Chapter 112: Heavenly Slaughter Demon Sword
Chapter 112: Heavenly Slaughter Demon Sword
Lady Dang, who had been lost deep in thought for a while as we walked, asked me.
"But is it truly the right thing to do, rescuing that man Do Mun-seung? Emotionally, his circumstances are pitiable, and the man I saw with my own eyes seemed too valuable to die like that... Yet still, if summoning disciples from surrounding sects in that manner was the tradition of the people here, then I wonder if that too shouldn't be respected."
I could fully understand her dilemma.
Clearly, Sucheonhoe had apparently protected this region in that way since the past, and that was why they still received support from many people even now.
So no matter how pitiable the circumstances, she couldn't help but agonize over whether helping Do Mun-seung was truly the right thing to do.
I thought it was a natural dilemma to have.
After collecting my thoughts for a moment, I carefully answered her.
"Of course, this is just my opinion, but I feel that Sucheonhoe protecting this region is less a noble sacrifice and more some sort of tacit agreement."
"...An agreement?"
"Yes. The sects of this region provide Sucheonhoe with funds and disciples, and in exchange, Sucheonhoe provides them with safety. A kind of contract, you could say?"
At my explanation, Lady Dang nodded as if she understood.
"Ah, you could certainly view it that way."
"Yes. From that perspective, I believe both sides have lines they must uphold. The sects should maintain their trust so that Sucheonhoe's strength doesn't weaken, and Sucheonhoe must ensure the safety of those sects isn't threatened. Regarding that aspect, I see this current situation as Sucheonhoe being at fault."
Then Lady Dang repeated my words back.
"They must ensure the safety of those sects isn't threatened. Yet this time, they forcibly conscripted Do Mun-seung, even to the point of threatening the safety of the Yeongnam Sword Gate, is that it?"
"Yes, correct. Sucheonhoe, which should protect the safety of the sects, has instead become an entity threatening the safety of the Yeongnam Sword Gate. If so, wouldn't it be unnecessary for the Yeongnam Sword Gate to follow Sucheonhoe's orders?"
"Hmm."
To her, sinking back into thought, I gave another example.
"Isn't the frontline we belong to the same? We came to the frontline to stand against the Blood Cult in order to protect our families and sects. But if our families or home sects were threatened by the very Murim Alliance that created the frontline, would there be any need to hold the line? Whether it's the Murim Alliance or the Blood Cult, if they threaten our families and sects, they're equally our enemy."
Lady Dang didn't yet know about the things the Dark Shadow Squad had done.
The fact that discharged soldiers were being assassinated not by Blood Cult followers, but by the Murim Alliance...
I'd considered telling her about that too, but I was still being cautious because the position of the Sichuan Dang Clan to which she belonged weighed on my mind.
From what I'd seen during the last Jeonghyeopbang incident, the Sichuan Dang Clan was clearly under heavy influence from the Murim Alliance, after all.
At this, Lady Dang nodded as if somewhat convinced, but spoke with concerned eyes.
"What Seonu Gongja says certainly seems to be right. But I'm cautious about whether we might be violating rules or traditions."
I nodded at her words.
Given her disposition, so obedient to her family and parents, it seemed only natural that she'd feel burdened about breaking established rules and traditions.
After organizing my thoughts briefly, I spoke again.
"Don't rules and traditions have reasons they were created? If you become bound not by the reason but by the rule itself, I think you'd be committing a folly akin to pointing at the moon but fixating on the finger."
Then I told her a story that could serve as an example.
"It's something I read in a book before. In some region of the western territories, there's a rule that women absolutely must never reveal their faces outside."
At this, Lady Dang looked puzzled and asked in return.
"What? Women's faces? Why?"
"When that rule was created, there were so many bandits and such poor public order that it was meant to protect women from being assaulted. The problem is, they still uphold it as tradition even now. Even in safe cities, they absolutely never let women's faces be revealed. Apparently, if a woman reveals her face, she can be killed without the killer receiving any blame."
At those words, Lady Dang's expression crumpled deeply.
"What is that? It was a rule to protect women, yet they kill someone just for showing her face? Does that make any sense?"
I chuckled and answered.
"Right. It's completely nonsensical. I believe that's what happens when you become fixated on words and rules, not the underlying reason or principle. In fact, you don't have to look far—this kind of thing frequently happens around us. Among the rules and traditions around us, aren't there many we follow without even knowing the reason? That's why I believe Sucheonhoe is at fault this time, and I want to help that man Do Mun-seung."
At this, Lady Dang now nodded with a bright smile, as if she fully understood.
"I see. Thanks to Seonu Gongja, it's become clear. As I thought, helping Do Mun-seung wasn't wrong after all."
At her bright smile, laughter escaped me as well.
Lady Dang certainly wasn't someone overflowing with wisdom like Miss Cheongyeon, but she was a person who was quick to understand and receptive.
She had a charm that put the person she talked with at ease.
And then...
I hadn't told her, but there was one more reason I felt I absolutely had to intervene in this matter.
It was precisely because of Sucheonhoe's leader, the Heaven-Ascending Swordsman Mak Woo-jeon. Because of him.
The moment I first heard his name from Lady Dang earlier, I could recall that I had also heard his name in my past life.
Except back then, the nickname I knew him by wasn't the Heaven-Ascending Swordsman.
'Back then he was called the Thousand Murder Demon Sword Mak Woo-jeon. The terrifying sword demon who reduced southern Sichuan Province to ashes and slaughtered countless people.'
In my previous life, when I returned to the Seonwoo Clan after the frontline collapsed, he was already a minion of the Blood Demon, endlessly repeating countless massacres.
I'd once heard in passing that he had previously been a member of the orthodox faction, and it seemed that had probably been Sucheonhoe.
Lady Dang had said his martial prowess was roughly at a level approaching the transcendent peak.
So that meant his current skill was similar to that of my brother Hwa Young-bin the Red Sunset Divine Sword, or Squad Leader Seolpung.
But the man I knew from my past life was different.
'His martial prowess back then was by no means inferior to Iron God Mad Demon Cheok Gang's. After all, he was actually called the Blood Demon's Demon Sword.'
Iron God Mad Demon Cheok Gang.
In my past life, Mak Woo-jeon had been a powerhouse on a similar level to Cheok Gang, who had recently, in a single breath, displayed an overwhelming momentum even before the elites of the Qingcheng Sect and the Dang Clan.
So the Mak Woo-jeon of now, who hadn't even reached the transcendent peak, was going to somehow leap over several walls over the next few years and grow into one of the Thirty-Six Stars Under Heaven who rivaled the Absolute Beings of the martial world.
But that was far too strange.
'Logically, does that even make sense?'
It couldn't be possible.
There had to have been some incredible stroke of fortune, some event in between.
I was getting a feeling somehow.
The feeling that Mak Woo-jeon's secret and this current affair were connected in some way.
Of course, logically speaking, the mere act of helping Do Mun-seung escape couldn't possibly have any connection to Mak Woo-jeon's secret.
But a strange, inexplicable feeling was telling me so. That through this incident, I would be able to get closer to Mak Woo-jeon's secret.
And I wasn't the type to ignore my feelings.
In my previous life, with insufficient martial prowess, hadn't the role of these intuitive, gut feelings been immense, allowing me to survive until the frontline finally collapsed?
At that moment, Lady Dang looked at the pleasure house in front of us and asked me.
"Uh, Seonu Gongja? But why are we standing in front of this pleasure house right now?"
Snapping out of my thoughts and looking, I saw we had somehow already arrived before the doors of a splendid pleasure house.
It was a pleasure house with a signboard reading 'Yeollak Pavilion.'
I hurriedly smiled and answered Lady Dang, who was looking at me with an odd gleam in her eyes.
"Ah, this is the Hao Gate branch in Yeongnam, Sichuan Province. I got the location from Jeom So-i earlier. So we didn't come to a brothel, we came to a Hao Gate branch. Haha...."
At that, she asked back, looking quite startled.
"A Hao Gate branch?"
"Yes, we'll probably receive quite good hospitality."
"We're being hosted by Hao Gate? Why?"
To her blinking as if it was impossible, I showed a confident smile.
And a short while later, we were being treated to a sumptuous meal in a large room.
We sat at a large table that could seat about ten people, and it was laden with an abundance of high-class dishes.
It was a feast of delicacies the likes of which I hadn't seen since my past life living as a pig of the Seonwoo family.
Lady Dang wore a dazed expression, as if this whole situation was too bewildering.
But I smiled leisurely and spoke to the man sitting across from me.
"You really didn't need to treat us this lavishly."
At that, the middle-aged man—the master of Yeollak Pavilion and branch head of Hao Gate's Yeongnam division in Sichuan Province—bowed his head solemnly and answered.
"Not at all. Everyone in our Sichuan Hao Gate branch knows we owe a great debt to Young Master Seonwoo. On the contrary, we are merely sorry that this is the only level of hospitality we can offer."
Owed a debt, he said....
Of course, to be precise, the more accurate expression would be that I had their leash firmly in my grip, rather than having done them a favor.
Since I was securing their cooperation in exchange for turning a blind eye to their collaboration with the Blood Cult.
But still, being treated well was certainly not something to feel bad about.
I first ate some food and asked him.
"Is Brother Hwa doing well?"
At that, he bowed his head respectfully again and answered.
"Yes, Hwa Young-bin the Red Sunset Divine Sword is entirely preoccupied these days with sweeping out the Blood Cult remnants still lurking in Sichuan Province. Thanks to his devoted efforts, the Blood Cult's remnants in Sichuan are now nearly eradicated. Our Hao Gate's assessment is that about ninety-nine percent have been wiped out."
"Oh, already. That's impressive."
Ninety-nine percent meant they were confident that almost all Blood Cult followers had been annihilated.
Leaving even one percent was probably preparation for unforeseen circumstances, so seeing his face full of pride like that was completely understandable.
I smiled and said to him.
"You've worked hard. Hao Gate's contribution is great."
"Not at all. If we accomplished anything, it was all thanks to Hwa Daehyeop and Seonwoo Daehyeop."
After exchanging pleasantries for a moment, we soon got down to business.
"I would like some information regarding Sucheonhoe and the Heaven-Ascending Swordsman Mak Woo-jeon. Also, there are a few items I wish to acquire."
"Yes! Tell me anything at all!"
And the state of Sucheonhoe that I immediately learned from him was, as expected, quite suspicious.
It was clearly true that they had recently been forcibly conscripting warriors from nearby sects.
Furthermore, the reason was indeed a recent surge in casualties, but the location where those deaths occurred was also strange.
"The north, you say?"
According to Hao Gate's information, numerous deaths had occurred in the north, which had nothing whatsoever to do with the south where the frontline was located, or the east where Guizhou Castle's Six Ghosts Hall was situated.
It was utterly incomprehensible.
"Yes, though traces were visible of efforts to conceal it from public view, when we confirmed it, the place the bodies were returned from was definitely the north. The odd thing is that during that time, there had been no notable conflicts between sects in the north at all. At least, excluding the clash between Jeonghyeopbang and Sangeommun."
It was certainly fishy.
No one knew better than I, a party directly involved, that Sucheonhoe had absolutely nothing to do with the Jeonghyeopbang incident.
But numerous deaths occurred without any such plausible incident?
Suddenly, a thought struck me.
'Could they have already been devoured by the Blood Cult?'
What was known in my last life was that Mak Woo-jeon fell under the Blood Demon around the time the frontline collapsed.
But contrary to what was known, couldn't the situation already be that way?
With sharp eyes, I asked Yeollakruju.
"Have you by any chance found any connections to the Blood Cult?"
At that, the pavilion master, who had been looking at me with a grave face for a moment, answered.
"I cannot tell you with one hundred percent certainty. However, we assess with over ninety percent probability that it is unrelated to the Blood Cult."
"Hmm."
Over ninety percent....
He said he couldn't say one hundred percent, but he seemed to want to say it was absolutely not the case.
Given that he went so far as to say that, I figured it was right to assume it wasn't, for now.
"So, Hao Gate has no other information at all?"
"...Yes, I am ashamed to say."
It was a little disappointing, but I nodded as if it was fine.
The failure to obtain definite information was, of course, regrettable. But the fact that so many people were dying while Hao Gate was maintaining secrecy enough that even they couldn't get information was, in itself, confirmation enough that it was sufficiently suspicious.
It was well worth investigating.
"Then I think I've gathered enough information. Now, could I obtain some items?"
"Yes, tell me. What do you need?"
At his question, I suddenly looked at Lady Dang, who had been quietly listening to the conversation beside me.
At that, she stared at me with her eyes round, as if asking why I was looking at her.
Chuckling at that cute sight, I said to the pavilion master.
"First, two human skin masks, and a decent pair of dual swords, if you can acquire them immediately, I'd like to request those. And also...."
At those words, Lady Dang asked back with a surprised expression.
"Human skin masks?"
I answered with a grin.
"Even if our opponents turn out to be not Sucheonhoe but the Dang Clan, as long as we don't get caught regarding who we are, that's all that matters, no?"
Yeollakruju immediately brought the ordered items.
As expected of Hao Gate, which had many contact points with the black paths, they could easily obtain things like human skin masks, weapons, and of course the other items I had ordered.
I paid the price for them and rose from my seat.
"Thank you, Pavilion Master."
"Not at all. I am only sorry I couldn't be of greater help."
Yeollakruju, who said that while bowing his head solemnly, appeared to be a deeply trustworthy person.
But this man was a branch head of Hao Gate. If one trusted only what met the eye, one could get struck hard on the back of the head.
So I gave him a final warning.
"I say this out of unnecessary worry, but I hope there will be no incident of information about us being sold off elsewhere. Especially to the Blood Cult."
At that, he flinched slightly and then smiled as he said.
"How could that possibly happen? Our Sichuan branches will never again cooperate with the Blood Cult. I also pledge that information regarding Seonwoo Daehyeop will absolutely never be traded."
At that moment, I was able to detect something on his face.
That subtly wavering expression again.
That was already the second time.
After entering this place, I had been continuously observing his expression.
And I was able to catch that his expression became very subtly awkward for an extremely brief moment.
It was precisely when he emphasized the phrase "Sichuan Hao Gate branch."
It was a facial expression change so minute that it could never have been noticed without detailed observation using my memory.
Sichuan Hao Gate branch, he said....
The term "Hao Gate branch" would be too broad a part; what he likely wanted to emphasize was probably the much narrower scope of "Sichuan."
I slowly began to emanate my momentum outward.
Whoooosh!
Then I looked at him fixedly and asked again.
"And... do you happen to know? While the one who commits a crime is the principal offender, one who knows of it yet does nothing is called an accomplice. I hope that Hao Gate will never become an accomplice, if only to wash away its past errors."
At that, he looked at me with an expression as if he couldn't understand what I was talking about, and asked back.
"Pardon? What... do you mean? I haven't the slightest...."
But this time too, I could clearly confirm that the light in his eyes shook violently once.
It was a far more definite reaction than before.