Things Get Complicated
Seo Joo-cheon approached the place where the martial artists had gathered.
Wherever they had been hiding, they had come out in greater numbers than he had expected.
"It's one of the Twelve Plum Blossom Sword Guards!"
The martial artists who had arrived late recognized him at once from the twelve plum blossoms embroidered across both sleeves.
Seo Joo-cheon had written it that way in the novel: each of Mount Hua's Twelve Plum Blossom Sword Guards bore six plum blossoms stitched into either sleeve.
To the swordsmen of the martial world, the Twelve Plum Blossom Sword Guards of the Mount Hua Sect were something close to idols. Among the Nine Great Sects, they stood alongside Shaolin's Eight Great Vajra and Wudang's Seven Swords as the most renowned swordmasters in the jianghu. Other sects had tried to imitate them—Qingcheng's Eight Swords, Emei's Ten Swords, Diancang's Six Swords—but none of those groups commanded anywhere near the same prestige.
"He's still alive!"
A martial artist who had drawn close examined the fallen Plum Blossom Sword Guard. Among them, a righteous-faction fighter stepped forward without hesitation and poured true qi into the wounded man.
"Cough!"
The Plum Blossom Sword Guard vomited a basinful of fresh blood after receiving the energy—proof that his shaken inner force was settling. Once he had recovered his wits, he swept his gaze across the assembled crowd. Seeing the many martial artists gathered around him, he asked:
"Where is the Undying Demon?"
"The Undying Demon isn't here. He's probably on the boat."
The rumor that the Undying Demon had boarded the vessel had already spread far and wide. At that, the Plum Blossom Sword Guard let out a groan of dismay.
"Ah... this is bad."
Seo Joo-cheon, looking at the man's chest, let out a murmur of recognition.
"He took a palm strike from the Undying Demon."
Every martial artist around them turned to look at Seo Joo-cheon. A deep palm print was sunk into the center of the Plum Blossom Sword Guard's chest. At the sound of that voice, the wounded man looked toward Seo Joo-cheon, who stood at the rear of the crowd. Seo Joo-cheon stood a full head taller than the others, and the Plum Blossom Sword Guard's eyes lit up at the sight of him.
"Oh? Might you be one of the Shaanxi Four Chivalrous Heroes?"
"I am."
Even as he answered, a question rose in him like a snake lifting its head.
A Plum Blossom Sword Guard recognized me at a glance? Have I really become that famous?
When Seo Joo-cheon nodded, something like relief crossed the man's face.
"Would you come closer?"
But Seo Joo-cheon's feet would not move. If the Plum Blossom Sword Guard asked him for anything, a Karma Mission would spawn. Still, this was not just anyone—it was a Plum Blossom Sword Guard making the request, and with so many people watching, he could not refuse.
"This humble Daoist is Sim Gong of the Mount Hua Sect. I heard from a disciple of our sect not long ago. Thanks to your aid, our junior sister is safe."
At Sim Gong's words, the gathered martial artists looked at Seo Joo-cheon and his companions again. The quality of those gazes had changed. No longer the look one gave a low-ranking unorthodox fighter—now they were looking at a high-level unorthodox master.
"Oh! So they're the Shaanxi Four Chivalrous Heroes."
The whispers from behind sent a chill down his spine.
"My martial brothers are fighting the Undying Demon fiercely as we speak. The Undying Demon is wounded no less than I am—if those of you here go and help them, you can kill him."
One of the martial artists asked:
"Why are you fighting the Undying Demon?"
These were people who had gathered to find an elixir. They knew the Plum Blossom Sword Guards were desperate to obtain it, so the sudden claim that they were fighting the Undying Demon instead was puzzling. The Plum Blossom Sword Guard spat a little more blood and continued.
"The Undying Demon captured the Black-Faced Fluttering Saber and obtained the elixir. That's why we Plum Blossom Sword Guards attacked him. We couldn't let such a treasure fall into the hands of an evil faction."
At those words, the martial artists who had been hanging back at the rear began slowly retreating, then vanished from the spot. You did not need to watch them go to know they were heading for the boat where the Undying Demon was. As they slipped away one and two at a time, only a handful remained around the Plum Blossom Sword Guard.
"I beg you. Defeat the Undying Demon and recover the elixir."
Seo Joo-cheon sighed inwardly. He already had a Karma Mission to find and rescue the Black-Faced Fluttering Saber. Now it looked like another one was about to pile on top of it.
Dang Seol-yong and the Heinous Saber Fiend Hong Seok-hun had stayed to the end, lingering near the Plum Blossom Sword Guard. Seo Joo-cheon turned to Ham Cheon-yeong.
"Second Brother, escort this man to the inn."
"Me?"
"Yes. He took a palm strike—he won't be able to use his true qi. We should help him."
At Seo Joo-cheon's words, Sim Gong shook his head.
"No. There's no time for that. You must go at once, slay the Undying Demon, and recover the elixir. I'll be fine after a round of qi circulation."
Kang Chu-mi asked:
"Did the Black-Faced Fluttering Saber truly fall into the Undying Demon's hands?"
"He did. That's why we Plum Blossom Sword Guards are fighting him. If you help us, the Mount Hua Sect will not forget the debt."
At Sim Gong's earnest plea, the Heinous Saber Fiend—who had been watching him the whole time—slipped away. If he could walk off with the elixir while everyone else tore each other apart, nothing could be better.
Dang Seol-yong was watching Seo Joo-cheon. She showed no intention of going to fight the Undying Demon.
A wise woman, no question. Fighting the Undying Demon right now would be the same as asking to die.
Even if the Plum Blossom Sword Guards were battling the Undying Demon, Dang Seol-yong was not in their league yet.
If she still had sleeping poison left, she'd already be on that boat. She's used it all up, so she must figure there's no chance of getting the elixir. She's not a reckless woman.
As if to mock Seo Joo-cheon's assessment, Dang Seol-yong spoke quietly.
"We have business elsewhere. We'll be taking our leave."
Dang Seol-yong headed toward the boat, taking her two escorts with her. A few martial artists still lingered, but they were the sort who would not dare throw themselves into a scramble for an elixir. They hung around the edges, looking more like spectators than participants.
"Big Brother, what do we do?"
Rescuing the Black-Faced Fluttering Saber meant they would have to fight the Undying Demon. Seo Joo-cheon stood.
"We'll have to go as well."
"You have my thanks. This humble Daoist will finish circulating his qi and ask someone here to take him to an inn. Please go aid the Plum Blossom Sword Guards."
Once more, Sim Gong looked at Seo Joo-cheon with pleading eyes.
Damn it. Fight the Undying Demon? Could we even win? Against someone who did this to a Plum Blossom Sword Guard?
Honestly, Seo Joo-cheon had no confidence. He had come prepared in a few ways, but those were stopgap measures at best. Staying here forever would not solve anything, though, so he started to walk.
Then, turning away, Seo Joo-cheon flinched and went still.
Wait.
He glanced back at the Plum Blossom Sword Guard. There were no sword wounds on him, but the palm strike to the chest and the fresh blood on his collar were plain to see.
Why didn't a Karma Mission spawn? He clearly asked me for help.
Seo Joo-cheon sank into thought.
Is it because this overlaps with the mission to rescue the Black-Faced Fluttering Saber? No. Something's off.
He poured true qi into his eyes and looked at the fallen Plum Blossom Sword Guard, Sim Gong. Only then did he realize he had taken the man for a Plum Blossom Sword Guard at face value and never even run a Character Search on him.
What?
The moment he ran the search, Seo Joo-cheon nearly jumped.
That's the Black-Faced Fluttering Saber, Do Gi. Heh. Well, I'll be damned. I told myself to watch out because the Black-Faced Fluttering Saber was a master of disguise—and I nearly fell for it myself. No wonder he recognized me so fast. A real Plum Blossom Sword Guard would have no reason to know a low-ranking unorthodox fighter.
The man who had been playing the part of Plum Blossom Sword Guard Sim Gong this entire time was Do Gi, the Black-Faced Fluttering Saber Seo Joo-cheon had been looking for.
He sent the martial artists to the boat to throw the Undying Demon into confusion. He was going to use that chaos to rescue his daughter.
It was a good strategy. Seo Joo-cheon had not expected anyone to put the martial artists gathered along the Suo River—drawn by rumors of an elixir—to use quite like this.
Spitting blood is just acting. The palm mark on his chest could easily have been faked.
Even so, the fact that he had managed to get his hands on a Plum Blossom Sword Guard's robes in the middle of all this was impressive enough to command genuine respect.
Seo Joo-cheon ran a Character Search on one of the martial artists still hovering awkwardly nearby—the man who had first shouted that he had found a Plum Blossom Sword Guard, and who had poured true qi into Sim Gong.
Of course. That's the White Salt Blade, Jeo Pung.
Jeo Pung was in on the act as well. Having confirmed both the Black-Faced Fluttering Saber and the White Salt Blade, Seo Joo-cheon started turning it over in his mind.
They still think the daughter is in the Undying Demon's hands.
He could have told the Black-Faced Fluttering Saber that his daughter was safe at the inn. The problem was that even if he told the truth, Do Gi was unlikely to believe a word of it. And what Seo Joo-cheon needed right now was the elixir. Ending things here would mean walking away empty-handed. The moment Do Gi learned that Do Ok-myeong was at the inn, he would take his daughter and vanish without a trace.
If that's how you're going to play it, I suppose I'll have to do a little acting of my own.
Seo Joo-cheon went so far as to help the Black-Faced Fluttering Saber to his feet.
"Even without me, martial artists have already gone to aid the Plum Blossom Sword Guards. You needn't worry."
Ham Cheon-yeong and Kang Chu-mi, watching their Big Brother's sudden change in manner, figured there had to be more to it. But Ham Cheon-yeong, thinking of Do Ok-myeong worrying herself sick over her father, was already burning with impatience.
"Big Brother, we don't have time to stand around here. We need to go rescue the Black-Faced Fluttering Saber."
Seo Joo-cheon shot him a look, in case Do Ok-myeong's name happened to slip out. The Black-Faced Fluttering Saber, still in the guise of Sim Gong, heard him and asked:
"Why are you trying to rescue the Black-Faced Fluttering Saber?"
"Well—"
Ham Cheon-yeong could not find an answer. Kang Chu-mi stepped in for him.
"Because he has the elixir."
At that, the Black-Faced Fluttering Saber nodded.
"I see. But the elixir belongs to the Mount Hua Sect."
Kang Chu-mi answered with a shrug.
"Sure. Whatever you say."
She had no interest in fighting Plum Blossom Sword Guards over it, so she let it go.
"Right now, getting Master Sim Gong to safety comes first."
Their Big Brother had changed tack so abruptly that both of them shut their mouths. They could tell that something about the situation had shifted, even if they did not know what.
Despite Do Gi's earnest refusals, Seo Joo-cheon insisted on escorting him all the way to the inn, and the Black-Faced Fluttering Saber found himself in an awkward spot. His plan had been to stay right here and, in the chaos of the martial artists clashing with the Undying Demon, slip away to rescue his daughter. When Seo Joo-cheon showed no sign of backing down, Do Gi pushed him off and said:
"If I move now, I fear I'll fall into qi deviation. The Undying Demon's palm force is still in my body. I'll need to circulate my qi here, and quickly."
Put that way, even Seo Joo-cheon could not press him further.
So that's how you're going to play it.
Seo Joo-cheon had meant to support the Black-Faced Fluttering Saber while he searched the man's body for where the Gongcheong Seokyu was hidden. He had even considered pressing a vital point and knocking him out cold.
Just as the two of them were settling into a peculiar battle of wills, the Heinous Saber Fiend—who should have been on the boat—came back. His saber was thick with bloodstains.
Did he run?
Seo Joo-cheon assumed the man had fought the Undying Demon, realized he was outmatched, and fled. The Heinous Saber Fiend was more than capable of that. But instead he stomped up to the Black-Faced Fluttering Saber, panting with rage.
"I went through a shitload of trouble for nothing!"
The Heinous Saber Fiend glared at him as he spoke. The Black-Faced Fluttering Saber kept up the Plum Blossom Sword Guard act.
"What do you mean?"
"There are no Plum Blossom Sword Guards on that boat!"
The Black-Faced Fluttering Saber asked, genuine confusion in his eyes:
"What are you talking about? The Plum Blossom Sword Guards headed for the boat to fight the Undying Demon."
"Bullshit! The Undying Demon isn't on the boat either!"
A moment later, Dang Seol-yong also returned to where the Black-Faced Fluttering Saber stood. When Seo Joo-cheon looked at her, she spoke quietly.
"There was no one on the boat but a boatman and a few demonic practitioners."
The Heinous Saber Fiend Hong Seok-hun, anger rising, turned on the Black-Faced Fluttering Saber still disguised as a Plum Blossom Sword Guard.
"You know what I beat out of those bastards?"
"What was it?"
At the Black-Faced Fluttering Saber's question, the Heinous Saber Fiend eyed him with open suspicion.
"You really don't know?"
"Would I be standing here like this if I did?"
That, at least, was a fair point. The Heinous Saber Fiend glanced around, then said:
"What on earth is that supposed to mean..."
A look of utter shock broke out across the Black-Faced Fluttering Saber's face like a spreading chill.