Chapter 46: Tang Family Sword Peak-2
Chapter 46: Tang Family Sword Peak-2
Dang Yeo-eun lay sick in her own bed for three days.
She could do nothing at all.
It didn't feel like she had lost Myeong Sa-hyeon — it felt as though she had lost a part of herself.
The times she had spent with him, the many things he had given her — only these drifted chaotically through her mind.
All those memories remained exactly as they were, and yet she simply could not believe that he was no longer in this world.
It felt as though a hole had been punched somewhere in her soul, leaving her unable even to breathe.
The Thirteen Squads were on emergency alert.
They had to find the Ju-gwi that had killed Fourth Squad Vice-Leader Mae Yeo-kyeong, and they also had to find the ones who had subjected Myeong Sa-hyeon to soul possession.
Based on the testimony of a Third Squad member that Fifth Squad member Do Hui-yeong had called Myeong Sa-hyeon out to the western forest in the early morning, Grand Master Poong Yang, First Squad Leader Han Gyo-seong, Second Squad Leader Sa Gun-il, and Seventh Squad Leader Seol Pung raided the western forest as quickly as possible.
But the Ssangsak Brothers, realizing their plan had failed, fled with desperate, life-or-death effort, and the raid only confirmed their identities — it ended in failure to kill them.
Only Do Hui-yeong, still under soul possession, remained at the scene.
The Thirteen Squad members decided not to kill her for the time being and instead locked her in prison.
Her martial arts were too weak to pose a threat, and since she had received no orders from her master, she had taken no action at all.
The atmosphere within the Thirteen Squads could not help but be grim.
No matter how accustomed the warriors of the front line were to sending people off, losing the vice-leaders of two squads at once was a first.
Moreover, with squad leaders Dang Yeo-eun and Ma Yu-gyeom — the very people who ought to be steadying the troops — both unable to regain their composure, the mood was inevitably even darker.
***
Several days passed like that.
In the end, the Ju-gwi that had attacked Mae Yeo-kyeong could not be found, just as in Seonwoo Jin's previous life, leaving no trace behind. And amid that heavy atmosphere, the Heavenly Robe Sword Saint Hae Un-baek declared his intention to return to the Murim Alliance.
"I could never have imagined it was such a vicious place. It grieves me that I failed to pay this place proper attention. I shall go and apologize to the elders of the Alliance on your behalf. I am sorry."
With a deeply sincere expression, he bowed his head to the Seventh Squad members.
Having witnessed his frank and honest nature over the past several days, the Seventh Squad members could keenly feel that these were words spoken in earnest.
The situation had not changed at all, but still, it felt like a comfort.
Hae Cheong-yeon reiterated to her departing father.
"Father, you absolutely must not let them know that you are aware of anything. At times like this, you must calmly gather information and find evidence first. In this kind of fight, the one who rushes loses. You understand, don't you?"
Hae Cheong-yeon was wary that her father, Hae Un-baek, would be unable to suppress his chivalrous spirit and would rashly intervene.
No matter how powerful his martial arts were, her father, who was utterly ignorant of politics, would not be able to overcome Jegal Ji-gang within the Murim Alliance.
Hae Un-baek let out a sigh at her anxious admonishment, but nodded as though he had no other choice.
He knew his daughter was far wiser than himself, and he knew too that he was an outsider to this sort of battle. Yet having to feign ignorance of all these facts was an unbearably difficult thing for him.
Moreover, if he remained silent, wouldn't the warriors of the front line continue to die unjustly?
Truthfully, he himself did not know how long he could endure it.
Hae Cheong-yeon, knowing her father all too well, had emphasized it time and again for precisely that reason.
But seeing her father's reaction, though his head seemed to understand, his heart clearly could not accept it, and that frustrated her.
After all, Hae Un-baek was a man who always moved according to his heart, not his head.
It was then that Seonwoo Jin, who had been watching from the side, spoke up.
"What if, instead, we create a situation where you have no choice but to move? One where even they will have to accept that it couldn't be helped."
At those words, Hae Cheong-yeon looked at Seonwoo Jin's face with a puzzled expression.
"A situation where even they will have to accept it?"
"Yes. For example, I — the only one who learned the secret from you, Sojeo — could send a letter to the Sword Saint. A letter saying that you, Sojeo, have been abducted by Blood Cultists."
The moment she heard those words, a different picture instantly drew itself in Hae Cheong-yeon's mind.
Her eyes, veiled beneath her bangs, flashed as she spoke.
"Then Father wouldn't be pretending not to know — he'd have to be shouting even louder. Loud enough for everyone in the Murim Alliance to hear."
"Exactly. And then you'd say you intend to investigate personally and return to the front line."
"And you couldn't come alone, of course. The more people you bring, the more widely known it will be, and the better your safety can be ensured."
"You will probably need some acting skills."
"That is the problem, I admit. But if we succeed, we could turn the entire front line into Father's domain. Then I wouldn't even need to leave here in the first place."
The two, who had exchanged words without pause, soon smiled faintly as they looked at each other.
Though he hadn't fully followed what they were saying, Sword Saint Hae Un-baek wore a satisfied smile at the harmony between them.
Then he asked.
"Now then, could you two kindly translate that back into human speech?"
At that, Hae Cheong-yeon smiled faintly and said to him.
"It means you'll have to do some acting, Father. Acting the part of a man who has lost his beloved daughter."
Having heard the detailed explanation, Hae Un-baek wore a satisfied smile, quite unlike before, as he departed from the Thirteen Squads.
As expected, his own daughter, who possessed wisdom, beauty, and martial talent combined, could be nothing less than the finest.
And that he had discovered a talent so well-suited to such a daughter was also an immensely satisfying thing.
***
Ma Yu-gyeom, whom the Thirteen Squad members believed to be drowning himself in drink day after day, was in fact not drunk at all.
No — he could not afford to get drunk.
He was far too anxious that some trace of himself might be discovered on Mae Yeo-kyeong's corpse.
So he had been pretending to be drunk the entire time, keeping a close watch on the investigation process and the general mood.
But after about a week had passed, even he could finally ease his mind somewhat.
The search for Ju-gwi had ultimately concluded without finding anything at all.
It could not be anything but a relief.
Ma Yu-gyeom, smiling inwardly with satisfaction, took out a poison pill and placed it in his mouth.
It was because the true qi he had absorbed from Mae Yeo-kyeong felt as though it were about to convulse.
True qi absorbed from a human being was far more violent than true qi absorbed from a spirit medicine.
That was why, unlike the Seventh Squad members who only occasionally took poison pills, he had to ingest one every single day.
'At last... seventy years. It took long enough.'
Ma Yu-gyeom gauged the heavy sensation of his own internal energy and smiled with satisfaction once again.
His internal energy now fully reached seventy years.
The foundation for advancing to the next stage had been laid.
He knew Sa Gun-il's internal energy was roughly between seventy and eighty years, so as long as he attained enlightenment, it was no idle dream to surpass him.
Ma Yu-gyeom's smile turned bitter.
'Unlike that bastard, I can now easily increase my internal energy, after all.'
Of course, he had no intention of absorbing true energy from just anyone.
What he had done to Mae Yeo-kyeong had been a mistake made unconsciously because he had been so terrified.
Truthfully, he had no memory of what he had done up to a certain point.
So unless someone threatened his secret, Ma Yu-gyeom had no particular intention of harming his comrades on the front line.
'Yes, I have absolutely no intention of harming my comrades. But what if they aren't my comrades? What if I could put the Blood Cult's demon heads — who are barely even human — to good use? Then there would be no reason to hesitate, wouldn't there? I'd be eliminating Blood Cult minions and gaining internal energy at the same time. Wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?'
As he thought this, Ma Yu-gyeom's eyes blazed with the light of ambition.
'I'll do just that — surpass Sa Gun-il and be recognized as the Jeomchang Number One Sword. Then all those idiots who've been rejecting me all this time will kneel before me as well.'
Ma Yu-gyeom did not recognize for himself that he had become far too different from the past him, who once felt revulsion at the mere act of using the Blood Cult's techniques.
He did not realize that he had been tainted by the madness inherent in Blood Cult martial arts, all because of the absorption art he had convinced himself was just a technique, not true martial arts.
And so, as Ma Yu-gyeom's heart grew somewhat more at ease, the person who now entered his gaze was the face of Dang Yeoeun, who had become a mere shell of herself over the past few days.
After lying ill for three days, she had risen again and was now carrying out her duties as squad leader.
She herself was trying desperately not to show it, but everyone around her could not help but feel a pang of pity.
It was because they could recognize all too easily that she was struggling pitifully to pretend she was fine.
Ma Yu-gyeom looked at her, the woman he had one-sidedly loved for so long, and thought. If her heart was in such a broken state, it seemed possible to use the suggestion technique on her.
The mere thought was maddeningly exciting.
Making her his own.
"Euheuheuheuheuheu!"
Letting out a greedy laugh without realizing it, Ma Yu-gyeom took a deep breath again and shifted his expression to one of gravity.
Then he began to watch for an opportunity.
A moment when she was alone.
Seizing that chance was not very difficult.
Because she wanted to be alone as much as possible, and everyone was considerately allowing her that.
So at last, Ma Yu-gyeom approached Dang Yeoeun and, as if just passing by, called her name.
"Dang Yeoeun."
At this, Dang Yeoeun did not answer and simply stared at him with cold eyes.
It was an attitude that said she had no desire to share a conversation and that, if he had business, he should get on with it.
But within that cold attitude, Ma Yu-gyeom felt he could somehow sense the woman who had become so weak she seemed about to shatter at any moment.
He could not miss this chance, absolutely.
He looked at Dang Yeoeun with lonely eyes and spoke.
"How about sharing a drink?"
At that, Dang Yeoeun stared at him with a dumbfounded look. It seemed she had decided it was such nonsense that there was no need to bother answering.
But Ma Yu-gyeom offered a weak smile and threw out his next words.
Words that would touch her heart the most at that moment....
"There's a place where Yeo-gyeong and I... used to drink together. It's a good place to remember the departed."
In that instant, Ma Yu-gyeom could perceive Dang Yeoeun's gaze shaking greatly.
It seemed almost complete.
But Ma Yu-gyeom deliberately walked past her, leaving his final words behind.
"If you don't want to, forget it. I'll go alone. I think I need to get a bit drunk tonight... thinking of Yeo-gyeong."
And when he had taken a few more steps, a voice came from behind him.
"If I get drunk... does it help?"
It was a very exhausted-sounding voice.
Ma Yu-gyeom smiled a triumphant, greedy smile.
But when he turned back to Dang Yeoeun, he answered again with lonely eyes.
"Well... It's better than being stone-cold sober."
At last, Dang Yeoeun opened her mouth with a listless expression.
"Alright, let's try it. That drink."
Having unconsciously shed her mask of a cold face, Dang Yeoeun lacked the presence of mind to scrutinize Ma Yu-gyeom's eyes.
It was because she had been so utterly drained of energy.
Ma Yu-gyeom gathered drinks and side dishes and led her into the forest.
It was a hollowed-out depression in a small rocky hill.
"Here?"
To Dang Yeoeun's question as she looked around, Ma Yu-gyeom replied.
"It's a place I often came to with Yeo-gyeong. And... it's also the place where she was found last."
Then, pouring liquor into a cup, he said.
"Don't do something stupid like dispersing the intoxication with your internal energy. The alcohol's too precious for that."
Having finished speaking, Ma Yu-gyeom also poured into his own cup and gulped it down first.
"Keuaa!"
Seeing that, Dang Yeoeun also downed her cup in one go.
"Keueup!"
As she was not accustomed to liquor, a bitter taste spread throughout her mouth, but she endured it.
Having come all the way here, she did not wish to show any sign of weakness.
And so the two of them began to drain cup after cup, one shot after another.
The intoxication came quickly.
When Dang Yeoeun's mind had grown quite dizzy, Ma Yu-gyeom suddenly asked her.
"But why are you so sad? Wasn't Myeong Sa-hyeon the one chasing after you one-sidedly?"
At that abrupt question, Dang Yeoeun stiffened right then and there.
In an instant, her vision clouded over with a blurry dampness.
"I...."
She was filled with regret.
That she had not been able to convey a single true feeling to him.
That until the very last moment, she had sent him away not even letting him know that she too loved him.
She regretted it enough to make her heart ache sharply.
"I... Sa-hyeon...."
It was then.
Just as she was about to bury her head between her knees and burst into tears, Ma Yu-gyeom struck her pressure points with lightning speed.
Tadag!
At the sudden development, Dang Yeoeun could not collect her senses.
By the time she realized what the situation was, she was already in a state of being roughly laid down on the ground by Ma Yu-gyeom.
Her eyes were filled entirely with the sight of Ma Yu-gyeom's face, laughing greedily.
"What is the meaning of this...?!"
Kwak!
"Aughk!"
Ma Yu-gyeom seized her throat.
Because his suggestion technique was not yet skilled, in order to cast the suggestion on her, he had to drive her both mentally and physically to the limit.
After choking her until her mind grew hazy from lack of air, Ma Yu-gyeom released the strength in his hand, and she could barely gasp for breath.
"Heok!"
But being unable to move a muscle was the same as before.
Under the overwhelming impotence of not being able to do anything, her already exhausted mind, and the greedy sight of Ma Yu-gyeom before her eyes, she, who was already broken, at last burst into sobs.
"Euheuhuk!"
At this, Ma Yu-gyeom, who had been about to choke her again, hesitated.
She had shown tears far too easily, far beyond his expectations.
He had thought that for a martial artist of her level, it would take much longer to push her to the limit....
As a test, Ma Yu-gyeom sent her his gaze according to the oral mnemonic of the suggestion technique and spoke to her.
"Repeat what I say. 'I am Dang Yeoeun.'"
A master of possession arts like the Black Blood Illusion Demon Du Dang might be able to cast a suggestion with just a look, but Ma Yu-gyeom, attempting to cast his first suggestion, had to tread slowly from the basics.
And those basics began with making her follow his words without resistance.
At that, Dang Yeoeun, who appeared instantly captivated by his gaze, wept as she spoke.
"I, I am Dang Yeoeun."
Ma Yu-gyeom's eyes turned peculiar.
It was far too easy, more than he had thought.
No matter how mentally broken she was, for it to be this easy was not normal.
A sudden, scornful laugh escaped Ma Yu-gyeom.
The woman he had worshipped, thinking of her as a goddess made of ice, was in fact an incredibly weak woman.
It was laughable enough that he had been fretting, unable to approach such a woman all this time.
But none of that mattered now.
Because he could simply make her his own and repay her for all the heartache he had suffered.
Ma Yu-gyeom wore a viciously lewd smile and spoke to her again.
"Repeat. Say, 'Dang Yeoeun belongs to Ma Yu-gyeom.'"
At this, Dang Yeoeun, still weeping, opened her mouth to follow his words.
"Dang Yeoeun belongs to Ma Yu-gyeom's...."
It was then.
Suddenly, someone shouted out loudly.
"What are you doing?!"
In Ma Yu-gyeom's startled eyes, he could see a throwing weapon flying towards him.
Pyusyusyuk!
Ma Yu-gyeom urgently threw his body aside to dodge the projectile.
Then he looked at the one who had launched the throwing weapon at him.
It was Seonwoo Jin.