Ambushed (1)
Ga Jinuk, the Brilliant Light Demon Sword, now stood tall as the lord of the Blood Dragon Room.
Thanks to Hyeon Yucheon's help, he had fully claimed the Blood Dragon Room as his own.
From now on, no one could deny that Ga Jinuk was its master.
"Sect Leader. Thank you."
Once everything was settled, Ga Jinuk offered a formal bow to his junior brother, Hyeon Yucheon.
Hyeon Yucheon waved it off with a frown.
"I can't accept that. Be casual when it's just us."
Only the two of them were in the Blood Dragon Room lord's quarters, so he urged him to relax.
"Urgh, even so..."
"Even Second Brother is casual when we're alone."
"Well, can't argue with that."
Only after mentioning Eum Ji-myeong did Ga Jinuk nod in acceptance.
"Junior Brother... that work? Anyway, without you, I never could've pulled this off."
Ga Jinuk meant every word.
Without Hyeon Yucheon, he wouldn't be the Blood Dragon Room lord—he'd still be rotting in the underground prison.
"No. This was all your great fortune, Senior Brother. My help was just the spark."
Ga Jinuk grinned at that.
'Just like Master said.'
He'd heard the story of Hyeon Yucheon inheriting everything from their master countless times, but it never failed to amaze him.
"Right. For now, I'll lead the Blood Dragon Room and solidify our hold here. Junior Brother, take the Flash Demon Sword Unit and return to the main sect."
Hyeon Yucheon had seen this coming, so he wasn't surprised.
"Eldest Brother wanted you back at the sect too, but looks like that's not happening yet."
Regret still colored his voice.
"Don't be too disappointed. Once some promising talent rises up, I'll pass the Blood Dragon Room lordship to them."
"Promising talent?"
Hyeon Yucheon immediately thought of one person.
"Blood Dragon Ghost Sword Gu Jin-ak?"
"Exactly. He's young, but you're already sect leader—no one will object much. And..."
Ga Jinuk's face grew serene as he continued, a peace he'd only found since meeting Hyeon Yucheon.
"No matter what anyone says, my roots are in the Demon Sword Sect. I'll return there soon."
He needed neither the Blood Dragon Room nor the honor of leading one of the Five Great Unorthodox Sects.
Ga Jinuk desired only one thing.
'Truly words worthy of Eldest Brother.'
Impressed once more by his senior's resolve and depth, Hyeon Yucheon asked what had been nagging him.
"Understood. Just to check... do you know anything about Third Brother, the Jade-Faced Sword Gentleman Cho Jeong-ryong?"
Honestly, he wanted to call him that bastard, not Third Brother.
'But there might be more to it. I'll hold judgment until I confront him.'
Hyeon Yucheon exercised superhuman patience.
"Jeong-ryong..."
Ga Jinuk's eyes softened at the memory of their once-maknae junior brother.
Of the three disciples, Cho Jeong-ryong had been the liveliest and brightest.
"Same as you, Junior Brother. Not long after I got stuck here, I heard he'd fled with all the sect's wealth and funds."
"Hmmm."
Unlike his expectations, this yielded no new info, so Hyeon Yucheon sighed.
Cho Jeong-ryong was almost certainly the traitor who betrayed their master—but what was his true identity, and where to find a lead?
"Any info or stories about him? Even something small."
Hyeon Yucheon pressed like a man searching for a needle in a desert.
Ga Jinuk hesitated, then replied thoughtfully.
"Come to think of it, there is something odd. I heard he was the son of a wealthy merchant."
"Pardon?"
"That's what puzzled me. No financial pressure, yet he runs off with the sect's fortune? Doesn't add up. He was always interested in merchants and trade, though. Master even said he had merchant talent alongside his martial prowess—perfect for sect steward."
Hyeon Yucheon pondered Ga Jinuk's words deeply.
'...!!'
A hunch struck him.
'No way?!'
He dared a bold hypothesis.
Ga Jinuk said Cho Jeong-ryong was a rich merchant's son, and Cheon Baeksang—peerless judge of character—praised his business acumen?
"Could he... be connected to the Seok Family, the murim's richest clan?"
Hyeon Yucheon blurted it out like a scream.
As Mangeum Clan's heir, he knew the Seok Family and Murim Alliance had conspired to destroy his house.
The same day, Cheon Baeksang had faced a Cheon Ha Ojon ambush in his hidden training chamber.
Coincidence?
'If the Seok Family backed Master's killers...'
And if the Third Disciple, oddly obsessed with merchants, was a Seok plant?
"Ah?!"
Hyeon Yucheon's words jogged a long-forgotten memory in Ga Jinuk.
"Right! He was close with Seok Family people back then!"
Looking back, he recalled the strange glances exchanged with Seok affiliates.
He'd dismissed it as illusion or business interest, but now it felt off.
"Seok Family head has four sons and two daughters, as I recall."
As expected of a tycoon, Seok Taepyeong had multiple wives and over five children.
Excluding the eldest daughter married to the Murim Alliance leader's son and the second daughter, there were four sons.
Conveniently, their ages varied widely—from late teens to early thirties.
"Cho Jeong-ryong's age..."
"If he told the truth, he'd be early thirties now."
"Hm. Then high chance he's the eldest or second son."
Hyeon Yucheon's logic held.
True age: early thirties. Lie: mid-to-late twenties.
Either way, points to the eldest or second.
"Let's leave Cho Jeong-ryong there for now..."
The brothers had talked at length.
Now, parting time.
At dawn, Hyeon Yucheon would lead the Flash Demon Sword Unit, Eum Ji-myeong, and the Black Wolf Three Swords back to the Demon Sword Sect.
"Got it, Junior Brother. Safe travels."
As they parted, Ga Jinuk bowed formally.
He smiled brightly, vowing to return to the Demon Sword Sect someday and grow closer to Hyeon Yucheon.
"Such a shame. We just met..."
Flash Light Flying Gentleman Eum Ji-myeong kept looking back as they left Blood Dragon Room territory.
Each glance made it seem like Eldest Brother Ga Jinuk would smile and wave.
"Don't be too sad. We'll meet again on a good day."
Hyeon Yucheon felt the same but comforted him as sect leader.
Still, comfort came from reclaiming the Demon Sword Sect's heart: the Flash Demon Sword Unit.
"Flash Demon Sword Unit Captain, Flying Spirit Sword Guest Dohyeonbo! We'll follow the sect leader with all our might!"
With Dohyeonbo and the full unit.
"Hurry. With all our peak experts away, the sect's vulnerable."
Eum Ji-myeong scratched his head.
He was right: Hyeon Yucheon, himself, Black Wolf Three Swords—all super peak masters—were out, leaving the sect exposed.
'Jeong Inheon and Miss Jeong Se-in will help, but murim is unpredictable.'
Eum Ji-myeong's worry was valid.
Currently, only Jeong Inheon qualified as a top expert at the sect.
To seize Blood Dragon Room and rescue Ga Jinuk and the unit, they had no choice—but emptying the base wasn't ideal.
"Wise words. We'll make haste."
They minimized sleep and raced south through Hebei.
That's when it happened.
Hyeon Yucheon and Eum Ji-myeong had felt unease the whole way.
Tragically, their instincts proved right.
"No!"
Hyeon Yucheon panicked at the black smoke rising from the Demon Sword Sect beyond Haeha Stream.
What the hell?
"I'll go ahead!"
With unmatched skill and near-infinite inner power, Hyeon Yucheon went first.
Heavenly Dominion Step
Hyeon Yucheon poured every ounce of inner power, sprinting like his life depended on it.
'Who the hell dares touch our Demon Sword Sect?'
Questions swirled.
The current Demon Sword Sect wasn't the old one.
No longer scorned and mocked—they had Baekcheon Valley's alliance and now Blood Dragon Room as a blood ally.
Two of the Five Great Unorthodox Sects bound to them.
'Beggars' Sect? Or Hebei Pang Family?'
Thoughts raced as he flew like an arrow.
Hebei's powers: Beggars' Sect largest, then Pang Family.
Beggars' Sect: bad blood with leader Dorong Geosa Hong In-gyeol, Cheon Ha Ojon ally in Master's death.
Pang Family: Hyeon Yucheon had crushed one of their juniors at Haeha Guest House.
Both had motive. As he hurried—
"You bastards...!"
He reached the Demon Sword Sect outskirts.
Then he saw the attackers besieging from outside.
Not Beggars' Sect. Not Pang Family.
Incredibly, they were from another unorthodox sect—like Demon Sword Sect and Blood Dragon Room.
Clad in pristine white uniforms, wielding narrow, long swords unlike typical sapa style.
"Point Sword Sect?"
Hyeon Yucheon shouted.
Yes.
While Demon Sword Sect's full force was away seizing Blood Dragon Room...
Point Sword Sect had brought theirs for total war.
"You goddamn sons of bitches!"
Hyeon Yucheon's rage exploded like never before.
He hadn't suspected fellow sapa.
Sapa murim faced its darkest hour—infighting now would be suicide.
Blood Dragon Room was different: blood feud.
Point Sword Sect had no cause to attack.
Swish!
Fury blazing, Hyeon Yucheon extended his hand.
Fortunately, Point Sword Sect forces couldn't breach inside—some barrier stalled them.
"Hm?"
Point Sword Sect Vice Leader, Blue Quick Strike Sword Jo Hwan-yong, sensed massive energy and turned.
There stood Hyeon Yucheon. His indiscriminate barrage began now.
Invisible bursts of sword energy