One-Day Sword Class (1)
As the master of Bi Yeon Pavilion, she couldn't possibly be ignorant of the Tang Clan's tangled history. It was easy to overlook the might of the Blood Cult, a force that had risen even before the emergence of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. At its peak, the Blood Cult wielded such presence that the Shaolin Temple kept its gates sealed, and even the religious sects of the jianghu avoided friction with it.
Back then, the Central Plains weren't yet unified, and the cult had even allied with the Southern Tang regime south of the Yangtze. The founder, Tang Won-geuk, lost his life to the Blood Cult's minions. His son-in-law and daughter, Dang Wol, joined the Murim Alliance for vengeance, rallying sects in the Yi Province region. After a grueling campaign that felled the Blood Cult's Murim Alliance Lord, Sima Yeol, the cult's forces lost their anchor along the Yangtze and scattered.
But contrary to the Murim Alliance's proclamation, the Blood Cult didn't vanish from the world that day.
This tragedy is so harrowing that words fail us; we humbly beg your understanding for our disarray.
Some fifteen days ago, a fiend assaulted our home, unleashing a bloodbath that claimed the lives of every male from elders to infants, mockingly sparing only the women.
The swordmaster responsible wielded the Blood Cult's demonic arts and the sword style of Gu Yang-gyeon, suggesting the Blood Dragon Sword.
This has left even my martial uncle hovering between life and death. We beseech the Murim Alliance's boundless magnanimity.
The Blood Cult leader, who had gone into hiding, suddenly slaughtered every man in the Tang Clan. This ushered in an era without males, during which the Tang Clan gained fame as a sect of women.
"Is it true that the Blood Dragon Sword was the father of the first Heavenly Demon?"
How did the once-obscure cult, the Sun-Moon Divine Cult, come to dominate the jianghu? The Sun-Moon Divine Cult's female leader was the daughter of the Blood Cult's high priest, Gu Yang-bok. The Blood Cult leader leisurely led his remaining remnants into the Sun-Moon Divine Cult. She inherited the first Heavenly Demon's martial arts along with her father's demonic ones. In essence, the Blood Cult had donned the guise of the Sun-Moon Divine Cult and been reborn as the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Yet the Murim Alliance had always denied any connection, covering the sky with their hands—lest they undermine their merit of having vanquished the Blood Cult. Even after the passage of endless years, the Tang Clan, which had suffered so greatly, never forgot. And now, the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, which had grudgingly accepted them, was rife with strife, leading the Blood Cult forces to break away once more. They had stood out even within the demonic cult and eventually split off again.
Bi Yeon Pavilion's master merely sighed with a heavy heart.
"You're not brooding over something from four hundred years ago, are you?"
"You know better than anyone that those remnants are still targeting our clan even today, Great Aunt."
Four years ago, when the disciple she had painstakingly sought returned as a cold corpse, it had been like losing a child to the childless Pavilion master.
"Not content with killing Mihee, they were after her daughter too."
Bi Yeon Pavilion's master hadn't pursued the killer when the imprisoned Gold Merchant Guild leader mysteriously died. The suspicion that Mihee's husband had joined the Blood Cult was too clear, and she had preemptively guessed the culprit: someone who knew the origins of Full Sky Flower Rain, a direct descendant faithfully upholding the Tang Clan's tradition as an intelligence network from its early days—unlike the modern kids—and above all, the one who would rage most if that daughter met such a fate.
"Whether it's the grudge from four years ago or four hundred... to me, they're one and the same."
"So you're the fifth young master?"
I'd been dragged here after getting a lump on my head from Dang Chehwan's noogie—tearful testimony be damned—and now I was alone with the other kid's parent.
"Yeah."
"Right. I get it all."
"Huh?"
This guy was as hard to talk to as his bratty daughter. Probably a martial artist rather than a scholar, given the jianghu vibe.
"Ahem! Back in my day, at your age, we didn't bully girls we liked for no reason, right?"
"No, your daughter wasn't that bad. And besides, I've got someone else!"
"What? So you weren't bullying our Yeong-i to get her attention?"
"Attention? What attention!"
If Sohee overheard that, I'd be in deep shit. Sure, her antics were annoying, but it wasn't weird for a doting dad to go all pretty-princess on her. Still, compared to Sohee, Moyong Yeong was more pumpkin than anything. Maybe tomato or cucumber to soften it?
"Ahem... Anyway, I'm not here to dwell on what's done. But I've got a way to cheer up Yeong-i."
She'd bawled her eyes out, buying into ghost rumors.
"Oh, yeah? Go for it."
I rolled my eyes awkwardly at the ensuing silence.
What's this? Why's this rude kid's dad acting like this?Why opt for talk over threats in this barbaric medieval world? A decent guy? Did this uncle reincarnate too? Useless thoughts flitted through my mind as a meaty hand clamped my shoulder.
"So, will you cooperate?"
It was probably my imagination, but I could feel the ridges of his fingerprints through my clothes. Come to think of it, this guy was at the Fire Transformation realm, right? Refusing a smiling Fire Transformation expert wasn't easy.
"I'll... cooperate!"
Nice one, Dang Yohwan. Never piss off that uncle.
"Hahaha! Good!"
At least he seemed the jolly type when in high spirits.
"But how're you gonna cheer her up?"
"Ah, nothing much."
I listened obediently to Moyong Dad's plan. It was ridiculously simple: spar with swords after ages, and it'd boost his daughter's spirits or something.
"Of course I can!"
A golden opportunity for me. A brat from the Moyong Clan who knew swordsmanship? Every bit of insight would turn to blood and flesh.
"Great, I'll tell the Poison Insect elder myself!"
And just like that, the guerrilla sparring was underway.
The yard wasn't huge, but once Sohee cleared out the Tang Family Fist training gear, there was just enough space for kids to duel. It wasn't just me against Moyong Yeong; Sohee and Jihwan bro, who'd been watching the crybaby, would rotate in too. Made sense—we'd only learned Tang Family Fist, so it was fair.
Moyong Dad tilted his head.
"By the way, do Tang Clan kids learn swordsmanship at this age too?"
The Tang Clan did have swordsmen, for hiding the family's identity or whatever. No idea what they did, but with our assassin class, they had to have better than Three Disasters Sword Style.
"No way."
"Yet you've got a pair of child-sized wooden swords. Curious."
"I confiscated these from a disciple who was slacking off."
"Ah."
Moyong Dad shut up at the implication that swords equaled slacking. For some reason, it hit close to home. I didn't know whose disciple the Pavilion master meant, but the shared misery transcended time.
I get hating the Tang Family Fist.
"Poison Insect ma'am, can we start before more people show up?"
Word of the Moyong kid sparring us had drawn a cloud of spectators ages ago. Family business meant flexible hours. The encircling Tangs—forge masters, pharmacists, poison herbalists doubling as doctors, Punishment Hall poisoners, daytime tutors who were secretly badass poisoners at night—watched lone Moyong Yeong intently.
"Sure. Jihwan, you're up."
As Jihwan bro took the wooden sword at Bi Yeon Pavilion master's call, I scurried to the instructor.
"Treat this as a learning chance—give it your all!"
With that signal, the duel began. Unexpectedly, Dang Jihwan pressed Moyong Yeong aggressively. Watching someone else's fight was pretty fun, in hindsight. My eye technique could track the speed just fine. Describing the flow, though? Tricky for a five-year-old. Huh?
Dang Jihwan swung wide and charged. Ah, that's not Tang Family Fist. Ceci n'est pas une Tangjiaquan. Whoa, that arc's like the eighth form. Hey, that's the second form! Like Mirror Teacher said, Tang Family Fist helps with swordplay too! Even judging by the sword, all I could think was Tang Family Fist—guess I'm going nuts too.
"Your mother was an in-name disciple of the Emei Sect, right?"
"Her footwork's no joke."
"Definitely not a first-time wooden sword grip."
Local commentary buzzed from all sides—hard to ignore, coming from Tang Village big shots.
"Instructor? Aren't kids supposed to learn only Tang Family Fist till ten?"
[That's the rule... but with your fourth brother's mom being an Emei lay disciple, it'd be a shame not to teach him.]
I shot back in disbelief.
"But leaking martial arts outside is forbidden!"
Everyone knew Emei was women-only—even three-year-olds.
Instructor brushed it off vaguely.
[That's adult business—don't worry about it.]
Telepathic chat itself wasn't exactly aboveboard, right? As I pondered Tang Clan martial ethics, a wooden sword whistled through the air. Moyong Yeong smacked Jihwan bro's wrist in defense; he dropped it.
"I lost."
Dang Jihwan bowed with clasped fists, and Moyong Yeong beamed the world's happiest smile.
"Yohwan, you're next."
My turn. No real shot at winning. No secret sword lessons from Mom like Jihwan bro, and a year younger against a seven-year-old? Only a Tang Family Fist punch might beat crybaby Moyong Yeong. Mirror Ghost agreed, absent as she was.
Embarrassment loomed before this crowd, but I gritted my teeth.
Still, Sohee's watching.
Sohee stuck by her master, Bi Yeon Pavilion master. I squeezed my eyes shut and bellowed.
"Come at me, Moyong Yeong!!!"
The secret to a hundred wins: crush their morale first. My near-roar startled a sly grin from Moyong Yeong.
"Letting me strike first, big shot?"
Then she charged like a bull.