Chapter 52
“…Who might you be?”
Shin Geum trembled slightly as she entered her store.
An elderly man was sitting alone, drinking tea in her otherwise empty shop.
“Good grief, I thought you were a ghost.”
Though surprised, Shin Geum didn’t scold the old man.
“If you’re here for noodles, it’ll take a while since I’ll have to prepare the broth. Is that okay?”
“They call me Tak Joong-hak.”
Ignoring her question, the old man introduced himself.
“Seems like you’ve come for me, not the noodles.”
Shin Geum trudged over and sat across from him.
“By Tak, do you mean that Tak Family?”
“That’s correct.”
“A person of your stature visiting someone like me—what could it be about?”
“I have a question, and though it may be improper, I came here in person.”
“Let me guess—this is about my granddaughter.”
Shin Geum sighed deeply and poured herself a cup of tea.
“I’ve been getting visits from martial artists ever since this started. They say my granddaughter is a once-in-a-century genius. Do you think so too, Tak Family Head?”
“I haven’t exchanged moves with her yet, so I wouldn’t know.”
“Hearing that from the head of the Tak Family, I guess it was exaggerated.”
“Your granddaughter has become the disciple of the Heavenly Demon. Are you not happy about it?”
“You think so?”
If that’s what you see, your eyes aren’t bad.
Tak Joong-hak chuckled as if Shin Geum had read his mind.
Then, Tak Joong-hak asked a peculiar question.
“Where did you find her?”
“…?”
“I did some digging. You’ve been running this shop for 17 years, but before that, you moved around a lot. Oddly enough, no one from your previous residences remembers your face.”
Tak Joong-hak pulled out a portrait of Shin Geum from his robe.
“Interestingly, there are those who recall the name Shin Geum. Naturally, they were referring to someone else.”
The investigative skills of Hyeonwol Hall rivaled those of Ghostly Soul Pavilion. Shin Geum hadn’t expected her past to be dug up to this extent.
“Even more curious—there’s no record of you having children.”
Tak Joong-hak’s voice grew increasingly agitated.
“At first, I was enraged beyond measure. How dare you drag my daughter into such vile schemes!”
“Daughter? What are you talking about?”
“I should be asking you! Who told you?”
“Told me what?”
“You groomed a child to resemble my daughter and presented her to the Heavenly Demon! Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”
Shin Geum cautiously studied Tak Joong-hak’s expression.
Though this was their first meeting, she had never heard of the Tak Family Head being this emotional.
Is this an act?
She couldn’t shake her doubts. However, his rage felt all too real.
Above all, one thing stood out.
The Tak Family Head has a daughter?
This was news to Shin Geum.
As she remained silent, Tak Joong-hak’s anger only escalated.
“Tell me who informed you of my daughter’s connection to the Heavenly Demon!”
He was convinced that someone from the Martial Alliance had planted a spy.
Though he didn’t know how the spy had uncovered the relationship between the Heavenly Demon and Seonhwa, one thing became clear to him after watching the martial tournament.
The Heavenly Demon’s disciple bore an uncanny resemblance to his daughter.
She must have been trained as an assassin to kill the Heavenly Demon.
Despite his hatred for the Heavenly Demon, Tak Joong-hak never wished for his death.
After all, he was still the leader of the Demonic Cult and Tak Joong-hak’s lord.
“Goodness.”
Shin Geum sipped her tea.
This was going to be a long explanation, and she wasn’t sure she could keep her composure through it all.
“Where should I even begin to clear up this misunderstanding…”
Shin Geum had noticed Tak Joong-hak’s presence even before she entered the shop.
She was well aware that his subordinates had already surrounded the area.
She had prepared herself for a confrontation, but this bizarre misunderstanding caught her off guard.
“First, let me ask you this. Did the Tak Family Head have a daughter?”
“Feigning ignorance won’t save you now.”
“I’ve heard that the Tak Family lacks direct descendants. Are you saying there was one originally?”
Everyone knew the Tak Family had adopted a nephew to serve as the heir.
“Scheming won’t help you escape. Admit you’re a spy from the Martial Alliance, and I’ll spare your life.”
He wasn’t listening.
Tak Joong-hak’s erratic behavior when his daughter was mentioned was clearly abnormal.
“You asked about my past earlier?”
Reluctantly, Shin Geum began to reveal some truths.
“My records were altered because I joined the cult 17 years ago.”
“My daughter’s name must have been mentioned by whoever helped you forge your identity.”
“There was no such person. I am not a spy from the Martial Alliance.”
“Hah, you’re really going to keep this up?”
Tak Joong-hak sneered as if he had just heard the most absurd statement.
Shin Geum bristled without realizing it. She wouldn’t have cared for herself, but the innocent smile of her granddaughter flashed through her mind.
“I was being pursued by the Martial Alliance! I chose to become a demonic cultist to survive!”
As the memories of that day surged, a chilling aura leaked from Shin Geum.
Back then, she had endured suffering worse than death itself.
“So, you even practiced ways to evade capture in advance?”
“Let me finish what I’m saying!”
If Shin Geum’s true identity were revealed, it would mean certain death.
But her granddaughter, Shin Seol-ha, must live. The child had done no wrong.
“I was utterly exhausted. I hadn’t rested properly in over ten days, and I was injured, running for my life.”
Her destination was the Demonic Cult.
To survive, Shin Geum had turned her back on everything she had known, fleeing desperately.
“Just as I was nearing Mount Cheon, they finally caught up to me. I was so weak I thought I would die there. Then, as if by a miracle, someone came to my aid.”
“And this benefactor was part of the Demonic Cult?”
“Probably.”
“So, you arrived at the cult together?”
“…If only that had been the case.”
Shin Geum’s gaze darkened.
“My benefactor was also fleeing from someone. I believe she helped me because she sympathized with my situation.”
“A deserter from the Demonic Cult?”
“No, I don’t think so. Her destination was the same as mine.”
“…Her?”
“She was a young woman. She carried an infant on her back.”
“…!”
Tak Joong-hak’s eyes widened.
Shin Geum continued, meeting his gaze directly.
“Even after we reached Mount Cheon, her pursuers didn’t relent. We fought back together but were overwhelmed. Eventually, we were both completely spent, barely clinging to life.”
“…What was her name?”
“I don’t know. We didn’t have the chance to ask each other.”
“And where is she now?”
“I already told you—we didn’t make it back together.”
“So, you abandoned your benefactor to save yourself?”
“She entrusted me with her child!”
Tears welled up in Shin Geum’s eyes.
“When her injuries made it impossible for her to move, she begged me to save her daughter. The baby was less than a month old.”
Shin Geum had refused multiple times, but in the end, she couldn’t ignore the woman’s final plea.
“A mother’s love must be something extraordinary. She used the last of her strength to block the path, and I ran with the baby. I didn’t dare look back, afraid I might fail to protect the child.”
Tak Joong-hak trembled.
He seemed to grasp the full meaning of her words.
“You said Shin Seol-ha resembles your daughter?”
Tak Joong-hak’s breathing quickened, his gaze filled with a desperate yearning.
“The child I saved 17 years ago is Shin Seol-ha. As she grew, she came to resemble the woman who begged me to save her. I often wondered who that woman was. What had driven her to beg so desperately to raise her daughter as an ordinary child? I still don’t know.”
Given the circumstances, Shin Geum’s benefactor was undoubtedly Tak Joong-hak’s daughter.
But why hadn’t she revealed that her child was part of the Tak Family?
The Tak Family, and Tak Joong-hak himself, were revered by all demonic cultists.
“Don’t tell me you were the one pursuing her?”
Shin Geum made this accusation to protect her granddaughter’s innocence.
If Tak Joong-hak intended harm to Shin Seol-ha, Shin Geum wouldn’t stand idly by.
“There was… there was a child?”
“…You mean to say you didn’t know?”
“How could I? I didn’t even know where she was or how she lived for three years!”
“Then you don’t even know where she’s buried.”
Tak Joong-hak shot to his feet.
“Do you know where Seonhwa is buried?”
“After joining the cult, I went back to check, leaving only the child behind. I thought perhaps my benefactor had survived.”
But that hope had been in vain. Though the woman had successfully blocked the path, she hadn’t escaped death.
“I gathered her remains and made a grave nearby. I visit it regularly to pay my respects.”
“Where is it? Take me there now!”
“Wait.”
Shin Geum agreed without hesitation. She went upstairs to retrieve something, hung a closed sign on her shop’s door, and gestured.
“Follow me.”
With movements as swift as an arrow, Shin Geum led the way.
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