The Patriarch of the Northern Heavens - Chapter 19

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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 19

“A rat, you say….”
I had no time to listen to her words.
Crash!
I immediately kicked open the door and seized the arm of the one attempting to flee.
Then I wrenched it downward with brutal force.
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
The woman cried out in agony, her body wracked with pain.
Witnessing this, Yu Qing-ah’s eyes widened in shock.
“Jung Hye?!”
It appeared the two women were acquainted.
Judging by her attire, she was likely a servant of this estate.
“This woman was eavesdropping on our conversation from behind the door.”
“Why would you do such a thing?”
Yu Qing-ah’s expression turned incredulous upon hearing my explanation.
The servant called Jung Hye trembled violently, lowering her head.
“I, I apologize, Miss. It was….”
“Speak plainly. Why were you listening to our conversation?”
“Eek!”
At Yu Qing-ah’s sharp rebuke, the servant let out a shrill cry, her entire body quaking.
“If you remain silent, I will have you severely punished. So answer truthfully.”
“Y-Young Master ordered me to!”
Jung Hye’s voice rang out loudly, as if Yu Qing-ah’s threat was no idle warning.
At this revelation, Yu Qing-ah’s face contorted with rage.
“That man?”
“Yes. He commanded me to discover what scheme you were plotting by summoning the warriors of the Bukcheon Sword Family….”
“How dare he!”
Her shoulders trembled with barely contained fury.
She was consumed by an anger she could no longer control.
Yu Qing-ah strode forward and struck Jung Hye across the face.
Crack!
“Kyah!”
“Is anyone there!”
Hearing her cry, servants began appearing one by one from the distance.
They gasped in alarm upon seeing Jung Hye, her hair gripped tightly in Yu Qing-ah’s hand.
“Miss, what has happened?”
“Lock this wretch in the dungeon. Give her only enough water and food to keep her alive, and do not release her until I give the order.”
“Y-Yes, understood.”
Faced with Yu Qing-ah’s fury, the servants didn’t even ask for an explanation before whisking Jung Hye away.
After releasing a long, heavy sigh, Yu Qing-ah bowed her head toward us, who had been observing the scene unfold.
“I’m truly sorry. I’ve shown you guests such an embarrassing display.”
“Not at all. But could you explain what’s happening? It might be related to the extortion, after all.”
“I doubt it. This is the foolish work of my older brother.”
She ground her teeth and vented her frustration.
“His name is Yu Seon-woo. He’s a pathetic man. Since childhood, instead of seriously cultivating medicine as the eldest son, he’s wasted his days drowning in alcohol and gambling.”
“It seems the relationship between siblings isn’t very good.”
“It’s more than just not being good. He’s jealously targeting me one-sidedly. Ever since I inherited Grandfather’s medical knowledge and learned the formula for the Medicine King Elixir in his stead, he’s harbored feelings close to hatred.”
“….”
“And he probably sent Jung Hye to sabotage my work. Really, when will he ever grow up….”
“You mentioned Yu Seon-woo—is there no possibility this extortion is his doing?”
“You mean this blackmail?”
It seemed she hadn’t considered that possibility, as Yu Qing-ah’s eyes widened.
After thinking for a moment, she shook her head and denied it.
“No, that can’t be. The matter is too serious—if he were caught, he’d be expelled from the family. He doesn’t have the nerve for something like that.”
“I see.”
I nodded appropriately.
But my thoughts were entirely different.
Why?
Because Yu Seon-woo was indeed the culprit behind this incident.
More precisely, multiple factors stemming from him were intricately entangled.
‘When his younger sister became the family heir, Yu Seon-woo, blinded by jealousy, commissioned the Blue Snake Sect—a criminal organization—to intervene.’
He asked them to prevent his sister from creating the Medicine King Elixir.
And he planned to later take credit for resolving it himself, earning recognition from the family.
‘That way, he thought he could also receive the formula for the Medicine King Elixir.’
But the Blue Snake Sect, having accepted the commission, harbored different intentions.
They coveted the Medicine King Elixir more than the reward Yu Seon-woo offered, and instead turned the tables on him.
Thus, through Yu Seon-woo, the Blue Snake Sect gathered information about the guards’ identities and positions, along with other crucial details, then orchestrated a conspiracy and attacked the Shanxi Yu Clan.
The result was… partial success.
The Medicine King Elixir was protected, but the Bukcheon Sword Family warrior sent as a guard and Yu Qing-ah suffered severe injuries.
When everything was later revealed through investigation, Yu Seon-woo was beaten nearly to death by the Medicine King upon his return and expelled from the family.
‘The fact that she doesn’t suspect Yu Seon-woo despite all this suggests she still trusts him a little, doesn’t it?’
Or perhaps she believes he lacks the capacity for such treachery.
I’m sorry, but either way, she’s wrong.
I fell into contemplation for a moment.
‘Even if I arrest Yu Seon-woo now, there’s no evidence proving he did it. If I act rashly, things could go awry.’
Then the best course is to protect Yu Qing-ah while minimizing deviation from the original timeline.
The truth can be revealed later without issue.
“I think it would be best to resume our discussion for now.”
I said that and closed the Reception Room door again.
We spent considerable time discussing how to continue the escort duties.
And the escort mission began that very day.

* * *

A Private Chamber within the Shanxi Yu Clan.
Yu Seon-woo clenched his teeth and kicked the wall.
“Damn it all!”
Boom!
A footprint marked the wall and the shelves nearby trembled, but Yu Seon-woo paid it no mind.
It seemed his anger would not subside otherwise.
“Yu Qing-ah. How dare you disrespect me?”
He had just learned that Jung Hye, whom he had sent, was now captured and being punished.
And he had taken this as an insult to himself.
The reason was simple.
Regardless of her true intentions, Jung Hye was someone he had sent.
So he could have simply admonished her and let her go, but….
The fact that Yu Qing-ah had struck Jung Hye’s cheek and imprisoned her was no different from disregarding his own dignity.
This showed how Yu Qing-ah truly viewed her older brother.
“Getting arrogant just from receiving Grandfather’s favor!”
He snorted with an angry expression.
Then someone approached him and asked.
“Young Master. What will you do?”
The one asking in a cold voice was a figure with a cracked finger wrapped tightly in plain cloth.
Supposedly one of the patients treated at the Shanxi Yu Clan.
But his true identity was a member of the Blue Snake Sect employed by Yu Seon-woo.
He was infiltrated here to communicate with Yu Seon-woo.
“What do you mean what will I do! What are you talking about!”
“From what I hear, the level of the escort sent from the Bukcheon Sword Family seems higher than expected. If we include the martial artists of the Shanxi Yu Clan here, there may be nothing we can do.”
“You incompetent fools! How much money did I give you, and you can’t even do that!”
“Calm down, don’t be so angry. It’s not that there’s no way.”
“What?”
“We will attack the Shanxi Yu Clan as planned, obstruct the creation of the spirit medicine, and teach Yu Qing-ah a lesson. However, we need your cooperation.”
“My cooperation?”
As Yu Seon-woo tilted his head and asked, the Blue Snake Sect spy grinned wickedly.
“Draw attention on the day of the decisive battle.”
“Draw attention? How exactly?”
“Simple. The medical practitioners treasure medicinal ingredients above all else, don’t they? They manage them so thoroughly in the deepest places.”
“That’s true.”
“Set fire to that place.”
“…!”
The Blue Snake Sect’s spy spoke to Yu Seon-woo, whose expression had hardened into rigid lines, in a voice tinged with menace.
“Then we shall proceed to abduct Yu Qing-ah.”

* * *

Our escort mission proved remarkably straightforward.
While Yu Qing-ah crafted the Medicine King’s Divine Elixir, I and one other would guard the chamber where she worked.
Entry inside was forbidden.
The reasoning was sound—the Medicine King’s secrets might otherwise leak out.
Because the justification was reasonable, we all consented to the arrangement.
“The Medicine King’s Divine Elixir is a secret spiritual medicine that must be carefully prepared over ten days using only the finest materials. Therefore, I shall remain within this chamber for the next ten days.”
Yu Qing-ah said she would sustain herself with Grain-Avoidance Pills and sleep inside as well.
There was even a latrine installed within.
We would guard the workshop’s door, while the Shanxi Yu Clan’s martial artists guarded the building itself.
It was security of the utmost rigor.
Had I lacked knowledge of the past, would I have rested easy?
‘But ultimately, it was breached.’
Already, some disciples of the Blue Snake Sect disguised as patients had infiltrated this place.
Moreover, on the day of the final confrontation, dozens more would attack from outside.
Thus, our current forces were insufficient to repel the enemy.
But now the circumstances differed from that time.
Why was that?
Because our forces were different now.
In the past, following the Shanxi Yu Clan’s request to send only minimal personnel for security, only two peak-realm masters had been dispatched. Now, however, we had four guards.
And among those four, one was a supreme master while the remaining three were peak-realm masters.
‘If I exert myself, I can temporarily manifest supreme-realm power.’
Thus, counting our actual strength conservatively, we could be reckoned as two supreme masters.
That would be sufficient to face the enemies.
Provided no more than one supreme master lurked among their ranks.
“It’s time for the shift change. Jin Cheon-hui.”
“Yes, brother.”
Several days passed in this manner.
We proceeded with the escort mission without significant difficulty.
At this rate, it seemed nothing would occur at all.
But I knew better.
They would make their move when the Medicine King’s Divine Elixir neared completion.
Thus, when my turn came to stand guard with Sa Gong-cheon, I called into the chamber.
“Miss Yu, do you have a moment?”
A brief silence hung in the air before the response came.
“What is it? I thought I asked you not to disturb me while I’m working.”
The sharp edge to those words suggested their nerves were wound tight.
It made sense—such intricate work demanded absolute concentration.
I paid no mind to their irritation and spoke plainly.
“There’s been no trouble with the escort thus far, yet I have an uneasy feeling about this. If they’re going to make their move, I believe they’ll strike when the Medicine King Divine Elixir is nearly complete.”
“I share that concern. That’s why I requested additional guards for that period.”
“But what if those very guards must abandon their posts?”
“I beg your pardon?”
I spoke in a measured tone, one calculated to inspire confidence.
“Consider this: if a fire were to break out in the storage where materials are kept, your family’s martial artists would have no choice but to respond. In that case, our defensive position here would inevitably weaken.”
“Surely… surely such a thing wouldn’t happen?”
“I speak only of possibilities. Of course, if nothing occurs, that would be ideal. But there’s no harm in being cautious, is there?”
“That’s certainly true…”
“So I intend to station two of our Bukcheon Sword Family’s warriors here to maintain vigilance. Does that suit you?”
“But that would place considerable strain on your people.”
“It will only be necessary for the final two days until the elixir is complete, so there’s no issue with stamina. And there’s one more thing.”
I spoke calmly toward the figure beyond the door, knowing she was listening.
“If someone truly does attempt to set a fire, I have a proposal.”
“What is it?”
“We use them as bait to set a trap. More precisely…”
My voice turned cold as I continued.
“We seize that opportunity to eliminate them all at once.”

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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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