Chapter 24: Jaseung, Stops by One Fleeting Dream

The inside of the tavern was truly cozy. There were only a few tables, but perhaps because of the small size, it strangely made him feel at ease.

“You come here to drink?”

The person who greeted Lee Jaseung was an elderly woman with white hair. Judging by the deep wrinkles on her face, she had to be at least eighty years old, but her voice was full of vigor.

A martial artist?

Lee Jaseung observed her, but he couldn’t sense any Qi from her. It didn’t seem like she trained in martial arts, but she exuded a presence greater than any martial artist he has ever met.

‘If by some chance she is a martial artist, then she’s stronger than me.’

It would make her an incredible martial artist, though the chance of that was very low. After all, a master martial artist wouldn’t work in a shabby tavern like this.

The old woman brought out drinks and side dishes without even taking an order, as if this was the only thing on the menu.

Lee Jaseung poured himself a drink and took a sip. If Dan Woobin had seen him, he would’ve scolded him for drinking just any liquor.

The taste wasn’t bad, and the side dishes were good too.

“First time seeing you here.”

“Yes, it’s my first time here.”

“You entered the tournament, right? Looks like you’ve made it to the finals.”

“What makes you think that?”

“You look like you’re very good at fighting.”

Lee Jaseung smirked in response.

The old man sat across from him without asking for permission. After staring at him for a moment, she tilted her head.

“What’s wrong?”

“You aren’t from the Orthodox Faction, huh?”

“You’re mistaken.”

Lee Jaseung was rather shocked inside, though he didn’t show it outside.

He had mastered the State of One’s Origin, so he didn’t appear like a trained martial artist to others. Yet, not only did she see through it, but she even knew that he wasn’t part of the Orthodox Faction which was even more shocking.

The old woman nodded and spoke.

“Who cares? The Orthodox bastards are worse these days.”

Lee Jaseung smirked after hearing her. He found himself liking this old man. He loosened his tension, but he still made sure to not lower his guard.

The most dangerous people in the world are those who make you drop your guard. That’s why people say to beware of women, children, and monks as they are the ones who make you relax your vigilance.

Lee Jaseung included this mysterious old woman in that list, at least for tonight.

“It must be fate that we met tonight. If you win, buy me a drink. Not this cheap stuff, but something expensive.”

Her gaze was as deep as a void, similar to Lee Jaseung’s.

“Alright.”

“Promise?”

“Yes.”

After hearing his answer, the old woman drank Lee Jaseung’s liquor in one group with a satisfied smile. She then strode back into the kitchen.

Lee Jaseung refilled his cup. There’s a saying that the world is full of eccentric characters, like grains on sand on the beach.

But that old woman wasn’t a grain of sand. Perhaps a giant rock on the shore? Or even a wave, or a cloud. That was how immense her presence felt.

Just then, a new guest arrived.

“Have you been well?”

A familiar voice could be heard from behind, and it was shockingly Baek Seolyoung.

“Not at all, you brat. You should show your damned face more often if you’re worried. I’m not even that far away.”

“I’m sorry, I’ve been busy.”

“Save your excuses for those heartless bastards you hang out with.”

“Sorry, please forgive me.”

“Forget it.”

Considering how this old woman was able to talk like that to the Lord of the Northern Sky Clan, she clearly wasn’t ordinary.

Baek Seolyoung would sometimes stop by here whenever she felt troubled. Though they seemed very close, she didn’t actually know much about the old woman.

She followed her father here a few times, and even back then, she’d been amazed at how the old woman had spoken so rudely to him.

Even after her father’s passing, she had visited a couple more times. Being here strangely gave her peace. This old woman was the only person who treated her as Baek Seolyoung, not a Lord of a clan.

Lee Jaseung was sitting with his back to her, so she didn’t recognize him right away.

“One drink, please.”

“A young woman shouldn’t drink alone. Brings bad luck.”

“Can it get worse than this?”

“It can. Even if ten beggars gather, there are still ten different fates among them. Some good, some bad. That’s life.”

“It’s all meaningless anyway. One Fleeting Dream! You know?”

“Yet you host a marriage tournament knowing that?”

“Haha.”

There was a deep sorrow in her laughter.

“There’s your future husband, so why don’t you go say hello.”

“Huh?”

Baek Seolyoung finally turned toward Lee Jaseung in shock.

Lee Jaseung also turned to look at her.

“You…?”

Her gaze sharpened for an instant.

“How did you know about this place?”

She looked at him as if she was accusing him of having some hidden motive. She didn’t believe that he had just stumbled in by chance, as if it was fate.

“The name caught my interest.”

Her eyes still remained suspicious. Meeting him here again made her think that he might be following her with some intent.

“Were you following me?”

“Follow huh. I don’t think you should be saying that to a person who came here first.”

“It’s possible you looked into my schedule.”

Even as she spoke, she realized that was nonsense. This was a place she visited impulsively. No way it was going to be on her schedule, nor had she told anyone.

She just wanted to ease her mind after the banquet today.

Lee Jaseung emptied his cup and stood up. He placed money on the table and prepared to leave, but she stopped him.

“Wait.”

He paused.

“You don’t have to leave because of me.”

She spoke feeling guilty, but Lee Jaseung glanced over and replied.

“Why do you think it’s because of you?”

He wore an expression that said he was just leaving because it was time. Then he walked off.

It was possible that she was just being insecure, but his gaze seemed to say this.

‘You think you’re that important of a person?’

Baek Seolyoung bit her lips.

She got angry every time she saw him.

The way he ignores and leaves her.

And the way he makes her feel exposed. What happened just now was an example. It was a situation where she could suspect him, but she’s been the one to cause all encounters.

She met him four times coincidentally already. How was such a thing even possible?

The old woman poked her head out the window and yelled at Lee Jaseung as he walked away.

“Don’t forget our promise!”

Lee Jaseung turned, gave her a slight bow and continued down the road. His figure grew smaller in the distance.

“What promise did you make?”

Baek Seolyoung asked, and the old woman gave a strange smile.

“Why are you smiling like that?”

“You’ve gotten prettier since the last time I saw you.”

“What? Oh, it’s because I put a ton of makeup on today. There was an event.”

There was a penetrating wisdom in the old woman’s gaze that only age could bring. It felt different from usual, so Baek Seolyoung felt a bit nervous.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Then, the old woman walked over to clear the bottle from Lee Jaseung’s table and responded.

“Once the tournament is over, buy me a drink. Not this cheap stuff, but something expensive.”

“Of course I will. Even if you didn’t tell me, I was already thinking of drinking all the liquor of the world that day.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean, why? It’s because… I’ll be sad.”

“Will you, really?”

“Huh?”

The old woman spoke as she disappeared into the kitchen.

“You brat, just keep your promise. No excuses about being busy!”

* * *

Two days later, the day of the finals finally dawned.

A massive arena had been prepared, and the matches began early in the morning.

Thousands of people had lined up since dawn to get good seats, and there were way more people who couldn’t get in. The arena was a frenzy of excitement.

A special section for honored guests had been prepared to the side. In the center, the star of the tournament, Baek Seolyoung stood. She was with the Elders of the Northern Sky Clan including her rival, Yang Sebang.

“Hahaha, seeing all these fine warriors in the finals makes me very happy.”

Yang Sebang looked at her as if he was asking for her agreement. She smiled lightly, acting embarrassed.

Of course, she wasn’t happy at all. Yang Sebang’s unusually cheerful demeanor made her suspicious instead.

This man, he’s way too excited.

She had investigated his actions thoroughly but had found nothing strange.

‘Did I perhaps miss something?’

Just then, her gaze locked on someone.

Lee Jaseung was walking toward the arena from a distance. It was his turn to fight.

He most likely knew that she was sitting here watching, but he didn’t even glance her way once as he climbed onto the stage.

Her expression slightly stiffened because of it. Out of spite, she thought, ‘Fine, let’s see how well you fight then.’

Then, Yang Sebang spoke.

“He’s very young and handsome.”

Baek Seolyoung flinched for an instant.

He had caught her staring at him. It normally wasn’t a big deal to gaze at a contestant, but she hated that he had picked up her feelings.

Baek Seolyoung spoke with a smile.

“Well, if I have to marry someone, then he would be…”

Then she gave a shy smile, pretending to be embarrassed. She was trying to make Yang Sebang lower his guard by revealing her emotions on purpose.

Yang Sebang laughed loudly.

“Haha, of course. I will pray for you as well, for that young handsome man to win. Hahaha.”

Because of how loud he spoke, Dan Woobin standing far away, was able to hear him. A slight smile curved on his face.

‘Hehe, you will regret those words.’

Dan Woobin gazed at the stage.

Lee Jaseung’s opponent was Wang Ho, the Divine Sword of Anhui as he had drawn.

He was one of the most famous masters in Anhui, a master of a greatsword.

Greatswords were heavier than normal swords, but they were harder to counter than faster swords at a high level.

As expected, Wang Ho’s sword was both larger and heavier than average swords.

“I’ve never fought someone who uses daggers.”

Wang Ho was honest. There was a reason why he confidently spoke out his disadvantage.

He had the skill to back that confidence.

Swoosh!

As soon as the match began, Wang Ho’s sword came crashing down.

To think it would be slow because of its weight was pure prejudice. Many who lost to him had likely made that mistake.

His greatsword was incredibly fast.

Clang!

It was also very heavy.

A fighter of the same level might have had their wrist broken from that clash.

Wang Ho was shocked that such a small dagger had blocked his sword.

“You’re clearly worthy of making it to the finals!”

His attacks continued.

Swish!

This time, he aimed for the waist. Lee Jaseung leaped up to dodge it, but he immediately twisted his sword midair to aim at his legs.

Tap!

Lee Jaseung stepped on the blade and leaped higher.

As if this was anticipated, the greatsword swung upward.

Swoosh!

Ting!

Lee Jaseung kicked off the sword again and leaped back. Cheers and applause erupted from the crowd.

Everyone seemed like they were enjoying the fight. Their flashy movements made it all the more entertaining to watch.

But Wang Ho’s expression was very serious and stiff. Not only did his attacks miss, but his blade was stepped on twice which insulted him quite a bit.

Moreover, the crowd laughed and clapped like it was a circus which didn’t help either.

He had held back in the preliminary rounds, but in the finals, he had to go all out to beat his opponents.

Wang Ho drew his inner Qi, and his aura grew sharp.

‘I’ll end it with this strike!’

At the same time, his sword became heavier and faster.

Swaaaash!

His sword, filled with such terrifying force that even a mere graze could tear flesh apart, flew straight toward Lee Jaseung’s heart.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep