Chapter 139 Hidden Blade-2

Chapter 139: Hidden Blade-2

At that moment, Seon Woo Yeon-hwan was meeting a young master swordsman named Baek Sang-yu, newly recruited by his maternal family, the Yun Clan.

Seon Woo-yeon crossed her arms and asked him in a cold voice.

“What brings you here again, Master Baek?”

But beneath her cold facade, her heart fluttered slightly.

It was only their second meeting, but he was truly a man so handsome his face seemed to glow.

Though Seonwoo Yeonha was accustomed to the looks of her brothers, famed in the neighborhood as the handsome brothers, his appearance seemed truly in a league of its own.

And now, he was smiling beautifully at her.

“I came because I missed you, young lady.”

It was the kind of remark that made my heart skip a beat.

Just like during their first meeting, this man casually tossed out such words without a second thought.

Seon Woo Yeon coldly retorted, thinking that if she hadn’t already given her heart to Jeong In, she would have fallen for him completely.

“I’m speechless. Does the Seo Clan not manage its recruited warriors these days?”

That bold retort made Baek Sang-yu, formerly known as the First Prince of Sicheon, burst out laughing.

“Hahahaha! As always, your reply surpasses my expectations, young lady! Hahahaha!”

Kyu Yu-sang had never once seen a woman who could speak to him like this.

Every woman had always clung to him relentlessly, just from seeing his face once.

That’s why Koo Yoo-sang genuinely found talking with Seon Woo-yeonha enjoyable.

He smiled faintly and asked again.

“Do you not think I might be someone quite important to the Yun family?”

Every time he saw her smile, it seemed to radiate light, and he felt himself drawn in without realizing it. Yet Seonwoo Yeonha tried hard to keep his emotions firmly in check.

‘My heart already belongs to someone else. This guy is just a passing stranger.’

Repeating this to herself, Seon Woo Yeon-hwan managed to reply in a cold voice.

“Important? Unless you’re the head of the family, the important people in the clan are busier, aren’t they? You’re not suggesting someone more important than the head of the family, are you?”

While that was technically true, Gu Yoo-sang merely smiled faintly.

The young lady’s sullen pout was utterly adorable, like a playful kitten showing off its antics.

Gu Yoo-sang smiled faintly, gazing at Seon Woo-yeon-ha with gentle eyes.

Then, as if she could no longer bear it, Seon Woo Yeon-ha hurriedly changed the subject.

“And now is not the time to be so relaxed. Word will spread soon, but Father has decided to name the eldest brother as his successor.”

Seon Woo Yeon-ha’s intention hit the mark.

At those words, Gu Yu-sang’s expression froze solid.

“The eldest brother… Are you saying they’ve made Seonwoo Seong the heir to the Seonwoo family?”

“It hasn’t been officially decided yet, but it’s practically a done deal. He said he’ll choose the successor based solely on martial arts skill in a duel this week. With my eldest brother’s skill already at the top intermediate level, the other brothers won’t stand a chance. You should return to the estate quickly, inform the head of the household, and devise a countermeasure. Important recruit?”

Gu Yousang frowned.

Originally, the Yun clan, Seonwoo Yeonha’s maternal family, had been backing the fourth son, Seonwoo Gi.

Seonwoo Gi’s maternal family, the Seogi Clan, was weak in power. Since Seonwoo Yeonha, whose maternal family was the powerful Un Clan, was a woman and thus ineligible to be an heir, the two factions had united to oppose Seonwoo Seong, the eldest son, and Seonwoo Hyeok, whose maternal family was the Ha Clan.

Therefore, Gu Yousang was also contemplating seizing control of the Seonwoo clan through Seonwoo Yeonha and Seonwoo Gi.

But suddenly deciding the successor like that…

‘That’s strange. Up until now, they hadn’t chosen an heir precisely because they were wary of backlash from other factions. Did they suddenly find a way to suppress that resistance?’

Gu Yu-sang, having thought that, asked Seon Woo-yeon-ha again.

“Could you elaborate on the situation?”

Seonwoo Yeonha then told him about the duel he had promised with the Zhuge Clan, and how he had decided that regardless of victory or defeat, he would become part of the Zhuge family.

‘The Zhuge Clan! So that’s how it was.’

If he had chosen to align himself with the Zhuge Clan, he certainly wouldn’t have needed to worry about the reactions of other factions.

After all, the Zhuge Clan was a colossal power operating on a completely different level from the mere factions dominating Guizhou.

And that was undoubtedly a difficult situation for Gu Yousang, who had been targeting the Xianwu Clan.

It was because he knew he’d have no choice but to back off if the Zhuge family was involved.

It seemed some kind of countermeasure was necessary.

Then Seon Woo Yeonha spoke again.

“And a few days later…”

Just as Seonwoo Yeonha was about to speak of Seonwoo Jung and Seonwoo Seong’s visit to the clan headquarters,

Suddenly, a voice like someone’s wail echoed through the room.

“Yeon-haaaaa!”

Seonwoo Yeonha and Gu Yoo-sang suddenly looked in that direction and saw Seonwoo Jin, looking almost like a rag, running toward them, sobbing.

“Young-ha! Ki-ga, that bastard beat me to a pulp like this?! If you’d been here, you would’ve stopped him! I thought my brother was going to die!”

Gyu-sang frowned at his pitiful state and asked.

“Who is that guy?”

Seonwoo Yeonha answered, looking at Seonwoo Jin with a pitying gaze.

“He’s my third brother, back on leave from the front lines. He’d lost so much weight I thought he might have changed, but seeing him now, he’s the same idiot as ever.”

Yet, a hint of relief lingered in Seonwoo Yeonha’s eyes as she spoke.

I don’t know how he survived, but doesn’t his idiot older brother seem to be unaware that he poisoned the rice balls?

While Seonwoo Yeonha was thinking this, the battered Seonwoo Jin arrived before her, practically rolling across the ground.

“Yeon-ha! Ki-ga really tried to kill me!”

Sighing, Seonwoo Yeonha began to soothe him in a gentle voice.

“It’s okay, hyung. Ki hyung probably didn’t mean it that way. Look. You’re a mess, but nothing’s broken, right?”

“I-I guess so?”

“Yes, it’s fine. I’ll just apply some ointment for you, and you’ll be fine.”

“Well, yeah. You always heal well when you apply the medicine.”

Soon-woo Yeon-ha, who had soothed Soon-woo Jin like a child, now looked at Gu Yu-sang and said.

“I should probably go inside now. Stop talking nonsense and hurry back to the house. We need to come up with a plan.”

Gu Yu-sang, who had been staring at Seonwoo Jin as if he were a bug, nodded helplessly at her words and took off.

Because of that wretched man, I couldn’t steal Sunwoo Yeonha’s heart again today. I felt like killing him right then and there.

But he couldn’t do that yet.

Gu Yoo-sang resolved to crush that worm of a man later, deciding to return for now.

As she had said, now was the time to devise a plan.

And Seonwoo Jin watched Gu Yu-sang’s retreating back, smiling to herself.

It seemed he had succeeded in making a favorable first impression after all.

***

After quickly changing clothes, I headed to the indoor training hall to tackle the next schedule.

By now, the people I had asked my father to send would be waiting there.

The Seonwoo Clan had four elders, and the military force, the Shin Eungdae, also existed from the first to the fourth generation.

They were undoubtedly the core of the Sunwoo Clan’s power.

But…

‘Are they truly loyal only to the Seonwoo Clan?’

If someone asked this question, few could answer with confidence.

Of course, it was understandable.

After all, maintaining one’s original principles without getting swept up in the power struggles within the already turbulent Seonwoo Group couldn’t have been easy.

‘But just because I can understand it doesn’t mean I can accept it.’

As memories of a past life suddenly surfaced, his teeth ground together.

In my past life, when I had no choice but to become the head of the Sunwoo family, its power was already in tatters.

The elders and senior masters had each colluded with the maternal clans of different brothers, leading to defeat in the succession struggle, the clan’s collapse, or even outright betrayal of the Seonwoo Clan.

Knowing the future, I could never have left them be.

‘Before such things happen, those who can be disciplined must be disciplined, and those who will betray us must be eliminated beforehand.’

That was the thought I had at the moment.

But the people I was now requesting to meet with Father stood on the opposite side from those individuals.

The grateful people who steadfastly protected the crumbling Seonwoo family until I became its head in my past life—I was now going to meet them.

After all, uniting your allies comes before striking your enemies.

As I opened the door to the indoor training hall and stepped inside, my father, along with the Grand Elder Heo Jin-guk and the head of the Shin Eung-sa, Dam Mu-ho, were waiting with over fifty members of the Shin Eung-sa.

Father greeted me with a warm smile.

“You’re here, Jin-ah?”

“Yes, I was a bit late because I had to beat that brat. I’m sorry.”

Then he turned his gaze to the others.

Elder Heo Jin-guk and Shin Eungsa’s leader Dam Mu-ho then bowed respectfully to me.

“We greet the Third Young Master.”

“We greet the Third Young Master.”

But their expressions weren’t exactly bright.

It seemed they were not particularly pleased that I was the one they had gathered to meet.

The senior elder Heo Jin-guk asked me directly.

“But Master, what brings you here?”

He wielded the sword so skillfully that his right hand holding it appeared to have five fingers, earning him the nickname Five-Fingered Sword. Alongside his father, Seonwoo Jung, he was one of only two supreme masters in the Seonwoo clan.

With a stubborn personality and an inability to speak smoothly, he was known as a lone wolf who struggled with relationships and failed to build his own circle.

That’s why, in my past life, I hadn’t particularly liked him either.

But I knew now.

That he, who never compromised with others, had protected the Seonwoo family until the very end without yielding.

Therefore, he could not help but be someone I felt both deeply sorry for and profoundly grateful to.

Holding that feeling, I gazed at him for a moment before speaking.

“I wish to test the skills of the Elder and the Shin Eungsa-dae.”

He looked at me with an expression of utter bewilderment and asked again.

“You say you wish to test our skills? You, Third Young Master, who just said you were beaten by Fourth Young Master?”

If it was the country he knew, it was only natural to ask that.

He grinned and slowly drew his sword.

A warrior needed no words to prove himself.

“Haah!”

Whoosh!

In an instant, explosive sword energy erupted from the sword.

It was a sword energy so vast and vivid that even his father or the Grand Elder, who were merely at the threshold of their peak, could not dare to approach it.

“Whoa!”

“Th-th-that!”

“Wh-what about Third Young Master?!”

This alone should be enough to prove myself.

But I had no intention of stopping here.

Concentrating my energy, I swung my sword and unleashed it all at once.

Sunwoo Thirteen Swords, Fourteenth Strike.

Phoenix Manifestation.

Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

From my sword, a great azure phoenix spread its wings wide and soared upward, beating its wings.

Then it began to fiercely descend upon the Grand Elder and the Divine Response Corps members.

Piiiiiiiiiiii!

“Ugh?!”

“Aaaaaah!”

Terrified, they instinctively shielded their eyes with their hands.

It was an instinctive reaction, as they hadn’t even had time to draw their swords.

But at that very moment, I let out another battle cry.

“Haah!”

The phoenix, changing direction in an instant, soared toward the roof.

CRASH!

Now the people inside were too horrified to utter a sound.

They could only stare blankly at the gaping hole in the roof where the phoenix had burst through.

I grinned and spoke again.

“You’d better do your best. Unless you want to be scolded by me, who heard the shameful rumors about the Seonwoo family.”

Then, among the people staring at me with blank expressions, I caught sight of my father’s face, the only one looking at me with a deeply moved expression.

It felt like I was being filial for the first time in my life.

***

The Ha Clan, based in Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou Province, was the strongest martial arts clan in Guiyang, sharing control with the Sun Clan—or rather, having once shared it, but now effectively ruling it outright.

And now, two elite military units of the Ha Clan, comprising over a hundred warriors, were preparing to deploy simultaneously.

The head of the Ha Clan, Ha Guyang, addressed the leaders of the White Tiger Division and the Second Division, who were just about to depart.

According to intelligence, only the head of the Sunwoo clan, Sunwoo Jung, and his eldest son, Sunwoo Seong, are heading to Dangjagang. We’ve verified this multiple times, and given that neither the elders nor the military forces have moved, this much seems certain. But don’t let your guard down. Though the Sunwoo clan has fallen into decline, the Sunwoo Thirteen Swords are no trivial sword techniques. And that Sunwoo Jung is no pushover either.

“Yes! Master!”

“Yes! Master!”

Over twenty years ago, the Seonwoo Clan, a rival of the Ha Clan, suffered the worst possible outcome during a battle against the evil forces of the Dark Sect: their masters were all wiped out.

And it was nothing short of a golden opportunity for the rival Ha clan, which had been sharing the exile with the Sunwoo clan.

But Ha Gyu-yang, who had already become the family head by then, could not easily decide to strike the Seonwoo family.

Having long observed the Sunwoo Clan’s latent strength, he knew that even if weakened, attacking them would require preparing for significant damage. Above all, it was because there was simply no justification for the righteous faction to attack the Sunwoo Clan, which had been weakened while fending off the evil forces of the heretical faction.

So Haguyang had no choice but to settle for accepting the marriage proposal from the Seonwoo family that had conveniently come along.

But the outcome turned out to be quite satisfying.

‘It was a reluctant choice, but looking back now, it was actually quite a good decision.’

Over the next twenty-odd years, the gap in power between the two sides only widened as time passed.

And above all, through her position as Seonwoo Jung’s father-in-law and her connection with the daughter who married into his family, Haguyang gained sufficient leverage to control the Seonwoo family at will.

So now, if only his grandson Seonwoo Hyuk would become the head of the Seonwoo family, he felt he could finally complete the perfect subjugation of the Seonwoo clan.

But then…

Haguyang gritted his teeth as he thought.

‘How dare that bastard Seonwoo Jung hand over the succession to someone backed by a dog like Gaeyangmun?’

For Haguyang, it was utterly unacceptable.

It meant losing the Seonwoo Clan, which he had thought was almost within his grasp.

Moreover, according to his daughter’s report, it seemed they even had plans to affiliate with the Zhugye family.

He absolutely could not stand idly by.

Haguyang once again urged the leaders of the White Tiger Brigade.

“Remember this well, remember it again. You must kill Sunwoo Jung and his son Sunwoo Seong, and absolutely leave no trace of us. It must be made to look like they were killed by the Dan family, who harbored a grudge. Do you understand?!”

At his repeated insistence, the leaders of the White Tiger Corps shouted in unison.

“Yes! Master! Do not worry!”

Only then did Ha Gyu-yang nod his head in satisfaction.

In truth, he was utterly certain that even without going to such lengths, failure was impossible.

With a hundred elite warriors from the White Tiger Division, including the division commander Gan Jong-chi and the division’s chief strategist Lee Dae-ju, there’s no way they couldn’t kill just two men.

Haguyang grinned greedily.

It seemed the day to subjugate the Sunwoo Clan was drawing near.