Chapter 639: Return of the Demonic Sect Leader
In Songbaek-hyeon, the most renowned martial family was undoubtedly the Seomgeom Mok family.
In fact, the Seomgeom Mok family was one of the most prestigious orthodox sects in all of Zhongyuan.
But the situation had changed somewhat.
There was another force that not only rivaled the Seomgeom Mok family but frequently clashed with them, causing swords to be drawn.
This was the Heukcheon Do family.
The Heukcheon Do family had only settled in Songbaek-hyeon about thirty years ago…
“Ah! So those guys are descendants of the pro-demon faction!” Dan Ri-hyuk suddenly interjected, raising his voice.
But Sabi-ran shook her head.
“No, not at all. It’s quite the opposite.”
“The opposite…?”
“Yes.”
Indeed, the Heukcheon Do family had no ties to the pro-demon faction.
In fact, the Heukcheon Do family had been at the forefront of eradicating the demon clan.
They were part of the Newborn Order.
The story went like this:
After the Great Demon War, the head of the Seomgeom Mok family, having exhausted all his power, passed the leadership to his daughter, Mok Dan-hwa.
Mok Dan-hwa then married Yeon Woo-gyeong.
“What? Just like that?”
“It was a bit sudden,” Sabi-ran replied with a shrug.
After the Great Demon War, Mok Cheol-woo met with Yeon Gang-baek, the head of the Paegeom Yeon family, over drinks and proposed a strategic marriage.
Their conversation had gone exceptionally well.
Though the lines between orthodox and unorthodox had blurred due to the Great Demon War, the Paegeom Yeon and Seomgeom Mok families remained the paragons of orthodoxy.
As such, they were often bound by outdated customs, and strategic marriages were one of them.
Fortunately, Yeon Woo-gyeong and Mok Dan-hwa did not strongly oppose the marriage, and the ceremony proceeded smoothly.
Yeon Woo-gyeong, the second son of the Paegeom Yeon family, moved to the Seomgeom Mok family in Songbaek-hyeon with Mok Dan-hwa.
Around the same time, two others were also wed in Songbaek-hyeon.
They were Seok Tan-gang and Yoo Song-ryeong.
After their marriage, they established a martial family in Songbaek-hyeon, which became the Heukcheon Do family.
At the time, Mok Dan-hwa, the influential head of the Seomgeom Mok family, provided significant support to them in establishing the Heukcheon Do family.
Naturally, the four of them were very close initially.
After all, they had once been comrades who shared life and death, forging bonds of camaraderie.
However, there was no guarantee that the disciples of both families would get along as well.
It all started with minor disputes among the secular disciples.
It was the beginning of a very subtle crack.
The four of them didn’t take this crack seriously.
They often brushed it off, thinking it was better to let things slide.
But a crack, once formed, tends to widen if not properly addressed.
Over time, the small crack grew uncontrollably.
Eventually, Songbaek-hyeon was firmly divided into two factions.
As the years passed, their friendship gradually faded.
The two martial families became rivals, constantly at each other’s throats.
Even the Myeolma Palace intervened several times to mediate, but peace imposed by outsiders never lasted.
No one expected their relationship to deteriorate like this.
Nearly thirty years passed, and the two factions reached a point of no return.
As a result, the question “Seomgeom or Heukcheon?” became a popular topic in Songbaek-hyeon.
Rumor had it that answering this question incorrectly could lead to a sword fight.
“Wow, what a twist. Why didn’t my father ever tell me about this?” Dan Ri-hyuk wondered aloud.
Sabi-ran replied, “He probably didn’t want to speak ill of them. That’s just how Master Dan Ri is.”
“Hmm. So, Seomgeom Mok and Heukcheon Do are in a cold war now?”
“The problem is, that’s not all.”
“There’s more?”
Sabi-ran smiled faintly. “The children of both families have fallen in love.”
“What! The children of rival families in love? This sounds like something out of a romance novel! How tragic!”
Dan Ri-hyuk exclaimed, slapping his knee, while Sabi-ran narrowed her eyes.
“You don’t look very sad.”
“Heh, it’s actually quite intriguing. So, what happened?”
“They’re still in that situation. Both families still don’t approve of their relationship.”
“In that case, if we were to whisk them away… the flames of love might just ignite wildly, burning like crazy!”
“Perhaps. Or…”
“Or the family opposition might prevent us from recruiting them.”
“The masters wouldn’t want to see them together.”
“Hmm. So, what’s the plan?”
“We’ll need to rely on my father’s influence.”
“Ah, the Lord’s command!”
Sabi-ran nodded.
But it won’t be easy.
They wouldn’t dare defy Sabi-gang’s orders.
For anyone else, they might hesitate, but for Sabi-gang, they’d pretend to die if necessary.
Still, they’ll try every trick in the book.
To complete the mission smoothly, they’ll need to be persuaded.
‘Well, I’ll think about it slowly. Something will come up on the way.’
Sabi-ran decided not to dwell on it too much.
For now, she focused on the thought of seeing familiar faces.
Once they passed through Songbaek-hyeon, only one place remained.
‘And there, we’ll devise a concrete plan and embark on the mission.’
**
“Absolutely not! Not until I’m dead and buried!”
Yeon Woo-gyeong shouted, veins bulging on his forehead.
In front of him stood a beautiful young woman, looking deeply upset.
It was his daughter, Yeon Seol-yeon.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she bit her lip and retorted sharply.
“Father! It’s not like I’m going to meet a bandit! Why are you so against it?”
“What? I’d rather you meet a bandit! Of all people, why him? That unrefined rogue isn’t someone you should associate with!”
“You’re being unreasonable. Times have changed! How long will you cling to such outdated ideas? Do you even realize how frustrating you are?”
“What? How dare you talk back to your father like that!”
“Can’t I even respond to you?”
“Unbelievable. When I was your age, talking back to parents was unthinkable.”
“Oh, really? Is that why you ended up in the special class for problem children?”
“What, what? You little…! But it turned out well, didn’t it? Thanks to that, I connected with the Lord, and you grew up in such a wonderful environment…”
“Then just wait and see! If it turns out well for me too, that’s all that matters, right?”
“You little…!”
“And you always say, ‘Back in my day,’ ‘When I was young…’ Do you know what people call that now?”
“What are you talking about?”
“They call it being a ‘boomer’! Just like you, Father!”
“You, you…! Listen to how you’re talking! You’ve been hanging around with that rogue, and now your language is just as rough!”
“Weren’t you friends with rogues when you were young? Our family helped the Heukcheon Do family grow, didn’t we?”
“Hmph! That’s the part I regret most in my life!”
Seeing that words were getting nowhere, Yeon Seol-yeon spoke in a subdued voice.
“Father, can’t you just think of it as a simple meeting? I just want to discuss peace in Songbaek-hyeon with him.”
“Songbaek-hyeon is peaceful enough as it is.”
“No, there’s constant fighting. People here are wary of our family.”
“They’re wary of that family’s influence.”
“Father!”
“You just want an excuse to see that unpleasant fellow, don’t you?”
“Don’t talk about him like that!”
“You really…!”
Yeon Woo-gyeong clutched his neck and closed his eyes tightly.
She was his precious daughter, raised with utmost care.
But of all people, why did she have to fall for the child of a rival family?
Seeing her argue and defy him filled him with a sadness that surpassed anger.
“I don’t care! I’m going to meet him!”
“You stop right there! Not until I’m dead and buried!”
“Then I’ll throw a handful of dirt in your eyes!”
“You, you… disrespectful…!”
But Yeon Seol-yeon didn’t wait to hear more and stormed off.
Yeon Woo-gyeong clutched his neck and slumped into a chair.
A martial artist clutching his neck would be a laughable sight to any passerby.
In truth, he had never experienced neck pain in his life.
But ever since his daughter started acting out, he found himself clutching his neck more often.
That’s how much his daughter meant to him.
Just then, Mok Dan-hwa entered the room.
“Are you alright? I just saw Seol-yeon heading to her room, looking quite upset.”
“Don’t even ask. She insists on meeting Seok Geom-yeong, claiming it’s for peace talks. Does that even make sense? She just wants to see his face!”
“She brought it up again. I tried to talk her out of it this morning. Kids these days are tough. I don’t understand what she sees in that unpleasant fellow.”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying! Why would you want to meet with those uneducated riffraff from the Sapa sect?”
“Exactly. We should assign a guard to keep an eye on Yeon-ah today. We can’t have her sneaking out like last time. I’ll make sure to talk to her firmly, so don’t worry too much.”
“Make sure you do. She must not go to the Black Heaven Path.”
“Of course.”
Mok Dan-hwa nodded in agreement.
BOOM!
A deafening crash echoed as the table shattered into pieces.
Where the table once stood, a chain sickle was now embedded deep into the floor.
Seok Geom-yeong, who had narrowly dodged the weapon, felt a cold sweat trickle down his back as he spoke.
“F-Father! Please calm down! There’s no need to get so angry… Whoa!”
Swish! CRASH!
Once again, the chain sickle flew through the air, slicing the bed in two.
Seok Geom-yeong barely managed to dodge it again.
“Father… I just wanted to meet with Lady Yeon for a peaceful discussion…”
“Silence.”
His father’s voice was low and tightly controlled.
Seok Tan-gang closed his eyes, taking a deep breath as if trying to quell his anger.
But his entire body radiated an aura of barely contained fury.
“Of all the people to meet, why would you choose to deal with those hypocrites?”
“Father… Lady Yeon is not a hypocrite. It’s been many years; perhaps it’s time to resolve old misunderstandings…”
“Silence! What does a wet-behind-the-ears brat like you know?”
Swish!
“Ahhh!”
CRASH!
This time, the wall itself was left with a gaping hole.
Seok Geom-yeong glanced back at Seok Tan-gang, his face pale.
“Ha ha… Maybe we should continue this conversation another time!”
“Don’t you dare run away!”
But Seok Geom-yeong had already leaped out the window.