Chapter 146 – Competition for the Succession (3)

Crack!

Bones ground together all over Na Yeon-ung’s body, and his veins bulged. He refused to give up, trying to rise. But his body wouldn’t budge, as if crushed by a giant rock.

“Hmm, is this all the skill the Guardian Hall Master possesses? How truly sad.”

Yu-jin looked down at Na Yeon-ung, who was on his knees, unable to lift his head, and spoke.

Na Yeon-ung felt immense humiliation at Yu-jin’s words. Sensing that Na Yeon-ung had not yet truly submitted, Yu-jin grabbed his head and stared into his eyes.

The moment their gazes met, a vast illusion engulfed Na Yeon-ung. It was the Spirit Eye, one of the techniques Kang Yu-hyeon had mastered—an art that could distort and manipulate a person’s mind.

It was not a simple technique to learn, but an incredibly difficult art that could only be used by those who had reached the Profound Realm and could create illusions with formless energy alone.

“N-no! Ah, stop! Aaaargh!”

What could he have seen? Na Yeon-ung, trembling in fear, writhed and tore at his hair. Saliva dripped endlessly from his mouth, and tears of blood streamed from his eyes.

Yu-jin, thinking that Na Yeon-ung would be of little help even if he followed him, had completely shattered his mind.

“My, my. It breaks my heart to see the Guardian Hall Master go mad like this. Vice Master Jin A-rin.”

“Yes, Great Young Master!”

At Yu-jin’s call, Jin A-rin smiled brightly and looked at Yu-jin, the master of her soul.

“From now on, you will be the interim master of the Guardian Hall. I don’t know why he went mad, but Master Na was a member of our clan, so please treat him with respect.”

He said to treat him with respect, but the underlying meaning was entirely different. Of course, Jin A-rin knew exactly what Yu-jin wanted.

“You don’t need to worry.”

Nodding at Jin A-rin’s words, Yu-jin looked at the people who had not yet pledged their support to him.

“And what will you all do?”

Seeing Yu-jin completely break Na Yeon-ung’s spirit, though they didn’t know how, they completely lost the will to resist.

“We will follow the Great Young Master!”

Everyone knelt and pledged their loyalty, and Yu-jin accepted it. Believing that loyalty of the heart did not exist in this world, Yu-jin steadily built his power in his own way.

* * *

There was a woman. Her name was Hong Ye-won. She was an outstanding swordswoman from the Sword Pavilion and the junior martial sister of Yu-jin’s mother, Ye Un-hyang.

She admired Ye Un-hyang so much that when she married, Hong Ye-won left the Sword Pavilion to become the leader of the Flower Sword Brigade, vowing to protect her. But before Yu-jin, she was just a woman.

“Hah… Haaah…”

Hong Ye-won’s moans grew louder. Her flushed face was both very feminine and sensual. Yu-jin took her by the chin and turned her red lips toward him.

Hong Ye-won immediately pressed her lips against his. Yu-jin passionately wrapped his tongue around hers, and Hong Ye-won actively responded to his actions.

“It seems you haven’t been with another man for a while. Seeing how hot you are, Auntie.”

After saying that, Yu-jin kissed her again, holding Hong Ye-won tightly with one arm while kneading her ample breast with the other.

Hong Ye-won then sensuously ground her hips, stimulating Yu-jin. After a long kiss, Yu-jin had her hold onto the bed and present her buttocks.

Then, he took off her skirt and pulled down her undergarments. Her firm, radiant buttocks were revealed before him.

“This is… too… embarrassing…”

Knowing resistance was futile, Hong Ye-won still offered a light protest.

“Lying is not good. You’re already dripping wet, what are you talking about?”

Yu-jin said, aiming his member toward her petals, slick with a clear fluid.

“Ah, wait. Before we do this, the Flower Sword Brigade supports me, right?”

“O-of course… Q-quickly.”

Answering Yu-jin, Hong Ye-won urged him on. Yu-jin smiled faintly and pushed his member into her petals.

Hong Ye-won cried out loudly as she accepted Yu-jin’s member. However, because Yu-jin still had much to do, their union did not last long.

* * *

A beautiful woman in her mid-thirties was strolling through a garden. Beside her stood two female warriors, protecting her.

Due to the woman’s high status, the female warriors remained on high alert, even though they were in the gardens of the True Dragon Sword Clan.

“Sigh.”

Seol Un-yeong, Kang Yu-hyeon’s seventh wife, let out a sigh. Ever since her husband, Kang Yu-hyeon, was assassinated by a villain, her life had been a living hell.

In truth, she had not married Kang Yu-hyeon for love. No, it was the same for the other wives as well. The only one who had was likely the First Lady, Ye Un-hyang.

But after being held in his arms countless times and bearing his children, she had grown fond of him, coming to love and rely on Kang Yu-hyeon. And then, such a husband was suddenly assassinated.

“What am I to do?”

Under normal circumstances, her son might have had a chance to be the successor, but these were extraordinary times. Because of that, her son, Kang U-jin, was not even considered a candidate.

Since women could not become the clan head in the first place, Kang Ye-jin was naturally out of the question as well. This meant the shield that could protect her had completely vanished.

Of course, her own family was quite powerful, but not powerful enough to fully protect her within the massive entity that was the True Dragon Sword Clan.

“At this rate, I could be kicked out at any moment.”

When a new clan head emerged and married, Seol Un-yeong would have to leave her children behind and depart from the True Dragon Sword Clan. And the other children who did not become the successor would have to work with all their might for the clan head and the family. That was the tradition of the True Dragon Sword Clan.

She did not want to leave the True Dragon Sword Clan. She didn’t want to be separated from her son and daughter. The problem was, she had no choice.

“Who’s there!”

Sensing a sudden presence, one of the female warriors swung her sword at the empty air, and a pure white sword energy shot forth.

But the sword energy exploded in mid-air. Ink-black particles began to gather before them, soon forming the figure of a person.

It was someone they knew very well.

“Y-you are?”

Seol Un-yeong, who knew nothing of martial arts, stared with trembling eyes at the smiling young man before her.

It was her stepson, Kang Yu-jin—the one known to be closest to becoming the clan head, supported by many people even if he wasn’t recognized by the clan’s high-ranking officials.

“It’s been a while, Youngest Mother.”

Having subjugated over ten elders and the Guardian Hall, known as one of the strongest combat units in the True Dragon Sword Clan, Yu-jin’s next target was Seol Un-yeong.

To be precise, his targets were her and the other mothers of children who had been pushed out of the succession race. Although they couldn’t directly exert power in the competition, their influence was not to be ignored.

“Even if you are the Great Young Master, you cannot enter here without permission!”

The female warriors shouted at Yu-jin. Because of his status, they didn’t dare point their swords at him, but their glares were sharp enough to kill him several times over.

Yu-jin smiled at them, and the two warriors who met his gaze immediately lost consciousness and collapsed.

One might have been flustered by this absurd event, but Seol Un-yeong composed her breathing and remained calm. She looked at Yu-jin and opened her mouth.

“Yes. It has been a long time, Yu-jin. I heard you’ve been busy with the matter of the clan head position. What brings you to see me?”

Yu-jin was satisfied by Seol Un-yeong’s calm inquiry, despite her being an ordinary woman with no knowledge of martial arts. With that level of composure, a conversation would surely be possible.

Well, it wouldn’t matter even if she refused. A physical conversation would surely convince her. Though it would certainly leave a slightly unpleasant feeling.

“Must there be a reason for me to see my mother?”

“For you to say that, you’ve never once come to see me privately before.”

At Seol Un-yeong’s words, Yu-jin gave a bright smile.

“Well, I suppose there’s no helping it. I’ve come to ask for your help, Mother.”

“My help? You mean you need the help of a mere woman who knows nothing of martial arts?”

Seol Un-yeong asked in confusion, and Yu-jin nodded.

“To be precise, I need the help of the faction you’ve built up until now. The one you personally established for U-jin and Ye-jin.”

At Yu-jin’s words, Seol Un-yeong trembled involuntarily. No one knew about the faction she had created.

Publicly, she was known to have no interest in the power struggles of the True Dragon Sword Clan. So how could Yu-jin possibly know about the power she had secretly built?

“You shouldn’t be surprised that I figured out something so simple. You’re not the only one who has been secretly amassing power, Youngest Mother.”

“I see. But compared to the power you possess, it is nothing, is it not? With the help of your in-laws, you shouldn’t need a small faction like mine.”

“I wonder? It doesn’t seem like such a small faction to me. You can’t call a faction that includes an elder and several other high-ranking officials ‘small’.”

As Yu-jin spoke as if he knew the members in detail, Seol Un-yeong unwittingly clenched her teeth.

Honestly, it was a faction she had secretly created not so much to make her son the successor, but simply to survive in the True Dragon Sword Clan.

So, she had never used them to plot anything. But now, Yu-jin was demanding she give that faction to him.

“I’m sorry. I have no interest in who sits on the clan head’s seat. And I don’t think you need my help that much.”

“Hmm, this is problematic. I have no intention of receiving help from my in-laws. That’s why I desperately need the power you possess. I would appreciate it if you would lend me that faction. It would be troublesome for both of us if an unfortunate incident were to occur, wouldn’t it?”

At Yu-jin’s words, Seol Un-yeong glared at him with a cold expression. It was a natural reaction to words that anyone would perceive as a threat.

“Are you threatening me right now?”

“Of course not. Although we are not related by blood, aren’t you still my mother, Youngest Mother?”

Yu-jin spoke with a smile, but Seol Un-yeong did not erase the cold look on her face.

“If you have no further business, leave.”

But Yu-jin did not leave, and Seol Un-yeong was about to shout at him again. But Yu-jin spoke first.

“Must I truly stain my hands with the blood of my beloved younger siblings for you to help me? Ye-jin, especially, loved me so much. It’s sad that I must kill such a sibling with my own hands.”