Soeun Yu blankly stared at the Iljirok lying before her. It was the very Iljirok that had just controlled her, its effects still lingering, making it hard to shake off.
“Hhheeewww… ”
Her chest heaved. The large bosom of Soeun Yu rose and then subsided.
The undergarment covering her breasts was damp. It was from shedding so many tears that her eyes ached.
“Hjug… ”
Treating it as if it were something precious, Soeun Yu hugged the Iljirok to her chest. Her erratic breathing made it hard to catch her breath.
“Haaak, hhuk, haaa…”
After crying her heart out, her breath still wouldn’t settle. She continued like that for some time. Once a top martial artist, she hadn’t practiced martial arts for over ten years, and her body couldn’t even control her breathing.
Having cried all the tears she could, Soeun Yu slowly stood up. She staggered forward, still holding the Iljirok close to her.
She headed toward the cabinet against the wall.
“Uueep…!”
Another wave of nausea rose. Swallowing hard to keep from vomiting, Soeun Yu opened the cabinet door.
What she pulled out from inside was a bottle of white liquor. It was quite potent.
It was a gift from the Cheolyang Trading Company in the past. She had rarely drank alcohol, so it had been stored in the cabinet all this time.
Now, though, it was close to fulfilling its purpose.
Glug, glug—.
The liquor was strong. What Soeun Yu drank was especially potent.
Every sip scorched her throat like fire, yet she clenched her eyes shut, holding the bottle tightly as she swallowed.
Only when the white liquor in the bottle was reduced by half did she pull it away from her lips. Her figure swayed heavily.
“Haa… Haaaa…”
Unfortunately, whether drunk or sober, whether in her right mind or not, enduring this torment was still the same. The guilt she felt toward Namgung Cheolbin was that strong.
Thud.
Her knees weakened and she collapsed. Crawling toward the bed where Su-a Namgung was sleeping, Soeun Yu held the bottle in one hand and the Iljirok in the other.
Su-a Namgung had a pillow clutched in each hand. The sight stirred a deep sadness within Soeun Yu.
“Ah, aaaaaa!”
“Mmm… Mommy… Daddy….”
“It’s my fault…. If only it wasn’t for me….!”
“…I want to remember but… it’s been too long, I think…”
It reminded her of the old family memories.
With Su-a Namgung in the middle, whispering sweet nothings as they made love in one bed with Namgung Cheolbin.
Those happy times.
But Soeun Yu knew. Those happy times would never happen again.
“I’m sorry… Su-a… It’s all Mommy’s fault…”
It was all her fault, Soeun Yu thought.
She had regretted turning Namgung Cheolbin away during the Qiylhua battle.
“Mommy was such an idiot… Mommy is trash…”
If only she hadn’t, Su-a Namgung wouldn’t have ended up like this.
However, it wasn’t like that anymore.
“I should have protected Daddy… He always protected us…”
Everything was filled with regret.
Regret at having harbored complaints back in the war days when she couldn’t feel his love.
Because back then, Namgung Cheolbin was actually doing his best to express his love.
Regret at being distant after the war ended.
If only she had endured a little discomfort, Namgung Cheolbin had always longed for her.
If only she had taken one step forward, even suggesting they share a bed again…
The unrestrained man would have willingly agreed.
And most importantly…
“Sir, you… should’ve trusted you…”
Not trusting him…
It was her unmistakable mistake, beyond any excuses.
Because of that, Namgung Cheolbin had fallen apart, and in the end, their family shattered. Su-a Namgung’s suffering was also because of that.
What he desired was not wealth, honor, or power, but simply the small haven of family.
Had she been the only one to believe in him, despite the world’s condemnation, they could have hidden away quietly in a village, living happily together.
“I’ve ruined our happiness…”
But how could it be, gathering spilled water again was beyond her control.
Namgung Cheolbin was expelled from the family.
From the family he had devoted his entire life to, burning his very spirit to protect it.
That thought led to another memory that resurfaced in Soeun Yu’s mind.
It was the memory she least wanted to recall, the one she desperately wished to undo.
– You’re the most monstrous creature I’ve ever seen.
“AAAAAA…!”
– Leave quickly. I regret marrying you and living as part of the Namgung family to the point of madness.
“AAAAA, ah, AAAAA….!”
If only she hadn’t said those words.
If only she hadn’t uttered that unforgivable insult, impossible to take back.
By now, Soeun Yu might have been preparing to apologize to Namgung Cheolbin.
“AAAA… Aaah, AAAAA….!”
Even though she had apologized during their last meeting at the Qiylhua battle…
It was a different situation now.
It was a phrase that should never have been spoken.
And for what she had said, she was not even worthy to ask for forgiveness.
How could she have the audacity?
“AAuuuuu… Uuuhhhhh…”
There was no way to apologize.
Yet, as it was, she couldn’t bear it any longer with a clear mind.
A few sips of alcohol weren’t enough to endure.
Glug, glug, glug—!
So, Soeun Yu emptied the bottle she had in her hands.
Born with an inherently frail constitution, she had managed to hang on until now solely because of her role as Su-a Namgung’s mother.
“Uuuuh…”
That resolve collapsed, along with the liquor.
In the waves of panic and shock that surged like the River Jang.
Soeun Yu lost consciousness, collapsing right where she was.
In her final moments, what flashed through her mind was…
– Excuse me, but I no longer have you in my thoughts.
– Moving forward, I would prefer if you didn’t harbor such feelings. It’s a sorry thing to say, but you are somewhat… uncomfortable for me.
It was Namgung Cheolbin’s final, cruelly cold words.
-
“Kkeuuuuekkk…!”
A man was heavily sweating while carrying a massive stone.
Hellfire surrounded him.
He was known by various names such as Holy Sword, Sword Sage, Namgung Cheolbin, and Byul Rak.
Crunch.
“Haah, haah…!”
With every step, the heavy chains attached to his ankles followed, each chain ending with a steel ball that easily weighed ten thousand pounds.
Yet the man neither stopped nor rested.
Because this was hell.
Reaching the next stone after barely moving the previous one, he placed it on his head.
An indescribable pressure was felt from the crown of his head, yet he didn’t give up.
Because this was hell.
And because he was a criminal serving his punishment there.
“…….”
A girl with an expressionless face silently watched him.
Her name was Su-a Namgung.
Su-a Namgung was, as usual, dreaming while asleep.
Dreaming about Namgung Cheolbin suffering eternally in hell.
Suddenly, an uproar erupted from outside the dream.
“……!”
Hell collapsed, and Su-a Namgung’s dream shattered.
The next moment, she returned to reality.
Barely conscious, still caught between wakefulness and sleep.
“……?”
Swoosh.
Her gaze swept around the room.
Scattered furniture, unknown liquids covering the floor, rolling empty bottles, and so on—it was a messy place.
Looking around the entire room, Su-a Namgung murmured in a dull tone.
“What is it… Mom wouldn’t leave things so messy…”
Then, she quickly lay down again.
“It was a dream… I was startled for a moment.”
-
“…Ah.”
Soeun Yu didn’t take long to awaken from her slumber.
The events before her sleep slowly came flooding back into her slightly dazed mind, mixed with the residual drunken dizziness.
“…Haha.”
Matters that were gouging her heart forcibly occupied her thoughts.
Grit.
Sweep.
Biting her own lips, Soeun Yu silently rose to her feet. Perhaps after a night’s sleep, her somewhat organized thoughts made her face reality.
After tidying up her disheveled clothing, she draped an outer garment over herself and quietly stepped out, closing the bedroom door behind her.
The dim corridor of the Namgung family estate, still not lit by morning light, greeted her.
“…….”
There was no particular sentence to utter. No groan, no soliloquy needed.
She was an unworthy woman, daring to betray her husband and yet pretend to lament, when she should be suffering in silence.
“…….”
Her heels clipped softly against the floor as she walked like the tender figure of a concubine in silence.
To the basement of the Namgung estate.
All the guards were asleep, and since it wasn’t far from her room to the basement, Soeun Yu arrived in no more than half an hour.
Plick, Plick.
Of course, upon arriving, there was no trace of the iron door.
It was strange. How could there be no door in a place where there should be one? If Soeun Yu hadn’t known there should have been one, she might have walked past it.
‘That someone… He usually used to do it like this.’
Soeun Yu recalled Namgung Cheolbin’s figure from wartime. Specifically, how he often disappeared into somewhere underground.
She tapped on a certain point on the wall the same way he had, waited a bit, then tapped again.
She hadn’t known what he was doing back then, but now it was clear.
It was the action to open the basement door.
Indeed, the same door she had entered through before was now open before Soeun Yu.
“…….”
With a slightly determined look, Soeun Yu confidently walked inside.
She then found an object she had spotted briefly upon entering.
The object was hanging in an easy-to-see spot and was quickly located.
The Blue Light Precious Sword (청광보검).
Once used by Emperor Huangdi Xuan Yuan himself, ruler of all, it’s known as the Xuan Yuan Sword (헌원검).
One of the Seven Great Precious Swords of Martial Arts (무림칠대보검), its renowned fidelity for shining only for its rightful master is unparalleled among the countless swords in the world.
Even though the blade is now concealed within its scabbard.
“Wasn’t I the wife of the Sword Sage? What brings me here?”
“…I have much to ask you, but let’s finish urgent matters first before talking.”
“This disrespectful one demands you read her diaries… hold on! Wench, what are you trying to do!?”
The Blood Demon, startled by Soeun Yu’s unexpected reappearance, suddenly shouted after preparing to reply brusquely.
Ignoring her, Soeun Yu extended her arm without hesitation.
Towards the Blue Light Precious Sword hanging on the wall.
“Stop! Do you not know that someone who is not the rightful owner will have their head severed by the Blue Light Precious Sword?”
The Blood Demon’s alarmed reprimand pierced her ears, but Soeun Yu did not stop.
Even if it led to a futile death, she had come prepared for it.
Having lived a meek life apart from the one time she fled with Namgung Cheolbin from Mount Hua Sect,
so now, Soeun Yu exhibited a resolve firmer than ever before.
Due to the immense sense of guilt towards Namgung Cheolbin.
“I have to… see him.”
“You, insane woman…!”
“The sword is the only way. It will show me his figure.”
Finally, Soeun Yu’s delicate fingers gently grasped the handle of the Blue Light Precious Sword.
