Chapter 75

Maga (3)

"Any news on Seomye's condition?"

"He's been confined to his quarters in the main house."

A man with a sword reported to Juyeon-jeong, who sat at the head of the table.

This was a side building of the Iphwang-ga family in Iphwang Castle. The guest room, which was originally a bedroom, had been converted into an office at Juyeon-jeong's command.

"He was said to have severe internal injuries. If I send him some medicinal herbs, will he accept them?"

She was talking to herself.

Juyeon-jeong tapped her fingers on the table, lost in thought.

She was deep in contemplation, ignoring the kneeling warrior who had been her loyal servant since childhood.

She was of royal blood. She could have said that Seomye's background was lowly. That was how it used to be.

'There are rumors that he received a secret technique from the city lord.'

The situation had changed. The difference between a few moves and the transmission of a secret technique was significant.

Seomye's value had grown day by day.

There were also reports that he had made great contributions to the destruction of the Blood Flame Sect's main branch during recent martial activities.

His achievements were impressive, and his seniority even more so.

"If we are to fully embrace the Ma family, we cannot dismiss Seomye. No matter how I think about it, I can't come up with a solution. Even if I think about it for days... Is it the same for you?"

"..., Yes, my lord."

The loyal servant replied. He was a swordsman with a will of iron.

His martial skills were on par with any blue-robed expert, and he had weathered many political struggles alongside Juyeon-jeong.

Juyeon-jeong swept her fingers across the table and closed her eyes slightly.

'Seomye. Is he a vessel worth embracing?'

The lineage of the Ming Taizu was said to be unprecedented in the history of the Central Plains.

Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang had twenty-six sons.

Except for the crown prince and the heir apparent, all of them had concubines. The royal family grew endlessly.

At this point, the number of people with Taizu's name in their household registers exceeded several thousand.

Few had titles such as Prince, Grand Princess, or Duke.

It was difficult to rule as a regional lord. There were too many royals.

Most lived in various estates near Beijing.

Juyeon-jeong's father was one of them. He only had a nominal rank.

Juyeon-jeong was both noble and insignificant. She could not become a princess or a queen because she was not the daughter of a prince or a duke.

That's why she came to Iphwang Castle. She married her cousin from the Ma family, who was known for his high character.

Thanks to her son's good qualities, she could be called a daughter-in-law by the previous leader of the new sword team.

The direct line of the Ma family was infertile, so she also served Ma Yeonjeok with great devotion.

"I told Seomye. Now I can't hide my background from other factions. It's actually good that my succession rights are being shaken. Wasn't it to reveal this at the right time to overcome the crisis?"

"That is so."

"However, it's just a temporary measure. Seomye is a child with both legitimacy and martial prowess. He will torment me until I die. Even if I don't intend to, it will happen."

Sometimes, by talking, one can organize their thoughts. This was not a place to seek the opinion of her loyal servant.

She cannot become a warlord because she has no title.

When she realized her situation as a child, she had only one wish: to prove her identity and value.

She sought a way to become a true royal elsewhere.

She wanted to wield one of the royal family's swords aimed at the martial world. The arsenal was Iphwang Castle, and the sword was the Iphwang-ga family.

She said,

"There was talk of a life-or-death duel with the head of the Namgung family. I heard it would be in the form of a martial arts competition. Can Seomye break through the selection process and receive a mission?"

"It's hard to gauge his skills. He seems capable of going twenty rounds with a subordinate, but I heard that his previous performance was not at full strength."

"That's what I felt too. To be able to do that much despite his internal injuries. He's truly unpredictable."

"Using assassins...?"

"You'll soon realize how absurd your suggestion is. Secretly assassinating the city lord's direct disciple...? It's the kind of thing only short-sighted martial artists would do. Rather than leaving a thorn in the side of the Ming's new swords, it's better to be content with my own lot."

She chuckled.

"I can neither kill nor dismiss him. There's no other way."

"..."

"Let's measure Seomye's worth. How much effort should I put into him?"

It was decided. She decided to become his mentor.

It was better to embrace and control him than to make him an enemy, which would be a poor strategy.

Seomye was a promising young talent of interest to the Iphwang Castle lord. She would support him so much that he couldn't keep up.

Her task was clear.

'Let's measure his worth.'

How much resources and manpower would it take to bring him under her control?

She dismissed her loyal servant and lay down on her bed. The office was also her bedroom.

As the future lady of the Iphwang-ga family, she already had many responsibilities both inside and outside.

'I should visit him in person when the day breaks.'

However, she couldn't sleep. She heard a strange sound. For the first time, the ambitious collateral royal doubted her ears.

"Yeon-jeong!"

It was a tremendous sound, both in volume and meaning.

Juyeon-jeong hesitated for a moment. Was there another Yeon-jeong nearby?

"Yeon-jeong! Yeon-jeong!"

The shouts didn't stop. They echoed widely, as if to wake the entire castle.

Despite the reckless voice, it seemed to be powered by deep internal energy.

"What kind of madman..."

A vulgar word slipped out of her proud lips.

Swoosh.

She stepped out, wearing only a long robe over her nightgown.

Although she spoke of the authority of the royal family, she was already a true martial expert of the martial world.

Her family's martial arts were the same as the royal family's, and she had practiced them diligently since childhood.

She had even heard that her father-in-law praised her for her high skills.

"Who is it!"

"There's such an unrighteous person in the castle...!"

"Ma Guangyi? Is it really Ma Guangyi!"

When she stepped outside, the scene was already chaotic. A riot had broken out.

Dozens of low-ranking warriors were tangled up trying to catch a white figure, but they couldn't subdue him.

"What a presumptuous..."

"Shouldn't we step in immediately?"

"Wait. There are eyes watching us."

"That's true. Even if the elders help Lady Zhu, it's one thing to damage the family's dignity and get involved with a child. This is the main castle, not some other place. Don't act rashly."

The divided elders did not move. Neither did the guardians of Ma Sein and Juyeon-jeong.

The scuffle continued. It wasn't because the Ma family's warriors were incompetent.

The problem was the agile movements of the white figure, who was waving a hero's headband on his forehead.

He had already escaped the grasp of the guards. His movements were silent and fluid, as if he had mastered a secret technique.

"Seomye?"

Juyeon-jeong muttered. A boy lying to one side caught her eye.

The man and woman standing with him were also familiar. Cheong-an Ma-geom and Baek Milyeo, the Blue-eyed Demon Sword and the White Beauty Whip.

They were Ma Guangyi's vanguard and among the top experts of the new sword team.

Juyeon-jeong's delicate brows furrowed.

"Where is Yeon-jeong!"

The loud cries of the commoner drew a crowd. Iphwang Castle was a cluster of pavilions.

It meant that there were many residents. The night disturbance was a spectacle.

'Do they intend to make this a public issue?'

Juyeon-jeong caught a glimpse of the intruders' intentions. They seemed to be trying to escalate the situation.

Seomye and the Iphwang-ga family. If the story is delved into deeply, the latter will bear the brunt of the blame. It would be difficult to mislead with lies.

There were discerning nobles everywhere in the main castle.

The situation was clear.

'I need to subdue this.'

She was being called directly. The justification was clear.

Thud!

Juyeon-jeong immediately pushed off the ground. The internal energy gathered at the Yongquan point on the sole of her foot exploded.

The footwork of the royal family's martial art, the Eight Methods of the Golden Immortal, greatly reduced the distance.

A loud noise and a long line of dust rose in a straight line.

In an instant, she reached the battlefield.

The agile young man in white, Ma Guangyi, smiled.

He was quite impressive. Juyeon-jeong kept her eyes on him and spoke in a whisper.

"Come out."

The Ma family warriors moved away in unison. Their movements were precise, a sign of well-trained group combat skills