Was it that I didn't truly understand this father and daughter pair?
The rapid unfolding of events left me utterly flustered.
Even that stubborn father-in-law and Sima Young—how could they both be fine with accepting another woman as my wife without any objections? It made no sense.
Unlike me, who was stunned, Seol Baek's face had brightened.
[See that?]
She sent me a sound transmission, her voice brimming with pride.
She was thrilled that her gamble had worked.
How was I supposed to take this?
"I'll serve you as my older sister,"
Seol Baek bowed politely to Sima Young with a fist salute.
What a thick-skinned woman.
From her three-hundred-year-long perspective, Sima Young must be no more than a child. And yet she didn't care at all.
It seemed she was just happy to be acknowledged by the father and daughter.
Sometimes, she seemed like a cunning fox, and other times, like an innocent child. A woman hard to understand.
Just then, I heard my father-in-law's voice through a sound transmission.
[Don't react. Just listen.]
'…?'
[She said she'd only tell us about that bastard, Emperor Geumsangje, if she got engaged to you. Now's the time to press her for information.]
Huh?
I almost reacted outwardly.
So he hadn't truly accepted Seol Baek but merely tricked her?
Then had Sima Young also gone along with this scheme, pretending to accept her?
I didn't expect my father-in-law to be capable of such a cunning plan.
I asked him via sound transmission:
[What will you do after she tells us?]
Would he kill her after extracting the information?
A while ago, he probably wouldn't have hesitated.
But now, knowing about her lonely life and the sincerity of her feelings for me, I couldn't help but hesitate a little.
To that, my father-in-law replied:
[Hmph. So you do have feelings for her.]
[That's…]
[If you truly felt nothing, you wouldn't be asking me such a question.]
[…I won't accept anyone if Young doesn't want me to.]
I meant it.
Even if I had feelings for someone else, if Sima Young didn't want it, I wouldn't accept anyone.
At this, my father-in-law shook his head in clear disapproval and sent me another message.
[If your feelings change even a little… be ready to pay the price.]
[I swear. That'll never happen.]
As I spoke with sincerity, he stared at me, then responded:
[…Then keep her close and watch her.]
[What?]
I asked, confused.
He replied,
[There's a saying: keep your enemies close. If she truly means what she says, Young will make her decision in time.]
Hearing this, I realized something.
My father-in-law had never intended to kill her immediately. He, too, had chosen to observe her a little longer.
In the end, everything hinged on whether Seol Baek could earn Sima Young's trust. The result wouldn't change much.
—What will you do now?
What?
—There's also Baek Hyeyang, that vixen.
At Sodam Sword's words, I let out a shallow sigh.
For now, let's not bring that up.
If I bring that issue up now, it'll only cause more chaos.
—Such a tangled mess,
Sodam Sword chuckled like someone fanning flames in a burning house.
Just then, I heard Yeongyeong's sound transmission.
[Brother… How am I supposed to take all this in?]
Yeongyeong looked at me with a distressed face.
I had forgotten all about her with the sudden arrival of my father-in-law and Sima Young.
Unaware of the situation, Yeongyeong was helplessly looking around, trying to read the room.
[Yeongyeong. Look into my eyes.]
[Your… eyes?]
She looked confused, but when I mentioned my eyes, she instinctively met my gaze.
"Ah…"
At that moment, her pupils dulled and lost focus.
As they say, seeing is believing.
I used the Illusion Eyes of Jeongyo Hwan to show her what I'd seen and experienced after leaving Shaolin and talking with my father-in-law and Sima Young.
It included discussions about the fuse, Emperor Geumsangje, and many other truths.
Better to show it than try to explain everything.
To Yeongyeong, the illusion lasted only an instant.
When her eyes returned to normal, she was visibly shocked.
"This… What is this…?"
[Shh.]
I told her through sound transmission to stay calm.
She must be very confused.
Not only because of the illusion she just saw, but also because of the truths she'd just learned.
I explained via sound transmission:
[It's a type of illusion technique.]
[Illusion technique?]
[Everything I showed you really happened to me.]
[And… it's all true?]
It must be hard to believe.
Even for martial artists, the events involving Emperor Geumsangje were too extraordinary to accept, even if seen firsthand.
[I meant to tell you.]
I just didn't expect my father-in-law and Sima Young to suddenly appear.
But now that things have come to this, Yeongyeong needed to know everything.
Only then would she understand why I was aiming for the position of Lord of the Martial Alliance.
[Yeongyeong…!?]
Suddenly, I stopped mid-sentence.
[Brother? What's wrong?]
I wanted to answer, but my attention was already focused elsewhere.
I was concentrating on what Saryeon Sword was seeing inside my head.
Three figures had entered General Bang Deokhyeon's office, their faces hidden under bamboo hats and black robes.
'Is it them…?'
With the Lord's Duel approaching, I had expected someone to try to contact him.
In my mind, Saryeon Sword's voice rang out.
—They came in suddenly and silently. Illusions and spells don't work on them. What should I do?
She must have tried to use illusions on them already.
But they didn't fall for it.
That meant all three were no ordinary martial artists.
'Buy us some time first.'
—Got it.
The Soulbound Sword, possessing General Bang Deokhyeon, looked at them.
Three figures had entered the office.
All of them had their faces covered with bamboo hats and black robes.
The fact that no one in the military department had stopped these men likely meant they were comrades.
It was a tense situation, but the Soulbound Sword, borrowing Bang Deokhyeon's mouth, spoke calmly.
"You're here."
It was a line Jin Unhwi had instructed him to say.
If he didn't act composed, they would grow suspicious.
Then, the man on the left among the black-robed ones opened his mouth.
"What's the meaning of this, Thunder Lord?"
As expected, he didn't call him "General Bang Deokhyeon."
The Soulbound Sword shrugged.
"What do you mean?"
"We clearly ordered you to exclude the Little Sword Immortal. So how did he become a candidate for the Lord's Tournament?"
The Soulbound Sword feigned ignorance and replied.
"The Little Sword Immortal schemed and provoked the Vice Lord into a duel."
"He provoked the Vice Lord?"
"Yes. Even if I stirred public opinion with the elders' recommendations, the Vice Lord couldn't resist the provocation and fought him early—what else could I do?"
It was a sufficiently plausible answer.
The man nodded slightly and sneered.
"Unexpected."
"What is?"
"That you, Thunder Lord, would betray him."
'!?'
At those words, the Soulbound Sword narrowed his eyes.
There had been no flaw in his answer. Yet this man spoke as if he were sure of his betrayal.
Following Jin Unhwi's instructions, the Soulbound Sword responded:
"What are you talking about? How could I betray him?"
"Playing dumb, are we?"
"What?"
"Do you think we don't know what happened during that meeting?"
'Tch. Looks like we've been exposed.'
The Soulbound Sword let out a shallow breath.
There must've been a spy among the elders who attended that meeting.
And even Jin Unhwi hadn't known about it.
—Shing!
The man drew his sword from his waist.
Pointing the tip at the Soulbound Sword, he said:
"I just don't understand. We all believed you would never betray us."
"There's always a hidden dagger where you least expect it."
The Soulbound Sword took a step back and smirked.
They already believed he'd betrayed them. Now, the only move was to buy time.
He echoed Jin Unhwi's line word-for-word:
"You say you trust me, but even after all these years, I wasn't granted the Golden Immortality Ritual. How could I keep following him with such blind faith?"
"If that's what you were thinking, then it's over."
The black-robed man lunged with terrifying speed.
The Soulbound Sword, moving Bang Deokhyeon's body, leapt back.
But the man's sword was faster, piercing the general's left chest.
The Soulbound Sword groaned in mock agony and shouted:
"Ugh... If I die, the whole plan will fall apart! Are you sure you want to do this?"
The man scoffed.
"Too bad. The plan's changed."
"Changed?"
"No need for a dead man to know why."
With those words, he angled the sword to slice diagonally through Bang Deokhyeon's heart.
Then the one in the center spoke.
"Stop."
"Why?"
The man holding the sword asked in confusion.
The center man pointed to the heavy staff Bang Deokhyeon was holding.
"Even in pain, he won't let go of that staff."
His deep voice was oddly distorted.
"So what?"
No sooner had he finished his question than the center man kicked at the staff.
The Soulbound Sword hurriedly tried to react, but being stabbed made it impossible.
—Crack!
The staff shattered, revealing the Soulbound Sword's true body hidden inside.
The man holding the sword muttered.
"A sword?"
The one who had broken the staff chuckled.
"So it really was the Soulbound Sword."
"Soulbound Sword?"
The Soulbound Sword couldn't hide his alarm.
They recognized him instantly.
The staff-destroying man crossed his arms and said:
"When someone loyal suddenly betrays, one can guess the truth."
"What are you implying?"
"One of the Five Demon Swords, the Soulbound Sword, has the power to possess and control people."
'This is bad.'
The Soulbound Sword bit his lip.
He didn't know who this man was, but he knew far too much.
The one holding the sword asked:
"So the Thunder Lord was being possessed by this demonic sword?"
"Yes."
At that, the last silent man let out a quiet sigh—as if saddened by the truth.
In contrast, the one excited by identifying the Soulbound Sword burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! This is a blessing in disguise. The only one we couldn't track—now we've found it."
—Shiiing!
With that, he cut down Bang Deokhyeon's body.
He then reached out to retrieve the falling Soulbound Sword with a vacuum-grab technique.
"He'll be pleased."
The Soulbound Sword floated upward toward his hand.
But then—
Instead of flying into his hand, the Soulbound Sword shot toward the office window.
"What?!"
—Crash!
The window frame shattered as someone burst into the office.
The falling Soulbound Sword flew into the newcomer's hand.
---
"That was close."
The Soulbound Sword said.
I agreed.
If I'd been a second late, they would've taken him.
"Tch."
One of the men awkwardly clenched his previously outstretched hand after I suddenly barged in and retrieved the sword.
I looked them over.
They were no ordinary men.
The one who tried to take the sword was a top-level master, and the other two, though hiding their energy, had clearly surpassed human limits.
"A big catch," the Soulbound Sword murmured.
I stared at the one on the far right.
His energy was razor-sharp, like a well-honed blade.
He was the strongest of the three.
He might even be Naejang, the strongest of the three confidants Selbaek mentioned.
Then, the man who had his sword stolen asked:
"Who are you?"
Thanks to the Soulbound Sword being recognized, I had wisely used the Face Transformation Art to disguise my appearance.
"That's not important. You—your Gold Em—"
But I stopped mid-sentence.
The man in the center lifted his bamboo hat, revealing two golden eyes glowing beneath the black hood.
He looked straight at me and said:
"It's been a while… Descendant of the Sword Immortal."