Chapter 23: The Sword Empress
Chapter 23
The Sword Empress
The negotiations with Abbess Geumhwa were led by Young Master Se-woon.
Only when Abbess Geumhwa showed signs of hesitation did Tang Mu-yeol subtly apply pressure, creating the appearance of supporting Se-woon.
Though some cast worried glances—since the young master had never taken such a prominent role in family affairs before—
No one dared to openly oppose him.
From thwarting Son Wu-gon's assassination attempt to his duel and recognition by Abbess Geumhwa—
The fact that the Sichuan Tang Family now held the upper hand in negotiations with the Murim Alliance and the Emei Sect was, in essence, entirely Se-woon's doing.
So even as the young master secured seemingly absurd conditions—like ownership of an abandoned mine and rights to use the Murim Alliance's forges—the most the dissatisfied faction leaders could do was:
[Young Master, you can't just demand whatever comes to mind. You must bring back terms that benefit the family as much as possible.]
Discreetly sending Sound Transmission messages, pleading with him to reconsider his demands carefully.
The only one who openly voiced her frustration was Tang Bi, leader of the Tang Elite Unit.
Lately, the Elite Unit had been accumulating grievances against Se-woon, and it seemed she was particularly displeased with his request for Murim Alliance escorts.
'They couldn't even protect me properly, and now they're throwing a fit?'
From Se-woon's perspective, it was like the guilty party shouting first.
They hadn't even noticed when he slipped away to Mancheoldang.
And by the time they arrived during his confrontation with Abbess Geumhwa, the situation had already been resolved.
'I'll have to turn the Elite Unit upside down one of these days.'
Se-woon's gaze grew icy.
[Ah, Young Master... Please, this time, just bring back gold or goods.]
The message from Chief Steward Son Geon, leader of the Internal and External Affairs Hall, carried a slightly different tone.
As the one overseeing all financial matters for the Sichuan Tang Family,
"Ah... Aah... Ah!"
Son Geon could only groan in despair as opportunities to secure vast sums slipped through his fingers.
Se-woon felt genuinely sorry for him.
Even in the past timeline, Son Geon had remained fiercely loyal to Tang Mu-yeol, tightening the family's purse strings and managing their funds tenaciously—even when Tang Ho-yeol betrayed them.
'If the other faction leaders had stepped up like Chief Steward Son, things might have been a bit harder to explain later...'
But for now, Se-woon's ears were silent.
Beyond those two, no further messages came.
Which meant—
The remaining two faction leaders were tacitly supporting him.
'Tang Jun of the Medical Hall has been building trust through his recent medical work, so I can understand his stance. But why is Guyongyeon of Mancheoldang...?'
Tang Jun had grown closer to Se-woon after spending days and nights treating patients together.
But Guyongyeon, the master blacksmith, had no such connection.
Yet he had lent Se-woon his forge without question late at night—
And now, he was subtly reinforcing Se-woon's position.
'In the past, he left the family with Tang Ho-yeol.'
This was a complete reversal from the hatred and betrayal Se-woon remembered.
He hadn't done anything to warrant such a change.
'Hmm... I'll have to confront him directly one of these days.'
Though the reactions among the family members varied—
None of them knew.
That Se-woon's choices now were the best—no, the optimal path to securing the Sichuan Tang Family's future prosperity.
If he had prioritized immediate gains, as the faction leaders suggested, he could have extracted far greater sums of gold or goods from the Murim Alliance and Emei Sect.
After all, an assassination attempt and theft of secret techniques weren't matters to be brushed aside.
But—
'Only fools with no foresight squeeze every last coin they can get their hands on.'
The losses would far outweigh the gains.
First, Se-woon would forfeit the intangible assets he had painstakingly acquired—
Namely, Abbess Geumhwa's recognition and support.
The acknowledgment and backing of the Emei Sect's leader weren't worth mere thousands—but tens of thousands in gold.
'Besides, filling your belly without the strength to defend it only makes you prey for jackals.'
The martial world of Sichuan was unlike any other region in the Central Plains.
Emei Sect. Qingcheng Faction. Sichuan Tang Family. Divine Maiden Sect.
Like beasts prowling a jungle, these factions—each powerful enough to dominate a province on their own—were rooted in the same land.
For generations, they had fiercely competed for the title of Sichuan's Supreme Power.
Currently, the Emei Sect led the pack, with the Qingcheng Faction hot on their heels—
And the Qingcheng Faction was eyeing the Tang Family's destruction.
In such times, the family needed a shadow—a force to buy them time to grow strong enough to counter Qingcheng.
And the Emei Sect was the perfect candidate.
"Hmm... I don't understand why you'd request escorts from the Strategy Division rather than the Combat Division. But that, at least, I can easily arrange."
'Perfect!'
Se-woon inwardly cheered at Abbess Geumhwa's final concession.
With this, he had secured all three of his demands.
But Se-woon had no intention of stopping at just earning the Emei Sect's trust.
'I have to make full use of my future memories from the regression.'
To summarize his three demands from the Murim Alliance:
At present, none of these seemed valuable.
But soon—not just Abbess Geumhwa, but the entire Murim Alliance would regret their decision.
Because all three held immense future value.
First, the abandoned mine at Wol Mountain wasn't for gold—nor any ore to craft divine artifacts.
It was for the Extreme Poison buried deep within.
The twin pillars of the Sichuan Tang Family's martial arts were assassination techniques and poison.
But now, only a handful of their warriors practiced poison arts.
Too many techniques had been lost as the family declined—
And without funds to procure poisonous herbs and materials, progress had stagnated.
Se-woon chose Wol Mountain's mine to reverse this.
'Now that I have my main weapon, the Heavenly Net, it's time to secure my secondary armament.'
In his past life, every blade Se-woon wielded had been coated in Extreme Poison.
And the key ingredient for that poison lay within Wol Mountain's mine.
Obtaining it would empower not just Se-woon—but all of the Tang Family's poison specialists.
Second, securing access to the Murim Alliance's main forge was necessary for its furnace.
'The next divine artifact I forge can't be made in Mancheoldang's furnace.'
While the Golden Wrist Technique could melt Meteor Iron, crafting that required a forge on par with the White Night Ironworks' best.
Though the current World's Greatest Blacksmith resided there, the Murim Alliance's main forge was equally well-equipped.
Lastly, the strategist he would recruit from the Strategy Division wasn't just for personal protection.
He was essential to restoring the Tang Family's standing among the Three Great Families—alongside the Extreme Poison.
'Yes... His true value is—'
Just as Se-woon recalled the man who had played the greatest role in the war against the Blood Cult—
"—!"
His eyes locked with Ha-young's across the room.
His body froze as if struck by lightning.
His racing thoughts ground to a halt.
'...Even now, it's hard to forget that day. I knew she might come when the Emei Sect said they'd send someone. But it's still not easy.'
With a heavy sigh—
The memories of his past life began to overwrite the present.
"You... I will be the one to kill you."
An unforgettable voice echoed in his mind.
Ha-young's voice—from the past timeline.
Not her youthful appearance now—
But her future self, face marred by a hideous scar.
After the Blood Demon killed the Murim Alliance's leader, the alliance split into two factions:
The Anti-Blood Alliance, which advocated uniting with even unorthodox sects to fight the Blood Cult.
And the White Path Coalition, which refused to ally with "evil" factions, viewing them as no different from the Blood Cult.
Among the three leaders of the Anti-Blood Alliance was the Sword Empress, Do Ha-young.
Tasked with guerrilla warfare against the Blood Cult, she had crossed paths with Se-woon countless times—
Whenever he was forced to participate as a strategist under the Blood Demon's command.
From their first meeting, she had vowed to kill him.
And rightly so.
To her, Se-woon was—
"If you sought revenge, you should have taken it on us alone. Sacrificing the innocent makes you no different from the Blood Cult's monsters."
A demonic swordsman who had abandoned the righteous path.
"Soo-rin... That pure child... How could you corrupt her...?"
The one who had corrupted her dearest friend—someone more precious than her own life.
But as the years passed, even the Anti-Blood Alliance teetered on collapse.
Then, as if fate played a cruel joke—they finally cleared their misunderstandings.
And with her dying breath in Se-woon's arms, Ha-young whispered:
"...If only I'd known the truth about you sooner..."
"...Young Master?"
"Huh?"
Se-woon snapped back to reality to find Abbess Geumhwa tilting her head at him.
"Is something the matter?"
"...My apologies. A sudden pain left me dazed."
"Oh dear. You should have said something if you were unwell."
Se-woon took a deep breath, steadying himself as he distanced his thoughts from Ha-young.
Though his gaze kept drifting toward her, he clenched his teeth and forced himself to look away.
'...Right. As long as that future never comes to pass, it's fine.'
Se-woon unfurled the scroll Abbess Geumhwa handed him—
Detailing the Murim Alliance's monetary compensation, separate from his three demands.
It included exclusive rights to additional Murim Alliance commissions.
"Hmm... The terms are similar to before."
"Indeed. You may choose either two mid-tier commissions or twenty low-tier ones—equivalent to what your family is currently handling."
'The family is handling mid-tier commissions now?'
Whoosh.
The moment Abbess Geumhwa finished speaking, the meeting room plunged into silence.
Se-woon, Tang Mu-yeol, and the faction leaders all stiffened.
The Emei Sect's representatives blinked in confusion at the sudden shift.
"...Abbess, did you say we accepted a mid-tier commission?"
"Hm? What do you mean? Didn't Manhaepyoguk receive the Alliance's goods seven days ago and begin the escort mission? ...Ah."
Realization dawned on Abbess Geumhwa, followed by a short sigh.
'Tang Ho-yeol. That bastard.'
Se-woon immediately grasped the situation.
Tang Ho-yeol and Manhaepyoguk had been scheming behind their backs.
Just as fury burned through Se-woon's mind—
Thud-thud-thud!
A clamor erupted outside.
The footsteps sounded urgent.
Then—BANG!
The meeting hall's doors burst open.
"Cough... Gah... F-Family Head!"
"...!!"
A bloodied escort from Manhaepyoguk staggered in, on the verge of collapse.
Shock rippled through the room.
'Don't tell me—!?'
A chilling premonition surged through Se-woon.
"F-Family Head... Poison Demon Yayul Seung... He stole the escort goods."
The worst-case scenario had unfolded.
The Tyrant of Sichuan had struck.