Chapter 108: Sayeon, Cries

He had thought the wager was nothing more than a joke, but Lee Jaseung truly did go out to the street with Mook Young to share a drink.

The two of them took seats in a tavern.

“It has been quite some time since we had a drink alone.”

Lee Jaseung felt guilty toward Mook Young, whom he had not taken proper care of. Even when he sparred, it was always with Mujin or Ma Young-gi.

That was only natural, since they were the ones leading the twin pillars of the Black Way Alliance, the Divine Sword Regiment and the Iron Cavalry Regiment. According to their status, they had to be given that attention.

The one who must have felt most slighted by that special treatment was Mook Young. He had joined around the same time and possessed similar skill.

Because his duties focused on guarding, he didn’t often stand at the forefront, but in heart he was likely no different from Mujin or Ma Young-gi.

Always staying close, Mook Young was the one who knew Lee Jaseung best, and even now he proved it.

“You seem to have something on your mind.”

“Do I look that way?”

“Yes.”

“What worries could I have? Never before have things gone so smoothly.”

They were going so well it almost made him uneasy. A new martial art, newfound inner Qi, and now even vast wealth.

Mook Young spoke carefully.

“If that is true, then the greatest under heaven or the richest man alive would live without worries. Yet that isn’t the case, is it?”

Lee Jaseung gave a faint smile.

He was right. The more one possessed, the more worries increased.

“Let’s have a drink.”

“Yes.”

They emptied their cups together. Mook Young filled Lee Jaseung’s cup, then his own.

After a few more rounds, Mook Young finally spoke what he had held in his heart. Such chances didn’t come often.

“Forgive me for speaking out of turn, but I have something to say.”

“What is it?”

“Tell Lord Baek the truth about who you are.”

Lee Jaseung looked at him. Just from his eyes he could see how difficult it was for Mook Young to say this.

It was the same as when he first mentioned his worries. He had seen through him and known what troubled him.

“Do you think she is ready to accept it?”

Though he asked, Lee Jaseung already knew the answer.

This was not something that could ever be easy to accept, no matter how much time passed.

“I am not sure. But I cannot shake the feeling that it must be done.”

It was what Mook Young always thought while watching them. He believed the two could endure it.

It was faith in Baek Seolyoung, and ultimately in Lee Jaseung himself. Whatever happened, he believed Lee Jaseung would find a way.

Lee Jaseung silently emptied his cup.

He was grateful. It was a sensitive issue, and Mook Young surely knew how hard it was to bring it up. He only did so because of deep loyalty.

His feelings for Baek Seolyoung had grown beyond comparison to when they first met.

He felt she too had changed in how she treated him.

But even so, could she truly accept that he was the Lord of the Black Way Alliance?

Mook Young, since he had gone this far, added more.

“You have overcome many hardships. Some of them were nearly impossible. Yet you endured with wisdom, caution, and planning. Why not do the same now?”

Lee Jaseung answered only by drinking.

Mook Young, face slightly flushed, asked again.

“What is it that you fear? Is it that she might refuse you?”

Lee Jaseung replied calmly.

“What I fear is not refusal.”

“Huh? Then what is it?”

With deepened eyes, Lee Jaseung answered.

“It is what comes after refusal.”

At last Mook Young understood.

What if she couldn’t accept who he was and sought to reveal it to others? If she tried to block his path, then he would have to kill her.

What he feared was exactly that, that such a day might come.

Lee Jaseung asked quietly,

“Should I still do it?”

Mook Young held his gaze for a moment before giving a short answer.

“You should”

* * *

In the forest bathed in soft moonlight, a large carriage stood still.

The woman with the Water mark sat on the driver’s bench.

She still wore her mask, yet her clear eyes didn’t suit the mask as she looked up at the sky. Her gaze resembled a night sky filled with stars.

Then, someone approached. She stepped down from the bench.

The woman who drew near was none other than Yim Sayeon of the One Fleeting Dream tavern.

“You were the one who sent word?”

“Yes. He very much wished to see you.”

“Is he inside?”

“Yes.”

The Water-marked woman leapt lightly aside. When she disappeared into the distance, Yim Sayeon entered the carriage.

Inside, remodeled with a bed, an old man lay. As she stepped in, the man who had seemed lifeless opened his eyes.

“You came?”

Joy spread across the face that had been filled with death.

Without a word, Yim Sayeon approached.

He tried to rise, but had no strength.

“Stay as you are.”

“No. It has been so long, I must greet you properly. Please help me up.”

Yim Sayeon raised him up. Seeing his body reduced to skin and bone, she sighed.

Their eyes met in the air.

“What kind of illness is this?”

“It’s nothing too severe.”

She took his wrist as though checking his pulse. After a moment, she suddenly burst out.

“How could you let your body come to this?”

His body was ruined, already beyond saving.

The old man gave a faint smile.

“It’s been long since anyone scolded me like this.”

Then, with fading strength, he said something astonishing.

“…Mother.”

The old man was none other than Yim Sayeon’s son, Cheon Myeongin. Her face was filled with bitter regret as she looked at him.

“Do not call me Mother!”

“…”

“Do you remember the day you stormed out? The day you declared you would never call me Mother again, that you would sever ties of parent and child?”

“…I remember. As clearly as if it were yesterday.”

“And you appear again only to look like this…”

Yim Sayeon had lived over a century, but in this moment she couldn’t control her feelings.

Cheon Myeongin coughed, spitting blood. His body trembled.

Yim Sayeon poured inner Qi into him. The refined power of a hundred years’ training coursed through his body, and the coughing ceased. Color returned to his pale face.

He looked at peace.

“Thank you, Mother.”

Her face remained stern. It was only a temporary reprieve, not salvation. Whether he had a day, ten, or a hundred left, no one could tell.

“Jianghu will soon be finished.”

Her eyes grew sharp after hearing his words.

“What do you mean?”

“There are those I raised. We have prepared for this day for a long time. The power stored is immense, and no one will be capable of stopping it.”

“Many monsters have rampaged over the years, yet the world still stands.”

“It’s different this time. These people are different. They are truly terrifying.”

“If you raised them, then you must be able to destroy them.”

If he had raised such people, he surely would have prepared such safeguards as well. Her son had a meticulousness that could even take her by surprise.

But despair crossed his face. With a long sigh, he replied.

“…I thought I had raised them.”

“Is that not the case?”

“But instead, they used me.”

“Who?”

“Mountain. He is the one who now controls them.”

Yim Sayeon thought of the Water-marked woman. It seemed each bore such a character as their name.

“What were you?”

The old man drew a mask from beside his pillow. On its forehead was a single character.

Heaven.

“A pitiful Heaven, who boasted without knowing there was another Heaven beyond.”

Cheon Myeongin blushed with shame.

“They still follow me for now, but not truly. Mountain has long since taken hold of them.”

“What does this Mountain seek?”

“To rule the martial world, probably.”

His face grew flushed at not knowing his true intent.

Yim Sayeon asked sorrowfully,

“Why did you work with such men?”

His eyes grew sad as he answered with effort.

“I wanted to take this world.”

He repeated the words.

“…I wanted it enough to cast aside even you, Mother. I’m sorry.”

Tears ran down his face.

“…Mother… Please help me.”

At last he couldn’t hold on, and he drifted into sleep.

Yim Sayeon’s gaze grew deep as she watched. She whispered,

“…What am I supposed to do now?”

Not all tears are seen.

From her dry eyes, unseen tears fell.

She looked out the window. Between the wrinkles, her eyes lifted toward the night sky.

Not even the bright moon knew her thoughts.

* * *

In the moonlight, Baek Seolyoung was taking a walk.

A faint flush colored her face and a smile touched her lips.

She remembered the house built on the field. Not because he had built it, but because he had not forgotten her words.

She stopped and looked up at the sky.

The moon seemed to hold Lee Jaseung’s face.

His cold face.

The face he showed when speaking harsh words.

The face when he acted proud.

The face when he smiled faintly.

One expression after another came to mind, and now each of them held meaning for her.

Since she had met him, so much had happened. And now, he was her husband.

She felt the time had come.

The time to truly become one with him. She felt the stirring of fate.

Just then, Lee Jaseung appeared.

He stopped in front of her.

Close enough that if she reached out, she would touch his chest.

Neither asked why the other was there.

Under the moonlight, they only looked into each other’s eyes. Their gazes were different from usual. Both held resolve.

Lee Jaseung and Baek Seolyoung spoke at the same time.

“I have something to say.”

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