Volume 6 Chapter 8 – A Single Opportunity

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Translated by Rain

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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“So-hyeon.”

“Yes, sister.”

Yeon Seo-rin looked at Yeon So-hyeon.

“You must have heard the saying that the most terrifying warrior to face is the warrior you do not know, right?”

At those words, Yeon So-hyeon’s eyes widened slightly before returning to normal.

“…Of course. I know.”

“Right, there is no way you wouldn’t know.”

Yeon Seo-rin nodded.

“When the others do not know your true strength—right now is that very time.”

She grinned.

“Give them a proper blow.”

“Ha.”

She was guessing the plan inside Yeon So-hyeon’s heart as if she had watched from beside him.

Although she called herself a blockhead, she was actually his older sister who showed senses transcending humans in many ways.

“Look forward to it.”

Yeon So-hyeon also grinned just like her.

“Since I will deliver a blow that sister’s stone head cannot dare to even imagine.”

At those words, Yeon Seo-rin laughed out loud.

Startled by her laughter, a flock of birds flew up from the lake.

“Good. Good. If you say so.”

Roughly brushing off the grass leaves stuck on her from sitting, she asked.

“You are managing Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment’s hot spring well, right?”

“The hot spring? Of course.”

She smiled as she looked at Yeon So-hyeon.

“You wouldn’t know even a bit how much I missed this hot spring of Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment.”

She strode away and quickly disappeared from view.

“…”

Yeon So-hyeon smiled faintly.

How could he not know his older sister’s heart, using the hot spring as an excuse because she felt sorry for leaving the precious guests waiting?

“Yahoo!”

He smiled bitterly at his older sister’s joy-filled cheer heard from afar.

‘Maybe she really just missed the hot spring of Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment.’

Even the great Yeon So-hyeon found it hard to follow the thoughts of Yeon Seo-rin.

Unpredictable.

To the point that one would think the word was prepared specifically for her.

* * *

Luoyang Sword Family, Second Young Master’s Camp.

South of the River Division Headquarters.

Waiting for Tactician Choi, who returned with unfocused eyes, was a tactician of the South of the River Division who was strangely flustered.

“Tactician Choi!”

Tactician Kang, a middle-aged man of short height and sturdy build, jumped up upon seeing him.

“Where on earth have you been until now?!”

“Ah? Ah.”

Focus returned to Tactician Choi’s eyes.

“I had some business, so I was in the Luoyang marketplace for a bit…”

“Actually, it doesn’t matter anyway.”

Tactician Kang pulled Tactician Choi’s arm, clearing the path for another tactician who was running in a hurry.

Wondering what was going on to make them run like that, he looked around, and the chaotic state of the headquarters finally came into view.

“It is absolute chaos right now.”

“What on earth is going on?”

At that question, the other party frowned.

“No, how can Tactician Choi, who is in charge of the Fourth Young Master, not know the situation? Did Elder Son not say anything?”

“As I said, I was in the marketplace…”

The impatient Tactician Kang waved his hand.

“Whatever. By our lord’s command, all tacticians are currently gathering in the conference hall.”

“The entire South of the River Division?”

He shook his head violently.

“No! Every single tactician included in our lord’s camp!”

At those words, Tactician Choi’s eyes widened.

“No, for what reason…”

“This is still just speculation, but…”

He scanned the surroundings and lowered his voice.

“It seems our lord has commanded us to completely destroy the business of the Eldest Young Master and the Fourth Young Master this time.”

“Completely?!”

Tactician Kang nodded.

“It is still a speculation, but there is a basis.”

“What is it?”

The other party lowered his voice even further.

“According to the information I obtained, all elders belonging to our lord’s camp are currently conducting a meeting with our lord.”

“All elders?!”

“Keep your voice down…!”

Tactician Choi hastily covered his mouth and nodded.

“I heard from the butler in charge of the meeting room that during the break, the elders talked about ‘Tea Fan Maidens’ and the ‘Valley of Sin’.”

“Is that the only basis?”

“The servants heard other elders talking about similar things as well.”

“For the elders to say such things in the presence of servants means—”

“that it is a story everyone in the camp will know soon anyway.”

At those words, Tactician Choi wore a blank expression.

‘It is true that the obstruction plans we were carrying out have kept failing, but all of a sudden, all elders and all tacticians?’

His head felt dizzy.

‘Just what is going to happen to this matter…’

Since the conversation did not continue properly because of the blankly standing Tactician Choi, Tactician Kang lost his temper.

“Damn it. Where did Tactician Han go in this situation? Didn’t you two go out together?”

“Tactician Han?!”

At his words, Tactician Choi was startled and looked around.

“Did Tactician Han not enter with me?”

“What are you talking about? Tactician Choi, you entered alone.”

“Alone?”

At Tactician Choi’s words, who had been looking strange since earlier, the other party wore an dumbfounded expression and sighed.

“Well. It doesn’t matter now anyway.”

He spoke while looking at the tacticians running busy.

“If my guess is correct, the mission regarding the Eldest Young Master and the Fourth Young Master’s business is no longer your concern.”

* * *

Luoyang Sword Family, Somewhere.

The tea placed before Emei Sect’s Abbess Chongmu, who sat blankly indoors waiting for the other party, had already been cold for a long time.

‘Having pestered me about the appointment time like that, is he himself late?’

Grit, the old woman’s teeth ground.

The more she experienced this place called the Luoyang Sword Family, the more it was filled with nothing but fellows whose arrogance pierced the heavens.

At that moment, the door opened, and the deputy general director Buddhist nun entered with a polite appearance.

She cautiously approached and cast sound transmission to Abbess Chongmu’s ear.

As a measure to prevent the sound transmission from leaking outside, it was a technique commonly referred to by the term close-contact sound transmission.

[…They say they failed to enter Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment for that reason.]

As Abbess Chongmu waved her hand, the deputy general director nun quickly stepped aside.

It was not that she was cautious; anyone who had served this old woman by her side would have acted that way.

‘Failure…’

At that moment, the opposite door opened, and the person she was waiting for revealed himself.

“You have waited long, Divine Nun Jaseong.”

The one who appeared, calling her old moniker, was someone who showed signs of having aged as much as she had.

“It seems it has been a long time since I was called by that moniker as well.”

At the old woman’s words, the old man let out a laugh that sounded like air leaking through his teeth.

“Shouldn’t even those of us with the same generational status put gold on each other’s faces?”

The old woman snorted softly at those words.

“Seeing how greasy your face is, it seems that beyond putting gold on your face, the Sword Family did some Marrow Cleansing for you?”

Despite the old woman’s thorny words, the old man smiled calmly and sat down.

“Well, since I am a former sect leader of the Nine Great Sects, even if it is not Marrow Cleansing, they gave me a seat as an elder and treated me properly indeed.”

At that sly attitude, the old woman scraped the opponent’s insides once more.

“Ha. Since you are the one who dedicated the renowned Diancang Sect in its entirety, they surely must have treated you well.”

The former sect leader of the Diancang Sect, which currently maintained its existence in the form of a subordinate sect of the Luoyang Sword Family, smiled, showing his yellow teeth.

“Thanks to that, my disciples no longer need to exert effort to collect protection fees or run failing inns. They can just devote themselves to refining their martial arts, so what a good thing this is.”

A single hand could not make a sound.

As the opponent slipped away here and there as if oiled, Abbess Chongmu’s venom also lost its place to go.

“Anyway, I have thoroughly benefited from the information that you, Sect Leader, sent in advance.”

Information on the Fourth Young Master’s business.

Information on the investment delegation.

Information on the Eldest Young Master who broke his confinement.

It was indeed the former sect leader of Diancang who handed over such information.

“The Dali Duan Family has been a long-time friend of our Diancang from old, and since the Duan Family and Emei joined hands, wouldn’t Emei also be our friend?”

“Having an ally in this land ten thousand li away is indeed a reassuring thing.”

The former sect leader of Diancang smiled.

“Well, what are your thoughts on exchanging the first move with the Eldest Young Master?”

Asking for thoughts while knowing the result full well showed that the former sect leader’s insides were twisted.

“…He was quite fierce. If you, Sect Leader, had not warned me about the Eldest Young Master in advance, I might have suffered an even greater setback.”

The former sect leader laughed out loud.

“Just fierce? If you saw the way that child is currently turning the Main Family’s Elders’ Hall upside down, such soft expressions would vanish immediately.”

Abbess Chongmu narrowed her eyes.

It seemed she would have to evaluate the danger level of the Eldest Young Master, known as the Swordless One, much higher.

“…Now that we know the enemy’s true nature, we only need to respond to it.”

At the old woman’s words, the former sect leader of Diancang nodded.

“You are correct. The most terrifying enemy is the warrior you do not know.”

He picked up the old woman’s cold teacup and poured it out to the side.

“Now that the true nature is known, with your skills, Divine Nun, you will be able to play tricks on that brat as much as you want.”

And into it, he poured the liquor he had personally prepared.

“My lord, the Third Young Master of the Main Family, also told me not to spare cooperation with you.”

* * *

Outside the room where Abbess Chongmu and the former sect leader of Diancang were conversing, two Buddhist nuns were talking via sound transmission.

[They do not know what kind of conversation the Eldest Young Master of the Sword Family and the Tea Fan Maidens are sharing at this very moment, so is Abbess Chongmu not anxious?]

The deputy general director nun smiled.

[Even if they are revered around as successful businesswomen, in the end, they are just children.]

The smile hanging on her mouth harbored a fishy scent of blood.

[As long as their families are virtually held hostage, the majority of the Tea Fan Maidens’ shares will ultimately be occupied by our Emei Sect.]

* * *

Luoyang Sword Family, Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment.

Eldest Young Master’s Office.

“Master. The ladies of the Tea Fan Maidens wish to see you.”

At the sound heard from outside, Yeon So-hyeon stood up from his seat and spoke.

“Bring them in.”

Led by Sangwan Nan-hwa, five young ladies renowned in the Central Plains Empire entered the office.

Despite the accumulated travel fatigue and experiencing that commotion today, the condition of the Tea Fan Maidens was better than expected.

Was it because their mental strength was outstanding?

“You have gone through much trouble to travel a long way.”

Yeon So-hyeon welcomed them with a polite attitude, yet displaying the dignity he possessed.

“I am the Eldest Young Master of this Luoyang Sword Family, Yeon So-hyeon.”

Sangwan Nan-hwa stepped forward as the representative and received Yeon So-hyeon’s greeting.

“We do not know what to do as you treat us so generously. This girl is the representative of the Tea Fan Maidens, Sangwan Nan-hwa.”

Yeon So-hyeon, who exchanged greetings with the rest as well, extended his hand and guided them to the seats prepared in advance.

“Now, then.”

Personally pouring tea for them and providing sufficient time to calm their minds, Yeon So-hyeon gently broached the subject.

“Regarding the reason why this Eldest Young Master invited you…”

At that moment, Sangwan Nan-hwa raised her hand slightly in a polite manner that did not violate etiquette, interrupting Yeon So-hyeon’s words.

“Hmm. Do you have something you wish to say first?”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

Yeon So-hyeon extended his hand, passing the floor to her.

“Eldest Young Master.”

Sangwan Nan-hwa opened her mouth after taking a deep breath.

“We will give our entire shares of the Tea Fan Maidens to you, Eldest Young Master.”