Chapter 271: Seventh Heavenly Lord, Baek Ryeo (1)
The Yoo Family...
My Master, Old Han, and Yoo Seunggwak’s main household.
And the bloodline of the eldest disciple Yoo Jeon and Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden Yoo So.
The current relationship between my Master and the Yoo Family remains unknown.
‘Still, I won’t be able to avoid it forever.’
I didn’t expect the Yoo Family to still maintain their lineage in the current age, nor that they would be connected to Seventh Heavenly Lord.
Eventually, I would have to meet them at least once.
‘But still, I heard Seventh Heavenly Lord bears a grudge against me. Then what was with that tone?’
Eunwon.
A term that encompasses both grace and resentment, but in the central plains, it’s often used with an emphasis on enmity.
‘A trap…?’
But to call it a trap—her voice was filled with goodwill.
There was such richness of emotion in it that it didn’t feel like an act at all.
–What do you think? If you agree, I’ll return to this spot at the hour of the rat.
…Putting the Yoo Family aside, I couldn’t refuse this here.
–Very well.
If we obstructed the merchant ships crowding the shore now, we would never be able to return to the central plains.
---
Perhaps thanks to the change in weather, the sea breeze at dawn was rather cool.
I had deliberately left Gu Chil and Cheon Yujeong behind.
There was no need for Cheon Yujeong to attend, and Gu Chil had to watch over her unpredictable behavior anyway.
“You’re early.”
As I blankly stared at the horizon from the beach, I sensed the presence of three people approaching from behind.
‘It’s not a trap.’
Two escorts who appeared to be at the peak of mastery.
Even as I expanded my qi sense as far as it could go, I found no one else lurking nearby.
But there was one strange thing.
‘They don’t seem like guards from a merchant guild…’
No matter how mighty the Baekga Merchant Guild was, they couldn’t possibly use masters of this level merely as guards.
Besides, from them, I sensed an unfamiliar kind of dignity compared to the warriors I had encountered until now.
That meant there could only be one answer.
“Imperial bodyguards?”
The Lord Baek Cheong nodded.
“You are sharp. These two are captains of the Celestial Guard from the Golden Robe Unit.”
A Cheonho, or Celestial Guard Captain, was a rank held by only a dozen or so people even within the Golden Robes.
Still, one issue remained.
‘A mere Lord commands two Celestial Guards?’
Maybe for a princess—but for a Lord, that seemed like excessive treatment.
I clicked my tongue slightly and spoke.
“His Majesty the Emperor must favor Your Grace greatly.”
“Hehe, I won’t deny it. Though, their loyalty to me stems from other reasons.”
“……”
There must be some secret behind the Imperial Court…
I had a strong hunch that negotiations with this woman would be far from simple.
“I heard from the elder. That the missing young master appeared on Hainan Island.”
That ‘elder’ must have meant Sixth Heavenly Lord.
“You must be disappointed I didn’t die.”
At my sharp retort, she let out a faint, bitter smile.
“Originally, I acted under orders from the Grand Heavenly Lord to subjugate Young Master Jin. Although we never faced each other on the battlefield.”
As if something was bothering her, she suddenly rubbed her eyes gently with her fingertips.
It was dark, so I couldn’t see clearly, but judging from the unstable qi flow around her eyes…
‘She’s got a problem with her vision.’
I wasn’t sure, but I had heard that spellcasters who had trained in certain techniques could suffer such side effects.
Considering her status, she might be more of a sorcerer than a martial artist.
She took her hand away from her eyes and respectfully shook her head.
“At this point, I’m rather glad you’re still alive.”
“…Why?”
“……”
She didn’t answer and slightly bowed her head.
For some reason, a light blush appeared on her cheeks.
“……??”
What was that supposed to mean?
“Before I answer that question, allow me to make a proposal.”
She asked me with a serious expression.
“Would you be willing to cooperate with the rite of Bongseon?”
“…What?”
Was this a joke?
Upon seeing my expression twist grimly, the Lord Baek Cheong hastily waved her hands.
“Ah, that’s not what I meant. I’m not referring to the distorted Bongseon rite, but the proper ceremonial offering.”
“…A proper ceremony?”
“Yes.”
With my arms crossed, I decided to at least hear what kind of nonsense she was about to spew.
“Originally, the Bongseon ceremony wasn’t led by the Grand Heavenly Lord.”
“Wasn’t it?”
Even as my tone slipped into casual speech, she didn’t mind and continued calmly.
“No, in fact, the Grand Heavenly Lord had little interest in the ceremony.”
The Grand Heavenly Lord not caring about the rite…
That wasn’t an easy claim to accept.
“The ritual was driven more by emotions of vengeance than by its formal purpose.”
“Emotions of vengeance…”
“The ceremony was originally spearheaded by Fourth Heavenly Lord. After he passed, I inherited his will.”
At those words, I blinked.
If it was Fourth Heavenly Lord, that meant…
“…Hwan Pyeong is dead?”
“That’s right.”
That Illusion Demon?
Now it made sense why the advanced weapon, the True Star Sword, had come into my possession.
After Hwan Pyeong’s death, ownership had shifted to me.
I lowered my head and fiddled with the True Star Sword at my waist.
At my reaction, the two escorts at her sides stepped forward.
But Lord Baek Cheong held them back and stepped forward herself.
“After Fourth Heavenly Lord, the mastermind, passed away, the plan became meaningless. However, after that, the Grand Heavenly Lord made me a proposal.”
For some reason, she began fidgeting with her fingers and spoke in a voice as faint as an ant crawling.
“He… he said that if I successfully carried out the ritual, he would grant me one thing I wished for.”
I didn’t know why she was acting like that, but that didn’t mean I had any reason to help with the ritual.
“Originally, I intended to carry out Fourth Heavenly Lord’s plan as it was, but after learning of Young Master Jin’s true status, I decided to revise the plan.”
My status? If she was part of the Heaven-Defying Society, she should already know I was the Grand Heir of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan.
Yet, instinctively, I felt the status she spoke of had nothing to do with the Jin Clan.
“Come to think of it, the Grand Heavenly Lord never specified how the Bongseon ritual had to be performed. He only demanded success as a condition.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Yes, I intend to perform a proper imperial ritual, not the corrupted Bongseon ritual that brings ruin to the world.”
It was unexpected, but it made sense in a way.
The ruling class of the imperial family, who stood above all the common people, had no reason to actively destroy the world themselves.
‘Even so, it doesn’t explain why a Lord would be part of the Heaven-Defying Society…’
I suspected there were other hidden circumstances.
“And in exchange for completing it, I intend to ask the Society to release your Master, Yoo Seunggwak, without restriction.”
“…What?”
Why was my Master suddenly being brought up here?
“My Master clearly declared he would leave the Society…”
She shook her head at my words.
“There’s no way the Grand Heavenly Lord would let him go so easily. He’ll find any excuse to keep him tied to the Society.”
“……”
“His place in the Society’s martial hierarchy is second. That alone proves his value.”
I had never really thought about it deeply until now.
But she was certainly right.
‘No matter how replaceable the Ten Lords are, even I wouldn’t let someone like my Master go that easily.’
If her plan really was genuine…
This could be the perfect opportunity to free my Master from the Heaven-Defying Society.
“……”
I stood there with my arms crossed, lost in thought.
This wasn’t something I could decide without hearing the full details of her plan, but I was already feeling myself drawn to her proposal.
“I can’t decide immediately.”
“Yes, I understand. But please understand, I can’t wait too long.”
Lord Baek Cheong requested that I give her my answer before they departed Hainan Island in two days.
With that, the purpose of today’s meeting was concluded.
I wanted to ask about her exact relationship with Sixth Heavenly Lord.
And why a Lord was running a merchant guild.
But asking about those things now felt like it would stir unnecessary trouble.
‘Tsk, no helping it. I’ll have to figure it out slowly.’
It was then.
“Ah, apart from this proposal, I’d like to make another transaction.”
“…What kind of transaction?”
“I promise to pay you… more than enough to satisfy you.”
Her eyes sparkled as she stepped closer.
There was no killing intent, no warning signs.
But the words that flowed from her lips struck harder than any killing blow.
“I want information about Yoo Seunggwak, your Master.”
A slightly excited face.
A blush blooming on her cheeks.
That expression alone proved it wasn’t caused by the cold sea breeze.
At that moment, I realized the identity of all those confusing emotions she had shown until now.
And the true meaning of the ‘status’ she had mentioned.
‘N-no way?!’
---
Seventh Heavenly Lord, Lord Baek Cheong Ju Baek Ryeo.
At thirty-three years old, her life had been filled with misfortunes that would make most tragedies seem trivial.
“Over twenty years ago, the imperial palace’s political strife reached its peak.”
“…That’s true.”
It was actually a well-known story to some extent.
Before the current Emperor took the throne, an enormous amount of blood had been shed within the palace due to the old, decadent former Emperor’s negligence.
“Back then, the death of a royal wasn’t considered anything special.”
I had heard that the imperial family had split into three factions at the time.
In the end, the Third Prince had emerged victorious and ascended to the throne, but so many had died that the royal bloodline had nearly been wiped out.
“My father, His Highness the Prince who supported His Majesty, was also assassinated by another royal.”
“……Hmm.”
The tavern owner, who had been forced to open his shop this early, served us tea with a scowl.
Lord Baek Cheong sipped the cheap but hot tea and calmly revealed her past.
Honestly, I didn’t know how to respond.
“If it weren’t for Elder Yoo, the former Chief Commander of the Golden Robes, I would have lost my life in that strife long ago.”
I couldn’t help but ask again.
“…You said Chief Commander of the Golden Robes?”
“Yes, I did.”
Seeing her look at me like I was pathetic for not knowing that as his disciple, I felt anger boiling up from the depths of my dantian.
‘What the hell was that crazy old man doing all this time?!’
He had a past like that, yet he had never once mentioned it to me, just wandering around ripping off his own disciple?!
“After the palace strife ended, he stepped down from his position and disappeared. Meeting him again through the Society was a stroke of fate.”
Seeing her bow her head slightly with a gentle smile…
At this point, I couldn’t even deny it anymore.
I couldn’t hold it in and asked her.
“…What the hell do you even see in that damn old man?”
There had to be at least twenty years between them, right?!
She was a Lord, with nothing lacking. Why someone like him?!
“Isn’t it obvious?”
She looked dead serious as she continued.
“His noble character.”
That damned drunkard who robbed his disciple.
“His handsome appearance.”
That scraggly beard he never even bothered to groom properly.
“His exceptional martial arts.”
Well, I had to admit that one.
“Everything about him.”
“Grrrrrrgh!”
In the end, I couldn’t help but grab my hair in frustration.