The Divine Sword Must Be Claimed
Yang Cheon drained his cup.
“Tasteless.”
“My apologies, my lord.”
“I was the one who brought subpar wine from the brewery. What are you apologizing for?”
Baek Seo lowered his head in silence. Yang Cheon smiled at him.
“Baek Seo.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Are you in a foul mood?”
Baek Seo was genuinely taken aback. It had been a long time since Yang Cheon had asked him such a question, and he felt his usually unshakable composure waver.
Yet as one of Yang Cheon’s most trusted retainers, he maintained perfect control over his expression.
“Of course not, my lord.”
“I told you before. There’s no need to lie to me.”
“……”
“Haha. You’ve served me for many years, and I’ve watched you just as long. How could I not notice when my own right hand is displeased?”
Baek Seo felt a sudden lump in his throat.
Ever since Yeon Hojeong had visited the Black Dragon Department again, the lord seemed far more relaxed than before. His once-sharpening temperament had softened, returning to the generous and easygoing nature he had always possessed beneath his ambition. Yang Cheon had always been strict with his subordinates yet gentle in private settings.
Baek Seo had known this, but hearing the word “right hand” after so long struck him deeply.
“Quite a few strange things have happened lately,” Yang Cheon continued. “I was outmaneuvered by a brat whose blood hasn’t even dried on his head, and then some woman who knows nothing of politics came strutting in with insolent demands. Right in front of me, no less.”
The brat was Yeon Hojeong. The woman was the faction leader from Botam.
Baek Seo bowed his head a little lower.
“Calling him a mere brat would be an understatement. His talent and ability are extraordinary.”
Allowing the insolent woman to leave unharmed could be seen as magnanimity. But being deceived by the brat was a matter of capability.
So Baek Seo praised Yeon Hojeong. His lord was not the sort of man to be fooled by some upstart.
Yang Cheon saw through Baek Seo’s intent and laughed.
“Hahaha. You really have grown old. You’re even flattering me now.”
“……”
“Still, you’re right. Yeon Hojeong is far too exceptional to dismiss as a mere brat. Even after being deceived by him once, I find myself wanting to bring him under my wing again.”
“My lord.”
“I know. You think I’d actually bring that fellow back into the Black Dragon Department?”
“……”
“I have my pride too. Even if I tried, he wouldn’t come. I intend to repay him properly someday, but I have no desire to recruit him into the main headquarters.”
“My apologies.”
Yang Cheon stroked his chin.
“Regardless, after all these recent incidents, something occurred to me.”
“……”
“Patience is truly an important virtue.”
Baek Seo’s eyes trembled.
Yang Cheon refilled his cup and continued.
“What happened with Yeon Hojeong was due to my own shortcomings. My judgment of people was lacking.”
“That is not true, my lord.”
“I acknowledge it.”
“……”
Baek Seo knew the reason. He knew why Yang Cheon’s body had reached such a state and why his insight had dulled for so long.
It was because of the Evil Sound Cult Leader. Yang Cheon had spent years in a weakened state after being struck by the cult leader’s martial arts.
Yet Yang Cheon did not blame the Evil Sound Cult Leader. He considered it his own failure in ability and judgment.
What a great man, Baek Seo thought. He felt that Yang Cheon, the lord he served, had finally become complete.
“But the woman from Botam is different. The chaos in Botam was caused by the disciple I dispatched. In other words, the current turmoil there is my doing.”
“……”
“I’ve meddled in countless affairs, but rarely have things gone according to my intentions. Botam was one of the exceptions. It should have been cause for celebration, yet listening to that woman’s insolent demands made my blood boil.”
“I believe that is a separate matter.”
“A separate matter?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“While the chaos in Botam resulted from your brilliant stratagem, her insolence stems from the arrogance of someone who cannot properly assess her opponent.”
Yang Cheon smiled.
“You think so?”
“I do. Moreover, she is a fallen swordswoman who has neglected her training, intoxicated by past glory.”
The expert dispatched from Botam possessed formidable martial arts. Her skill proved that the legends of Botam were no exaggeration, surpassing Baek Seo by a wide margin. The aura of a swordsman who had devoted her life to the sword path was also impressive.
Yet Baek Seo could tell she had grown lax in her training over the past two or three years.
She was someone who had stepped into the muddy waters of political strife while pursuing the sword path. When a sun that once shone from on high falls, it becomes colder than moonlight. That was what had happened to her.
Baek Seo was confident. If he brought out all the secret techniques he had kept hidden, he could kill even that fox who stood above him.
Two or three years of negligence had dulled a blade honed over a lifetime, turning it into a mere club.
In the end, she was only that capable. Though Yang Cheon was involved in the current Botam situation, she would have collapsed eventually even without his intervention.
“For a martial artist, the ability to accurately gauge an opponent’s strength is essential. Challenging someone you shouldn’t leads to death. The same applies to politicians. Misjudging an opponent’s capability can lead to the ruin of both oneself and one’s entire organization.”
“In other words, that woman is unqualified both as a martial artist and as a politician?”
“She may be a martial artist, but she has no right to call herself a politician. She is merely a fool who believes herself clever and perceptive.”
Yang Cheon chuckled. He thought much the same. If that fox’s eyes had not held the madness of desire, he too would not have endured her presence.
Those who lose reason to desire will set the world ablaze at the slightest provocation.
That was exactly what Yang Cheon had done to her this time.
“By the way, what do you think? Botam is divided into three factions. One has come to me, so at least one of the remaining two will head to the Martial Alliance.”
“It’s possible both will.”
“That possibility cannot be ruled out. However, even blinded by desire, they at least know how to draw a basic picture. They’ll keep watch on each other. If one goes to the Martial Alliance, the other will scramble to find a different backer.”
Baek Seo’s eyes gleamed.
“Are you referring to a third force?”
“Indeed.”
“In the current martial world, the only organizations comparable to us or the Martial Alliance are……”
“They exist. Just not in the Central Plains.”
Baek Seo’s face hardened.
“Surely they wouldn’t reach that far? They likely don’t even know of the Three Sects’ existence.”
“Probably not. Their intelligence is lacking, so they wouldn’t know about the Three Sects.”
Yang Cheon smiled faintly.
“But what if someone were to inform them of the Three Sects?”
“……!!”
“Then two tigers and a three-headed wolf might clash within Botam’s fox den, wouldn’t they?”
“My lord.”
Baek Seo spoke with extreme caution.
“Forgive me for saying this, but leaking information from our side would be excessive……”
“At first, it was different.”
Yang Cheon cut him off sharply.
“When I first sought to destroy Botam, I had my reasons. You know them, don’t you?”
“……Yes.”
“Botam has produced swordmasters worthy of being called the best under heaven in every generation. The world simply didn’t know it.”
Yang Cheon leaned back in his chair, gazing at the ceiling. His eyes held unfathomable depth.
“That existence is the Sword Queen. And to be recognized as the Sword Queen, one must venture into the world to prove their ability and righteousness.”
“That is correct.”
“And throughout history, the Sword Queens have always targeted the unorthodox factions.”
Proof of strength. Proof of righteousness.
The Sword Queen was not merely a symbol of Botam’s martial prowess. She embodied Botam’s power, spirit, and the path they must follow.
Such an existence could not be created through teachings alone. What good they accumulated and what evil they eradicated in the world mattered just as much.
Thus, the final candidate who passed the trials would spend a period in the Central Plains operating under anonymity. Thoroughly concealing their identity, they would eliminate evil from the shadows and accumulate good without anyone knowing.
To the unorthodox factions, this was infuriating. Generation after generation, organizations had been destroyed by the Sword Queen. The groups that preyed on the common people were inevitably dismantled once per generation by her.
Even if one wished to crush her with force, she was an existence that could not be crushed. An unparalleled master whose absolute martial arts were unknown to the world. To the unorthodox factions, the Sword Queen was an unstoppable calamity.
“This generation’s Sword Queen would likely have come for me, had Botam not fallen into such disarray.”
Yang Cheon closed his eyes.
“Whether to eliminate evil or to challenge me as a martial artist, I wouldn’t have cared. If she came, I would simply crush her. However……”
“……”
“I am the lord of the Black Dragon Department, the coalition of unorthodox factions. Before any martial pride or the confidence that comes with the title King of Combat, as a leader responsible for many lives, I had to find a way to win without fighting.”
“A most astute judgment, if I may say so.”
“But the situation has changed.”
Whoosh!
A heavy aura emanated from Yang Cheon’s body.
“I am a fool who wasted years without even realizing I had been struck by the Evil Sound Cult Leader. While I stagnated, countless new talents and unknown factions have risen.”
“……”
“I will no longer remain merely the master of the unorthodox coalition.”
Whoosh!
Terrifying killing intent burst from Yang Cheon’s eyes.
“Isn’t it acceptable to send a warning to the one who reduced me to this state? If necessary, I must use any ruthless method to open the chest of the one who will receive my fist. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“……My lord.”
“Baek Seo.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“I must obtain the Sword Queen.”
“……!”
“I must seize the heavenly sword that shines coldly without purpose. With that sword, I will sever at least one of the two characters that form ‘Evil Sound.’ Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Baek Seo bowed his head.
“I will simply follow your command.”
“Yeon Hojeong is in Guangdong, correct?”
“Yes.”
“The Martial Alliance has yet to select its leader.”
“Correct.”
Yang Cheon closed his eyes.
“Send a letter to that fellow Yeon Hojeong. He is the core of the Martial Alliance’s politics. At least for now.”
“……”
“I need to set him in motion.”