Love Ballad of the Tyrant King

Chapter 45: Jaseung, Refuses the Test

The place where the old woman stopped was beneath a stone wall covered in thick vines.

She reached her hand through the vines and touched the bottom of the wall. The vines were so tangled and dense that it gave off an eerie feeling, as if a monster hidden within might suddenly bite her hand.

Rumble.

As the old woman's hand moved, the stone wall opened. It was truly a place no one could find unless they knew a secret passage existed.

The old woman spoke to Baek Seolyoung.

"Your father asked me. If he was no longer alive when you were to marry, he wanted me to bring you here in his place."

"Ah!"

Baek Seolyoung let out a joyful exclamation. She was deeply moved to know her father had made such arrangements for her.

Then the old woman quickly added.

"Oh, don’t misunderstand. Not you."

She then gestured with her chin toward Lee Jaseung.

"Then you mean he asked you to bring that person here?"

"Yes, he asked me to bring his future son-in-law here."

Even bringing the son-in-law could be considered an arrangement made for her.

While her father was alive, he had never once spoken with her about marriage.

Yet even after his passing, he had still been worried about his daughter’s future.

Looking at the passageway, Baek Seolyoung asked on Lee Jaseung’s behalf,

"But why here?"

"It’s a kind of test. A test to see if he’s qualified to become the son-in-law. What do you think? Will you try it?"

At the old woman's question, Lee Jaseung asked in return,

"Can I refuse?"

"Of course. He never said the marriage had to be canceled if the test was declined."

After silently looking at the old woman, Lee Jaseung politely replied,

"Then I will decline."

Baek Seolyoung, who had been nervously expecting him to accept, was startled. She never imagined he would refuse so firmly to a test her father had prepared for his future son-in-law.

The old woman asked,

"Can I ask why you refuse?"

"I hate standing on a stage a stranger has set up. I’ve already done that once, and I don’t want to do it again."

By “once,” he meant the martial arts tournament.

“Stranger?”

Baek Seolyoung’s words carried a hint of disappointment.

But Lee Jaseung remained cold.

"We’re still strangers."

Baek Seolyoung bit her lip. She was angry, but he wasn’t wrong.

The old woman laughed and spoke.

"Well, that’s fair enough."

The old woman walked toward the passage in the stone wall. At first, it seemed she was about to close the door again, but that wasn’t it.

"Let’s go."

"Go where? He just refused the test, didn’t he?"

"He already passed."

To the surprised Baek Seolyoung, the old woman added with a smile.

"It was a test that had to be refused in order to pass."

"What? Why make a test like that?"

"Your father wanted his son-in-law to be someone with firm conviction and will. He didn’t want someone who would foolishly accept just because it was left by a father-in-law. With his future wife standing beside him, it’s not easy to refuse a test like that. But someone who can control the desire to look good for her and decline decisively, that’s the son-in-law your father wanted."

Only then did Baek Seolyoung begin to understand the deeper meaning behind the test.

Her father had always enjoyed playing baduk, and he liked to embed profound meanings even in trivial things.

Naturally, even the test left for his son-in-law was far from ordinary.

"Now then, let’s go drink. The liquor is inside. Close the door behind you. There should be a device near the wall."

The old woman went inside. Lee Jaseung and Baek Seolyoung looked at each other. At least in this moment, they both had a similar thought. The old woman’s true intentions were a complete mystery.

"Let’s go see."

Lee Jaseung stepped into the passage, and Baek Seolyoung followed.

Just as the old woman had said, there was a mechanism inside to close the door. Lee Jaseung touched the device, and the door closed.

Even though the door was shut, it wasn’t dark inside. Pieces of luminous pearls had been embedded into the walls, scattering soft light throughout. It was a stone cavern someone had crafted with great care and precision.

The two followed the old woman as they walked. At first, the passage was barely wide enough for one adult to squeeze through, but it gradually widened.

Eventually, they entered a large chamber. It was about the size of a small martial training ground. The fact that such a space existed within a cave was astonishing.

A cool breeze blew, and a stream of water flowed to one side. Moreover, edible-looking plants grew nearby.

"Wow! I never imagined it would be such a beautiful place!"

Baek Seolyoung spoke in sincere admiration. It truly felt like a paradise where immortals might live.

But while she saw beauty, Lee Jaseung felt something different.

A perfect hideout.

If someone needed to escape the eyes of the world, this place would be ideal.

If one brought food that’d last for days, they could survive here safely. Even without food, the place was full of edible plants.

Not only that, but there was even enough open space to train in martial arts.

In his mind, Lee Jaseung retraced the path from the foot of the mountain to here. Though it was a complex route, he could find his way alone without trouble. What he had said earlier to Baek Seolyoung hadn’t been a lie.

"This is a secret cave passed down to the Lords of Northern Sky Clan."

From the old woman’s explanation, Baek Seolyoung realized something. The old woman had deeper ties to her family than she had thought. Otherwise, her father wouldn’t have revealed the location of this place to her.

This raised another question. Why bring Lee Jaseung, who wasn’t even married to her yet? There had to be a reason.

They passed through the large space and entered another tunnel. Narrow paths alternated with wide spaces until they reached the end of the cavern.

There, a small table stood. Surprisingly, three bottles of liquor were placed on top. Just as the old woman had said, there really was liquor here.

So when she had asked for delicious liquor, it hadn’t been a joke. She had meant these bottles.

What kind of liquor could it be?

As if to answer, the old woman asked with a serious expression,

"This isn’t just liquor you can drink freely. It’s liquor that must be bought. Will you buy it?"

"Since I promised, I should buy it."

At Lee Jaseung’s reply, Baek Seolyoung also nodded.

"I’ll keep my promise too."

The old woman looked pleased with their answers.

"Good, good. Then let the young miss buy this first bottle."

"How much is it?"

"Ten thousand silver coins."

Baek Seolyoung was startled. At first, she thought she had misheard.

"How much did you say?"

"What? Are your ears broken? Ten thousand silver coins."

She thought it was a joke, but the old woman was deadly serious.

"What kind of liquor costs ten thousand silver coins?"

"A very delicious one. You’ll buy it, right?"

Baek Seolyoung hesitated. Ten thousand silver coins for one bottle of liquor was a huge sum of money. But she had made a promise, and this felt like more than just a joke.

"Alrightt, I’ll buy it."

Considering her father and her own relationship with the old woman, she could gladly do it.

"I’ll give you the money when we go back down."

"Of course, that’s fine. Good, good."

The old woman cheerfully opened the bottle. As expected from an expensive liquor, a clear, fragrant aroma spread out.

"Alright, let’s each have a drink."

There were cups prepared nearby. The old woman filled the cups.

The three of them drank together at the same time.

It was indeed no ordinary liquor. It was infused with rare medicinal herbs. But clearly, it wasn’t worth ten thousand silver coins.

It was a small bottle, and after a few cups each, it was gone.

The old woman pointed to the second bottle.

"Now then, you buy the next one."

"Sure. How much?"

"A million silver coins."

Lee Jaseung’s eyes narrowed after hearing her.

But the truly shocked one was Baek Seolyoung. While Lee Jaseung had once handled large sums, she was a newly appointed Lord of a clan.  One million silver coins was an enormous amount to her.

"Grandma! There’s no way he has that kind of money you know?"

She was trying to protect his pride, especially since he was standing in front of a woman. Though it seemed like he wouldn’t care either way.

Still, she couldn’t understand why the old woman was doing this. Even if it were a test, it had to be somewhat realistic.

But then...

"Alright, I’ll buy it."

Lee Jaseung answered without hesitation.

Baek Seolyoung’s eyes widened.

Unbelievable!

She had never even heard of liquor costing a million silver coins. And now someone had just bought it without blinking.

The old woman beamed with joy.

"You really are bold. With the Northern Sky Clan Lord as guarantor, I can trust it."

As Baek Seolyoung was about to object, the old woman opened the bottle. With rare liquor, once opened, there was no going back.

She poured a drink and offered it to Baek Seolyoung.

"Here, have some."

Still stunned, Baek Seolyoung accepted the cup.

"I never guaranteed anything."

"He’s your husband, isn’t he?"

"Not yet. Even if he were..."

"Even if?"

"One million silver coins is too much!"

"Ah, talking about money ruins the taste. Let’s just drink first."

The old woman drank first, and Lee Jaseung drained his cup.

With things as they were, Baek Seolyoung decided to at least taste it.

As the liquor slid down her throat, she gasped in amazement.

"Wow! That’s good."

The taste truly warranted the praise.

It was even better than the previous one. Though she didn’t normally enjoy drinking, even she could tell this was quality liquor.

But that was it. Even so, the idea of it being worth a million silver coins was absurd.

It was just an unusually tasty drink.

It was pointless to ask this after draining the drink, but she still asked Lee Jaseung in frustration.

"What are you thinking?"

"A clan like the Northern Sky Clan should have that kind of money, right?"

At his response, she looked dumbfounded.

"Are you serious right now?"

"I’m just asking. Does it?"

"No. And even if we did, I wouldn’t spend it on one bottle of liquor. Not even for grandma."

Then the old woman spoke with a somewhat shameless expression.

"Then I guess you’ll have to buy it.”

"I’ll buy it."

Baek Seolyoung snapped at Lee Jaseung.

"Hey! Are you messing around... ah!"

Then, she realized something. She relaxed and spoke.

"Right. You two are teaming up to tease me."

The old woman smirked.

"Think what you want. He’s the one paying anyway."

Hearing that, Baek Seolyoung became even more confused. They wouldn’t have brought her here just to play a joke.

Then what did he believe in, to say he’d pay a million silver coins?

"Do you even understand how much that is? It’s not just a hundred, it’s a million!"

"I’ll figure it out on my own."

Lee Jaseung emptied his cup, and the old woman laughed as she drank.

Baek Seolyoung simply could not understand them.

After the second bottle was gone, the old woman asked,

"Will you buy the third one too?"

Oh no! Baek Seolyoung swallowed hard. The first bottle had been ten thousand, the second a million. From the mood, it felt like the third would be even more.

Lee Jaseung calmly asked,

"How much is it?"

The old woman grinned and responded.

"Thirty million silver coins."

Baek Seolyoung laughed. Now she was certain.

"What kind of joke is this?"

She laughed out loud again. To think she had actually gotten nervous over such a joke.

‘Ah, I’ve got a long way to go. I still can’t distinguish a joke.’

As she relaxed, smile slowly faded away from her face.

But Lee Jaseung was looking at the old woman with deadly seriousness. And the old woman’s expression held not a trace of humor. Uh, oh, not again.

‘They are both completely serious.’

Her heart began to race. Thirty million silver coins. Could you even raise that by selling the whole clan? Whether the old woman who demanded such an amount or the man who seriously considered paying it, she couldn’t understand either of them.

Lee Jaseung had already made his decision.

This liquor was not something left behind by the previous Lord of the clan. The Lord of the Northern Sky Clan wouldn’t set such an absurd test for his son-in-law. As he’d heard earlier, that test was already over.

This was the old woman’s test.

Both the hundred thousand and thirty million silver coins, the old woman was serious about it. If he agreed to buy it, he’d truly have to pay.

By this point, he began to wonder. Had she figured out what his true identity was? If so, what was her intention in pretending not to know?

Thirty million silver coins.

What was this test really about?

Was that liquor worth such a price?

As always, Lee Jaseung followed his instincts.

He made his decision and slowly opened his mouth.

"I’ll buy it."