familiar voice by his side.
His sword had already stopped.
Ha Mu-baek looked at Yeon Gong-hu and asked,
"How's the real battle you've experienced firsthand?"