The Shadow of the Maryeong
The path to Pagun was by no means smooth.
Although Dogan Mabu's guidance made the journey easier, demonic humans appeared at every turn to obstruct them.
"This confirms it. Pagun is definitely in league with the demonic humans," Yoon Ji-gang said.
Just as Yoon Ji-gang said, Pagun was clearly closely linked to the demonic humans.
Traces of demonic corruption were found all over the territory of the Baekrang Bandits.
"Let us hurry! It will be troublesome if he escapes!"
"For now, we have people stationed around to catch him."
Dang Hwa-young had used the Beggars' Sect to gather nearby martial artists and encircle Baek Mountain.
This was to prevent any demonic humans leaving Baek Mountain from harming the surrounding areas, as well as to cut off Pagun's escape routes.
"Hurry! We must capture Pagun at all costs!"
At Kwak Young's shout, the martial artists of the Cheondo Gate surged forward vigorously.
Right then—
Grab.
"Stop!"
Dogan Mabu blocked the path of the Cheondo Gate martial artists.
He snatched the collar of a martial artist who was trying to push past him, ignoring his warning.
"What do you think you are doing?!"
As sharp, hostile glares turned toward Dogan Mabu, he spoke.
"You brainless fools. Pagun is a cunning bastard. Do you know what the very first thing he did after becoming the master of the Baekrang Bandits was?"
"..."
"...?!"
No one could answer Dogan Mabu's question.
"It was fortifying the bandit camp. Even when people mocked him, asking why mere bandits needed a fortress, he silently went ahead with it. And this is the result."
Only the martial artist held in his grip realized something a moment too late.
Sssss.
The path he had been about to tread was teeming with venomous serpents.
Had he stepped forward blindly, he would have been bitten, leaving him in critical condition.
"...Thank you."
"Hmph. Watch your step."
Releasing his grip on the collar, the Cheondo Gate martial artist quickly retreated to Yoon Ji-gang's side and reported what he had seen in detail.
"Tsk!"
Clicking his tongue at the report, Yoon Ji-gang shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Everyone, watch your step and keep your eyes on your surroundings! Actually, from now on, just follow behind Dogan Mabu!"
At Yoon Ji-gang's command, Dogan Mabu naturally took the lead, acting as their guide.
"See? I told you he'd be useful," Yoo Sung said.
No one could refute Yoo Sung's words.
Without Dogan Mabu, they would never have navigated the treacherous terrain of Baek Mountain so easily.
Yoon Ji-gang and Kwak Young marched forward, making no effort to hide their displeasure.
Ho-sung and Dang Hwa-soo followed silently behind them.
"It was a good move. Someone of Dogan Mabu's caliber will be quite helpful to the academy in the future."
True to her moniker, 'Iron Flower,' Dang Hwa-young had grasped Yoo Sung's intentions to some extent.
Yoon Ji-gang had likely seen through Yoo Sung's plan as well, which was why he was so visibly annoyed.
"Ultimately, the most crucial factor in an academy's growth is the number of high-level martial artists. Though Dogan Mabu is mocked as a mere bandit, he is someone who knows where to draw the line. If you refine him well, he will be of great help to the academy. So, your stubbornness has paid off to some degree."
"Well, I wasn't thinking that far ahead."
He hadn't particularly aimed for that, but hearing Dang Hwa-young's words, Dogan Mabu's presence did seem quite valuable.
I could even use him as a gatekeeper to guard the house, just like Ho-sung.
Since his family had already united in their resolve to rebuild and elevate the academy, he needed to gather the right pieces one by one.
"You were lucky this time, but be careful in the future. Accepting outsiders is something that must be considered with extreme caution."
Dang Hwa-young's advice was by no means an exaggeration.
Due to the war with Macheon, unprecedentedly powerful masters had emerged all over the Jianghu.
Many of them harbored ambitions of creating their own martial paths and passing them down to future generations.
However, founding a new sect was no easy task.
Among them, those whose martial prowess fell into an awkward middle ground naturally gravitated toward existing or newly rising sects.
The one that had expanded its influence the most through this method was the Cheondo Gate.
Kwak Yoo had aggressively recruited strong martial artists without distinguishing between the orthodox and unorthodox paths.
At one point, the Sichuan martial arts community, expressing concern over this, had tried to interfere.
However, as the chaos in Sichuan intensified, the strength of the Cheondo Gate became necessary, and now, people were largely turning a blind eye to it.
"Because of the Cheondo Gate, the scrutiny and pressure on you will only grow fiercer."
"I've heard. I heard they made quite a racket."
To integrate outsiders and resolve conflicts with their existing martial artists, the Cheondo Gate had turned their eyes outward.
In the process, they shed a great deal of blood and accumulated heavy karma.
Despite making enemies of both the orthodox sects and the Unorthodox Path, the Cheondo Gate grew stronger by the day.
Because of this, the future of the Heavenly Sword Academy would be anything but smooth.
"There's no rush. Since you're sharing information anyway, why don't you introduce me to some useful people?"
Dang Hwa-young was dumbfounded by Yoo Sung's shameless request.
"Are you trying to use the Iron Flower right now?"
"Wouldn't it be better for the Iron Flower to have a sect she can personally utilize? It's going to be a long fight ahead, after all."
"..."
Yoo Sung's words were undeniably true.
She would fight for the future of the Tang family.
The current Tang family was corrupt and its future was bleak. Even if she didn't become the head of the family, she still needed to fight for its future.
To do that, she absolutely required external strength to support her.
We aren't strangers; we share a bloodline. This isn't a bad deal.
"Well, I'll think about it for now."
Yoo Sung smiled at Dang Hwa-young's reluctant attitude, her pride preventing her from agreeing immediately.
Thanks to her, a good idea has crossed my mind.
The conversation with Dang Hwa-young brought back memories of old acquaintances from his past.
He had thought he would never see them again, but they, too, were likely wandering the Jianghu as rogue martial artists.
While those who had already settled down couldn't be helped, it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring those with nowhere to go to the academy.
At the very least, they were people Yoo Sung could absolutely trust.
Should I summon them slowly?
Summoning them all at once would draw the eyes of the entire Jianghu to the academy, so a gradual approach would be best.
"We're almost there, so everyone stay sharp!"
At Dogan Mabu's shout, the relaxed atmosphere instantly grew tense once more.
As they drew closer to Pagun's dwelling, a dense demonic energy and the metallic scent of blood greeted them.
*
Whoosh.
A desolate wind swept through.
Pagun's residence was littered with countless corpses.
"They didn't die because they wanted to, nor did they fall fighting an external enemy."
Every single one of them had died while desperately trying to flee.
Whether it was Pagun or another demonic human, the traces of their desperate struggle to escape their clutches were painfully clear.
"Sigh, are we going to lose him like this?"
With a heavy sigh, Yoon Ji-gang scanned the surroundings.
No matter where they looked, there was not a single living soul.
"...You need to see this."
Huffing as he searched the area, Dogan Mabu called out to the others with a grim expression.
Sensing the gravity in his voice, everyone gathered around him.
"...!!"
"Crazy bastard..."
"What on earth is this?!"
There lay a pile of corpses that defied comparison to the ones they had seen earlier.
The bodies, which had died quite some time ago, were shriveled like mummies.
The state of the corpses, drained of every single drop of blood, was a classic sign of the Blood-Sucking Demonic Art. However...
"To think he would abandon the Baekrang Bandits for a mere Blood-Sucking Demonic Art?"
As Dogan Mabu said, if the demonic art Pagun had acquired was indeed the Blood-Sucking Demonic Art, its grade was far inferior to the one practiced by the deceased Il-sung.
"It might not be the Blood-Sucking Demonic Art. Let's keep looking for now," Dang Hwa-young suggested.
While everyone was searching for traces of Pagun at her suggestion, Ho-sung suddenly frowned.
"Do you guys smell something burning?"
"...!!"
A sudden chill ran down their spines.
At Ho-sung's words, everyone except Yoo Sung felt their blood run cold.
"Could it be?"
"That crazy bastard!"
Before Yoon Ji-gang and Dogan Mabu could even voice their sudden realization—
"F-Fire!!!"
At the shout echoing from outside, Dogan Mabu cried out in panic.
"No way!"
"Fall back! It's a trap!" Dang Hwa-young yelled, realizing Pagun's scheme a moment too late, but they were already a split second behind.
Kaboom!
With a massive explosion, roaring flames erupted from Pagun's residence, rapidly consuming the entirety of Baek Mountain.
*
Meanwhile, a man stood in the distance, watching the bandit camp burn to the ground.
"Fascinating."
The man was none other than Pagun, the leader of the Baekrang Bandits.
By joining hands with Yeo Mi-ho, Pagun had acquired a high-grade demonic art.
The demonic art Yeo Mi-ho had bestowed upon him was so exceptional that it made all the time he had wasted searching for the Soul-Stealing Saber feel utterly foolish.
Of course, his future was bound to be far from pleasant once he learned the true nature of that demonic art, but...
"To gain something, one must let go of another. Trying to have it all is always what leads to ruin."
Muttering softly to himself, Pagun turned around.
"Pagun!!! You son of a bitch!!!"
The resentful roar of Dogan Mabu echoing from afar briefly halted Pagun's steps.
"If fate permits, we shall meet again, Dogan Mabu."
Dogan Mabu had consistently thwarted his plans.
Ideally, he would have preferred for the man to turn to ash within those flames, but considering Dogan Mabu's level of cultivation, that was highly unlikely.
After all, this entire spectacle was merely to erase any traces of the demonic art he had practiced...
At that time, neither Pagun nor Yeo Mi-ho had any idea that there was already someone who knew the true identity of that demonic art.
*
"A Maryeong?"
Yoo Sung's murmur was incredibly faint, but it did not escape Dang Hwa-young's sharp ears.
In truth, Yoo Sung had intended for her to hear it anyway.
"Surely you don't mean that Maryeong?"
Among those gathered here, Dang Hwa-young was the only one besides Yoo Sung who had fought extensively against Macheon.
Explaining it to the others would be tedious, and they would likely struggle to comprehend it anyway. It was enough for Dang Hwa-young alone to recognize the nature of that demonic art.
"If my memory serves me right, this is the process of a Maryeongin being created."
"...Wait."
The words of the Martial Alliance's Chief Strategist flashed through Dang Hwa-young's mind.
"The difference between a Maryeongin and a blood-sucking demonic human is simple. A blood-sucking demonic human is a mere disposable tool that blindly craves blood and struggles to maintain its sanity. A Maryeongin, however, recovers by absorbing the blood of others. Those who retain their sanity and cultivate the Maryeong operate as active members of Macheon."
The difference between a Maryeongin and a blood-sucking demonic human was vast—so vast that the Chief Strategist had personally explained it to her on the day she set out to fight them.
"A Maryeongin is appearing already?"
Barely a year had passed since the fall of Macheon and the arrival of an uneasy peace in the Jianghu.
Though many things had changed in that short span, the aftermath of the long war was still far from resolved.
The prediction that the orthodox and unorthodox factions would immediately clash over territory once the war ended had proven false for this very reason.
Because the scars of war were so deep, both sides had reached a tacit agreement to focus on recovery first.
Yet, in the midst of this fragile peace, the Three Demonic Wanderers had settled in Sichuan, and the legendary demonic weapons once held by Macheon had begun to resurface.
It was as if some unseen hand was deliberately trying to shatter this precarious tranquility.
But knowing the enemy's intent did not mean one could easily avoid their traps.
The demonic weapons of Macheon were treasures that no martial artist could simply ignore.
With these weapons as the catalyst, the embers of war were beginning to ignite once more...
"And now, even the Maryeong is making an appearance? This is madness."
Dang Hwa-young ran a hand roughly through her hair, lost in thought.
This was no longer a simple matter of proving the worth of the Sichuan Alliance.
If the traces before them truly belonged to a Maryeong, it meant Macheon was rising from the ashes.
I must report this to the Martial Alliance immediately.
If it was the Chief Strategist, whose wisdom reached the heavens, he would surely know how to prepare.
"For now, there is nothing more to discuss here. Let us all return to our respective posts."
Everyone agreed to Yoon Ji-gang's suggestion, bringing their temporary alliance to an end.
As Yoo Sung watched the departing figures of the Cheondo Gate with a strange gaze, Dang Hwa-young and Dang Hwa-soo approached him.
"We must move quickly to verify your words. You may return to the academy if you wish."
"We will look around a bit more before we head back," Yoo Sung replied.
Dang Hwa-young pondered his response for a moment before sending a transmission.
—Be careful. The Cheondo Gate won't just back down like this.
I know.
In fact, it was exactly what he was hoping for.
Hiding his true thoughts, Yoo Sung simply nodded.
And so, the affair of the Baekrang Bandits drew to a close, leaving behind a lingering, unsettling aftertaste.