The Events of the Sixth Morning
It was not the first time Seo-ah had seen the future. She had seen it in the near past, just moments before Jin Geuk attempted to harm the twins. But while that had felt like wandering through a dream, this… this felt as if she had lived through every single moment herself. The sensation of crossing blades with Jin Mu-ung, the feeling of throwing a dagger toward his brow—it was still vivid. The moment she pulled So-so’s cold body into her arms, the warmth of the fresh blood trickling down her hands—that, too, was still visceral.
Seo-ah suddenly looked down at her hands. She felt as if So-so’s blood were still staining them, yet her palms were clean. The Left Envoy had once said that as her cultivation realm rose, her ability to perceive the heavenly secrets would grow stronger. ‘That must be it.’
Her mind was a tangled mess. Her spirit felt hazy, and her vision was clouded as if by mist. Yet, strangely, her mind was clearer than it had ever been, devoid of any distracting thoughts. Where had it all gone wrong? That question filled her head. Was it because she, a disciple of the Sword Sovereign, had thought it trivial to be looked down upon? Was it because she had weighed profit and loss and shown mercy even when faced with horrific malice? ‘Hmm… no. That wasn’t it.’
She had been wrong, but she had not been at fault. The fault lay with others. It lay with Jin Mu-ung, who could not accept her mercy, who had succumbed to inferiority, and who had responded with malice. It lay with him for oppressing and scattering malice toward the weak he was sworn to protect, despite practicing martial arts that had no place in the Sun Moon Demonic Cult’s base. Martial arts… the Cult… at the very least, the martial arts of the Sword Family did not exist for the likes of him.
‘I must do what is right.’ If she were to dream of becoming the Divine Maiden, that was the only path. Fortunately, there was no one here to stop Seo-ah from doing what was "right." Because this was the Demonic Cult, not the Central Plains. Seo-ah decided to punish the evil that had strayed from the path of the Demon, and she began to walk.
Her focus remained dim, and the sound of flames crackled in her ears. Crackle. Crackle. In the world, this was called the Fire Demon or the Inner Demon. Something else within Seo-ah’s heart was burning away.
“Are you… really sure about this?” asked a low-ranking martial artist who, in the near future, would grab So-so by the hair and gag her. The martial artist next to him didn’t speak directly, but he nodded in agreement.
Jin Mu-ung replied, “Are you going on about that again? I told you not to worry… Tsk. It’s just a matter of persuasion; nothing will go wrong. Didn’t I say my master is watching this? If anything happens, the Fast Sword Sect will step in, so don’t worry.”
It was a story they had heard several times already. Yet, the martial artists could not put their minds at ease. The first reason was that even if the Demonic Path didn’t care about means and methods, that rule applied only when excluding civilians who hadn’t learned martial arts. The foundation of the Cult was for the common people, after all. The guilt of committing such a disgraceful act as a martial artist of the Demonic Path, as a swordsman of the Sword Family, was the reason.
The second reason was… the fact that they were touching the disciple of the Sword Sovereign. The Jin Seo-ah they had seen until recently was someone of lowly status, someone who couldn’t even react to any provocation. But… wasn’t this crossing the line? If the Sword Sovereign were to find out, wouldn’t they be finished? ‘No. Even if the Sword Sovereign finds out, they said the Fast Sword Sect would step in… so it’ll be fine. It will be fine.’
The men tried to calm their anxious hearts, thinking of the backing of the Fast Sword Sect and the scraps they would receive. The reward for successfully completing this task was simply too great. The reason the low-ranking martial artists had been pestering Seo-ah was that it was the easiest way to gain high honor. But Jin Mu-ung had promised that if they successfully sparred with Seo-ah, he would use them usefully by his side when he became a future elder. If that happened… becoming a high-ranking swordsman of the Sword Family wouldn’t be a distant dream. In other words, they would be able to head to a place much higher than their original goal. Of course, they were just hunting dogs doing the dirty work, but even that was something to be grateful for.
It didn’t take long for them to realize that their thinking was wrong.
Thud. Thud.
‘Did that maid come?’ Everyone turned their heads toward the sound of footsteps. But it wasn’t the girl they had been waiting for. It was someone who had mastered the Sword Family’s Ash Dust Heart Art, with a portion of her hair dyed pure white. Originally, the maid should have come first.
‘What is this? How did she get here?’ As they locked eyes with Seo-ah, their spines turned cold from the thick, viscous killing intent they felt for the first time.
Jin Mu-ung, a young disciple of an elder who had never been to a brutal battlefield, was especially affected. Only those who had killed people while screaming could emit such thick killing intent. Facing a murderous intent that was infinitely close to that of a First-Class expert, they could only stare at Seo-ah, their bodies frozen.
Seo-ah smiled brightly and said, “You were here after all? That’s a relief. I didn’t have to go out of my way to find you.”
Shing. With the sound of a lethal sword being drawn, Seo-ah pointed her blade at Jin Mu-ung. “You said you wanted to spar with me so badly, didn’t you?”
The two low-ranking martial artists felt that something had gone wrong, but it didn’t matter anymore. “If you want it that much… as a martial artist, I cannot refuse.”
With those words, Seo-ah didn’t wait for a signal; she raised her sword and lunged at Jin Mu-ung. She thought three moves would be enough.
‘W-what is this?’ The thick murderous intent pressed down on Jin Mu-ung. He broke into a cold sweat at the horrific intent he felt for the first time in his life. But soon, he brightened. ‘Did she panic in the sudden situation? To think she’d come here on her own feet… I’m lucky.’
Because he had never faced killing intent before, Jin Mu-ung judged the thick intent Seo-ah was emitting as mere nervousness. He decided not to think too long about why such nervousness made his spine cold. After all, a person’s heart is something even they don’t fully understand. Just as Jin Mu-ung was about to open his mouth to accept Seo-ah’s request for a spar, she swung her sword at him without warning.
“Y-you coward!” Despite Jin Mu-ung’s cry of cowardice, Seo-ah swung her sword with a blank expression, like someone performing a task that simply had to be done. The sight was almost grotesque. The way she relentlessly unleashed lethal strikes with no expression on her face.
Jin Mu-ung hurriedly drew his sword to block Seo-ah’s attack. But it was all in vain. Jin Mu-ung unleashed his techniques to fend off her blade. First move. Second move. Third move. After just three moves, Jin Mu-ung felt an insurmountable wall. It was as if he were facing an expert from a realm above his own. Jin Mu-ung’s sword technique collapsed futilely, and he lost his balance for a moment under the weight of Seo-ah’s heavy attack. It was the end.
Slash. With a brutal cutting sound, Jin Mu-ung’s right arm fell. It was the arm that had held the dagger that pierced So-so’s neck. She had removed the hand that had harmed another with the hands that were meant to protect people. It was the right thing to do. For her own safety. For her friend. As someone who dreamed of being the Divine Maiden.
A horrific scream engulfed the area. “Aaaaaaaargh!”
“You’re loud.” After speaking those words indifferently, Seo-ah plunged her sword into the lower abdomen of Jin Mu-ung, who was rolling on the ground. It was where his dantian resided. Even if he miraculously survived her hands, he would never be able to rise again as a martial artist. She had removed the dantian that had harmed another with martial arts meant to protect people. It was the right thing to do.
“S-save me! Please! I’ll do anything… Ugh!” Seo-ah shoved her hand into the mouth of Jin Mu-ung, who was screaming and begging for his life. She pulled out the treacherous tongue that had rewarded another’s mercy with malice. It was the right thing to do.
Seo-ah continued to strip away everything Jin Mu-ung had, one by one. In the end, Jin Mu-ung was left with his limbs severed, unable to see or speak. Only an unrecognizable, weak, and hollow groan flowed from his lips. He had managed not to die. Was it over? Was it over? Was it over? Hmm. No. It was this kind of complacent heart that had put Seo-ah and those around her in trouble. She had to root out the entire source of the problem. Otherwise, she would be looked down upon again. A martial artist never forgets a debt or a grudge. Seo-ah realized that fact belatedly.
Seo-ah turned her head toward the two low-ranking martial artists. The two were looking at her with faces filled with terror, as if they were looking at a monster. Seo-ah asked without concern, “I know everything. The fact that you two were about to cross the line.”
“P-please spare us.” The two martial artists immediately knelt before Seo-ah and lowered their bodies as much as possible. Seo-ah’s cold gaze swept over them. “Who backed you? I won’t listen to the excuse that it was Jin Mu-ung. If you don’t speak honestly, I will cut your throats right now. So speak. Is it the Fast Sword Sect Leader? Or the Fourth Elder?”
“I-it is the Fourth Elder.”
The Fourth Elder… The Fourth Elder… How could she take the Fourth Elder’s head? Seo-ah stood there, lost in thought. The deliberation didn’t last long. There were countless weapons she could use if she wanted to. Seo-ah said to the two martial artists, “Jin Mu-ung tried to kill me and my maid. But you couldn’t have known that far, right?”
“W-we didn’t know. We really…”
“Stop. I understand everything. What sin could you have? You were just played by the tongue of that wicked infidel…”
“That’s right! That’s right!”
Seo-ah showed a good-natured smile as usual. “As soon as Jin Mu-ung saw me, he rushed at me, unleashing lethal strikes. Isn’t that right?”
“That’s right! That’s right!”
“Yes. Don’t think about anything else… just remember that Jin Mu-ung tried to kill me.” Seo-ah turned her back and grabbed the neck of Jin Mu-ung, who was barely clinging to life. The two low-ranking martial artists hadn’t crossed the line. That was why they could live. Seo-ah began to walk to root out the entire source of the problem. It was what happened on the morning of the sixth day.
Seo-ah dragged the horrific-looking Jin Mu-ung toward the residence of the Fourth Elder of the Fast Sword Sect. As she headed there, countless gazes were fixed on her. To be precise, they were looking at Jin Mu-ung in her grasp. Of course, they wouldn’t recognize Jin Mu-ung. While many watched Seo-ah, a few courageous ones asked her, “That… what is that you’re holding…”
“A sinner.”
At those words, they didn’t ask Seo-ah anything more. Seo-ah’s atmosphere, drenched in the sinner’s blood, was terrifying. Thus, countless people followed Seo-ah from a distance, filled only with questions. Who was the sinner in Seo-ah’s hand? Why was the gentle disciple of the Sword Sovereign covered in blood and heading somewhere? They were curious.
Seo-ah soon arrived at the Fourth Elder’s residence, having gathered the gazes of dozens of people. The guard on duty at the residence looked at Jin Mu-ung in her hand, swallowed hard, and asked with a trembling voice, “W-what is going on?”
“Bring out the Fourth Elder.”
“Excuse me? That is…”
Seo-ah threw the token symbolizing the direct line of the Sword Family she had received from No-ya. “I will say it again. I have brought a sinner, so call the Fourth Elder.”
“By… sinner, you mean…?” The guard’s gaze turned to the lump of meat in Seo-ah’s hand. Seo-ah smiled faintly and shouted, infusing her internal energy. [I have brought Jin Mu-ung, a sinner who plotted the murder of the Sword Sovereign’s disciple and a direct descendant of the Sword Family! Fourth Elder of the Fast Sword Sect! You are not free from this suspicion either, so come out and explain yourself!]
The gazes of those who had followed Seo-ah… no, countless people in the area began to flock to the Fourth Elder’s residence upon hearing that sound. The number must have reached a hundred. The truth didn’t matter. It didn’t matter if Jin Mu-ung and the Fourth Elder had really tried to kill her. What mattered was the fact that the Fourth Elder would be offering his head today. A martial artist never forgets a debt or a grudge. Seo-ah intended to settle a debt that had not yet occurred.