Chapter 218: A New Phase (3)

“Ah, come to think of it. How did the negotiations with your grandfather go?”

I nodded with a bitter smile.

“It wasn’t easy.”

“So, that means… you convinced him?”

“To be exact, he gave conditional approval.”

Convincing the Sword King had truly not been easy.

He was someone who strictly dismissed plans he deemed absurd.

“After all, this is about compromising with Gwan Hyun, someone who had been a political enemy until just recently. If I were in his shoes, I’d have been suspicious too.”

“My grandfather is a bit overly suspicious.”

“I understand. If you can’t doubt those around you, you won’t survive in the position of the Murim Alliance Leader.”

Regardless of personal ideals, without ruthlessness and strictness, no one could last long in a high position.

“So, what did you decide to do?”

“Hmm…”

“……?”

Rather than answering right away, I looked at Baek Sang-ah with a somewhat pitying gaze.

The corners of her eyes immediately turned down in a pout.

“What’s with that rude look, like something drastic is about to happen to me?”

“Your instincts are sharp. That’s correct.”

“Whaaat?!”

Before she could explode, I hurried to continue speaking.

“You’ll have to keep serving as the Lord of the Black Lotus for a while longer.”

Baek Sang-ah’s lips trembled as she made a tearful face.

“Don’t tell me… you’re planning to stick me in the Black Lotus Lord seat and go back to the Cult with Lady Cheon, all lovey-dovey?!”

“…You shouldn’t even be returning to Ten Thousand Mountain in the first place.”

‘The Cult,’ she says.

The fact that her sense of identity had become so twisted was a problem in and of itself.

“I won’t be returning. In fact, it looks like my return will be delayed even further than originally planned.”

Hearing that, Baek Sang-ah’s expression hardened, as if she had realized something.

“It’s because of your grandfather, isn’t it?”

I nodded and asked her,

“Do you know that the Namcheon Baek Clan is planning to host a Martial Arts Tournament?”

“Of course.”

Baek Sang-ah frowned.

Ever since she heard something like that from Hwangbo Mun near Mount Hua…

After taking over as Lord of the Black Lotus, she had gathered information on the matter through Jegal Eun.

“I heard that Uncle Baek Munjeol and the clan elders joined forces and pushed it forward.”

Of course, it wasn’t something that had been officially authorized.

No matter how united the elders were, nothing could proceed without the clan leader’s permission.

I shared with her the agreement I had reached with the Sword King.

“Soon, with the clan leader’s approval, the Namcheon Baek Clan will officially host that Martial Arts Tournament.”

“…Don’t tell me?”

“Yes, the Sword King wanted an external sword-wielder to resolve Namcheon’s internal issues.”

Namcheon’s current situation couldn’t be resolved peacefully without bloodshed.

If not for the presence of the Sword King, a civil war would’ve broken out instantly.

“The issue is that the Sword King has to undergo a period of recuperation.”

“So the Young Master Jin will be taking over something that should’ve been my grandfather’s responsibility.”

“You could say that.”

Baek Sang-ah grit her teeth.

This was originally the karma that the clan leader, the Sword King, was supposed to resolve.

She even felt a tinge of resentment toward her grandfather for shifting the burden onto someone else.

“Well, it’s not entirely a bad thing.”

“…What?”

I covered my mouth slightly and smiled at the gloomy-looking Baek Sang-ah.

“Put differently, the Sword King has practically handed me the role of ‘acting clan leader.’”

“……”

Baek Sang-ah’s face stiffened completely.

“I’ve always been curious, you know. About the so-called Southern and Northern Heavenly Clans that could supposedly stand up to the Cult on their own. I’ve always wondered just how big their power really is…”

“Y-Young Master Jin?”

“This is a good chance to trim the excess branches and peek at the core.”

It was a fact she had been trying to ignore for a while now.

The man called ‘Jin Yeomyung’ held the status of Grand Young Master of the Six Great Demonic Clans, the highest ruling echelon of the Heavenly Demon Cult.

And once someone like that acquired information about the greatest orthodox family… who knew how it might be used later?

Baek Sang-ah opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish.

“N-no, right? You’re not going to do anything bad to the main family, are you?”

“What are you saying, my lady? Of course not.”

At my beaming smile, Baek Sang-ah let out a sigh of relief.

“Ahaha, right. Of course you wouldn’t do something like that, Young Master Jin.”

“But I can’t say what judgment the Cult Leader might make after reading my report.”

“G-Grandfather?! Grandfatherrrrrrrrr!”

Baek Sang-ah shrieked and dashed straight toward the room where the Sword King was staying.

“U-unnie?!”

Jegal Eun hurried after her in a panic.

Well, it was basically like leaving a fish to a cat. It wasn’t strange for her to panic like that.

I might’ve exaggerated a little, given how sensitive her reactions usually were.

Watching Baek Sang-ah’s retreating figure, I scratched my cheek lightly.

“Hmm, maybe I teased her too much?”

“Quit playing with that girl.”

At the familiar voice behind me, my expression brightened.

“Oh, you’re here?”

“Yes.”

Cheon Yura had appeared behind me at some point and walked over.

Reading the discontent in her expression, I flinched.

“Uh, did something bad happen?”

“You could call it bad.”

“…What happened?”

Worried that it might be something about her physical condition, I asked cautiously.

Fortunately, the topic had nothing to do with my concern.

“They said it doesn’t exist.”

“…What doesn’t?”

“The item I was searching for.”

“……”

Just what the hell was she looking for…?

“They said to try Guangdong Province, where merchants from Beijing and the Western Regions gather. If we search there, it might be possible.”

I swallowed hard and asked,

“What exactly are you looking for, Miss Cheon Yura?”

At my question, the corners of Cheon Yura’s mouth curved into a thin line.

With narrowed eyes, she asked me,

“Well, what do you think I’m looking for?”

“Uh, um…”

Seeing her expression, I was at a complete loss for words.

Scary.

Seriously, terrifyingly scary!

She was even more frightening now than when she first launched Qi Projection at my neck.

My instincts screamed at me not to probe further.

They told me that if I went any deeper, I’d be staring into the abyss.

“…It’s nothing.”

In the end, I avoided her gaze.

She nodded in satisfaction, seeing how frozen I looked.

“Right. People who get curious about the wrong things don’t live long.”

“……”

“Just like someone who had the gall to tease me without fear.”

“……”

All I did was indulge a little personal desire, and she’s still this upset?!

I was boiling with silent resentment but didn’t dare let it show.

Her previously cold smile eventually faded, and her expression returned to normal.

“Ahem. So? From what I heard, it sounds like you plan to get involved in Namcheon’s affairs?”

“Um, hrmm! Th-that’s right. The coordination with the Sword King is pretty much done. Once I settle things in Namcheon, he’ll declare his complete retirement from the Central Plains.”

“Retirement, you say?”

Cheon Yura’s face lit up with curiosity at the Sword King’s unexpectedly bold move.

“Baek Mun-yak, the Sword King’s son and acting head, is already past forty. He’s old enough to take over as Clan Leader. It seems the Sword King is ready to hand it over.”

“Interesting. Not just stepping down from the Alliance Leader role, but retiring altogether.”

“Well, I suppose he’s grown disillusioned with Alliance matters.”

“So? What’s your plan for getting involved?”

Heh!

“This time, I’ve got a solid card to play. I plan on using it to the fullest.”

In terms of difficulty, this might actually be the easiest task I’ve taken on so far.

Several more days passed.

The atmosphere in Luoyang had grown considerably subdued, and the reconstruction of the Black Lotus’s headquarters had begun in earnest.

Everything was gradually returning to its original place.

“The, the Lord of the City has stressed it again! Absolutely, absolutely—!”

A high-ranking official from the City Lord’s office, sent personally, bowed repeatedly before Baek Sang-ah, who wore her mask.

She found his manner rather pitiful and waved her hand.

“Tell the City Lord he need not worry. That won’t happen.”

“We’re counting on you, Lady Lotus! Please… please don’t engage in any battles with the Cult inside Luoyang!”

“I understand.”

Only after hearing Baek Sang-ah’s firm answer did the official leave, relieved.

“The Cult, huh…”

The Cult’s delegation, which had left much later than the others, didn’t enter the Murim Alliance directly and instead veered north toward Luoyang.

Their sudden change of course had shocked not only the Alliance but also the nearby sects.

The Lord of Luoyang had gone into a frenzy, insisting that war must be avoided at all costs, but Baek Sang-ah, who knew the inside story, felt rather indifferent.

“They’re just coming to meet their real master.”

Once they arrived, the Young Cult Leader, Cheon Yura, would handle things as needed and proceed with the next step.

Right now, that wasn’t Baek Sang-ah’s main concern.

“Uuurgh! Grandpa just had to say that!”

Alone in the Lotus Lord’s office, Baek Sang-ah clutched at her hair in frustration.

“Nnggggh!”

The memory of the recent conversation with her grandfather replayed vividly in her mind.

BANG!

“Grandfather! Is it true that you handed over our clan’s authority to Young Master Jin?!”

The Sword King looked at his granddaughter, who stormed in like she meant to smash down the door, with clear displeasure.

“Sang-ah, why are you behaving so roughly?”

At his question, Baek Sang-ah tilted her head as if she truly didn’t understand.

“What do you mean?”

“…It’s nothing.”

Just a few years ago, she had been the very model of a refined young lady from a noble orthodox family—graceful, mature, and proper.

But in just a few years, that lovely granddaughter had become a wild child who threw etiquette out the window.

‘What on earth happened to her in the Cult…?’

The Sword King couldn’t hide his sorrowful thoughts.

Baek Sang-ah pressed him again.

“I heard it from Young Master Jin. That you entrusted him with clan matters.”

“So it has come to that.”

“If that’s the case, he’ll have access to internal clan information. Are you really okay with that?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? Of course it’s a problem.”

“…?!”

She stared at him in shock.

If he knew that, then what reason could he possibly have for giving him the role?

Just as she was spiraling into confusion, the Sword King dropped a thunderous remark.

“Hahaha, considering he’s practically Namcheon’s future son-in-law, sharing that level of secret isn’t a problem.”

“…What?”

Baek Sang-ah froze.

“But Young Master Jin…”

“I know. He has a very close relationship with the Young Cult Leader.”

The Sword King nodded quietly.

“But soon, Namcheon will suffer damage so severe that external activity will be difficult for a while.”

“…!”

“Thinking that weakened Namcheon will be left alone by other sects is naïve. I must make the best possible choice for the future of the main family.”

Her grandfather was seriously expecting such a level of damage?

Baek Sang-ah bit her lower lip slightly.

“And more than anything… You, the next-next Clan Leader, have become a Demonic Cultist. That is undeniably the Cult’s fault.”

“So you’re trying to use that as leverage… to arrange a marriage between me and Young Master Jin?”

Surprisingly, the Sword King shook his head.

“The Cult Leader won’t be swayed by something so shallow. But considering the Cult’s current situation, approaching this politically may actually lead to success.”

Baek Sang-ah went silent.

She had once said something similar to Jin Yeomyung as a half-joke, almost as a desperate coping mechanism.

But hearing it from her grandfather now, the weight of the matter was on an entirely different level.

“You… have feelings for that young man, don’t you?”

“……”

Baek Sang-ah didn’t deny it.

“To end up with someone you truly care for is a blessing. I’ll take care of the arrangements. You just be prepared.”

She couldn’t bring herself to answer him.

And so, now—

“Aaaaargh! I was finally trying to let go of my feelings, and then he says that?! Grandpa, seriously!”

Baek Sang-ah rolled around the Lotus Lord’s office in despair.

If any of her devoted subordinates—who practically worshipped her—had seen her like this, they might have wept blood.

Then—

“How pathetic. Did something happen?”

“Wah!”

Baek Sang-ah jumped in shock when she recognized the voice’s owner.

She had every reason to react that way.

Cheon Yura had entered the office at some point…

And was staring down at her expressionlessly with her trademark blank look.

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