Chapter 158 - Even a Servant Passing By

Jin Haryeong was climbing onto the dueling platform.

Today was her first match in the main tournament. The assembled martial artists cheered wildly. They respected and loved the Martial Alliance Leader, and everyone loved his granddaughter Jin Haryeong as well. Besides, she was beautiful enough to be called Hubei’s Greatest Beauty. Her popularity was only natural.

“Make sure you win!”

“Jin Haryeong is the best!”

“You’re beautiful, Jin Haryeong!”

“Buy me noodles!”

“Jin Haryeong for champion!”

Jin Haryeong flinched on the platform.

Among the cheers, she had heard something that decidedly did not belong.

She looked around. She had never looked out at the spectators from the platform before, so cheers erupted on every side. Among all those people, she found the one she needed to find. Seated among the martial artists, Geom Mugeuk shouted.

“You left without paying again!”

Even through the crowd’s cheers, his words reached her ears with perfect clarity. At that moment, she realized she had left without settling the bill that day, too.

He had even asked her to pay, and she had still walked out without doing it.

‘Ugh! How can I be so scatterbrained!’

That day, too, she had let that man get under her skin and stormed out in anger.

Fine, she could admit that much. But so what? He had come all the way to the tournament to shout at her to buy him noodles?

It was so absurd that she let out a disbelieving laugh.

Her opponent’s expression hardened at the sight. He mistakenly thought she was looking down on him and laughing at him.

The misunderstanding strengthened his resolve to win, but unfortunately, it did nothing to close the gap in their abilities—even though she spent the entire fight thinking about noodles.

As she descended from the platform to applause, she glanced toward the seat where Geom Mugeuk had been. But he was no longer there.

He had left without even watching the whole match. That bastard! Had he really come just to collect the price of the noodles?

Just then, her bodyguard Chu Ho approached with a message.

“The Alliance Leader asks that you come to his residence.”

“Grandfather does?”

Half a watch later, Jin Haryeong was entering the Martial Alliance Leader’s residence after passing through countless layers of tight security.

Deep within the Orthodox Martial Alliance, beautifully sculpted rocks and thousand-year-old trees blended elegantly together. It truly looked like a place where immortals might wander. A man stood there with his hands clasped behind his back, lost in thought. Against that beautiful backdrop, he seemed part of a painting.

“Grandfather, I’m here!”

“You’ve come?”

The powerfully built man turned toward her.

He looked twenty years younger than his age, with a perfectly muscled physique that even young men lacked.

Impressive as his body was, it was his eyes that dominated his appearance. Those large, fierce eyes looked capable of making even a tiger wet itself under his gaze. They made him resemble a divine general descended from heaven.

He belonged on the dueling platform she had just left, rather than in this retreat fit for immortals.

The Martial Alliance Leader, Jin Paecheon.

The foremost master of the orthodox path, he was the pillar of orthodox Murim and the object of its undivided respect. He was such a symbol of orthodox Murim that people said the Demonic Cult dared not make reckless moves so long as Jin Paecheon remained strong.

Even Jin Haryeong thought her grandfather was an impressive man.

He was kindhearted, strong-willed, and above all, deeply devoted to righteousness. He deserved everyone’s respect.

But that was Jin Haryeong the martial artist’s assessment. Jin Haryeong the granddaughter had a different opinion. To her, he was simply a rigid, stifling grandfather who kept her under his thumb. Nothing more, nothing less.

Honestly, that made her angrier. He treated others so well and seemed so perfect, yet she felt he treated his family worse. He failed the very people he ought to treat well, while devoting himself body and soul to people he had never even met.

“I met the master of True Dragon Manor recently.”

She had won her match today, yet her grandfather opened with something else entirely.

What was the hurry? Couldn’t they talk about his granddaughter’s victory first? At least talk about the weather today.

Of course, she could not voice those complaints. She wasn’t afraid of her grandfather, but she wasn’t comfortable around him either.

“Is the manor master doing well?”

“He moaned about having no strength left, but that old man is as stubborn as ever.”

Really, if not for her grandfather, she would never have given that man a thought in her life.

But her grandfather had another reason for bringing up the master of True Dragon Manor.

“He said his grandson has returned from martial training. He hinted at the possibility of matching him with you. What do you think?”

Oh, here he went again.

“Why is my grandfather so desperate to marry off his adorable granddaughter? It’s not as though you need an alliance with some prestigious family through marriage.”

She tried to charm him, but Jin Paecheon would have none of it.

“I am asking what you think.”

“I don’t want to. Grandfather, I do not want to.”

Jin Paecheon frowned slightly at her firm answer.

“Why not?”

“Would you want to marry someone when you don’t even know what they look like?”

“He is trustworthy.”

“Who is? You haven’t met him either.”

“I can tell from the master of True Dragon Manor.”

“How, exactly? Look at me, the granddaughter of a man everyone respects. Am I the same person I appear to be outside? Refined, aloof, polite? I’m not, am I? Here I am, defying you. So how can you claim to know his grandson just by looking at the manor master?”

Jin Paecheon’s expression hardened, but Jin Haryeong did not back down.

“As I’ve told you before, when the time comes, I’ll marry someone I love.”

“That is childish nonsense! Do you have any idea how dangerous Murim is? Every kind of bizarre, strange fellow roams this world.”

The words “strange fellow” suddenly brought the insolent servant to mind. He was right about that. Right, but...

“True Dragon Manor has produced outstanding martial artists for generations. It can be trusted.”

“That trust only works for you, Grandfather.”

“What do you mean?”

“No one would dare betray your trust. That’s why your judgment of people has always proved correct. But it’s different for me. Just as people treat you differently from the way they treat me.”

It was a disrespectful thing to say. Her grandfather’s anger-laden qi chilled the air around them.

Still, Jin Haryeong refused to back down. If she yielded to his anger, she might truly be forced into a marriage she did not want.

“If you keep forcing me like this, I’ll marry just anyone.”

“Anyone? Just who do you mean to marry?”

“Anyone passing by on the street. I don’t care even if he’s a servant.”

Though the words had slipped out without thought, she flinched inwardly. A servant?

“Do it, if you can.”

“Grandfather!”

“You could never do such a thing. Do you think I don’t know you? Your pride alone would prevent it. Go and bring someone here—a servant, a street vendor, anyone. I will give you a grand wedding.”

Jin Haryeong could not deny it. That was who she had always been.

“I know better than anyone what a wonderful man you are. I know you are noble enough to willingly give your life for Murim. I respect you more than anyone, too. But I don’t want to be the reason my wonderful grandfather becomes an unimpressive Martial Alliance Leader who forces his granddaughter into marriage.”

She knew why her grandfather was intervening so actively in her marriage. It was because of her late father.

He believed her father had died because he had made the wrong marriage—that marrying the wrong woman had ruined his life.

Her father had become entangled in her mother’s family feuds and ultimately died in a surprise attack by their enemies. Her mother had died with him.

All their vengeance had since been completed, but bitterness remained in her grandfather’s heart.

Grandfather, how could that possibly be Mother’s fault? Father had chosen that life. He had loved Mother until the moment he died.

Knowing that this was why he wanted to marry her into a family of his choosing only made her hate the idea more.

“You still know nothing of the world. You don’t know how harsh and dangerous Murim is.”

“I’ll learn for myself.”

“You will regret it later.”

“Then I’ll regret it.”

But no amount of stubbornness worked on Jin Paecheon. Her grandfather was renowned for his generosity and broad-mindedness, but that generosity did not extend to his granddaughter’s marriage.

“The master of True Dragon Manor’s grandson will attend tomorrow evening’s banquet. Make certain you are there.”

Suddenly, she remembered what Geom Yeon had said to her. Was that consideration for herself, or for the other person? Perhaps her grandfather was making the same mistake.

“Do you want me to marry for my sake? Or is it to set your own mind at ease?”

Her grandfather was not flustered as she had been. Jin Paecheon answered without hesitation.

“Both.”

Faced with his resolve never to back down, Jin Haryeong retreated for now.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She understood how he felt, but this absolutely was not for her sake.

* * *

“Whew, whew.”

Catching his breath after training, Seo Daeryong was unmistakably a different man from before.

When learning from the Blood Heaven Saber Demon, he had simply trained diligently. His training now was different. He had an opponent to fight, and he was training to find a way to defeat that opponent. Through this practical combat training, Seo Daeryong was setting foot on the path of a true martial artist.

“Pavilion Master, I want to grow stronger!”

There comes a moment like this. Not some vague wish to grow stronger while idling about, but the desire to do more when you have worked yourself so hard you can barely breathe. That is true resolve.

“Yes. Grow stronger. I’ll be watching.”

“You must make sure you do.”

“I will. I promise.”

Right now, Seo Daeryong was a little giant. You may be grateful to me, but I am the one who is grateful. Because you were there that day, saying the Cult would never change, my regression was able to find its direction.

When Seo Daeryong and I returned after finishing our martial training, Jin Haryeong was at the inn.

“That sight doesn’t seem unfamiliar anymore. What brings her here today?”

Her expression was a little gloomier than usual.

“She looks like she needs someone to talk through her troubles with.”

“The Martial Alliance Leader’s granddaughter receiving advice from the Demonic Cult Leader’s son. You’ll end up uncovering everything. Where is the Alliance’s forbidden ground? To open the secret vault...”

“That’s enough!”

“Yes, sir!”

Seo Daeryong went upstairs to his room, and I walked over to her table.

The moment Jin Haryeong saw me, she asked,

“You shouted at me to buy you noodles while you were cheering, didn’t you?”

“You heard me?”

“Your words went straight into my ears.”

“I’ve always had a loud voice.”

“Sit down.”

I sat across from her.

She filled my cup with wine.

“Can you hold your liquor?”

“It depends on the occasion.”

“What sort of occasion lets you drink well? When you’re with good company?”

“No. With good company, I actually get drunk quickly.”

“When, then?”

“When I’m angry. I get worked up and talk a lot, so I sober up quickly, too. When emotions run high, wine tastes like water. Of course, I regret it with a hangover the next day.”

“Saying, ‘I’m a dog if I ever drink again!’”

“Exactly. You know it well.”

We drained our cups together. Setting her empty cup down, Jin Haryeong said,

“The wine is going down easily for me today, too.”

“Are you angry again today?”

“Again?”

“Don’t you usually come here angry?”

“I don’t come here angry. I leave angry. Thanks to someone.”

I laughed at that.

“Do you drink wine poured by a servant, too?”

“That depends on the servant.”

I poured wine into her cup. She stared at me, then suddenly asked,

“Would you consider shaving off that beard?”

“No, I wouldn’t.”

“Then would you consider letting me use you? Just for one day.”

“Yes.”

She looked at me in surprise.

“You won’t shave your beard, but you’ll let me use you?”

“It’s only one day, isn’t it? A beard takes a long time to grow.”

“Aren’t you going to ask what it is?”

“It must be something very troublesome for you, miss.”

“It could cause trouble for you, too. Someone might hold a grudge against you. You might be insulted.”

“People holding grudges, being insulted—that’s a servant’s life. How much more troublesome could it get?”

“Then please attend the Orthodox Martial Alliance banquet with me tomorrow. You’ll meet my grandfather, too. Can you do it?”

I blinked for a moment before answering.

“That would be a little difficult.”

“You’re a coward.”

“That’s servants for you.”

Jin Haryeong smiled at me.

“I never intended to ask for your help in the first place. Nothing good would come of getting caught up in my affairs. Thank you for saying you would, at least.”

She rose from her seat.

“There. That’s one of the three meals paid off.”

It happened just then. A young man walked toward us.

“Miss Jin.”

The moment I saw him, I was inwardly startled. I knew him. More than that, he was someone I had dealt with personally before my regression.

“I’m Jo Sin of True Dragon Manor. We met once before. You’ve grown even more beautiful.”

Jo Sin.

The Jo Sin I knew was not Jo Sin of True Dragon Manor.

He was Jo Sin, head of the New Dragon Clan, a family that had risen to prominence in orthodox Murim after Hwa Mugi went into seclusion. When this Jo Sin became its head, the present True Dragon Manor would change its name to the New Dragon Clan and flourish. After the Orthodox Martial Alliance sealed its gates, it would grow into a sect representing the orthodox factions.

The very family I had visited to obtain the Divine Mysteries Incense Burner, the second material for the Great Art of Regression.

‘So in your youth, around this time, you approached Jin Haryeong.’

I knew very well what kind of man Jo Sin was.

He was a classic false gentleman. He had lived as a great hero while keeping his cruel, heartless nature deeply concealed. He would stop at nothing to achieve success and felt no pangs of conscience about it.

What if the Jo Sin of that time and the Jo Sin of today had the same nature?

My gaze turned to Jin Haryeong.

This woman was in danger now.

Could it be that her life had turned out that way not because of the Heavenly Mandate Society, but because of this man?

Jo Sin looked at me and asked,

“Who is this gentleman?”

Her eyes met mine. With a faint smile, she said,

“Don’t mind him. He’s just a servant.”