WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME NOVELS
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Former Supreme ◈
Chapter 103: An Eye for an Eye (2)
──────
Yeom Hwasin entered the humble cottage.
It was the home of Yeop Sami, the woman Yeom Hwasin had taken an interest in. It was the very place he had visited with Baek Socheon before.
Yeop Sami, who had been hanging a pot over the fire in the yard to make soup, started in surprise. Yeom Hwasin always appeared without warning like this.
"You're here?"
"Have you been well?"
"Yes."
Their relationship had changed after Baek Socheon visited. It had grown gentler, and their feelings for each other had deepened.
They had not yet shared a bed. If Yeom Hwasin wanted it, she would have no choice but to comply, but he only stopped by for tea before leaving.
"Have you eaten?"
"Not yet."
"Would you like to eat with me?"
Yeom Hwasin nodded.
"Please wait a moment."
"All right."
Yeom Hwasin sat on the wooden daybed.
Soon after, Yeop Sami brought over a small table with a meal set upon it. The side dishes were better than before. Before their relationship changed, she had refused to touch any food Yeom Hwasin sent. Now, she ate what he provided.
A warm aura surrounded her. Yeom Hwasin had raised warm energy to shield her from the cold wind.
Along with that warmth, her hatred and anger toward him had softened as well.
Even if someone was hateful, seeing them often enough could breed affection. Since the day Baek Socheon visited, Yeom Hwasin had treated her well. Why, then, had he not demanded to share her bed? She had even begun to feel anxious over it.
Of course, she knew. He was someone who might change his mind and kill her at any moment. To her, Yeom Hwasin was utterly unreadable.
As Yeom Hwasin ate, he suddenly spoke.
"My son is dead."
Yeop Sami looked up in shock.
As if it were nothing important, Yeom Hwasin continued eating with his chopsticks.
"Baek Socheon, the one who came here that day, killed him."
"What?"
Yeom Hwasin looked up at her.
"Don't you believe me?"
"No. It was just so sudden that I was startled."
He would not lie about his own son.
She found it unexpected. How could Baek Socheon, who had no internal energy, have killed him? Even if he had the ability to do so, she did not think he would rashly kill the heir of the Black Heaven Alliance.
"Would you like a drink?"
"Do you have any?"
"Yes. There's liquor you sent over."
When the Black Heaven Alliance sent food, it also sent liquor.
She brought it over and filled Yeom Hwasin's cup.
After draining it in one gulp, Yeom Hwasin spoke.
"My heart aches as if it were being torn apart."
"It must be pain I cannot even presume to understand."
Yeop Sami poured him another drink.
Yeom Hwasin was feigning his feelings.
Even he did not know exactly what state of mind he was in.
At the very least, he was not seeking her sympathy or trying to make a good impression. It was closer to wanting to confirm whether he possessed such painful feelings at all.
Yet Yeom Hwasin had only confirmed the barrenness within him. He could freely control his body, so he could have shed endless tears if he wished, but he could not produce a single drop of genuine grief.
He had hoped that, before Yeop Sami, a woman who resembled his first love, some sincerity he did not even know he possessed might emerge...
"Damn it!"
At Yeom Hwasin's irritated outburst, Yeop Sami rose and went behind him. She rested her face against his broad back, then gently stroked his iron-hard back.
"Your son has gone somewhere better than this world. Please don't grieve too deeply."
At her warm touch, Yeom Hwasin sprang to his feet and left the cottage.
He was someone who came and went as he pleased, so Yeop Sami could only silently watch him depart.
When Yeom Hwasin returned to the carriage parked far from the cottage, his subordinate on the driver's seat delivered fresh news.
"Something has happened to the Blood Cult members who were at the Murim Alliance. Rapsa is dead, while Myeol Jiryun and Pajeong have gone missing."
Naturally, the Black Heaven Alliance had also been closely watching matters involving Myeol Jiryun.
"What happened?"
"All our spies are investigating it now. But we received troubling news from our spy within the Blood Cult."
"What is it?"
"It appears the Alliance Leader was mentioned in the dispatch Pajeong sent."
"Me?"
"Yes. It said you were the one who informed them of the Blood Cult's scheme. It claimed that you attended the duel tournament and secretly told Baek Socheon about their plan."
"What?"
Yeom Hwasin wore a blank expression for a moment, then burst into loud laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
Not knowing why, the subordinate who delivered the news lowered their head deeply.
Yeom Hwasin was pleased because of a single hunch.
"Neither Ak Sogun nor Zhuge Hyeon, those rigid old coots, would have pulled off such a scheme to sow discord. This must be Baek Socheon's work."
From the news alone, Yeom Hwasin had accurately seen through what Baek Socheon had done.
"Since Pajeong gave such a foolish report, that brat disciple of Jeok Parap's must already be dead as well."
"And Jeok Parap has set out for the Central Plains."
"Jeok Parap himself? Then he's going to rescue Myeol Jiryun. Baek Socheon wouldn't have carelessly killed the Blood Cult Leader's daughter."
Yeom Hwasin smiled broadly, showing his teeth.
The irritation he had displayed before Yeop Sami had vanished without a trace.
"Just as I thought. Things are only fun when Baek Socheon is around."
* * *
At Zhuge Hyeon's summons, Baek Socheon went to the Strategic Command Center.
"What is it?"
"We received word from the Blood Cult. Jeok Parap says he's coming in person to settle matters."
He had expected someone important to come, but he had not expected Jeok Parap himself. Whoever came, Baek Socheon had already decided to meet them.
"I'll meet him."
"You?"
"Yes. I started this, so I'll finish it."
"Won't it be dangerous?"
"I'll be fine. Arrange the meeting in an empty field in broad daylight."
"Why?"
"When I fought Pajeong, I saw that he had learned Dark Heretical Art, even among wicked arts. If that is the case, then his master Jeok Parap must have learned Dark Heretical Art as well. It will be better to face him in broad daylight."
"A good idea. Is there anything else you need?"
"The Black Heaven Alliance will have learned of this matter as well. Please keep a close eye on their movements."
"I will."
What Baek Socheon wanted watched was the movement of the Black Heaven Alliance's forces. No matter how closely they looked, they would not be able to track Yeom Hwasin's movements.
He came and went like a ghost. He could be waiting for Baek Socheon at the Murim Alliance's gates at any time.
* * *
After leaving the Strategic Command Center, Baek Socheon went straight to Cheon Geuk's lodging at Daru.
"What is it?"
"I came to have a cup of tea."
She stared at Baek Socheon and asked again.
"What is it?"
"Is it that obvious?"
"Yes. Whenever you have something to say or something you need to do, even your eyes look different."
"Even if you stepped down as Alliance Leader, you could make a living telling fortunes with just a mat."
"A mat alone wouldn't be enough. As you know, I have mouths to feed."
She meant the Guardian Assassin Stars. Eastern Star, rigid by nature, barely held back the urge to say, "We will make sure you live comfortably."
Just as she predicted, Baek Socheon had come with a purpose.
"I have something to ask Elder Na Sarin."
He had received so much help from Na Sarin that he could not bring himself to suggest going to see her immediately.
"Is there anything Elder Na Sarin likes?"
"Are you planning to win her over with gifts?"
"She's always worried about you and tells me to treat you well. I thought I should at least buy her a gift this time."
"That's a good idea."
"What does she like?"
Cheon Geuk could not answer right away. In the end, she clutched her head and reproached herself.
"Damn it. Please curse me out properly."
She did not know what Na Sarin liked.
"That can happen."
"No, it can't. I always say how much I respect and care for her, but I didn't even know what she likes."
"You've been busy."
"That's an excuse. I deserve to be hit. Hit me hard."
"Then just one hit?"
Baek Socheon clenched his fist as though to strike her, and Cheon Geuk moved to the seat beside him.
"You really are something. Do you know what the Alliance Leader likes?"
Baek Socheon flinched, then relaxed his fist.
"We should be hit together."
"Exactly."
At that moment, Western Star, one of the female Guardian Assassin Stars, spoke from the empty air.
"These days, Elder Na Sarin occasionally paints."
"She paints? What kind?"
"Scenes of the marketplace, landscapes, all sorts of things."
"I didn't know that either."
"You've been very busy lately."
"Don't comfort me like that. But don't go hitting people thoughtlessly, like someone I know."
Baek Socheon snickered and rose from his seat.
"Let's go."
"Where?"
"Where else? Now that we know what she likes, we have to buy her a gift."
Baek Socheon went with her to an art supply shop in the marketplace. There, he bought the finest brushes, ink, and paper.
On the way back, Cheon Geuk stopped by a clothing shop and bought several comfortable outfits for Na Sarin to wear while painting. When they picked out children's clothes, the shopkeeper playfully remarked that they made a lovely sight buying clothes for their daughter. The two must have looked like a married couple.
Baek Socheon and Cheon Geuk only looked at each other and smiled faintly. Until then, they had deliberately never mentioned marriage. Instinctively, they knew that the moment they brought up marriage, parting might follow...
With their arms full of gifts, the two went to Na Sarin.
"Why did you buy all this?"
"We heard you've been enjoying painting lately, Elder Na Sarin, so we brought these."
"Please wear these clothes when you paint."
"Thank you, Alliance Leader."
The gifts were not expensive, yet Na Sarin was overjoyed.
It was not as if Na Sarin lacked the money to buy such things. She was happy because someone had cared for her in this way. She too had lived her life alone, without a single blood relative.
"Actually, these are a bribe."
Na Sarin beamed at Baek Socheon's words.
"My first bribe in life... At my age, I suppose it would be all right to accept one at least once?"
It was also a statement that explained the life she had lived, honestly walking a single path for the Alliance.
"Go on, tell me."
Baek Socheon told Cheon Geuk and Na Sarin everything concerning Myeol Jiryun. The two women were shocked when they learned the full story behind the formation.
"So, Jeok Parap is scheduled to come to the Murim Alliance himself in a few days."
The two women were startled by the news that Jeok Parap was coming.
"I intend to meet him myself."
"You?"
"Yes. The Blood Cult is trying to take the Alliance Leader by any means necessary. Especially while Myeol Jiryun is being held hostage, no one knows what might happen if the Alliance Leader confronts him personally."
Jeok Parap might try to place a wicked art on the Alliance Leader and demand Myeol Jiryun in exchange.
If someone had to meet him, Baek Socheon was the right person.
Jeok Parap was an enemy he would have to face one day anyway. It was not a bad choice to meet him while holding such a valuable hostage as Myeol Jiryun, then assess him.
"Even so, you must be careful."
"Has he learned the Blood Heaven Art?"
"No. The Blood Heaven Art is an exclusive martial art passed down only to the Blood Cult Leader."
Baek Socheon knew that already, but since the two were master and disciple, he had asked just in case.
"Then at least Jeok Parap has not learned the Blood Heaven Art."
"But you must never let your guard down. Jeok Parap uses powerful Dark Heretical Art. You should especially avoid facing him at night."
"Yes, I already know that."
Pajeong might have been Jeok Parap's disciple, but he was still young. Yet Baek Socheon had been unable to detect his presence while he hid in the darkness. There was no comparing Pajeong's level of cultivation to Jeok Parap's, so the danger would be beyond measure.
Cheon Geuk, who had been listening to the conversation, asked Baek Socheon.
"Are you planning to release Myeol Jiryun?"
"Yes, I am. There is nothing to gain from killing her."
The reason he had tried to avoid killing Yeom Sawon to the very end came from the same principle. Killing someone simply because they displeased him might feel satisfying in the moment, but Baek Socheon considered it a poor strategy.
"Of course, I won't send her back for nothing."
"Then what?"
"I'll get what I need most right now."
"What is that?"
Baek Socheon only smiled instead of answering. He left them even more curious.
"I came to see you today because I have one request to make."
"Speak."
Baek Socheon's request was something Na Sarin had never imagined.
"Please use the Soul-Seizing Art on me."
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
