Chapter 351
Chapter 351
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 93
>Chapter Title: Spirit Sword Manor (1)
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- Clap!
Not hard, but the daughter of the Holy Fire Commander's emissary, Ye Song-a, startled awake from the slap on the cheek.
“Gasp!”
“Are you coming around a bit?”
At the question, Ye Song-a looked at Mok Kyung-un with a face drained white.
Then, soon enough, she
“Urk.”
Bolted backward, clung to a tree pillar, and retched violently.
- Tsk tsk. Couldn't you have gone a little slower?
At Cheong-ryeong's tongue-clicking words, Mok Kyung-un shrugged his shoulders.
To avoid wasting time, he'd told the group to follow and then scooped up the girl and flew here using Sword Flight.
But her breathing had grown labored from the breakneck speed, and she couldn't handle it, passing out right away.
And now, upon waking, she was puking like that.
- It's been a while since you've been here.
At Cheong-ryeong's words, a light sparked in Mok Kyung-un's eyes.
- A while?
- Yes. This place existed even back in my active days.
- Really? I didn't realize because you were so quiet earlier.
- I was just surprised that the clan's head has sword knowledge nearly unrivaled in the world.
- Wasn't it like that before?
- It was already quite high back then. But now I've finally seen the fruits of it.
- Fruits you've finally seen?
- Because of their methods.
- Special methods?
- Very special. The reason their swords are called the best is that they craft them tailored to the swordsman's physique, habits, and swordsmanship—everything.
- Physique and habits, that's... Hm? Swordsmanship?
Mok Kyung-un raised one eyebrow as if something felt off.
She snorted and said,
- To have them forge a sword, you have to teach them your unique sword style. That's one of the conditions for crafting.
- Ah...
Only then did Mok Kyung-un think he understood why she'd said she'd seen the fruits.
- If that's a basic condition, then they must know almost every sword style out there.
- Exactly. If they know all the sword arts in the world, their insight into swords has to be higher than anyone's.
- Did you have a sword made here too, Cheong-ryeong?
At the question, she nodded.
- Just as I thought. They even know the initial form of the Moon Sword Style.
- ....Intriguing. But knowing that many sword styles, I bet some interesting incidents have happened.
- I don't know what went on while I was sealed, but before that, nothing happened.
- Why?
- Because they weren't taught the accompanying energy circulation methods or heart techniques.
- Ah?
- All they know is the sword path of the sword styles. Of course, that's still a lot, but strictly speaking, it's only half.
- That's why you said their insight is only into swords.
- Right. Even back then, their knowledge of swords surpassed mine. I wonder what level it's reached now after all these years.
- Now that you mention it, I'm curious too, but it doesn't look like we'll be going inside.
- Probably not.
What they'd come for was the Radiant Fire Cult's treasure, the Spirit Pearl.
Not to sightsee Spirit Sword Manor.
Meanwhile, Ye Song-a, who had been retching hard, seemed somewhat recovered and approached with a pale, sickly face.
“You okay now?”
“Y-Yes.”
“Do you know where this is?”
At Mok Kyung-un's question, she nodded.
She had stopped here once before, so there was no way she wouldn't know.
To her, Mok Kyung-un said,
“But do a lot of people usually wander around the manor outskirts?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
- Swoosh!
“Mmph!”
Mok Kyung-un suddenly clamped his hand over Ye Song-a's mouth.
She couldn't hide her bewilderment at his abrupt action.
Then, he scooped her up and leaped lightly upward, landing on a tree branch.
‘H-How?’
Her eyes went wide.
He was carrying her, yet this slender branch didn't even creak, let alone break.
As she marveled at it, footsteps sounded from below.
Soon, a group of about four warriors appeared, their upper garments emblazoned with "Justice."
‘Justice?’
At the sight of them in matching attire, a light flickered in Mok Kyung-un's eyes.
They wandered the area, talking.
“Strange. I could've sworn I heard a sound like a pig being slaughtered around here.”
“A pig being slaughtered?”
“You know, that 'oink oink' squealing.”
At their conversation, Ye Song-a's face flushed beet red.
Comparing her retching to a pig slaughter—what an embarrassment.
Then, one warrior, scanning around, said,
“But will combing this area really turn up the culprit or any traces?”
“We've got to do something.”
“It's not like there's nothing to do.”
“True. Anyway, the only one with the skill to kill that many alone is the former clan head.”
“Yeah. Standing around here is just wasting time.”
“But isn't it weird to peg the former head as the perp?”
“Why?”
“The former head was in the middle of forging during the incident. Plus, he's a swordsmith, and all the wounds on the dead are saber marks.”
“That's what's even stranger. Everything's screaming it wasn't the head. But what if the head's secretly a saber master? Changes everything.”
“......Well, yeah, but does it make sense for him to pull this off right in his own territory?”
“Feint with the obvious. Who'd suspect the head under their own roof?”
“Hmm. Tricky. Real tricky.”
“That's investigations for you. Once you start suspecting, everyone's a suspect. Anyway, if we keep dawdling, the leaders will chew us out. Let's move.”
“Yeah.”
Once the warriors left, Mok Kyung-un and Ye Song-a soon dropped to the ground.
- Thud!
As soon as they landed, Ye Song-a said to Mok Kyung-un,
“Those guys just now were Justice Alliance warriors.”
“Justice Alliance?”
“Yes.”
The Radiant Fire Cult had many enemies, so Ye Song-a remembered the uniforms of those gunning for them.
“Do Justice Alliance people usually come and go here often?”
- As if.
“No.”
At the question, Cheong-ryeong and Ye Song-a answered in unison.
Mok Kyung-un stroked his chin.
He didn't know exactly what happened, but piecing together their talk: a massacre by a single person.
So the Justice Alliance warriors were hunting the killer.
And the prime suspect was the former clan head—sounded just like Spirit Sword Manor's former head.
“Hmm.”
What a coincidence.
They'd just come for the Spirit Pearl, yet something huge enough to drag in the Justice Alliance had blown up.
But soon, Mok Kyung-un decided to ignore it.
It had nothing to do with him; find the pearl and leave.
To Ye Song-a, he said,
“Where's this cave?”
“It's...”
“Don't say it—point. We need to move stealthily from here on.”
“Huh? You don't mean...?”
“Shh. I said shut it.”
- Whoosh!
Mok Kyung-un scooped her up and moved.
Having reached mastery in lightness skill, he figured carrying her would make concealing presence easier.
* * *
In front of a certain building at Spirit Sword Manor.
- Clang! Clang! Clang!
Crisp hammering rang out, spilling beyond the building.
Amid the metallic clamor and sweltering heat, a group of uniformed warriors stood before the forge.
Their uniforms bore "Justice."
They were Justice Alliance warriors.
Leading them were two figures.
One was a middle-aged nun in Daoist robes, hands clasped behind her back with a kindly face. The other was a tall, handsome man in his mid-thirties.
Both from the Justice Alliance: the nun was Elder Jeong Myeong of Hang Mountain Sect.
The man was Mo Yong-hak, eldest son and heir of the Seven Great Families' Mo Yong Clan.
“Whew. Amitabha.”
Elder Jeong Myeong of Hang Mountain Sect let out a sigh of admiration.
The steady hammering carried a refreshing crispness that felt like it cleared the chest.
‘Impressive.’
She'd heard the reputation, but the hammering alone left her speechless.
It made her decades of cultivation feel wasted.
Unlike her, Mo Yong Clan's heir Mo Yong-hak's attention was elsewhere.
‘Are those the broken swords made by the clan head?’
Swords were stuck in a massive incense burner-like thing outside the building.
It was engraved "Broken Swords," where failed blades—before being shattered—were displayed.
Yet these "broken" swords all boasted extraordinary forms.
No—they were nearly famed blades themselves.
- Gulp!
Mo Yong-hak swallowed unwittingly.
By Spirit Sword Manor's rules, only renowned swordsmen or those passing the head's test could enter this forge.
But circumstances allowed him entry as a special Justice Alliance investigator.
- Creak!
Then the forge door opened, and someone emerged.
The hammering continued, so they instinctively knew it wasn't the head.
- Step!
The one who came out was none other than Spirit Sword Manor's young lord, Gu Ung-hwang.
He clasped his hands and said politely,
“My apologies. The head says he cannot meet as he's at a critical juncture in birthing a new sword. Please understand.”
‘As expected.’
At his words, Mo Yong-hak clicked his tongue inwardly.
He'd hoped to build ties with the head over the incident, but no sign of him.
Forcing it wouldn't do.
Spirit Sword Manor's head, Gu Cheon-mu, was one of the Six Heavens at the pinnacle of the martial world and ranked among the renowned elders by seniority—no one to trifle with.
“Pity. I wanted to at least pay respects to the esteemed head.”
“Ahh. My apologies. Once Father starts forging, his artisan stubbornness keeps him at it—even if the Alliance Leader came, he wouldn't show.”
“Amitabha. I understand. How could an artisan halt his work? It's just regrettable we've been here days and still haven't seen him.”
Elder Jeong Myeong spoke softly, as if to say not to mind.
Gu Ung-hwang cautiously asked,
“But how goes the investigation?”
“Our alliance warriors have sealed off all nearby trails, but catching the culprit looks difficult.”
“......Probably.”
It wasn't just anyone—Nangong Jin, the Heavenly Saber Sword of the Eight Stars, had been slain.
Not quite Six Heavens, but Eight Stars were still top-tier.
He and Nangong Clan's elites—all dead.
The shocking part: traces pointed to one person's doing, not a group.
“I've never seen saber marks like these.”
Elder Jeong Myeong shook her head.
Inspecting the bodies first, she'd been inwardly stunned.
Each saber mark bore trajectories impossible for any existing saber arts.
‘Saber paths defying joint limits... Was this really human saber work?’
It even raised such doubts.
Yet the bodies proved someone had killed them.
And the prime suspect was
“......As you know, Father has known nothing but swords his whole life. Our entire clan... is the same.”
For a split second, young lord Gu Ung-hwang faltered.
A fleeting pause no one would notice.
He'd hesitated at "entire clan" because of the family's troublemaker youngest.
[Why must it always be swords? Stagnation comes from obsessing over just swords, doesn't it?]
Words the kid spat like a mantra before leaving home.
Father the head and he himself had scolded him plenty, but the kid wouldn't bend.
Strange, though.
Returning just as this massive incident hit, carrying some bizarre pearl of unknown origin.
Anyway, that wasn't the point.
“If all traces on the bodies are saber marks, shouldn't our clan be cleared, even if the victim was one of the Eight Stars?”
With emotion in his voice, Elder Jeong Myeong pressed palms together and replied.
“Amitabha... My apologies. It's not that simple.”
“......”
“Though a couple of guests here might match Nangong layman, none could do it alone.”
“Elder. But Father...”
“I know. Witnesses confirm he was here during the incident time, and he's a swordsmith anyway. But he's also the one who could make that carnage possible.”
“Hah.”
Young lord Gu Ung-hwang sighed in frustration.
True, if Father—no, the head—set his mind, he could slaughter all the Nangong Clan visitors.
Not for nothing was he one of the Six Heavens.
But crucially, he hadn't left the manor and wasn't a saber user.
Yet they kept him on the suspect list for two reasons.
One was his prowess, as mentioned.
The second was
‘Turning down Nangong Clan Head's request was big.’
Nangong Clan Head and Eight Star, Heavenly Saber Sword Nangong Jin, had come offering rare metal to request a custom sword.
Not once, but this was the third time.
Coincidentally, Father had spent two full years on one sword, rejecting and delaying the latest visitors' requests.
However,
[No matter the manor's traditions, refusing to even show your face after three visits isn't artisan spirit—it's peak arrogance.]
Nangong Jin had shown displeasure at never meeting despite repeated visits.
Guests in the guest hall had witnessed his sole open resentment toward Father, and some testified to it.
A frustrating mess.
As if soothing him, Mo Yong-hak said,
“We don't believe the former head did it either. But as investigators, we must confirm by seeing him. I know it's vexing—please bear with us.”
What they wanted to check was simple.
Swords and sabers were distinct.
Thus, palm calluses from gripping differed by style.
Moreover, the saber marks revealed the wielder's joints and muscles were utterly unlike ordinary folk.
In short, they couldn't conclude until meeting Spirit Sword Manor's head.
* * *
A cliff cave not far from Spirit Sword Manor's manor on the mountainside.
“N-No way.”
Ye Song-a was bewildered.
She'd rushed inside upon arrival to search for the Spirit Pearl.
But it was gone.
Worse—the cave walls were smashed, floor cracked; something had gone down here.
Mok Kyung-un examined it closely.
‘Sword marks.’
Some of the damage was unmistakably sword marks.
Two skilled swordsmen had clashed here.
But one overwhelmingly outmatched the other.
Suppressed in just a few exchanges, it seemed.
‘The suppressed one had his back to the cave depths. Despite being outclassed in skill, he stepped forward instead of back. That means...’
He was guarding something.
Desperately blocking the foe from entering.
Mok Kyung-un said,
“The Spirit Pearl was hidden deepest inside?”
“Yes. It was...”
“Someone fought in here. One desperately guarded the entrance; the other tried to force in.”
“Y-Yeon-woo!”
“Don't know Yeon-whatever, but interesting—he was outmatched yet didn't yield an inch, blocking desperately.”
At his words, tears welled in Ye Song-a's eyes.
She was convinced the desperate defender was Gu Yeon-woo.
Then, Mok Kyung-un, scrutinizing the traces, said as if realizing something.
“Looks like the fighters knew each other well.”
“Huh?”
“They used remarkably similar swordsmanship. And the one pushing inside...”
- Hum!
Activating the Third Eye's energy in his right eye, Mok Kyung-un's vision sharpened the sword trajectories.
Residual true energy thoughts from executed forms.
It confirmed it.
The intruder aimed not to kill but to subdue, avoiding lethal strikes in his sword forms.
“Less foe, more same sect, brothers, or blood kin. Gu Yeon-woo's the third son of Spirit Sword Manor, right? There—the answer.”
‘!!!!!!’
Ye Song-a was dumbfounded at Mok Kyung-un's deduction.
Such insight from mere damaged traces possible?
[Chapter 93: Spirit Sword Manor (1)] End