Chapter 98
Villains Don’t Go for Walks (1)
After stepping down from the sparring stage, Baek Socheon went over to where Ak Sogun was seated.
“If it hadn’t been for you, we really would have been in serious trouble.”
Ak Sogun clasped Baek Socheon’s hand.
Once again, they had narrowly escaped a major crisis thanks to him.
“I was lucky.”
“There’s no need to be modest. You did exceptionally well.”
“Thank you.”
“How were you so certain that he had been poisoned?”
Zhuge Hyeon, who was standing nearby, also listened closely with obvious curiosity.
“It wasn’t so much that I had a clue... I was simply convinced that he intended to kill his own son. It’s a tragic thing to say.”
Ak Sogun and Zhuge Hyeon nodded at the same time.
“He has the face of a man but the heart of a beast. How could anyone kill his own child?”
Ak Sogun made no attempt to hide his anger.
The reason he had sent Baek Socheon a voice transmission asking whether they should attack Yeom Hwasin together had been his fury toward a man who had murdered his own son.
Even when Baek Socheon had predicted that Yeom Hwasin might do such a thing, part of Ak Sogun had still thought, Surely not.
But when such a heaven-defying atrocity truly unfolded before his eyes, genuine rage had overwhelmed him.
“He never possessed any familial affection to begin with. He is a man focused solely on seizing supremacy.”
It was probably his father who had turned him into such a monster.
One obvious example was how he had forced his young son to personally kill the girl who had been his first love.
His past might have been tragic, but at the very least, he should never have gone so far as to kill his own child today.
“Do you think he’ll keep his promise?”
“My instinct says he will, but he’s almost impossible to read. It would be better not to trust this promise.”
“Either way, his son is dead now. We should remain cautious.”
Zhuge Hyeon nodded at Ak Sogun’s words.
Baek Socheon nodded along with them, but he knew the truth.
His son’s death would not cause Yeom Hwasin even the slightest anger.
What they truly needed to worry about was his fury over the failure of his plan.
Even so, Baek Socheon believed Yeom Hwasin would keep his promise.
Yeom Hwasin had been genuinely impressed that Baek Socheon had uncovered the scheme.
The only reason he had calmly allowed Baek Socheon to examine the corpse was because Baek Socheon himself had been the one trying to expose the plot.
If not for the peculiar emotions Yeom Hwasin held toward him, there was no chance the man would have cooperated so readily.
In any case, Baek Socheon believed Yeom Hwasin would keep his promise as a kind of reward.
It was only a feeling.
A strange emotional understanding existed between Yeom Hwasin and himself that no one else could possibly comprehend, so Baek Socheon could not explain it to anyone.
After speaking with Ak Sogun and Zhuge Hyeon, Baek Socheon sought out Ban Wolryang to thank him.
“If the Divine Physician hadn’t helped me, I never could have achieved this result. Thank you very much.”
“Fortunately, it happened to be a poison I knew. I’m simply glad I could be of help.”
Ban Wolryang smiled happily.
What had happened today was something he could boast about for the rest of his life.
“You prevented a war, Divine Physician.”
“That is far too much praise. If not for you, there would never have been an opportunity for me to help in the first place.”
Ban Wolryang felt even happier because he had personally watched Baek Socheon’s recovery from his injuries more closely than almost anyone.
“Please continue looking after the martial world from now on.”
Seeing the faint smile on Baek Socheon’s face, Ban Wolryang immediately regretted his final words.
He was asking someone who had already saved the martial world once to save it yet again.
Forgive me. But please save it just one more time.
News of Baek Socheon’s spar had already spread to everyone outside as well.
Cheers erupted beyond the walls.
“Martial Artist Baek won!”
“The hero has returned!”
“Baek Socheon is back!”
The entire area around Wuhan practically turned into a festival.
To celebrate Baek Socheon’s victory, the Martial Alliance subsidized the nearby inns and taverns, providing unlimited free alcohol and food.
“Long live the Martial Alliance!”
“Long live Baek Socheon!”
Since the outbreak of the war, the martial artists of the Orthodox faction had never gathered together for a celebration.
That only made the assembled heroes even happier as they became swept up in the festive atmosphere.
Inside the Martial Alliance, a victory banquet was held with the invited martial artists.
Baek Socheon attended and exchanged greetings with them.
Truthfully, he had no desire whatsoever to attend a banquet and flaunt his victory, but for Ak Sogun and the alliance, he did not refuse.
After all, these were people who had come to watch his fight.
They were also the people who supported and sustained the Orthodox faction.
Some possessed admirable chivalry and righteousness, while others placed nothing above their own personal interests.
But every single one of them was precious.
They formed the core of the Orthodox faction.
Like them or hate them, without these people, there would be no way to fight the Cheukcheon Alliance.
“That was truly incredible.”
“You were magnificent!”
“Please remember my name! Someday, I’ll become someone like you, Hero Baek!”
Every martial artist present wanted at least the chance to shake Baek Socheon’s hand.
None of them had expected Baek Socheon, who had no internal energy, to fight so well.
Moreover, the process of uncovering the poisoning had been even more gripping than the spar itself.
This match had given everyone an opportunity to reevaluate Baek Socheon.
Considering the skill he had displayed today, dismissing him merely because he lacked internal energy would be sheer stupidity.
When it came time for Baek Socheon to speak about his victory, he addressed everyone with a warning.
“As all of you already know, there is a high possibility that the Cheukcheon Alliance will start another war.”
Everyone nodded with worried expressions.
“Yeom Hwasin desires the unification of the martial world so badly that he was willing to sacrifice even his own son. If war breaks out, he will annihilate the Orthodox faction. There will be nowhere to hide. He will search through the mountains and even distant coastal villages until he has exterminated every last trace of the Orthodox faction. That is why all of us must unite as one and combine our strength.”
Many of the renowned masters present had fought alongside Baek Socheon in the previous war.
They had sincerely lamented the fact that he had lost his internal energy.
But after seeing him fight today, they felt he would still be more than capable of fulfilling an important role on the battlefield.
“If war does break out, you should join us again. Even if you cannot stand at the front, you could command from the rear, couldn’t you?”
One person’s wish was everyone’s wish.
“Yes. I will.”
Of course, Baek Socheon had no intention of allowing that to happen.
Before another war broke out, he intended to settle things with Yeom Hwasin one way or another.
If Yeom Hwasin kept his promise, then that confrontation would take place exactly one year from now.
Once Baek Socheon decided he had remained at the banquet long enough, he quietly slipped away.
***
Cheongeuk was standing in Baek Socheon’s secret training ground.
With her hands clasped behind her back, she gazed up at the night sky.
Stars glittered between the cliffs surrounding the place.
Baek Socheon soon arrived.
Without turning around, she said,
“I couldn’t even watch your spar because I was busy keeping an eye on that bastard.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine. The outcome was decided from the beginning anyway. He’s asleep right now.”
Naturally, she had left the Guardian Killing Stars to watch Pa jeong’s quarters.
There was always a chance he might move during the night.
Only then did Cheongeuk turn around with a bright smile.
“Congratulations on your victory.”
“Thanks.”
The congratulations pleased him more than any others he had received.
The moment he saw her smiling face, it felt as though he had escaped the martial world filled with endless schemes and conspiracies.
Even though she herself was someone standing at the very center of that world.
“I heard what happened on the sparring stage. If it had been anyone other than you, no one could have taken a gamble like that in that situation.”
“If my opponent had been anyone else, I couldn’t have done it.”
It had only been possible because the other man was Yeom Hwasin.
“You’re the complete opposite of everyone else. Most people would say that because it was Yeom Hwasin, no one would ever dare do something like that.”
Baek Socheon chuckled.
“At least we’ve gained a year.”
“If they keep their promise.”
She looked at Baek Socheon and casually remarked,
“To be honest, war is actually better for us.”
“I know.”
“And yet I’m helping you prevent one with everything I have. If the assassins find out, they might throw me out.”
“They won’t.”
“Why? Because they’ll think I made this choice for the sake of the assassins?”
If war broke out, the Assassins Alliance would make enormous amounts of money.
But just as many assassins would die in the process.
There was certainly a valid justification for preventing the war.
“No.”
“Then why?”
“Because you’re pretty.”
Cheongeuk stared blankly for a moment before bursting into laughter.
“That’s the correct answer! Let’s have a drink to celebrate.”
Cheongeuk had already prepared alcohol and food.
Just like before, she had even brought beautiful, high-quality dishes.
Whenever Baek Socheon noticed these thoughtful little details about her, he was reminded anew that she was a woman.
“You didn’t drink at the banquet?”
“I had a feeling I’d be drinking with you.”
“You’ve practically become a fortune-teller. You even knew I’d be waiting here with alcohol.”
“Apparently.”
The two clinked their cups energetically and drank.
“I really like this place. It would be nice to build a house here someday and live here.”
Cheongeuk had sometimes thought that if she ever left the Assassins Alliance, she would like to live somewhere like this.
If she wanted to disappear and live where no one could find her, there would be few places better than this.
Baek Socheon occasionally sensed it.
There were times when she too wanted to leave the chaos of reality behind.
Of course she did.
She was a woman serving as the leader of a group of ruthless assassins.
“Still, I was really shocked. He actually killed his own child? Are you sure Yeom Sawon was really his biological son? No, even if he wasn’t, that’s still insane.”
Cheongeuk shook her head.
She too had wanted Yeom Sawon dead.
But after seeing him die at the hands of his own father, she could not feel completely satisfied about it.
“Why does a lunatic like that like you so much?”
“Does it look like he likes me?”
“Doesn’t he? He clearly sees you as someone special.”
“Seeing someone as special and liking them are probably two different emotions.”
“Then what does he feel toward you?”
Baek Socheon had considered that question himself, but it was impossible to define the emotion in a single word.
“If he actually liked me, he probably wouldn’t be planning to kill me. But he will definitely try to kill me.”
Cheongeuk nodded.
“That’s a relief. I really don’t want to get into a love triangle with a lunatic like that over you.”
Baek Socheon chuckled at her ridiculous remark.
“By the way, did you find out who Pa jeong has been meeting?”
“Yes. During the two days I watched him, he visited four places in total.”
Cheongeuk handed him a sheet of paper.
It contained detailed records of exactly when and where Pa jeong had gone.
“You’re thorough.”
“If you want to survive a long time as an assassin, you have to be.”
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it.”
“Was it dangerous?”
“I only watched from a distance.”
There was a reason she had been able to do that.
“As you can see, the entire time I watched him, he never did anything conspicuous. He just wandered around the alliance grounds taking walks.”
“That makes it even more suspicious. What the hell is he wandering around for?”
“Do you think he realized he was being watched?”
“I doubt it.”
Baek Socheon trusted Cheongeuk’s concealment skills.
Moreover, they had given Pa jeong no indication whatsoever that he was under suspicion.
If Pa jeong suspected that others were watching him, then simply remaining inside his quarters would have been the better way to avoid suspicion.
“He’s busy plotting something. That’s why he couldn’t even watch the spar. No matter how uninterested someone is in other people’s affairs, wouldn’t anyone watch a match like this one?”
“Exactly. It definitely felt strange.”
“Where was he while the spar was happening?”
While everyone’s attention was focused on the spar, surely Pa jeong would have taken the opportunity to infiltrate somewhere that was normally difficult to access.
But Cheongeuk’s answer was unexpected.
“As you can see there, he was in the Outer Court. Do you think he was examining the alliance’s security network?”
“Examining the defenses of the Outer Court instead of the Inner Court would be meaningless. And simply walking around and memorizing what he sees would be even more pointless.”
What truly mattered were hidden mechanisms and the locations of martial artists lying in ambush.
And even then, the defenses of the Inner Court were what mattered.
“Then why was he wandering around instead of even watching the spar?”
“That’s what we need to find out now.”
Baek Socheon recalled the second condition Meol Jiryun had mentioned.
—My second condition is that even after he withdraws, please allow me to remain at the Martial Alliance for a while. I don’t need to marry you. Just let me stay until Yeom Sawon gives up on me.
Her request to remain at the Martial Alliance meant there was still more work left to be done.
Therefore, they still had time to uncover the conspiracy.
“Thanks for helping me this time.”
“I’m the one who should be thanking you. I made a lot of money because of you.”
“Oh, right. How much did you make?”
“Want to know?”
Cheongeuk spread both arms wide.
There were many possible rewards for victory in a martial arts duel.
Fame.
Money.
A treasured sword.
A precious elixir.
Or perhaps a position of authority.
But what she gave him was a magnificent reward unlike anything else in the world, incomparable to all of those things.
That day, Baek Socheon learned that Cheongeuk had earned three hundred thousand nyang from the wager.