The Double Life of the Flash Sword
"Why are you here?!"
"I have brought the tea."
Clatter.
"..."
The hideout that the middle-aged man—the self-proclaimed 'senior'—had brought me to.
Upon arriving in a neat and tidy room, a pretty older sister—no, unni—served us tea.
You might ask, 'He's obviously a Blood Sect bastard, so why did you follow him?' but...
Shiver.
I was terrified!
When we see a lion or a tiger, we don't think, 'Oh, a wild beast! I should be scared!'
We just freeze, paralyzed by instant, primal terror.
That was exactly how I felt about this middle-aged man right now.
My instincts were screaming that he could kill me with a single finger.
Slide.
"Make yourself comfortable, junior."
"J-Junior?"
"You've cultivated a blood art now, haven't you? It's as plain as day."
Sip.
"Forced to learn a blood art after falling into a formation, then wiping them all out because you couldn't overcome your murderous urge. Am I wrong?"
"Gasp..."
He knew exactly what happened. Then, could it be?
"Then... did you also learn your blood art by force, senior?"
Was he a fellow victim? Did he rescue me because—
Shake, shake.
"No? I volunteered."
Argh!!!
So he just meant he was a senior in cultivating blood arts?
My hopes had risen for nothing.
Rustle.
"I am late in introducing myself. I am the Second Apostle of the Sect, Yeon Musang. In the wider world, I am known as the Flash Sword."
"The Flash Sword?"
Even his epithet was extraordinary.
To pull off a title that short and elegant, you had to have the skills to back it up.
If I had to make a comparison, it was like apartment names in modern Korea.
The truly expensive, prestigious places had simple names like 'Banpo Xi' or 'Apgujeong Hyundai.'
Meanwhile, the cheap, hollow ones went with absurdities like 'Super Noble Forest 69th Apartment, Ten Minutes from the Subway Station in Front of the Convenience Store.'
Frown.
Wait, the Flash Sword?
I'd heard that name before... Back when Yeop Huhu was lecturing me...
Scratch.
"Do you not know it? I happen to be the Division Leader of the Wind-Thunder Division in the Murim Alliance..."
"Ah!"
It finally clicked! Among the list of the Top 100 Masters of the Realm that Yeop Huhu had stolen, ranked twentieth was the Flash Sword—
Startled.
"W-W-W-Wait!!! The Wind-Thunder Division Leader of the Murim Alliance?!"
But you said you were an Apostle of the Blood Sect! A voluntary one at that!
"Hmm? Why so surprised? Did you expect us to walk around with 'Blood Sect' tattooed on our foreheads?"
"Well, no, but..."
Still, a division leader of the Murim Alliance!
Rustle.
"And it is not just the Murim Alliance. We have Apostles in the League of Wicked Paths, the Heavenly Demon Cult, and even within the Imperial Court."
"Crazy..."
It reminded me of the conspiracy theories from my past life about the Deep State and the Freemasons.
I used to laugh them off back then... but seeing this, could they have been real?
Maybe those rumors about Putin being an alien were true too?
Shake, shake.
Now is not the time for that.
Regardless of my past life, the real problem was that I had gotten tangled up with people far more dangerous than I could have ever imagined.
If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have minded my own business and run away...
Sip.
"So, what did you cultivate?"
"Pardon?"
"The blood art. Your disposition will depend on what it is."
Gulp.
Here it comes...
Of course. There was no way he'd just serve me a cup of tea and let me go.
And I couldn't even lie. You had to actually know something to construct a convincing lie.
Scratch.
"I don't really know. I think that pig said something about becoming a puppet..."
"W-What?!"
Grab.
"Eek?!"
Upon hearing my answer, Yeon Musang immediately snatched my wrist.
What is his problem?
"Channel it."
"Huh?"
"Your Blood Qi. Channel it, right now!"
"Y-Yes, sir!"
The atmosphere suggested that if I hesitated, I'd get beaten half to death.
I quickly drew the Blood Qi from my dantian, and—
Pounce.
By the time I snapped out of it, my teeth were sunk deep into Yeon Musang's neck.
I didn't know why I was doing this. I just felt an overwhelming urge to hurt someone, and he happened to be right in front of me.
Chew, chew.
But damn, my teeth couldn't even pierce his skin. It felt like biting into a thick rubber tire.
"I see... It really is..."
Stroke, stroke.
Yeon Musang began stroking my hair while muttering incomprehensible words.
At the same time,
Fade.
"Pah!"
The crimson mist in my mind cleared, and the Blood Qi retreated back into my dantian.
Ugh, why was I biting his neck? It tasted salty and dusty!
"The cultivation technique you have learned is the Myriads Heaven Asura Art."
"The Myriads Heaven Asura Art?"
What a sinister name.
"Only two kinds of people in our Sect cultivate this technique."
"Only two?"
"Yes. First are the low-level fodder used for mutual destruction. You can guess why, can't you?"
Scratch.
"More or less."
Since they were mindless puppets, they obviously couldn't train or grow stronger.
So they were just used as suicide bombers.
Nod.
"And the other is our High Priest."
"The High Priest?"
"Known to the world as... the Blood Demon."
"W-W-W-What?!"
The Blood Demon? Wasn't that guy just an urban legend?
"I am the one who should be surprised. To think another person could cultivate the Myriads Heaven Asura Art and remain perfectly sane. Perhaps this, too, is the guidance of the Blood Immortal..."
Grin.
Hehe.
I felt... a bit strange!
This was the very cultivation technique used by the Blood Demon?
The legendary Blood Demon who had reached the realm of the Profound Mirror?
I should have felt disgusted, but... why did my chest feel so ticklish?
Rustle.
"Do not get ahead of yourself. The mnemonics and training methods of the Myriads Heaven Asura Art remain a complete mystery."
"Huh? The mnemonics are a mystery?"
If the mnemonics were unknown, how did I even learn it?
"It can only be acquired through a formation. If you do not believe me, try recalling the mnemonics yourself."
Press.
"Ugh..."
He was right. I pressed my temples and searched my mind, but not a single word came to me.
I could only sense the crimson mist.
"Then what about training?"
"Since you do not know the mnemonics, normal training is impossible. However, from what I have observed, it seems to grow stronger when you commit murder..."
Frown.
Tsk.
My hopes were dashed again.
Murder just to train? Am I insane?
"At any rate, since you have cultivated the Myriads Heaven Asura Art, your disposition..."
Gulp.
My disposition?
Rustle.
"For now, I will use my authority to initiate you into the Sect. I will speak to the High Priest myself."
"I-Initiation?"
Was I supposed to be happy about this? Well, at least I wasn't going to die, so that was a relief, right?
Nod.
"Do not even think of refusing. The Myriads Heaven Asura Art is the pinnacle of blood arts. Even if you try to hide it, any proper investigation will expose you. From now on, you are walking on the edge of a blade."
"???"
Actually, I can easily suppress and hide it with my Guihua Preservation inner force, though?
Well, since he's misunderstanding on his own, I'll just keep my mouth shut.
Flinch.
"Um... if I join the Sect..."
"You may live as you please."
"Huh? What?"
Sip.
"The Blood Immortal desires nothing from the mortal realm. Everything we offer is purely voluntary."
"Are you talking about... free will or something?"
"Free will! Yes, that is an excellent way to put it!"
Snap.
Yeon Musang slapped his forehead and continued.
"Therefore, you may live however you wish, so long as you offer sacrifices to the Blood Immortal. As long as you do not betray us, the Sect will never interfere with your life."
Sip.
"What if I don't offer any sacrifices?"
"What kind of question is that? Then you simply will not catch the eye of the Blood Immortal."
"Ha..."
These bastards were surprisingly flexible with their doctrines.
Aside from the fact that the 'sacrifices' meant murder, this was practically a model religion.
Of course, that one exception was a pretty massive problem.
Smirk.
Anyway, a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
Whatever. I'll just join the Sect and then completely ignore them.
They probably thought they had me on a leash because I cultivated a blood art, but thanks to my Guihua Preservation, I'd never get caught unless I openly used it.
Nod, nod.
"Alright. I'll join."
Let's agree and get the hell out of here before he changes his mind.
"I like your decisiveness."
Prick.
"Ouch, that hurts!"
Yeon Musang pricked my arm with a needle.
Then,
Squeeze.
He drew blood from my arm and filled a small vial.
"What is this for?"
"We must let the spiritual beasts we raise memorize the scent of your blood."
"Ah..."
So it was like training a dog to recognize a scent?
Click.
"Now, what would you like your alias in the Sect to be?"
"Alias?"
"We cannot use your real name. Information might leak."
"But you told me your real name, senior."
"That is because I am already famous."
"Hmm..."
True enough.
But I wasn't exactly great at coming up with fancy Hanja titles...
Rustle.
"If you have nothing in mind, how about 'Blood Plum Blossom'?"
Yeon Musang wrote the characters on a piece of paper and showed it to me.
"Your appearance is like a flawless flower. You are more than worthy of becoming the plum blossom of our Sect."
Scratch.
"Ahem. Fine, I get it..."
Flattering the newbie like this.
I knew very well I wasn't that great.
Rustle.
Embarrassed, I accepted it immediately. This time, Yeon Musang handed me a book.
"And this is a personal gift from me."
"Isn't this... a martial arts manual?"
"It is called the Fiery Blood Immortal Palm. Even if you use a sword, you should at least know a palm technique for self-defense."
"..."
This guy is being suspiciously nice. What's his angle?
Pack.
Suspicious as it was, my top priority right now was getting out of here.
I quickly packed the manual and stood up.
Slide.
"So we're all done, right? I can go now?"
"Not yet."
"???"
Raise.
"The most important part remains."
Yeon Musang said, raising both of his hands.
"W-Wait a minute. Are we really doing that?"
An Apostle is a super high-ranking position, right? And yet he's still doing that?
"Tut, tut. What does status matter in the face of faith?"
Ugh...
I was dying of embarrassment... but I had no choice...
"Blood Rules the World... L-Long live the Blood Sect..."
"Blood Rules the World! Long live the Blood Sect!"
After Yeonhwa left.
"You didn't lie to her... but that was about it, wasn't it?"
The woman who hadn't budged an inch except to pour tea finally spoke.
"Do you not approve, Gong Sonyun?"
Shake, shake.
"How could I possibly question the Apostle's decision?"
"Hahaha! I suppose I was right."
Everything Yeon Musang had told Yeonhwa was merely 'theoretical.'
In reality, because they cultivated blood arts, most were forced to live in hiding, eventually relying on the Blood Sect, and ultimately ending up doing dirty work for the Sect.
Glare.
"And you even handed her the Fiery Blood Immortal Palm."
The Fiery Blood Immortal Palm was a high-level martial art that possessed devastating power and did not easily betray its nature as a blood art.
However, true to its name, it constantly stimulated the user's Blood Qi.
As a result, frequent use would only plunge the practitioner deeper into their murderous instincts—a double-edged sword of a technique.
Chuckle.
"I merely provided the opportunity. Whether she uses it or not is her choice."
"You also have no intention of telling the High Priest about the Myriads Heaven Asura Art, do you?"
"I truly cannot hide anything from your eyes."
Sip.
Yeon Musang sipped his tea, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"Whether there is one sun in the sky or two... matters not to us. Because—"
Sip.
"—we are those who follow the will of the Blood Immortal who resides above the heavens."
"For someone who says that, you seem to desire two suns rising in the Sect."
"Let us end this conversation here. Pack your things. We must return to the Murim Alliance soon."
"Are you changing the subject?"
"Even with the strength of faith, living a double life is exhausting."
"..."
After parting ways with the enigmatic Yeon Musang.
"This meat is delicious."
Yeonhwa was living a life that couldn't be further from the Blood Sect.
Except,
Smack!
"Hey! Namgung Hyeok! This meat is undercooked!"
She was treating one particular man far more brutally than any Blood Sect cultist ever could.
"Even so, to treat me, a direct descendant of the Clan Leader, like this—"
Surprisingly, the man was Namgung Hyeok, the youngest son of the Namgung Clan's Leader.
Scratch.
"Didn't you say you'd do anything? Does the great Namgung Clan flip its promises like a pancake?"
"Urgh...!"
Sizzle.
"I will... grill it better..."
The reason he had been reduced to a mere meat-griller was because their very first meeting had been just that catastrophic.