Chapter 151
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 151
Chapter Title: North Heaven Hall Leadership Meeting
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A leadership meeting of the North Heaven Hall was convened.
“The Fortress Lord has taken in the Broken Bone Ghost Blade as a guest warrior?”
North Wind Brigade Leader nodded to Room Division Leader’s question as he entered the meeting hall.
“That’s right.”
“Hmm! Of all people, the Broken Bone Ghost Blade...”
Most of those present wore troubled expressions. Sword Division Leader spoke up.
“Everything the Fortress Lord has done so far has been a success, and thanks to that, I won’t deny the existence of this fortress.”
“......”
“But this is different. If mishandled, it could greatly tarnish the reputation this fortress has built up until now.”
“Hmm.”
“And I heard the Absolute Shadow Sword Guest came with him too, didn’t he? It would have been a far better decision to take him in as a guest warrior instead.”
“That’s true.”
North Wind Brigade Leader said, almost as if making an excuse.
“The Broken Bone Ghost Blade’s reputation seems somewhat unjust. Given his appearance, it makes sense, and the Fortress Lord believed his words too.”
“How can we be sure? What if he was lying?”
“Well...”
Ice Cho-pung spoke up for once.
“Truthfully, whether his words are true or false doesn’t matter. The problem is that he’s someone with a particularly infamous reputation even among the unorthodox sects.”
“......”
“Because of him, everything this fortress has painstakingly built could come crumbling down. I believe the Fortress Lord needs to reconsider this matter.”
“Hmm.”
The atmosphere grew heavy. These were men who had never once defied or disobeyed Seol Hwa-un’s orders.
Yet this time, it seemed they couldn’t accept it.
“......”
For some reason, Chief Steward Yu Gong-seon remained silent throughout, merely listening to them.
At that moment, Seol Hwa-un entered the meeting hall. Everyone rose to greet him.
“Please come in, Fortress Lord.”
“I’m late.”
Once Seol Hwa-un took his seat at the head, the leaders sat back down.
“......”
A strange silence flowed. Seol Hwa-un shrugged.
“I overheard on my way in that you were discussing the new guest warrior I’ve taken in. Don’t you have anything to say?”
Though the majority had voiced negative opinions, it wasn’t easy to bring it up right in front of Seol Hwa-un.
‘No helping it. I’ll have to step in.’
In the end, the eldest, Room Division Leader, spoke up.
“Fortress Lord, please reconsider this matter regarding the guest warrior.”
Seol Hwa-un asked with a stern expression.
“......Because of the Broken Bone Ghost Blade’s reputation?”
“Yes. I’m sure the Fortress Lord has given it much thought, but for this fortress that has only just established itself, it could be a fatal blow.”
Seol Hwa-un looked around the room.
“Do the rest of you feel the same?”
The majority, who had been silent, nodded.
“Yes, Fortress Lord.”
“Please think it over once more, just this once.”
“The Broken Bone Ghost Blade is problematic.”
Seol Hwa-un turned to Yu Gong-seon.
“What’s the Chief Steward’s opinion?”
“Well, it doesn’t seem like anything I say here will change things.”
“......”
“The best approach would be for the Fortress Lord to explain directly why he accepted the Broken Bone Ghost Blade.”
Seol Hwa-un smiled faintly.
“As expected, the Chief Steward reads my mind.”
Yu Gong-seon smiled back in lieu of a reply.
“......?!”
The leaders looked baffled, not understanding.
“Let me make one thing clear. The Broken Bone Ghost Blade is no villain. He was merely shaped into one by various circumstances.”
“......!”
“It might be hard to believe. But I trust my judgment. If his words prove false later, I’ll take responsibility and drive him out myself.”
Ice Cho-pung said.
“Fortress Lord, even if your judgment is correct, his infamy won’t disappear. It will still affect this fortress’s reputation in the end.”
Seol Hwa-un furrowed his brow for once.
“Hmm. The Vice Leader’s words disappoint me somewhat.”
“......Pardon?”
“Have you already forgotten? The hardship you went through in Tae-gok because of baseless rumors?”
“Ah.”
When establishing the North Sea Ice Palace’s branch hall in Tae-gok, Ice Cho-pung had suffered the most from the absurd rumors spread by the Shanxi unorthodox sects.
“Of course, if word gets out that the Broken Bone Ghost Blade is this fortress’s guest warrior, it might dent our reputation at first.”
“......”
“But if we send him away before even dealing with him just because of that, what makes us any different from the Central Plains folk who shunned us over groundless rumors?”
Seol Hwa-un continued, looking around the room.
“If we can’t even change perceptions about one man like the Broken Bone Ghost Blade, how can we change perceptions about North Sea folk?”
Ice Cho-pung immediately bowed his head.
“Ah...... I’m sorry, Fortress Lord. My thinking was shortsighted.”
“......!”
The other leaders also hung their heads in shame.
Seol Hwa-un smiled faintly.
“Then I’ll take it there’s no opposition to the Broken Bone Ghost Blade becoming this fortress’s first guest warrior.”
“Yes, Fortress Lord!”
* * *
Seol Hwa-un’s office.
Rustle, rustle.
In the quiet, only the sound of turning pages could be heard.
Seol Hwa-un and Yu Gong-seon sat at a large rectangular desk, handling documents.
‘Hmm?’
“Chief Steward, what are you reading so intently?”
Seol Hwa-un asked, suddenly curious. Yu Gong-seon had been poring over a thick stack of documents for a while.
Smiling, Yu Gong-seon handed a document to Seol Hwa-un.
“Would you like to take a look?”
“......?”
Seol Hwa-un casually took it and checked it over, unwittingly furrowing his brow.
“Chief Steward.”
“I’m sorry, Fortress Lord. In my position, I had to prepare for any possibilities.”
The document was about Hong Seong-chil. Yu Gong-seon had commissioned the Beggar’s Sect to obtain it.
“Wouldn’t it be more reliable to confirm it directly?”
“Understood.”
Though Seol Hwa-un said he trusted him, he was curious about the life Hong Seong-chil had led.
He read through the document carefully.
Hong Seong-chil’s appearance was innate. His parents, deeming it hideous, abandoned him in a back alley.
But Hong Seong-chil miraculously survived and wandered beggar dens.
However, due to his looks, he faced constant discrimination and beatings for no reason. During one such incident, he badly injured his leg and became lame.
Then, by chance, Hong Seong-chil became a disciple of a master called the Flower Shadow Blade.
But he was only a nominal disciple—in truth, little more than a servant.
Still, Hong Seong-chil learned martial arts by peeking and surpassed the Flower Shadow Blade.
Unable to endure the abuse any longer, Hong Seong-chil killed him and obtained the manual for the Thunderbolt Bullet Blade.
Based on that, Hong Seong-chil restructured his own martial arts and became a powerhouse counted among the Eight Great Blade Masters of the unorthodox sects.
Seol Hwa-un nodded.
“Indeed, an extraordinary man.”
The accounts continued of those who had挑衅ed him and suffered for it. As Hong Seong-chil had said, there were no cases where he struck first.
The Beggar’s Sect investigators had been shocked upon compiling the report, it noted.
As Seol Hwa-un finished reading the document on Hong Seong-chil, Yu Gong-seon spoke as if he’d been waiting.
“As expected of the Fortress Lord’s judgment. Hero Hong was justified in his own way.”
Seol Hwa-un chuckled and asked.
“So, how’s this fortress’s first guest warrior faring?”
The guest warrior had come so suddenly that proper accommodations hadn’t been prepared yet.
Thus, Hong Seong-chil was temporarily staying in the guest hall.
“Of course. He seems more cautious than expected and is quietly observing the fortress for now.”
“Wise.”
Seol Hwa-un viewed his appearance without prejudice, but there was no guarantee others in the North Heaven Hall would.
Fortunately, Hong Seong-chil was well aware of this.
Rather than forcing interactions, he chose to let things unfold gradually over time.
“......”
Seol Hwa-un suddenly noticed something odd.
He’d nearly finished the document on Hong Seong-chil, yet more than half the stack remained.
Flipping through a few pages, Seol Hwa-un looked up at Yu Gong-seon.
“This part...... the Absolute Shadow Sword Guest?”
“Yes, I included it while commissioning the investigation.”
“You don’t think he’ll join this fortress too, do you?”
Yu Gong-seon smiled faintly.
“Having accepted the Broken Bone Ghost Blade, you wouldn’t turn away the Absolute Shadow Sword Guest, would you?”
“Of course, from this fortress’s perspective, it would be ideal if he became a guest warrior.”
“......”
“But isn’t that jumping the gun? The Absolute Shadow Sword Guest might not want to become this fortress’s guest warrior.”
Yu Gong-seon shook his head.
“In my view, the Absolute Shadow Sword Guest has his eye on this fortress, subtly.”
Sa In-gyeol was currently staying in the North Heaven Hall’s guest hall alongside Hong Seong-chil. He had asked to stay for a while.
“I believe he’s spending time here to judge whether he can entrust himself to you.”
“Hmm.”
“If the Absolute Shadow Sword Guest, known as a hero, becomes this fortress’s guest warrior, it could offset the negative fallout from Hero Hong.”
Seol Hwa-un nodded in agreement.
“You’re right, Chief Steward. However, don’t approach him too hastily. It could backfire.”
“Of course.”
As Seol Hwa-un read the document on Sa In-gyeol, a glint appeared in his eyes.
‘The Sa Family was wiped out.’
The Sa Family was a fairly large martial clan located in Lanzhou, Gansu Province.
Thirty years ago, they clashed with an emerging sect called the Sun Moon Sect and were exterminated.
The primary reason for this sudden annihilation was that the Sa Family head and key masters had suddenly vanished.
The Sun Moon Sect collapsed soon after, likely due to the war’s aftermath.
On the surface, it seemed like just another tragic clash between martial forces, but Seol Hwa-un sensed several suspicious points.
Most notably, the Sa Family’s key masters had vanished abruptly.
Even the Beggar’s Sect at the time couldn’t uncover why.
‘If the Absolute Shadow Sword Guest is right and the Bloodthirsty Sword Lord is a treacherous beast......’
According to the investigation, he had no particular grudge against the Sa Family. Why had he targeted them?
‘If I connect this to the words the Bloodthirsty Sword Lord left behind...... Is that too much of a stretch?’
The evidence was thin. It was just Seol Hwa-un’s intuition.
His eyes gleaming, he said.
“Chief Steward, please request more detailed information from the Beggar’s Sect on the Sa Family extermination.”