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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Cyno
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Taiyuan Jin Family
Chief Administrator’s Residence
A man sat leaning against a lantern, reading a book.
It was Yi Chung-bo, the Chief Administrator overseeing the Taiyuan Jin Family’s finances while Jin Ga-young and the White Wanderer were away.
Shhh—
As he quietly turned the page, a chilly breeze swept in from somewhere.
Whoosh—
Thinking it might have slipped through the doorframe, he approached the door—only for it to creak open on its own.
“Gasp!”
Startled, Yi Chung-bo stumbled backward and fell.
Standing at the door was a ghostly pale man. His appearance was terrifying.
“Long time no see, Chief Administrator.”
“A-Ah…! I-It’s you, White Wanderer! When did you return?”
“Just now.”
The man was Byeok-rak. His stark white hair, illuminated by the full moon, made him look like a specter for a moment.
“Hmm… W-Well, please have a seat. I’ll prepare a place for you.”
“No need. I’ll be leaving soon. More importantly, take a look at this.”
Byeok-rak handed over a bundle he was carrying. Wrapped carefully in cloth, Jin Ga-young was placed gently on the warm floor.
“F-Family Head?! Why is the Family Head in this state?!”
“You haven’t heard the news from the Seven Flowers Tournament, I see.”
“N-No, I have! But I didn’t think she’d still be unconscious…”
“I’ll be away for a while. I’d prefer to take her with me, but the place I’m going is dangerous. I trust the Taiyuan Jin Family—and you—to take good care of her.”
“Y-Yes! I’ll protect her with my life!”
Nodding at Yi Chung-bo’s firm declaration, Byeok-rak turned to leave.
Thud, thud—
“Safe travels!”
As Byeok-rak’s figure faded into the dark night, Yi Chung-bo suddenly glanced to the side.
There, Jin Ga-young—just placed down by Byeok-rak—was breathing softly in her sleep.
“What should I do…? Should I take her to the Family Head’s bedroom…?”
Yi Chung-bo stole a glance at Jin Ga-young.
Originally, he had planned to take her straight to her room, but now that he was alone with her, his body stiffened as if frozen.
Suddenly, a forgotten fact coiled around his mind.
‘She’s beautiful.’
Jin Ga-young, the future most beautiful woman in the martial world.
A beauty that would make any man turn his head.
And now, this stunning woman lay unconscious in his room.
Alone with him.
Yi Chung-bo gulped dryly.
“Tch…!”
As if bewitched, his hand moved on its own.
He knew this was wrong—yet his hand acted independently of his will.
Or perhaps it was reflecting his truest desires.
Swipe—
Yi Chung-bo’s hand hovered over Jin Ga-young’s head as she slept. Just a little lower, and he could touch her.
Of course, this was outright molestation—an evil act. Not just a breach of righteous conduct, but something even a back-alley thug would hesitate to do.
Yi Chung-bo’s conscience gripped his hand. Jin Ga-young was his lord, the Family Head. This was unacceptable. And she was a defenseless, unconscious girl.
Moreover, he had a family.
“But…”
However, Yi Chung-bo was not a righteous man.
“No one will ever know.”
Kicking aside his last shred of conscience, he lowered his hand.
He knew this was despicable, vile, and filthy—but he wasn’t unfamiliar with evil acts to the point of disgust.
For a moment, the face of his waiting wife flashed in his mind—but it blurred instantly before Jin Ga-young’s beauty.
“What luck…”
Murmuring shamelessly, Yi Chung-bo didn’t stop his depraved hand.
Just as his fingers were about to touch Jin Ga-young’s face—
Thud—
Something grabbed his wrist.
“Huh…?”
Startled, Yi Chung-bo looked up.
Before him stood the white-haired man.
“Y-You… why…?”
Hadn’t he left earlier?
Before he could finish the thought, his vision was filled with a palm—
CRACK—!
“Sigh…”
Byeok-rak let out a long exhale.
Beside him, Okhwa wore a similarly troubled expression.
“He wasn’t human either.”
“Sword Saint…”
“Good thing I pretended to leave and hid inside. We almost made a grave mistake.”
“Are you disappointed?”
“Frankly… very.”
“…”
Byeok-rak stared at the floor with deep disgust.
A headless corpse lay sprawled there.
After a moment of silently observing his own fist—the one that had done this—he hoisted Jin Ga-young onto his back again.
“I forgot. It wasn’t the Jin Family that was virtuous—it was the young lady herself.”
“At least we doubted him to the end. That’s a relief.”
“I only recently realized how many inhuman beings hide among humans, pretending to be one of them.”
“…”
Hearing this, Okhwa recalled the shouts she had heard from Byeok-rak at the Wudang Sect.
Strangely, she understood his feelings.
“This is troubling.”
“You mean Wolhwa?”
“We can’t take the young lady to the Valley of No Heaven. That place is saturated with sinister energy. If her barely stabilized qi collapses, it’s over.”
“I know. That’s why we came to Taiyuan first.”
“But… even the Taiyuan Jin Family isn’t safe. That’s the problem.”
Okhwa nodded in agreement.
As he said, there was an absolute lack of safe places to entrust Jin Ga-young in the martial world.
“Sword Saint, why don’t I stay behind with her while you go—”
“There are exactly two exceptions.”
Cutting her off, Byeok-rak spoke as if lost in thought.
Given that he wasn’t the type to interrupt, it seemed he had blurted it out unconsciously.
Meaning he had been deep in contemplation.
“Two exceptions?”
“Two people with the power to protect her better than anyone. Two people I’d trust even if the world ended.”
“T-Two such people exist? Then let’s ask them!”
“I’d like to… but there’s a slight problem.”
Byeok-rak trailed off.
“First, both have retired from the world.”
“Retired? It’s not like we’re asking them to fight—just to watch over one person. What’s the issue?”
“That’s true, but… retirement isn’t the only problem.”
Lowering his voice, Byeok-rak continued.
“The first is the Divine Monk.”
“The Divine Monk?”
“He’s living in a small hermitage near Shaolin.”
“Hmm… Would asking someone who’s undergone the ‘Severance of Golden Bonds’ be improper?”
The “Severance of Golden Bonds” was different from ordinary retirement.
It was a public declaration of cutting all ties to the martial world’s grudges and affairs.
Those who underwent it were never to be attacked for martial world reasons—and in turn, they were never to interfere in martial world matters.
“So the Divine Monk is out of the question.”
“Wolhwa isn’t an ordinary person. Asking him to take her in would be disrespectful.”
“Then we’ll have to ask the other one.”
As if finalizing his thoughts, Byeok-rak began walking.
Okhwa followed.
“Who are you planning to ask?”
“Someone you don’t know.”
“Someone I don’t know…?”
“I’m sorry, but… in this vast world, he’s the only one left I can trust with her. What a pitiful reality.”
Thud, thud—
With each step Byeok-rak and Okhwa took, the half-melted snow on the ground splashed beneath their feet.
Winter had passed, and the lingering snow had turned into a slushy mess.
A sign that the year had changed.
Yu So-eun’s Dream
“H-Husband… A-Are you alright…?”
“…”
Drenched in blood, Namgung Cheol-bin staggered through the gates of the Namgung Estate.
His slumped shoulders and slow steps made it painfully clear how exhausted he was.
Yu So-eun rushed to him.
Pat, pat—
She hurriedly wiped his body with a prepared towel.
Every time her hands touched his wounds, Namgung Cheol-bin let out intermittent groans.
There was no time to hesitate—his body was covered in blood and metal shards.
Wipe, swipe—
“Husband… Don’t push yourself so hard…”
“…”
“I heard the news… This time, you rescued hundreds of children from the Blood Cult’s Twelve Lords… All by yourself.”
“…”
“Saving them is good, but… you’re overworking yourself… I’m worried…”
Pouring out the words she had resolved to say when he returned, Yu So-eun diligently cleaned Namgung Cheol-bin’s body.
Blood, sweat, and unidentifiable fluids.
His body, fresh from battle, was filthy.
The more she wiped, the more her heart ached.
“What the hell is the Martial Alliance even doing, leaving you alone…?”
She had already heard the news via messenger hawk before Namgung Cheol-bin arrived.
Until he stepped forward, none of the remaining Martial Alliance members had volunteered.
Worse, even after he left, they had stayed put until reinforcements arrived.
Because of this, Namgung Cheol-bin had fought the Twelve Lords alone for three long days, protecting the children the entire time.
“Selfish bastards… They don’t want to suffer, so they throw you into the fire.”
Grumbling in frustration, Yu So-eun continued cleaning his body.
Then, Namgung Cheol-bin whispered to her.
“Don’t say that.”
“Huh…?”
“With great power comes great responsibility. I’m just fulfilling my duty.”
“Tch…! Even so, who treats their body like this…?!”
“…”
Pausing her cleaning, Yu So-eun spat out her emotions.
She hated this.
A husband who returned covered in wounds every time.
And the world that made him this way.
“What if—”
“…?”
Wipe, swipe—
Resuming her task, Yu So-eun spoke.
“What if I went with you…?”
His reply was sharp.
“No.”
“Eek…”
“It’s too dangerous.”
“I-I understand…”
“Never say that again. Don’t even think it.”
“I said I understand…”
As she worked frantically, she eventually finished cleaning most of the grime from his body.
Now holding a blood-soaked towel, she turned toward the river to wash it—
Thud—
Suddenly, Namgung Cheol-bin grabbed her wrist.
And spoke.
“Don’t worry.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll protect you. No matter what.”
The words came out of nowhere.
“Oh… Thank you.”
“Even if it takes tens of thousands of years—no, never mind. Go. I’ll check on Su-a.”
Releasing her wrist, he turned away.
Yu So-eun stared longingly at her freed wrist before finally leaving.
Just then, the same deafening roar that haunted her every night struck her mind again.
—”Abandon love!”
“GAAAH—!”
Screaming, she jolted awake.
The real world slowly came into focus.
A dark room. A bed drenched in sweat. Her sixteen-year-old daughter, Namgung Su-a.
“Hah… Hah…!”
Gasping for breath, her vision swam—but Yu So-eun wasn’t fully free from the dream yet.
Namgung Cheol-bin’s last words clung to her heart.
“What did he mean… ‘even if it takes tens of thousands of years’…?”
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