WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME NOVELS

Translator/Editor: Chen

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Former Supreme ◈

Chapter 68: Yeom Hwasin (3)

──────

The carriage continued toward an unknown destination.

"Have you ever been here?"

Baek Socheon shook his head at Cheon Geuk's question. He had fought the Black Heaven Alliance fiercely, but he had never invaded this far. This was his first time here as well.

He had expected to find nothing but vicious-looking people, yet those passing by appeared ordinary.

Martial artists walked past chatting loudly, laughing over who knew what, or making small talk. If not for the setting, they would not have seemed out of place among martial artists of the Murim Alliance.

Yet they were clearly different people.

They worshipped strength, saw chivalry as hypocrisy, did not hesitate to kill, and lived solely for their own benefit. Of course, with so many people here, there were likely exceptions. Not every martial artist in the Murim Alliance put chivalry first, either.

The carriage did not head for the Alliance Leader's Hall. Instead, it stopped in front of a guest hall deep within the inner compound.

Without getting out of the carriage, Yeom Hwasin said to Na Sarin,

"The journey must have tired you. Rest today, and we'll begin the treatment tomorrow."

"Thank you for your consideration."

Once the three stepped down, the carriage departed again.

An attendant who had been waiting led them to the guest rooms.

There was one room for Baek Socheon and two rooms for the women. Since they were meant for honored guests, the accommodations were excellent.

The beds were large and soft enough to make anyone fall asleep the moment they lay down, and the bedding was clean. The furniture in the rooms was elegant and luxurious as well.

"I'll rest first."

"Please rest, Elder."

Na Sarin entered her room first.

It was still early, so Baek Socheon and Cheon Geuk decided to drink.

At their request, the attendant managing the guest hall brought liquor and snacks to Baek Socheon's room. The liquor was rare and expensive, while the dishes served alongside it were equally fine.

Cheon Geuk checked the food and liquor for poison with a silver needle. They had brought the three of them here for treatment, so poisoning them made little sense, but she remained careful.

"There isn't any poison."

"Yeom Hwasin isn't someone who uses poison. He's too proud of his own martial arts."

"We should still be careful."

Baek Socheon nodded and lifted his cup.

"Let's drink."

"All right."

They clinked cups and drank.

"Whew. Without you, I might not have made it through the last few days."

"You would've done better without me."

From what Baek Socheon had seen, Cheon Geuk was not someone who relied on others. If only Cheon Geuk and Na Sarin had come here, Cheon Geuk would have been even more focused.

"I'm sorry. You got tangled up with me for nothing."

"Don't get the wrong idea. I invested in you for myself and the Assassin Alliance."

Baek Socheon gave a faint laugh.

Cheon Geuk looked out the window. Gazing at the bright full moon, she said,

"I thought the moon here would look eerie enough for ghosts to appear... but it's bright and beautiful here too."

* * *

The following day, the three were led into a secluded secret chamber.

A man was waiting there with Yeom Hwasin.

Yeom Sawon.

He was Yeom Hwasin's son and the heir of the Black Heaven Alliance.

He was not as large as his father, but he resembled him enough that anyone could tell they were father and son.

Their auras differed, though.

Yeom Hwasin had an evil yet bold air about him, while Yeom Sawon felt wicked and dark. He seemed like someone who might rise straight out of a shadow on the ground. His cold eyes made him seem like a snake.

It was apparent from the aura he gave off. Yeom Hwasin thoroughly concealed his evil nature, while Yeom Sawon deliberately displayed his.

His treatment of the three was no different.

"I don't think we need to exchange greetings. Let's begin."

Baek Socheon had no desire to greet him, either.

Na Sarin wrote down a list of medicinal ingredients on paper.

"First, brew medicine according to what is written here. Both of them must take it, so prepare enough for two people."

Yeom Hwasin had a trusted subordinate prepare the medicine.

They had to wait in the chamber while it was brewed.

Yeom Sawon asked Baek Socheon,

"You're Baek Socheon?"

"I am."

"So you're the one who ruined the great undertaking of our alliance and my father."

"Isn't that simply a difference in perspective?"

"I heard you lost your internal energy, but your mouth still seems full of it."

The mockery was blatant. Most people would not provoke someone right before treatment.

Yeom Sawon did not hold back. Yeom Hwasin did nothing to restrain or stop him, either.

That alone revealed much about their relationship and Yeom Hwasin's views on raising his son.

"I know Father thinks highly of you. I don't."

Baek Socheon understood where Yeom Sawon's hatred came from. He was jealous of him.

Baek Socheon looked at Yeom Hwasin. Perhaps Yeom Hwasin had used him to provoke his son.

Without a word, Baek Socheon turned away and ignored Yeom Sawon. Yeom Sawon gave a derisive snort, but fortunately did not provoke him again.

Baek Socheon was not offended at all. If anything, he welcomed it. Surprisingly often, an organization collapsed because of its leader or the leader's family.

'Right. Keep acting up while you can.'

Once his head came off at Baek Socheon's hands, he would not be able to act up even if he wanted to.

The medicine was ready before long.

Yeom Hwasin said to Na Sarin,

"Start with my son."

He wanted Yeom Sawon treated first in case they had attempted anything.

Na Sarin handed the brewed medicine to Yeom Sawon.

"Drink it."

Yeom Sawon hesitated briefly and looked at Yeom Hwasin. Distrust filled his eyes, as though asking whether he could trust it. Yeom Hwasin gave a firm nod.

After drinking the medicine, Yeom Sawon lay down on the bed as instructed.

Na Sarin inserted needles into his body, then pressed his acupoints in the prescribed order.

Once the treatment ended, Yeom Sawon suddenly bolted upright and vomited what was in his stomach.

"Keueeek!"

He lay back down and fell asleep.

Using chopsticks, Na Sarin picked a worm out of the vomit.

"It is the Heaven-Exiled Grudge Gu."

Yeom Hwasin, who had already known it was inside his son, calmly nodded.

He immediately woke his son.

"It would be best to let him rest for about a day."

Na Sarin's attempt to stop him was useless.

"There's no need."

Yeom Sawon came to his senses and stared blankly for a moment before seeing the Heaven-Exiled Grudge Gu held between Na Sarin's chopsticks.

"You damned little worm!"

He rushed over, snatched the gu parasite, and threw it to the floor. Then he crushed it beneath his foot without mercy.

Crunch.

Yeom Sawon shouted at Na Sarin,

"You strange old hag! Don't just stand there. Get that filthy worm out of my father's body!"

Cheon Geuk fumed inwardly as she watched.

'That disrespectful little bastard!'

This was why the place was dangerous. A place where someone like that was the heir. A place where the leader watched such behavior without restraining him in the slightest.

'I don't know whether you're the strongest person in the martial world... but you've done a terrible job raising your son.'

Perhaps only someone with such a foul temperament could endure as the Black Heaven Alliance's heir.

It was Yeom Hwasin's turn next.

He drank the medicine, and Na Sarin pressed his acupoints.

She was startled inwardly. The sensation of his skin was unlike anything she had felt in all her eighty-four years.

It was a strange feeling that went beyond mere hardness.

She wondered whether a needle could penetrate such skin, yet it went in more easily than expected. That was even more astonishing.

Using the same method, Na Sarin removed the gu parasite from Yeom Hwasin's body.

Soon afterward, Yeom Hwasin vomited up the Heaven-Exiled Grudge Gu as expected.

Ordinarily, someone who expelled a gu parasite would fall asleep again, but Yeom Hwasin did not sleep at all. Even the treatment's results made him an exception.

Crunch.

Yeom Sawon rushed forward again and stomped the gu parasite to death in irritation.

His anger had not subsided, and it burst out in an unrelated direction.

"Father, get rid of all of them now. Nothing could be more humiliating than letting the world learn that we were afflicted by gu parasites."

Yeom Hwasin looked at Baek Socheon with an amused expression.

"What do you think? Surely you expected this."

Baek Socheon remained calm.

"I thought that even if you did not repay the favor, you would not kill us."

"Then you chose the wrong person."

"Did I?"

"Not just me. What about my son? You should have prepared for him too."

"Of course I did. I worried that my preparation might have been excessive, but after seeing your son, it turns out it was exactly appropriate."

Na Sarin followed up on Baek Socheon's words. This was what he had asked her to do through voice transmission.

"While removing the gu parasite, I placed the Soul-Seizing Art on the Alliance Leader's son. If even one of the three of us dies within five days, your son will kill himself."

At her calm explanation, Yeom Hwasin's expression turned cold at once.

"You dared use the Soul-Seizing Art on my son?"

Na Sarin's expression chilled as well. A shout, unlike anything she would normally make, burst from her.

"And you dare harbor the intention of killing our Alliance Leader?"

"You damned old hag!"

"Look at me carefully. See what this damned old hag is capable of."

It was the first time they had seen Na Sarin's furious aura. That made it even more frightening. The force she radiated in that moment was no weaker than Yeom Hwasin's.

"Then we can hold you here for five days."

"If you don't release us immediately, I'll take my own life. Once I've decided to die, you may be able to kill me, but you won't be able to subdue me."

She was certain no one could stop her from taking her own life.

"If you're truly curious, try it."

A tense silence followed. In the end, Yeom Hwasin took a step back.

"Hahahaha. They say old ginger has the most bite for a reason. My son was being childish, so please accept his apology."

Yeom Hwasin looked at Yeom Sawon.

With obvious reluctance, Yeom Sawon cupped his fist and said,

"I was merely playing a childish prank. If I went too far, I apologize. I will repay this debt someday."

It sounded less like he intended to repay a favor and more like he intended to repay a grudge.

Na Sarin pretended not to notice and nodded, accepting his apology. Her tone had returned to its usual gentleness.

"It's fine. The Soul-Seizing Art will naturally disappear after five days."

Without saying a word of thanks, Yeom Sawon left the room.

Yeom Hwasin, in contrast, expressed his gratitude to her.

"You have worked hard."

"It was nothing."

Looking at Baek Socheon, Yeom Hwasin said,

"Come see me. We have something to discuss alone. I'll wait outside, so come out."

Yeom Hwasin left first.

Once only the three of them remained, Cheon Geuk vented her anger about Yeom Sawon.

"Don't stop me later. One day, I'll cut off that rude little brat's head with my own hands."

Setting aside how he treated Cheon Geuk and Baek Socheon, he had not even offered Na Sarin, who had saved him, a word of thanks or a glance. He had even treated Na Sarin like some sort of monster.

Baek Socheon thanked Na Sarin.

"Thank you. You saved all of us."

"More importantly, I have something to tell you."

What Na Sarin urgently told him was shocking.

"Feeling Yeom Hwasin's body... it wasn't normal. He may have reached the Indestructible Vajra Body."

"...!"

Baek Socheon and Cheon Geuk were stunned.

Indestructible Vajra.

The ultimate defense of external martial arts, impossible to break or cut by any physical means. Swords, sabers, water, and fire could not harm it. It was said that once someone reached Indestructible Vajra, even if sword qi and sword aura struck them, they might feel the impact but would never be cut.

If it was true?

This was Yeom Hwasin.

He had already been difficult enough to kill. Now that monster had grown wings.

Thirty percent? Forty percent? Not a chance. If they fought now, their odds of victory would not even reach ten percent.

The first rank in the Martial World Ranking Record would have to return to Yeom Hwasin.

'Was this what he relied on?'

That bluish aura Baek Socheon had seen beneath his skin.

He recalled Yeom Hwasin's words from the carriage. He enjoyed excitement, but not foolishness.

Was that why he could boldly come all the way to the Murim Alliance headquarters? Because he was confident no one could kill him? Was that why he had claimed that capturing him would cost a hundred times as many sacrifices?

"I'll go out first."

"All right."

Baek Socheon followed and left the room.

Cheon Geuk looked after Na Sarin. Yeom Hwasin's enormous body was not what concerned her. It was the small body before her eyes.

"Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm fine."

Cheon Geuk thanked her as well.

"Thanks to you, everyone survived."

"Not because of me."

"What?"

Na Sarin looked out the window. Far across the courtyard, Baek Socheon was walking toward Yeom Hwasin, who stood with his hands behind his back.

Only then did Cheon Geuk realize that Baek Socheon had asked Na Sarin to do this in advance.

Looking at Baek Socheon, Cheon Geuk repeated the same words she had previously said about Yeom Sawon.

"...Don't stop me later."

She did not say what she did not want to be stopped from doing, but Na Sarin could guess it was the complete opposite of Yeom Sawon's intentions.

'All right. I won't stop you, so love him as much as you want.'

Na Sarin thought it was fine for her Alliance Leader to live passionately. She intended to guard her coolly until the very end.

She only hoped that her small body would endure for as long as possible.

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried