Chapter 28
Chapter 28
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: The Reason Rules Exist - 4
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One of the criteria that separates geniuses from ordinary folk is a sense of alienation.
Ordinary people, even the mediocre ones who stay within the realm of normalcy, still think in ways that resemble everyone else's.
But geniuses are different. They constantly analyze, sorting themselves out within their thoughts to produce results that align with their own standards.
And those results inevitably strike ordinary people as quite off-kilter.
Isn't it obvious? They fundamentally foresee outcomes several moves ahead. So it's only natural that we can't comprehend what they produce.
That's why most people who face a genius end up flustered.
In that sense, the Sword Saint certainly proved her genius.
Even I, who knew about her, was momentarily thrown off and couldn't utter a word.
While I was frozen from her first words—looking at me with such pity, clenching her fist, and telling me to hang in there—Ryuhyeon snapped out of it. She approached me, at a complete loss.
"I'm sorry. This rudeness..."
"Ah, no. It's not rudeness at all. Goodness. I'd heard the Sword Saint was an eccentric, and the rumors were spot on."
"Ah, yes. Thank you for seeing it that way. Then... um, Sayoon."
"Ah, yes."
Sayoon, who had been watching me cautiously just like I was with her, suddenly came to her senses. Ryuhyeon spoke to her carefully.
"Escort the innkeeper, please."
"Yes, yes! Got it!"
"And don't take him to any restricted areas. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am."
Sayoon bowed her head and gently took my arm.
"Shall we go?"
The bewilderment from my first encounter with the Sword Saint faded quickly enough. I'd played Celestial Moon and knew a fair bit about Sword Saint Nayerin.
But Sayoon must have thought I'd taken offense to the Sword Saint, because she was fidgeting anxiously.
Hm, that sight was heartwarming enough on its own, but I couldn't just leave her like that.
"The Sword Saint seems like a good person."
"Ah, yes. Master is a bit unique... Huh?"
Sayoon looked up at me with wide eyes. I met her gaze briefly and smiled.
"Those with power usually use it to fill their own ambitions. But the Sword Saint could do that and chooses not to."
I glanced around subtly. The few buildings of the Crimson Star Sect looked quite rundown. The disciples seemed to maintain them as best they could, but cracks marred the mud walls here and there, and the pillars bore clear marks of age.
"And all the Crimson Star Sect disciples accept it. They wouldn't follow her like that if she weren't a good person."
My eyes turned to Sayoon. Her patched disciple robes here and there. And that terribly worn sword.
"That sword. Isn't it the one you used against the fire tiger last time? It looks pretty beat-up."
"It's still usable!"
Usable where, exactly?
But I couldn't tease her further as she shouted with a flushed face.
Of course, I'd get her a better sword later anyway.
I'd even obtain one from the next secret realm.
Though that sword would eventually be destroyed as material for the Crimson Star Divine Art's most powerful greatsword form.
Still, it'd be several times better than that old thing, so it should hold her over for a while.
"Anyway. Seeing how frugal she is makes it clear the Sword Saint is truly remarkable."
Sayoon's expression brightened bit by bit. Her anxiety from earlier had eased considerably; she led me along with lighter steps.
"Shall we start with the training hall?"
"I suppose so."
"How does the investigation work, anyway?"
I pulled a small pouch from the bag containing my supplies.
It held the white jade plaque from the magistrate's office, along with reagents to make it react to demonic energy.
"We use this to detect demonic energy and figure out what kind of demonic art it is."
"Wow. That's impressive."
"The empire's hatred for the Demonic Cult goes beyond imagination. They once invaded the imperial palace, so they'd foam at the mouth at any whiff of demon worshippers."
Sayoon fell silent at my words. As we walked along, she quietly tugged at my sleeve.
"Then... could the empire help the Crimson Star Sect?"
Was it because of that last clash with the Demonic Cult follower? She seemed to have developed real animosity toward them. Seeing the fierce glint in her eyes, I smiled.
But inwardly, I wasn't so relaxed.
In the Celestial Moon prologue, the empire didn't aid the Crimson Star Sect. After all, it had been the Iron Blood Clan moving then, not the Demonic Cult.
The Iron Blood Clan would later threaten the empire too, but at this point, they weren't seen as a major danger compared to the Demonic Cult.
So the empire hadn't sent troops even when they heard the Crimson Star Sect was under attack.
They'd regret it immensely later, once Sayoon allied with the imperial family and explained the sect's destruction.
"Ah, they'll help."
At the very least, for me, that future absolutely could not happen.
The trials and suffering Sayoon endured to get there were a tear-jerking human drama you couldn't watch without shedding tears.
I smiled at the girl looking up at me.
So she could feel at ease.
So she wouldn't have to fear.
"Definitely."
A smile bloomed on Sayoon's lips at my answer.
We arrived first at the half-collapsed training hall—a cave on a hillside that looked ready to crumble any moment due to collapse risks. The inside had fully caved in, so we could only inspect from outside, but even now, the acrid remnants of demonic energy stung the nose.
"This should do it."
I brought the white jade plaque to where the demonic energy lingered. According to the bailiff's explanation, you leave the plaque, mix and sprinkle the reagents, and after a day, it absorbs the demonic energy.
At the same time, I surveyed the surroundings. There might be traces of a demonic art I recognized.
As I circled the training hall area, I spotted something unusual.
"Ho."
"What's wrong?"
"No, this."
It was a large boulder on the hillside where the training hall sat. The issue was the holes in it—seven perfectly round ones, drilled as if by precision machinery, without even a crack around them, like wormholes in fruit.
"Not the Crimson Star Divine Art, right?"
"No, definitely not."
But no demonic energy lingered on the boulder. So what was it? I tapped the rock thoughtfully, then snapped my fingers.
Seven Birds and Seven Insects—Yujing Sun.
One of the Demonic Cult's outer law enforcers, a sorcerer who travels with seven birds and seven insects.
A Demonic Cultist, but rather than using demonic energy directly, he gathers intel swiftly via his birds and bugs.
Of course, his insect and bird arts weren't weak demonic techniques like bone bird arts or black darkness blood arts; he wasn't an easy opponent.
So, Yujing Sun attacked the Sword Saint?
That narrowed things down.
Yujing Sun followed the Black Darkness Five Ghosts among the Demonic Cult's five great families. If he'd come here, it was on their orders.
Why would Ogi, the family head aiming for the next cult leader position, target the Sword Saint?
...Too many reasons.
Kill the Sword Saint to sow chaos in the orthodox sects.
Kill her to demonstrate the Black Darkness Five Ghosts' power within the Demonic Cult.
Kill her and take her body to turn into a jiangshi.
And so on.
Hard to judge based on this alone...
But all those reasons shared one thing.
They massively underestimated the Crimson Star Sect.
Would they attack a disciple or another powerhouse this sloppily?
No.
They'd plan more meticulously, with more and stronger experts.
At least wagering the Black Darkness Five Ghosts' fate and bringing their full force.
I looked around.
The rundown buildings and fixtures everywhere.
That must be one reason the Crimson Star Sect seemed weak.
At this rate, even without the Iron Blood Clan, they might self-destruct.
"Tch."
"Huh? What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Shall we check somewhere else?"
I headed to the wrecked warehouse with Sayoon. It too reeked of the foul, oppressive demonic energy in spots.
After placing a white jade plaque there and stepping back, Sayoon looked up at me worriedly.
"You look upset. Is it the lingering demonic aura...? Um, innkeeper. Could you come with me for a bit?"
Where to?
As I wondered, she just smiled brightly.
She led me to a field behind the Crimson Star Sect.
An herb garden, apparently.
A fresh, invigorating scent began tickling my nose.
"This is the herb patch my sisters and I tend. We only managed to grow them to marketable quality this year."
Sayoon stroked the herbs with a beaming smile, looking delighted. The leaves were vibrant green and full of life.
They'd clearly put real care into it.
But was there something like this?
Crimson Star Sect details only appeared briefly in the prologue and through others' stories in the main plot, so I hadn't known about an herb garden.
"We can't rely on Senior Sister alone. We all know how hard she works."
"Hmm..."
"So we're doing our part too. This field is one of those efforts."
I could see her pride radiating from beside me. She was thrilled to help Hongryeon—and the sect—this way.
I inspected the herbs. They'd grown well. Did they have a disciple talented in cultivation?
The quality was surprisingly good.
"This is... soul-calming grass."
"Yes. Dried and boiled with five-spice root, it purifies the blood and boosts health. This one's green root tuber, and this..."
They'd tended them with real dedication.
But while these were used in tonics, they weren't particularly rare.
Mostly common herbs you could find easily.
A few were a bit scarcer, but nothing on the level of spirit herbs.
Overall, they were for tonics or basic remedies.
"Do you know where you'll sell these?"
"As far as I know, it's not decided yet... But I think Senior Sister Ryuhyeon has her eye on old man Cheol from the village apothecary."
"I see."
I walked the field, mentally tallying the herb types and quality.
The monthly revenue from running this patch would be about one gold nyang... Wait.
Hold on.
A flash of insight hit me, and I built on it.
Combining my game knowledge, info gathered since arriving, and more.
Calculations.
More calculations.
Again.
Layering deductions, weighing risks, effort involved, my travel routes, people to meet, and other factors to derive the outcome.
And the answer had real potential.
This could work out nicely.
I might even find one more way to help the Crimson Star Sect right here.
"Anything else to show besides this?"
"Uh... Oh, yes, there is."
Sayoon thought for a moment, eyes sparkling, then led me elsewhere.
After quite a hike, we reached a mountainside thick with the fragrance of Thousand-Day Plum Blossoms.
"The Thousand-Day Plum Blossoms here have a far better scent than elsewhere. We all come here to catch our breath when things get tough."
I eyed the larger, lusher plum trees than usual. Influenced by Crimson Star Mountain, the sacred peak, they bloomed for a thousand days. Fruitless trees valued only for their aroma.
"We're thinking of drying the petals for scent pouches."
Scent pouches, huh.
Not a bad idea.
I ran my hand over the Thousand-Day Plum Blossom trees and stood.
"Alright, let's go."
"Huh? You could rest longer."
"I don't want to take up too much of your time."
"Okay..."
As we descended from the Thousand-Day Plum Blossom grove with Sayoon, I organized my thoughts. Back at the Crimson Star Sect, I said to her,
"The Crimson Star Sect doesn't accept outside help. Especially not money."
"Yes. It's a long-standing tradition and rule. A martial artist using their power to protect the weak is only natural—how could they demand payment for that...?"
"I see..."
I recalled the Crimson Star Sect's lore I knew.
They exalted righteousness.
They mustn't profit when saving the powerless.
The other rules all painted an idealistic picture of an orthodox sect.
Perfect recipe for starving, though.
No point trying to change it—they wouldn't listen. To fend off the Iron Blood Clan and prevent the sect's fall, I'd prepare without touching those rules.
Of course, ways to do that were plentiful.
"Right. Yeah. Sayoon, do you know why rules exist?"
"Uh, to prevent chaos and uphold justice...?"
Hahaha. This girl. Hahaha.
So innocent.
Rules exist to allow breaking them when needed.
If you can't profit from the poor, just profit from the rich.
I pictured the honorable, idealistic, beautiful Crimson Star Sect disciples tenderly growing herbs and Thousand-Day Plum Blossoms on the sacred Crimson Star Mountain.
These.
Turn them into 'local specialties,' make them 'limited edition' items, slap a 'premium' price tag, and sell them dear to the moneyed fools.