Chapter 80
“Second Young Master, what do you mean by that?”
“Are you saying the First Young Lady is the granddaughter of the Tak Family’s Patriarch?”
At the sudden revelation, Yeo Gong and Wi Lin frowned.
Seeing their reaction, Tak Joong-hak spoke.
“I heard that Lord Wi visited the Sim Family.”
“……!”
“Didn’t you ask Lord Sim whether the First Young Lady resembled my deceased daughter?”
Wi Lin’s eyes trembled.
Anyone could tell he had been caught off guard.
However, his shock didn’t last long.
“Impressive, Tak Lord!”
Yeo Gong sneered viciously.
“To think you would try to cover up the situation with such a ridiculous lie! Do you really believe that claiming kinship with the First Young Lady will erase the fact that the Tak Family colluded with the Martial Alliance?”
“I understand why Lord Yeo is so desperate to tie me to the Martial Alliance.”
“W-What?”
“This is why you people will never succeed.”
At Tak Joong-hak’s sigh, Yeo Gong and Wi Lin’s expressions twisted simultaneously.
It was a remark that prodded at their deep-seated inferiority complex.
“If I had truly sided with the Martial Alliance, I wouldn’t be standing around talking. I would have used all my power to capture you by now. Wouldn’t that be the best way to serve the cult?”
“…A traitor like you dares to lecture us?”
“Ignorance is no excuse. If you are lacking, you must learn. How else do you expect to lead the cult in the future?”
Lacking, he said.
From where I stood, they were nothing but ruthless scum.
‘Right, Grandmother?’
I glanced at Grandmother, who smiled softly at me.
She had been holding my hand tightly without saying a word.
She probably had a lot she wanted to tell me, but given the situation, she was holding back.
She must have thought I was utterly shaken.
Well, to be fair, I was surprised.
It was already unbelievable enough that someone like me—who didn’t even exist in the original novel—had become a disciple of the Heavenly Demon.
And now, I was the granddaughter of the Tak Family’s Patriarch?
How much more fantastical could my background get?
But that was it.
Finding lost relatives didn’t suddenly stir sentimental feelings in me.
Sure, having someone like Tak Joong-hak as my grandfather was reassuring.
But for me, Grandmother mattered far more.
After all, I wasn’t the original Seol-ha.
That was one advantage of being a transmigrator—I could stay detached, observing everything from a third-person perspective.
…Well, except when it came to Grandmother.
Just thinking about Namgung and Moyong made rage burn inside me.
I had never felt such a strong urge to kill someone before.
“Hahaha! You seem so confident, Tak Lord. I wonder if you’ll be just as bold before the Heavenly Demon himself.”
While I was busy controlling my anger, Yeo Gong chuckled ominously.
Jeok I-geon, who had been watching with amusement, sneered.
“You’re even dumber than I thought.”
“…Second Young Master, are you talking about me?”
“Who else?”
“Second Young Master! Even you have limits! I will not tolerate this any longer!”
For the first time, Yeo Gong completely lost his temper.
Well, I couldn’t blame him.
Jeok I-geon had a way of speaking that really got under people’s skin.
‘His upbringing must’ve been… something else.’
On top of that, the age gap between them was massive.
For Yeo Gong, Jeok I-geon was practically a brat.
“Do you really think my father doesn’t know?”
“…!”
At Jeok I-geon’s murmur, Yeo Gong’s face turned ashen.
That’s exactly what I was thinking.
Tang Yeong-ryeong, the Thousand-Handed Fragrant Poison.
In the novel, she was treated as a figure from the past, but her legacy was nearly mythical.
She was born into the Tang Clan of Sichuan, one of the most prestigious families in the world.
From a young age, she displayed exceptional talent in both poisons and hidden weapons, earning her great admiration from her clan.
If she had been born a man, people speculated she would have become the strongest patriarch in the Tang Clan’s history.
As she grew older, Tang Yeong-ryeong roamed the martial world, eliminating villains wherever she went.
Whenever she unleashed her poisons and hidden weapons, even the most fearsome demonic masters fell like autumn leaves.
Impressed by her prowess, the Martial Alliance recruited her into their intelligence division, appointing her as the head of the Assassination Unit.
At that time, she was only twenty-three.
From then on, she became known as the youngest division leader in history, dedicating herself to eradicating corruption within the Martial Alliance.
Then, she stumbled upon a certain incident.
For all her abilities, she was too trusting, which led to her being framed—ultimately bringing her to this moment.
Seventeen years ago, this incident shook the entire martial world.
It was so infamous that everyone—righteous or demonic—knew about it.
And now, the very person at the center of that scandal had joined the Demonic Cult.
Did they seriously think the Heavenly Demon wasn’t aware of this?
Would a rising genius of the Martial Alliance suddenly walk into the Demonic Cult on her own accord?
There had to be someone who acted as a bridge between them.
And now that I looked back on everything…
I had a good idea of who that person was.
A man who frequently visited Grandmother’s noodle shop.
The Master of the Ghostly Soul Pavilion, Gong Pae-cheon.
I didn’t know what kind of history he and Grandmother shared, but since he was someone who personally served the Heavenly Demon, it was only natural that he would have reported to him.
‘So that’s why the Heavenly Demon said nothing after sensing the energy inside me.’
Everything was fitting together so perfectly.
I got chills at how well my deductions were lining up.
Maybe I was smarter than I thought?
“He should be arriving soon, so you might as well ask him directly.”
At Jeok I-geon’s nonchalant words, which sounded as casual as a passerby strolling through the market, Yeo Gong and Wi Lin’s faces paled.
Did he mean that the Heavenly Demon was coming here?
My question was quickly answered.
As the Heavenly Demon stepped through the shattered gates of the Yeo Family, everyone, without exception, fell to their knees and bowed their heads.
“We greet the Heavenly Demon!”
“We greet the Heavenly Demon!”
“Rise.”
The Heavenly Demon’s voice, infused with profound internal energy, echoed through the surroundings.
I immediately stood up and examined the people around him.
‘As expected.’
Right beside the Heavenly Demon, Gong Pae-cheon stood.
But his gaze was fixed solely on Grandmother.
…Wait.
Were my eyes playing tricks on me?
Why did it look like his eyes were filled with longing?
‘That man…’
I quickly turned to look at Grandmother.
‘No, right?’
Not that I was against it, but still… it would be a little weird.
Fortunately, Grandmother wasn’t looking at Gong Pae-cheon at all.
Instead, her gaze was locked onto the Heavenly Demon.
As if she had been expecting his arrival, she didn’t seem the least bit surprised.
“I heard the gates of the Yeo Family had been destroyed, so I came to take a look… but to think so many arrived before me.”
The Heavenly Demon surveyed the scene, amusement flickering across his face.
Even as he looked at the dozens of corpses strewn across the ground, he didn’t so much as frown.
Was this what it meant to be the Heavenly Demon?
“It’s been a while.”
Surprisingly, the first person the Heavenly Demon spoke to was Grandmother.
His eyes locked directly with hers as he opened his mouth.
“To meet the greatest among the Three Beauties of the Central Plains, the Thousand-Handed Fragrant Poison, once again… truly a pleasure.”
Ah.
I had completely forgotten.
According to the original novel, Grandmother was one of the three most beautiful women in the martial world.
And she had been hiding that beauty all this time?
Ugh, just thinking about it made my blood boil again.
“I have long forgotten my past appearance.”
Grandmother bowed just enough to be respectful but not servile as she responded.
The Heavenly Demon chuckled before speaking in a friendly tone.
“Now that your secret is exposed, wouldn’t it be better to return to your true self?”
“…Would that be acceptable?”
“Of course.”
The moment his words fell, it happened.
Grandmother’s hunched back slowly straightened.
A cracking sound came from her spine as her bones realigned.
The deep wrinkles that had covered her face smoothed out, revealing flawless, youthful skin.
What was that movie again?
Something that started with Benjamin?
It was like watching time rewind before my very eyes.
Her thin, aged hands became elegantly slender, her dull and sallow skin turned into a radiant shade of porcelain white.
The frail old woman disappeared, replaced by a beauty unlike anything the world had ever seen.
Her once white hair transformed strand by strand into luscious black locks.
Her obsidian-like eyes sparkled under her delicately arched brows.
“If only my nose had been a little higher, my life would have been easier!”
The sharp nose she used to complain about was now as perfectly sculpted as if carved by the heavens.
All of this happened in the span of just a few breaths.
As Grandmother, freed from her self-imposed limitations, exhaled one last deep breath and smiled radiantly, a brilliant glow enveloped her.
“Wow.”
Without thinking, I let out a gasp of admiration.
I almost clapped in awe.
She was beyond breathtaking.
The Three Beauties of the Central Plains?
No.
She should be called the most beautiful woman in the entire world!
Just look at everyone’s stunned faces.
‘Especially Gong Pae-cheon! Why is your face turning red?!’
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