Chapter 491: Side Story 11 Baek Sang-ah’s Melancholy
Half a month later.
Our group, including Baek Sang-ah, reached the border between Hebei and Liaodong.
Because it bordered the territory of the foreign tribes, the nearby borders were originally heavily guarded...
"What a sight..."
No matter where we looked, it was soldiers, soldiers, and more soldiers.
"You can clearly see the Imperial Family is preparing for war."
For over ten li, a force numbering in the hundreds of thousands was gathered.
Despite the chaos that had occurred, the fact that the Imperial Family was able to amass such a force in such a short period proved their capability was far from lacking.
As our group looked around the surroundings—
"Who are you lot?!"
Several mounted patrol soldiers approached us, lowering their spears.
"Leaving the city has been prohibited for some time now! And carrying weapons should be forbidden too!"
"We are..."
"Even if you're from the murim, there are no exceptions! Come with us!"
A rather authoritarian attitude. Considering the current circumstances, this level of enforcement was to be expected.
However—
"How impudent!"
The Captain of the Royal Guards, who was accompanying us, stepped forward and presented a yellow token.
"These individuals are esteemed guests of the Imperial Family. Do you intend to be so disrespectful?"
"...?!"
The soldiers, apparently not expecting the Royal Guards to appear, were startled and quickly dismounted, bowing their heads.
To mere officers of ten, the Royal Guards were akin to the heavens.
"These individuals are on a covert mission in the nearby area. You saw nothing today, and you heard nothing either. Understood?!"
"Y-yes, we will keep that in mind."
The captain’s words were, strictly speaking, a violation of military law, but the sheer pressure exuded by a peak master level expert left the soldiers without any room for resistance.
Once the soldiers trudged away—
"And this is just the atmosphere in the outskirts of the city."
"......"
"The soldiers' discipline is taut, and supplies are continuously being brought in everywhere... From this alone, we can clearly see the Imperial Family's resolve toward this war."
"......"
"And yet, does it really make sense for the Crown Prince—who should be holding the center—to be sent to Luoyang?"
Baek Sang-ah turned her gaze to the rear.
Where her eyes landed stood the Crown Prince, disguised as a martial artist of the Murim Alliance.
"Not even to the rear lines, but being sent on such a perilous route through enemy territory."
In fact, the Crown Prince had been attacked in an organized raid by a horde of demonic beasts, even if it wasn’t the army of Prince Yeongsa.
If Baek Sang-ah hadn’t arrived in time, the Crown Prince might have ended up as a meal for those demonic beasts.
The Crown Prince opened his mouth with a slightly bitter expression.
"I too sense the incongruity. However..."
His gaze, filled with a desperate plea, turned to Baek Sang-ah.
"Even setting that aside... I..."
"We agreed to talk about that after everything is over, didn’t we?"
"..."
Baek Sang-ah firmly cut off the Crown Prince’s lingering hopes.
Since Gunggi’s visit, Baek Sang-ah had spoken honestly with the Crown Prince in private.
There, the Crown Prince had confessed his feelings toward Baek Sang-ah, and she had indirectly declined by mentioning her relationship with So Cheon.
But unexpectedly, the Crown Prince had been persistent.
From Baek Sang-ah’s hesitant tone, he sensed that she and So Cheon weren’t fully committed lovers, and he begged for a chance.
However, Baek Sang-ah tried to sever those pleadings.
She knew from past experience that dragging things out with no real hope would only make it more miserable.
Even if it wounded someone’s heart now, even if it brought anger from the Murim Alliance...
It was better to firmly cut ties before it was too late—for both their sakes.
However—
What ended up saving the Crown Prince in that situation, absurdly enough—
Was So Cheon, who barged in out of nowhere.
‘Haah...’
Baek Sang-ah let out a sigh inwardly and pressed her forehead.
Just thinking about that incident gave her a headache.
‘Why make things more complicated than they need to be?’
In her judgment, the Crown Prince was a better person than expected.
Throughout their conversation, he never flaunted his status or authority, and instead gradually impressed his qualities while being considerate of her circumstances.
In terms of demeanor and refinement, So Cheon couldn’t even hold a name plaque beside him. If things had gone well, she might have resolved his lingering feelings without incident.
But So Cheon had a completely opposite opinion.
‘Someone like him would never give up just from words.’
‘Why do you think so?’
‘I’ve seen too many guys like him.’
There was conviction in So Cheon’s voice.
Both had been born as direct descendants of prestigious families in the murim, but there was one difference between them: it was in how they “interacted.”
‘A young mistress like you probably wouldn’t understand. How those who’ve lived by their own inflated pride can change.’
He had left the House of Slaughter early on and had interacted with many direct descendants of the Yuk Clan. Because of that, So Cheon knew all too well just how twisted they could be on the inside.
‘There aren’t that many who blatantly act like scoundrels. Most of them, even if they seem a bit arrogant, don’t usually cause any trouble. But…’
So Cheon’s face, as he spoke of the past, was dead serious.
‘It’s when they realize they can’t have something—when that finally sinks in—that they show sides of themselves they’ve never shown before.’
‘……’
Despite visiting countless taverns and inns, and mingling with many people, the only one So Cheon could truly call a friend was Jin Yeomyung.
In the end, Baek Sang-ah had no choice but to accept So Cheon’s suggestion.
No, rather, from the moment he barged in like that, refusing him would have only made things worse.
After the meeting with the Crown Prince fizzled out, So Cheon quickly shifted the topic to draw attention elsewhere.
To the abnormality of the Imperial Family.
“That over there is Seungdeok Fortress, the temporary capital of the current empire.”
Seungdeok was originally located about 450 li away from the Imperial capital, Beijing.
A massive river ran by the fortress, and the surrounding terrain was mountainous—making it a key strategic military stronghold.
While the group examined the structure of the fortress from afar—
“It’s certain.”
The black-haired youth standing beside Baek Sang-ah—Gunggi—spoke up.
“The entire fortress is covered by a massive divine sorcery.”
“Is that true?”
“…We can’t see anything though.”
So Cheon and Baek Sang-ah tried to raise their spiritual sight to the maximum to observe the flow, but all they could perceive was the foreboding atmosphere of war. Nothing clearly indicative of sorcery was visible.
“Divine sorcery isn’t merely about power. The true essence of divine sorcery lies in its supernatural ability to distort fate and law. Such sorcery isn’t visible unless one steps into its domain. That’s only natural.”
A faint sneer tugged at the corner of Gunggi’s mouth.
“If it were that guy, he’d have noticed it instantly.”
“Ugh!”
At once, the two frowned.
“Still, maybe in a few years, things might change. Well, good luck.”
Gunggi’s encouragement offered little solace.
“Then, what kind of divine sorcery is it?”
They assumed it was something related to brainwashing or cognitive manipulation.
But what Gunggi revealed next was unexpected.
“It’s divine sorcery that alters history.”
“…What did you say?”
“It goes beyond merely determining fortune or misfortune—it directly interferes with the path of fate. That’s a specialty of the Spirit Turtle.”
Ssshhk!
Suddenly, Gunggi’s mouth twisted into a wide grin.
“But it’s definitely weak. It can’t even exert a tenth of its original power.”
“What do you mean?”
“Besides, the activation of the divine sorcery wasn’t carried out by the Spirit Turtle alone. Other forces are involved.”
Even with the support of others, it couldn’t exhibit its original power—meaning…
“After the end of the Heavenly Timing, it’s become pathetically weakened. At this level, we definitely have a chance.”
“……!”
“But that doesn’t mean charging headlong into enemy territory is a smart move. For now, let’s observe from the outside.”
So Cheon and Baek Sang-ah stared at Gunggi in disbelief.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s just…”
“We didn’t expect you to say something like that…”
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
Gunggi replied with a slightly displeased look.
“How do you plan to face the enemy without strategy or tactics? That’s the most basic of basics.”
“I don’t recall seeing any such strategy when dealing with you before.”
“There was. You just didn’t notice because you’re so ridiculously weak that I didn’t need to use them.”
“……”
Faced with the heavy truth of Gunggi’s remark, both of their expressions twisted.
Indeed, when it came to facing Gunggi, So Cheon and Baek Sang-ah had always been the underdogs.
When it came to top-tier threats like Jin Yeomyung, Gunggi knew when to retreat as well.
“For now, let’s observe the situation. I don’t mind fighting inside, but I’d prefer it if they came out.”
The two were once again stunned.
Could it be that he was concerned about damage inside the fortress?
“Don’t misunderstand. I said that because it’s obvious they’ll sacrifice everyone inside the fortress to fuel themselves if things go south.”
Indeed, there was a reason Gunggi was called one of the Four Atrocities.
Following Gunggi’s suggestion, the group set up camp near the fortress.
Soldiers were still patrolling the area, but after Baek Sang-ah deployed a simple recognition interference formation she had learned from Jegal Eun, they no longer had any encounters.
“……”
Crackle! Crackle!
Watching the campfire flicker, So Cheon thought to himself.
‘Seems like we could infiltrate it without much issue…’
According to Gunggi, the divine sorcery covering the entire fortress would definitely take effect the moment one stepped inside, triggering intense brainwashing. But conversely, unless one encountered the Spirit Turtle, the effect wouldn’t activate.
‘With my Concealment Technique, I’m confident I won’t be detected.’
Even though Baek Sang-ah and So Cheon had inherited a portion of So Jeong’s progress—
When it came to the assassin’s specialties like assassination, movement arts, and concealment, So Cheon was several steps above Baek Sang-ah.
And honestly, that was only natural.
Baek Sang-ah had been forcibly ‘reassigned’ as an assassin by So Jeong, but at her core, she was still a swordswoman.
In contrast, he had been an assassin down to the marrow of his bones from the moment he was born until now.
The only reason they seemed similar was because her innate talent and level were higher, but even so, now that the gap had narrowed, he was confident he wouldn’t lose to her—at least when it came to the Concealment Technique.
‘No need to drag things out—if I can just take the target’s head…’
As So Cheon stared at the campfire, thinking that—
“Why are you assuming the divine sorcery is only spread within the fortress?”
A bewitching voice suddenly rang out.
“…?!”
Even before the thought of ‘I’ve been caught’ could form, the Nine Heavens Sword burst from So Cheon’s robe.
Papapapat!
In an instant, the Nine Heavens Sword, infused with Thunder Qi, shot toward the owner of that voice.
The enemy.
There was no need to verify.
The moment he realized he couldn’t sense any presence nearby—
And the voice he heard was one he didn’t recognize—So Cheon had no reason not to act.
The Nine Heavens Sword ripped through space as it charged.
There was no mistake in its trajectory, but in the path it had just torn through—
Not a single piece of flesh remained.
“You’ve got a sharp touch. Definitely the kind of skill even Gunggi would acknowledge.”
“…Who are you.”
So Cheon looked toward the woman who appeared casually at the very spot the Nine Heavens Sword had passed.
An aura of decadence that seemed not of this world.
In stark contrast, she wore the pristine and formal martial robes typical of the Mu family, and faced So Cheon as she introduced herself.
“Spirit Turtle, Yeonggwi.”
The woman who introduced herself as Yeonggwi then made this proposal to So Cheon, right at their first meeting.
“You, would you like to form a contract with me?”