Chapter 48
Namgung Jeokmyeong answered not with words, but with silence — which was answer enough.
<I can’t understand this. Isn’t it Jeilak himself who abducted me and demanded that my father put an end to the war? Why would he now wish to start it again?>
“I can’t say for sure,” Jeokmyeong admitted. “It took me years just to learn that the Imperial Minister of Shadows and Jeilak Cheonmuryeong were deeply connected.”
That same Imperial Minister had once commanded the Blood-Sucking Sword Demon and even tried to steal the Elixirs of the Mount Hua Sect.
If his visible schemes were already this massive, it was impossible to imagine what he was plotting beneath the surface.
“My father should never have accepted Jeilak’s proposal in the first place. Or at the very least, he should’ve sent you back to the Ye family.”
Yeil hesitated mid-writing — she had been about to pen, ‘Even if they target the fake Namgung Soyo, they won’t get what they want,’ but she stopped her brush.
Her premise was wrong.
‘It doesn’t matter to them whether I’m the real Namgung Soyo or not.’
The real Namgung Soyo had been hidden away by the Namgung clan since childhood. Only a handful of people — Namgung Jeokmyeong among them — could tell the real and the fake apart.
So authenticity wasn’t what mattered.
Namgung Soyo was Ye Sogun, and Ye Sogun was living proof that the Murim Alliance had humiliated the Heavenly Demon Cult.
Jeokmyeong’s voice softened, carrying a bitter weight.
“You’re frowning, little sister. So you understand now, don’t you? The name you carry… it’s not something you can cast aside and reclaim at will.”
“…”
“The entire martial world believes you are Namgung Soyo. The Imperial Minister can prove that Namgung Soyo and Ye Sogun are one and the same.”
“…”
“Until he delivers Ye Sogun’s corpse to the Heavenly Demon Cult, the Imperial Minister will never give you up, Soyo.”
It was like stepping in dog dung on the road by accident.
“To think one kill list would bring me this much trouble.”
Indeed, there was nothing free in this world.
Knowing how tenacious killers could be, Yeil could easily picture how persistently the Imperial Minister would cling like a parasite.
‘Once I’ve achieved my goals, I’ll have to disappear for a while and wait for the storm to die down.’
The day she could finally fulfill the old man’s last will seemed even farther away now.
<If my birth father is Ye Gwiryung, then who is my mother?>
“…Are you truly intent on finding Namgung Soyo’s mother?”
“Hmm… Ye Gwiryung, your father, was one of the Demon Lords and head of the Ye family. Then naturally, your mother must have been a woman of comparable rank and power. Beyond that, I know little.”
<Liar. Fool.>
“What?”
<You’re always useless when it comes to the most crucial parts. How can you not know?>
Jeokmyeong let out an indignant groan, gently flicking the brush in her hand.
“Unbelievable. When I don’t know something, I say I don’t. Why would I lie about something so trivial?”
<Exactly. You must have another reason — perhaps still trying to use me.>
“Enough, enough. You always assume the worst. I never calculated things that way.”
<Then show me the kill list, at least. We’re rowing the same boat, yet you keep feeding me scraps.>
Her writing was growing increasingly sloppy, perhaps because she was too irritated to bother.
Her wormlike strokes and careless scrawl seemed to amuse Jeokmyeong — he chuckled softly whenever her brush slipped.
“Soyo, you should speak properly. How much have you rowed this boat, exactly?”
<Changing your words again, I see. Did I not help drive out that fake Namgung Chumyeong who kept you so indecisive?>
Jeokmyeong suddenly burst out laughing.
“Ha! What nonsense! Yes, that impostor did offend me deeply, but… you think I’ve dealt with the biggest intruder yet?”
The biggest intruder?
“So that’s what you think of me, hm? That I was such a fool, swayed by one petty fake?”
His amused smirk was infuriating. Yeil scribbled irritably.
<Keep laughing like that and I’m leaving.>
That sobered him. He took a slow breath and quieted his laughter.
“You’ve grown quite bold with your tongue… but no matter. Actually, Soyo, I have something to propose to you — something related to that very matter.”
A proposal?
Yeil tilted her head, deciding to at least hear him out.
A few days later.
The Namgung manor, long quiet, rang with Seoryeong’s booming voice.
“What? The Murim Alliance’s martial tournament? Don’t tell me — my lady, you’re representing the Namgung name in the tournament?”
She went on chattering excitedly, “Even the martial tournament, now! How thrilling!” — only to wilt when Yeil calmly replied,
“I’ll only be accompanying them. You can enjoy the spectacle all you want.”
“How disappointing! There’s nothing more exciting than a frail heiress from a prestigious clan suddenly entering the tournament, defeating all the famed prodigies of the land, and emerging as a new master!”
Yeil couldn’t help but laugh. For all her dramatics, Seoryeong still showed her youth.
“When do we depart? The Murim Alliance headquarters is in Henan, isn’t it?”
“In two days.”
“Two days… let’s see… that’s during Daeseo (the Great Heat)…”
Seoryeong frowned suddenly, as if remembering something unpleasant. When Yeil asked why, she sighed deeply.
“Have you forgotten, my lady? During the Great Heat, Sister Seorin takes her only vacation of the year — ten days! If she follows you again, she’ll torment me the whole way… and I just know she will — unless she’s grown horns on her bottom!”
Yeil ignored her muttering and scanned the manor.
Jin Cheongak was gone again.
She turned to Seoryeong.
“When Jin Cheongak returns, tell him I have questions. Until then, stay put — don’t wander off.”
“Uh… yes, my lady. I’ll tell him.”
Just then, Chang-a came in carefully, cradling a warm bowl of freshly brewed medicine. She whispered conspiratorially, eyes gleaming.
“My lady, my lady! I heard something new! They say Lady Danri Muklan and her guests will be staying in the manor for several more days!”
Seoryeong’s brows furrowed even deeper.
“Danri Muklan? Isn’t she that ridiculous matchmaker obsessed with marrying you off? Even the Namgung brothers find her unbearable — why on earth did they allow her to stay?”
