## Chapter 768 – 768. The Ascent To Radiance
768. The Ascent to Radiance
Namgung Rin’s sword drew a large circle, pushing them back. They raised their swords to defend, then charged at Namgung Rin again.
Namgung Rin’s palm strike landed squarely on one man’s abdomen. The man’s body floated up, colliding with the others and rolling across the floor. The kimchi stew spilled onto the ground.
And then, Shin Jongwoo jumped up from his seat. His face was contorted with anger and annoyance as he looked at the spilled kimchi stew.
“Shin Jongwoo! Hold it in! Hold it in! …Damn it. He’s completely lost it.”
Dun Mokjeong gave up trying to stop Shin Jongwoo and moved to the corner of the room.
“There’s a saying that you don’t bother a dog while it’s eating. Did you have to take Rin when we were eating? It wouldn’t have been hard to wait until we finished our meal!”
A dark aura began to emanate from Shin Jongwoo’s body. It was demonic energy.
I tilted my head. It was demonic energy from the Demonic Heavenly Art, but it was fundamentally different from the demonic energy I knew.
Just because it was called the same Demonic Heavenly Art didn’t mean it was the same.
“You’ve mastered a demonic art. I’m warning you. This is Anhui Province, and we are warriors of the Namgung Clan. Withdraw your energy.”
In a normal martial arts world, they would have gone berserk the moment he released demonic energy. But the main setting of this world was the Xianxia novel ‘The Ascent to Radiance.’ Just because someone had mastered a demonic art didn’t make them a criminal. In this world, demonic arts were also recognized as martial arts.
Kiiiiing.
The energy of the Demonic Heavenly Art gathered in Shin Jongwoo’s hands, forming spheres. Shin Jongwoo’s Demonic Heavenly Art mainly used fists and energy blasts.
“I won’t kill you. So don’t die.”
“…What an absurd fellow. Subdue him. He’s the young lady’s companion. Don’t kill him.”
The warriors of the Namgung Clan kicked off the ground and moved.
Shin Jongwoo took a step forward. Instantly, the surrounding air became heavy, and my stomach churned. The warriors of the Namgung Clan seemed to be affected as well, their bodies swaying.
I knew instinctively. Shin Jongwoo had just used the Demonic Heavenly Overlord Step.
“I’ll avenge the kimchi stew here.”
Shin Jongwoo detonated the black spheres in his hands. Demonic energy swept through the area. I quickly raised my energy to protect myself. Fortunately, I wasn’t too late.
The scene that was revealed after the energy dissipated was spectacular. Food was scattered everywhere, and the warriors of the Namgung Clan, including Namgung Rin, were sprawled out, unconscious. The ceiling had collapsed, revealing the framework, and even the walls were damaged.
Dun Mokjeong approached me and opened his mouth.
“You protected yourself with energy, huh? I knew you were capable, but you’re quite skilled. But this is a big problem. We’ve messed with the Namgung Clan… Sigh. Shin Jongwoo, that guy is usually calm, but he sometimes explodes like a bomb.”
“……”
I listened to Dun Mokjeong’s words with one ear and let them out the other, looking out the window. I could see dozens of warriors from the Namgung Clan. It seemed they were determined to take Namgung Rin.
‘This didn’t happen in the original Heavenly Demon story… And who is this Seol that Namgung Rin mentioned? Was she in the original?’
As far as I knew, Namgung Rin’s reason for running away was her longing for the martial world. In the original story, she was called the Sword Phoenix, but not here.
‘Since five creations are mixed, a lot has changed. I shouldn’t rely too much on the original.’
Soon, the Flower Moon Pavilion’s owner and the Namgung Clan warriors stormed in.
Somehow, the situation was resolved. However, Shin Jongwoo, Dun Mokjeong, and I were taken to the Namgung Clan. Although we weren’t tied up, the Namgung Clan’s gazes were not friendly.
•••
Namgung Rin opened her eyes and immediately sat up.
“…Ugh.”
Her body ached.
“Oh my! Miss Rin! Please lie down!”
An old maid beside her fussed. It was a maid Namgung Rin knew. One of the maids who had taken care of her since she was young.
“…Maso.”
Tears welled up in the eyes of the old maid whose name was called.
“…Yes, Miss. It’s Maso. You’ve finally returned…! Thank you, heavens…!”
“Maso. What happened? Explain it to me.”
“The warriors brought you here, Miss. You didn’t have any injuries, but you must be very tired from overexerting yourself.”
“That’s right. I’m tired. …What about the others who were with me? You didn’t kill them, did you?”
“Oh, don’t worry. They are being treated as guests under the Clan Head’s orders.”
Namgung Rin nodded in relief. If they had died, she might have lived with guilt for the rest of her life.
“……What about Seol?”
“Miss Seol…”
Maso’s face darkened. Just that was enough to make Namgung Rin feel like her heart was breaking.
“I need to see Seol.”
“B-But, Miss Rin! It’s best to see the Clan Head first!”
“No. Seol comes first.”
Just as Namgung Rin was about to get out of bed, the door opened, and a man entered. He looked to be in his thirties. He was neatly dressed and had a short beard. His calm eyes were directed at Namgung Rin.
Namgung Hocheon. Namgung Rin’s father and the current Clan Head of the Namgung Clan. Maso bowed to Namgung Hocheon and quickly left the room.
Only the father and daughter remained in the room.
“Father…”
“I knew this would happen, so I came to find you. Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Can we talk later? I want to see Seol first.”
“You’re cold to your father, whom you haven’t seen in a long time. And you don’t need to worry about Seol.”
“Seol will die if she stays like this! You know that, but you didn’t do anything!”
Namgung Seol frowned and shouted. Her voice was filled with long-held anger.
“Rin. Seol is also my daughter. Do you really think I did nothing? Isn’t it you who did nothing?”
“I left the clan to save Seol! There must be a way to save Seol in the vast world! But what did you do?! You just gave her elixirs!”
“Elixirs are essential for Seol to live even a little longer. But what did you do? Leave the clan to find a way to save Seol? Did you find it? Did you think you could do anything if you left the clan? Did the world seem so easy?”
“I-If I had a little more time, I would have made progress!”
“Don’t make excuses. I gave you four years. I gave you enough time. And do you think you were able to travel the martial world safely all by your own power?”
“……Don’t tell me. You had people following me?!”
“The martial world is a dangerous place.”
“……!”
Namgung Seol gritted her teeth. She glared fiercely at Namgung Hocheon. But Namgung Hocheon didn’t change his expression.
“I found a cure for Seol.”
Her eyes widened.
“T-That can’t be.”
“Have a little faith in your father.”
“What, what is the method? Elixirs can’t save Seol!”
“There is another way besides elixirs. But it was unrealistic, so I put it aside… In a way, I can say it’s thanks to you.”
“…Thanks to me? What do you mean?”
“The man who was with you was the answer.”
“……Are you talking about Young Master Shin? Young Master Shin is indeed a mysterious man. If it’s Young Master Shin’s unconventional demonic art…!”
Namgung Rin unconsciously accepted that Shin Jongwoo might be able to do it. Shin Jongwoo, whom she had seen so far, was a man who was so mysterious that it was hard to understand.
However, Namgung Hocheon looked at her with a puzzled expression.
“Young Master Shin? The man I’m talking about is not the man who uses demonic arts. It’s a man named Seong Yujin.”
“…That man? Why him?”
Seeing the bewildered Namgung Rin, he calmly explained.
“…I’ll explain it briefly, so listen. I went up to Mount Nakwol and asked the Nakwol Goddess for a solution. I thought that the Nakwol Goddess, who has been famous for a long time, would know a way to save Seol. And my thought was correct. The Nakwol Goddess agreed to help with three conditions.”
“If it’s her, she might have been able to do it. Tell me in detail what the method is to save Seol. And what are the conditions she set?”
“That is…”
He sighed and told her the method and conditions that the Nakwol Goddess had mentioned. Namgung Rin was increasingly shocked, and eventually, she couldn’t hold back and punched Namgung Hocheon in the stomach. Namgung Hocheon didn’t avoid it and took his daughter’s punch.
•••
I looked at Namgung Seol, who was lying on the bed and had just fallen asleep.
Namgung Rin’s younger sister, Namgung Seol.
She was a small woman. She had already passed her coming-of-age ceremony a long time ago, but her body looked quite young. If Namgung Rin was a pure and healthy beauty, Namgung Seol was a sickly and frail beauty. She had a similar aura to Park Gain, the younger sister of Park Suho in the real world.
Her hair was white, and her eyes were red. She had what was commonly called albinism. Even her eyebrows were completely white.
Namgung Seol had the Nine Yin Severed Meridians.
‘Originally, she was a character named Baekri Seol in the Fallen Heavenly Demon.’
In the original story, ‘Fallen Heavenly Demon,’ she appeared as Baekri Seol. She recovered from the Nine Yin Severed Meridians with the help of the protagonist and became the head of the Baekri Clan, becoming a supporting character who helped the protagonist wholeheartedly.
But she was Namgung Seol of the Namgung Clan, not the Baekri Clan. The original story of ‘Fallen Heavenly Demon’ had been twisted. Well, it wasn’t surprising anymore. The important thing was something else.
‘Hehe. To think I would end up engaged to Namgung Seol.’
The Namgung Clan had found a cure for the Nine Yin Severed Meridians. The Yin Yang Harmonization Great Art.
To put it simply, it was a method of neutralizing the Yin energy of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians through sex with a man who had a high purity of Yang energy. However, as it was called a Great Art, it wouldn’t work just by having sex. To perform the Yin Yang Harmonization Great Art, the help of the Nine Moon Goddess was needed.
‘The engagement is already confirmed.’
I had finished talking with Namgung Hocheon, the head of the Namgung Clan. I would become the son-in-law of the Namgung Clan, but it wasn’t a bad thing for me, so I accepted it right away. I had no reason to refuse since I could get a beauty for free and gain the backing of the Namgung Clan.
‘Namgung Seol also agreed.’
Namgung Seol, who seemed a bit naive, calmly accepted the situation. I didn’t know what thoughts and feelings she had when she accepted it. I guessed that she didn’t want to cause trouble for the clan.
I grabbed a strand of Namgung Seol’s hair as she lay on the bed. It was different from silver hair. It was a pure white hair like snow, without any color. My hand slowly moved up and stroked her cheek. It was soft and warm.
As of today, Namgung Seol was mine. We weren’t officially married yet, but Namgung Hocheon would never give up on Namgung Seol, so it would happen soon. My hand moved towards her chest. B cup. It was a bit disappointing, but if you looked closely, it wasn’t that small.
Thump, thump, thump.
The sound of someone running and the door opening came at the same time. It was Namgung Rin. She was breathing heavily.
“G-Get away from her right now…! You damn rapist!”
“Sister-in-law. What are you talking about all of a sudden? I’m Seol’s husband.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, you’re not even officially engaged, let alone married!”
“That will happen soon. I don’t mind if the engagement is broken off… But are you sure you’re okay with that?”
“……!!”
If the engagement was broken off, Namgung Seol would die. Would there be another man in this world with a high purity of Yang energy, that is, a man with stamina as great as mine?
‘If it was easy to find, they would have found him before I came here. Hehe.’
I could tell from Namgung Rin’s hardened expression. Namgung Seol’s only hope was me. My hand moved towards Namgung Seol’s chest. Once asleep, Namgung Seol didn’t wake up easily even with the commotion.
“Stop! What are you doing to a sleeping girl?!”
“I thought Seol looked uncomfortable. Please stop interfering.”
“I, I can’t accept it! How can someone like you, who only knows how to play around in brothels, be Namgung Seol’s husband!”
“What will you do if sister-in-law doesn’t accept it? Are you going to kill me?”
“Y-You!”
Namgung Rin gritted her teeth and trembled. Killing me was the same as killing Namgung Seol.
‘Well, I never intended to sleep with Namgung Seol like this from the start. I should at least sleep with her after we’re officially engaged so there won’t be any problems.’
It seemed that Namgung Rin hadn’t thought that far. It was understandable since my nickname was the Lustful Young Master. Namgung Rin’s evaluation of me had probably plummeted to the depths of the earth.
“Sister-in-law. If you keep doing this… I might take it out on Seol.”
“…You really…! Do you think you’ll be safe after doing that?!”
“I don’t intend to do anything physically. But mentally, if Seol becomes my wife, it’s a different story. I can give Seol a hellish newlywed life. And kind Seol won’t even tell the Namgung Clan. Hehe.”
Namgung Rin’s face became pale. She knew that Namgung Seol would endure the torment stoically.
“D-Don’t do it. Please. At least not Seol….”
“Hehe. Alright, sister-in-law. But there’s a condition.”
