Chapter 67
Yeom Hwasin (2)
After Yeom Hwasin left the tavern, only Baek So-cheon and Cheon-geuk remained.
The waiter and cook, who had hidden in the kitchen out of fear that a fight might break out, cautiously showed themselves.
Baek So-cheon paid them generously for the broken furniture and then stepped outside with Cheon-geuk.
“Maybe I should’ve just fought him after all.”
“As expected. Men and their pointless bravado. I wonder how far the Cheokcheon Alliance Leader has gone. Shall I bring him back?”
“Hahaha.”
Baek So-cheon laughed.
Even in a situation like this, she could make him laugh.
Perhaps that was why she had been the person he missed most while he was inside the Heavenly Dragon Secret Grounds.
“Are you really going?”
Given the situation, they should have immediately gone to inform Ak So-gun and Zhuge fHyeon of everything that had happened.
However, would Yeom Hwasin truly have come here without making any preparations?
Baek So-cheon knew better than anyone that Yeom Hwasin was not as simple or ignorant as his appearance suggested.
What if, despite everything, they failed to stop him?
Yes, it was entirely possible that he might escape.
The real problem lay elsewhere.
Cheon-geuk and Na Sa-rin would be placed in danger.
Now that Yeom Hwasin knew Cheon-geuk had helped with the treatment, he would try to take her with him by any means necessary.
Unless Baek So-cheon intended to remain with the two of them for the rest of his life, they would eventually be dragged away by Yeom Hwasin while beyond his protection.
Cheon-geuk was exceptionally perceptive.
“Is it because of me and Elder Na?”
“No.”
His answer was far too firm.
From that alone, Cheon-geuk understood that Baek So-cheon had decided to go to the Cheokcheon Alliance for her and Na Sa-rin’s sake.
She recalled the moment when their eyes met while Yeom Hwasin had been gripping Baek So-cheon by the throat.
She also remembered the emotion she felt at that time.
‘Why are you going this far?’
They could have simply remained people who used each other until their usefulness ran out.
However, if she had truly intended to live that way, she should never have broken concealment and stepped forward in the first place.
“I’ll go to the Alliance for a moment.”
“All right. I need to speak with Elder Na.”
“I’ll see you later.”
“Yes.”
Baek So-cheon began walking away.
Without turning around, he said,
“Thank you.”
From behind him came the words she always used.
“It’s enough that you know.”
After he had walked several steps, Cheon-geuk spoke again.
“I’m grateful too.”
A faint smile appeared on Baek So-cheon’s lips as he continued walking.
When he was younger, he had never understood how large a place being cared for by another person occupied in one’s life.
‘Yes. Now I know.’
***
Cheon-geuk returned to the teahouse and told Na Sa-rin what had happened.
“I’m sorry, Elder. I made the decision on my own.”
Cheon-geuk lowered her head.
She had acted because she believed Baek So-cheon’s life was in danger, but the person who could actually perform the treatment was Na Sa-rin.
Making such a decision without asking for her opinion had been deeply disrespectful.
As always, Na Sa-rin smiled gently.
“It is all right, Alliance Leader.”
Her warm tone made it clear that she meant it sincerely.
Na Sa-rin believed she did not have much time left to live anyway.
Instead, she was worried about Cheon-geuk.
“I will go alone.”
“No. I cannot allow that.”
“I am the one who will perform the treatment.”
At Na Sa-rin’s unwavering insistence, Cheon-geuk answered even more forcefully.
“Absolutely not. I’m going too.”
This had been her decision.
She already felt guilty enough over that alone. How could she possibly send Na Sa-rin by herself?
That could never happen.
“Alliance Leader!”
“This is an order.”
Their stubborn wills collided, but in the end Cheon-geuk prevailed by invoking her authority as Alliance Leader.
“Let’s go together, Elder.”
“Yes. Let us go together.”
“I’m sorry for being stubborn.”
“You have always been stubborn, ever since you were young.”
Cheon-geuk embraced Na Sa-rin.
The small body fit snugly inside her arms.
It contained eighty-four years of life, yet it was still incredibly slight and frail.
While Na Sa-rin prepared to depart, Cheon-geuk summoned the Guardian Killing Stars.
“Follow me, but do not enter their headquarters.”
She knew their personalities better than anyone.
Preventing them from following her would be impossible. The best choice was to have them guard her from a distance.
“Alliance Leader!”
“You saw it before. Yeom Hwasin saw through our concealment even from far away. He may tolerate you following us, but he will never allow you to enter the Cheokcheon Alliance itself. If you fall into danger, then I will be endangered as well.”
She would never stand by and watch the Guardian Killing Stars die.
The four understood how she felt and reluctantly stepped back.
“Understood. We will remain as close to the Cheokcheon Alliance as possible. If anything happens, immediately launch the emergency firework.”
“I will.”
She always carried an emergency firework.
It did not resemble an ordinary firework, but looked like a decorative ornament attached to her clothes, so it would not be discovered even during a body search.
***
Baek So-cheon returned before the appointed time.
He told Beon Saeng and Im Chung that he would be absent for a while on personal business, and instructed them to relay any messages that came from the Alliance Leader’s Hall or Hyeoncheon Pavilion.
Before leaving, he met Wang Ho and ordered him to increase the intensity of the training.
With war approaching, the one thing they needed most was training.
Baek So-cheon asked Na Sa-rin for permission.
“I would like to speak privately with Alliance Leader Cheon for a moment. Forgive me, Elder.”
“It is fine.”
Baek So-cheon and Cheon-geuk walked a short distance away from Na Sa-rin and stopped.
“What did Elder Na say?”
“The usual. She’s worried about me.”
“After the ritual is finished, Yeom Hwasin may try to kill us.”
Baek So-cheon remembered what Yeom Hwasin had said earlier.
Why should I keep you alive once you are no longer useful?
“I’m worried about Elder Na, but…”
Cheon-geuk herself did not seem afraid.
“I told you before, didn’t I? I’m not greedy for money. Would a woman who isn’t greedy for money fear death? I’ll die someday anyway. As long as it has even a little meaning, I’m fine with it.”
“What meaning would there be in dying now?”
She considered the question briefly before replying cautiously,
“…One hundred thousand nyang?”
“One hundred thousand nyang?”
When Baek So-cheon repeated it, she quickly changed the subject.
“Never mind. Let’s go. The three of us can deal with that huge villain together. If things go wrong, we’ll join forces, fight spectacularly, and die.”
“Fine. Let’s do that.”
However, that was what would happen in the worst possible scenario.
For now, they had to create the best possible outcome.
‘We need some means of preventing him from touching us.’
Baek So-cheon had to find a solution before they arrived.
A short while later, a carriage stopped in front of the three of them.
The carriage door opened, revealing Yeom Hwasin seated inside.
“Get in.”
Baek So-cheon, Cheon-geuk, and Na Sa-rin climbed aboard.
The carriage began accelerating.
Their destination was Namnyeom in Guangxi Province, where the Cheokcheon Alliance’s headquarters was located.
***
The interior of the carriage was silent.
Everyone was either sitting with their eyes closed, lost in thought, or staring out the window.
Baek So-cheon understood just how ferocious a space this small compartment truly was.
Although she was currently obeying Yeom Hwasin, Cheon-geuk was the King of Assassins.
No one yet knew the true limit of her abilities.
Na Sa-rin was also an eighty-four-year-old master and an expert in soul-bewitching arts.
Then there was Baek So-cheon himself.
And Yeom Hwasin, who was keeping all of them under control.
It was a space where anything could happen in the blink of an eye.
Rumble.
The carriage jolted once as it passed through a depression in the road.
The movement naturally broke the silence.
“You appear quite old. How old are you?”
As expected, Yeom Hwasin had seen through Na Sa-rin’s true nature and realized that she would be the one performing the treatment.
“I am eighty-four.”
Na Sa-rin answered respectfully.
She maintained a courteous attitude regardless of whom she faced.
“Haha! You must already have been active in the martial world when I was born.”
“That is likely.”
Because she was traveling with Cheon-geuk, Na Sa-rin was even more cautious than usual.
She had endured every kind of hardship over the course of eighty-four years.
Experience had taught her one thing.
‘A person’s true nature does not change.’
No matter how warmly the Cheokcheon Alliance Leader smiled, it was merely the leisurely composure of a well-fed tiger.
Once he grew hungry, he would tear them apart without hesitation.
Baek So-cheon was staring at Yeom Hwasin’s forearms and hands.
His skin appeared even tougher than it had during their previous battle.
Even though he had not raised his protective energy, a faint bluish aura seemed to flow across it.
Baek So-cheon had been too startled and flustered earlier to notice the change properly.
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Have you become stronger?”
“Does it seem that way?”
When Baek So-cheon nodded, Yeom Hwasin smiled with satisfaction.
“You noticed well. After being taught such a harsh lesson, I could hardly return unchanged.”
If he was telling the truth, the rankings in the Martial World Ranking Record might need to be revised.
Who was stronger?
Meol saeng?
Or this Yeom Hwasin?
“Is that why you came alone so fearlessly? All the way to the front of the Murim Alliance headquarters?”
“I enjoy excitement, but I do not enjoy stupidity.”
That meant he clearly had something he trusted.
What could it possibly be?
Seeing Baek So-cheon continue to stare, Yeom Hwasin asked,
“Why do you keep looking at me? Are you disappointed that you could not fight me again?”
“I am.”
“I’m not disappointed in the slightest. I never want to fight you again. Even if it is a battle I would win.”
Baek So-cheon understood.
Only the truly powerful could speak that honestly.
A genuinely strong person had no need to boast.
Yeom Hwasin had returned even stronger than before.
Sensing that the battles ahead would never be easy, Baek So-cheon turned his gaze toward the view outside the carriage.
Yeom Hwasin suddenly asked Cheon-geuk,
“Do you like that fellow?”
Cheon-geuk hesitated.
How should she answer?
In the end, she chose honesty.
“Yes. I’m interested in him.”
She looked at Baek So-cheon.
He continued staring out the window without saying anything.
“He’s attractive, isn’t he? Look at him. Even after a beautiful woman says she’s interested in him, he pretends not to hear and keeps looking outside.”
Yeom Hwasin glanced at Baek So-cheon before replying,
“He’s embarrassed.”
“Embarrassed? That man?”
Her reaction made it clear that she considered such a thing impossible.
Yeom Hwasin turned to Baek So-cheon for confirmation.
“You’re embarrassed, aren’t you?”
Baek So-cheon still gave no answer.
Worried that Yeom Hwasin might become angry, Cheon-geuk quickly intervened.
“See? He’s just rude.”
Yeom Hwasin burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! He’s also the only person who can act like that even after I ask him a question. You’re right. He certainly is attractive.”
The carriage continued racing onward as they talked.
***
They stopped periodically at inns along the way, and Cheon-geuk devoted herself to caring for Na Sa-rin.
Although Na Sa-rin outwardly possessed the body of a child, she was still an elderly woman of eighty-four.
Cheon-geuk looked after her with great care, worried that she might experience discomfort while eating or sleeping.
After observing her, Yeom Hwasin said to Baek So-cheon when the two of them were alone,
“She too sits in a position that does not suit her.”
He meant that she did not seem suited to being an assassin.
Yeom Hwasin had once told Baek So-cheon as well that he had fastened the first button incorrectly.
At the time, Baek So-cheon had believed Yeom Hwasin genuinely thought so.
Now, he no longer trusted those words.
Yeom Hwasin had known perfectly well that Gu had been implanted in both Ak So-gun and Baek So-cheon.
Yet rather than warning them, he had tried to sow discord by claiming that Baek So-cheon belonged in the Cheokcheon Alliance.
His massive frame and hearty personality did not seem suited to schemes and political maneuvering.
But Baek So-cheon could not allow himself to be deceived by that appearance.
Yeom Hwasin was more calculating and political than almost anyone.
***
On the fourth night, while they were staying at an inn, Baek So-cheon grabbed Cheon-geuk’s hand as she came downstairs after preparing Na Sa-rin’s bed.
“What?”
“Eat.”
Baek So-cheon had already ordered food on the first floor.
“You haven’t eaten all day.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“That’s why you should eat. I haven’t eaten either, so let’s eat together.”
“All right.”
Unable to refuse any longer, Cheon-geuk sat across from him.
While they ate, she said,
“Thank you for taking care of me.”
“Are you nervous?”
“I’m only worried about Elder Na.”
“What about you?”
“Me? Well… if I seriously decide to run, I’m good at escaping. You should worry about yourself.”
“Then that’s a relief. When the time comes to run, make sure you really do.”
Yeom Hwasin happened to be walking past them and casually remarked,
“Do you think that will be possible?”
After saying only that, he went upstairs to the second floor, where his room was located.
Baek So-cheon resumed eating and said,
“It has to be possible. You don’t need to show me any loyalty.”
Cheon-geuk drank the alcohol served with the meal.
“Don’t worry. I’m more of a vicious bitch than I look.”
“Stay a vicious bitch until the end. Don’t change.”
Baek So-cheon drained his own cup as well.
***
On the fourth day of their journey, after everyone had become accustomed to traveling and Yeom Hwasin’s vigilance had loosened, Baek So-cheon secretly sent a voice transmission to Na Sa-rin.
—When you treat the father and son later, there is something I need you to do. If it is impossible, then simply pretend that you have done it.
He had found a possible way for them to escape safely.
To make it work, Na Sa-rin’s help was essential.
Baek So-cheon explained his request through voice transmission.
—Understood. Leave it to me.
The carriage continued onward.
On the fifth day after their departure, they finally arrived at the Cheokcheon Alliance’s headquarters.
Its scale was overwhelming from the entrance alone.
It was so enormous that it could not even be compared to the entrance of the Murim Alliance.
Two gigantic statues of martial artists stood on either side of the main gate, seizing everyone’s attention.
The colossal sculptures were so detailed that they seemed ready to come alive at any moment, and it was impossible to imagine how they had been created.
The carriage carrying them slowly entered the headquarters, passing beneath the crossed swords extended by the two enormous stone statues.