LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 94
Chapter 94: Please Don’t Throw Me Away
A deathly silence descended upon Hangshan Sect Grand Martial Arts Venue.
So Geom-hu Cheon Sobin.
Everyone froze at her unexpected public confession.
In the frozen atmosphere, like the snowy plains of the North Sea, the first to speak was Cheon Mu-jeon, the leader of the Heavenly Day Sect, who sat in the VIP section.
A middle-aged man whose hair was starting to gray.
At 46 years old, Cheon Mu-jeon, one year younger than Geumhu Eun Seol-ran, had a rigid expression. His beard trembled.
His hands shook uncontrollably.
“S-So-bin! What do you mean by that…? You love that scoundrel!! What was that thing about last night!!?”
Cheon Mu-jeon’s face twisted like a tragic mask.
He had cherished his daughter like a precious jewel since she was young.
His youngest daughter, whom he loved so much that he wouldn’t mind if she were to be hurt. She was his only daughter. So when she refused previous engagements to join the Hangshan Sect, he allowed it.
The Heavenly Day Sect, which had ruled over Shanxi for more than two hundred years, maintained a close relationship with the Hangshan Sect.
In the perilous martial world, having a certain level of power was essential for trading.
On the other hand, the sect needed operational funds, so they formed a symbiotic relationship with local merchants, providing resources for each other.
It was no coincidence that the heads of major trading guilds sent their heirs to such influential sects.
Cheon Sobin’s entry into the Hangshan Sect was beneficial to him as the guild leader. Naturally, as a father, he also wished for his precious daughter to succeed and supported her choice.
“All the engagement arrangements made until now were all rejected because of that damned rascal?! Ugh! Ugh!”
Cheon Mu-jeon clutched the back of his neck.
His blood pressure skyrocketed.
Information was crucial for a merchant. Especially for the Heavenly Day Sect, which conducted trade across the Central Plains. Besides, wasn’t today the day of the Hangshan Great War?
He had already gathered information on the joint sect’s Post-Stimulation Indicator, the potential rival for his daughter.
Lee Cheol-soo from the Gongdong Alliance.
No, Lee Cheol-soo from the Gongdong Color Association. Thanks to that, Cheon Mu-jeon knew him very well.
He was the scoundrel who was called Gaga by the renowned courtesan Neungwolhyang and frequently paraded around with the troublesome Geombong Seomun Cheong-ha. He was a notorious figure who earned the disgraceful nickname of “Double-Bladed Colorful Sword” in the martial world.
Lee Cheol-soo was the kind of man that his daughter would dislike the most.
And now she was infatuated with such a man?
What on earth was the meaning of last night’s ominous story?
As a father rather than a guild leader, he couldn’t just let this go.
In fact, none of the sons he had previously arranged for his daughter were as deplorable as Lee Cheol-soo.
“Indeed, what you say is right. Sobin, what on earth is going on here?”
The one who picked up where Cheon Mu-jeon left off was Geumhu Eun Seol-ran.
As she stood up, the aura of the Great Moon Divine Technique began to rise naturally.
Silver light shimmered softly from her whole body.
Her silver eyes fixated on Cheon Sobin.
Her face was expressionless. However, a chill reminiscent of a winter storm lingered on it.
‘W-what do you mean you love my Sangong…?’
Eun Seol-ran’s heart wavered.
So Geom-hu Cheon Sobin.
The disciple who followed her more than anyone else among countless Hangshan Sect disciples. She had taught and treated her as a daughter.
Moreover, she was also the future successor of the Hangshan Sect.
But now, why was she…?
‘Why… why would she want to fall for my Sangong… of all people…?’
Eun Seol-ran’s hands trembled.
She suppressed her surging emotions. She wanted to cry right then and there. If she were alone, she would have let the tears flow.
But this was a public venue.
She couldn’t cry.
It made her feel even more frustrated. Her heart felt like it was about to burst.
Why.
Why on earth.
Of all men, why the one who would become her beloved husband?
Could she really say that in front of everyone?
And why.
Her heart trembled.
As a Master, she thought about supporting her disciple who was like a daughter to her if she had a partner, eager to see who it was.
Lately, there was no prohibition on marriage in the sect’s rules, but more and more Hangshan disciples were declaring forsworn vows, leaving her worried.
If anyone were to marry, especially if it were her beloved disciple, the objection of the masters regarding her marriage would lessen.
Eun Seol-ran had thought this way. So she could support her disciple’s relationship and marriage, as long as the partner was worthy and Cheon Sobin genuinely loved him.
Thus, she could be with Sangong.
But why, of all people, was the partner her own Sangong?
The fated partner who had finally appeared after thirty years. She thought he was meant for her alone. And now her only disciple was in love with him.
What cruel twist of fate was this?
Eun Seol-ran clenched her fists. Her cheeks trembled.
‘If a disciple loves my Sangong, what should I, what should I do…’
She caught sight of Cheon Sobin.
Her figure mixed in with a few strands of silver hair among her luscious black hair, her pink lips pursed, the image of a young girl in her blooming youth radiated with innocence.
There was a youthfulness present there that she could never possess.
‘…I…’
On the other hand, she was 47 years old. Thanks to her refined martial arts, she maintained youth, but just that. In the hierarchy, she was about the same age as a mother or even a grandmother, and in terms of status, she was on par with a master.
Among the women who once held the title of Phoenix in the Yongbong Society, there were even some with grandsons like Lee Cheol-soo.
The burden of status was heavy. It was also an obstacle that she had to win in martial contests against the Master of Hwakyeong before she could marry. Although Sangong said that status, position, and age didn’t matter, realistically speaking, it was different.
Compared to her disciple, she was lacking in every aspect.
Eun Seol-ran sadly realized that.
‘…Even if I were a man, I would choose a peer with the same status and age rather than an old woman with nothing but burdensome status…’
She lowered her head.
A disciple and her Sangong.
The girl she cherished like a daughter and the man she had first loved in her 47 years of life.
To choose one…
She never dreamed she would be placed in such a cruel situation.
The more cruel truth was that the moment she heard her disciple’s confession, jealousy towards Cheon Sobin had begun to sprout deep within her heart like a poisonous mushroom.
She didn’t want to be abandoned by Sangong.
If she hadn’t been a disciple, then…
As those thoughts formed, Cheon Sobin suppressed her ugly jealousy.
She bit her lips.
‘…Sangong, what should I do? Please don’t abandon me. It’s shameless, but… I… I will do better… I… can’t live without you now…’
Her shoulders trembled. Her vision blurred. The tears she had been holding back felt like they might pour out at any moment.
She couldn’t live without him now.
She didn’t want another man, only he could be her husband.
She wanted to ask him to choose her. But she couldn’t.
That cursed declaration made when she was foolish 30 years ago still bound her.
In front of the Orthodox Faction Martial World.
It was a public venue.
She, representing Hangshan, couldn’t cry.
Though she thought this, the emotions that overflowed were unavoidable.
Drip.
Tears flowed from her silver eyes.
“Last night? What on earth happened between the Gongdong Alliance and Young Miss Cheon?!”
“It’s no coincidence that rumors about the Color Association began to spread! Clearly, some event must have taken place between the two!”
“Ha! To charm the haughty Young Miss Cheon like that? The skills of the Gongdong Alliance are truly remarkable.”
“To see the cold Silver Lady shed tears, how shocked must she have been…?”
“That’s just how sudden it was. Even I would have reacted that way! Aiyah, tsk tsk. To think the heir apparent of the sect would confess such feelings for a man in public… It’s embarrassing for the Hangshan Sect.”
The nobles murmured among themselves.
Hearing the commotion, Cheon Sobin’s eyes shook.
She could still hear her master’s tears and her father’s scolding echoing in her ears.
‘I’m sorry. Master. Father. But for everyone’s sake… to confront that shameless Lee Cheol-soo who knows nothing of dignity… I had no choice but to sacrifice myself.’
But Cheon Sobin didn’t stop.
The pointing fingers of the crowd and the reprimands of her father and master were all things she had resigned herself to face.
She was prepared to not be understood by anyone.
But she didn’t care.
As long as it could make the Master happy, as long as everything could return to normal.
Cheon Sobin would endure any stigma.
She made that vow.
With a trembling voice, Cheon Sobin looked directly at Lee Cheol-soo and said,
“Yes, Father. Master. I… I have deeply fallen for Prince Lee Cheol-soo. What happened last night… I can never forget. My feelings for Prince Cheol-soo will remain unchanged no matter how many times you ask, Master and Father. I… will marry him!”
It was a declaration made in front of everyone.
There was no turning back.
Even if Lee Cheol-soo tried to escape, he wouldn’t be able to this time.
Of course, she felt the same way, but she had already prepared to be tarnished.
She wasn’t afraid.
For the Master’s sake.
“Ah, no. Sobin! No…!!”
As Cheon Sobin’s steely face made her father clutch his neck and collapse, and Eun Seol-ran bit her lip at that moment.
“…I am truly in awe, Young Miss Cheon.”
A voice shattered the icy calm, echoing through the Grand Martial Arts Venue.
Soon after, a boy clad in black martial attire parted through the murmuring crowd and appeared.
Lee Cheol-soo of the Gongdong Alliance.
The very party implicated in So Geom-hu’s confession had finally revealed himself.
Cheon Sobin bit her lips.
*
A public confession.
Even if Cheon Sobin was the number one fan of her master, she never imagined she would act this frantically.
This was akin to a self-destructive act of terror in modern terms. Publicly confessing her feelings meant officially declaring she wouldn’t marry any man except me in this Confucian land of a medieval martial world.
Still, she was a promising young lady from a wealthy family and a martial world rising star.
So why was she doing something this insane? It was absurd.
But who am I? I am the treacherous Lee Cheol-soo, who seized absolute power by wiping out all rival ministers in the Beijing court and setting a commoner princess on the throne to dominate the Ming Empire.
Beijing’s court wasn’t filled with only normal people. There were madmen like So Geom-hu.
And I knew exactly how to deal with that madwoman.
“To test the sincerity of my feelings towards the Master, you go to such lengths of falsely declaring your love for me!”
That’s right, flipping the frame upside down to my advantage.
Cheon Sobin’s expression turned strange as she heard me.
“I fully understand Young Miss Cheon’s feelings; you must have thought of me as a ruffian who stumbled into this situation. You can’t simply hand over your respected master whom you regard like a mother to a scoundrel like me, I get it. You must have made that confession prepared to close the doors on your marriage. However, your method was all wrong, Young Miss Cheon. You don’t need to sacrifice yourself by falsely professing love.”
As I walked toward Cheon Sobin, looking at her directly, I continued speaking.
“Because I… I declared my challenge to Master because I harbor feelings for her. If I could win against her in a martial contest as a full-grown man, I would gladly take her as my wife and treat Young Miss Cheon well as well…”
At this, Eun Seol-ran raised her head.
She wiped her tears with her sleeve.
At that moment, while I was continuing my words.
“It’s not a lie! Prince! It’s the truth! So please accept my feelings!”
Cheon Sobin shouted, tightly closing her eyes.
I cradled my forehead.
Even after flipping the frame, she reacted this way.
I initially intended to stabilize Cheon Sobin’s reputation and wrap up the situation nicely.
But it couldn’t be helped.
I sighed inwardly.
“…If you truly wish to test whether I have feelings for Master even after everything I’ve said…”
Swish.
I drew my sword. The blade of the cheap sword, upgraded to a low-grade sword, shone with sunlight reflecting off the Hangshan.
“…It seems we have no choice but to resolve this according to the methods of Young Miss Cheon and the martial world.”
As I drew my sword, the audience began to stir.
Eun Seol-ran’s silver eyes turned to me.
Cheon Mu-jeon, her father, also directed his blazing gaze at me.
I knew this would happen.
It had been the same in the court.
What could have ended with words would turn into a massive thing, leading to executions, exiles, torture, and even beheadings.
The martial world was not different.
This was how things escalated into calamity.