Chapter 506: Side Story 26 The Twins (4)
Yoo Cheong.
One of the newly restructured Seven Divine Demonic Clans, and the Clan Head of the Suncheon Yoo Clan.
A rising prodigy drawing significant attention within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, standing at the cusp of the Extreme Demon Realm despite being only in his late twenties.
The boy who had once poured all his efforts into rebuilding the Yoo Clan, carrying on the will of his late father, had now, over the course of a decade…
…become a young man worn down by the world.
"Ah, now this is life…"
Yoo Cheong was currently sprawled out lazily on the slanted roof of the highest floor of a main hall, basking in sunlight and savoring a taste of paradise.
“L-Lord Clan Head!”
“We’ve prepared a place for you to rest inside! Please, come down…!”
The martial artists of the Yoo Clan were panic-stricken by their clan head’s bizarre behavior, but Yoo Cheong remained unmoved.
"Hmm? Ah, it’s fine. Just get on with your own tasks."
Waving his hand dismissively with an air of annoyance, Yoo Cheong turned them away.
But what could the subordinates do when the clan head himself acted like this?
They returned to their duties with dejected expressions.
Yet, even Yoo Cheong, the absolute authority in this place, had one natural enemy.
“Lord Clan Head.”
A girl, just shedding the traces of childhood and starting to take on the grace of a woman, approached him.
Yoo Cheong sent her a sour look.
Despite her young age, she was essentially in charge of all the major affairs of the clan, and thus not someone Yoo Cheong could treat carelessly.
“…What is it?”
“The Cult Leader requests your presence at the upcoming Heavenly Demon Conference.”
“…Again?”
“‘Again’? Didn’t you flee last time after failing to come to a decision during your private meeting with the Grand Duke? The Cult Leader is sharpening her blade for real this time.”
“How would you know if she’s sharpening her blade?”
“Her handwriting alone speaks volumes.”
The girl, Yoo Sogyo, shot the reluctant clan head a look of dismay.
“Of the current Seven Clan Heads, you're the only one who hasn't started a family—aside from Lord Sa, that is. Even the Pa Clan Head eventually got married. It's time you faced reality.”
That was right.
One of the key topics at this Heavenly Demon Conference was, in fact, none other than Yoo Cheong’s marriage.
Yoo Cheong let out a loud groan as he stared up at the sky.
“Why the hell are they deciding my marriage there?!”
“Well, you’ve been dragging your feet for years. What did you expect?”
“I want to marry for love!”
“Then feel free to return all the support you’ve received from the Heavenly Demon Conference thus far.”
“….”
Yoo Cheong was at a loss for words.
The Suncheon Yoo Clan, which had been rebuilt almost from nothing, had now grown into an organization with nearly two thousand members.
Of course, that still fell far short of matching the former Six Clans, but considering the timeframe, it was nothing short of a miracle.
However, a closer look would reveal that the growth of the Yoo Clan was anything but miraculous.
“Oh, and along with the letter, a huge shipment of resources arrived as well. The Cult Leader said to use it for building the city.”
“Waaah…”
“What’s with the grimace? You’ve got no means of making money. If you’re given something, just take it.”
Her face clearly said she’d accept no refusal — that of a strict housekeeper.
Yoo Cheong let out a small sigh.
“…Seriously, where is all that money coming from?”
“You know very well, don’t you? The Cult Leader’s been quietly leeching off the sealed-up Cheon Clan.”
The wealth hoarded by the Cheon Clan over a thousand years was so immense that even the Black Gold Sa Clan, which ran two of the Ten Great Trading Companies, couldn’t compare.
Even after funding the construction of an entire city, there was still more to be squeezed out!
“They call it support, but honestly, it feels more like they’re treating that money as the Cult Leader’s private treasury.”
“Well, that’s not entirely wrong. And frankly, letting people think that isn’t a bad thing either.”
“Ugh… If I go, they’re going to hound me nonstop again.”
In truth, many factions were openly displeased with the blatant support being given to the Yoo Clan.
Or rather, not just “many”—pretty much every faction that had once stood just beneath the Six Clans either disliked or outright opposed the Yoo Clan.
The only reason they didn’t say it outright was because they were afraid of Cheon Yura and Jin Yeomyung.
“This is a burden you and the Cult Leader must bear. There's no avoiding it.”
The backlash toward the Yoo Clan had intensified mostly because of Cheon Yura.
Back when the Hwan Clan was implicated in treason and collapsed, and the Hidden Shadow So Clan chose to seal themselves off, Cheon Yura, the Cult Leader, had rallied the cult under the banner of forming a “new Six Divine Demonic Clans.”
However, regardless of how many unforeseen circumstances occurred along the way, those who aimed for the new clan seats were left empty-handed—and the one who ended up seizing that spot was Yoo Cheong, a representative of a clan that no one had seriously considered.
“Unlike the Elders' Conference, the Heavenly Demon Conference will have many of the cult’s top-ranking figures in attendance. The Cult Leader likely wants to form a solid alliance to support the Yoo Clan, beyond the conference alone.”
“Uuugh…”
Unless it was something truly unavoidable, he had no way to escape.
And then—
“Lord Clan Head! Chief Strategist! Urgent news from the southwest!”
“What is it?”
“What’s going on?”
“Enforcers of the Lesser Demon Hall have been spotted near Baehosan. There are about ten of them, and Right Guardian is among the group.”
“What? The Lesser Demon Hall?”
“It appears the heirs have come to visit.”
Yoo Cheong and Yoo Sogyo were dumbfounded.
No matter how unruly they were… This place was practically the northernmost edge of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, bordering the Northern Plains.
And yet, those brats—barely ten years old—had come all the way out here?
“Three-Star-Uncle!”
“Uncleeeee!”
They were really just kids.
Yoo Cheong slightly parted his lips as he looked at the nephews who had actually shown up in person.
His gaze shifted to San Dojeon.
“Don’t tell me… you came right after receiving the report? No, even so, that was way too fast.”
“If you're referring to a report…”
Judging from Right Guardian’s reaction, Yoo Cheong immediately realized this visit had nothing to do with the report he had submitted.
“Never mind then. Forget I said anything.”
Even if San Dojeon was a close aide to Jin Yeomyung, the fewer people who knew about this matter, the better.
“Whoa, so many people.”
“Yeah, looks like everyone’s busy.”
Normally, when these two showed up, most of the cult members would be scrambling to bow their heads.
But now, aside from a few around them, most were focused on their primary duties.
“How is the work going?”
San Dojeon asked a routine question, and Yoo Cheong gave a bitter smile.
“It’s going too well—that’s the problem. In about three years, it should be mostly finished.”
“Have you decided on a name for the fortress?”
“The Cult Leader said she wanted to name it Yuho (攸好).”
“Yuho Fortress, huh… That’s a good name.”
Once this Yuho Fortress was completed, it would become a new strategic hub connecting to the northernmost part of the Central Plains.
And from there—beyond the Northern Plains—they would be able to begin trade with the Northern Sea Ice Palace atop the snowfields.
Yoo Cheong gave a crooked smile.
“Of course, if we can’t convince the Ice Palace, it’ll all be for nothing.”
“You’ll handle it well, Lord Clan Head.”
One major reason why other factions hadn’t yet exploded with resentment over the overt support the Yoo Clan was receiving was precisely this northern trade route development.
The existing Six Clans mostly operated within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s sphere of influence: Gansu, Shaanxi, and Qinghai Province.
But as a newly rising faction, the Yoo Clan had no chance to carve out territory in the Central Plains like before.
And with enemies already surrounding them, further resistance from the Six Clans would make things even harder.
After much deliberation, the breakthrough they chose was north.
And so, the Yoo Clan took on the task of opening a trade route in the North—a venture most avoided.
“I don't know anything. Right now, all I can do is trust Sogyo.”
And the one leading this venture was none other than Yoo Clan’s second-in-command, Yoo Sogyo.
However, her surname hadn’t always been Yoo.
“It’s been a while, Young Master, Young Lady.”
“Huh?”
The twins blinked at the sight of Yoo Sogyo, whose face seemed familiar.
With her excellent memory, Cheon Seonyu reacted first.
“That older sister we saw at the Hwan Clan before?”
“Her name was definitely…”
“Hwan Sogyo!”
At the sight of the twins remembering her, Yoo Sogyo smiled gently.
“I go by Yoo now.”
“Why?”
It was a sensitive question—but the twins were too young to understand that.
So she gave them an indirect answer.
“Because that’s the only way I can pursue what I want.”
They didn’t quite understand what she meant by “pursue what I want,” but accepted it without question.
“I see…”
In truth, she was the youngest daughter of Hwan Pyeong, the former Clan Head of the Heavenly Illusion Clan—and a traitor.
The problem was… she had been born of a concubine.
Hwan Pyeong had sent her to her maternal relatives immediately after birth to hide her existence, and ironically, that was what allowed her to survive the Hwan Clan’s downfall during Cheon Taejong’s purge.
Although Hwan Jeong later succeeded in restoring the clan and reclaimed the title of Clan Head, Yoo Sogyo had no place in the newly reborn Hwan Clan.
Thus, Cheon Yura, taking pity on her, changed her surname to Yoo and placed her in the Yoo Clan.
In fact, most of the current Yoo Clan members were like that.
People with exceptional talent, but whose background or other flaws had kept them in the shadows.
They received the surname Yoo and started anew under Yoo Cheong’s command.
“By the way, what brings you two all the way out here?”
“We came to play!”
“We wanted to see the plains!”
“I see. But if you come this far, won’t His Highness the Grand Duke scold you terribly?”
“……”
“……”
The twins fell silent at once.
In truth, their mother, Cheon Yura, often subtly encouraged their little runaway stunts rather than stopping them.
But their father, Jin Yeomyung, was a different story.
While he didn’t scold them for simply wandering around, if they caused trouble, he was relentless with his discipline.
“W-We’ve got Right Guardian with us, so we’ll be fine!”
“If it was really dangerous, Dad would’ve told us to come back!”
“Really?”
“……”
“……”
Yoo Sogyo responded with a thin smile, and again, the twins fell silent.
They had run off purely out of boredom, without much thought—and they didn’t even want to think about the consequences when they got home.
“B-But, unnie, you’re kinda mean…”
“W-Why are you staring at us like that?”
“It’s because thanks to you two, things are about to get complicated.”
Yoo Sogyo wasn’t really smiling anymore.
Yoo Cheong was undoubtedly going to use their presence as an excuse to skip the upcoming Heavenly Demon Conference.
Yoo Cheong’s marriage was a fairly important issue—but ultimately, it was just one among many agenda items for the conference.
If delayed, it could be delayed indefinitely.
However, right now they had to produce an heir to secure the future of the Yoo Clan.
She sighed softly.
“Well, since you’ve come all this way, you might as well rest before you leave.”
Truthfully, she wanted to kick them out immediately, but she couldn’t afford to treat the future rulers of the Cult with any disrespect.
Then—
As if they had been waiting for those very words, the twins spoke in turn.
“Then…”
“There’s a place we want to see.”
“…?”
“Over there.”
Seonyu and Seonha pointed in the same direction.
Northeast—slightly more to the north than east.
The problem was…
“…How do you know about that place?”
It was a location she and Yoo Cheong had recently stumbled upon during their routine scouting.
Yet the twins had pointed directly to that spot.
“We’ve been watching it.”
“It’s calling to us.”
Why?
Yoo Sogyo felt a chill crawl down her spine.
‘Should I really take them there?’
The place they found with Yoo Cheong had been confirmed to be long abandoned, devoid of any presence or energy.
And yet, for some reason, she had an overwhelming sense that something irreversible would happen if she brought them there.
While she was still wondering how to respond—
“Let’s go!”
The twins abruptly sprang up and ran ahead on their own.
“W-What the—!”