TDTPF~05

Chapter 5

The Favor

One year ago, a week had passed since the Demonic Sect invaded Sichuan.

A night when pitch-black darkness had fallen.

From the most secluded residence of the Namgung Clan, light poured out.

In the quiet dawn when everyone was asleep, only one shadow drawn by the lamp moved busily.

Since seeing her father, who had visited the Namgung Clan three days ago, Tang So-hwa’s judgment had become clouded.

Her father, who valued cleanliness and appearance, had his clothes stained with blood and dust, and his hair, which he always neatly tied, was roughly bundled as he rushed in. He even turned back without anger despite Namgung Hyun’s rejection.

It might be a time when even one person’s help is needed.

Tang So-hwa knew that she wouldn’t be of much help by going, but she also knew that if she stayed here and someone died, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

The moment she stepped out of the room, So-hwa’s path was blocked by a dim silhouette.

When she looked up, a beautiful face that even the faint moonlight couldn’t obscure entered her sight. It was Yeon-ah, leader of Namgung Hyun’s personal martial force, the Yeong Unit, and his lover.

Of all times, running into her outside her shabby residence made her feel unpleasant.

So-hwa stared at her with cold eyes and said,

“Move.”

Yeon-ah’s gaze dropped to the hem of Tang So-hwa’s sleeve.

“Did you bring throwing knives?”

When she didn’t answer, Yeon-ah asked again.

“How many did you bring? Ten? Twenty? A hundred?”

Yeon-ah let out a sigh with a weary expression.

“They’re ones that even Kunlun, Qingcheng, Emei, and even the Tang Clan couldn’t stop. And you think they won’t endure a hundred slashes? After throwing ten, no, even a hundred throwing knives, how do you plan to face them?”

She meant that going would only get her killed.

So-hwa’s lips slowly parted.

“You seem to be mistaken.”

A calm voice, holding neither anger nor sarcasm, settled over the darkness.

“I’m going there to die.”

At those words, Yeon-ah furrowed her brows.

“Rather than surviving alone, I want to stay by my clan’s side. Of course, someone like you probably wouldn’t understand. I don’t need you to understand, so step aside.”

“… Your home is here.”

At those words, Tang So-hwa let out a short laugh.

“Did something happen to your head? My surname isn’t Namgung. It’s Tang.”

“…”

“I said move.”

Yeon-ah took out a letter that she had been holding in her sleeve.

“This is a letter I wrote myself. Please deliver it to them, madam. It concerns Mount Huashan, Mount Wudang, and Zhongnan. They are people I have connections with, so they won’t refuse my request.”

So-hwa’s gaze fell on the letter.

Yeon-ah had been taken in by the Namgung Clan, but there were limits to how much she could learn from Namgung’s martial arts.

While not as closed off as the Tang Clan, the Namgung Clan was still a reclusive group. The advanced martial arts that matched Yeon-ah’s abilities were, unfortunately, only allowed to the direct descendants.

Because she was not of Namgung blood, she had to complete her swordsmanship on her own.

By Namgung Hyun’s orders, wandering through the Central Plains had worked in her favor. Overcoming countless life-and-death situations, she met many martial artists. After innumerable life-or-death battles, she perfected her martial arts, eventually defeating Un-gil of the Wudang Sect, who was one of the Heavenly Ten Swords, and became one of the top sword masters in the world.

However, she had no interest in such fame.

What was important to her was only Namgung Hyun.

Therefore, Tang So-hwa could not trust this letter.

It was an act that went against Namgung Hyun’s will.

“… Did he permit this?”

Though the subject was absent, Yeon-ah seemed to understand the question and shook her head.

“This is my will.”

“Why should your will be respected when mine is ignored?”

Yeon-ah spoke calmly.

“It’s an apology.”

“An apology?”

So-hwa’s brows furrowed.

If one had to apologize for keeping a concubine, the heads of all the prominent families in the Central Plains would have long since fallen to their knees.

Tang So-hwa realized that the apology Yeon-ah spoke of wasn’t merely referring to their relationship.

And, strictly speaking, before Tang So-hwa and Namgung Hyun had their wedding, Yeon-ah had already shared a bond with him.

If anyone was to apologize, it should be Namgung Hyun, who couldn’t let go of both love and power, not the martial artist standing before her.

While it was undeniable that Yeon-ah was uncomfortable, So-hwa also knew she wasn’t someone who would blame another for her own unease or shift blame to an ambiguous third party.

Yeon-ah should have blamed Tang So-hwa. Even though she hadn’t done it, Yeon-ah had lost her child due to poisoning, and the Namgung household all believed it was So-hwa’s doing.

It was unjust, but the situation and the evidence were clear. Unless someone had intentionally framed it, it couldn’t have aligned so perfectly.

So, Tang So-hwa could not understand why Yeon-ah wanted to apologize.

After So-hwa remained silent, Yeon-ah hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“I have never had a child.”

So-hwa’s brow twitched.

“When I was young, I suffered a deep wound to my abdomen. At that time, the physician said I would not be able to have children.”

“Time may have changed your body. With someone like you, it wouldn’t be strange if your bones and flesh suddenly regenerated.”

She was a woman who had undergone a transformation, so what was the use of past wounds? However, Yeon-ah let out a small laugh.

“You must have seen me a certain way, but after the Madam and the Clan Head wed, I… did nothing with him.”

It was hard to believe.

Her wedding had been more than a decade ago.

Tang So-hwa had acknowledged Yeon-ah’s existence as a concubine because Namgung Hyun truly loved her, and Yeon-ah also cared for him deeply.

She had learned this fact only after coming to the Namgung Clan four years ago. At first, it was a shock, but seeing the tender bond between them, she chose not to intrude and took a step back.

Thinking back, Tang So-hwa realized she had never loved Namgung Hyun.

After he revealed his true nature, even when he sought her out out of obligation, she felt liberated when he stopped coming.

Yeon-ah’s calm voice dug into So-hwa’s mind.

“It wasn’t for the Madam. It was for him. I wanted him to finally have a stable family.”

Her answer, as gentle as her nature, flowed out.

“I’ve always felt sorry. I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but it was not easy for me to ignore the Madam’s pain.”

Tang So-hwa didn’t want to accept the apology.

Despite maintaining her composure, So-hwa’s expression tightened.

“Now, you think a single word will put your mind at ease? Is that your way of apologizing?”

Yeon-ah lowered her head.

“Of course not. I never took your pain lightly.”

Her long hair made a soft rustling sound as it fell forward. The black veil that covered her face kept So-hwa from seeing her expression.

It was only the disturbingly calm voice that tickled her eardrums.

“I will repay with death.”

At those words, Tang So-hwa lost her words.

Yeon-ah once again silenced herself before speaking her resolution.

“I will protect the Tang Clan.”

“The Tang Clan is mine to protect.”

A light laugh, as light as the wind, was heard.

So-hwa couldn’t be angry at that laugh.

Unfortunately, Tang So-hwa knew her own abilities well. She was not an exceptional martial artist. What she was about to do was like striking a rock with an egg.

When Yeon-ah raised her head, she smiled. For a moment, her gaze fell on the letter in So-hwa’s hand.

“They will probably come to help. But… you never know what could happen… Madam, you should stay here.”

“Why?”

“There must be someone here to ensure the path is not blocked, don’t you think?”

Tang So-hwa could only close her mouth.

It was a warning to be cautious of Namgung Hyun.

“You have feelings for Namgung Hyun, don’t you?”

“To the Madam, I apologize, but yes. I do harbor feelings for him.”

“Then why do this?”

“My feelings have caused you great pain. It is not right for you to lose everything because I, intoxicated by love, closed my eyes.”

Yeon-ah once again lowered her head.

“To explain, at that time, I couldn’t speak the truth because I feared it would harm someone else.”

So-hwa understood that cryptic statement, even without a subject or further explanation.

If Yeon-ah had confessed that she had no child, Namgung Hyun would have found another way to frame So-hwa. At that time, he might have killed someone to erase the evidence and claimed poisoning.

Namgung Hyun… He was someone capable of such deeds.

A man who would use the woman he loved as a weapon without hesitation.

If he could isolate So-hwa, cutting off her external connections and imprisoning her in a small, secluded side house, he would have done so.

Yeon-ah hesitated, then handed over a small note she had been holding.

“If I die, please give this to him.”

“What is this?”

Instead of explaining, Yeon-ah smiled faintly and briefly responded.

“This is where I’ll be buried.”

So-hwa tried to refuse, wanting Yeon-ah to deliver it herself, but Yeon-ah didn’t answer and simply disappeared.

And she never returned.

The three sects that received Yeon-ah’s letter arrived swiftly and stopped the advance of the Demonic Sect.

Though they could not prevent the downfall of the Tang Clan or Yeon-ah’s death, they helped recover their bodies.

Tang So-hwa tried to take responsibility for recovering Yeon-ah’s body, but she couldn’t understand the meaning of the note. So, she passed it to Namgung Hyun, and for the first time, he crumbled before her.

It was a sight she could hardly bear to witness.

It was disgusting.

How pitiful he looked, as though he had lost everything, while she had already lost it all.

He had used the woman he claimed to love as a shield, pushing her into every possible danger. Now, after all that, what had he actually done himself?

About a week before Namgung Hyun’s birthday, So-hwa intended to visit Yeon-ah’s grave.

Out of respect for the one who had given her life for her, So-hwa planned to apologize for taking Namgung Hyun’s life. Through inquiries, she found out that Yeon-ah was buried on Emei Mountain and that the name “Yeon-ah” had been given by Namgung Hyun himself.

She didn’t know what had happened on that mountain, but it was said that Yeon-ah stayed by Namgung Hyun’s side to repay a favor.

A false favor.

Could such a man be called a savior?

He had used her as a sword for his whole life, and now he was shedding tears—was that really love?

Namgung Hyun, who had once blamed So-hwa for Yeon-ah’s death with venomous words, had never once felt guilty.

It was because he didn’t feel the slightest bit of remorse for his actions.

At that moment, So-hwa felt sympathy for Yeon-ah for the first time.

Even if she was one of the Heavenly Ten Swords, your life too was fleeting, wasn’t it?

As time passed, when a miracle occurred for Tang So-hwa, she naturally recalled Yeon-ah, vowing to take revenge on Namgung Hyun.

A favor should be repaid twofold, and a grudge tenfold.

When measuring vengeance, the Tang Clan’s custom was to place more weight on the grudge.

She had always regarded favors lightly, but Yeon-ah kept holding her back.

The girl, now with a different name, might not remember So-hwa, but So-hwa wanted to help her live a different life than the one she had lived before.

In this life, she wished that Yeon-ah would not cross the line of death, but peacefully learn martial arts from her master and live her own life, not sacrificing for others.

That was the only favor So-hwa had to repay in this life, and the first grudge she needed to resolve.