NOVEL NEXT Chapter 242
Chapter 242: The Shameless Old Man
As the Hwang Sang calmed down after crying in my arms for a while, she detached herself and rubbed her red, swollen eyelids.
“I’m worried.”
“What are you worried about?” I asked her. Blushing, she nervously twisted her hair with her fingers.
“I accidentally confessed that I am older than Noya.”
Is that so?
Now that I think about it, she had mentioned she liked me for over 80 years. I brushed it off casually, but considering we’ve spent about 50 years together, that’s 30 extra years crammed in there.
“I see you’ve been living at least 30 years more into the future since I used the Rebirth Great Method.”
So, the conclusion is simple. Hwang Sang had been in a future at least 30 years after I used the Rebirth method.
When I told her this, Hwang Sang nodded.
“At first, I expected Noya would come within three years. So, I prepared a small hut in front of Noya’s tomb and wore mourning clothes, waiting for Noya to return. After all, Noya is my father, brother, teacher, and my beloved.”
Hwang Sang’s face turned red.
This is a medieval Confucian world where the teachings of Kong Meng dominate. Mourning for three years is natural, especially when it involves the nation, which felt oddly poignant.
Still, for her to call me a beloved, my feelings are a bit complicated. In my past life, I never saw Hwang Sang in that light.
In private, she was family to me, and publicly, she was my superior.
But ever since her confession, her bold expressions of affection are making me feel strange.
It’s hard to meet her gaze for no good reason.
“But Noya never came. Year after year… I waited until the hut I had built in front of Noya’s tomb became a royal palace, but there was no sign of Noya.”
Her expression darkened.
What if the Great Method worked successfully and I had reincarnated, only to hear the same confession from her again in front of her grave?
What kind of feelings would that have stirred?
It’s a future that no longer exists, so it’s hard to tell.
But one thing is for sure: she waited for me for thirty years.
The fact that she never married during that time was ultimately because of me.
I felt a weight in my heart.
“So I have decided to practice the Rebirth Great Method.”
“Even though the success rate is practically nil?” she asked.
I inquired back.
The chances of success for the Rebirth Great Method were about one in a thousand. For someone like me, who isn’t a great warrior, even attempting it seemed insane.
“Yes.”
Hwang Sang looked at me. Her gaze grew heavy.
“There is no meaning in a world without Noya. Life without Noya felt worse than death itself. Thus, the probability never mattered. If I could just meet Noya, I would do anything.”
Her tone had a weight, and the meaning behind her words was substantial.
Knowing Hwang Sang well enough, I could tell there was not a single ounce of falsehood in her words.
“I’m grateful.”
I had no choice but to bow my head. Seeing me do so startled her, and she said,
“I didn’t mean to put pressure on you, Noya. Please don’t mind it. It’s just a natural thing to do. Thanks to that, here we are meeting again.”
Swish!
Hwang Sang stepped closer, gently grasping my hand as if to intertwine our fingers, and said,
“I’m simply happy to have met Noya again. I have regained my reason for living.”
Hwang Sang smiled, a sincere smile she reserved for me.
I looked into her eyes, swollen and teary. I wiped away the remnants of her tears.
“Don’t cry, Hwang Sang. Didn’t you say you were happy?”
At my touch, her cheek flinched. She quickly turned her back, letting go of my hand.
“I’ve acted disgracefully. I’m sorry, Noya.”
“No, it’s alright.”
“Noya.”
She called me again.
“Actually, besides you, I’ve invited others to the Central South Sea.”
“I heard you invited all the masters from the martial world, including the Hyeongyeong. You must be planning to deal with the Blood Demon. That’s an excellent choice.”
Others.
She must be talking about the masters of Hyeongyeong.
According to my informant, Dongchang, Hwang Sang summoned all the masters from Hyeongyeong to the Central South Sea.
Naturally, that included me, Shinseung, Sahyeong, Geumhu, as well as Jeoksawol from the unorthodox sect, Cheonma from the Demon Sect, and Sosumahu.
With the current top master of the Hwanggung, Cheonranggaek, there will be a total of eight masters gathering in the Central South Sea.
Eight absolute masters.
This gathering of so many absolute masters must be unprecedented in the martial world.
However, I couldn’t rest easy with this potential force.
The Blood Demon.
It was impossible to gauge how powerful he truly was.
The Blood Demon, having transcended impressively, toyed with four absolute masters, including me.
If he fully manifested as a demon body, we would have turned into mere dust by now.
‘So Hwang Sang is planning to have eight masters confront the Blood Demon.’
Even I thought it was the best plan.
With no enlightenment of the boundary of life and death in sight, gathering the masters to take him down was indeed the only viable option.
In my previous life, Sahyeong couldn’t reach that boundary either. Of course, I was still practicing to attain it.
But discussing peak excellence was difficult when the boundary was so far beyond our reach. Just recognizing the sheer walls was challenging.
Primordial Diagram of Harmony.
The mighty Divine Sword Technique, which one can only master by reaching the boundary of life and death.
If I could delve into this Primordial Diagram of Harmony, perhaps I could reach the boundary of life and death as well?
For now, that’s just speculation. Of course, I still couldn’t unfold it. Though the principles existed, they were far too complex to interpret correctly.
It felt like facing the impossible.
Yet, I could not give up. I am a grown man, after all.
‘To face one boundary of life and death with eight masters…’
The Blood Demon’s claim of having seen the peak of myriad martial arts wasn’t an exaggeration. His all-flows-return-to-one technique could not be countered alone.
Simply pooling our strengths wouldn’t suffice. We needed a proper formation, not just a simple joint effort like in the Mosan Sect.
Overwhelming one with numbers in the martial world is best achieved by employing formations. Like the Shaolin’s 108 monks proudly proclaiming they can’t be broken while piling on just one opponent.
At that moment, my thoughts were interrupted.
“Yes, but I haven’t just invited masters.”
Hwang Sang’s voice cut through my musings.
I raised an eyebrow in confusion.
Not just masters? Then who else did she invite?
“This involves Geumhu, Yeomwang, Geomseong, Sosumahu… and of course, Naengmyeon Geomhui Seoharin, Geombong Seomun Cheong-ha, Goeui Dang Yeong-ryeong, So Cheonma Baek Cheon-hwa, So Geom-hu Cheon Sobin, and Heuksaryong Wi Soryeon… I’ve invited all the women connected to you here.”
Her words sent a small shiver of surprise through me. She continued.
“And I revealed my reincarnation to the Geomseong I invited ahead of time. I haven’t disclosed your resurrection.”
Still turned away, she spoke this way.
Reincarnation.
There was no need to forcefully share it now, but eventually, it would have to be revealed to others.
Yet, it wasn’t my place to interfere with Hwang Sang’s decision to share her reincarnation.
After all, if there’s anyone who wouldn’t reveal it without a reason, it was the Hwang Sang I knew.
She was a better politician than I was. She had already reached a level of achievement beyond me.
So, I had no right to judge her decisions arbitrarily.
“Is that so? If Hwang Sang chose to share her reincarnation, I’m sure she had her reasons.”
“Yes, but Noya… may I say something to the women in your life?”
Hwang Sang asked with a slightly timid tone.
Say something?
I thought that should be fine. After all, we were close.
Regardless of her confession, the fact that she was the most precious person to me has never changed.
And she was certainly someone I was meant to care for for life.
Eighty years.
Hwang Sang had suffered from unrequited love for over eighty years. I had to take responsibility in whatever way possible.
Because I’m a grown man, after all.
Moreover, if everyone becomes my women, I must naturally get along with my family, Hwang Sang.
“It’s no problem.”
“Great! Thank you! Noya!”
She leaped back into my arms. I didn’t quite know what I was being thanked for, but I kept my mouth shut.
After comforting her for a while, we were finally able to return to our lodgings.
*
After Lee Cheol-soo returned.
Left alone, Juga-yul closed her eyes and placed a hand over her heart.
Thump, thump.
Her heart was still beating away.
But she realized she was no longer afraid.
‘Noya didn’t reject my confession.’
The corners of her mouth rose.
Yes.
He didn’t reject her. He asked for time to think. And Juga-yul, who knew Noya better than anyone, felt certain at that moment.
Noya was going to accept Juga-yul’s confession.
So though she hadn’t been officially recognized yet, she was potentially Noya’s woman now.
And not just that.
Even after hearing her age, Noya welcomed her with an open heart. In fact, Juga-yul was most worried about her age. She could only maintain her deceit for so long, leading to her confession today, which Noya accepted.
Just as expected, Noya was truly Noya. He cherished everything about her. Even though Juga-yul had grown older than him, he remained warm and gentle to her.
The sheer joy of that fact filled her heart.
Now, Juga-yul’s heart throbbed not with fear, but with excitement.
Hehehehe.
Juga-yul’s low laughter echoed in the empty room.
A bright smile spread across her face like never before.
Finally.
Finally, she was just one step away from becoming Noya’s woman.
She had overcome the greatest mountain.
Now she genuinely had the qualifications.
The qualifications to claim before everyone that she was Noya’s official concubine.
‘…Those shameless old men… and those immature kids…’
The figures of the women connected to Noya flashed through her mind.
Geomseong Yujinhwi, Yeomwang Jeoksawol, Geumhu Eun Seol-ran, Sosumahu Baek Rijiak, Goeui Dang Yeong-ryeong, Naengmyeon Geomhui Seoharin, So Geom-hu Cheon Sobin, Geombong Seomun Cheong-ha, Heuksaryong Wi Soryeon, So Cheonma Baek Cheon-hwa—each vividly printed in her memory.
As she recalled the appearances of those women, Juga-yul’s eyes dulled. The focus faded from her gaze.
Her hands trembled slightly.
‘Noya has permitted it.’
Just moments ago, Noya had said she could say a word to the women.
So, this was given permission.
‘I’ll declare it in front of everyone. Who is the true official concubine of Noya.’
Juga-yul’s eyes grew cold.
The corners of her mouth turned upward.
A light of ecstasy gleamed in her eyes. The permission had been granted.
All that remained now was to make her declaration.