Chapter 137: A Matchmaker Arrives (2)

He was always busy.

Every time Jegal Cheongyeong looked at Yong Hwarin, her heart ached.

Even though their prenatal engagement had been annulled, she still thought he would at least spare her a glance.

But Yong Hwarin had never once turned his gaze toward her. No—the smile he gave her when they first met at the Namgung Clan was the extent of it.

‘You’ve truly changed a lot.’

And realizing that his eyes held not even a hint of regret left her feeling even emptier inside.

‘I must be such a selfish woman. I broke off our engagement for the sake of martial cultivation, and yet I’m now upset that he no longer shows interest in me?’

Now, she understood why Jegal Byeok had told her repeatedly to reconsider before breaking off the prenatal engagement.

Jegal Byeok had discerned Yong Hwarin’s character and tried to dissuade her.

Jegal Cheongyeong let out a long sigh.

Then Jegal Yohye approached and opened her mouth.

“Unni, why don’t you go and talk to Young Master Yong?”

“How could I possibly face him?”

“Why not? You were once engaged, weren’t you? It’s not a crime to have broken off an engagement, so there’s no reason you can’t speak. Do you regret ending it?”

Faced with such a bold question, Jegal Cheongyeong gave a bitter smile.

“No. But after seeing Absolute Sword Monk Eom An’s martial bout with Brother Hwarin this morning, I realized I’ve been living in delusion. I thought among those gathered here, only Pang Giyok was on par with me. I even believed I could beat him since I’d recently mastered all eighteen techniques of the Mad Dragon Sword Style.”

“Did you feel something after watching Young Master Yong’s martial bout?”

Since Jegal Yohye didn’t know martial arts, she couldn’t fully grasp the values of martial artists who had devoted their entire lives to it.

“Brother Hwarin has reached a realm far beyond my reach and is moving ever farther ahead.”

“Was it really that impressive?”

To Jegal Yohye, it seemed like Eom An had simply exhausted himself and lost.

In fact, none of the young heads of noble clans dared speak openly about the duel between Yong Hwarin and Eom An.

“Didn’t anyone say anything? The others?”

“I asked around, but everyone clammed up about Eom An and Young Master Yong’s duel.”

That’s why Jegal Yohye didn’t know what had actually occurred.

She could only judge based on what she saw with her eyes.

“That makes sense. They all must’ve felt the same as I did.”

“What do you mean?”

“They couldn’t bring themselves to talk about the bout between Eom An and Brother Hwarin because their pride wouldn’t allow it. They couldn’t accept someone who had reached a different dimension from themselves. I too was so shocked I couldn’t speak. How much worse must it be for the others? They’re the young heads of prestigious clans.”

“So that’s why no one answered me when I asked. Even Brother Yeongcheon has become strangely silent since the bout. But… is there really that much of a gap between us and Young Master Yong?”

A wistful smile crept across Jegal Cheongyeong’s face.

“To be honest, Absolute Sword Monk Eom An was beyond any of us. It took Namgung Myeongsook to resolve that issue. If not for her, the Namgung Clan’s reputation would have hit rock bottom—along with Namgung Soomyung’s name.”

“What about Pang Giyok?”

She asked while comparing him to Eom An, prompting a slight smile from Jegal Cheongyeong.

“You really ask about everything, don’t you? A smart girl like you must’ve already figured it out.”

“So I was right.”

“Yes. Do you think someone like Young Master Pang would just sit back? He instinctively knew Eom An was stronger and chose not to step up. He judged that stepping in would only lead to an outcome similar to Namgung Soomyung’s. Instead, Young Master Pang kept his eyes on Brother Hwarin the entire time. He believed Brother Hwarin was the only one who could stand as his rival.”

At those words, Jegal Yohye suddenly let out a small laugh.

“Hehehe, I think I finally understand the mood here. No wonder the only ones approaching Young Master Yong are women. The elite young heads of the great clans are so jealous of him for already reaching the realm they dreamed of—they won’t even acknowledge him.”

Then, a voice rang out from behind.

“Hahaha, exclude me from that group. I’m someone who’s truly glad that Hwarin has become so powerful.”

Jegal Cheongyeong looked at the approaching Pang Giyok and smiled.

“I figured. After all, Young Master Pang has found himself a rival. And that rival happens to be your only true friend.”

“Exactly so. Lady Cheongyeong, your insight is exceptional. How did someone like you…”

He trailed off, realizing he had spoken carelessly, let out an awkward cough, and stepped back.

Jegal Cheongyeong gave a bitter smile.

She knew exactly what Pang Giyok had been about to say.

‘With all that intelligence, why did you throw someone like Yong Hwarin away—that’s what he was going to say.’

But Jegal Cheongyeong didn’t regret breaking off the prenatal engagement. What she bitterly regretted was misjudging who Yong Hwarin truly was.

She had merely seen him as an obstacle in her life. She believed that he would hinder her martial cultivation, so she had chosen to remove him from her life.

That was what she regretted.

‘He’s already soared far beyond me, and I arrogantly discarded him. He must’ve laughed at me inside.’

Just thinking about it made her cheeks flush with embarrassment.

That was why she couldn’t bring herself to approach him.

Even though Jegal Yohye had many ties to him, she resented her own mind for failing to make him hers.

Until now, she had never hesitated to use schemes and tricks to make someone hers if she wanted them.

But whenever she met his eyes, it felt like her innermost thoughts were completely exposed, and she couldn’t bring herself to act rashly.

Thus, she shared in all the sighs being breathed in Soho.

Yong Hwarin moved to the rear of the ship.

The ship he was on began to make a slow right turn.

As it turned to head back, a chilling murderous aura suddenly erupted from the ship opposite them, and a person was violently flung out.

Boom!

Splash!

As the body hit the water, Namgung Soomyung, who was standing at the front, was the first to fish the person out.

“This is terrible! He’s already dead. Such a cruel method. His left chest has been completely torn out. Who would use such a brutal technique?”

At Namgung Soomyung’s words, Yong Hwarin stepped forward to inspect the corpse.

“Oh!”

Yong Hwarin gasped as he saw the dead man’s face.

“Young Master Yong, do you know this person?”

Behind Yong Hwarin, Jeong Suji muttered quietly.

“This is Master Gak Pung, one of the Eighteen Arhat Monks of the Shaolin Temple.”

“What?”

The people on the boat all stared at the corpse in shock.

No one had expected that this monk would be one of Shaolin Temple’s Eighteen Arhat Monks.

“Why is Master Gak Pung dead in a place like this?”

Pang Giyok asked Jeong Suji.

“Not just Master Gak Pung. Three of the Arhat Monks were tracking down a stolen item from Shaolin Temple.”

“Ah! So that’s what happened. But who in the world could kill an Arhat Monk?”

Regardless of martial level, killing an Arhat Monk required an extraordinary expert—someone strong enough to defeat a monk of such caliber and bold enough not to fear making an enemy of the Shaolin Temple. Even the most absolute masters wouldn’t dare kill one recklessly.

Just then—

Someone leapt from the opposite side, stepped on the prow of a small boat, and flew across to the ship opposite Yong Hwarin.

Jeong Minji spoke to Yong Hwarin.

“That’s Master Gak Un.”

Yong Hwarin nodded with a grave expression.

“Are they on that ship?”

He meant the ones pursued by the four Arhat Monks.

“That seems likely. It’s dangerous. It looks like the four Arhat Monks split up and were attacked one by one.”

“Then we can’t just stand here idly.”

Without hesitation, Jeong Suji flew toward the opposite ship.

Seeing Jeong Suji act without considering the circumstances, Yong Hwarin shook his head.

Then Yong Hwarin followed after her, leaping through the air.

The rest of the group, confused but compelled, followed them to the opposite ship.

“Did you kill my brother monk?!”

Without any discussion, Gak Un unleashed his killing intent.

He had rushed forward after seeing Gak Pung fall into the water, but two elderly men blocked his path.

Gak Un had spent his life like a brother to Gak Pung.

Seeing him sent flying by a powerful force, he set aside his compassion.

A brilliant display of Shaolin’s elite techniques burst from Gak Un’s hands.

Then a young man chuckled and replied.

“I was expecting more from an Arhat Monk. But you’re not even interesting enough to hold my attention.”

The youth muttered this as he watched Gak Un and the two old men fight.

Master Gak Un and the two old men were evenly matched. The fight was fierce and undecided.

Gak Un realized that if the youth—who had killed Gak Pung—joined the two old men, the tide would turn against him.

He steeled himself for death here and now.

‘If only my senior brothers were here…’

The four Arhat Monks had come to Soho tracking the White Tiger Demon-Slaying Sword in their own way.

They had chased after the Demonic Master, but eventually lost the trail in Soho.

They split up to continue the pursuit. Gak Pung had encountered the youth carrying the White Tiger Demon-Slaying Sword and was killed in the process.

Thunk!

From Gak Un’s internal energy, the ship’s mast collapsed, but the two old men didn’t relent in their fierce attacks.

Seeing that even the two old men—who seemed to be mere subordinates of the young man—possessed such powerful martial arts, Gak Un was greatly shocked.

‘Who are these people, and where did they come from to be so strong? I need to inform the temple about them—but I can’t escape.’

It pained him that he likely wouldn’t make it out of this place alive.

Among the two old men in red robes, the one with a magnificent white beard caught Gak Un’s arm and lifted him. Gak Un floated and shot his energy outward.

But the old man took the blow, then seized Gak Un’s wrist. The other elder struck Gak Un squarely in the chest.

Thwack!

Gak Un’s chest caved in, and he was sent flying backward, rolling toward the stern.

Cough!

His qi was severed. He couldn’t even rise to his feet.

Blood poured out of his mouth in bursts.

The two old men looked to the youth. The young man bared his white teeth and said,

“What are you staring at? Kill him and toss him into the water.”

One of the red-robed old men started to say something, then stopped and moved toward Gak Un.

It was unbearably unjust for Gak Un to die here without even revealing their identities.

“Tch, risking your life over a lousy sword? Who told you to do that?”

The youth muttered while casually waving the White Tiger Demon-Slaying Sword.

Just as the red-robed, white-bearded elder brought his hand down toward Gak Un’s head—

A sharp killing intent streaked through the air.

The elder stepped back, and people landed in front of Gak Un.

The Three Chivalrous Sisters believed Gak Un’s condition to be critical, so they quickly pulled out a pill from within their clothes.

“Master, take this. It’s a top-grade healing pill.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep