Chapter 21 : Seolyoung, Goes to Meet Lee Jaseung

Chapter 21: Seolyoung, Goes to Meet Lee Jaseung

Everyone’s eyes sparkled with intense interest. The incident involving Hae Ryang and Baek Seolyoung yesterday had already spread like wildfire among the spectators of the tournament.

And today, Hae Ryang blocked Lee Jaseung’s path and asked what his relationship with her was, which obviously meant one thing. The three of them were caught up in a love triangle.

They say the most entertaining thing in the world is watching a fight, but a fight between romantic rivals was truly a spectacle worth risking your life to see.

Lee Jaseung calmly stared back at Hae Ryang.

Hae Ryang flinched for a moment. Looking into the void-like eyes of Lee Jaseung gave him an unexpected chill of fear.

Because of that, he raised his voice sharply.

“Didn’t you hear me ask what kind of relationship you have with her?”

A cold smile curved on Lee Jaseung’s lips. He wasn’t taunting him on purpose. It was simply a habitual expression in such absurd situations like this.

But Hae Ryang took the bait perfectly.

“You dare mock me?”

Hae Ryang reflexively drew his sword.

Shing-

He stopped halfway through drawing it.

A voice transmission came in from his bodyguard.

-Starting a fight outside the arena may result in you getting disqualified.

Hae Ryang grinded his teeth. Lee Jaseung didn’t even show any sign of agitation despite him reaching for his sword.

‘You bastard!’

He wanted nothing more than to make him kneel right then and there, but the thought of disqualification was unbearable. Besides, many eyes were watching.

Hae Ryang spoke as he sheathed his sword.

“Fine, then let’s settle this like men tomorrow, in the tournament.”

They were going to meet again tomorrow anyway, and he was more than confident that he would win.

The onlookers’ eyes gleamed with excitement. Tomorrow’s match between the two was something they couldn’t afford to miss now.

Hae Ryang shouted, watching Lee Jaseung’s back as he walked away.

“Don’t even dream of running away!”

Lee Jaseung left the scene without giving a response.

Meanwhile, Hae Ryang waved to the audience, enjoying his fame.

* * *

At the same time, Baek Seolyoung was meeting Wang Gunbo in a secret room

He was the Head of the Flying Tigers, one of the seven pillars of the Northern Sky Clan. He was also one of the Heads that sided with Yang Sebang.

But today, he was returning his loyalty to Baek Seolyoung. He’d always wanted to support her, but he had reluctantly followed the tide and became a subordinate of Yang Sebang.

He had reached out to her again, promising loyalty if forgiven for his past mistakes. The decisive factor in his change of heart was the tournament of her marriage.

People generally shared one thought about the tournament.

She was truly desperate.

And they responded to that desperation in two ways.

First, some saw that desperation as a crisis. Added to that were feelings of unease and distrust toward the man who was to become Baek Seolyoung’s husband. This led to a single conclusion.

Baek Seolyoung was already doomed.

However, there was another group, those who saw her desperation as an opportunity for success.

What if the right person became her husband? What if the one who won was someone possessing both martial skill and power? What if they could drive Yang Sebang away after?

To ensure promotion, one had to line up behind her while she was still weak. The greater the risk, the greater the reward.

Wang Gunbo was one such person.

“Be wary of Elder Yang. He won’t just sit back and watch the tournament. He’ll try to interfere, or even put one of his men in it.”

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

It didn’t matter that Wang Gunbo had sided with Yang Sebang before.

This was about fishing out fish from a large pond named the Northern Sky Clan.

Yang Sebang may have caught many fish so far, but they still belonged to the pond, Northern Sky Clan. All she had to do was take them back before he could create his own pond.

No matter the organization, there was only a small group of people who were loyal to death.  

And politicians had to use that small group as a starting point to lead the vast majority of people who moved based on their own gain. That was what politics was.

No one could know which card was theirs which made this battle possible. If a truly formidable man became her husband, then Yang Sebang would rot like a broken rope.

Wang Gunbo even offered to write a pledge of loyalty, but Baek Seolyoung told him it wasn’t necessary. He was deeply moved when she said she sincerely trusted him.

After he left, Baek Seolyoung let out a sigh of relief. Many things have been going wrong lately, but she gained something today.

“Phew, this is difficult.”

Meeting people, gaining their trust, and winning their support was much easier said than done.

Then, Chu Sang-gi entered with an urgent look.

“There’s a problem.”

He reported on the incident between Hae Ryang and Lee Jaseung at the arena stage.

Before he could even finish, Baek Seolyoung slammed down on her desk irritably.

“Why is that idiot being like this?”

She believed her sharp warning last time was enough to stop him. But he ignored her yet again.

She realized how reckless and foolish a youth blinded by love could be. Perhaps she could’ve found it endearing in better times, but now wasn’t it.

“Strange rumors are spreading rapidly. What should we do?”

Baek Seolyoung bit her lips.

“What can we do? It’s already out. Trying to stop the rumors would only admit that I’m involved in a love triangle.”

Chu Sang-gi nodded in agreement.

If it were an ordinary clan, she would’ve applied some pressure on them, but this was none other than the Righteous Chivalrous Sword Clan.

“But what did that person say in return?”

“It didn’t seem like he said anything special.”

“Really? No talk about quitting the tournament either?”

“No.”

“What is he planning?”

Baek Seolyoung recalled Lee Jaseung in her mind, a man who was so called to her.

Why do I keep getting tangled with him?

Of course, she was the one who started all this. It was her who entered his guest room that night, and her who was hosting this tournament.

At that moment, Chu Sang-gi suddenly asked.

“Who will you support?”
“Is that even a question?”

When Baek Seolyoung made an angry expression, Chu Sang-gi lowered his head apologetically.

She sank into her chair and replied.

“I don’t care about either of them.”

Yet, before six hours had passed, her actions would contradict her words.

* * *

Lee Jaseung trained late into the night.

As always, he sacrificed his sleep to focus on training. Even that little time of rest was wasteful to him.

He worked on his Dagger of Unshakable Stillness again today. He mastered the technique of detonating the daggers by over-infusing it with Qi, and putting a layer of protection around it and letting it go at the perfect timing.

He was now practicing a step beyond. Recovering the Qi from the thrown daggers.

Just as walking up slowly is harder than flying quickly through air, recovering inner Qi was harder than injecting it into something.

Moreover, it only made it incredibly more difficult for daggers that had already left his hand.

But he had to master it no matter what. He discovered a problem with the exploding dagger technique.

For example, what if he threw the explosive dagger but someone rushed in the way? And what if that someone was an ally? They would inevitably die too.

Therefore, he needed the ability to prevent the explosion in emergencies.

Most would think ‘Would such a worst-case scenario happen often?’ or ‘Just be careful when using it.’

Because recovering inner Qi was considered impossible. Even if there was a way, it would be way too difficult.

But Lee Jaseung was different. He didn’t see it as impossible. Instead, he actually enjoyed the thought of doing the impossible. The harder it was, the more satisfying overcoming it was.

His method was to eliminate the protective layer at the same time as retrieving his Qi. It was an advanced technique derived from the ability to control and manipulate inner Qi emitted outward.

Swish.

The thrown dagger exploded lightly. He hadn’t fully recovered the Qi inside.

He threw the dagger again. Of course, he was only using ordinary daggers that were meant for throwing.

He couldn’t afford to use Asura for something like this.

Then, he suddenly wondered if Asura would explode. It definitely wouldn’t with a normal amount of Qi infused into it.

But what if he injects all his inner Qi into it? Would it still not explode? Of course, doing so would easily destroy the surrounding area up to hundreds of meters.

Lee Jaseung threw the dagger again. It exploded once again, but with a weaker force than last time. The amount of Qi being recovered was increasing.

How long had he trained for?

Swish! Thud!

The dagger flew and stuck in a rock. He had succeeded in fully recovering the inner Qi stored in it.

Lee Jaseung repeated the process once more. He succeeded again. Again, and again. After succeeding several times, he finally laid flat on the ground. He trained for so long that his body was aching.

But his mental exhilaration was indescribable.

“Hahahahaha!”

Lee Jaseung laughed loudly.

He usually didn’t laugh or smile often. But whenever he achieved his goal, he laughed heartedly. It was like he was rewarding himself for his effort.

Then, Mook Young, who had been waiting, revealed himself.

“A guest has come to visit you in the inn.”

“Who?”

“The Lord of the Northern Sky Clan.”

Lee Jaseung was shocked for a moment. He didn’t expect her to visit him.

“When did she come?”
“It’s been a couple hours.”

Mook Young didn’t interrupt Lee Jaseung as he was so absorbed in his training.

“She left a message that she would wait by the lake. I’m not sure if she is still there.”

* * *

She was standing at that spot, gazing at the moon’s reflection on the lake with a strangely deep look in her eyes, just like that day.

On her way, she had firmly told Chu Sang-gi that she wasn’t visiting him out of interest.

But she had waited for over two hours by now.

‘Why am I doing this?’

She debated leaving many times. Chu Sang-gi sent voice transmission twice, telling her to stop waiting. Such a noble person shouldn’t have to wait for a mere martial artist.

But answered that it was important and continued to wait.

However, she regretted waiting when she heard Lee Jaseung’s first cold words.

“Why did you come?”

‘Seriously, what gives him so much confidence for him to be so cold? Does he think he is some great man?’

She controlled her emotions and spoke calmly.

“I heard about what happened with you and Young Master Hae.”

“And?”

“Give up on this tournament.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean, why? You could get seriously hurt. He’s lost his mind over jealousy.”

Lee Jaseung stared at her sharply, piercing her to the core.

“Why don’t you be honest?”

“What?”

“That this is for your sake. If I get hurt or die, you’ll be caught in gossip.”

She snapped angrily after hearing him.

“No!”

Her face flushed red.

Truthfully, she had some of those feelings. But it was true that she was more worried about Lee Jaseung.

“Don’t judge others by your petty standards!”

‘I’m the crazy one here. Worrying about this person and coming all this way late at night to wait over two hours.’

“If Hae Ryang lost his mind because of you, you should’ve gone to him to wake him up, Why did you come to me? Do I look easier to deal with?”

Her anger surged again at his words.

Oh, this person really knows how to get on a person’s nerves.

He wasn’t right, but he technically wasn’t wrong either which further upset her.

She had never once used her clan’s prestige to oppress others. But this was also the first time she had been treated with such disrespect.

“Fine, before I go, let me ask you one question.”

“What?”

“Why did you enter this tournament?”

Lee Jaseung answered without hesitation.

“To win.”

Baek Seolyoung looked speechless.

Good heavens! It wasn’t Hae Ryang who wasn’t normal, but this man instead.

“And why do you want to win?”

After staring at her briefly, Lee Jaseung muttered.

“At the very least, it’s not because I want to marry you.”

She opened her eyes wide in shock. She never imagined he would say such a thing outright to her face.

In the end, she lost her temper and shouted.

“Then just die in the hands of Hae Ryang!”

She regretted her act as she walked away. No matter how angry she was, she should’ve controlled her emotions.

I’m the one that will be leading the Northern Sky Clan from now on. Yet I lost my peace of mind over such matters.

Seolyeoung, Seolyoung, you still have a long way to go.

She left, blaming herself.

Lee Jaseung looked up at the moon after being left alone. The soft moonlight gently reflected in his eyes.

Yes, this kind of relationship should be just right.

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