Chapter 169: There Is a Woman More Beautiful Than You

TL: FoodieMonster007

The awards ceremony was as splendid as the tournament itself. The winner received a gold plaque and prize money. In a moment of great glory, the Murim Alliance Chairman himself presented the award.

The heroes of the martial world cheered Seo Daeryong's name. Never before in his life had Seo Daeryong heard his name called so many times. He knew it would probably never happen again.

The Murim Alliance Chairman handed the gold plaque to Seo Daeryong. "That was an excellent display of skill," he said. "I hope you'll dedicate yourself to the peace of the murim from now on."

"Thank you."

The Chairman then sent his true message via telepathy.

If you ever injure a martial artist of the orthodox sects with that dao art, you will surely die by my hand.

Seo Daeryong did not dare object. He quietly accepted the gold plaque and prize money before stepping down from the stage. He was grateful enough that the Chairman had given him the award despite knowing he was a demonic practitioner.

The runner-up, Jin Haryong, also received a plaque and prize money.

"You did well," the Murim Alliance Chairman said.

"I'm sorry."

"Do you feel it now? Do you see how vast this jianghu is?"

"Yes. I thought I could at least be a snake, if not a dragon, but I realize now I was just a frog in a well. I will strive to improve even more from now on, Grandfather."

That was enough. The Murim Alliance Chairman patted her shoulder with a satisfied smile.

As Jin Haryong descended from the duel stage, she glanced at Geom Mugeuk, who stood far in the distance.

Geom Mugeuk saw her and waved, conveying a clear message. You did great, friend.

Tears suddenly welled in Jin Haryong's eyes. She had not felt much until that moment, but the sight of Geom Mugeuk brought a sudden surge of sorrow.

She could not cry in front of the heroes, so she walked away briskly. The thought of rumors spreading was dreadful. Jin Haryong cried at the awards ceremony. She cried out of frustration.

Someone next to her said something, but she did not even look at him. She quickly walked away and left the area.

The person who had spoken to her was Cho Sin. He could not follow her, his face crestfallen. In his arms, he held a gift to commemorate her victory.

He could not give it to her. He had engraved the words 'Congratulations on your victory' on a throwing knife, never imagining she would lose. He was supposed to present it to her stylishly after she won.

"Damn it! Damn it all!"

His gaze shifted to Seo Daeryong, who was still busy receiving congratulations.

That country bumpkin actually won? Does this make any sense?

The master wins the tournament, and the servant seduces the woman he is supposed to marry. They were a pair of bastards who deserved to be beaten to death. This whole affair could not possibly end well.

Fuming with anger, Cho Sin returned to his residence.

Entering the room, Cho Sin flinched. A man was waiting for him inside.

He was a man named Cheolgon, who delivered orders from the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman.

At first, Cho Sin had wondered if Cheolgon was the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman himself in disguise. The man's aura was that extraordinary.

A man like this is a mere subordinate? Then just how incredible is the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman?

He had not yet met the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman in person. He was promised a meeting if he successfully completed this task.

Cho Sin was displeased that the man was in his room without permission, but he could not show his dissatisfaction.

"You've come?"

"Weren't you the one who summoned me, Young Lord Cho?"

"I summoned you?"

"Didn't you say you were confident about your marriage to Jin Haryong?"

"Of course."

Just a year ago, Cho Sin had been losing the succession struggle in the True Dragon Manor. That was when the Heavenly Enlightenment Society appeared. He could not refuse their offer to make him the heir if he joined them.

It was all well and good that he became the heir with their help.

Once he was confirmed as the heir, they made a demand. He was to marry the Murim Alliance Chairman's granddaughter. It was not an impossible request. The True Dragon Manor was a family of sufficient stature for such a marital alliance.

Cho Sin persuaded his father and tried to arrange the marriage, even providing a vast sum of money to the Murim Alliance.

He had chosen the period of the Young Dragon Tournament because he could see her often. He was confident he could easily win Jin Haryong's heart with his family background and his own good looks. That was, until he learned of that damn servant.

"The rumor I hear is that you're lining up behind a servant."

"Where did you hear such a baseless rumor? That man is my subordinate."

When Cho Sin spoke confidently, Cheolgon stared at him intently. As their eyes met, Cho Sin felt intimidated, just as he had when they first met. If this unnerving killing intent had been intentional, Cho Sin would never have been so cowed.

However, Cho Sin could feel it. This killing intent stemmed from the man's innate nature. It was a primal killing intent that could only be exuded by someone who placed no meaning on the act of killing. A killing intent that instilled the fear of being hacked to pieces and thrown into a filthy sewer if one dared to cross him.

"That man is your subordinate?"

"I recruited him for my marriage to Jin Haryong. I will use him to make the marriage a success."

It was not a lie. He had promised the servant one hundred thousand taels and made him an ally. Of course, that had not been the plan from the beginning.

Cheolgon stared at Cho Sin again.

If the gaze had been that of an intelligent man trying to figure him out, it would have been better.

This gaze, however, was closer to indifference. It was the blunt stare of a killing demon for whom the truth did not matter, only the result.

As he could tell just by looking at Cheolgon, these people were no ordinary folk. They were not run-of-the-mill masterminds from common rumors, like some incident in a region being traced back to a hidden power.

They were special. They were the kind of people who would definitely deliver a reward if you kept your promise. They were villains who moved solely for their own benefit, but for that very reason, you could be certain of what you would gain. That was why he had joined hands with them.

Cheolgon rose from his seat and walked to the window.

"Come here and look at this."

Cho Sin cautiously walked over and stood beside him.

"That broken sapling over there is one I snapped on my way here. Whoever planted them, planted them too closely. Like that, neither tree can grow into a giant."

Cheolgon slowly looked at Cho Sin.

"We hope that you will grow into a giant tree."

Cho Sin knew the words held no sincerity.

Cheolgon did not care at all whether he became a giant tree or not. If the Heavenly Enlightenment Society Chairman ordered his death, Cheolgon would kill him. If ordered to let him live, he would let him live. To Cheolgon, he was less significant than that broken sapling.

If he could, he would have shouted, 'Go tell your own son that nonsense about giant trees.' He hated being meddled with and pressured like this. Being polite to villains would only make them see him as an easy target.

However, Cho Sin did not dare to do so.

"I will not disappoint you."

"I'll be waiting with a wedding gift."

Cheolgon quietly left the room.

After he disappeared, Cho Sin let out the breath he had been holding. It was a sigh mixed with tension, fear, irritation, and anger.

The marriage, the servant, the Heavenly Enlightenment Society. None of these problems were as easy as he had hoped. His comfortable life had entered a new, difficult phase. Of course, that did not mean Cho Sin would give up.

One day, I'll pay them back properly.

He did not voice those words yet. That was for after he had built his family into the strongest power in the murim.

"The prize money is a whopping ten thousand taels!"

Seo Daeryong was overjoyed with the sudden windfall and did not know what to do with himself. He immediately gave me five thousand taels.

"Here. Since we won this together, let's split it half and half."

"Are you going to regret this later?"

"Five thousand taels is more than enough for me. I'll use this to treat General Jang and Martial Artist Lee, and also…"

"Also?"

"I'll buy something delicious for the woman who cheered for me."

"Did you arrange to meet her?"

"No, I don't even know her name yet."

He would find out soon enough. She would surely approach Seo Daeryong somehow. I wondered what method she would use.

"She's someone who cheered for me long before I won. That makes her special."

Seo Daeryong was already completely smitten.

"By the way, you're coming to the banquet with me, right?"

The Murim Alliance was holding a celebratory banquet for the winner and all the main tournament participants.

"I have to go."

"I'm going to go buy some clothes to wear. Would you like to come with me? I'll buy you a set."

"I'm fine. You go buy yourself some nice clothes."

"Of course! I'm really going to use this chance to buy an expensive set of clothes!"

Once the excited Seo Daeryong left, I spoke into the empty air.

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you beforehand. The situation was too urgent at the time."

I spoke to the martial artist sent by the Chairman, who was concealed nearby. When I took Seo Daeryong to the Insect Physician, I had used the Swift Step, so he had been unable to follow.

After returning to the Murim Alliance, I sensed him hiding near me again, but I was too busy training with Seo Daeryong to speak to him. He must have been quite displeased.

As always, however, the concealed martial artist showed no reaction. He was truly a man faithful to his orders.

Apologies were one thing. I did not tell him that the woman who approached Seo Daeryong was from the Heavenly Enlightenment Society. I judged there was no need to tell him in advance.

I did not enter the banquet hall.

Today's protagonist had to be Seo Daeryong, and only him. I stood outside like a true servant, observing the situation inside.

Somehow, Jin Haryong found out where I was and came out.

"Why aren't you coming inside?"

"It just felt stuffy."

"Want to take a short walk?"

"Sounds good."

I took a stroll with her through the inner garden.

"Actually, I went looking for you before the final duel. Do you know what I was going to say? I was going to tease you, saying, 'I could throw the match if you asked me to.'"

She was clearly still embarrassed and bothered by her loss. She spoke more, and faster, than usual.

"And I didn't even know I would lose like that. Isn't that hilarious? I don't know if I'll be able to sleep from the embarrassment. Anyway, where have you been? Oh, which organization do you think your young master will join? And you…"

I cut off her torrent of words.

"Friend, that's enough."

Only then did Jin Haryong take a deep breath. After calming herself, she revealed her inner thoughts.

"Yesterday, after I lost, I saw you and felt like I was about to cry."

"It's okay to lose once in a while."

In fact, losing many times is fine, as long as you have the will to keep moving forward. When you get older, you look back on such failures as insignificant, but at that age, why did it always feel like the sky was falling? Perhaps that is why people miss their youth. They miss the days when their entire body and mind reacted so vibrantly to every little thing.

"I don't want to have such a weak mindset already."

"First, let go of the burden of being the Chairman's granddaughter. The Chairman is the Chairman, and you are you. Because of that pressure, you can't even be happy. You took second place in this huge tournament."

Jin Haryong smiled faintly.

"What? Are you feeling better already?"

"Yeah. Seeing you trying so hard to comfort me made me feel better."

"You're easy. Easy to cheer up."

"Do it for me often from now on."

She firmly believed that Seo Daeryong would join the Murim Alliance. Naturally, she assumed I would be living there with him.

"I might go back to my hometown."

She startled at those words.

"Go back? Why?"

After looking at me for a moment, she asked cautiously.

"Do you perhaps have a woman in your hometown? A woman you like?"

"I do."

She flinched in surprise. Perhaps because I answered so easily, she was half in disbelief.

"There is a woman more beautiful than you."

"More beautiful than me? Then the credibility of your words just plummeted."

"You're the number one beauty of Hubei, right? She's the world's number one beauty."

She relaxed and laughed, seeming to think I was teasing her.

"You have to show me next time, that world's number one beauty!"

"If I get the chance."

Would the day ever come when Lee Ahn and Jin Haryong would meet? Even I could not know.

Anyway, I wonder what Lee Ahn is doing? She's probably immersed in her martial arts training even at this moment, right? Has she overcome her limits and moved on to the next stage? Ah! I miss you, Lee Ahn!

After our stroll, I returned to the banquet hall with Jin Haryong.

Arriving at the hall, I looked inside through a window. I saw Seo Daeryong surrounded by prodigies.

I did not know their true thoughts, but they all smiled and tried to connect with Seo Daeryong. They knew that from now on, Seo Daeryong would enter the Murim Alliance's core elite organization and enjoy a series of successes.

"My young master looks happy."

No one ignored the short, gloomy-looking man now. Clothes really do make the man. He looked much more handsome than usual.

Yes, enjoy this day to the fullest.

Jin Haryong, who had been watching Seo Daeryong, spoke to me.

"I've talked with you so much, but I haven't even had a proper conversation with your young master, the one who actually beat me."

"Go talk to him."

"No. I want to stay here. If I go in, what will I get besides more consolation? Your comfort is enough for today!"

Just then, a new person entered the banquet hall.

I startled when I recognized her. It was the woman who had been cheering for Seo Daeryong.

Seo Daeryong was also surprised to see her. It was a banquet for invited guests only, yet she had appeared.

How on earth did she get in without an invitation?

Receiving the attention of everyone present, the woman walked slowly toward Seo Daeryong.