The Introverted Heavenly Demon - Chapter 87

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Introverted Heavenly Demon Episode 087
Do you wish to know?
A flush of crimson spread across Baek So Cheong’s face.
My heart was pounding wildly.
Ever since I was brought to the Sect Headquarters as an infant by Baek Sect Leader, I had grown up within the walls of the Sun and Moon Divine Sect.
Tales of affection between men and women—especially the story of a talented and beautiful female disciple harboring feelings for her most beloved half-brother—captivated my curiosity.
“Since when? Was there a particular trigger? Ah, I don’t mean to pry…”
“If I had to name a trigger, it was when he showed me a smile.”
“A smile?”
I regretted asking the question.
That Baek Yeon, that Minor Sect Leader, had shown a smile to this woman before me?
The Minor Sect Leader who had never once shown such an expression, not even to me, his own sister?
“Are you certain?”
Jin Seol, who usually spoke in a clipped manner, answered with a soft smile this time.
“I could hardly believe it myself. How could someone so dignified and intimidating possess such a warm smile?”
“Ah…”
Baek So Cheong felt a pang in her heart and recalled Ha Yeon Ryeong, who had left the Sect Headquarters about a year ago.
Could it be that she had secretly hoped Ha Yeon Ryeong would become the Minor Sect Leader’s match?
Yet the Minor Sect Leader had already said that Ha Yeon Ryeong no longer felt like anything more than a junior sister to him.
“But how could you do such a thing?”
Baek So Cheong asked, recalling the time when the Minor Sect Leader was training in the Half Moon Return Blade Technique.
She was asking how Jin Seol could attack with such sincerity while claiming to harbor feelings for him.
Jin Seol remained silent for a while, her gaze fixed ahead.
Baek So Cheong began to regret asking such a harsh question, and it was then that Jin Seol spoke again.
“People often say that the Baek Young Lady and I resemble each other greatly. I suppose it is because we are both illegitimate daughters of prominent families.”
“Jin Seol…?”
“However, I believe there is a fundamental difference between the Baek Young Lady and myself.”
It was just after Baek So Cheong had fallen into thought, trying to understand Jin Seol’s meaning.
Jin Seol, who had been gazing toward the front of the procession, suddenly hardened her expression and spoke to Baek So Cheong in a resolute voice.
“Baek Young Lady, no matter what happens from this moment forward, do not be alarmed. Stay by my side.”
“What? What do you mean?”
It was at that very moment.
As the vanguard of the procession passed beneath a wide ridge.
Suddenly, the thunderous sound of hoofbeats shook the earth, and about fifty mounted warriors who had been concealed beyond the ridge came charging toward the group at great speed.
Those mounted on the horses were all martial artists armed with weapons, and the distance between them and the procession was closing rapidly.
Baek So Cheong was startled by this unexpected turn of events, but as Jin Seol had instructed, she remained in place without moving.
Jin Seol withdrew something cylindrical, slightly smaller than a forearm, from her bosom and raised it toward the sky.
Boom!!
A blue flame shot skyward, leaving a long tail of light in its wake.
And at that same moment, an unexpected development occurred from the opposite direction.
From the rear, a cavalry force numbering around a hundred mounted warriors came thundering forward—far greater in number than those who had appeared from the front.
Jin Seol glanced in that direction, then surveyed her surroundings and spoke to someone nearby.
“Restrain the Family Heads’ escorts.”
At her command, the disciples of Ma Yeon Palace who had been disguised as the Family Heads’ escort unit drew forth the hidden blades they had concealed.
With lightning speed, they moved their bodies and rushed swiftly toward the Four Great Families’ Family Heads positioned at a distance.

* * *
Dongbang Cheon sat perched upon a tree stump, gazing toward the distant sky as he murmured to himself.
“By now, chaos must be erupting over there as well.”
I sensed what he meant to convey and responded.
“Master, you were aware of this?”
I realized that the word “Master” had slipped from my lips naturally, yet I found it hardly surprising.
Having already received the transmission of my family’s secret techniques, such a form of address was trivial.
Dongbang Cheon answered with equal naturalness.
“Of course I knew. Our family’s Dongneung Godok was used—it would be strange not to know.”
His voice was gentle.
Now that I reflected upon it, there had never been a moment when Dongbang Cheon treated me with hostility.
I had merely been cautious due to rumors I had heard from those around me, but perhaps he was simply a good person after all.
“Then it truly was their doing, as I suspected? Sending assassins to that banquet to take my life?”
“I don’t believe they intended to kill you. Neither I nor your father do.”
“…?”
As I sent him a puzzled look, Dongbang Cheon answered.
“When you encountered those assassins at that gathering, did you not sense something amiss?”
“Now that you mention it, there was indeed something odd.”
I recalled that despite the careful preparation evident in the ambush, the assassins’ skill level had been disappointingly mediocre.
Moreover, hearing Dongbang Cheon’s words, I began to suspect that their true target may not have been me from the start.
At the time, I had assumed they simply changed their objective when their initial target—myself—proved difficult.
But what if their true prey had been the young masters all along, not me?
“Had the Minor Sect Leader been injured at that gathering, he would have been hunted relentlessly by the Sect Leader and faced complete annihilation. They would not have desired such an outcome. They merely needed a gift to present before their defection to the Martial Alliance. Nothing more.”
“They, you say…?”
“Who do you think I mean?”
I recalled the circumstances of the assassin attack.
If the assassins had indeed targeted the young masters from the beginning rather than me, they would have been careful not to harm the disciples of the family that had hired them.
This meant that anyone could have been a target except for that one person who had been seated near me and Jin Seol.
“The Kang Family.”
“Precisely. It turns out they had already been recruited by the Martial Alliance and were plotting to betray the Divine Sect. As a final act, they sought to harm the young masters of the Family Alliance to sow discord within the Sect. The Kang Family Head was the only one among the Four Great Families’ heads who could access Dongneung Godok.”
If this affair was orchestrated by Kang Cheon Mu, the Kang Family Head, then was Kang So Young also implicated in this matter?
While I could not say with certainty, I could infer that she had received at least some hint of it.
If that were the case, it made sense that Kang So Young had been cautious not to offend me at the banquet, unlike the other family disciples.
Had she not received instructions to win the Minor Sect Leader’s favor by any means necessary and position herself near him once the banquet began?
“If Master already knew….”
“It would be more accurate to say that rather than me knowing, I verified the information that woman had investigated.”
“You mean Jin Seol.”
“A rare talent. It seems she will soon occupy a key position at the Sect Headquarters.”
“Then the Sect Leader must already know as well?”
“Of course. By now, the Kang Family’s forces would have moved. They likely intended to capture several key personnel from the Sect Headquarters and flee. But they would have been subdued instead by the Sect Leader’s hidden forces at the Headquarters.”
It unfolded exactly as Jin Seol had forewarned.
She hadn’t shared such detailed information with me, but she had given me advance notice during today’s farewell to the Four Great Families that they planned to apprehend them and identify the traitors.
Thinking back on it now, since it involved using Baek So Cheong as bait, it seemed she wanted to obtain my permission beforehand.
Perhaps she also wanted to assure me that Dongbang Cheon was not a traitor, given that I had the Dongbang Family Head’s test ahead of me.
In any case, with the Sect Leader taking direct action, there was no doubt that this matter had been resolved without incident, just as Dongbang Cheon had said.
With some relief, I cautiously asked Dongbang Cheon a question.
“Since a traitor has emerged from within the Family Alliance Meeting, Master must be in a difficult position as well.”
“Me?”
“Yes. They were supporting the Dongbang Family through their alliance, and were backing Dong Bang Heon as the future Minor Sect Leader.”
“Ah, haha.”
Seeing Dongbang Cheon suddenly burst into laughter in the middle of our conversation, I tilted my head in confusion.
“Is that what you thought?”
“Am I wrong?”
“It seems he didn’t tell you a word. Truly worthy of an older brother.”
“Pardon?”
Older brother? What was he talking about?
“No, it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to speak of this either. Let’s just pretend you didn’t hear that.”
“…?”
While I sat there with a bewildered expression, blinking in confusion, Dongbang Cheon closed his eyes, crossed his arms, and shook his head with amusement at something.
I was curious, but there was nothing I could do when he insisted on keeping quiet.
However.
“Heh, do you want to know?”
It seemed that Dongbang Cheon was actually itching to tell me.
“If you’d rather not say anything, then….”
“Just keep this to yourself.”
Even though I said it was fine….
Dongbang Cheon opened his mouth again with a smile brimming across his face.
“Your father—the Sect Leader and I are sworn brothers bound by blood from long ago.”
“…!”
“Your older brother thought that maintaining an ambiguous stance toward you, as the Dongbang Family and I are doing now, would better solidify the positions of the Sect Leader and Minor Sect Leader in the future. Thanks to that, we were able to detect the Kang Family’s intention to betray us in advance and take measures—you could call it foresight.”
As he spoke, Dongbang Cheon revealed things I hadn’t even asked about, his demeanor completely different from the stern figure he had been before the disciples.
“It was also your older brother’s idea to have me transmit martial arts to you under the guise of a test. I didn’t anticipate that you would boldly request to learn the Half Moon Return Blade Technique, but when he heard about it, he seemed quite pleased.”
“Truly?”
“Yes. He didn’t say so, but he seemed greatly worried that you might injure yourself while learning the Half Moon Return Blade Technique. I had to reassure him that I would transmit it properly.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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