Chapter 94

The Sparring Match Begins

The person Baek Socheon went to see was Cheongeuk.

She was busy brewing tea in the kitchen. With so many people flooding into Wuhan, both taverns and teahouses were packed.

Most people in her position would have either closed the shop or hired someone to work in the kitchen, yet even amid all this chaos, she was still brewing the tea herself.

Baek Socheon entered through the kitchen's back door.

"Want some help?"

"Oh? You're here? Sure."

"What should I do?"

"Start with those dishes over there."

"All right."

"Thanks."

Baek Socheon helped her by washing the pile of dirty dishes.

Living like this, just the two of us...

His thoughts went only that far before he deliberately stopped himself.

It was true that he liked Cheongeuk.

But living together was another matter entirely.

The future and happiness he dreamed of meant freedom.

If he were with someone, how could he live the kind of life where he could simply pack up and leave whenever he pleased?

And it wasn't only about him.

Cheongeuk's circumstances were no less complicated.

She was the leader of an organization. She had far more to abandon than he did.

"The duel is the day after tomorrow, yet you seem pretty relaxed."

"There's nothing for me to be busy with."

"Yeom Sawon came by."

"What for?"

"Just to pick a fight. He left absolutely determined to rescue me from you."

Baek Socheon could easily imagine exactly how the conversation had gone, so he merely chuckled.

"But what brings you here today?"

"I came to help you make some money."

"What?"

Cheongeuk stared at him with wide eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"You've heard that people are betting on this duel, right?"

"Of course."

"Place a bet. Bet on me winning."

"I already did."

"What?"

Baek Socheon looked genuinely surprised.

"Did you really think I'd let such a good opportunity pass me by?"

"Do you like gambling?"

"No. This is my first time betting. I always warn the assassins that if an assassin starts gambling too, they've reached the absolute bottom of the gutter."

"Then why did you do it?"

"This isn't gambling. It's just picking up money that's lying on the ground. I'm the person who knows most accurately that you're going to win, aren't I?"

When she put it that way, Baek Socheon instead asked,

"How can you know what the future holds? I could lose."

"You won't."

"What if he has some secret trump card?"

"You still won't lose."

"What if lightning strikes me in the middle of the duel?"

"You still won't lose."

"Why are you so certain?"

"Because if you lose, I'll lose money!"

Baek Socheon couldn't help laughing.

"How much did you bet?"

"One hundred thousand nyang."

One hundred thousand nyang was a symbolic amount to her.

Part of her wanted to throw every coin she had into the wager, but then it really would become gambling.

So she had taken one hundred thousand nyang from her personal assets and wagered only that much.

An amount that immediately brought Baek Socheon to mind.

Cheongeuk asked him,

"Should I place a bet for you too?"

"Me? Am I even allowed to bet?"

"Of course. There's no point restricting the participants themselves. They could just have someone else place the bet for them."

"I suppose that's true. Ah, come to think of it, the two fighters could collude and rig the match."

"Exactly. That's the kind of fraud professional duel gamblers are most wary of. But there's no concern about that happening this time, so I heard an enormous amount of money has been wagered. It's a great opportunity to make a fortune. Give me the money. I'll place the bet for you."

"I'm fine."

"Hmm. As expected."

"As expected?"

"Nothing."

"You're thinking this, aren't you? Good grief, what a stuffy orthodox old-fashioned man. Who's going to praise you for showing off that useless sense of morality?"

Cheongeuk grinned.

"Did you learn mind-reading too?"

"Haha."

If that was how she saw him, there was nothing he could do about it.

"Still, I'm not completely old-fashioned, right? I'm not stopping you or the people around me from doing it."

Baek Socheon was subtly conscious of getting older, so Cheongeuk reassured him.

"You're nowhere near the point where you need to worry. If you ever really become one of those stubborn old men, I'll tell you straight to your face."

"Good. Make sure you do."

Without someone like that around, no one would tell you.

You would simply keep getting older without realizing what kind of things you were saying or how people were treating you.

Baek Socheon had seen plenty of people like that.

He simply hoped he wouldn't age that way.

"You know, right? If you lose, every assassin in the Alliance is mobilizing!"

"I'll win."

"Good."

"Now that I've helped you make some money, I have a favor to ask."

Cheongeuk blinked at him with an incredulous expression.

"Wait a second. Something about what you just said doesn't make sense. Didn't you hear me say I'd already placed the bet before you told me anything?"

"I heard you."

"And?"

"If I didn't exist, there wouldn't even be a duel to bet on, would there?"

"The fact that you're forcing such ridiculous logic again tells me this favor must be important."

In truth, Cheongeuk liked this side of Baek Socheon.

A man who rigidly fit every orthodox mold would have been suffocating.

Baek Socheon belonged to the orthodox faction, yet there was something unconventional about him that set him apart from the rest.

Perhaps that was also part of what fascinated Yeom Hwasin about him.

"Nothing in this world is free."

Cheongeuk laughed at Baek Socheon's shamelessness.

"Of course. The closer the relationship, the more ruthlessly you should collect what's owed. What's the favor?"

"Watch someone for me."

"Who?"

"A man named Pa jeong who came with Meol Jiryun. He nearly detected me while I was using stealth."

Cheongeuk's expression changed in surprise.

"Really?"

Baek Socheon nodded and warned her to be careful.

"So there's no need to get close. Just find out where he goes and whom he meets. Every meeting, no matter how insignificant it seems."

"That much won't be difficult."

For anyone else, even that would have been extremely difficult.

It was something Baek Socheon could ask only because she was Cheongeuk.

"Then I'm counting on you."

"Aren't you worried? That this Pa jeong might discover me?"

"I am. That's why I'm worried you might end up killing him."

She chuckled.

"Don't you think you're overestimating me?"

"I know your martial arts better than anyone. I'm allowed to overestimate you."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Then I'm off."

Baek Socheon left the teahouse.

He wasn't worried about her.

If there was anyone to whom the words Who exactly is worrying about whom? applied, it was Cheongeuk.

Her martial arts were formidable, but more importantly, she possessed a cold, rational judgment and knew how to control her own emotions.

***

Another day passed.

Now only one night remained before the decisive duel.

Baek Socheon went to see Zhuge Hyeon at the Strategy Command Center.

"I came because I have a favor to ask."

"What is it?"

"Could I borrow the Dragon Scale Armor you lent me before one more time?"

"Of course. But why all of a sudden?"

"Yeom Sawon received the Heaven-Measuring Dragon Divine Armor from Yeom Hwasin."

Zhuge Hyeon was startled.

The exceptional defensive power of the Heaven-Measuring Dragon Divine Armor was well known.

Simply put, if one strike would normally be enough, now it would take two.

"Will you be all right if Yeom Sawon wears the Heaven-Measuring Dragon Divine Armor? We can use the rules of the duel to prohibit him from wearing it."

"No. Leave it alone. I'll wear the Dragon Scale Armor as well."

"Of course. We should balance things."

"It's not to balance things."

"Then why?"

"If I win, they can use the Dragon Scale Armor as an excuse for my victory. Since their side is wearing protective armor too, they won't be able to complain about the result."

He was already thinking ahead to what would happen after he won.

Difficult as it might be to believe, at Baek Socheon's current level, protective armor was little more than an extra layer of cumbersome clothing.

"Ah, I see. Take it immediately."

Zhuge Hyeon ordered one of his subordinates to bring his Dragon Scale Armor.

"At times like this, I think you should have become a strategist."

"How could that be? Compared to you, Strategist, I'm merely using little tricks."

"No. If you'd set your mind on becoming a strategist from the beginning, you'd have become an excellent one."

"You're only saying that because you think highly of me."

He meant it sincerely.

There was a clear difference between concentrating intensely on finding a solution when a problem appeared and spending every day thinking solely about such matters because it was your life's work.

The strength possessed by people who had stubbornly walked a single path for years should never be underestimated.

Meanwhile, the subordinate strategist returned carrying the Dragon Scale Armor.

"Thank you."

At that very moment, Sima Iljung rushed inside with an urgent expression.

"Urgent report."

"What happened?"

"Please look at this."

The moment Zhuge Hyeon saw the emergency letter in Sima Iljung's hand, his expression stiffened.

The small container holding the message was black and decorated with gold leaf.

It was an official dispatch from the Heaven-Measuring Alliance.

After reading the message, Zhuge Hyeon was visibly shocked.

"This..."

"What is it?"

"It's a letter from the Heaven-Measuring Alliance."

The contents were so shocking that Zhuge Hyeon simply stared at the message in silence for a moment.

Then he finally revealed the astonishing news.

"Yeom Hwasin has informed us that he intends to personally attend tomorrow's tournament."

"What?"

Even Baek Socheon was taken aback.

"The duel is tomorrow."

"It seems he's already departed. According to the message, he'll arrive here tomorrow morning."

It was completely unexpected.

They had probably informed the Martial Alliance only the day before precisely so that no proper preparations could be made.

"He is confident that no one will attack him during an official sparring tournament."

This was precisely where the orthodox factions were disadvantaged compared to the unorthodox factions.

If the situation were reversed, could Ak Sogun attend a tournament hosted by the Heaven-Measuring Alliance and expect to return safely?

There was another reason Yeom Hwasin could attend with such confidence.

Even if something unexpected happened and a clash broke out, he was confident he could return alive.

The real problem was his purpose in coming.

Did he intend to personally watch his son die?

Was he trying to maximize his own rage by witnessing it firsthand?

Or perhaps—

Did he intend to save his son at the decisive moment?

Yeom Hwasin truly was a man whose thoughts were impossible to fathom.

And there was another crucial problem.

What if Baek Socheon ended up having to secretly use internal energy?

He might be able to deceive the other masters.

But could he deceive Yeom Hwasin's eyes?

Thinking of Yeom Hwasin gave him the same instinctive dread that came from imagining a deep, dark abyss beneath the sea.

Just what are you planning?

At last, the day of the duel dawned.

The match was scheduled for noon, but countless people had already gathered around the Martial Alliance from early morning.

If they learned that Yeom Hwasin himself was coming, they might even riot in an attempt to force their way inside.

People feared Yeom Hwasin, but precisely because of that fear, many also desperately wanted to see him with their own eyes.

For that reason, the Martial Alliance had kept his attendance completely secret.

They planned to announce his presence only shortly before the duel began.

Baek Socheon woke early, bathed, and lightly loosened his body.

Then he suddenly sensed an enormous presence behind him.

There was only one person who could radiate such a presence.

He really came.

Sure enough, a familiar voice came from behind him.

"Have a good dream?"

Baek Socheon turned around.

Yeom Hwasin was sitting casually atop the wall, looking down at him.

"When you come to someone else's home, you're supposed to knock on the door. Why are you climbing over the wall?"

"Can an unorthodox bastard ever escape his true nature?"

Yeom Hwasin grinned and lightly jumped down.

He deliberately stomped the ground with a heavy foot technique.

Boom!

The earth trembled as though an earthquake had struck.

It was almost like his way of announcing—

I'm here.

"What exactly are you thinking?"

"Interrogating me the moment you see my face? I came all this way. At least give me a cup of water."

At that moment, Beon Saeng came outside after feeling the vibration.

"What happened?"

He flinched when he saw Yeom Hwasin's massive build.

Yeom Hwasin spoke to him.

"Bring me a cup of water."

"Ah, yes."

Beon Saeng went inside and returned with water.

He handed it to Yeom Hwasin.

Yeom Hwasin gulped it down before returning the empty bowl.

"You gave me water, so I'll spare your life."

Beon Saeng laughed.

"Haha, that's a pretty frightening joke. Why are there so many people around me who like making terrifying jokes like that? There's a female martial artist I know who enjoys saying similar things."

"I'm not joking."

"Haha, she always says she's not joking either. But you do look familiar somehow... Someone with a build like yours... Where have I... Come to think of it... in Chongqing..."

His face suddenly went pale.

"U-Ugh!"

Only then did Beon Saeng realize that the man before him was Yeom Hwasin, Leader of the Heaven-Measuring Alliance.

He had seen Yeom Hwasin speaking with Baek Socheon near the Chongqing border.

But he had seen him only from a distance.

And he had certainly never imagined that one day he would encounter Yeom Hwasin standing in his own courtyard.

"...I must still be half asleep and seeing things. I'll go back to bed."

With a miserable expression, Beon Saeng backed away into the house.

Ah! Now I've gone so far that I'm even fetching water for the Leader of the Heaven-Measuring Alliance!

Yeom Hwasin laughed and looked at Baek Socheon.

"Cute fellow."

"Spend that affection on your own son instead. Don't tell me you haven't even seen him yet and came to me first."

"That's right. Aren't you my son too?"

"You really..."

Yeom Hwasin continued grinning as if he found the entire situation immensely amusing.

Baek Socheon strode forward until he stood directly before him.

The two were now close enough to touch simply by extending a hand.

At this distance, even the slightest change in expression could be seen clearly.

"Let me ask you one thing. Answer me honestly."

"Go ahead."

Baek Socheon asked him directly.

"Do you truly intend to let your son die by my hand?"