Volume 5 Chapter 9 – Sealed Move

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Translated by Rain

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Elder Yeom let out a deep sigh.

“Dear me. I thought this would surely work…”

Perhaps because even all the alcohol in his body had flown away while emitting his momentum just now, not a single trace of drunkenness was felt.

“Your strategy was splendid.”

Elder Yeom laughed hollowly.

“Are you saying that the Eldest Young Master was merely one step ahead of me?”

Yeon So-hyeon did not answer, only smiling warmly.

At that, Elder Yeom raised his two hands as if he had no choice.

“Since I was in the wrong, how about you withdraw these people now?”

This was because the Life-Snatching Ghost Sword was gradually thrusting his sword closer to Elder Yeom’s neck.

“….”

His face looked full of some massive dissatisfaction.

And the ones who were angry at Elder Yeom’s acting were not only the Life-Snatching Ghost Sword, but also everyone who was still pointing their swords at him.

Yeon So-hyeon smiled and praised his subordinates.

“You have worked hard. It was an excellent response from everyone.”

Only then did they withdraw their swords one by one.

For a while, the office grew noisy with the sound of swords sliding back into their scabbards.

“Now, everyone return to your respective positions.”

At that, the personnel began to slip out of the office like an ebbing tide.

Of course, they did not just leave meekly.

Since everyone glared at Elder Yeom while flaring up their eyes and retreated, Elder Yeom, who sat with his back to the entrance, felt his back of head sting.

“Haha. If I do this kind of thing just two times, my neck won’t survive.”

Although Elder Yeom tried to smile as slyly as possible, his back was already damp with cold sweat.

“Once more…”

The reply came not from the Eldest Young Master, but from the Life-Snatching Ghost Sword, who only withdrew his sword at the very end.

“…If you do this kind of thing, elder or not, I will just pretend it was a mistake and fly your head off.”

“I am sorry.”

It takes two hands to clap.

When Elder Yeom bowed his head in a bitter smile and apologized honestly, the Life-Snatching Ghost Sword withdrew with a deflated expression.

‘Indeed, the Life-Snatching Ghost Sword. He does not have a reputation for nothing.’

His alias was so widespread that it had even reached the north where Elder Yeom used to be.

To the Life-Snatching Ghost Sword walking out with a casual posture showing his back, Elder Yeom said.

“An-day-ro… How about we have a proper clash someday?”

“If you are confident in surviving, anytime.”

It was the Life-Snatching Ghost Sword who snorted lowly.

Behind the Life-Snatching Ghost Sword who walked out putting on weight like that, the Eldest Young Master’s voice was heard.

“Hey, gatekeeper.”

When he turned back with an expression of ‘What now?!’, the Eldest Young Master pointed to the smashed door with his finger.

“Since you broke it, repair it within today.”

“Eeek…!”

The Life-Snatching Ghost Sword, whose abusive language seemed to rise to the tip of his throat, ultimately could not say a word and left.

At that appearance, Elder Yeom laughed heartily and shook his head.

“The only person in the entire Central Plains nation who can treat that ferocious man so harshly would be the Eldest Young Master.”

“Ferocious man my foot, he is just a gatekeeper.”

Whether he heard the Eldest Young Master’s voice from the outside, the sound of the Life-Snatching Ghost Sword screaming something was heard, but the Eldest Young Master did not care.

Elder Yeom, wearing a bitter smile, pointed to the figure who was more concerning to him than the Life-Snatching Ghost Sword.

“…What about this lady?”

If the Life-Snatching Ghost Sword was the one who withdrew his sword at the end, there was also one who did not put her sword away at all, nor retreated outside.

“This side is Jeong-ah, this Eldest Young Master’s Head Maid. She is also this Eldest Young Master’s chief dedicated maid.”

She was glaring at Elder Yeom with a ghost-like figure.

Although she dispersed her energy, perhaps because the aftermath still remained, she was shedding a golden glow from her eyes.

“Yes, well…”

Elder Yeom avoided her gaze and nodded with a lukewarm expression.

“Although I heard the introduction before…”

When the Eldest Young Master looked at her, Jeong-ah shook her head firmly.

Then, instead of retreating, she stood and took position behind her master.

Without even sheathing her sword.

She did not seem to have any intention of leaving her master alone in front of someone who had deceived her Dragon Eyes.

The Eldest Young Master shrugged his shoulders toward Elder Yeom as if it couldn’t be helped.

“Please be understanding. It seems she does not trust you.”

At those words, Elder Yeom nodded as if he understood now.

“She was indeed the ‘mind reader’ who was advising you with sound transmission, Eldest Young Master.”

“Mind reader?”

“Yes, they called them that in the north.”

At that, the Eldest Young Master also nodded as if he understood.

“Indeed, I see. You had experienced dealing with someone called a ‘mind reader’ in the north before. That was why you were able to handle it so skillfully.”

Elder Yeom wore a bitter smile.

“Although I received warnings in advance back then, I did not believe it, thinking of it as superstition, and tasted a big bitter lesson once.”

“No matter who says such things, it is natural not to believe it, thinking of it as a far-fetched story, is it not?”

“Indeed.”

“…I apologize for daring to interrupt the conversation between the two of you.”

At that moment, Jeong-ah, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, could not hold back and stepped forward.

“What on earth is that ‘handling’?”

“Actually, it is not all that grand.”

Elder Yeom answered readily.

“The most important point is that you must notice the existence of the mind reader.”

The Eldest Young Master nodded.

“Only then is it possible to handle it.”

“That is correct.”

Jeong-ah asked again.

“If so, how did you notice my existence?”

The answer came from the Eldest Young Master.

“Probably you realized it by hearing the questions this Eldest Young Master asked Dong Ga-hyu, that old man. Since you had the experience of dealing with one before, that is.”

“Precisely.”

Elder Yeom, who marvelled inwardly at the Eldest Young Master’s reasoning ability, continued to explain to Jeong-ah.

“Having experienced it, that mind reading was not all that omnipotent. Especially, it could not distinguish between partial facts and complete truth.”

“Partial facts and complete truth…”

The Eldest Young Master, who was listening, briefly supplemented the explanation.

“Just now, Elder Yeom’s story was entirely true. It is just that Elder Yeom did not say the ‘all’ of it.”

“Ah…!”

At the sound of Jeong-ah sighing, the Eldest Young Master smiled.

“What kind of mindset he had in the past, what sentiments he felt, and that he longs for the battlefield, are all true. The decisive blow was the statement that he would step down from the position of elder.”

“But that was not all, you say.”

“Yes.”

The Eldest Young Master looked at Elder Yeom.

“Elder Yeom. Are you saying you will step down from the position of elder because you have abandoned all will to power?”

“…I will not answer.”

At the sight of Elder Yeom avoiding the answer and wearing a bitter smile, Jeong-ah let out a small sigh.

“Jeong-ah, it is not your fault. It is just that Elder Yeom, who formulated a countermeasure in that short time and even attempted to use it against us, is simply that great of a figure.”

Elder Yeom also praised Jeong-ah.

“The mind reader I met could not even use the ability unless standing right in front of my eyes. However, the lady did not even trigger my Qi perception’s detection range. That was why I doubted several times whether my thoughts were wrong.”

Because every single word of Elder Yeom’s was a compliment containing sincerity, Jeong-ah’s heart felt a little better at least.

“If I had not known that the Eldest Young Master was receiving sound transmissions during the conversation, probably I would not have noticed your existence until the end.”

“Ah… So that was it.”

At the sight of her showing visible regret, the Eldest Young Master wore a bitter smile and comforted her.

“To completely conceal the existence of sound transmissions from an expert of Elder Yeom’s level is a very difficult matter.”

“Yes, Master.”

Although she answered readily, her expression still looked dissatisfied.

Was she that frustrated?

The Eldest Young Master smiled at her honest expression of emotion shown for the first time in a while since she awakened the Dragon Eyes.

“Since it has only been a month since you learned martial arts, there is no need to be greedy. When the time comes, I will obtain even the Wisdom Light Mind Language of Shaolin for you.”

“Yes, Master.”

It was Jeong-ah who wore a satisfied expression at his words.

Staring at her, Elder Yeom muttered with a blank expression.

“…A month?”

While Elder Yeom was doubting his ears, wondering if he had misheard something, Jeong-ah asked the Eldest Young Master.

“Then, how did Master pierce through the fact that Elder Yeom was using my ability against us?”

At her words, Elder Yeom also revealed strong curiosity.

“I am also curious about that.”

No matter how much he thought about it, Elder Yeom had no guess as to how the Eldest Young Master pierced through his strategy of even utilizing the mind reading against them.

The Eldest Young Master smiled slightly.

“As I said earlier, that indeed was not very difficult. It is a matter of making one assumption.”

“One assumption, you say…?”

The Eldest Young Master cast his gaze toward Elder Yeom.

“The Elder Yeom this Eldest Young Master knows is an ever-victorious commander. A figure who surely finds a way out even in a place of death.”

A meaningful smile hung at the corner of the Eldest Young Master’s mouth.

“There is no way such a figure would meekly admit defeat and withdraw from this difficult situation. If it is him, he will surely find a way out.”

“….”

At the Eldest Young Master’s words, Elder Yeom could not say anything.

“Starting from there, everything becomes simple.”

The Eldest Young Master leaned his back against the chair and crossed his legs.

“The moment you negotiate with this Eldest Young Master here, defeat is certain. However, casting aside the position of elder and starting anew has a small but clear possibility of rising again.”

That was equivalent to what the Eldest Young Master had said to Yeom Baek-ha.

‘The difference between 0 and a number close to 0.’

That distinguishing that difference and making a choice is the choice of a true gambler.

And that Elder Yeom is such a figure.

Elder Yeom, who had been unable to say anything for a while, opened his mouth with difficulty.

“…You were certain about me, Eldest Young Master. From the start.”

The Eldest Young Master smiled warmly.

“Is that not the same for you, Elder Yeom?”

“…Yes?”

“Did you also not try the strategy like earlier because you had certainty about this Eldest Young Master?”

The Eldest Young Master raised his hand and pointed to himself.

“Were you not certain that if you, having stepped down from the position of elder, brought your daughter, this Eldest Young Master would treat her without a word of complaint?”

It was so.

‘I am only a mere physician and a swordless one, but you? Can you be just the father of a child?’

Those were the words the Eldest Young Master had said himself.

Because Elder Yeom had certainty about such an Eldest Young Master, he was able to employ such a bold strategy.

Elder Yeom, who fell silent for a long time, shook his head.

“…My goodness. I cannot see any way to win at all.”

With those words as the last, Elder Yeom closed his eyes.

He must have fallen into a deep thinking for a decision at last.

The Eldest Young Master did not urge Elder Yeom.

He only waited quietly for him to firmed his mind.

‘Now, one step forward.’