The Patriarch of the Northern Heavens - Chapter 105

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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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Master of the Bukcheon Sword Family – Chapter 105

We returned to the Bukcheon Sword Family not long after.
“How old are you exactly? When did you break through to the Johwa Realm? Are you on the verge of reaching the Heavenly Martial Realm?”
Hong Yeon clung to my side the entire way, bombarding me with questions.
I answered her inquiries patiently without any irritation.
The questions mostly concerned my martial cultivation level, and since there was nothing worth hiding, I disclosed everything openly.
“That’s truly impressive. At this level, you could hold your own against the Great Martial Master.”
Hong Yeon’s eyes gleamed with interest as she looked at me.
I found myself more curious about this person called the Great Martial Master that she mentioned.
“The Great Martial Master, you say? What sort of person is he?”
“Someone who’s virtually certain to inherit Sadoryeon. He’s incredibly strong, just like you. He’s probably already reached the Heavenly Martial Realm.”
“That’s quite an impressive individual.”
A master of the Heavenly Martial Realm who had just passed thirty.
What was surprising was that even in my first life, I had never heard much about this person named Il-gwang.
With that level of talent, I should have known of him…
‘But Sadoryean was still under the control of Dok Go Moon, the leader of Sadoryean, until the day I died.’
Perhaps that’s why the name Il-gwang felt unfamiliar to me.
By the time we arrived, the Bukcheon Sword Family had prepared a welcoming reception.
My Father came out personally to greet Hong Yeon and the Sadoryean delegation.
For an encounter between the Orthodox and Evil Factions, it was an extraordinarily grand welcome.
“Welcome to the Bukcheon Sword Family, Miss Hong.”
“My, thank you for such generous hospitality, Family Head.”
Hong Yeon greeted Father with an expression full of artifice, quite different from how she treated me.
So she did know how to maintain proper etiquette when necessary.
She presented the gifts they had brought to Father.
It was clearly a substantial amount.
Enough to be worth several dozen gold ingots by weight.
Seeing this made me acutely aware of Sadoryean’s financial power.
True to its name as an alliance of evil sects, this level of wealth was incomparable to most martial factions.
“…And so, my master wishes to establish good relations with the Bukcheon Sword Family. I hope you will treat us well.”
“The Bukcheon Sword Family also desires to maintain good relations with Sadoryean. We are grateful that you extended your hand to us first.”
“Hehe. Our organization is not stingy about reaching out to outstanding individuals, much like the Martial Alliance.”
“I shall write a letter of gratitude to the leader of Sadoryean. Would you deliver it personally when you return?”
Father’s skill at glossing over the subtle criticism of the Martial Alliance and changing the subject was masterful.
Hong Yeon let out a soft laugh and nodded at Father’s response.
“Of course. My master will be delighted.”
“Thank you. By the way, I heard there was an attack on your way here.”
“Yes. It was quite dangerous. If it weren’t for Master Jin here, we might not have survived.”
Her praise instantly drew the attention of everyone in the family.
Most expressions showed admiration, while others carried more complex undertones.
I smiled and offered a modest deflection.
“You’re too kind. You would have found a way through the crisis even without my assistance.”
Of course, had that been the case, the outcome would not have been nearly as clean.
Likely, they would have sacrificed all their subordinates, or at the very least, lost a limb or two.
Hong Yeon, aware of this truth, continued to shower me with praise.
“Regardless, the fact remains that I received your help. I will repay this debt properly in due time.”
“What manner of beasts were these attackers?”
“Remnants of the Black Night Fortress. We engaged primarily with one—a warrior wielding both a sword in one hand and a spear in the other. His skill was nothing short of reaching the pinnacle of the Johwa Realm.”
“Hmm!”
“To that extent?”
Many family members expressed their astonishment at my words.
Had anyone else spoken thus, they might have dismissed it as exaggeration, but the family knew I never spoke carelessly regarding matters of the Black Night Fortress.
“Yes. It appears he was but a single step away from the Heavenly Martial Realm. That is why we were forced to fight three against one.”
“You must have endured considerable hardship. Still, it is fortunate you returned alive.”
“Yes. But should we meet again, I am confident we will emerge victorious.”
I spoke with eyes burning with fierce determination.
By our next encounter, my mastery of the Gale God’s Technique would undoubtedly be far more refined.
This time, I had only managed ordinary sword strikes, but…
If I could control the flow of my inner energy to unleash powerful techniques, the outcome would be entirely different.
Then I could deliver a truly devastating blow.
Perhaps even end his life.
Father, reading the intensity of my aura, smiled knowingly.
It seemed my burning resolve pleased him greatly.
“In any case, we must prepare. The thought that such an enemy roams the Main House’s territory is utterly abhorrent.”
“Yes. We should spread word throughout the region and expand our surveillance network. Since he wields both spear and sword, identifying him should not prove difficult.”
“Very well. See that it is done.”
Father nodded and issued commands to the household staff.
Urgent dispatches bearing descriptions of the attackers left the Bukcheon Sword Family’s gates, spreading in all directions.
All were bound for our allies throughout Sanseo.
By sharing information with them, we prepared for any unforeseen contingencies.
‘Though I doubt they’ll actually be captured.’
The likelihood seemed exceedingly slim.
If we encountered them again, it would surely be through Uncle.
With this thought, I observed Uncle sitting quietly in a corner of the Banquet Hall, nursing his drink.
Should he successfully lure out the Black Night Fortress and the parasites that followed them, those beasts might resurface.
‘Or perhaps we could raid the Chung Won Escort House…’
As I turned these possibilities over in my mind,
“Jin So-hyeop.”
Mak Ri-hyeon approached me quietly from the side, his movements deliberate and unobtrusive.
“Is there something you need?”
“Would you care for a walk?”
He had something to discuss.
I nodded and rose from my seat, slipping away from the Banquet Hall.
“What is it?”
“Mere curiosity, really. I came to ask you something.”
“Ask me something?”
“Is there someone with whom you’ve been exchanging marriage proposals?”
His quiet yet blunt question drew an amused smile from me.
“Did the Sadoryean Leader order you to arrange a match between myself and Hong Yeon?”
“….”
The smile faded from Mak Ri-hyeon’s face at my counter-question.
He exhaled a helpless sigh before speaking.
“Ah. You’re quite perceptive, aren’t you?”
“Well, most people who ask such questions tend to have similar intentions.”
“So, what do you say?”
“There’s no one I’ve been exchanging proposals with. I wish to focus on the sword for some time.”
This was the truth.
Taking a lover meant accepting responsibility for another person.
And when facing a formidable enemy like Black Night Fortress, such attachments would become a weakness.
Therefore, I had resolved not to take a lover unless absolutely necessary.
At least not until the threat from them had passed.
“I see… very well.”
“You gave up rather quickly.”
“Well, I never expected it to succeed anyway. I was simply testing the waters.”
Mak Ri-hyeon smiled brightly once more.
“Besides, there are ways to forge a bond with you without becoming a lover.”
“What do you mean?”
“The Leader instructed me that if Hong Yeon cannot become your lover, she should become your battle companion instead. She plans to stay here for some time to assist you.”
“I never agreed to this.”
“But surely you don’t find the support of Sadoryean unappealing?”
That much was true.
If Hong Yeon, a disciple of the Sadoryean Leader, remained here…
It would make it far more difficult for Black Night Fortress to move against the Bukcheon Sword Family.
Moreover, I might be able to secure additional support like what had just occurred.
However.
“But wouldn’t that cause the Bukcheon Sword Family to be treated as part of the Evil Faction?”
The Bukcheon Sword Family was, after all, an Orthodox Faction sect.
If I took someone from Sadoryean as a guest, the Martial Alliance might not look favorably upon it.
Mak Ri-hyeon nodded as if he had anticipated my reaction.
“Of course. That’s precisely why we have no intention of remaining as guests at the Bukcheon Sword Family. We merely wish to maintain a favorable relationship from a position of proximity.”
“For instance?”
“We plan to establish a small branch of the Sadoryeon here. Naturally, the scale would be modest—no more than a hundred people—so as not to burden the Bukcheon Sword Family. Hong Yeon is to become the branch director.”
“A Sadoryeon branch? It seems you haven’t heard that the Shanxi Heterodox Alliance, which opposed the Bukcheon Sword Family, was recently crushed and dissolved at the Main House?”
“That was a faction hostile to the Bukcheon Sword Family. This Sanseo branch will actively cooperate with the Bukcheon Sword Family to confront an organization called Black Night Fortress. Besides… you understand, don’t you? We’ve already committed ourselves. We cannot withdraw now.”
“….”
He had a point.
Hong Yeon, Mak Ri-hyeon, and the Sadoryeon delegation had been ambushed on their way by enemies presumed to be from Black Night Fortress.
But if the Sadoryeon showed no response here?
Their face would be lost.
For the Sadoryeon, the greatest coalition of the Evil Faction, that would be intolerable.
So even if the Bukcheon Sword Family tried to refuse, the Sadoryeon would likely find a way to involve themselves in the Black Night Fortress matter regardless.
Of course, that itself was advantageous for me….
“What is it you truly want?”
After all, the Sadoryeon wouldn’t make such a proposal unless they needed something.
Mak Ri-hyeon answered calmly.
“Didn’t I hint at it earlier? That I wish to make Hong Yeon my betrothed. Or, if that’s impossible, at least a sworn sibling.”
“And what does the Sadoryeon gain from this?”
“The favor of a genius most likely to become one of the Thirteen Venerables in the future. And the ability to exert influence in the northern regions where the Sadoryeon’s reach does not extend. Well, it’s less direct influence and more a pretext for involvement, but still.”
Mak Ri-hyeon laid bare his intentions straightforwardly.
Perhaps he judged there was no reason to lie to me?
To my ears, it sounded quite reasonable.
There were likely other reasons he was concealing, but these points themselves were not falsehoods.
“Hmm.”
I found myself hesitating for a moment.
Should I permit the Sadoryeon’s expansion into Sanseo?
“Ha.”
The thought suddenly made me laugh.
“Have you thought of something amusing?”
“Something similar.”
I spoke with a smile still on my face.
In truth, such deliberation was itself a luxury.
That vast organization, the Sadoryeon, was acknowledging the Bukcheon Sword Family’s authority in Sanseo and seeking our permission before establishing a branch here.
In my first life, I could never have imagined such a thing.
I felt anew how much the status of the Bukcheon Sword Family—and my own—had risen.
‘But that’s one thing, and this is another.’
Though they had come bowing first, this was ultimately a transaction.
A transaction where both sides could pursue their interests.
If that were the case, there was no reason to hesitate.
“Very well. I accept your proposal.”
“Then…!”
“However, I have conditions.”
I intended to seize every advantage this situation could offer.

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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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