NOVEL NEXT Chapter 247
Chapter 247: Jiyagi is Scary
The hands of Wi Soryeon trembled as her dead-eyed gaze met that of the Crown Princess.
Crown Princess Juga-yul.
A monster from the inner palace, a cold-blooded ruler who seized power from Geumsang without a trace of mercy.
Meeting her in person was far scarier than the rumors had suggested.
But even so, she couldn’t just sit back and watch Jiyagi being tormented by anyone, let alone the Crown Princess.
‘I must protect Jiyagi.’
At first, Wi Soryeon was merely trying to go along with the whims of Sosumahu.
But that was no longer the case. She realized that Sosumahu genuinely called her ‘Mom.’
Over the years spent with Sosumahu, she discovered her maternal instincts.
Now, Jiyagi felt like a daughter, and Lee Cheol-soo felt like a husband to her.
Her face turned red.
“That’s right! Mom is our mom!”
Swish.
As Sosumahu wrapped her arms around Wi Soryeon, the Crown Princess pressed her temples in disbelief.
“This is absurd.”
Juga-yul couldn’t even imagine that Wi Soryeon, not even a powerful martial artist but merely a Post-Stimulation Indicator, would dare to stand against her.
Just as Juga-yul was about to say something.
A calm voice whispered in her ear.
“…It’s I who is absurd, Your Highness Crown Princess.”
Another voice chimed in. The Crown Princess turned to see a girl…
With dazzling platinum blonde hair and striking sky-blue eyes, standing out from the crowd was Lee Cheol-soo’s Same, Seoharin.
Her emotionless gaze was fixed on Juga-yul.
‘Crown Princess, huh?’
The question that had initially crossed her mind when the Crown Princess called her was now resolved. Seoharin believed: the Crown Princess had returned from the future to the past.
The claim about having shared more than fifty years with her brother, the eunuch, and that her brother’s dream was the Three Storey Tea House’s Wine Pond and Meat Forest were all likely true.
But what did it matter?
Every man dreams of the Three Storey Tea House, after all. She had already been the one to give up the title of the first wife. There was nothing surprising about it now.
What did it matter that they had been together for fifty years? That was a future that had already vanished.
“I understand that you have returned from the future, Your Highness. But the time spent with my brother is a faded memory. The current version of my brother has far more memories with us. Regardless of your feelings, it doesn’t matter unless my brother chooses you.”
Juga-yul fell silent at Seoharin’s words.
Her hands trembled.
That hit close to home.
What she held onto were merely memories of a future that no longer existed, a world that had vanished.
In this world, she had yet to create many memories with Noya.
But she was okay with that.
She could make plenty moving forward.
The problem was Seoharin saying that the one with the power to choose was Noya.
Noya would accept her confession. But not completely. It was still pending. Even if Noya did accept, there was no guarantee that she would be chosen as the official concubine.
Suddenly, a wave of fear washed over her. The fear that she might not be chosen enveloped her.
Juga-yul bit her lips. For just a fleeting moment, Seoharin noticed her shudder. She asked.
“Do you believe you can be chosen by him, Your Highness?”
“Of course, I can.”
“I see. But human hearts are unpredictable; no one knows the true feelings of my brother. The brother you knew from the future is not the same as the one here now. So… we cannot know who will be chosen to become the official concubine, unless there are no external variables.”
Seoharin’s empty gaze met the dead eyes of the Crown Princess.
“Your sister is correct, Your Highness.”
… Hmph. I also agree with Seoharin.
Yu Jinhwi and Seomun Cheong-ha were the first to back Seoharin’s words.
Hmph. Auntie Harlene makes a good point. Right, Mom?
Swoosh.
Sosumahu, cradled in Wi Soryeon’s arms, spoke up.
Wi Soryeon nodded.
“Uh, umm…”
It was a hesitant voice.
“I agree too.”
So Geom-hu Cheon Sobin, standing beside Wi Soryeon, said.
“It’s a surprise to hear something sensible from a disciple of the hypocritical Orthodox Sect. Who gets recognized, that’s something only time will tell.”
Baek Cheon-hwa, leaning against a pillar, nodded as well.
As for the Official Concubine?
She hadn’t thought much about wanting to be Lee Cheol-soo’s wife until coming here.
But it was essential for the man who would become her husband to gain recognition from her. And in this world, that man could only be Lee Cheol-soo.
Moreover, Lee Cheol-soo had also been her benefactor. The one who connected her to her father.
If it weren’t for him, she could’ve fallen into the temptations of Makdaewon that day and renounced her faith.
Thus, the only man qualified to be her husband was Lee Cheol-soo.
‘Right, that’s how it is.’
Baek Cheon-hwa closed her eyes and opened them again. Her heart raced.
The reason for coming all the way from the distant Beijing to Xinjiang was solely to see Lee Cheol-soo.
It was not just a simple desire for acknowledgment.
She realized it was partially due to the faint feelings she held for the only man she recognized, Lee Cheol-soo.
As Baek Cheon-hwa became aware of her own affections, her gaze turned toward the Crown Princess.
Unlike others beholden to the Central Plains, she, as a successor of the Heavenly Horse Church ruling the north, could stand a little taller in front of the Crown Princess.
Juga-yul narrowed her eyes at the sight of Baek Cheon-hwa.
“What the children are saying is indeed correct, Your Highness Crown Princess. What matters is the intent of the higher authority.”
The Geumhu bowed her head.
Her silver eyes glimmered.
Indeed.
She had been too weighed down by the title of Crown Princess.
What was the Crown Princess’s situation, anyway? The girl who had just proposed was none other than herself.
Everything hinged on the intent of the higher authority.
“Surely, you don’t plan to seize power regardless of Gaga’s intent, do you? Hehe.”
Jeoksawol beside her laughed.
That was a provocation.
Was she intending to use her power to forcibly win?
Among the girls, the only one who remained silent was Goeui Dang Yeong-ryeong.
Ugh, why am I here, anyway?
As Lee Cheol-soo’s Official Concubine, she had little interest in such matters.
No, to say she had no interest would be a lie. She prided herself on being the cutest martial artist in the martial world.
In reality, she was indeed beautiful, ranking among the top—a beauty comparable to Seomun Cheong-ha, the most beautiful from the Orthodox Sect, or even the breathtaking Yu Jinhwi and Seoharin.
Yet, it was only Lee Cheol-soo who bore an indifferent demeanor towards her.
Moreover, the words Lee Cheol-soo had spoken to her that day still left a scar on Dang Yeong-ryeong.
That was why. Dang Yeong-ryeong was tirelessly trying to appeal to Lee Cheol-soo, but her attempts seemed futile.
While she occasionally felt mixed emotions in the process, she thought it was far from being worthy of discussing the Official Concubine.
As all this unfolded, Juga-yul pressed her temples.
“Such childish provocations. How immature you all are…”
An absurd provocation.
In the end, she would be the one chosen.
Yes, that would surely be the case.
The weight of time is not easy to shake off.
The focus in Juga-yul’s eyes faded entirely.
She spoke.
“What do you take me for? That will not happen. Regardless, the outcome of this contest has already been decided. You will all simply watch helplessly as it leads to its inevitable conclusion.”
Just as Juga-yul spoke in a cold voice.
“Ugh!?”
Sosumahu clutched her forehead. She flinched, her eyes widening.
In her sight, Juga-yul emerged, radiating a terrifying aura, causing Sosumahu to grab Wi Soryeon’s skirt.
“Mom! Waaah! Jiyagi is scary! Who’s that frightening sister over there…”
Sosumahu had reverted back to her childlike self.
Everyone was taken aback by Sosumahu’s sudden behavior.
Meanwhile, Sosumahu continued to sob.
“It’s okay. Mom’s here.”
Wi Soryeon hugged Sosumahu and gently stroked her head.
She was clearly a pro at soothing.
Watching the scene, Juga-yul pressed her temples.
“The tension is broken.”
She said.
In any case, they had sufficiently exchanged their views. They would only continue running parallel, but this meeting was not devoid of meaning for her.
Until now, she had not even participated in the competition for the Official Concubine. She had not gained recognition from anyone.
But now, she had undeniably made her presence felt.
Furthermore, she paved the way toward victory.
Among all those girls, none could strongly oppose her.
The initiative had fallen squarely into her hands.
‘Noya’s Official Concubine is only me.’
The day of victory would soon approach.
The moment Noya accepted her heart, everything would be decided.
Of course, it would end in her victory.
Juga-yul thought that way and then spoke.
“I have said all that I need to. I shall take my leave now. Everyone, disperse.”
As Juga-yul’s dismissal echoed through the hall, the girls slowly began to scatter.
Juga-yul propped her elbows on the armrests of her chair and rested her chin in her hands, watching them leave, biting her lips.
The exchange of words had ended in catastrophe.
It was something she had anticipated.
Now, all that remained was to wait.
*
That day.
After the eunuch received the Imperial Summons and departed, I headed toward another royal chamber in Namdae, accompanied by Sosumahu and Wi Soryeon.
That place, filled with an impressive fragrance, held him.
A monk clad in a red robe, with a child-like appearance and a shaved head, looked like a novice.
It was the absolute master of the Orthodox Faction, Won-geuk Dae-sa.
Won-geuk Dae-sa was also one of the absolute masters gathered by the Heavenly Mandate on the Central South Sea.
He greeted Sosumahu with a smile.
“Amitabha. It’s been a while, Sosumahu Elder.”
“Elder? Please, spare me. Pfft. I’m not that old. Why do you, a kid of not much difference in age, call me Elder?”
Sosumahu shuddered at Won-geuk’s polite greeting.
Won-geuk was 105 years old this year, while Sosumahu was 110 years old.
Although Sosumahu was five years older, a difference of one year mattered little in a time when a five-year gap was hardly significant compared to modern Korea.
Responding to Sosumahu’s words, Won-geuk chuckled kindly.
“Isn’t that more fun? To call you Elder? If you dislike that, I’ll call you Baekri Benefactor instead. Baekri Benefactor. Your complexion has brightened up quite a bit.”
Whoosh.
Won-geuk poured tea. It was not the cheap leafy tea he had grown himself, but the royal tribute known as West Lake Longjing.
After drinking the Longjing tea, Sosumahu looked at Won-geuk.
Sosumahu and Won-geuk were old acquaintances.
Back when she was searching for information to release the Gold Restriction, she had met Won-geuk.
At that time, Won-geuk could not release the Gold Restriction.
“Novice of Shaolin. I heard you have deciphered the Upper Clear Secret,” she said.
Now, he could do it.
Having recently completed interpreting the Upper Clear Secret, The highest martial arts manuscript of the Mosan Sect.
“Indeed.”
Won-geuk nodded. His mysterious eyes imbued with the power of the Heavenly Eye Passage gazed at sosumahu.
“If Baekri Benefactor wishes, I can proceed with the release of the Gold Restriction.”
The release of the Gold Restriction.
Was it because she finally heard him say he could release the Gold Restriction that had tormented her for so long?
Sosumahu’s eyes trembled at Won-geuk’s words.