Chapter 17
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Elder Geum's Tears
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Martial Arts Alliance.
The carrier pigeon sent by Pure arrived at the Demon-Dispelling Pavilion shortly after.
The Demon-Dispelling Pavilion had been bustling with activity lately.
As if to compensate for all the times they had been suppressed by the Demon-Slaying Pavilion, their actions were now incredibly proactive.
The Alliance Leader's Office.
Hwang Seong-won, the head of the Demon-Dispelling Pavilion, compiled a report on the Dark Blood Heaven Cult based on the intelligence sent by Pure.
While Alliance Leader Yang Cheon-rin listened with a grim, focused expression, Jo Jin-ryang, the head of the Demon-Slaying Pavilion, scowled from beginning to end.
“Alliance Leader. Please grant a reward of ten thousand nyang to Affectionate. We haven't confirmed yet if the Dark Blood Heaven Cult is a successor to the Dark Heavenly Cult, but considering they've recruited Seop Yu-heun of the Blood Demon Saber, I believe it to be a very large organization. I estimate it to be at least the size of the Blood Palace, which the former Alliance Leader subjugated last year.”
The Blood Palace had been a major force of the Unorthodox Faction centered in Henan Province. It was a massive organization that Alliance Leader Hwa Un-ryong had taken six long months to dismantle, leading the elites of the Martial Arts Alliance and the Five Great Clans.
“The Blood Palace...”
“We need to investigate further. Nothing is certain yet.”
Jo Jin-ryang subtly contradicted him.
But Yang Cheon-rin's grim expression didn't waver.
“Pavilion Head Jo. Inform the entire martial world about the Dark Blood Heaven Cult. Emphasize that their members can still move even after their vital points have been sealed. Make sure that part is stressed.”
“Yes, Alliance Leader.”
“This is serious. How many people must they have killed and experimented on to develop such a dark art that allows movement even after one's vital points are struck?”
“Alliance Leader.”
“Yes, Pavilion Head Hwang, please speak.”
“We believe it doesn't completely nullify the sealing of vital points. According to the report, when the afflicted individual moved, their speed was somewhat reduced, and they emitted monstrous cries. This suggests the art is still incomplete.”
“Still, it is an extremely dangerous development. Good work, Pavilion Head Hwang. And see that Affectionate is paid the ten thousand nyang.”
“Understood.”
“Pavilion Head Jo. It's possible the Dark Heavenly Cult and the Blood Heaven Cult have joined forces. Look into that as well.”
“Alliance Leader. It's a stretch to compare the Blood Heaven Cult to the Dark Heavenly Cult.”
“I know. But hearing a record of someone using martial arts even after their vital points were sealed makes me suspicious.”
“Yes. Understood.”
Jo Jin-ryang was displeased with Yang Cheon-rin's orders, but he acknowledged them with a smile on his face.
In contrast, Hwang Seong-won's expression brightened.
Until now, rewards of ten thousand nyang or more were usually collected by agents of the Demon-Slaying Pavilion.
Hwang Seong-won had always felt deprived, so when Affectionate received the ten thousand nyang, he felt a sense of relief, as if he had finally beaten the Demon-Slaying Pavilion.
As they left the Alliance Leader's office, Jo Jin-ryang stopped Hwang Seong-won.
“Pavilion Head Hwang. I'm thinking of extending an offer to Affectionate to join the Demon-Slaying Pavilion. I thought you should know.”
“What? How long has it been since they joined the Demon-Dispelling Pavilion? Are you already coveting one of our agents again?”
“I'm merely making an offer. The choice is up to Affectionate. Why are you getting so worked up?”
Jo Jin-ryang grinned.
Hwang Seong-won felt an urge to punch that grinning face, but he restrained himself.
“You've never coveted a new agent who hasn't even been with us for a year, have you?”
“Affectionate is an exception. I have a feeling they're a big catch. A very big catch. Hahaha.”
“You greedy bastard.”
“I'll take that as a compliment. One should be greedy for a big catch. Besides, isn't the Demon-Dispelling Pavilion too small a pond for such a big fish?”
Jo Jin-ryang roared with laughter and headed for the Demon-Slaying Pavilion, while Hwang Seong-won glared at his back, clenching his fists tightly.
Jo Jin-ryang's last words were clearly a taunt.
He didn't want to lose Affectionate, the first major talent to appear in a long time, to the Demon-Slaying Pavilion.
But the choice was ultimately up to Affectionate, which made Hwang Seong-won extremely anxious.
“Dammit.”
In the end, a curse escaped Hwang Seong-won's lips.
Demon-Dispelling Pavilion.
As soon as Hwang Seong-won returned to the Demon-Dispelling Pavilion, he sent a carrier pigeon to Pure.
The message asked her to persuade Affectionate to stay with the Demon-Dispelling Pavilion.
**
I traveled slowly from Shanxi Province to Zhengzhou in Henan Province.
My pace slowed as my mind was occupied with thoughts about the Dark Blood Heaven Cult.
‘Right. Why didn't I think of that?’
Resting for a moment, I tapped my head and let out a short sigh.
The Dark Heavenly Cult, the Martial Arts Alliance's greatest enemy, had been so powerful that I had focused solely on them.
But the Blood Heaven Cult had existed about fifty years ago.
Of course, I had also been the one to lead elite warriors and annihilate that organization.
If the Dark Heavenly Cult pursued the path of ultimate supremacy, the Blood Heaven Cult developed various dark arts.
‘Who is the main pillar? The successors of the Dark Heavenly Cult? Or the successors of the Blood Heaven Cult?’
This was extremely important.
If these two, as incompatible as oil and water, had joined forces, it was proof that a very powerful warrior had emerged.
If the successors of the Dark Heavenly Cult held the reins, the future battles would be somewhat predictable.
But if the successors of the Blood Heaven Cult were in charge, the situation would become impossible to predict.
I recalled the time I fought the Blood Heaven Cult and shook my head.
‘I was really lucky back then.’
It was true.
I had been extremely tense, having marched to subjugate the Blood Heaven Cult not long after becoming the Alliance Leader.
During the battles against them, there were more than a few times I had to clutch my chest in shock at their bizarre dark arts.
In the heat of a fierce battle, I made the mistake of getting lost, and while wandering, I coincidentally ran into the leader of the Blood Heaven Cult.
I remembered the contorted face of the Blood Heaven Cult's leader, Jwa Myeol-cheon.
With Jwa Myeol-cheon and the other leaders killed on the spot, the once-mighty Blood Heaven Cult vanished into history.
Thanks to that, the Martial Arts Alliance only remembered the Blood Heaven Cult as 'a group that researched dark arts.'
They collapsed so anticlimactically that their presence had faded.
But I knew.
I knew just how terrifying an organization they were.
What if I hadn't been lucky?
I didn't even want to think about it.
The Dark Heavenly Cult.
The Blood Heaven Cult.
The Black Way Union.
The Evil Emperor Union.
The Blood Palace.
These were the representative groups of the evil and demonic factions that I had painstakingly subjugated over the years.
The very fact that the Blood Heaven Cult was counted among them was a testament to their power.
And yet, the world only remembered the other four, excluding the Blood Heaven Cult.
‘A true storm of blood might be coming.’
I decided I should convey this to the Martial Arts Alliance as well to raise their awareness.
I stopped by Wude County near Zhengzhou and left a sign at the rendezvous point.
After that, I continued south and was able to meet Pure in Zhongmou County, near Zhengzhou.
“If you haven't eaten, want to join me?”
I gestured for Pure to sit.
“I like noodles.”
She smiled brightly, sat across from me, and ordered her meal.
Since the restaurant was a public place, we ate while making casual conversation.
“You've lost a lot of weight, by the way.”
“Just getting back to my old self. I was too fat before.”
“When we first met, I thought you were more well-built than fat.”
“If you'd seen me before that, you would have fainted. It was really bad.”
“You're handsome. Really.”
“I'll have to pay for your meal, then.”
“You two look good together.”
“Who?”
“With her.”
“Ah, I must have saved a country in my past life.”
I grinned and shoveled some rice into my mouth.
Then, I asked casually.
“Do you have a boyfriend?”
“In this line of work? I doubt it.”
“You're pretty, you must be popular.”
“You'd think so. But I like this job. I'm not the type to quietly support a husband from the sidelines. Oh my, now that I've said it out loud, I guess I'll never get married.”
“You'll meet someone great.”
“Of course. I've never been told I'm lacking in any way.”
“Agreed.”
“Oh, the reward money came in.”
She held up her index finger, winked her left eye, and handed me an envelope containing the bank notes.
One note for ten thousand nyang and six notes for one thousand nyang.
The amount included the payment for taking care of Do Yang of the Taiji Sword and the Three Fiends of the Gok Clan.
“Thanks. I'll put it to good use. I have a gift for you, too.”
Her eyes widened as she received the thick envelope.
“What's this?”
“Read it. It should be pretty interesting.”
“Sigh, more like more work than interesting. Things were so easy before.”
“If you're done eating, shall we go?”
She nodded and immediately stood up.
After leaving the restaurant, we headed to a wide, empty lot.
“It's about the Blood Heaven Cult. The Dark Heavenly Cult is important, but I wrote a few things to stress that they need to pay attention to the Blood Heaven Cult as well. People tend to underestimate them, and the Martial Arts Alliance is no exception.”
“You know about the Blood Heaven Cult, too? That's surprising.”
“This is nothing. There will be plenty more to be surprised about in the future.”
“I understand. I'm just the contact, so I'll pass it on to the Demon-Dispelling Pavilion. They'll handle it from there.”
She gave a slight nod, then her expression hardened a little as she spoke.
“The Demon-Slaying Pavilion made an offer for you to join them, Affectionate.”
She took a personal letter from Jo Jin-ryang out from her robes and gave it to me.
“Read it for me.”
“Why?”
“I don't really like Jo Jin-ryang. He's not like a true warrior.”
“How do you know that?”
“Did you forget who my girlfriend is?”
“Ah, the Full Moon Tower. They do say all the world's information passes through the Full Moon Tower.”
She nodded in understanding, then unfolded Jo Jin-ryang's letter and began to read.
I couldn't help but let out a dry laugh at the embarrassingly flattering parts that praised me as a hero.
And when she reached the part offering a payment of fifty thousand nyang, I thought, *that's just like Jo Jin-ryang*.
“What do you think? Fifty thousand nyang is a huge sum of money.”
“I told you before. I'd consider it for five hundred thousand nyang.”
“Hahaha. I can just picture Pavilion Head Jo's distorted face.”
“Well, that's not my problem. Just make sure you deliver that information on the Blood Heaven Cult. It's important. If they only focus on the Dark Heavenly Cult, they're going to get stabbed in the back. Tell them to be careful.”
“I will. You'll be staying in Zhengzhou, right?”
I nodded silently.
“I'll see you next time, then.”
A faint fragrance lingered where she had disappeared.
**
Zhengzhou.
The first thing I did was visit the Full Moon Tower to meet with Elder Geum.
“Ten thousand nyang... You have a knack for making money.”
“So that's sixty thousand nyang now?”
“That's right. With the interest on the fifty thousand you deposited, to be exact, it's...”
“That's fine. Once I've saved up enough, I'd like to ask you for a good elixir.”
“Of course. So, how are things? Are you managing?”
“My lack of internal energy is always a shame.”
Elder Geum looked at me for a moment, then said something unexpected.
“Fifty thousand nyang.”
“Fifty thousand nyang?”
“Your value.”
“Hahaha.”
Laughter burst out of me.
It was just like Elder Geum.
At first, he had valued my credibility at a mere one hundred nyang.
Being evaluated in terms of money wasn't exactly pleasant, but knowing my value had increased felt pretty good.
“I'd like to hear you say one hundred million nyang.”
“We'll see. The words 'one hundred million nyang' have only passed my lips once. It was for the former Alliance Leader. I hope you, too, can grow to that extent.”
“I'll do my best.”
I was the one who had been worth that one hundred million nyang.
I, Hwa Un-ryong, who had been hailed as the strongest Alliance Leader in history.
Come to think of it, the name Hwa Un-ryong feels unfamiliar these days.
It seems I've grown accustomed to living in Guyang Cheon's body.
While it felt natural, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret.
“Yeon isn't here right now.”
“I'll be staying in Zhengzhou for a while, so please let me know.”
“I will.”
“Oh, shall I give you a gift?”
“A gift?”
“Yes. I'm sure you'll like it very much.”
I stood up from my seat, walked a few steps, and stopped in the center of Elder Geum's office.
As I slowly drew the Soul-Returning Sword and performed the opening stance, Elder Geum's eyes widened.
“The Heavenly Severance Sword Art...”
Soon, the Heavenly Severance Sword Art, the unique sword art of the Sword Emperor Ouyang Ui, unfolded at my hand.
To be precise, it was an imitation.
I didn't know the oral secrets of the art, nor had I learned the Heavenly Martial Divine Art that paired with it.
However, my senses, which had reached the pinnacle, allowed me to demonstrate the Heavenly Severance Sword Art almost perfectly.
“Now, I can die with no regrets.”
Thinking of the Sword Emperor, Elder Geum's eyes grew red and moist.
Elder Geum had asked me to demonstrate the Heavenly Severance Sword Art for him if I ever got the chance.
He probably never expected to see it so soon.
“Hoo.”
When I finished the form and turned my head, Elder Geum was shedding tears, his face a mixture of joy, sorrow, and longing.