Chapter 69: To the Qingcheng Sect-1
Chapter 69: To the Qingcheng Sect-1
"...And so, the two of them are currently heading toward the Mount Qingcheng Sect together with the two sojeos of the Ami Sect."
When Sak Mu-heun's account, begun early that morning, came to an end, Cheon Ju-eun, who had been among those gathered and listening, nodded her head and spoke.
"It was Jeonghyeopbang after all."
At that, Je Won-yeong laughed as if dumbfounded, a hollow sound.
"Ha, then... the story about the Small-faced Demon Lord must be true as well."
At his words, Sak Mu-heun's expression grew puzzled.
Judging by the atmosphere, didn't it seem as though they had somehow known it was Jeonghyeopbang all along?
And what was this about the Small-faced Demon Lord?
As the mood among Je Won-yeong and the others grew heavy at his remark, Sak Mu-heun asked with a puzzled face.
"You knew it was Jeonghyeopbang? And what's this about the Small-faced Demon Lord, what story is that?"
At his question, Seol Pung began to explain on behalf of the group.
"The truth is...."
After Seonwoo Jin, Bi Sa-yeong, and Sak Mu-heun had chased after the demon heads of Georyeokma, the remaining people had been able to capture the one who had caused the disturbance at the tavern.
It was thanks to Hae Cheong-yeon's judgment that he was certainly a Blood Cultist playing the role of diverting their gaze.
The fact that he was a Blood Cultist could be confirmed immediately through the martial arts he used, and so the group tortured him and extracted information.
But from there, an astonishing name they had never imagined came tumbling out.
It was none other than the Small-faced Demon Lord Sa Won-yang, that transcendent peak demon head who had slaughtered countless orthodox faction martial artists during the Great Blood War—he was, in fact, the unidentified faction leader of Jeonghyeopbang.
The name was so overwhelming that the group decided to reserve judgment for the time being.
It was a decision made because the Blood Cultist might have spit out false information before dying.
But this time, according to the information Sak Mu-heun had learned, wasn't the man's claim that Jeonghyeopbang was indeed the Blood Cult's forward base correct?
If so, then the story about the Small-faced Demon Lord Sa Won-yang was also likely to be true.
Sak Mu-heun asked again with a horrified face.
"The Small-faced Demon Lord Sa Won-yang?!"
The Small-faced Demon Lord Sa Won-yang was a master nearly on the level of the sect leaders of the Nine Great Sects, a figure rated even higher than Tamhyeolmugun Ji Gwang-ok, against whom Seol Pung had barely managed to hold his ground in the past.
Even considering that they had endured back then only because Ji Gwang-ok hadn't given it his all from the start, it was right to view confronting Sa Won-yang with their current strength as nearly impossible.
When people's faces were growing darker by the moment, Hae Cheong-yeon opened her mouth with an expressionless face.
"There's no need to think only pessimistically. He is clearly someone we cannot handle alone, but if Seonu Gongja can only move the Mount Qingcheng Sect, then he won't be such a formidable figure either. Also, Sak Orabeoni, please leak some information to the Murim Alliance as Seonu Gongja instructed. If the alliance leadership is of sound mind, they will realize that this incident has broken the mutual non-aggression treaty and that it is an opportunity to pressure the Blood Demon. There is absolutely no way they would miss this chance."
But Hae Cheong-yeon, having spoken thus, murmured internally.
'Of course, that's only if they are of sound mind.'
She too, like Seonwoo Jin, could not ignore the possibility that all of this might be happening with the Murim Alliance's tacit approval.
At that moment, Cheon Ju-eun abruptly asked.
"But then, what should we do now? If Georyeokma is dead and we know Jeonghyeopbang is the Blood Cult's forward base, isn't there no need for us to keep staying here?"
Her words had a point.
In the first place, hadn't the reason they entered the Mountain Sword Gate been to drag out Georyeokma's gang from the Mountain Sword Gate, whose members were definitely not a Blood Cult pack?
Thus, the objective for which they had entered the Mountain Sword Gate had effectively already been completely accomplished.
At her words, Je Won-yeong nodded in agreement.
"That is correct. Moreover, if we are to leave, I think it best we leave quickly. Didn't they say over a thousand warriors sent by Jeonghyeopbang are assembling in the direction of Gwijuseong Fortress? And with three peak-level masters among them to boot."
In the last battle, various circumstances had aligned and they'd won easily, but originally, fighting five hundred enemies with two hundred troops couldn't possibly be that easy.
At that time, it was truly heaven-sent luck.
Furthermore, if they had to fight against a thousand enemies, no matter how much of a peak-level master one was, life could not be guaranteed.
At that, Na Seo-yu spoke with an uncomfortable face.
"But even if we've achieved our goal, just abandoning these people right away weighs on my mind somewhat. They are still people we've spent time with until now.... If even we are gone, they might truly end up being annihilated."
At those words, Je Won-yeong grinned and replied.
"As expected, Na So-jeo, you are very affectionate. But you needn't worry so much. Didn't they say they'll be joining forces with the Un Clan's troops soon? The Mountain Sword Gate's own forces are now close to four hundred, so if they combine with the Un Clan, even if not a thousand, they'll have enough to put up a fight. The number of peak-level masters will also not be lacking if the Un Clan's two are added. So...."
It was while Je Won-yeong was speaking like that.
Suddenly, the atmosphere among the gathered ronin over yonder began to stir.
Their horrified cries reached even this place where they sat apart, and the content was far from ordinary.
"What did you say?! The Un Clan was attacked?!"
"Un Ak-geom is dead?!"
"Then what happens now?!"
At the cries that reached them, the group exchanged glances with one another and decided to first find out what was going on.
And the facts that Seol Pung went and heard from them were shocking.
Last night, more than ten assassins from Jeonghyeopbang had raided the Un Clan, and among them had been a combatant of astonishing skill.
That assailant, who appeared to possess at least eighty years of internal energy, had slaughtered over a hundred of the Un Clan's elites, and had also killed one of the two peak-level masters belonging to the Un Clan.
Thus, from the Un Clan's perspective, its strength had been halved by suffering a single raid.
Exact news hadn't yet been delivered, but if things continued like this, the Un Clan's reinforcements joining them seemed impossible.
Having heard that news, Je Won-yeong gave a hollow laugh.
"Ha, for times to be this cruelly coincidental.... Now, as Na So-jeo said, if we leave, they will all be wiped out."
At that moment, Hae Cheong-yeon murmured with a serious expression.
"A peak-level master with over eighty years of internal energy.... Surely not?"
Then she urgently spoke to Sak Mu-heun, who had joined them disguised as an ordinary wandering warrior.
"Sak Orabeoni! Would you please look into the identities and fates of those attackers?!"
At that, Sak Mu-heun, who had been slightly surprised by Hae Cheong-yeon's sudden request, readily nodded.
"About them? Very well, understood."
At Hae Cheong-yeon's uncharacteristically stiff expression, Seol Pung asked with a puzzled face.
"Why do you ask, Lady Hae? Do you have some guess about those attackers?"
At that, Hae Cheong-yeon, who had bitten her lip, opened her mouth.
"No matter how many masters Jeonghyeopbang has, using a master with over eighty years of internal energy as a mere assassin is not an easy matter. And above all.... Don't we know one master with over eighty years of internal energy? One who was also scouting the Un Clan at that."
In an instant, the face of the Twelfth Daeju, Man Jong-im, surfaced in everyone's mind.
The faces of the group, who realized at once whom Hae Cheong-yeon meant, turned pale in an instant.
"S-surely, no matter how you look at it...."
"That's why we must confirm it quickly."
But Hae Cheong-yeon's prediction was, this time too, not wrong.
According to the news Sak Mu-heun returned with, they were clearly the Daeju Man Jong-im and the Twelfth Squad members.
And they had ultimately been annihilated in that fight.
Sak Mu-heun spoke with a bitter expression.
"They say he could have fled if he so wished, but once his comrades died, that master who seemed to possess over eighty years of internal energy raged until the very end. Uttering curses against the evil faction until the moment he drew his last breath."
"Haa."
Everyone let out a heavy sigh.
Though they were not pleasant comrades, their dying was an entirely different matter. Moreover, didn't this mean that all the members of the Twelfth Squad, who had been dragged along by his stubbornness, had died together with him?
Even for Flying Dragon Squad members accustomed to the deaths of comrades, a grievous feeling was unavoidable.
Amidst this, Hae Cheong-yeon frowned and spoke.
"Even at the very end, Man Daejunim goes and causes a huge incident. To shatter the Un Clan's fighting strength in half, of all times. Thanks to that, the Mountain Sword Gate's fate has also become a candle in the wind. In the end, Seonu Gongja's prediction was accurate once again. Just a step too late, though."
Though spoken coldly, her words were undoubtedly the truth.
Because of it, the fate of the Mountain Sword Gate, to which they currently belonged, had now become a candle in the wind.
Amidst the heavy atmosphere settling over everyone, Cheon Ju-eun asked cautiously.
"But... then what should we do?"
It was a difficult question.
Neither Hae Cheong-yeon nor Seol Pung could answer easily.
***
I, Bi Sa-yeong, Jeong Yeon, and Jeong-an Sojeo were hurrying toward the Mount Qingcheng Sect.
But because the two sojeos' physical conditions had not yet fully recovered, we couldn't pick up much speed.
Unable to sustain their lightness arts even for half an hour, exhaustion became increasingly evident on them, and at that, JeongMiss Yeon drew labored breaths painfully and apologized to us.
"Haa, haa, I am sorry. This is a matter to save our saje, yet for us to be a burden to you two sohyeop...."
At that, Jeong-an Sojeo, who was beside her, smiled with forced cheerfulness and spoke.
"Still, you don't need to worry about us and can keep going. Despite how we look, the disciples of Ami are super tough! Hahaha!"
But the face of Jeong-an Sojeo, who said that, was so pale as to be utterly bloodless.
Bi Sa-yeong spoke with a pitying expression.
"You should say such things without staggering, Sojeo."
"Ah, is it obvious? Ahaha! I've been caught."
Laughing as she spoke, Jeong-an Sojeo suddenly lost her balance and collapsed as if her legs had given out, a soft thud.
"Oh dear!"
"Jeongan-ah!"
However, the person before her, if judged solely on speed, was Bi Sa-yeong, the prodigy of movement techniques who even Seolpung Jojang conceded to.
Bi Sa-yeong had, in an instant, moved beside Jeong-an Sojeo and caught her arm as she fell.
Tuk!
Jeong-an Sojeo, at Bi Sa-yeong appearing suddenly and supporting her, conveyed her thanks with a surprised expression.
"Ah! Thank... you. You're super fast."
At that, Bi Sa-yeong, his face growing minutely red, avoided her gaze and spoke as if scolding.
"In that physical state, just how did you intend to travel?! Jin! It would be better to secure an inn today and just rest!"
At his words, Jeong-an Sojeo apologized with a disheartened look.
"Ah, I-I'm sorry."
Hmm, that clumsy fellow.
I wondered if he really needed to say it like that, but.
Well, he wasn't wrong.
I smiled gently and spoke to them.
"As Sayeong suggested, let us go to an inn today and rest thoroughly. Restoring your bodies properly first seems to be the shortcut that can further shorten our overall schedule."
At my words, JeongMiss Yeon was startled and hurriedly shook her head.
"Ah, no! We can just sleep outdoors! You really don't need to go that far...!"
At that, Bi Sa-yeong, as if frustrated, spoke with a touch of irritation.
"If you sleep outdoors and your bodies worsen, and because of that you fail to save your saje, do you have the confidence you wouldn't regret it?"
"P-pardon?"
At Bi Sa-yeong's words, JeongMiss Yeon's face colored with bewilderment.
But Bi Sa-yeong did not stop there.
"Think about what is more important. A sojeo's face, or her saje's safety?"
"Th-that is...."
I signaled Bi Sa-yeong with my eyes to stop, then gently picked up from his words.
"A present debt can be repaid later. But there might not be a later for your saje, might there? If that is the most important thing, you can set the rest aside for the time being."
"Ah...."
As JeongMiss Yeon, face flushed, bowed her head deeply and couldn't utter a word, Bi Sa-yeong spoke as if blurting it out.
"I'll go ahead, secure a room, and order food. Bring the sojeos and follow slowly. Ah, today's expenses are on me, to celebrate narrowly escaping death. Come and eat your fill."
And then he immediately launched his body and disappeared in an instant.
Listening to Bi Sa-yeong's words, I abruptly realized something.
'Ah, these sojeos must currently have no money.'
That was probably why they had so shied away in alarm at the suggestion of going to an inn.
Sure enough, the sojeos were hesitating and dawdling, unable to say anything.
That fellow, he has a surprisingly delicate side.
Or did he become more perceptive because there is a woman he fancies?
Smiling gently, I spoke to them.
"That fellow nearly died at Georyeokma's hands today and survived. Thanks to that, we'll be feasting today. Sojeos, please eat to your hearts' content as well. That fellow has a lot of money."
Of course, most of Bi Sa-yeong's money had been earned by me when I looted Heuksangbang, but still, wasn't it true that it was a lot?
Somehow, I felt proud.