Return to the Sect

It was the day the Sun and Moon Sect party was scheduled to depart for the headquarters.

Instead of her usual Taoist robes, Ha Yeon-ryeong wore a pale yellow silk tunic and adorned her hair with a jade hairpin.

Just before departure, she visited the ancestral hall where the spirit tablets of the recently deceased Kunlun disciples were enshrined to pay her respects.

"Senior Brother Do-seung, Nephews Cheon-ho and Cheon-seung. I am leaving the mountain for the first time in my life. I will return safely."

She then said her goodbyes to her father, Ha Seung-ji, as well as her other martial brothers and uncles.

Rather than feeling sad about leaving Mount Kunlun, where she had lived since childhood, she seemed practically giddy with anticipation.

Do-un, who was standing glued to the side of a rather plump woman, spotted ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me and offered a cupped-fist salute with a smile.

Aha. So he has a very specific type.

Judging by the way honey practically dripped from Do-un's eyes, that woman was undoubtedly the one Ha Yeon-ryeong had mentioned he had feelings for.

"Young Sect Leader. This humble Taoist wishes nothing more than to personally visit your esteemed sect and pay my respects to the Sect Leader, but I must ask for your understanding as the affairs of my own sect are pressing. I beg you to speak well of us to him."

"Indeed, Sect Leader. We have received much of your hospitality."

And so, with Ha Yeon-ryeong in tow, our party passed through the mountain gates of the Kunlun Sect and set off for the Sun and Moon Sect.

Sect Leader Ha Seung-ji, insisting on ensuring our safety until we reached the Sun ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and Moon Sect, assigned one of the Kunlun elders and three first-generation disciples to escort us.

It was understandable for him to worry, considering his only daughter had recently been kidnapped by a complete lunatic.

However, I knew for a fact that we wouldn't be crossing paths with Yu Gwan-ji on our journey.

Because just before we departed, I had received a reply from the Sun and Moon Sect regarding the letter I had sent.

It read as follows.

It seemed they hadn't written it too explicitly out of concern that someone might intercept the letter, but since I had mentioned Gwangheo Sanin, the "Guardian Dharma King" referred to in the reply was obviously Yu Gwan-ji.

In other words, the Sect Leader had decided to hear both sides of the story regarding what had transpired between Yu Gwan-ji and me once we arrived.

Of course, that meant my remaining task was to convince the Sect Leader that my actions had been justified.

Which, admittedly, might not be the easiest thing to do.

"Young Sect Leader, what is the Sect Leader like?"

On the way to the headquarters, Ha Yeon-ryeong asked me this several times with an anxious look.

She, too, was a member of a prestigious orthodox sect. It was only natural for her to be nervous about meeting the leader of the Sun and Moon Sect, whom the world feared as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the Heavenly Demon, the Great Arch-Demon.

"It is quite difficult to describe what my father is like in words. I can only tell you that you will understand once you meet him yourself."

"Do not worry. I am sure Father will take a liking to you, Lady Ha," Baek So-cheong chimed in encouragingly.

Ha Yeon-ryeong seemed slightly reassured by Baek So-cheong's encouragement, but...

I, too, couldn't help but worry about how the Sect Leader would react to this entire situation, and to Ha Yeon-ryeong.

Hmm. What will the Sect Leader think?

By saving the Sect Leader's daughter, I had made the Kunlun Sect indebted to us, and now I was bringing that very daughter to our headquarters.

If the Sect Leader was a pragmatist, he would have no reason to dislike this.

...At least, that was my hope.

Sure, in the process, I had tricked Yu Gwan-ji, one of the Guardian Dharma Kings, and nearly got him killed, but...

The Sect Leader wouldn't make an issue out of it.

Right? He... won't make an issue out of it, right?

He really shouldn't.

The Sect Leader's Hall at the Sun and Moon Sect Headquarters.

The Sect Leader sat upon his elevated grand armchair, gazing down at the steam rising from his hot tea.

The moment he heard that the Young Sect Leader's party had arrived, he summoned them.

Young Sect Leader Baek Yeon, his eldest daughter Baek So-cheong, and an unfamiliar young lady entered the hall and bowed respectfully.

"Father. I have returned after completing my pilgrimage."

Without shifting from his seated posture, the Sect Leader merely turned his gaze, quietly studying their faces one by one.

Just then, Baek Yeon noticed a man sitting on a wooden chair beside the Sect Leader's grand armchair.

A guest of the Sect Leader?

The man was a neatly dressed middle-aged gentleman. Though his face was unfamiliar, his expression and posture exuded an air of elegance and nobility.

He merely glanced at Baek Yeon's party out of the corner of his eye, offering no greeting, and simply stared blankly into space.

The Sect Leader, too, seemed to have no intention of introducing the man to them.

As Baek Yeon wondered about his identity, the Sect Leader finally spoke.

"And who is this young lady?"

"Ha Yeon-ryeong, a disciple of the Kunlun Sect, pays her respects to the esteemed Sect Leader of the Sun and Moon Sect. I have long heard of your legendary name, and it is an unparalleled honor to meet you in person."

The Sect Leader showed no particular reaction to Ha Yeon-ryeong's polite greeting.

"Father, Lady Ha is the only daughter of Sect Leader Ha Seung-ji of the Kunlun Sect," Baek So-cheong added.

Following Baek So-cheong's explanation, Ha Yeon-ryeong drew a neatly folded letter from her robes. She stepped forward, knelt before the Sect Leader, and presented it with both hands.

"My father, the Sect Leader of Kunlun, requested that I deliver this directly to you."

Upon hearing this, the Sect Leader slowly rose from his seat.

He took a few steps forward and took the letter from Ha Yeon-ryeong's hands.

After briefly inspecting the seal on the envelope, he opened it to reveal a sheet of crisp white paper covered in black ink.

It was indeed a personal letter written in the hand of the Kunlun Sect Leader.

The Sect Leader stood there, reading the letter.

Neither Ha Yeon-ryeong nor Baek Yeon had any idea what was written inside.

They could only guess that a great deal rode on this single piece of paper.

The relationship between the Sun and Moon Sect and the Kunlun Sect.

The Sect Leader's evaluation of the Young Sect Leader, who had deeply involved the Kunlun Sect without prior permission.

And even the future of Ha Yeon-ryeong and the Young Sect Leader...

To Baek Yeon, the time it took for the Sect Leader to read that single letter felt like an eternity.

After staring at the letter for what felt like ages, the Sect Leader finally folded it.

And then...

Baek Yeon saw the corners of the Sect Leader's mouth curl upward.

"Young Sect Leader, and young Lady Ha."

The Sect Leader finally spoke.

"You have done well. And I welcome you to our home. As the Sect Leader of the Sun and Moon Sect, it brings me immense joy to establish friendly relations with the great Sect Leader of the Kunlun Sect, even if only through a letter."

Baek Yeon had never, in his entire life, seen the Sect Leader express his joy in such plain, straightforward terms.

"Father. Regarding what transpired with the Kunlun Sect, I can offer further explanation—"

"We shall hear it later, at our leisure, Young Sect Leader. For now, ensure that young Lady Ha, who has traveled a great distance, is treated with the utmost hospitality so she may recover from her journey."

As the Sect Leader's words fell, Baek Yeon stood dumbfounded, unable to utter a response.

"Thank you for your warm welcome, Sect Leader," Ha Yeon-ryeong said, a bright smile gracing her face.

A smile she couldn't hide spread across her face, and Baek So-cheong looked equally pleased.

After the Young Sect Leader's party departed...

Only the Sect Leader and the mysterious middle-aged man remained in the hall.

Sitting back in his grand armchair, the Sect Leader smiled.

"So that must be the girl. The one you spoke of..."

The middle-aged man clicked his tongue and replied.

"Indeed, it is."

"According to you, the Young Sect Leader risked his life to save that child... all while treating you like a madman."

"Yes. I truly could not comprehend it. It was right after the Kunlun Sect had attempted to kidnap him, after all. Naturally, I assumed the Young Sect Leader had betrayed the sect."

"And what do you think now?"

The Sect Leader handed the letter he was still holding to the man.

As the man quietly read through the letter, a look of profound shock washed over his face.

He respectfully handed the letter back to the Sect Leader.

"I had no idea the Kunlun Sect was facing such blackmail from the Murim Alliance."

"Neither did you, nor did I."

For decades, the Kunlun Sect had proudly held its place as one of the Ten Great Sects of the Jianghu.

However, due to its geographical isolation from the heart of the Jianghu and its close proximity to the Sun and Moon Sect's headquarters, doubts had recently begun to swirl within the Murim Alliance.

With the war against the Demonic Cult in full swing, Kunlun's role had seemed ambiguous.

The major sects are fighting the Demonic Cult on the front lines of the Jianghu.

Is the Kunlun Sect merely sitting back and watching?

Or have they already joined hands with the Cult?

"To threaten to strip them of their status as one of the Ten Great Sects unless they pay an exorbitant membership fee... What a bunch of wicked, greedy bastards."

"It is no wonder the Kunlun Sect was driven to act rashly."

The membership fee demanded by the Murim Alliance was an astronomical sum that the Kunlun Sect could never afford.

Yet, pressured by the Alliance's threats, they had to do something.

The anonymous tip they received at that moment had incited them, leading them to believe that capturing the Young Sect Leader and handing him over to the Alliance would secure their position.

"Had the Young Sect Leader harmed the Kunlun Sect Leader and his daughter, it would have certainly satisfied his wrath. But it would have triggered an all-out war between us and Kunlun. Of course, we would have won, but we would have suffered significant losses. Depleting our forces before we even begin our true clash with the Murim Alliance would have been a dull outcome."

The Sect Leader continued.

"But what was the actual result? The Young Sect Leader became the savior of the Kunlun Sect Leader... and after being utterly disgusted by the underhanded schemes of the Murim Alliance, Kunlun is now marveling at the righteous chivalry of our Sun and Moon Sect, which the world so readily brands as the Demonic Cult."

The Sect Leader read aloud a passage from Ha Seung-ji's letter with clear satisfaction.

"What do you think? Is it not a masterpiece?"

He had turned one of the Ten Great Sects, which could easily have become a mortal enemy, into a staunch ally against the Murim Alliance.

Even if it was a series of coincidences, this was an achievement accomplished entirely by the Young Sect Leader alone.

Or was it truly a coincidence?

The very fact that the Young Sect Leader had insisted on making a pilgrimage to the sacred grounds of Mount Kunlun in the first place was highly unusual.

Perhaps he had harbored this exact intention from the very beginning.

The Sect Leader threw his head back and laughed, while the man lowered his head, his face flushed with clear embarrassment.

"I never imagined the Young Sect Leader would have thought that far ahead."

"Did I not tell you? That boy thinks differently. He is not to be underestimated just because of his youth. He always moves with his eyes set several steps ahead. Did you see the expression on the girl's face—the one you tried to kill?"

"...?"

"Then again, what would you know of a woman's heart? The way she stole glances at him was brimming with affection. Though the Young Sect Leader himself seemed entirely indifferent... The Kunlun Sect now supports the Sun and Moon Sect not just with their minds, but with their hearts. What do you think of that?"

"..."

"The benefits we reaped in exchange for you suffering a little hardship are immense. Do you still believe the Young Sect Leader made a poor judgment?"

"It was hardly a simple hardship, Sect Leader. I must discard the alias of Gwangheo Sanin, which I have used for the past five years. Along with all the reputation I built under it."

"An identity and reputation can always be forged anew, along with a human-skin mask."

The man, whose neat eyebrows and gentle eyes gave him a clean, refined appearance, narrowed his eyes and met the Sect Leader's gaze.

After falling into thought for a moment, he threw his head back and burst into a hearty laugh, his throat vibrating.

"Hahaha! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠You are entirely correct, Sect Leader. My horizons have truly been broadened this time."

But his laughter did not last long.

"However, Sect Leader... What do you make of the Young Sect Leader's reluctance to stain his hands with blood?"

"Hmm."

"The outcome was favorable this time. But if the Young Sect Leader continues to avoid killing and prioritizes benevolence at every critical juncture... will we truly be able to achieve the grand ambition our Cult strives for?"

At the man's sudden shift in tone, the Sect Leader let out a soft chuckle.

"It is only natural for you to misunderstand, Dharma King Yu. But at the very least, I know his true nature."

"His true nature, you say?"

"A pragmatic mindset, a vision that always looks several steps ahead... and hidden beneath all of that..."

The Sect Leader fell silent for a moment.

He recalled the actions of Young Sect Leader Baek Yeon during his childhood, and above all, the Heavenly Killer Star that had manifested within him so early on.

And the firm, unshakeable philosophy regarding the Demonic Path that the Young Sect Leader had recently demonstrated...

"It is that very child who is suppressing a cruelty far deeper than anyone else's. A nature that neither I nor you could ever hope to match."

Hearing the absolute conviction in the Sect Leader's voice, Yu Gwan-ji felt a sudden, icy shiver run down his spine.