Chapter 70

A lavish spread of delicacies was prepared in the VIP room. Seong Hwang offered it to Yeon Woo Jin. "I heard you hadn’t eaten yet, so I had this prepared." "There’s a lot here. I actually have people who came with me—would it be alright if they joined?" "Y-yes, of course." As soon as Seong Hwang gave permission, three figures appeared as if they had been there all along. Seong Hwang was so startled he nearly fell backward. One of them was someone he knew well. "Manor Lord Seong, it’s been a while." At Cheon Ho-seong’s greeting, Seong Hwang quickly jumped up from his seat and bowed. "C-Chief Division Lord Cheon! I am forever grateful for what you did back then." "Hahaha! We in the Martial God Sect must help each other, after all." As Cheon Ho-seong laughed heartily and spoke, Yeon Woo Jin asked, "It seems you have some history together?" "Back when the Golden Sword Manor was in danger, the Heavenly Martial Division came and rescued us." "Ah, I see." Watching Cheon Ho-seong answer Yeon Woo Jin so reverently, Seong Hwang erased the last shred of doubt he had. If the Heavenly Martial Division Lord treated him with such respect, he was certainly the blood of that person. The other two also did not seem ordinary. He could guess who they were. Hadn’t Eun Baek-gi already informed him earlier? "They are the Dark Emperor of Hell and the Black Death God." As Eun Baek-gi kindly explained beside him, Seong Hwang quickly clasped his fists and bowed deeply, realizing it was indeed so. "It is an honor to meet such renowned figures in person!" He had only heard of them in legend. This was his first time seeing them with his own eyes. "Haha, thanks to Manor Lord Seong, I get to enjoy a feast today. I shall eat well." "N-no, it is my honor to serve you." Smiling at Seong Hwang’s words, Cheon Ho-seong turned to Yeon Woo Jin and said, "Young Master, please eat." "Then, to respect your hospitality, I’ll have a taste." As Yeon Woo Jin began eating first, the three others finally picked up their chopsticks. "Young Master, please try this as well." "Young Master, this dish is also delicious." "Young Master, allow me to serve you some." As they diligently served Yeon Woo Jin, even from across the table, Seong Hwang unconsciously gaped at the sight. 'What the hell! What am I even witnessing right now?' Even though he saw it with his own eyes, he still couldn’t believe it. Soon, the meal ended and tea was served. As he sipped tea, Seong Hwang kept nervously glancing at Yeon Woo Jin. Because he had yet to hear the reason for this visit. Why had he come here? "You must be curious about why I came." "Y-yes, I am." "Actually, the reason I came today is because of my friend." "F-friend?" "Yes. You know Jang Un, right?" "Ah, of course I do." How could he not? He was currently the biggest headache. Wait, friend? Only now did Seong Hwang realize why Eun Baek-gi had come with Yeon Woo Jin. Then what about the Golden Sword Battalion? Seong Hwang looked at Eun Baek-gi with anxious eyes. —The Golden Sword Battalion is unharmed. —They didn’t offend him, did they? —They did, a little... but I begged for forgiveness and smoothed it over. They offended him? Seong Hwang’s face turned deathly pale. But upon hearing that Eun Baek-gi had smoothed it over, he let out a breath of relief. —Thank you. You are the hero who saved the Golden Sword Manor. —It was my duty. Let’s focus on the Young Master for now. Ah, right. Seong Hwang quickly turned his head back to Yeon Woo Jin. "Have you and Eun Baek-gi finished speaking?" "M-my apologies! I heard that my men had shown disrespect to you... As the Manor Lord, I offer my deepest apologies." "It’s fine. Protector Eun has already apologized for that." "Even so, I must apologize once more." "I’ll accept it." If he hadn’t accepted, Seong Hwang looked ready to beg all night. "Are you dissatisfied with my friend?" Seong Hwang panicked. What could he possibly answer here? Was this what they called a dead-end dilemma? If he answered yes, the three men glaring at him would likely kill him on the spot; if he answered no, he would end up having to marry off Seong Yeon-hwa to Jang Un. That would mean permanently severing ties with the Deputy Lord of the Inner Cabinet Hall. As a merchant house, that would be the worst outcome. "Jang Un is a fine young man. He is my most cherished friend and subordinate." "I-is that so?" This wasn’t something he could decide with a few pretty words. Seeing Seong Hwang hesitate, Cheon Ho-seong interjected. "The future master of the Martial God Sect calls him his most cherished subordinate. Are you still unsure?" "E-excuse me?" At Cheon Ho-seong’s words, Yeon Woo Jin corrected him. "I’m not the future master of the Martial God Sect." Immediately, Cheon Ho-seong corrected himself too. "He will be the closest companion to the Greatest, Most Invincible Absolute in history." Hearing that, Yeon Woo Jin looked at him in utter disbelief. Was he teasing him? But Cheon Ho-seong’s face was serious and proud. He even looked genuinely pleased with what he had said. Meeting Yeon Woo Jin’s gaze, Cheon Ho-seong asked with an innocent expression, "Why are you looking at me like that? Isn’t it the truth?" "Sigh..." Yeon Woo Jin sighed and shook his head, just as Ma Rang, who had been silent, opened his mouth. "What is he even saying? How could you describe the Young Master so lightly?" Yeon Woo Jin thought Ma Rang was about to scold Cheon Ho-seong for embarrassing him. "How dare you call the Young Master merely the greatest on earth! Change it to the strongest in the universe!" "Ah! You're right! I was thinking too small." Yeon Woo Jin pressed his forehead with his hand. "Even that’s not enough. It should be something like 'Supreme Invincible Divine God of the Universe.'" Jeok Seong took it even further. Was it just his imagination, or were these three growing more childish by the second? Yeon Woo Jin apologized to Seong Hwang. "Sorry. These guys weren’t always like this, but lately they’ve gotten a bit childish." "N-no, not at all." Seong Hwang internally panicked as he watched Yeon Woo Jin casually call the Dark Emperor of Hell, the Black Death God, and the Swift Execution Sword Emperor childish right to their faces. Yet the three men stood there looking perfectly calm. "We’re only like this in front of the Young Master." "That's right. Anywhere else, we are dignified beyond belief." "People collapse just from hearing our nicknames." "Why don’t you behave with such dignity in front of me too?" "Aw, that would be too cold." "Exactly. We don’t want to act that way around the Young Master." Yeon Woo Jin {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} seriously considered whether he should separate them whenever he had official business in the future. "Young Master, you must never think of leaving us behind." "Exactly. We will always guard your side." Quick to catch on, too. Yeon Woo Jin ignored them and apologized again to Seong Hwang. "Sorry. Things keep getting noisy around me." "N-no, not at all! Please don’t worry." "Anyway, I’ve been thinking on my way here. Honestly, I’m not interested in being called the strongest or an absolute being. But I realized I can’t only think about myself anymore. There are so many people now who follow me." Seong Hwang listened silently. "That’s why, on the way here, my feelings changed a little. I still don’t plan to stand out publicly, but... I’ll use my strength for the sake of my people. I’ll make sure my people occupy all the highest positions." Seong Hwang swallowed hard. "And as for Jang Un, I believe he will occupy a very important position in the Martial God Sect someday. It’s not about how he looks now—it’s an investment in his future value." Yeon Woo Jin explained it from a merchant’s point of view. At the same time, Yeon Woo Jin resolved the issue that had been troubling Seong Hwang. "I’ll take care of the matter with the Deputy Lord of the Inner Cabinet Hall, so you don’t need to worry about that." To have even the difficult matters handled for him— there was no reason to refuse. The one who might become the future Lord of the Martial God Sect was recommending this person. That person was none other than Jang Un. Seong Hwang decided to trust Yeon Woo Jin and invest in him. "Understood. I will follow your wishes, Young Master." "Oh? Then you’re recognizing Un?" "Yes! Trusting in you, Young Master, I will accept him as my son-in-law." "That’s a relief. I was worried about what to do if persuasion didn’t work." At Yeon Woo Jin’s words, Seong Hwang felt chills crawl over his entire body. If persuasion hadn’t worked—what would have come next? Seeing Seong Hwang’s stiffened expression, Ma Rang joked. "Indeed. It’s a shame. We were looking forward to flexing our strength for once." Jeok Seong chimed in. "I was already picking which part of the manor to smash first." Seong Hwang’s face turned a sickly shade of blue. "From now on, please take good care of Un." "Y-yes, of course." Yeon Woo Jin stood up from his seat and said, "Well then, I’ll be going. Thank you for the delicious meal." "N-no, I’m the one who should thank you for eating so well." As Seong Hwang moved to follow him out, Yeon Woo Jin said, "You don’t have to see us out. I don’t really like attracting attention." "Understood. Please travel safely." Only after Yeon Woo Jin’s group disappeared did Seong Hwang finally let out the breath he had been holding and collapse into a chair. He looked as though he had aged ten years in an instant. "You did well," Eun Baek-gi said. Seong Hwang looked at him and asked, "I made the right choice, didn’t I?" "Of course." "You saw it, didn’t you? The Young Master’s strength?" At Seong Hwang’s question, Eun Baek-gi began recounting what he had witnessed. After hearing Eun Baek-gi's story, Seong Hwang spoke with a look of utter disbelief. "That’s insane... You’re exaggerating. There’s no way a human could do that. Stop joking and tell me the truth." "I’m telling you the truth." "How can that be true?!" "You’re so stubborn! I’m telling you exactly what I saw—why won’t you believe me?" "If you were me, would you believe it? Try telling anyone that he unleashed not just one, but hundreds of Sword Qi Manifestations (以氣馭劍罡)! They’ll think you’re insane! Even the Grandmaster couldn’t do that!" "I’m telling you, it’s real. And even more shocking—he wasn’t even using his full strength." "Enough. It was my mistake trying to hear the truth from you." "I swear, it’s true!" "Forget it, forget it! If you don’t want to tell me, fine." Eun Baek-gi was left absolutely frustrated to death. He stubbornly followed after Seong Hwang, insisting on his innocence. **** The next day. "No... No!" Seong Yeon-hwa shot up from her bed, drenched in sweat as though waking from a nightmare. At that moment, Jang Un gently wiped her face and spoke in a soft voice. "You're awake?" Seeing Jang Un, Seong Yeon-hwa let out a sigh of relief and threw herself into his arms. "I was scared. I dreamed that you were being dragged away." "It’s okay. I’m right here." "Mm." "Young Lady, you are awake? Since I am also here, it’s about time you let go," came Eun Baek-gi’s voice. Startled, Seong Yeon-hwa quickly pulled away from Jang Un. She believed it was Eun Baek-gi who had rescued both her and Jang Un. "Thank you for helping us." "I did nothing." "You weren’t the one who got us out?" "No." At Eun Baek-gi’s words, Seong Yeon-hwa looked at Jang Un. "Is that true?" "Yeah. A lot happened while you were asleep." "A lot happened?" "You can hear about it later, Young Lady. Now that you’re awake, it’s time to return home." "What? Wait... You didn’t make a deal to take me home and leave Un behind, did you?" "No. The young master will come with us." "Un too?" "Yes. He’s waiting." "You know what my father tried to do to Un..." "That will no longer be an issue. Please trust me." Under normal circumstances, she would have refused. But because it was Eun Baek-gi, someone she trusted more than anyone, she hesitated. Seong Yeon-hwa looked at Jang Un and asked, "Will you be okay?" "Yeah, I’m fine. As long as I'm with you, I can go anywhere." At Jang Un’s words, Seong Yeon-hwa’s cheeks flushed red. She then spoke in a small voice, "Me too..." "Huh?" "N-no, it’s nothing. Let's go. Let’s hear what they have to say." "Yeah." "Uncle, let’s go." "Hahaha. Alright then. Let’s go."