Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Guest
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The martial contests held for a spot in the Divine Dragon Assembly.
The victors were Pa-sun, a former servant originally named Jangbong,
Un-pyo, who came from Blade Leaf Valley,
and finally, the fourth young master of the Heavenly Dance Family, Baek Mu-heun.
Conversely, the losers were Ho-ryang, the Flowing Water Sword and a unit commander of the Azure Dragon Unit.
Likewise, Jin-guk, the Thunderstorm War Spear and also a unit commander.
And lastly, Seo-bong, a member of the Azure Dragon Unit.
Three to zero.
A complete victory for the fourth young master's party.
A gloomy atmosphere fell over the Azure Dragon Unit, and its members didn't know what to do. All except for two people.
The Azure Dragon Unit Commander, Cheon Ga-rak, and the Vice Commander, Cheon Gi-seom.
"Commander, the fourth young master used poison during the match."
"I know."
"I let it slide because it seemed the Heavenly Dance Family Head and you were aware of it, but frankly, he only got away with it because his opponent was Seo-bong."
"..."
"You know that if he competes in the Divine Dragon Assembly with that level of skill, he'll only be an embarrassment, don't you?"
"You know? What is it that you think you know?"
The Azure Dragon Unit Commander, Cheon Ga-rak, spoke with an incredulous, contorted expression.
"Pardon?"
Cheon Gi-seom, finding Cheon Ga-rak's reaction unfamiliar and bewildering, asked again. Cheon Ga-rak then relaxed his expression.
"No, no, you're right. I thought I knew, too."
He himself had believed the same until he was defeated by Mu-heun, so he could understand why Cheon Gi-seom would say such a thing.
But how could he explain something that was hard to believe even after seeing it with his own eyes?
"Why was Seo-bong chosen as the opponent for the fourth young master in the first place? Aren't there other outstanding young unit commanders?"
"Enough. You will understand everything when the time comes. Let me just tell you one thing: the fourth young master is not the person you think he is."
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"He is a giant. His capacity is so great that it can contain even me."
"...!"
Cheon Gi-seom couldn't understand Cheon Ga-rak's words. No, he could understand them, but his mind refused to accept them.
He knew that Cheon Ga-rak had recently visited the fourth young master's quarters.
Considering Cheon Ga-rak's changed attitude since then, there were two possibilities.
First, that Baek Mu-heun, the fourth young master of the Heavenly Dance Family, was stronger than the Azure Dragon Unit Commander, Cheon Ga-rak, and Cheon Ga-rak had yielded to his power.
This was nothing more than a wild delusion, so he moved on to the second.
Second, that some kind of deal had been struck between the two.
The rising star of the Heavenly Dance Family, the fourth young master, and the Azure Dragon Unit Commander had made some sort of transaction. The Heavenly Dance Family Head must have agreed to it as well. To Cheon Gi-seom, this seemed more plausible.
However, if that were the case, there was nothing he could do. Judging by Cheon Ga-rak's attitude, questioning him further was impossible.
*'Baek Mu-heun, just what in the world are you?'*
Cheon Gi-seom was dying of curiosity.
* * *
-Office of the Luminous Heavenly Demon Unit Commander
Jin-mu, the commander of the Luminous Heavenly Demon Unit, was in a meeting with the Luminous Left Emissary, Seo-deung, and the Luminous Right Emissary, Ma Ji-seung.
Left Emissary Seo-deung calmly reported the situation, while Right Emissary Ma Ji-seung was extremely belligerent.
"Those bastards from the Orthodox Sects are blocking all of our cult's trade routes. According to our intelligence, the instigator is the Sichuan Tang Clan, with the Kunlun, Kongtong, Emei, and Qingcheng Sects merely cooperating with them."
"No matter how many times we crush them, they multiply like insects and crawl back again. Give the order, and I will wipe them all out."
After listening to the two, Jin-mu paused as if in thought, while the Left and Right Emissaries continued their discussion.
"Hmm... This is troublesome. Wiping out the Tang Clan would be a simple matter, but if that happens, we must be prepared for war with the entire Orthodox martial world."
"You know that they joined hands with the Red Demon Pavilion Lord to trap Blade Leaf Valley. The fourth young master of the Heavenly Dance Family thwarted their plot and killed the Golden Fang Poison Claw, so the Tang Clan is retaliating."
"Who doesn't know that?"
"And you still say that? We know full well they were the ones in the wrong! Are you suggesting we turn a blind eye to this?"
"War is not such a simple matter. Even if we know about the Tang Clan's plot, they will deny it and claim that we kidnapped the Golden Fang Poison Claw and the Divine Doctor of Sichuan, Baek Jung-hyeok. Who do you think the Orthodox martial world will believe?"
"That's why I'm saying we should show them our strength. The Tang Clan doesn't want mutual destruction, so if we display our power, they won't go all the way. Or are you perhaps afraid of the Martial Alliance?"
"Even if we shatter the Martial Alliance, the strength of the Unorthodox Sects Alliance and the hidden masters is still an unknown variable. Do not take war lightly."
"Ha, then what are you suggesting we do?"
"First, let's hear the Commander's opinion. Commander. What did the Cult Leader say?"
"That's right. Did the Cult Leader not give you any specific instructions, Commander?"
Jin-mu nodded and said.
"The Cult Leader has instructed that this matter be entrusted to one of his disciples. And he has left the choice of which disciple to us."
"A-a disciple?"
"We are to decide?"
"Correct. I believe the Cult Leader is considering his abdication. It seems he wants to see how his disciples handle the conflict with the Orthodox Sects before passing on the position of Cult Leader. At the same time, I think he is also testing our wisdom..."
"He's testing whether we can read his true intentions."
"So..."
"Seo-deung, Ma Ji-seung. What should we do?"
After hearing Jin-mu, Right Emissary Ma Ji-seung answered.
"The Cult Leader may be testing whether we are intimidated by the Orthodox Sects. In that case, we should naturally entrust this to the first disciple, the Sword Demon, who is known to be the strongest of the Cult Leader's five disciples.
If the Sword Demon leads his forces, he will have more than enough power to deal with them all.
Furthermore, no matter if those surrounding forces are part of the Nine Great Sects, they won't risk their lives for the Sichuan Tang Clan's request, so there is no need to worry.
Also, how about we release the Red Demon Pavilion Lord, who was originally in charge of Sichuan, and send him there with the Sword Demon to cooperate?
If we do that, the Tang Clan will state their demands, and we can resume trade without a major war."
"That makes sense."
This time, Left Emissary Seo-deung replied.
"If the Sword Demon takes action, it will be resolved easily. However, one misstep could escalate the situation as we feared. Rather than that, why don't we observe the Divine Dragon Assembly first?"
"The Divine Dragon Assembly? Why is that?"
"We decide after seeing the martial prowess of the Heavenly Dance Family's fourth young master."
"The fourth young master of the Heavenly Dance Family?"
"Yes. It hasn't been publicly announced yet, but you know that the Cult Leader has accepted him as his sixth disciple. The Cult Leader seems to have high hopes for him, and judging by his actions in Blade Leaf Valley, he appears to be quite meticulous and wise."
"True, he is the one who caused this incident."
"If he possesses sufficient martial might, how about entrusting this matter to him? We send him to Sichuan and support him with troops. That way, even after the fourth young master is known as the Cult Leader's disciple, he will be able to buy some time from the interference of the other disciples."
"The Cult Leader thought that far ahead?"
"That is my belief."
Jin-mu took a moment to organize his thoughts. Calling upon the Sword Demon, the disciple with the greatest power and martial skill, was the most obvious and simple solution. But would the Cult Leader not have known that?
There must be a reason he told me, Seo-deung, and Ma Ji-seung to discuss and decide. I must read the Cult Leader's true intentions. And that is ultimately connected to the Cult Leader's recent interests.
"I was wondering why the Cult Leader told us to entrust it to one of his disciples, but after hearing you, I understand."
Jin-mu reached a conclusion.
"Very well. Let us first observe the Divine Dragon Assembly. If he proves to be qualified enough, we should consider entrusting this matter to him."
"Excellent."
"Let's see what happens."
Due to the Sichuan Tang Clan's scheme, tension spread across the Gansu and Qinghai regions surrounding Xinjiang, as well as the vicinity of Tibet.
The Heavenly Demon Divine Cult prepared two countermeasures, pivoting on the Divine Dragon Assembly.
If Baek Mu-heun had the capacity to participate in the succession for Cult Leader and possessed sufficient martial might, they would send him. If not, they would send the Cult Leader's first disciple, the Sword Demon.
* * *
I called Pa-sun and Un-pyo and spoke about the martial contests.
"Un-pyo, you used a method of inducing your opponent's next move with a swift preemptive strike, then appropriately distributing your internal energy for a chain of attacks."
"Yes, that is correct."
"It is certainly a good method, but there are those who sometimes move in unpredictable ways. Think about how you will deal with such situations."
"Yes, my lord."
Although I said that, in reality, all of Un-pyo's predictions were correct, and his subsequent chain attacks were successful. It was clearly the result of vast experience.
"Pa-sun, I believe this was a good experience for you. However, there's no guarantee you can get by like this next time. Make the tip of your spear more flexible so you can adapt to ever-changing situations."
"Yes, my lord. Today, I clearly understood what I was lacking."
"Good. I am quite satisfied with the results of today's contests."
Three consecutive wins.
The result couldn't have been better.
However, there was something that left a slightly bitter taste.
*'Was his name Seo-bong?'*
Seo-bong, the Azure Dragon Unit member with a burning fighting spirit. He kept nagging at my mind.
"Next is information gathering. I used the Thousand-Li Sweet Scent Tracking Art to identify the factions that were spying on our matches. The factions identified so far are as follows."
The Sacred Fire Palace, where the Sun and Moon Divine Maiden is.
The Jadokma Family, where the Ninth Elder, Yu So-jeong, is.
The Seongwolmyeong Family, where the Tenth Elder, Mu-hwa, is.
The Ilwolma Family, where the Eleventh Elder, Ma Yun-chu, is.
The Mengwu Pavilion, where Pavilion Lord Bul-wi is.
The Red Demon Pavilion, where Pavilion Lord Hwang Cheol-ung is.
*'At a glance, it seems the Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Elders are trying to keep the Twelfth Elder, Baek Gun-hak, in check.'*
Un-pyo spoke first.
"That the Sun and Moon Divine Maiden is watching you, my lord, can be understood as the Cult Leader watching you, but I can't figure out the rest."
"Do you really think so?"
"...Yes, I am not sure. However, I am certain that the Red Demon Pavilion is an enemy. They went to great lengths in Blade Leaf Valley, joining hands with the Tang Clan for the elixir, only to end up being imprisoned."
At the mention of the Red Demon Pavilion, Un-pyo ground his teeth.
"You are right. And even if he bears no enmity toward me, he is still my enemy."
I believe the Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Elders are trying to keep the Heavenly Dance Family in check, but I couldn't jump to conclusions. A check can turn into a cooperative relationship at any time if their opinions align.
Just then, Pa-sun spoke.
"I've heard that the Mengwu Pavilion is a neutral family, like the Heavenly Dance Family."
"The Mengwu Pavilion... Do you happen to know anything about them?"
"Yes..."
"What is it?"
"Well..."
Pa-sun paused for a moment. But I couldn't hear the rest of his words. An unexpected situation had occurred.
"Mu-heun, are you in there?"
The Heavenly Dance Family Head had arrived.
"Yes, Father. What brings you here?"
"The Mengwu Pavilion Lord has come to see you. Come out and meet him."
"What? The Mengwu Pavilion Lord came to see me?"
"That's right. He said he came because he wanted to see you."
"Ah, yes..."
Before I could even hear the information from Pa-sun, the Mengwu Pavilion Lord, Bul-wi, had come. And he was right in front of me.
I cupped my fist in my hand in a salute to the Mengwu Pavilion Lord and spoke.
"I am Baek Mu-heun, the fourth young master of the Heavenly Dance Family. It is an honor to meet you, Lord of Mengwu Pavilion."
The Mengwu Pavilion Lord, Bul-wi.
He was advanced in age, with a somewhat stout build that gave him a warm impression, and he wore a yellow robe.
"Hahaha, the honor is all mine. Aren't you the rising star of the Divine Cult these days? And by the way, how is my son doing?"
"Pardon...?"
His son? Have I ever met the son of the Mengwu Pavilion Lord?
No...?
Could it be...