WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME NOVELS

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Former Supreme ◈

Chapter 60: The Secret Is Revealed (1)

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After returning to the Alliance, Baek Socheon went straight to the Strategic Command Center to see Zhuge Hyeon.

A dispatch had arrived ahead of him, so the strategists there already knew that Baek Socheon had completed his mission safely.

When he entered, they all bowed in unison.

Word had spread after he subdued Wang Ho, a Secret Pavilion expert, during the formation of the Sage Heaven Corps. This latest incident proved that victory had not merely been a stroke of luck.

Yet the strategists did not truly respect Baek Socheon because of his martial prowess. They respected him because he had bravely stepped forward in a hostage situation to save people he had never even met.

Zhuge Hyeon hurried from the office and clasped both of Baek Socheon's hands.

"I'm glad you returned safely. Truly glad."

"Fortunately, I was able to eliminate them while they had their guard down."

"Why did they summon you?"

"Someone hired them to kill me."

"Just as I thought. Do you know who was behind it?"

"They said they accepted an assassination commission from someone who concealed their identity."

"Hm. Do you have anyone in mind?"

Baek Socheon shook his head.

But one person had come to mind.

The Murim Alliance Leader.

What had happened at the banquet, when the Alliance Leader checked Baek Socheon's internal energy, was the decisive reason.

'What if it really was the Alliance Leader?'

That would be a serious problem. If the Alliance Leader had acted that way because of the Soul-Seizing Art, that would be one thing. But what if the Alliance Leader had tried to kill him of their own will?

What was he supposed to do then?

Should he kill the Alliance Leader? Or flee? In the end, the Black Heaven Alliance Leader would likely try to kill him as well. He might have to fight the entire martial world.

Sincerely hoping the Alliance Leader was not the mastermind, Baek Socheon handed over the banknote he had taken from the man.

"This money came from them. Please trace this banknote, just in case."

"Understood."

Zhuge Hyeon assigned a subordinate strategist to trace the banknote.

"By the way, when you came to see me that day, it seemed you had something to tell me."

The urgent dispatch about the hostage situation had arrived just as Baek Socheon was about to speak.

"Ah, I'd like you to arrange a chance to meet the Alliance Leader without arousing suspicion."

"The Alliance Leader?"

"Yes. But it must not seem arranged."

"Hm."

Zhuge Hyeon thought for a moment, then spoke as though an idea had come to mind.

"Come to think of it, I heard the Secret Pavilion Master's birthday is in a few days. She's holding a small banquet, so perhaps the Alliance Leader will attend."

Given how close the two were, the Alliance Leader would likely attend.

"But the Secret Pavilion Master would have to invite me."

"She'll probably invite me. How about I bring you along?"

"Yes. I'll have to do that."

That night, Baek Socheon was quietly cultivating his heart method when Im Chung came to visit.

"Brother."

"What is it?"

"I brought this for you to try. My wife made it."

"Ah, thank you. Call Beon Saeng too. Let's have a drink together."

"Sounds good."

Im Chung brought Beon Saeng with him. Beon Saeng had only just returned home after training in martial arts until late at night.

"Ah! I was just thinking about having a drink."

The three shared a few cups.

Back in Wencheng, they saw each other nearly every day. Now, there were times when they could not even see one another once every few days. Baek Socheon had even been away on outside business for nearly a month.

"I'm sorry."

"What are you saying?"

"I brought you all the way here, but I don't think I've taken proper care of you."

"Please don't say that. We're not children. We should each be able to live well on our own. Opening the way for us was more than enough."

At Beon Saeng's mature words, Im Chung began talking about his wife and son.

"I worried a lot about my wife and son. I wondered whether they would adapt well after coming somewhere unfamiliar. But they adapted even better than I did. Chan has already made several friends, and my wife has gotten to know the neighbors. It made me realize that instead of fearing the future before it arrives, people somehow find a way to live well."

"I'm glad."

"What about you, Brother?"

"I'm doing well too. This is the happiest I've felt in the last three years."

Im Chung and Beon Saeng smiled brightly.

"Then let's drink to that."

"All right."

With good food to accompany the alcohol, they did not grow drunk.

Whenever Baek Socheon looked back on the past, one expression came to mind: he had been swept along.

He fought, then fought again. The eighteen-year-old youth had become a middle-aged man by the time the war ended. Yet his heart had always remained as it was when he first joined the Alliance.

Fortunately, he had begun paying attention to the people around him lately. Beon Saeng and Im Chung. Zhuge Hyeon and the subordinates who had joined the Sage Heaven Corps. Even Cheon Geuk and Na Sarin.

Before that, despair had led him to think such things.

Looking back, he had even thought that all he had left was the money he had gathered on the battlefield.

But that had been nothing more than a complaint born from despair.

There had always been people around him. He simply had not seen them properly.

Now, he felt as though he had found a direction in life.

Rather than vaguely thinking of saving the orthodox martial world, he now truly understood who he was fighting for.

Of course, there was something he needed to pursue even more than that.

He recalled Ban Yunsaeng's words.

-I'll live for you.

As Baek Socheon emptied his cup, he answered silently.

'Yes, Elder. I will find my happiness.'

That day, the three of them drank, laughed, and talked. The two people with him were neither great masters nor extraordinary people, but Baek Socheon enjoyed their company more than any other gathering.

* * *

Baek Socheon spent several days practicing the secret art Na Sarin had taught him.

It was an art that would continue to help him in the future. If he could recognize someone connected to the Soul-Seizing Art, it would greatly improve his chances of survival.

Then, at last, On Byeokhwa's birthday arrived.

He did not have to worry about how to attend. There was no need to pretend he had come with Zhuge Hyeon. On Byeokhwa had invited Baek Socheon to her birthday banquet herself.

Once he arrived, he found that she had not invited every Pavilion Master and Corps Commander. She had selected only a few people, while the rest of the guests were trusted subordinates from the Secret Pavilion.

It plainly showed that she had no interest in politics within the Alliance.

"Congratulations."

Baek Socheon offered her a gift and congratulated her.

"Thank you."

"Thank you for inviting me."

"I only invited a few people for a modest gathering. Please, go inside."

As practice, Baek Socheon used the secret art on her to see whether she had any connection to the Soul-Seizing Art. Just as Na Sarin had confirmed, On Byeokhwa was not under the Soul-Seizing Art and had never learned it.

When he entered the banquet hall, Zhuge Hyeon beckoned him over.

"You're here."

"You're here too?"

"I didn't expect the Secret Pavilion Master to invite you."

"Neither did I."

Why had she invited him?

Standing beside Zhuge Hyeon, Baek Socheon watched the people arriving for the banquet.

As practice, he used the secret art on Zhuge Hyeon as well.

Naturally, Zhuge Hyeon had no connection whatsoever to the Soul-Seizing Art.

Baek Socheon used the secret art on everyone he encountered, but not one guest was under the Soul-Seizing Art or had learned it.

Now, only the Alliance Leader remained to be checked.

On Byeokhwa, who had been receiving guests, approached the two of them.

"I heard you rescued the entire Slanted Shadow Sect family in splendid fashion."

"They let their guard down because I have no internal energy. I was lucky."

"It was skill, surely. It seems Wang Ho of my pavilion has no intention of returning at all."

After challenging Baek Socheon to a spar on his first day and getting beaten, Wang Ho's loyalty had only grown stronger after Baek Socheon slew the enemies at the Slanted Shadow Sect. Wang Ho had praised Baek Socheon endlessly before fellow Secret Pavilion martial artists, and word of it had reached her ears.

"Martial Artist Wang is highly responsible. Since I'm lacking, he probably wants to help me."

On Byeokhwa smiled when Baek Socheon spoke well of Wang Ho.

At that moment, Ak Sogun arrived with guards.

When the Alliance Leader appeared, everyone greeted them respectfully.

"Greetings, Alliance Leader."

"There's no need to stand on ceremony at a gathering like this."

Ak Sogun approached On Byeokhwa.

"Happy birthday."

"I'm overwhelmed to receive congratulations from someone as distinguished as you."

"If we're speaking of who is distinguished, you are more distinguished than I am."

"Please don't say that. I feel apologetic for celebrating my birthday when times are like this."

"Ha ha ha. When times are difficult, we must take care of what should be taken care of. Come, let's all have a drink."

"I'll pour you a cup."

On Byeokhwa filled Ak Sogun's cup. Even then, Ak Sogun did not look once in the direction where Baek Socheon and Zhuge Hyeon stood.

Everyone raised their cups and celebrated On Byeokhwa's birthday.

Baek Socheon and Zhuge Hyeon approached Ak Sogun.

Only then did Ak Sogun turn to look at Baek Socheon.

"The Slanted Shadow Sect Leader came personally to express gratitude. Your contribution was great."

"You're praising me too highly."

Ak Sogun's face was redder than usual, and Ak Sogun was sweating heavily. A supreme master could control their body as they pleased, so it was a somewhat surprising sight.

"I heard the culprits were fairly skilled."

"I was lucky. They let their guard down as well."

"You must be more careful from now on. News of this will spread through the martial world, so your enemies will no longer let their guard down."

"I will be careful."

"Continue devoting yourself to the Alliance."

"Yes."

After finishing the conversation, Ak Sogun went over to where the Secret Pavilion Master stood.

Zhuge Hyeon stepped toward Baek Socheon. Baek Socheon's expression had become stiff.

"What's wrong?"

At Zhuge Hyeon's question, Baek Socheon checked whether anyone was hiding nearby. Even without internal energy, he had detected Cheon Geuk's concealment with uncanny senses.

Now that he had regained his internal energy, no master could hide near Baek Socheon and eavesdrop.

Once he confirmed that no one was concealed nearby, Baek Socheon spoke quietly enough for only Zhuge Hyeon to hear.

"The Alliance Leader is not under the Soul-Seizing Art."

"......!"

* * *

That night, Baek Socheon stood alone atop a mountain.

The night wind blew through his hair, but he did not move as he stood there, lost in thought.

To be honest, he had hoped the Alliance Leader was under the Soul-Seizing Art.

But Ak Sogun was not under its influence.

Had the red mark he had seen in the Alliance Leader's eyes merely been a mistake?

Why had he made such a mistake?

It was truly fortunate for the martial world, but it was a problem for him.

In other words, everything the Alliance Leader had done until now had been by the Alliance Leader's own will.

The Alliance Leader had not properly visited Baek Socheon while he was ill. Even while Baek Socheon was being demoted, the Alliance Leader had never summoned him or come looking for him even once.

Baek Socheon could not understand it at all.

He had respected, obeyed, and devoted himself to the Alliance Leader all his life. Why?

Was it simply because Baek Socheon had lost his internal energy and was no longer needed? Even if that were the case, Baek Socheon had believed the Alliance Leader was not the sort of person who would part ways so disgracefully. He had thought there would be a better farewell.

Then someone spoke behind him.

"What are you thinking about so deeply? You wouldn't even notice if someone pushed you."

"You're here?"

Cheon Geuk had come. She could already tell the result from Baek Socheon's quiet tone.

"The Alliance Leader isn't under the Soul-Seizing Art."

Baek Socheon nodded.

She knew what the relationship between the two had been over the past three years.

"What are you going to do now?"

"......"

"Why not just leave the Murim Alliance?"

Of course, Baek Socheon had thought of that.

But war was close at hand. Knowing that countless people would be sacrificed, he could not simply leave. Beon Saeng and Im Chung were here, as were the subordinates who had joined the Sage Heaven Corps.

If he had not recovered his internal energy, he felt that confirming this would have broken him.

But things were different now. He had both the strength and the will to solve the problem.

"I'll find out why the Alliance Leader did it."

No matter how much he thought about it, he could not understand Ak Sogun's actions.

Then had Ak Sogun ordered the hostage situation at the Slanted Shadow Sect as well?

News that Baek Socheon had subdued Wang Ho within the Alliance had already spread. Ak Sogun should have known that three masters of that level would not be enough to kill him. If Ak Sogun had truly intended to kill Baek Socheon, Ak Sogun would have deployed a more formidable expert.

'Something is wrong.'

The roles of Alliance Leader and mastermind did not fit together cleanly. Something was slightly off.

Cheon Geuk looked at the thoughtful Baek Socheon.

"I'll help too."

"It's all right. It wouldn't be good for you to get too deeply involved in Murim Alliance affairs."

"If you need help, tell me anytime."

"All right."

When he first summoned Cheon Geuk, he had never imagined their relationship would become like this.

But as if to show that life was impossible to predict even a step ahead, they had built a deep trust between them.

The two stood by the cliff for a long while, feeling the cool autumn wind.

Footnotes:

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