Chapter 147 The Trap-2

Chapter 147: The Trap-2

Several days passed since Seonwoo Jung declared he would marry Seonwoo Yeonha off to Gaeyangmun. Once again, he gathered his people.

This time, not only the Seonwoo family members, but also the elders, chiefs, and even the people of the Jegal family were all present.

And before them all, he made yet another bombshell announcement.

“A few days ago, I sent a letter to the Gaeyang Gate requesting they find a young man to marry our Yeonha. And today, the reply arrived. According to the reply, it seems the Gaeyang Gate has already selected several suitable young men.”

Hearing this, the people exchanged startled glances.

The elders and deacons who heard this news for the first time today, and even those who had heard the bombshell announcement days earlier, were left reeling from the sheer urgency of the situation.

Moreover, Seonwoo Jung’s words continued unabated.

“That is why I intend to send Yeonha directly to Gaeyangmun this time. Yeonha, go to Gaeyangmun, meet with them, and choose a suitable young man for yourself.”

Seonwoo Jung’s words were enough to astonish everyone.

But no one could have been as shocked as Seonwoo Yeonha.

No reply had yet come from her maternal grandfather, yet events were unfolding with such urgency.

At that very moment, she felt as if she had been struck by a bolt from the blue.

Her face went completely pale, and she couldn’t utter a single word.

But despite Seonwoo Yeonha’s reaction, Seonwoo Jung no longer paid her any attention.

He simply turned his gaze back to his eldest son, Seonwoo Sung, and said this.

“This time, have Seong-i take Yeon-ha with him to visit Gaeyangmun. It would be proper for me to go myself, but with so much work at the estate, it seems utterly impossible. What do you say? As acting head of the household, could you go in my place?”

Seonwoo Seong’s face lit up brightly upon hearing the question.

To go in the head of the household’s stead? Seonwoo Seong had no reason to refuse such an opportunity.

He answered confidently without hesitation.

“Yes! Of course, Father!”

Sunwoo Yeon-hyeon found herself staring blankly at her fourth brother, Sunwoo Gi, without realizing it.

But he merely cleared his throat and avoided her gaze.

All of this felt like a dream to her.

A bad dream she wanted to wake up from quickly.

But despite her desperate wish, the dream still continued.

Then the third child, Seon Woo-jin, asked with a bright expression.

“Father! Could I possibly come along too?!”

Seonwoo-jung looked puzzled and asked.

“Huh? You, Jin?”

At his sudden question, the rest of the family frowned.

Their expressions seemed to say, ‘What nonsense is that idiot going to spout now?’

But it felt awkward to scold him while he was talking to Seonwoo-jung.

So everyone watched the conversation unfold without saying a word.

Then, looking strangely excited, Sunwoo Jin said with an innocent expression,

“Father, when Yeonha chooses her partner, I want to be right there by her side too!”

At his reply, the entire family sneered with expressions of utter disbelief.

Who was Seonwoo Jin to say he’d be there when Seonwoo Yeonha chose a husband?

But only his father, Seonwoo Jung, responded to his absurd request with a pleased smile.

“Jin, you have such a big heart for your sister. Well then, let’s do it that way.”

Then, at Seonwoo Jung’s unexpectedly positive response, the family members couldn’t help but look awkward.

They never imagined Seonwoo Jung would agree to such a request.

At that moment, Seonwoo Jin added one more sentence.

“How about bringing Young Master Zhuge along too? Since you’ll be sparring with Brother Seong anyway, wouldn’t it be nice for him to see his maternal family’s Gaeyang Gate?”

At this sudden proposal, everyone’s gaze instantly turned to Zhuge Xueyu.

The change in Seonwoo Seong’s expression, who had been frowning at the idea of going with Seonwoo Jin, was particularly dramatic.

He exclaimed hurriedly.

“Oh! That sounds like a great idea!”

The thought of going to Gaeyangmun with Jegal Seoyul alone made it seem like an utterly fantastic journey.

At least in this moment, Seon Woo-jin couldn’t have looked more beautiful.

Then, startled by the sudden attention focused on him, Zhuge Xueyu suddenly looked at Seon Woo-jin.

His face, that disgusting, innocent-looking smile that hid what he was scheming.

His gaze seemed to be asking this very question.

“How dare you think you can follow me, young lady?”

For some reason, just seeing his face now made Jegal Seo-yul furious.

She wanted to smash that mask to pieces somehow.

So, clenching her teeth in secret, Zhuge Xiyu finally nodded.

“Yes, that sounds interesting. I’ll go to Gaeyangmun too.”

“Ooooh! Excellent decision, young lady!”

Sunwoo Sung couldn’t help but cheer.

The fourth son, Seonwoo Gi, was about to say he would go too, but when his eyes met Seonwoo Yeonha’s, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

And behind them, Seon Woo-jin was smiling meaningfully.

It meant he could bring the Zhuge family along as observers to the bait that would lure the Blood Sect.

He was extremely curious to see how the Zhuge family would react upon learning of the Blood Sect’s control over the Yun family.

He was also curious about Seonwoo Yeonha’s actions, who must now feel cornered.

***

“Why? Why haven’t I heard anything?”

Sun Woo Yeon-ha had holed up in her room, biting her nails, and kept muttering that to herself.

Last time, the reply had come almost immediately. Maybe it was just a feeling, but this time, the reply was taking far too long.

“There’s really no time left now…”

Seonwoo Jung had already ordered her to depart for Gaeyangmun in just two days.

So if she delayed any longer, even if a reply came from the Yun family estate, it might be useless.

That was when it happened.

From the back garden connected to her room, a low voice suddenly came from outside the door.

“Young-ha, Miss. Your maternal grandfather sent this.”

“!”

She jumped to her feet.

The long-awaited message had finally arrived.

She couldn’t have been happier.

So she jumped up and tried to rush outside.

But a voice immediately stopped her.

“Please speak quietly there. Others might overhear us.”

Seon Woo Yeon-hwan hesitated at those words but agreed.

Being overheard by others was absolutely unacceptable.

Then it suddenly occurred to her that last time, they hadn’t come this way.

But her mind was too frantic to dwell on it.

The voice asked again.

“My maternal grandfather asked what kind of help he needed.”

At that quiet question, Seon Woo-yeon choked up and snapped back in irritation.

“You’re asking me that?! They’re forcing me to marry someone from the Yangmun clan! I have to stop it!”

Then the voice asked again.

“So you’re asking me to stop your marriage to the Gaeyangmun family. How exactly do you propose I do that?”

Faced with this counterquestion, Seon Woo-yeon replied as if utterly flabbergasted.

“Ha! That’s for you to figure out! You handled it just fine back then, didn’t you!”

After a brief silence, the voice asked again.

“When you say ‘back then,’ do you mean like when you killed Dan Ha-sang of the Dan family?”

To that question, Seon Woo Yeon-ha answered with a vicious expression.

“Yes, Danhasang. Just like when we killed him and framed that cripple.”

Suddenly, I remembered when my third brother, that idiot, insisted on marrying me off to his friend.

How utterly ridiculous it had been.

Back then, Seonwoo Yeon-hyeon had demanded that the person from the Yun clan, who had vowed to kill Danha-sang, frame Seonwoo Jin instead.

To prevent Seonwoo Jin from doing such a thing again.

Then a voice outside the door answered.

“Understood. I’ll handle it accordingly.”

Then his presence vanished completely.

He must have left.

“Haah!”

Seon Woo-yeon could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

She never doubted for a moment that everything would be handled just as well as it had been back then.

***

At the same time, beyond the fence in her backyard, three men stood gathered, their expressions grave as they spoke.

One of them, Seon Woo-jin, spoke.

“You’ve been through a lot, Brother Dan. It must have been unbearable…”

Then, Dan Ha-seon, the eldest son of the Dan family who had just been conversing with Seonwoo Yeon-ha, shook his head with a hollow laugh.

“Not at all. You’re the one who had to bear the false accusation of killing a friend. You’ve endured much hardship all this time.”

Seon Woo-jin had already requested a reinvestigation of the incident where Dan Ha-sang died through Hao Mun’s No Sam-ryong.

And through reverse-tracing the shop assistants and courtesans who had been bribed at the time, Noh Sam-ryong was able to uncover the involvement of the Yun family in that incident.

Finally, the true culprit who had killed Seon Woo-jin’s friend Dan Ha-sang had been found.

Yet, questions still lingered.

‘Elder Sa Yo Du-myeon, who was cooperating with the Yun Clan, knew absolutely nothing about it. Surely we provided the information and made them act, yet…’

It was known that Elder Sa Yodumyeon was currently ill, but in fact, he was being held captive somewhere.

This was because they had not publicly revealed his status as a traitor in order to deceive the Yun Clan.

However, upon discovering that he knew nothing about Danhasang’s death, Seonwoojin concluded that besides Yodumeon, there was another individual connected to the Yun Clan.

He narrowed down the list to three prime suspects.

‘Fifth Mother Yun Buin, the Third Master Gong Do-gyeong, and Yeonha. It must be one of these three.’

So Seonwoo Jin had Seonwoo Jung declare in front of the family that he would marry Seonwoo Yeonha off.

This was to observe the actions of Lady Yun and Seonwoo Yeonha.

Following Seonwoo Yeonha, whose gaze had been unusually intense at that moment, Seonwoo Jin finally witnessed her sending a messenger pigeon and Jik Mahyeok intercepting it.

He had found another connection to the Yun family.

Seonwoo Jung, standing outside the wall with a grave expression, suddenly sighed and spoke.

“It’s all my fault. My shortcomings killed your brother and framed Jin. I don’t know how I can ever make amends.”

Dan Ha-seon shook his head at those words and comforted him.

“No, Lord Seonwoo. Now that the unjust death has been revealed, Ha-sang can rest in peace. Of course… vengeance must be sought.”

At his words, Seonwoo Jung also nodded sharply with a piercing gaze.

“Yes, revenge is certainly necessary. If you wish to take revenge on Yeonha immediately, I could let you have him. Even if you tear him to shreds, I won’t hold it against you.”

Then Dan Ha-seon shook her head and replied.

“I wish I could, but… I believe Jin-yi’s plan comes first. Killing that child alone won’t be enough for revenge.”

With that, Dan Ha-seon and Seon Woo-jung turned to look at Seon Woo-jin. Their gazes held the unspoken question: What now?

Seonwoo Jin then bowed his head toward Dan Ha-seon and said.

“It must be difficult to hold back in front of your enemy. Thank you so much, Brother Ha-seon. I will make sure you can take revenge on all your enemies.”

Dan Ha-seon nodded with a fiery gaze at Seon Woo-jin’s promise.

“I believe you.”

***

The office of the Yun Clan in Geumsa, Gwiju Province.

Gu Yushang, a man of jade-like beauty once hailed as Sichuan’s foremost gentleman, the White Jade Dragon, read a report sent by Luo Sanlong, the Guiyang Branch Chief of Hao Wen, in his office.

“So they plan to marry Seonwoo Yeonha off to the Gaeyang Gate.”

A deep frown formed at the corners of Gu Yushang’s mouth as he muttered this.

Then, Chu Hotaek, the Blood Demon of Yama seated beside him, spoke to him.

“Yes, it seems they’re sending her directly to Gaeyangmun to select a husband. This likely signifies the Seonwoo clan’s intent to eliminate the Yun clan’s influence within the family. It will also serve to bolster the legitimacy of that firstborn, Seonwoo Seong. That clan head, Seonwoo Jung, seems to have made up his mind. His recent maneuver to swallow up the Ha clan suggests he’s quite capable.”

At those words, Gu Yousang slowly nodded his head.

“Well, seeing how he managed to drag things this far, he certainly has some skill. The fact that he used the Zhuge family to create a pretext, even though they didn’t do anything significant, speaks to that. And besides… I find it odd that this information leaked so easily and quickly. It’s almost as if someone wanted us to hear it and respond quickly.”

At that, the Blood Demon General Chukhotak asked with a puzzled expression.

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

At his question, Gu Yousang began to unravel his thoughts as if talking to himself.

Looking at the content alone, it was a series of steps to push Seonwoo Sung as the successor. But the information spread far too easily. If they had anticipated the backlash from the Yun clan, they should have maintained tighter security around that news.

Then, smiling as if amused, he continued.

“Doesn’t this seem like urging the Yun Clan to act quickly? Moreover, Seonwoo Seong, a strong candidate for successor, is heading to Gaeyangmun with Seonwoo Yeonha? Doesn’t it feel like offering a ritual to invite an attack from rivals?”

“Then what does the Master say?”

Gu Yousang flashed a sharp look and answered.

“To me, it looks like they’re trying to pit the Gaeyang Gate against the Yun Clan. They’re eliminating every external force that could influence the Seonwoo Clan.”

“Hmm.”

Then, after a moment of deep thought, Chuk Ho-tak, who had been listening intently to Gu Yu-sang’s words, cautiously spoke again.

“But… wouldn’t that mean even Seonwoo Sung, the eldest son, would fall? If he’s eliminated too, the only one left to inherit the Seonwoo family would be the fourth son, Seonwoo Gi, who’s connected to Seogidang. Surely Seonwoo Joong must know that Seogidang has allied with the Yun Clan? Moreover, the timing is far too close to suggest they leaked the information to provoke an attack on Seonwoo Seong. It seems as if it could happen tomorrow—isn’t that far too short a time to prepare for an assault?”

At his question, Gu Yousang’s mouth curved into a deep, sharp smile again.

“True, there’s not enough time for an ambush midway. Unless they attack the Gaeyang Gate itself.”

“That’s correct. But unless they knew we had taken control of the Yun Clan, it wouldn’t be easy for them to think the Yun Clan would attack the Gaeyang Gate.”

The blood-sucking demon, No Josong, who wasn’t very good at thinking and had stayed out of such conversations, cautiously asked.

“But doesn’t the Sunwoo Clan have another son? The one who took leave from the front lines. If they intend to make that man the successor…?”

At that, Gu Yousang chuckled and retorted.

“Another son? That worm-like bastard Seonwoo Jin?”

Suddenly, the pathetic sight of Seonwoo Jin he’d seen back then flashed through his mind.

The one who had been beaten to a pulp by his younger brother and had come running to Seonwoo Yeonha with a face that looked like he was about to cry.

Gu Yoo-sang shook his head and said to Noh Jo-song.

“I saw that bastard myself. Unless Seonwoo Jung has lost his mind, I doubt he’d pick someone like that as his successor.”

“Ah, is that so?”

As Noh Jo-song scratched his head and stepped back again, Chuk Ho-tak asked Gu Yu-sang.

“So what will you do? Will the Seonwoo family give up?”

Gu Yoo-sang smiled faintly and replied.

“That’s impossible. Didn’t I report to His Majesty that I’d soon take over the Sunwoo family? Besides, I haven’t even held my precious little kitten yet—I can’t just hand it over to some other guy.”

“Then what?”

Gu Yoo-sang’s eyes flashed sharply for a moment.

“For now, we’ll play along with his intentions. Old Pine Tree!”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Lead about five peak-level warriors and the guards to Gaeyang Gate. Go there and erase that place and that bastard Seonwoo Seong!”

“Yes, Master!”

Bloodsucking Demon Master No Josong was a master with over ninety years of cultivation.

That he was leading five peak masters and other warriors meant that a place like Gaeyang Gate, which didn’t have a single peak master, would undoubtedly be wiped out in an instant.

Then, Chukhotak, the Bloodthirsty Demon who craved the taste of blood, cautiously asked.

“Master, then what about me…?”

At his question, Gu Yousang gave a bitter smile.

“Chukhotak, you take the remaining peak masters and head to the Sunwoo Clan.”

At those words, Chukhotak asked with a puzzled expression.

“What? To the Sunwoo Clan?”

“Yes. He must pay the price for daring to mock us. Go and make sure that Sun Woo-jung stops scheming.”

Upon hearing this, Chukhotak’s face lit up brightly.

“Yes! Understood!”

“Ah, it’s fine to let him run wild, but we must still leave behind a shell we can use.”

Gu Yousang had no doubt whatsoever that his orders would be carried out exactly as commanded.

With over ninety years of cultivation, the blood-sucking demon master No Josong was nearing the pinnacle, while the blood-thirsty demon lord Chuk Hotak had already surpassed it. Against mere sects like the Gaeyang Sect and the Sunwoo Clan in Guizhou Province, their power was far too overwhelming.

In his mind, Sunwoo Jung and Sunwoo Sung were already dead men.

Gu Yousang murmured with a languid smile.

“Well then, after the Gaeyang Sect falls, perhaps I’ll go rescue that cute young lady? I wonder if she’ll still be able to bare her claws then.”