Bu Eunseol could not hide his puzzled expression.
“Heavenly Grace Star? What are you talking about?”
“Don’t make this Chief Inspector repeat herself.”
A chilling aura drifted through Gongsun Dankyung’s gaze.
“I already know that the power you unleashed on Poseok Island was the Heavenly Grace Star.”
“Poseok Island.”
With those two words alone, Bu Eunseol grasped the entire situation.
Gongsun Dankyung had also secretly come to Poseok Island and witnessed the battle against the Sword Demon.
She had even deduced that the earthquake on the island was caused by the power Yangseol Rin had infused into the Boundary Prosperity Jade.
‘So the Chief Inspector has the ability to distinguish the power of the Hundred and Eight Stars at a single glance?’
While Bu Eunseol was lost in thought,
“You’d better answer carefully.”
Killing intent began to leak from Gongsun Dankyung’s eyes.
“If even a single word of nonsense comes out of your mouth, you’ll die in darkness right here and now.”
“Me?”
“Of course. If Division Lord Seon Woojin’s martial prowess turns out to be several times greater than this Chief Inspector anticipated, you might survive.”
Deep resentment saturated her voice.
“But you will definitely lose at least one limb.”
Bu Eunseol swallowed a groan.
‘The Chief Inspector isn’t the type to speak nonsense.’
The formations laid throughout this place likely contained the very essence of the formation studies she had cultivated her entire life.
Moreover, she had declared with certainty that—even if his strength was several times greater than expected—he would not escape unscathed.
Even if he unleashed True Vacuum at full power, the outcome would be the same.
‘No other way.’
Bu Eunseol had intended to conceal the Boundary Prosperity Jade as much as possible but judging from Gongsun Dankyung’s attitude and the look in her eyes, if his answer failed to satisfy her… the formations would activate immediately, and—as she had warned—he would have to sacrifice at least one arm to leave alive.
Her analytical ability was the greatest under heaven, and she never spoke idly.
“…It’s probably because of this.”
In the end, Bu Eunseol took out the bead he had kept hidden in his robes.
It was the Boundary Prosperity Jade.
“That’s—”
In an instant, Gongsun Dankyung’s eyes trembled violently.
She knew exactly what the transparent orb resting on his palm was.
“How… how did you obtain this?”
Her voice carried a mix of emotions.
She clearly knew a great deal about this artificial Boundary Prosperity Jade.
‘She knows about the Boundary Prosperity Jade, one of the Three Families’ treasures?’
But satisfying his curiosity would have to wait.
If he gave a sloppy answer—or one that failed to satisfy her—she would activate the formations without another word.
‘But I can’t tell her the full truth either.’
To explain exactly how he obtained it and how he used it, he would have to immediately reveal his identity as the Martial Soul Command Lord.
“I obtained it from Martial Emperor’s secret vault.”
After careful deliberation, Bu Eunseol spoke calmly.
“This bead was inside the Martial Emperor’s secret vault.”
“Martial Emperor’s secret vault?” Gongsun Dankyung’s eyes narrowed. “You’re saying this Boundary Prosperity Jade was placed there?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me in detail.”
Bu Eunseol explained calmly.
Inside one of the storehouses set up in Martial Emperor’s secret vault, there had been jars of jade-bee honey—and this single bead.
‘This lie can never be exposed.’
The only falsehood was the presence of the Boundary Prosperity Jade.
The jade-bee honey really had been in the Martial Emperor’s secret vault.
Even if she tracked down the vault and investigated, she would never be able to distinguish truth from falsehood.
“If you don’t believe me, I’ll tell you the exact location where the Martial Emperor’s secret vault collapsed. Go and confirm it yourself.”
Bu Eunseol deliberately put on a wronged expression.
“The manuals may not have survived intact after sinking into the ground, but you’ll definitely find traces of the Martial Emperor’s secret vault in that area.”
Those skilled at lying always slipped falsehoods in between truths.
For Bu Eunseol, in his current position, this was an unavoidable choice to protect his identity.
“Then Division Lord Seon must know quite a lot about this bead, yes?”
At Gongsun Dankyung’s sharp question,
“I can’t say I know exactly, but I assume it’s some kind of wondrous treasure that enhances ability.”
Bu Eunseol pretended to hesitate for a moment before continuing.
“There was no explanation written about this bead anywhere.”
“Then why did you think it enhances ability?”
“Because ever since I started carrying this bead, I’ve been able to learn martial arts much faster… and my patience and wisdom have increased dramatically.”
“I see.”
Only then did Gongsun Dankyung let out a hollow expression, as though everything finally made sense.
Now she understood why Seon Woojin—a man who had once been just an ordinary figure crouching in a minor merchant group outside the Central Plains—had come to possess abilities far surpassing even the most outstanding prodigies who had made names for themselves early in the martial world.
‘Looking back, when he first entered the Martial Alliance, he didn’t have this level of capability.’
Even if Seon Woojin was talented and had obtained some fortuitous encounter in Martial Emperor’s secret vault… he shouldn’t have risen to become one of the Martial Alliance’s core figures in such a short time.
But if it was the Boundary Prosperity Jade, then everything made sense.
Of course, the true inside story was that Bu Eunseol had meticulously increased his “set” abilities every time he carried out missions under strict calculation and had finally reached the current Seon Woojin’s martial prowess by using the Martial Emperor’s secret vault.
‘So in the end, he obtained the Boundary Prosperity Jade from the Martial Emperor’s secret vault and had his temperament and talent transformed to the absolute pinnacle under heaven.’
Unaware of the truth, Gongsun Dankyung was piecing everything together on her own.
Because she knew a great deal about the Boundary Prosperity Jade.
In the past, Chu So had also used this very Boundary Prosperity Jade to seal away his own temperament and abilities.
‘Then Martial Emperor must have been a Heavenly Grace Star as well.’
In the current era, the person born as Heavenly Grace Star was Yeon Hwa.
But the Martial Emperor had lived four hundred years ago… so it wouldn’t be strange at all if he had been one.
Later, when he entered his secret vault to pass on his martial legacy to a successor, leaving behind a Boundary Prosperity Jade imbued with his own temperament was a perfectly plausible scenario with no flaws.
“Just one more question.”
Once all the pieces fit together, the cold edge in Gongsun Dankyung’s voice softened slightly.
“Then was the earthquake on Poseok Island something you caused on purpose?”
“That wasn’t me.” Bu Eunseol answered honestly. “In truth, during the duel with the Sword Demon, I was on the verge of defeat. In the process of raising my energy to the maximum in a last-ditch counterattack…”
He deliberately spoke in an uncertain tone.
“…I felt a tremor from the bead, and suddenly light burst forth along with the earthquake.”
Pausing for a moment, Bu Eunseol shook his head.
“Whether that was truly the bead’s power or just a coincidence… even I don’t know for sure.”
Gongsun Dankyung let out a deep sigh.
“I see.”
In the end, Seon Woojin had not known the functions or uses of the Boundary Prosperity Jade he obtained from Martial Emperor’s secret vault.
He had accidentally unleashed its power.
“I understand what you’re saying.”
After taking a deep breath, she continued.
“It seems this Chief Inspector has made a grave misunderstanding.”
Of course, she would investigate the veracity of everything he had just said in greater detail later.
But for now, she had no choice but to admit there were no holes in Seon Woojin’s story.
“I’m glad you understand, but—”
Bu Eunseol spoke with an utterly firm and cold expression.
“From now on, there will be no further cooperative relationship between this Chief Inspector and me.”
“What do you mean?”
“Didn’t you promise? That you would never suspect me again without concrete evidence.”
“This time the situation warranted it.”
Gongsun Dankyung spoke apologetically, yet with a hint of grievance.
“I had no idea you possessed the Boundary Prosperity Jade.”
‘So she really is from one of the Three Families.’
A glint passed through Bu Eunseol’s eyes.
According to Yangseol Rin, the Boundary Prosperity Jade was a secret item known only to members of the Three Families.
In other words—as Yangseol Rin had said—Gongsun Dankyung was also from one of the Three Families.
“You’ve been calling that bead the Boundary Prosperity Jade this whole time?”
“Yes.”
Gongsun Dankyung cleared her throat.
“The Boundary Prosperity Jade is a precious object that can alter a person’s temperament and even generate mysterious power.”
“You keep saying strange things.”
“Strange?”
Bu Eunseol stared straight at Gongsun Dankyung with piercing eyes.
“Just because you told me the name and uses of a bead I didn’t even know existed… am I supposed to accept that you tried to kill me?”
Bu Eunseol was a master of improvisation.
He turned the tables—using the fact that Gongsun Dankyung knew about the Hundred and Eight Stars and the Boundary Prosperity Jade, and that she had suspected him this time—to force her to reveal everything she knew.
“That’s—”
Gongsun Dankyung had no rebuttal.
Whether he possessed the Boundary Prosperity Jade or not, it was not justification to attack him.
“Can’t you understand me just a little?”
Cornered, Gongsun Dankyung finally resorted to appealing to emotion.
“I can’t go into detail, but there was no way I could avoid suspecting Division Lord Seon.”
“You said something similar to me once before.”
Bu Eunseol deliberately let his body tremble lightly, then shouted with an expression of pure fury.
“And so I understood! You promised you would never suspect me again!”
Then, pouring every ounce of his strength into the performance, he began acting out rage.
“But in the end, this is the result! Now you don’t just suspect me—you’re ready to kill me without hesitation?”
Bu Eunseol clenched his fists until they shook.
“The Martial Venerable, who acts as the Martial Alliance Leader, feeds poison to his cherished subordinates to control me like a puppet! And you—Chief Inspector—immediately try to kill me! How much more am I supposed to understand?!”
“Division Lord Seon.”
“There must be circumstances! It’s all for the sake of the martial world, so understand! If you say things like that, am I just supposed to understand everything unconditionally?!”
Bu Eunseol’s wretched cry echoed around Mokdan Fortress.
He had never once raised his voice to Gongsun Dankyung before.
But this time he deliberately heightened his emotions and shouted at her.
Because this was the perfect opportunity to uncover all of her circumstances.
‘I’m starting to resemble the Chief Inspector.’
In truth, manipulating other people’s emotions… he had learned it all from Gongsun Dankyung.
In the end, she was now suffering the consequences of the very tactics she loved to use.
“Then I’ll be going.”
“Division Lord Seon.”
Gongsun Dankyung quickly grabbed Bu Eunseol’s sleeve as he turned to leave.
“Listen to my story first.”
If she failed to convince Seon Woojin right now, everything she had built so far could collapse into nothing.
“It won’t take long.”
She hurriedly moved a few stones on the ground.
The surrounding scenery shifted, and suddenly the area around Mokdan Fortress turned into pitch-black night.
She had likely switched from an offensive formation to a defensive one that prevented internal sounds from leaking outside.
“If you hear my story, you’ll understand everything.”
As she continued speaking, a shadow darkened Gongsun Dankyung’s eyes.
“I was kidnapped by the Jungson family when I was a child.”
“What are you saying all of a sudden?”
“Just listen.”
After taking a deep breath, she continued her story—how she had been kidnapped by the Infinite Realm in her childhood, dragged to the Jungson family, and what she had endured there.
She omitted only the part about not being the biological daughter of the Gongsun couple.
There was no need to reveal that yet.
“To obtain something called Heavenly Mechanism Star… the Jungson family committed such cruelty?”
Bu Eunseol was greatly shocked.
The Jungson family—once called one of the legendary Three Families—had done something so brutal?
“Could it be that they too are connected to the Three Realms?”
Kidnapping children and subjecting them to cruelty sounded eerily similar to what the Three Realms did.
“No. The Jungson family has no connection to them.”
‘She seems to know quite a lot about the Jungson family.’
Bu Eunseol wanted to ask more about the Jungson family in detail but pressing too persistently on matters unrelated to today’s incident might arouse her suspicion.
He had no choice but to change the subject.
“So you judged that I was from the Jungson family, summoned me here, and tried to attack me.”
“Yes.” Gongsun Dankyung readily admitted it. “You may or may not know this, Division Lord Seon, but right now in the martial world, there is someone from the Yangseol family secretly active.”
She spoke sharply.
“And that person was kidnapped by the Jungson family together with me. But she seems to have lost her memories—she didn’t recognize me.”
“You were only about seven years old at the time. How could you recognize her?”
“Because the scars on her body were the ones she received when she lost to me in a fight.”
Bu Eunseol pondered for a moment, then shook his head in disbelief.
“The fact that someone from the Yangseol family was kidnapped by the Jungson family…”
“I know. It sounds impossible. But I swear on my life it’s true.”
The heat in Gongsun Dankyung’s eyes could have melted steel.
Having spent so much time with Gongsun Dankyung, Bu Eunseol could read her true feelings just from her expression.
‘She’s not lying.’
Bu Eunseol took a deep breath.
If everything she said was true, then Yangseol Rin and Gongsun Dankyung absolutely needed to meet.
“But how did the Chief Inspector find the Yangseol family member? If you had a way to contact them, wouldn’t it have been easy to learn about the Jungson family as well?”
“Until now, I have been relentlessly pursuing the whereabouts of the Infinite Realm and the Jungson family. Then, coincidentally, I received intelligence that someone from the Yangseol family had appeared in the martial world.”
Gongsun Dankyung patiently answered every one of Bu Eunseol’s questions in detail.
She could not afford to leave even the slightest doubt in his mind.
“At that time, Commander Baekri secretly contacted this Chief Inspector with a clandestine proposal.”
“A clandestine proposal?”
“That if I told him the location where the Heavenly Emperor was in seclusion, he would maintain a cooperative relationship with me for life.”
Another shocking revelation came from Gongsun Dankyung’s lips.
“Commander Baekri suspects the current Heavenly Emperor—in other words, the Martial Venerable.”
“That’s possible.”
Bu Eunseol was not particularly surprised.
The Seven Commanders were candidates for the next Alliance Leader; they had observed the Alliance Leader more closely than anyone.
But after the Martial Venerable began acting in the role of Heavenly Emperor, subtle changes had occurred and they were enough to warrant suspicion.
“It just so happened that we had located the Yangseol family member who appeared in the martial world and were planning to capture her… so Commander Baekri’s proposal wasn’t bad.”
At the time, Gongsun Dankyung had deliberated carefully.
She had promised that if Yangseol Rin were captured and brought to her, she would accept the proposal but in the end, Baekri Mujo failed to capture Yangseol Rin, and the offer became void.
‘So her ultimate goal really is the Jungson family.’
Mulling over everything she had told him, Bu Eunseol asked cautiously, “If what the Chief Inspector says is true—that you were kidnapped and held for such a long time in childhood—then that would have been an enormous incident rarely seen in the martial world. Why was it never made public?”
“There are circumstances I cannot tell Division Lord Seon about. But everything I’ve told you so far—I stake my entire being on its truth.”
She wore an expression of deep, bleeding resentment.
“I have never once forgotten my revenge against the Jungson family—not for a single moment.”
‘I see.’
Having heard everything, Bu Eunseol was finally able to resolve one long-standing mystery.
‘So that’s why, when I went to the Gongsun family… why the servants were whispering strange things…’
When Bu Eunseol had visited the Gongsun family before, he had overheard passing servants murmuring things like how fortunate it was that she had returned safely from childhood.
They had likely been referring to the fact that Gongsun Dankyung—kidnapped by the Jungson family—had come back alive.
Of course, the truth was that the real Gongsun Dankyung had died in Zhugeseowon, and the current one was So Min, the adopted daughter…
“Now do you understand why I acted the way I did?”
Gongsun Dankyung’s voice carried a mixture of emotions that had never been there before, revealing that she was speaking truthfully as one human being to another, beyond status or position.
‘This is enough.’
Having organized his thoughts, Bu Eunseol clasped his hands together and bowed politely.
“Please forgive me for speaking so harshly without knowing the circumstances.”
He had deliberately driven her into a corner, partly to fulfill Yangseol Rin’s request, and partly to finally uncover the circumstances about Gongsun Dankyung that had puzzled him for so long.
‘So Yangseol Rin was right to be misunderstood.’
Only now did he fully understand everything Yangseol Rin had said.
The Yangseol family who supposedly vanished along with the Baekri family was still secretly active in the martial world.
From Gongsun Dankyung’s perspective, suspecting Yangseol Rin of being in league with the Jungson family was only natural.
“It must have been a secret you guarded with utmost care. Thank you for telling me honestly.”
“I didn’t say it purely out of goodwill.”
Suddenly Gongsun Dankyung stared at Bu Eunseol with a chilling gaze.
“Division Lord Seon has now learned a secret about this Chief Inspector that no one else in the world knows.”
“…”
“And learning someone else’s secret is something that requires risking your life.”
It was a lie.
In truth, she was still hiding a great deal—her exact origins, information about Chu So who had been Heavenly Mechanism Star, and shocking details about the martial factions she had uncovered from the Jungson family…
But Bu Eunseol would learn all of that from her only much later.
“I understand what you mean.”
Having grasped her implication, Bu Eunseol nodded.
Learning someone’s secret could make you their closest confidant or it could make you their top priority target for elimination.
If you ever became even the slightest threat to their grand design, or if there was even a small chance the secret might leak… then the person who knew the secret had to die first.
“That answer doesn’t inspire much trust.”
“I apologize. I will engrave the Chief Inspector’s words into my bones and heart.”
Bu Eunseol spoke with utmost seriousness.
“May I leave now?”
When Gongsun Dankyung gave no reply, Bu Eunseol bowed once more.
“Then—”
“Division Lord Seon.”
Her voice called out.
“Do you have something more to say?”
“Will our relationship… remain unchanged from now on?”
Gongsun Dankyung’s gaze was calm, yet a trace of fear flickered within it, as though she feared Bu Eunseol’s heart might have changed, that they might no longer be able to maintain their cooperative relationship as before.
‘Is this sincere?’
Gongsun Dankyung had spent her life fighting enormous enemies—the Infinite Realm and the Jungson family.
For such a proud genius to show him vulnerability and lean on him… he judged that it must be calculated behavior.
‘Terrifying.’
From her perspective, the person called Seon Woojin would surely become an important asset when the time came for her revenge.
She must have deliberately shown him this weak side.
“Of course.”
At Bu Eunseol’s reply,
“I’m relieved.” Gongsun Dankyung gave a faint, lonely, sorrowful smile. “Then please go. I still have some matters to attend to here.”
Those “matters” were likely recalling the secret strike team she had covertly summoned.
“Understood. Then.”
Bu Eunseol turned away.
The expression on his face as he walked off was endlessly dark.
It wasn’t because of Gongsun Dankyung.
What truly chilled him was the certainty that the Yangseol family and the Jungson family had not vanished, but, like the Three Realms, were secretly operating in the martial world for some hidden purpose.
Even the Baekri family—his own bloodline—might have been stained with evil.
That fact terrified him.
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