Chapter 117
Upon returning to the Baek Sword Sect, Baek Mu-Gun agonized over the issue concerning Namgung Hyun-Ah. The first thing that crossed his mind was going to the Great Namgung Family to save Hyun-Ah, but he soon realized how bad of a plan it was. Getting Hyun-Ah out of the Great Namgung Family was already difficult in itself, but even if he did somehow succeed, the aftermath would be an even bigger problem. The Great Namgung Family wouldn’t just take it lying down if they lost Hyun-Ah to Mu-Gun. In the worst-case scenario, a war could break out between the Baek Sword Sect and the Great Namgung Family.
Formally asking for Hyun-Ah’s hand in marriage was the only way he could take her from the Great Namgung Family without conflict. If the Baek Sword Sect formally requested for Hyun-Ah’s hand in marriage, the Great Namgung Family would not refuse. Moreover, as Cheon Yu-Hwa had said, he would only need to do the bare minimum to maintain their relationship with the Great Namgung Family once he had brought Hyun-Ah over to his side.
Mu-Gun could then start taking revenge on Namgung Byeok, the former Great Namgung Family Patriarch, without Hyun-Ah finding out. Though he would feel bad for deceiving Hyun-Ah, he could neither bring himself to reveal the truth to her nor give up exacting vengeance on Namgung Byeok.
For now, that was the best way forward.
“Yeon-Hwa could be a problem, though.”
Mu-Gun remembered So Yeon-Hwa, who had left on a journey across all of murim. She was the first woman Mu-Gun gave his heart to and shared affection with. That was why he wanted her to be his first wife. If he married Hyun-Ah and made her his first wife over Yeon-Hwa, she could feel betrayed. After much consideration, Mu-Gun decided to find Yeon-Hwa, bring her back, and marry her before tying the knot with Hyun-Ah and Dan Seol-Young. Having made a decision, Mu-Gun visited Baek Cheon-Sang and expressed his intention to marry the three.
“When did your relationship with Namgung Hyun-Ah progress that much?” Cheon-Sang asked, surprised. He already knew about Yeon-Hwa and Seol-Young, but this was the first time he was hearing about Hyun-Ah.
“We traveled together to Wuchang. One thing led to another, and before I knew it, we had already progressed this far.”
“But can you handle three women?”
“I love them all truly. For them, I can handle anything.”
“If so, then this father of yours has no intention of stopping you. I don’t have anything to lose from having three beautiful daughters-in-law anyway. Moreover, more daughters-in-law means more grandchildren,” Cheon-Sang rejoiced.
“Thank you for understanding.”
“So you plan to marry Yeon-Hwa before tying the knot with Hyun-Ah and Seol-Young?”
“That’s right.”
“But Yeon-Hwa is currently on a journey across murim. How do you intend to marry her?”
“I will have to find her and bring her back,” Mu-Gun said firmly.
“I will leave that to your own discretion. I just have to send a marriage proposal to the Great Namgung Family, right?” Cheon-Sang clarified.
“Yes, Father.”
“Alright. I’ll do that then.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re thanking me for an awful lot of things.”
After talking to Cheon-Sang, Mu-Gun visited the Flower Honor Manor and requested Yu-Hwa's help in finding Yeon-Hwa.
A few days later, the Heavenly Secret Hall informed Mu-Gun that Yeon-Hwa was passing through Yangshan, Guangdong Province to get to Guangzhou, which was where the Guangdong Jin Family was. She was probably planning to visit the Guangdong Jin Family to request a sparring match.
Mu-Gun thought about going to Guangzhou and bringing her back in person but realized that would take too long. Hence, he decided to deliver the news to Yeon-Hwa through the Heavenly Secret Hall instead.
* * *
After sending a letter to Yeon-Hwa, Mu-Gun began fulfilling his promise to the Medicine King Family about opening medical clinics. To start, he purchased a manor a short distance away from the center of downtown Wenzhou. Although the manor was shabby because it had been around for quite some time now, it was quite large, which was perfect for accommodating numerous patients.
Mu-Gun then hired people to repair and renovate the manor into a medical clinic while the Medicine King Family gathered competent staff and physicians for it. Seonwoo Kang, the Medicine King Family’s Young Patriarch, was put in charge of the clinic due to his outstanding medical techniques and medicinal knowledge, which befitted their family’s successor.
The next pressing matter was the clinic’s name.
Medicine King Family Patriarch Seonwoo Pyo named it the Shennong Clinic. Shennong was the renowned God of Medicine whom the King Family succeeded. After naming the clinic, Mu-Gun and the Medicine King Family made quick work of the preparations left to open it.
In the midst of all that, Yeon-Hwa arrived in Wenzhou, and Mu-Gun personally went to Wenzhou Port to greet her. It had been quite some time since he last met Yeon-Hwa, but she was still just as beautiful.
“Welcome back,” Mu-Gun joyously greeted her.
“What happened? Why did you send me a letter asking me to hurry back to you?” Yeon-Hwa asked as soon as she saw Mu-Gun.
“Let’s go somewhere quiet first.”
Mu-Gun and Yeon-Hwa went to a nearby tea shop, sat at a table, and ordered some tea before continuing their conversation.
“How have you been?”
“I have sparred with figures from various martial schools while traveling around murim.”
“Did you get anything from that endeavor?”
“I gained a lot of enlightenment, but I still think my skills haven’t improved much.”
“Even if that seems to be the case now, those enlightenments will build up and eventually enable you to advance into greater heights.”
“I hope that moment comes sooner. By the way, you’ve become very famous while I was away.”
“Did news about me reach you?”
“Yes. I heard that you defeated the Changjiang Waterway Alliance’s thieves at Dongting Lake and wiped out the Four Seas Gang. I hear stories about you everywhere I go. It makes me feel proud of you somehow. The man that everyone is talking about is my man, Baek Mu-Gun. I almost told them that.” Yeon-Hwa chuckled.
“You’re curious why I asked you to come back here all of a sudden even though you were on a journey through murim, right?”
“Yes, very much so. What’s the matter?”
“I think it’s time we decide our relationship.”
“Why now?”
“Well, after you left to journey across murim, I fell in love with other women,” Mu-Gun confessed.
“Other women? Not just one, then?”
“Yes. There are two of them.”
“Do I know these women?”
“One of them, yes.”
“Who would that be?”
“The Great Namgung Family’s Namgung Hyun-Ah.”
“What about the other woman?” Yeon-Hwa asked.
“The other woman is Dan Seol-Young, a gisaeng from the Flower Honor Manor.”
“One is a lady of the Great Namgung Family, one of the Seven Great Families, and the other is a gisaeng from a brothel. So, what are you planning to do?”
“You might think that I am being shameless, but I do not want to lose any of you,” Mu-Gun firmly said.
“What if I say that I don’t want to share you with another woman?” Yeon-Hwa responded.
“I would have to respect your decision. I can’t just force my feelings on you. However, what’s clear is that I don’t want to lose you.”
“Phew, honestly, this is so sudden that it’s making me flustered. I don’t know what to do.” Yeon-Hwa looked disoriented.
Yeon-Hwa already expected that she would have to share Mu-Gun simply because he was too amazing of a man. However, she still had mixed feelings when he said that he had feelings for not one, but two other women. To make things worse, although there were only two women now, no one could say how many more he would have in the future. Hence, Yeon-Hwa had difficulty deciding what to do with her relationship with Mu-Gun.
“I’m really sorry for putting you in this situation. You can think it over before making a decision,” Mu-Gun said upon seeing Yeon-Hwa’s confused expression.
“Did you ask me to return just to let me know that you’ve fallen for other women?”
“No. The Great Namgung Family has imprisoned Lady Namgung because of me,” Mu-Gun came clean.
“She’s imprisoned? Why?” Yeon-Hwa seemed baffled.
Mu-Gun proceeded to explain what happened to Hyun-Ah.
“Let me get this straight. She tried to cut ties with the Great Namgung Family to be with you but was instead grounded in her residence?”
“That’s right. I can’t just stand by and watch, considering this happened because of me. That’s why I’m planning to formally request her hand in marriage. I thought it was only right to let you know the truth before that, so I called you back in a hurry. if you are fine with it, I want you to be the first I marry.”
“Why? Is it because I am the first woman you met?”
“That’s part of it. However, it’s also because I truly care about you a lot.”
“But you don’t love me enough to give me all your heart.”
“There are people in this world who can only love one person, but I’m not one of them. However, I’m certain that my feelings for you and the other two women are all sincere. It’s up to you to accept it or not, so take your time and think about it carefully.”
“Fine. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to choose before you get married.”
“You don’t have to thank me. Anyway, let me know when you come to a decision.”
“Got it. You should head back. I think it would be better for me to be alone until I come to a decision.”
“Okay.”
Mu-Gun bid farewell to Yeon-Hwa and returned to the Baek Sword Sect.
Left alone in the tea store, Yeon-Hwa pondered deeply about her relationship with Mu-Gun. Three days later, she visited Mu-Gun.
“Have you made up your mind?” Mu-Gun asked.
“Yes, I’ve given it a lot of thought. I don’t think I can share you with another woman. Hence, I think it’s best to end our relationship here,” Yeon-Hwa said with a firm expression.
She knew she couldn’t have Mu-Gun all to herself, but learning that he had another woman disturbed her. Just imagining him embracing someone else was already heartbreaking. Moreover, she felt worried and anxious that Mu-Gun would like the other women more than her. Although Yeon-Hwa liked Mu-Gun, she did not want to live with such thoughts for the rest of her life. No, she wasn’t confident that she could.
It would be difficult to forget about Mu-Gun, but it was better than resenting him. Besides, Yeon-Hwa could not bring herself to abandon the Putuo Sword Sect, which took her in and raised her when she was orphaned. In fact, even without this matter, Yeon-Hwa had already been pondering a lot about whether to be with Mu-Gun or live as the successor of the Putuo Sword Sect. Because of this incident, she finally decided to go with the latter.
Mu-Gun judged from her expression that her mind would not change no matter what he said.
“If that’s what you truly want, then there’s nothing we can do about it. This is not something I can force you to do just because I like you. I’m really sorry that it turned out like this.”
“No, we can’t always control how we feel and do. That’s what makes us human.”
“What do you plan to do now?”
“I plan to live as the successor of the Putuo Sword Sect.”
“Though it’s unlikely, if you ever change your mind, come find me anytime. I will always welcome you.”
“As you said, that’s unlikely.”
“Alright. Well then, shall we get up now?”
“Yes.”
Mu-Gun and Yeon-Hwa got up from their seats. They were meant to go their separate ways, so staying seated for too long would only make things awkward.
“I’m happy and content to have met you. May your future be full of glory and happiness.”
“I’m very happy to have met you too. I will never forget you until I die, and as you become a hero of murim, I’ll be watching and cheering for you from afar,” Yeon-Hwa said.
The two exchanged wished each other the best of luck, then went their separate ways without regret. Losing Yeon-Hwa broke Mu-Gun’s heart, but life did not always go his way. That was simply the way of the world.
Keeping Yeon-Hwa as a beautiful memory, Mu-Gun sent her on her way. Not long after their meeting, the Baek Sword Sect sent a marriage proposal to the Great Namgung Family.
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