The Hidden Blade (2)

At that moment, Seonu Yeonha was meeting a young master named Baek Sangyu, whom her maternal family, the Un Clan, had supposedly recruited recently.

Seonu Yeonha crossed her arms and asked him coldly,

“What brings you here again, Great Hero Baek?”

However, despite pretending to be cold, her heart was beating slightly faster.

This was only the second time she had seen him, but he truly was so handsome that his face seemed to shine.

Seonu Yeonha was accustomed to the appearances of the Seonu brothers, who were widely known nearby as a family of handsome men, but his looks seemed to exist on an entirely different level.

That man smiled beautifully and said to her,

“I came because I wished to see you, my lady.”

Those words nearly made her heart drop.

He had done the same during their first meeting, casually saying such things without hesitation.

Seonu Yeonha thought that if she had not already given her heart to another man, she might have completely fallen for him, and replied coldly,

“How absurd. Does the clan no longer supervise its newly recruited warriors?”

At her bold response, Baek Sangyu—who was actually Gu Yusang, formerly known as Sichuan’s Finest Young Master—burst into laughter.

“Hahahaha! As expected, your answers always surpass my expectations, my lady! Hahahaha!”

Gu Yusang had never before met a woman capable of speaking to him in such a way.

Every other woman had always clung to him obsessively after seeing his face only once.

That was why Gu Yusang sincerely enjoyed conversing with Seonu Yeonha.

He smiled and asked again,

“Has it not occurred to you that I might be an exceedingly important person within the Un Clan?”

Whenever he smiled, he seemed to scatter light, and she felt as though she might become entranced without realizing it. However, Seonu Yeonha firmly tried to control her heart.

‘My heart already belongs to one person. This man is merely a passerby.’

After repeating that to herself, Seonu Yeonha managed to answer in a chilly voice once more.

“Important? Unless you are the Clan Head, important people in the clan are usually even busier. You are not trying to say you are more important than the Clan Head, are you?”

That was actually true, but Gu Yusang merely smiled.

The sight of this young lady snapping at him was irresistibly adorable, like a cute kitten showing off.

Gu Yusang smiled and gazed gently at Seonu Yeonha.

Feeling as though she could no longer endure it, Seonu Yeonha hurriedly changed the subject.

“And this is no time for you to be acting so leisurely. Rumors will spread soon, but Father has decided to make Eldest Brother his heir.”

Seonu Yeonha’s intention succeeded.

Gu Yusang’s expression immediately stiffened.

“By Eldest Brother… do you mean Young Master Seonu Seong has been appointed heir to the Seonu Clan?”

“It has not been formally decided yet, but it is practically certain. Father said the heir would be chosen solely through a martial arts contest two weeks from now. Eldest Brother has apparently already reached the middle stage of the first-class realm, so the other brothers cannot possibly compete with him. You should hurry back to the clan, report this to the Clan Head, and devise a countermeasure. Is that not right, important newly recruited warrior?”

Gu Yusang frowned.

Originally, Seonu Yeonha’s maternal family, the Un Clan, had supported the fourth son, Seonu Gi.

Seonu Gi’s maternal family, Seogidang, possessed little power, while Seonu Yeonha, whose maternal family was the powerful Un Clan, could not become the heir because she was a woman. Therefore, the two factions had allied to oppose the eldest son Seonu Seong and Seonu Hyeok, whose maternal family was the Ha Clan.

Gu Yusang had likewise been planning to seize control of the Seonu Clan through Seonu Yeonha and Seonu Gi.

Yet they had suddenly decided the succession in such a manner….

‘Strange. The reason he could not appoint an heir until now must have been because he feared resistance from the other factions. Has he suddenly acquired some means of suppressing them?’

Thinking that, Gu Yusang asked Seonu Yeonha again,

“Could you explain the situation in greater detail?”

Seonu Yeonha told him about the promised duel with the Zhuge Clan and the decision that the two families would become one household regardless of who won.

‘The Zhuge Clan! So that was it.’

If they had chosen to place themselves beneath the Zhuge Clan, then they truly would no longer need to care about the opinions of the other factions.

The Zhuge Clan was an enormous power on an entirely different level from the forces that merely dominated Guizhou.

That was deeply troublesome for Gu Yusang, who coveted the Seonu Clan.

If the Zhuge Clan became involved, he would have no choice but to withdraw.

It appeared he needed some kind of countermeasure.

Seonu Yeonha spoke again.

“And in a few days….”

Just as Seonu Yeonha was about to tell him about Seonu Jung and Seonu Seong’s planned visit to Dan Manor, someone suddenly cried out as though wailing.

“Yeonhaaaaa!”

When Seonu Yeonha and Gu Yusang turned toward the voice, they saw Seonu Jin running toward them in near-rags, his eyes filled with tears.

“Yeonha! Gi—Gi beat me up like this! If you had been there, you could have stopped him! Your brother truly thought he was going to die!”

Gu Yusang frowned at his wretched appearance and asked,

“Who is that man?”

Seonu Yeonha looked at Seonu Jin pathetically and answered.

“He is my third brother, who came home on leave from the front. He lost so much weight that I thought he might have changed, but judging by his behavior, he is still the same idiot as before.”

However, slight relief could be seen in Seonu Yeonha’s eyes as she spoke.

She did not know how he had survived, but her foolish brother did not seem to know that she had put poison in his rice balls.

While Seonu Yeonha thought that, the battered Seonu Jin practically rolled across the ground until he reached her.

“Yeonha! Gi truly tried to kill me!”

Seonu Yeonha sighed and began soothing him in a gentle voice.

“It is all right, Orabeoni. Gi-orabeoni probably did not truly mean it. Look. You may be a mess, but nothing is broken, is it?”

“D-Do you think so?”

“Yes, you are fine. Once we go inside and I apply some medicine, you will recover completely.”

“Y-Yes. Whenever you applied medicine for me, I always healed well.”

After comforting Seonu Jin as though soothing a child, Seonu Yeonha looked at Gu Yusang and said,

“I believe I should go inside now. Stop saying useless things and hurry back to the clan. You need to prepare a countermeasure.”

At her words, Gu Yusang, who had been looking at Seonu Jin as though he were an insect, reluctantly nodded and launched himself away.

To think this wretched creature had prevented him from stealing Seonu Yeonha’s heart yet again. Gu Yusang felt like killing him on the spot.

However, he could not do so yet.

Thinking that he would crush that insect-like man later, Gu Yusang decided to return for now.

As she said, this was the time to prepare a countermeasure.

Seonu Jin secretly watched Gu Yusang’s retreating back and smiled.

It seemed he had successfully made an excellent first impression.

After quickly changing clothes, I headed toward the indoor training hall to carry out my next task.

The people I had asked Father to gather should have been waiting there by now.

The Seonu Clan had four elders, and its combat force, the Divine Eagle Unit, consisted of the First through Fourth Units.

They could undoubtedly be called the core of the Seonu Clan’s military strength.

However….

‘Are they truly loyal only to the Seonu Clan?’

If someone asked that question, few people would be able to answer confidently.

Of course, I could understand them.

In the already contentious Seonu Clan, maintaining their original convictions without being swept into factional struggles could not have been easy.

‘But just because I can understand it does not mean I can tolerate it.’

Memories of my previous life suddenly surfaced, and I ground my teeth.

When I had been forced to become Clan Head of the Seonu Clan in my previous life, the clan’s strength had already been reduced to tatters.

The elders and captains of the Divine Eagle Units had each colluded with the maternal families of different brothers. After their chosen candidates lost the succession struggle, their forces either collapsed or even betrayed the Seonu Clan.

Therefore, knowing the future, I could never leave them alone.

‘Before that happens, I must bring those who can be controlled back into line and eliminate those who will betray us in advance.’

That was what I currently believed.

However, the people I had asked Father to gather stood on the opposite side from those men.

They were the grateful people who had steadfastly protected the collapsing Seonu Clan until the day I became Clan Head in my previous life.

I was now going to meet them.

After all, uniting one’s allies should come before striking one’s enemies.

When I opened the door to the indoor training hall and entered, Father was waiting together with Grand Elder Heo Jinguk, Dam Muho, captain of the Fourth Divine Eagle Unit, and approximately fifty members of that unit.

Father greeted me warmly.

“You have come, Jin?”

“Yes. I was slightly delayed because I had to let Gi beat me. I apologize.”

I then turned my gaze toward the others.

Grand Elder Heo Jinguk and Fourth Divine Eagle Unit Captain Dam Muho respectfully cupped their fists toward me.

“We greet the Third Young Master.”

“We greet the Third Young Master.”

However, their expressions were not particularly bright.

It seemed they were displeased that the person they had been gathered to meet was me.

Grand Elder Heo Jinguk bluntly asked me,

“However, Young Master, why did you summon us?”

He was known as the Five-Image Sword because the right hand holding his sword appeared to split into five when he attacked. Along with Father Seonu Jung, he was one of only two pinnacle masters in the Seonu Clan.

He was stubborn and incapable of offering empty flattery. He was considered an uncompromising loner who had poor relationships with others and did not know how to gather people around him.

That was why I had disliked him in my previous life as well.

However, I now knew the truth.

The man who never compromised with others had also refused to compromise until the very end, protecting the Seonu Clan throughout its collapse.

Therefore, he was someone toward whom I felt both deeply apologetic and profoundly grateful.

After looking at him for a moment with those feelings in mind, I spoke.

“I would like to test the abilities of the Elder and the Fourth Divine Eagle Unit.”

He stared at me incredulously and asked again,

“You said you wish to test our abilities? You, Third Young Master, who just said you were beaten by the Fourth Young Master?”

Considering the person he believed me to be, it was natural for him to ask that.

I grinned and slowly drew Black Wolf.

Words were unnecessary for a martial artist to prove himself.

“Haaap!”

Whoooosh!

In an instant, explosive Sword Force erupted from Black Wolf.

It was a vast and vivid Sword Force far beyond anything Father or the Grand Elder, who had only just entered the pinnacle realm, could dare approach.

“Uuurgh!”

“Th-That…!”

“H-How can the Third Young Master…?!”

This alone should have been enough to prove myself.

However, I had no intention of stopping there.

Concentrating my internal energy, I swung my sword and released it all at once.

The Fourteenth Form of the Seonu Thirteen Swords.

Vermilion Bird Manifest.

Screeeeeech!

A massive, pale-violet phoenix spread its wings from Black Wolf and soared upward with powerful wingbeats.

Then it began fiercely descending upon the Grand Elder and the members of the Fourth Divine Eagle Unit.

Screeeeeeeeech!

“U-Uurgh?!”

“Aaaaaaargh!”

Terrified, they instinctively raised their hands to shield themselves.

It was an instinctive reaction because they had not even had enough time to draw their swords.

However, at that moment, I shouted once more.

“Haaaaap!”

The phoenix suddenly changed direction and soared toward the roof.

Kwoooooom!

Everyone inside was now too astonished to make a sound.

They merely stared blankly at the gaping hole in the roof through which the phoenix had burst.

I grinned and spoke again.

“You will have to do your utmost. Unless you wish to be reprimanded by the man once called the disgrace of the Seonu Clan.”

Among the people staring at me with blank eyes, I saw Father alone looking at me with deep emotion.

For the first time in my life, I felt as though I was being a filial son.

The Ha Clan, located in Guiyang, the provincial capital of Guizhou Province, had once divided the city with the Seonu Clan. Now, however, it would not be an exaggeration to say that it effectively ruled the city and was the strongest martial family in Guiyang.

At that moment, two of the Ha Clan’s elite combat units—a total of approximately one hundred warriors—were preparing to deploy simultaneously.

Ha Guyang, Clan Head of the Ha Clan, addressed the captains of the First and Second White Tiger Units just before their departure.

“According to our information, only Clan Head Seonu Jung and his eldest son, Seonu Seong, will be traveling to Dan Manor. We verified it several times, and since neither the elders nor the combat units have moved, this much appears certain. However, do not lower your guard. The Seonu Clan may have declined, but the Seonu Thirteen Swords is not an art to be taken lightly. Seonu Jung himself is no easy opponent either.”

“Yes, Clan Head!”

“Yes, Clan Head!”

Twenty years earlier, the Seonu Clan, once a rival of the Ha Clan, had suffered the worst possible disaster when its masters were massacred while fighting villains from the unorthodox faction.

For the Ha Clan, which had divided Guiyang with the Seonu Clan, it had been an unrivaled opportunity.

However, Ha Guyang, who had already been Clan Head at the time, could not easily decide to attack the Seonu Clan.

Having observed the clan’s underlying strength for many years, he knew that even in its weakened state, attacking it would require considerable sacrifices. More importantly, as members of the orthodox faction, they had no justification for attacking the Seonu Clan after it had been weakened while resisting unorthodox villains.

Therefore, Ha Guyang had no choice but to content himself with accepting the Seonu Clan’s timely marriage proposal.

However, the results had been quite satisfactory.

‘Although I did it out of necessity, even now it seems like a rather good decision.’

Over the following twenty years, the gap between the power of the two sides continued to widen.

More importantly, through his position as Seonu Jung’s father-in-law and his connection with the daughter he had married into the family, Ha Guyang had gained enough influence to manipulate the Seonu Clan.

Therefore, if his maternal grandson Seonu Hyeok became Clan Head of the Seonu Clan, he would finally complete the clan’s total subjugation.

And yet….

Ha Guyang ground his teeth as he thought,

‘How dare that bastard Seonu Jung hand the succession to someone backed by a worthless faction like the Gaeyang Sect?’

It was something Ha Guyang could never tolerate.

He would lose the Seonu Clan just when he believed it was nearly within his grasp.

Furthermore, according to his daughter’s message, they even appeared to be planning to place themselves beneath the Zhuge Clan.

He absolutely could not remain idle.

Ha Guyang once again warned the captains of the White Tiger Units.

“Remember this well. You must kill Seonu Jung and his son Seonu Seong, and you must leave no trace of our involvement. It must appear that they were murdered by the resentful Dan Manor. Do you understand?!”

At his repeated warning, the captains of the White Tiger Units answered in unison.

“Yes, Clan Head! Do not worry!”

Only then did Ha Guyang nod in satisfaction.

In truth, he was certain there was no possibility of failure even without such excessive preparation.

There was no conceivable way that one hundred members of the combat units, including First White Tiger Unit Captain Gan Jongchi and Second White Tiger Unit Captain Guk Sahang—both pinnacle masters—could fail to kill merely two men.

Ha Guyang smiled greedily.

It seemed the day when he would finally subjugate the Seonu Clan was close at hand.