Tang Clan’s Sword Phoenix (3)

Although I had resolved Lady Hae Cheong-yeon’s matter, I failed to stop the things I already knew were supposed to happen.

The death of Lady Mae Yeogyeong, the death of Myeong Sahyeon….

I was furious and disappointed.

I had thought I had been doing well all along, and so I had believed I could change the future.

Yet these events made me feel as though the world was telling me it was all useless no matter how hard I tried.

So even after the search ended, I remained behind, investigating Ju Gui’s traces alone.

That was when Lady Cheong-yeon suddenly approached me and said,

“Captain Ma Yugyeom was taking Lady Tang Yeo-eun into the forest.”

“What?”

“The two of them… I thought you’d want to know, since you’ve been keeping an eye on them, Young Master Seonu.”

I gave a bitter smile.

Truly, she was an uncanny lady.

How in the world did she know such things when I had never spoken of them?

At this point, it felt almost frightening that she understood me so well.

But rather than fear, I felt grateful.

Because it was as if someone was telling me, ‘I see you. I acknowledge you.’ while I was struggling alone to change the future.

Smiling, I answered,

“I see. Thank you.”

Perhaps the two wounded hearts were finally coming together.

In my previous life, the two of them had soon started seeing each other, so it would likely happen again this time.

And if things continued as they had in my past life, Lady Tang Yeo-eun’s life would become miserable—but I had no justification to meddle in matters between men and women.

That was when Lady Cheong-yeon cautiously added,

“And I can’t be certain about this…”

“Yes?”

“I saw Captain Ma taking some kind of pill. It looked similar to the Poison Pellet Elder Seok gave you. But I can’t say for sure.”

“Ah, really?”

I nodded absentmindedly.

And in that instant, like a lightning flash, something struck my mind.

The Blood Demon’s voice transmission… Ma Yugyeom’s strange change afterward, his eventual defection to the Blood Cult, the Poison Pellet of the Blood Cult, and Ju Gui’s missing traces….

All of it seemed connected as one.

I urgently asked Lady Cheong-yeon,

“Did you see where the two of them went?”

“Yes, they were headed into the eastern forest. Shall we go?”

“Yes, I have something to confirm.”

And I immediately dashed toward the eastern forest.

The moment I heard “eastern forest,” I realized it was the same place where Lady Mae Yeogyeong had been found.

Fortunately, I wasn’t too late—I arrived in time and concealed myself to watch their actions.

“Repeat after me. ‘Tang Yeo-eun belongs to Ma Yugyeom.’”

At that moment, I understood immediately.

What Ma Yugyeom was trying was something akin to the Soul-Seizing Technique, and that explained why Lady Tang Yeo-eun had been so helplessly dragged around by him in my past life.

I couldn’t delay.

Stealth would normally be crucial for an ambush, but right now, stopping this act took priority.

I shouted and hurled a throwing dart.

“What are you doing?!”

But of course, Ma Yugyeom easily dodged with a leap.

When he saw me, his face twisted into a maniacal mask as killing intent surged.

Clang!

He drew his sword, blue sword energy rippling along its edge.

“Haaap!”

Dodging his slash, I shouted,

“What is this, Captain Ma?! Is being a Lust Demon not enough, that you’d even resort to obliterating bloodlines now?!”

At my words, he faltered slightly.

I decided to pretend I hadn’t noticed he was using something like the Soul-Seizing Technique.

“Come to your senses, Captain Ma! I know losing Lady Mae has been painful, but would she not grieve to see you destroy yourself like this?! Stop before you cross the line!”

He looked at me with conflicted eyes.

He seemed hesitant.

At least my words about not crossing the line were my heartfelt truth.

Of course, if he really had killed Lady Mae Yeogyeong, then he had already crossed the line—but it wasn’t certain yet.

If possible, I wanted to bring him back.

“If you release Lady Tang and apologize, I’ll act as though I never saw this! Free her first, Captain Ma!”

At that, he glanced toward Lady Tang.

She was still collapsed on the ground, crying, seemingly unable to regain consciousness from earlier.

Ma Yugyeom let out a weary sigh, his face haggard.

Then, releasing his sword energy, he said,

“You’re right. I’ve shown an ugly sight. I’m ashamed. When Yeogyeong died, I couldn’t bear it. I’ll apologize to Lady Tang. But I’m very drunk right now. Could you help me move her?”

His expression was unbearably tragic.

He truly looked as if he was suffering to his limits.

But what he didn’t know—what I knew—was that his collapse wasn’t because of Lady Mae, and that Lady Tang wasn’t drunkenly dazed but had been entranced.

He had already gone past the point of no return.

Realizing this, I leapt back and shouted,

Whoosh!

“Captain Ma has learned the martial arts of the Blood Cult! Captain Ma has defected to the Blood Cult!”

Startled, Ma Yugyeom immediately leapt after me.

“You bastard!”

His face, when I glanced back, was twisted like a fiend.

But I sneered and sped up.

Even Sak Muhun, with over seventy years of internal power, hadn’t been able to catch me—Ma Yugyeom certainly wouldn’t.

“Ma Yugyeom has betrayed us! He’s mastered the Blood Cult’s martial arts!”

Shouting this as I flew ahead, I vanished from his sight and slipped into the shade of a tree.

Soon after, he passed by with a furious roar.

“You cur!”

Escaping to the Thirteenth Unit would’ve been easy—but I couldn’t leave Lady Tang behind.

Wild beasts, demons, or even Ma Yugyeom changing his mind and abducting her again—any of these could happen.

As soon as he disappeared, I rushed back to Lady Tang.

She was still crying in a daze, muttering,

“Tang Yeo-eun belongs to Ma Yugyeom. Tang Yeo-eun is….”

My heart sank.

She seemed already under the Soul-Seizing Technique.

I hurriedly told her,

“No! Tang Yeo-eun belongs to herself!”

She faltered, repeating after me,

“Tang Yeo-eun… belongs to herself?”

It worked.

It wasn’t completely over yet.

I pressed on quickly,

“That’s right! Lady Tang belongs to herself! To no one else!”

Blankly, she echoed,

“I belong to myself….”

Then, bursting into tears, she cried,

“That can’t be true. I never should’ve been born. I don’t deserve it. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I was born, Mother. I’m sorry I’m alive.”

What was this…?

Her sudden ramblings left me bewildered.

Then I sensed movement in the forest behind.

Ma Yugyeom was returning.

“Damn it!”

Just as I’d feared, failing to catch me, he had returned for her.

I quickly lifted her in my arms and leapt away.

Seeing me, Ma Yugyeom shouted as he emerged from the forest,

“You bastard! Stop! Return her to me!”

Return her? That’s my line!

I ran, clutching her.

Another chase was beginning.

And this time, I couldn’t even hide, carrying her in my arms.

From the start, it was an unfavorable pursuit.

If she could at least ride piggyback, it might’ve been easier—but carrying her in my arms made movement too awkward.

I couldn’t gain speed.

And worse, she kept crying in my arms, muttering,

“I never should’ve been born. I don’t deserve to live.”

Whether it was because of Ma Yugyeom or something else, I couldn’t tell—but leaving her like this was clearly impossible.

Even in this desperate flight, I whispered to her constantly,

“No. You deserve to be born, Lady Tang. You deserve to be loved. You are someone fully worthy of living.”

But she no longer seemed to hear me. She sobbed faintly, repeating the same words as if in delirium.

“I’m sorry I was born, I’m sorry I’m alive, Mother. Please forgive me.”

Meanwhile, Ma Yugyeom pursued with a face blazing with fury.

“Seonu Jiiiin! Stop right there!”

It was maddening, exhausting.

Most of my recent memories seemed to be of running from someone.

Running from Heuksangbang, running from the Martial Alliance’s assassins, and now running from Ma Yugyeom.

Why was it always like this lately?

But still, it wasn’t as hopeless as my past life.

Ma Yugyeom wasn’t yet closing the gap. Of course, with the difference in our internal strength and me carrying extra weight, he would likely catch up soon—but not yet.

So for now, I had to focus on Lady Tang.

Running, I racked my brain desperately.

What could I say?

What words could bring her back?

There was only one thing that came to mind.

Myeong Sahyeon.

The man who had loved Lady Tang more than his own life.

When I’d heard about him, I had been deeply shaken.

Across all my past life’s memories, not once had a person under Soul-Seizing ever stopped acting or chosen to end themselves by their own will.

Not for lovers, mentors, or family.

It was unthinkable.

What kind of resolve, what kind of love could make that possible?

If Lady Tang’s heart was the same, then she too could return.

“Lady Tang! Remember Myeong Sahyeon, the Vice-Captain! Remember who he was, how much he loved you!”

At this, she truly reacted.

She stopped muttering and whispered his name.

“Sahyeon….”

“Yes, do you remember? Myeong Sahyeon, Vice-Captain Myeong, was so admirable even as a man I envied him. And you—Lady Tang—you were the one he loved. The one he loved so much he could give his very life for. That makes you someone of worth. If you cannot believe in yourself, then believe in him—believe in the one he loved so deeply: you.”

It worked.

She stopped her self-loathing, calling his name and sobbing—not in the bound way from before, but with natural grief.

“Sahyeon… Sahyeon….”

Into her ears, I continued to whisper,

“It’s all right. Everything will be all right. You are someone of worth. You are precious and admirable.”

After whispering like this for a long while, she finally stopped muttering and seemed to drift into peaceful sleep.

At last, one problem had been solved.

Now only the next remained.

“I’ll kill you, Seonu Jiiiin!”

The issue of Ma Yugyeom, the pinnacle expert still chasing me relentlessly, and my own dwindling stamina.

Whether they were separate problems or one, the more urgent one was my stamina.

Whispering constantly to Lady Tang while fleeing had drained me.

My original plan had been to lure him into the Poison Forest.

In my fight with Sag Muhun, I had gained much thanks to its toxins, and since I always carried Poison Incense with me, I could’ve shaken him off once inside.

But at this pace, it would take at least two hours to reach it.

And I had no stamina left for that.

There was no choice.

I had to decide before I exhausted myself further.

Abandon her and flee, or face him head-on.

I regretted not having rebuilt the trap I had used against Sag Muhun.

But regret now was useless.

Whispering one last time to Lady Tang, I set her down on a flat boulder I spotted while fleeing.

Then, turning back, I saw Ma Yugyeom hurtling toward me, sword flashing.

Blue sword energy rippled on his blade like the flames of hell.

I licked my lips and gripped the sword Black Wolf.

“All right then, let’s see how this goes!”

And I leapt forward, unsheathing in a thunderous draw.

Shuaaak!

From Black Wolf’s blade surged violet sword energy, writhing in the air.