ATPnovel Chapter 256 : Jaseung, Returns
Chapter 256 : Jaseung, Returns
Ma Young-gi’s carriage arrived at the new hideout.This time, they moved after removing the Demonic Cult’s surveillance network as much as possible, so it was not a place that would be easily revealed.
Upon seeing Lee Jaseung enter the room, Baek Seolyoung ran to him and embraced him.
She did not care about the attention of others.
Lee Jaseung likewise held her tightly.
Everyone smiled at the sight.
Dan Woobin thought of her, and Mujin thought of them.
The person watching the scene with the most moved heart was Mook Young.
He was the one who protected Lee Jaseung and now protected Baek Seolyoung.
This time, through Baek Seolyoung’s active role, he and his subordinates were able to save their lives.
Because of that, his loyalty toward Baek Seolyoung had become as deep as his loyalty toward Lee Jaseung.
Baek Seolyoung pulled away from Lee Jaseung’s embrace.
Various words were not necessary.
Through this one hug, they could tell how much they had missed each other.
“Welcome back.”
Mujin and Dan Woobin offered their greetings together.
Dan Woobin asked while looking at Gwangdu, whom Ma Young-gi was carrying on his back.
“Who is he?”
He was still asleep.
“He is the grandson of the Dark Noble Clan Leader whom we were looking for.”
Dan Woobin was startled by those words.
“How did you find him?”
Even though the Golden Ants and the Three-Eyed Pavilion had mobilized all their information networks, they had not even been able to find his location yet.
Yet, Lee Jaseung had not only saved the Jiangxi branch but also returned after rescuing the grandson of the Dark Noble Clan.
When Lee Jaseung explained the past events, everyone was startled.
Dan Woobin was especially surprised.
He was greatly shocked by the fact that the grandson had been hidden in an ordinary martial arts academy disguised as a Orthodox Faction and that he had been raised out in the open.
He felt that even if the Golden Ants and the Three-Eyed Pavilion searched for another ten years, they would not have found him.
However, what truly surprised Dan Woobin was the fact that he had met that man again.
Dan Woobin knew.
He knew what kind of meaning that man held for Lee Jaseung.
He was a mountain to be surpassed over a lifetime and an opponent who must be defeated.
He was worried about Lee Jaseung because he heard that he had fought that man and lost again.
He was worried about what kind of ill effect this defeat would have on Lee Jaseung.
“You will surely win when you meet him next time.”
Lee Jaseung chuckled at Dan Woobin’s stiff consolation.
What was truly not okay was his current physical condition.
Competitive spirit from the duel with him was not the problem.
“I cannot use inner Qi right now. My physical abilities have also dropped miserably.”
Lee Jaseung spoke honestly.
In a situation where a war had broken out, at least Baek Seolyoung and these four subordinates had to know his condition accurately.
Baek Seolyoung asked in surprise.
“Are you okay?”
She did not know Lee Jaseung was in such a state.
She felt sorry that she did not know even though she had embraced him.
“I am fine.”
Lee Jaseung showed her a smile.
Mujin tilted his head.
On the outside, it did not seem like that at all.
In fact, his eyes were clearer and deeper than before he left the Alliance.
“It does not show on the outside at all.”
“It is a relief that it is so.”
When Lee Jaseung answered with a serious expression, they could tell that those words were true.
This time, Dan Woobin asked.
“How long do you think it will take to recover again?”
Lee Jaseung shook his head.
“I don't know either. Whether it will take a day or a year. Or...”
Dan Woobin sighed without realizing it.
It was a state where the blow was great even if it took a month, not a year.
It was because the weight Lee Jaseung occupied in this war was so high.
Eventually, Lee Jaseung spoke.
“Do not worry about me, and we will push them together with the Dark Noble Clan.”
How could Lee Jaseung not have worries?
If time is dragged out, variables are bound to occur.
The heart of the Dark Noble Clan might change, or Yao Hong might pull a trick.
However, there was no time to be engaging in closed-door cultivation.
They had to push those bastards so they could not even breathe.
“Has Yao Hong’s location been identified?”
“No.”
“Mobilize all information networks to identify his location first. If necessary, contact the Golden Ants as well.”
“Yes, understood.”
Dan Woobin, who answered, and those who were listening were all tense.
There would be only one reason Lee Jaseung asked for Yao Hong’s location.
The thought of removing him personally.
In fact, it would be the same for Yao Hong.
The fact that those bastards came to kidnap Dan Woobin was in the same context.
Because the best way to take this fight easily is to kill the opponent’s leader.
“What about the promise with the Dark Noble Clan Leader?”
“As soon as I received the message, I made secret contact with the Dark Noble Clan immediately. When I showed a somewhat firm tone saying it was a story related to the life and death of his grandson, they set a meeting place and sent it over.”
“When is it?”
“It is tomorrow. However, they set a condition that the Alliance Leader must come alone.”
Then, Ma Young-gi shouted out in an angry voice.
“That is nonsense!”
It also meant that the Dark Noble Clan did not trust this side.
But at least the side that was desperate was this side.
Mujin stepped forward.
“I will handle the negotiation.”
There was a high possibility that tomorrow’s meeting would be a trap.
Furthermore, because Lee Jaseung was in a state where he had lost his martial arts, tomorrow’s secret meeting could become a very dangerous matter.
There was no way Lee Jaseung did not know.
However, the problem was this.
“If I don't go personally, they will not believe it. Even if they do believe it, he will be very displeased. In that case, we cannot obtain the result we want.”
Dan Woobin nodded.
“You are correct. If it is not the Alliance Leader, he will not believe anything. But...”
Dan Woobin showed a worried look.
What if tomorrow’s meeting is a trap?
What if it is not just a trap from the Dark Noble Clan, but a trap in collaboration with the Asura Demon Sect?
Lee Jaseung, who cannot display his real skills, would fall into fatal danger.
Winning over the Dark Noble Clan was a truly important matter.
However, Lee Jaseung’s life was much more important than that.
Baek Seolyoung, who had been quietly listening to the conversation until then, suddenly spoke.
“I will go with him.”
Everyone’s gaze turned toward her.
“If it is me, we might see the same effect as you going out alone.”
It was something that could be attempted because they were husband and wife.
Dan Woobin was still conflicted.
If tomorrow’s meeting was a trap, it would now be a matter of putting even Lee Jaseung and Baek Seolyoung in danger.
The one who made the final decision was Lee Jaseung.
“I will go personally. And...”
The words that Baek Seolyoung had wanted to hear for a very long time flowed from Lee Jaseung’s mouth.
“You protect me.”
* * *
The meeting place was an abandoned house on the outskirts.
The place where footsteps had ceased and was full of dust had tables and chairs piled up on one side, perhaps because it used to be an inn.
Lee Jaseung and Baek Seolyoung arrived first.
The two of them examined the place, but there was nothing particularly strange.
Baek Seolyoung was internally tense with the thought that she must save Lee Jaseung if anything happened.
Just as he had protected her until now, she would now protect Lee Jaseung.
Lee Jaseung, who felt her tension, tried to throw out a joke but then stopped. Because sometimes, a moderate amount of tension was necessary.
How long did they wait like that?
Two people revealed themselves there.
First, the old man who entered leading the way.
Wearing a clean white martial robe and revealing the appearance of a Grandmaster, he was none other than the Dark Noble Clan Leader, Gwang Saryun.
The man following behind him was Socheong, who assisted Gwang Saryun.
Gwang Saryun spoke.
“I am sorry for being late. It took some time to verify your identity. I did not think you would actually come.”
He revealed himself only after confirming that the opponent was the real Lee Jaseung.
Lee Jaseung spoke while showing courtesy.
“My wife wanted to meet you, elder. So, despite the impoliteness, she came along.”
“She is a truly beautiful person.”
Gwang Saryun also greeted calmly.
“You flatter me.”
Baek Seolyoung replied with a smile.
Gwang Saryun looked back and forth between Lee Jaseung and Baek Seolyoung for a moment.
It was unexpected.
Because he thought the leader of the Black Way Alliance would give off a much darker and more evil atmosphere.
However, the Lee Jaseung before his eyes had a bright feeling suitable for a Murim Alliance Leader.
Only those eyes, whose depth could not be known, gave a great sense of pressure to the opponent.
Baek Seolyoung was much more beautiful than the rumors.
In his entire life, this was the first time he had actually seen such a beautiful woman.
His first impression upon seeing the two was surprise, and next was the feeling that the two suited each other very well.
Gwang Saryun had set a definite trap today.
Experts and hundreds of assassins of the Dark Noble Clan were hiding nearby.
It was the whereabouts of his grandson whom he had not found for twenty years.
Yet, the opponent had mentioned that child’s life and death.
Naturally, he thought they were pulling a trick, and he intended to use the person who came out today as an example and not even leave behind their bones.
Yet, the real Black Way Alliance Leader had come alone with only his wife.
For pulling a trick, they were taking too great a risk.
That was also the reason he revealed himself personally.
“I will not speak long to a busy person. You say you have information about my grandson?”
“That is correct. Before I tell you that, I have one thing to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Please tell me about the relationship between your house and the Asura Demon Sect.”
“It is a long story.”
“We have enough time.”
Gwang Saryun’s eyes grew sharp.
Truly, he wondered if the man was bold or simply failing to grasp the situation.
On the other hand, he felt a certain hope from Lee Jaseung’s dignified manner.
That he might actually know about the grandson’s whereabouts.
Socheong, who was standing behind, stepped forward and spoke.
“You should return now.”
He did not like Lee Jaseung’s attitude.
From the beginning, he was the one who opposed this meeting, calling it a nonsensical trick.
Gwang Saryun raised one hand to restrain him and stared at Lee Jaseung as if to pierce through him.
Lee Jaseung was still dignified.
That dignity was present in his gaze, in his firmly closed lips, and in his straight posture.
It was oozing from his entire body.
‘Since things have come this far anyway,’
He felt that if he told him everything and it turned out the opponent was pulling a trick, he could get rid of him then.
Gwang Saryun opened his mouth calmly.
“My house is an independent place that does not belong to any side of the Orthodox, Unorthodox, or Demonic. It is a place that exists only for my house. Even if it was so at first, eventually as long as one lives in the Jianghu, one forms relationships with the Orthodox, Unorthodox, or Demonic in some way. As time passed, in some generations we were close with the Orthodox Faction, and in other generations we were close with the Unorthodox Faction. In my generation, we were close with the Demonic Cult. To be honest, it was close to an admiration for the Heavenly Demon Sect.”
“May I ask why you admired them so much?”
Then, words he did not think of flowed out.
“Do you know about the first Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult?”
Because he did not think he would hear a mention of him from Gwang Saryun, Lee Jaseung was internally very surprised.
But he answered without revealing such signs.
“I don't know well.”
“There is a legend that the first Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect, Demon God Cheol Murin, had a love so deep that it reached the heavens, and that he lives an eternal life with his wife who continues to reincarnate.”
It was a story Lee Jaseung naturally knew.
In the past, he had dismissed it as just an old story passed down, but recently, he could not do so.
As long as there was a possibility that the man who defeated him was truly Cheol Murin, the first Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect.
“I believed in that legend.”
His voice trembled slightly.
The hunch that it would be deeply related to his personal history was correct.
“I loved my wife. I truly loved her. But she passed away early.”
Lee Jaseung could tell.
Why he believed in the legend of the first Cult Leader.
He wanted to become like that too.
Because his love for his wife was so deep, he wanted to meet her again forever like Cheol Murin.
Lee Jaseung glanced at Baek Seolyoung.
What if she left first?
As he thought of that moment, his heart felt moved.
One thing for certain was that he understood the feeling of leaning on that legend.
Lee Jaseung looked at Gwang Saryun again.
Gwang Saryun stopped the story about his wife and changed the subject.
“Anyway, for that reason, my house had a deep friendship with the Heavenly Demon Sect. We also maintained a good atmosphere with the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect at that time. The friendship especially deepened with Yao Hong, who was an elder at the time. That man worked hard. He always visited first, and when precious things were found, he would bring them over. Thinking about it now, all those actions were intentional for rebellion.”
Lee Jaseung also knew well what kind of person Yao Hong was.
He is a person who uses everything for his own purpose.
“When he raised a rebellion, honestly, I agonized. It was the right duty to help the Heavenly Demon Sect and attack Yao Hong who raised the treason. But at that time, the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect had already died. Even if my house stepped forward, it was a situation where we could not do anything about Yao Hong’s power. At that time, Yao Hong visited. He asked me to just stay put, considering my relationship with him.”
Gwang Saryun let out a sigh.
“Considering the relationship with the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Sect, it was not something to just stay put for... eventually, I ended up joining hands with a devil.”
As he listened to the story, a question arose.
If it was the time Yao Hong raised the rebellion, Gwangdu was not even born yet.
“Then why did he kidnap your grandson after time passed?”