Chapter 1: A Spy’s End is Death
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 1: A Spy’s End is Death
A dark, secret chamber filled with acrid dust.
It was proof that no human hand had touched this place in a very long time.
“Cough.”
The dust entering my nose and mouth forced a cough out of me.
Despite that, I was swelling with anticipation. I desperately hoped that this was the place.
Carefully searching the secret chamber while illuminating it with my torch, I eventually discovered an old wooden box. I approached the dust-covered box with caution, when—
Shhh!
Something lunged out with a sound like escaping air.
“Whoa!”
Startled, I hurriedly scrambled backward. Once I had put some distance between us, I saw that it was none other than a snake.
Hiss, hiss!
Strangely, the snake had eyes as white as a snowy field. Staring into those pure white eyes made my skin crawl. I wondered if the reason there hadn't been a single rat in this cave was that this creature had devoured them all.
The snake flicked its tongue, hissing threateningly at me. It was as if it were trying to block me from approaching the wooden box.
“Take this!”
I swung my torch at the snake as if to attack. As the intense heat and orange sparks flew, the snake’s white pupils wavered.
Whoosh, whoosh!
Yet, even as I brandished the torch, the snake didn't budge. Instead, those white eyes remained fixed on mine.
What kind of snake isn't afraid of fire?
Eventually, my hand moved toward the sword hilt at my waist.
Hiss, hiss!
At that moment, the snake lowered its long, threatening body. Then, quite anticlimactically, it slithered across the floor at high speed and vanished into the shadows.
“Phew.”
A sigh of relief escaped my lips. In truth, killing a snake wouldn't have been difficult, but those mysterious white eyes had filled me with an inexplicable sense of unease.
Fearing the snake might return, I quickly opened the wooden box.
“Ah!”
There was something inside. It was a piece of yellowed paper that looked as if it might tear at the slightest touch. By my calculations, it must have been nearly six hundred years old; yet, perhaps due to some special chemical treatment, the writing remained perfectly intact despite the fading color.
I felt like I was going to cry. The paper was covered in countless lines of text.
“The Secret Records of the Sword Immortal.”
The treasure said to have been left behind by the Sword Immortal—the man hailed as the greatest swordsman six hundred years ago—was now in my hands.
Unfortunately, I could never be its true master. There were two reasons for this.
First, I was a mere third-rate martial artist whose Dantian had been damaged by Qi Deviation in my youth, making it impossible for me to cultivate internal energy.
Second, it was because of the situation I was in.
Touch.
Inside my chest, right where I was touching, resided a Blood Drum. The Blood Drum is a poisonous parasite created by the Blood Cult. They can make the damn thing go berserk and kill the host whenever they wish.
If you’re wondering why such a thing is in my chest, it’s because I am a spy for the Blood Cult.
Grit.
I ground my teeth. If I hadn't been kidnapped back then, none of this would have happened.
Grip!
My hand tightened around the Secret Records of the Sword Immortal. Startled by the sound of the paper crumpling, my heart sank, and I immediately loosened my grip. To martial artists—no, to any swordsman who hones his craft—the Secret Records of the Sword Immortal was a legendary treasure. For me, it was the only lifeline that could free me from being a dog of the Blood Cult.
“Hmm.”
Then again, I wasn't sure if this really was the Secret Records of the Sword Immortal. The content was bizarre, to say the least.
It rambled on about the profound mysteries of the Big Dipper’s stars to understand the Sword Heart...
Is this really a manual?
Moreover, it was a bit chilling; strange patterns were drawn here and there in red ink, reminiscent of some heterodox sorcery. It felt unsettling.
But what did it matter? My goal was to remove the Blood Drum from my chest and return to being the son of a prestigious Orthodox family, not a spy. Even if I were treated like trash by my family, it was better than living as a spy, constantly anxious that my heart might explode.
All I had to do was call for Great Elder Baek Wi-hyang and Azure Dragon Hall Master Mo Yong-su, who were searching elsewhere.
But before that, I had work to do.
I pulled something from my robes. It was a specially treated cylinder about the size of two finger joints.
“Damn it.”
I felt a surge of annoyance. The cylinder had a slight crack in it. It must have happened when I tumbled forward while descending the cliff. It was a relief it hadn't broken entirely.
I carefully folded the Secret Records of the Sword Immortal over and over again until it fit into the cylinder.
“Sigh...”
I wondered if I could actually swallow this. If I’d known, I would have prepared some water. I opened my mouth, popped the cylinder in, and forced myself to swallow. I felt like gagging, but I had no choice.
“Gack.”
It felt like eating the dried root of a rotten old tree. The reason I swallowed it was simple: it was my insurance policy. No matter how much they promised to help me, they were martial artists; there was no telling if they would covet the Secret Records of the Sword Immortal for themselves.
Rumble!
I opened the stone door of the secret chamber, went out to the hollow in the center of the cave, and tapped on the wall.
Tap! Tap! Tap-tap-tap! Tap-tap! Tap!
It was a Martial Alliance cipher. I tapped lightly, so it might have been hard to hear, but with the internal energy levels of Great Elder Baek Wi-hyang—ranked fifth in the Martial Alliance—or Mo Yong-su, one of the Twin Dragons among the successors, they would surely hear it.
Sure enough, the two of them appeared shortly after.
“Did you find it?”
A middle-aged man with broad shoulders and a magnificent beard—this was Baek Wi-hyang, the Fourth Elder of the Martial Alliance. Beside him was Mo Yong-su, the eldest son of the renowned Moyong Family, a youth with sharp eyes and a high-bridged nose.
Catching my breath, I gave them a thin smile.
“Yes, Elder. It was here.”
At those words, their faces brightened instantly. Having found the Secret Records of the Sword Immortal, a treasure of the ages, their joy was beyond words.
Mo Yong-su, the Azure Dragon Hall Master, asked me quietly, “Where is it? Where are the Secret Records?”
“Before that, please fulfill the promise you made.”
That promise was to remove the Blood Drum. I had heard that with Elder Baek Wi-hyang’s profound internal energy, he could burn the Blood Drum inside my body with his True Qi.
I felt sorry for the two who had trusted me, but as someone who had suffered all sorts of hardships as a spy, I needed a guarantee.
Elder Baek Wi-hyang chuckled. “Ho ho ho, quite right. You are correct. We must settle the accounts clearly.”
He then signaled Mo Yong-su with his eyes.
Then—
Shring!
Mo Yong-su drew a sharp, gleaming sword from the scabbard at his waist. It was the Yedan Sword, a famous blade of the Moyong Family.
Startled by the sudden draw, I backed away. “What are you doing?”
“Hand it over if you don't want to die,” Mo Yong-su said, pointing the tip of his sword at me.
He looked ready to stab me at any moment if I didn't hand over the manual. My heart hammered against my ribs at his sharp killing intent, but did they really think someone like me, who had lived in constant fear of the Blood Drum, would simply say, "Yes, here you go," to such a threat?
“...If I give it to you, will you remove the Blood Drum?”
“Well now. Is there any reason to keep you alive?”
Ah, damn it. My suspicions were right on the mark. These two were blinded by the Secret Records of the Sword Immortal. They intended to silence me the moment they had the treasure.
“Are you going to violate the statutes that forbid personal feelings or greed during a Martial Alliance mission?”
At my words, Elder Baek Wi-hyang spoke with a sneer. “Who would ever know? What use are statutes then?”
“If I die...”
“What does it matter if one spy from the Blood Cult dies? If anything, the Alliance Leader will commend us for uncovering a spy.”
Damn it all! This is why you can't trust anyone. I had revealed my identity as a forced spy, making them my last hope, and they were using me like this.
“What if I keep my mouth shut until the end? Have you forgotten that the Blood Cult has also dispatched masters here? You are running out of time.”
They were searching the vicinity of the cliff. If I stalled for time, they would soon realize the cave containing the Sword Immortal’s treasure was at the bottom of the cliff.
Mo Yong-su’s eyes wavered at that. But Elder Baek Wi-hyang was different.
“It seems you want to play games, but we aren't the only ones running out of time. You are too, aren't you?”
“.........”
“You’re telling me you hid the treasure in one of these many secret chambers in this situation? Stop your petty tricks. The only place you could have hidden it is on your own person.”
I was speechless. I had tried to use my head, but he had guessed correctly in an instant. The reason was too simple.
“Did you think this Elder wouldn't have searched your belongings while you weren't looking?”
Baek Wi-hyang wore a triumphant smile.
Ah, I was doomed. In moments like this, being a third-rate martial artist without internal energy was my eternal regret. I lacked the energy to sense someone intentionally ransacking my room. Of course, if a supreme master like Elder Baek Wi-hyang did the searching, there was little I could have done anyway, but it still felt unfair.
“Then we just need to rip his belly open. Elder. Heh heh heh.”
Mo Yong-su laughed leisurely. At this moment, he didn't look like a successor of the Orthodox faction; he was nothing more than a greedy predator.
I had no choice.
Thud!
I fell to my knees and begged as hard as I could.
“Please, spare my life. I will keep my mouth shut for the rest of my days. Killing a third-rate martial artist like me who can't even use internal energy...”
“You read it, didn't you?”
“What?”
“You read it. The Secret Records of the Sword Immortal.”
I had nothing to say to that. How else was I supposed to know if the paper was the Secret Records without reading it? What was truly unfair was that there was nothing in there that could even be called a martial arts manual.
“That is another reason you must die.”
“The, the records didn't have anything special...”
Stab!
In that instant, my chest felt hot. Mo Yong-su’s Yedan Sword pierced my chest with terrifying ease. From the very beginning, these bastards had no intention of letting me live.
“Cough.”
Blood spilled from my mouth. I collapsed to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut. My fate had been sealed from the moment this mission was handed down by both the Blood Cult and the Martial Alliance.
Strength left my body, and my consciousness began to fade. Is this how I die?
“Cut open his stomach.”
Elder Baek Wi-hyang spoke as if it were nothing. How could this man order someone’s belly to be ripped open so easily, as if I were a pig for slaughter?
“Understood.”
Mo Yong-su pulled the sword from my chest and plunged it into my stomach.
Squeltch!
“Guh!”
I heard something crush inside my abdomen.
“Oops.”
Of all places, Mo Yong-su had managed to drive his sword right into the cylinder inside my stomach. He must have felt it too, because he hurriedly pulled the sword out and tried to slash my belly open quickly around that area. He was likely worried that stomach acid or other fluids might enter the cylinder and damage the paper.
It was right then.
Whoosh!
“Huh?”
Something bizarre happened. A searing heat rose from my stomach, and suddenly, blue flames erupted. Startled, Mo Yong-su scrambled back.
“What are you doing! Get that thing out of his stomach, now!”
“Ye-yes, sir!”
At Baek Wi-hyang’s shout, he tried to cut my belly open again, but it was useless. Before I knew it, my entire body was consumed by the inferno of blue flames.
But it was strange. If my body was burning, it should have been agonizing, but it wasn't. Was it because I was already dying?
“Damn it! Why won't the fire go out?!”
Mo Yong-su’s frantic voice grew fainter and fainter. Now that I was actually dying, I regretted everything. Why did I have to live a life like this? It was truly bitter.
As my vision was gradually swallowed by the blue flames, everything turned into a bright white light.
At that moment—
Splash!
Something drenched my body. Had they thrown water on me to put out the fire?
Startled, I sat bolt upright without even thinking.
“Aaaagh!”
As soon as I woke up, the memory of being covered in blue flames flashed through my mind, and I checked my hands and feet.
But they were perfectly fine. Even my stomach, which had been pierced by Mo Yong-su’s sword, was unscathed. I had no idea what was going on.
“Snicker, snicker.”
The sound of mocking laughter reached my ears. I looked up to see two boys, perhaps fifteen or sixteen years old, dressed in luxurious silk robes, looking down at me with sneers on their faces.