A Grand Debut
"Hmm..."
With the Sword Emperor, Namgung Seon, finally awake, Namgung Jaeyeong and his conspirators were arrested on the spot.
The Blue Sky Squad, whom Jaeyeong had so gleefully brought along to arrest us, ended up escorting him and his faction away in chains instead.
However, being a prestigious orthodox sect, it seemed they needed some time to decide on the proper punishment.
If this had been the Unorthodox Faction or the Blood Sect, they would have roasted, steamed, deep-fried, sliced, diced, and minced them on the spot.
Hummmmm.
So, during my downtime, I was reflecting on what had happened and organizing the insights I had gained.
"Blood is just blood..."
When I was pouring my blood qi into the Sword Emperor's body, I had been so focused that there was a brief moment where I couldn't tell if the blood qi was coming from my own body or his.
Was that the trigger?
Sliiiit.
Drip.
I scratched a tiny nick into my skin with my fingernail, and a small bead of blood welled up. Then—
Wriggle, wriggle.
As I concentrated my blood qi onto the spot, a crimson energy enveloped the cut, and within moments, the wound vanished without a trace.
"Is this that divine power?"
Well, it was certainly mystical, but it wasn't mind-blowingly amazing either.
As of right now, I could only heal minor cuts.
Still, it must have been thanks to this that I was able to save the Sword Emperor.
After all, his body had been riddled with countless microscopic internal wounds.
Knock, knock.
"Benefactor, may I enter?"
Startled.
"O-Oh, yes! Just a moment!"
I quickly withdrew my blood qi and opened the door for Namgung Hyeok.
Bow.
"My uncle... that is, the verdict on Namgung Jaeyeong's punishment is about to be announced. I thought you might be interested, Benefactor."
"Oh, really?"
The person with the absolute greatest grudge against Namgung Jaeyeong was obviously the Sword Emperor, and the third was Namgung Geon.
And I was easily second.
Framing me and trying to have me killed just because he couldn't stand seeing someone young and talented?
I seriously couldn't comprehend what went through that bastard's head.
At least his plot against the Sword Emperor had a clear reward—the position of Patriarch.
"Shall we go, then?"
Nod.
"Sure."
I definitely had to watch what kind of punishment he'd get with my own eyes.
They'll definitely sever the tendons in his limbs, right? And shatter his dantian, too.
Hehehe.
I'll munch on some sweet pastries and laugh right in his face.
Hop, hop.
Fuming.
"Are you out of your mind?!"
There I was, hopping mad and pointing my finger right at the Sword Emperor, Namgung Seon.
In a medieval-style society where saving face was a matter of life and death, such behavior was utterly unthinkable. Yet, even the elders could only swallow their groans and stare at me.
Flailing.
"You're just expelling him from the clan and calling it a day?!"
The reason for my outrage was that Namgung Jaeyeong's punishment was mere banishment.
They planned to kick him out of the clan, announce his crimes through the Murim Alliance, and leave it at that.
Calmly.
Unlike the flustered elders, Namgung Seon spoke calmly, as if he had fully anticipated my reaction.
"It is due to the laws of our clan. Can you find it in your heart to understand, Lady Yeon?"
"Laws?"
"In the event of a dispute over the position of Patriarch, the maximum punishment the stronger party can inflict is banishment. This is to prevent those who rely solely on brute force from assassinating the rightful Patriarch."
What kind of logic is that?
Is this some kind of anti-usurpation law?
"Father, but surely this time is different. He conspired with the Demonic Cult to reduce you to that state, yet we are letting him leave with his limbs intact?"
Exactly!
Good job, Namgung Hyeok!
We should cut off at least two of his limbs! And I'll be the one to chop one off!
Nod.
"You speak the truth. Even if we were to execute Jaeyeong today, the clan's laws would not suffer a major blow."
"Then why..."
Rise.
At Namgung Hyeok's question, the Sword Emperor stood up, his eyes flashing with a sharp light. He swept his gaze across everyone in the hall and spoke.
"However, if we uphold the law today, it will grow even stronger, becoming a shield that will protect us for a thousand years. In the future, should a rightful Patriarch find himself in dire straits, this very law will serve as his final bulwark."
"..."
People always called the orthodox sects inflexible, stubborn old fools, but honestly, this level of commitment was actually somewhat impressive.
If they spared him even after he conspired with the Demonic Cult and turned the Patriarch into a mummy, who would dare violate this law in the future?
Anyone who tried would face overwhelming backlash from the entire clan.
Sigh.
"Do you think I am not furious? Do you think I do not wish to exact my vengeance? But while gratification is fleeting, the law is eternal. Lady Yeon, could you find it in your heart to overlook this just this once? I swear I will repay you in another way."
"Mmm..."
At the Sword Emperor's words, every eye in the main hall turned to focus on me.
No matter how pissed off I was, I wasn't some idiot who couldn't read the room.
If I threw a tantrum here, the saintly image I had painstakingly built up would go right down the drain.
Smile.
"I understand, Lord Sword Emperor."
Murmurs.
"Ohh..."
"Though it is for the sake of our laws, we truly have no face to show her..."
Since I played along, everyone in the hall looked deeply moved.
Hehehe.
Of course, I had absolutely no intention of just taking their praise and letting it go.
Because there was a perfect way to uphold their precious laws and get my revenge.
Wash your neck and wait for me, you bastard.
"Pah! Don't you dare show your face around Anhui Province ever again."
Creeeak.
Thud.
It was the dead of night, a time when the heavy darkness dragged most people down into the realm of dreams.
But one old man was cast out into the silent, desolate streets instead of his bed.
Of course, there was absolutely no need to pity him. He was a villain who had conspired with the Demonic Cult to murder his own brother.
Step, step.
"Damn it..."
The travel expenses in his pocket only made him feel more pathetic.
"I will have my revenge, no matter what."
The only thing keeping his legs moving in this utterly crushing situation was the burning desire for vengeance.
Namgung Jaeyeong was a living testament to the fact that criminals simply thought differently from normal people.
Chomp, chomp, chomp.
Yet, it was precisely this shameless mindset that allowed him to sit comfortably at a street stall first thing in the morning, stuffing his face with dumplings.
Once his crimes were officially publicized, he wouldn't be able to set foot in the territory of the Orthodox Faction ever again.
Therefore, he needed to fill his stomach before fleeing as far away as possible.
"The taste is mediocre at best."
He didn't miss the chance to make a snide remark, deliberately grating on the stall owner's nerves.
As he finished his dumplings and walked away from the marketplace—
Whoosh.
"I guess the dumplings weren't to your liking?"
Along with a sweet fragrance, a melodious, mocking voice drifted over on the wind.
"Huh?"
It was a voice he had heard somewhere before. Namgung Jaeyeong whipped his head around, only to be met with—
"Gasppp...!"
The face of a peerless beauty, staring intently at him.
Her appearance overwhelmed his eyes, her scent captivated his nose, and her voice enchanted his ears. It was enough to make any man lose his mind, but—
"Y-You...!"
The reason Namgung Jaeyeong managed to snap out of it was simple.
The voice coming from this stunning beauty belonged to none other than that detestable veiled girl.
Step.
"Didn't you miss me?"
She wasn't even bothering to speak formally anymore. At this point, her reason for coming was blindingly obvious.
Snatch.
Even if he lacked talent, he was still a man who had lived in a martial family for decades.
Following the instincts carved into his body over the years, he reached for his sword, but—
"Looking for this?"
"W-What?!"
Before he even realized it, the sword that had been at his waist was resting in Yeonhwa's hand.
Munch, munch.
"These dumplings are actually pretty good. Why were you complaining so much?"
And now, even the dumpling he had been holding in his left hand was in her possession.
So this is why Namgung Hyeok lost...!
This was a speed that defied all common sense—something that absolutely could not be achieved by a mere Peak Realm master.
With such precision coupled with that speed, not even the Blue Dragon, Namgung Hyeok, could have stood a chance.
"S-Stay back!"
Thud.
There was no one to call for help, and he couldn't even last a single exchange against her.
The only thing he could do was scramble backward in terror until he tripped and fell on his ass.
Surge.
Perhaps it was because of how pathetic he looked.
Unable to contain the rising tide of humiliation and rage, Namgung Jaeyeong began to scream.
"Do you think I'm a joke?! How could a bitch born with everything ever understand my pain?! A girl like you, whom everyone looks up to! There's no way you could ever understand what it feels like to live your entire life constantly compared to someone else! You probably hid that pretty face of yours behind that veil just to mock me! For decades, I endured humiliation—"
"Stop whining!!!"
WHACK!
Yeonhwa's hand chopped down hard right on top of his head, cutting off his rapid-fire rant.
"Kegh...!"
Fuming.
"If you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, you should be grateful! Why are you blaming others for your own pathetic talent? Did you think someone would magically make you a Hyper-Peak master if you killed your brother and kicked out your nephew?!"
Dusting hands.
"Choose."
"Urgh... Choose what?"
"Do you want your dantian shattered, or do you want to be flayed alive?"
"W-What?!"
She presented it as a choice, but it was practically an ultimatum.
After all, being flayed alive meant certain death.
"..."
He wanted to scream at her to stop joking, but he couldn't even squeeze out a word. He could only swallow hard.
The reason was the terrifyingly cold light gleaming in Yeonhwa's crimson eyes.
Gulp.
He couldn't afford to die, so there was only one possible answer.
"...My dantian."
As long as I'm alive, an opportunity will come. That was an eternal truth of the Jianghu.
With that thought, Namgung Jaeyeong steeled his resolve, but—
Grin.
"What a good boy, answering so honestly."
"???"
"As a reward, I'll give you both."
The conversation had suddenly turned into a twisted version of the Honest Woodcutter fable.
Step, step.
"Don't worry too much. I might not look it, but I have plenty of experience with this."
"W-Wait a minute!"
Step, step.
"Stay back! The l-laws! The laws of the Namgung Clan!"
Pause.
"The laws?"
"Yes! Namgung Seon let me go precisely to uphold those laws! If you kill me, what will happen to the clan's laws?! And everyone will suspect you!"
Nod.
"That's true. My reputation within the Namgung Clan might take a serious hit."
"Exactly! So please, let me go! No, please spare me, I beg of you!"
Namgung Jaeyeong threw away every last shred of his dignity, groveling flat on the ground as he begged.
Because of that, there was one thing he failed to see.
"It's fine."
"Huh? What do you mean it's—"
Wriggle, wriggle.
"Aaaagh?!"
Crimson blood qi began to billow and surge from Yeonhwa's body.
It was the third stage of the Myriads Heaven Asura Art, which could now be considered past the beginner steps.
That's blood qi! Y-You, don't tell me...!!!
Grin.
"The one killing you isn't Yeonhwa, the guest of the Namgung Clan. It's the wicked Blood Sect villain who appeared out of nowhere—the Blood Plum Blossom."
"Ah... Aaaah..."
The Namgung Clan had upheld their laws, but unfortunately, the exile had met his demise at the hands of a Blood Sect villain.
It was a flawless narrative that everyone would accept.
Shiver, shiver.
Now, the only thing he could do was tremble in absolute terror.
Because before he knew it, his limbs no longer belonged to him.
Chatter, chatter.
"Did you hear about that?"
"To think a Blood Sect member would appear all the way in Anhui... It's the end of the world, I tell you."
Anhui Province was in an absolute uproar.
While the people gossiped excitedly about the massive incident, they were also trembling with anxiety.
"To display a corpse right in the middle of the marketplace..."
"I heard they flayed him and chopped off all his limbs."
"And they said the name 'Blood Plum Blossom' was written on his skin, right?"
"A new villain has emerged."
A corpse suddenly put on display right on the main road.
The gruesome state of the body was shocking enough, but what made it truly mind-boggling was the identity of the deceased: Namgung Jaeyeong, who until recently had been the Acting Patriarch of the Namgung Clan.
Whisper, whisper.
"The Namgung Clan said they won't get involved since he was already banished, but could it be..."
"Hey! Don't talk nonsense!"
If the Unorthodox Faction had committed the murder, people might have suspected that the Namgung Clan had commissioned it.
But the Blood Sect slaughtered members of the Orthodox, Unorthodox, and Demonic factions with absolute equality. It was impossible to imagine them doing a favor for the Namgung Clan.
"Still, to let a man who tried to kill the Patriarch leave with his limbs intact... They really are something else."
"As expected of the pillar of the Orthodox Faction. If it were me, to hell with the laws, I would have just..."
For that reason, even as the public reeled from the horror of the incident, they couldn't help but marvel at the Namgung Clan's absolute impartiality and commitment to their laws.
...
So, what was Yeonhwa—the mastermind behind this entire scheme—doing right now?
Startled.
"Lord Sword Emperor! What did you say?"
"I said, let us go to the main plaque of the Namgung Clan. There is a reward waiting for you there."