Love Ballad of the Tyrant King

Chapter 4: Jaseung, He Meets Her

Dan Woobin turned his head around in shock.

“What did you just say?”

“She is still alone.”

“How do you know that?”

Lee Jaseung showed a strange smile, and Dan Woobin was able to realize then.

“No way! You’ve been watching over her?”

“Would I really leave someone you love all alone during a big war like that?”

Lee Jaseung had secretly sent someone trustworthy to protect her.

“I don’t know if she still has the same feelings for you as she did back then. Moreover, I don’t know how you even feel about her. However, I think it’s right you meet her once, for both of your sakes.”

Lee Jaseung spoke with his head down.

“I’m sorry it took so long.”

Dan Woobin jumped down from the carriage and bowed deeply, overwhelmed with emotion.

“You mustn't do that. From now on, you cannot bow your head to anyone again, my Leader.”

Lee Jaseung smiled after seeing his eyes filled with loyalty.

“I got it, now go see her.”

“She’ll kill me.”

“Then I’ll avenge you!”

“No! Never!”

The genius Dan Woobin took Lee Jaseung’s joke seriously.

“Could you wait outside?”

Lee Jaseung nodded.

Dan Woobin walked hesitantly toward the door.

His heart felt like it was going to explode as he was about to meet her.

Lee Jaseung quietly watched the process.

To win in one battle, it only required himself to be strong. However, that wasn’t going to work in a big war.

It was important to know how to command his subordinates. In that regard, Dan Woobin has been and will be a very key figure for that.

How long has it been? Dan Woobin finally came outside again.

“What happened?”

Then, I noticed a bright red handprint on Dan Woobin’s cheek.

“She told me to screw off.”

“Hahaha.”

“Why are you laughing?”

“Because it’s a good sign.”

She wouldn’t have done it if she didn’t have feelings for him anymore.

Go back inside and beg her while hanging onto her skirt, it’s an order. Win her heart back.

“Are you being serious?”
“I am.”

“Why are you doing this to me?”

“So I can continue using you in the future. You’ll be even more loyal to me if you are moved by something like this.”

“You say that so easily in front of my face huh.”

“Because I know this kind of thing works on you.”

“Perhaps it would have been better for me to stay inside then come back out.”

Dan Woobin sighed deeply and turned back to go inside.

Moments later, he came back out.

This time, he had a handprint on the other side of his cheek.

“She said she’ll kill me if I came back again.”

“Then die.”

Dan Woobin let out a sigh after showing a dumbfounded expression for a moment.

“They say that ‘once the rabbit is caught, then the hunting dog is discarded.’ I never imagined you’d try to kill me like this.”

Dan Woobin stepped back inside her house.

Lee Jaseung leaned against the wall, smiling. The sky was especially bright blue and cloudless.

The truth was, Lee Jaseung wanted Dan Woobin to find and achieve love that he himself wasn’t ever going to achieve.

Lee Jaseung had long resolved never to love.

Love was a constraint and a weakness in the world of martial arts.

Fighting against weak opponents to unify the Black Way only strengthened that belief of his.

He had trained himself to form attachments only to the degree that he could discard them without hesitation if someone were taken hostage.

In this life, he was never going to love.

However, he didn’t think that Dan Woobin needed to live the same life as him. He alone was enough.

A moment later, Dan Woobin and a woman came outside.

It was none other than the woman he loved, named Songhwa.

Songhwa bowed respectfully to Lee Jaseung, and he returned the courtesy.

“I’ve regretted letting you both go ever since. I should have stopped you, or gone with you.”

Her words carried the resolve to not regret again.

“And thank you for protecting me all this time.”

She heard from Dan Woobin.

Many things had happened in the Dan Village and to her over the years, but she came out unharmed every time.

She believed she was simply lucky, but it had been Lee Jaseung quietly watching over her.

“That doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you yet.”

Songhwa was still feeling conflicted. Still, she never forgot about Dan Woobin ever since the day he left, not even for a day.

Her feelings for him were still unresolved, but one thing was certain. She wouldn’t regret her choices again.

Lee Jaseung calmly responded to her.

“There is no need for your forgiveness. I just hope that you two find happiness.”

Then, he turned around and spoke to Dan Woobin.

“Rest here for the day. We’ll meet again tomorrow and head back together.”

Perhaps it was because the situation in the outer regions and Dan Woobin’s affair was settled, Lee Jaseung left with a satisfied smile on his face.

It had been a long time since he felt so lighthearted.

* * *

Lee Jaseung woke up in the middle of the night.

His head throbbed from the drinks yesterday.

He indulged himself in liquor, savoring a rare moment of rest. Over time, solitude had become comfortable for him.

So many relationships were formed due to his position, and he had to force smiles and control his expressions.

Being alone gave him true freedom.

Loneliness?

Of course, he felt lonely at times, but it was manageable. It sometimes even became a thing to enjoy.

He rose from the bed and walked toward the table for a drink of water.

As he reached for the kettle, his gaze snapped to the door. He put the kettle down and walked over and opened the door.

Then, a sword pointed at his throat.

A woman entered, gesturing for silence with her finger. The blade still remained at his neck.

Her eyes and expression made it clear. She was going to let him live if he stayed still.

Lee Jaseung complied.

There was only one reason he didn’t attack back. She held a sword, but he felt no killing intent from her.

Keeping the sword by his neck, the woman scanned her surroundings. Her face was pale, her clothes were soaked in blood. It seemed like she was clearly on the run.

Lee Jaseung calmly observed her.

Calling her beautiful was an understatement. It was beyond imagination.

She had perfectly proportioned features, sharp intelligent eyes, flawless white skin, perky breasts, slim waist, and long legs.

She was like a goddess crafted from all the beauty in the world.

But above all, she radiated nobility.

She looked very noble. Not even the bloodstained garments, her nervousness, or exhaustion on her face was able to take that away from her.

Despite her stunning appearance, Lee Jaseung simply looked at her without a change in expression.

That lack of reaction caused a flicker in the woman’s eyes.

He was calm even with a sword at his throat, and he was the first man to be so unaffected by her beauty.

Lee Jaseung didn’t reveal any of his Qi. He had long achieved State of One’s Origin, so unless one was his equal or greater, his strength couldn’t be discerned.

To her, he likely seemed like an untrained, or at most a Third-rate martial artist.

After confirming that no pursuers were nearby, she moved toward the window, peeked out, and leaped away into the night.

The moon was hung bright above the alley where she disappeared. Lee Jaseung smiled after looking up at the moon for a moment.

A brief encounter with a breathtaking woman huh. That’s not so bad.

As he walked back to drink his water, the door burst open with three men entering.

Killing intent!

Their killing intent was refined and deadly. It meant one thing.

Assassins!

They were paid killers, very highly skilled ones at that. They seemed to be the ones chasing the woman that came earlier.

The man in the center sniffed the air. It seemed like he was trained to track by scent.

After noticing the woman’s scent, he spoke with a cold gaze.

“Where is she?”

Assassins only revealed themselves when they intended to kill their target.

However, showing themselves like this meant that they were in a hurry and that they were dealing with something significant.

Though of course, it had nothing to do with me.

I glanced at the window.

I was going to let them live if they left without trouble…

Of course, that’s not going to happen.

One of the assassins drew his sword. They couldn’t afford to keep a witness alive after all.

The man quickly thrust his blade forward. His movement was precise and flawless.

Swish, Pwoosh!

The man’s throat was pierced by his own sword. He didn’t understand how he died, and how his weapon had been stolen so easily.

Thud.

The man collapsed.

The two other assassins that were about to leave through a window, turned back in shock. They exchanged glances. Fleeing was the right move for them to make.

However, just like the day they chose to become assassins, their choice tonight was also the wrong one.

They lunged at Lee Jaseung.

Lee Jaseung dodged effortlessly and drew a dagger from his waist.

Thunk, Thunk!

Both men collapsed with blood gushing from their necks and hearts.

Finally, Lee Jaseung was able to gulp down the water from his kettle. After settling it down, he said softly.

“Mook Young.”

Then, someone revealed themselves in the room. It was as if he had been there all along. It was a ghostlike presence.

He wore a white robe and had a sharp, cold face. He also had a long scar across one cheek.

Just his face alone intimidated his opponents.

He was Mook Young, the Captain of the Guard Hall, responsible for protecting Lee Jaseung.

However, he was praised as too handsome for a bodyguard. He was also among the top five martial artists in the Black Way Alliance.

“Whose men are they?”

“They are assassins from the Hidden Death Valley.”

Mook Young had already received reports from his subordinates.

“About ten first-class assassins entered the village.”

“Hidden Death Valley? Do they have any ties to us?”

Mook Young hesitated for a moment.

“Well?”

Then, he answered with a somewhat awkward expression.

“Every villain in Jianghu has some ties to us.”

He wasn’t wrong, so Lee Jaseung couldn’t help but smirk at the response.

Then, Mook Young received a telepathic message from his subordinate. He immediately reported to Lee Jaseung.

“She has been discovered by the assassins and is being chased right now.”

Lee Jaseung looked outside the window for a moment. He was reminded of her beautiful face as he gazed at the darkness.

However, he erased her away from his thoughts faster than he thought of her.

“She’s not the only one being chased tonight.”

Lee Jaseung climbed back on the bed and spoke.

“Now clean up these corpses.”