Chapter 40
Chapter 40
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Precursors to the Invasion - 4
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The atmosphere in the room felt awkwardly heavy.
It was strange. Things had only been good lately, but whenever they gathered like this in this room, the mood had always been grim.
Who was it that said people get used to happiness? The peaceful vibe of the past few days had turned razor-sharp, and it made Hongryeon unbearably uncomfortable.
"There's a force targeting the Crimson Star Sect..."
It was Ryuhyeon who muttered that under her breath. She nodded gravely, then glanced subtly at Sayoon.
They weren't strangers to letters like this. Threats, persuasions, or propositions—plenty had tried to exploit the sect's crises for their own gain.
But should they treat this letter the same way?
"The trustworthiness of this letter..."
Sayoon's violet eyes grew misty. She sat rigid, unable to speak, but the Sword Saint could tell exactly what she wanted to say just from her expression.
Trust.
The Crimson Star Sect's beloved youngest disciple trusted this letter—and the one who sent it.
And the Sword Saint felt the same.
"What do you think?"
The Sword Saint was strong, but she wasn't used to matters like this. In other words, Hongryeon was always the one making the calls whenever something like this came up.
So it would be the same this time.
Hongryeon reached out and stared at the letter. Her grip tightened on the paper crammed full of writing.
Her broken heart.
The heart of the Falling Sun Sword wielder, unaccustomed to such things, was mending amid the turmoil. Feeling that, she set the letter down.
Then she pulled a leather cord from her pocket, tied back her hair tightly, and spoke coolly.
"It's hard to call it a fake."
Even though Hongryeon trusted the letter's contents, Sayoon's expression didn't brighten.
Of course not. Trusting it meant accepting that enemies were truly gunning for the Crimson Star Sect.
To Sayoon, the Crimson Star Sect was her home, her family, her very happiness.
Who could smile knowing someone was after that?
"The letters from 'Uncle' have always been well-intentioned so far. Considering that... it's hard to see him as trying to use us. And..."
'Uncle' knew secrets about the Crimson Star Sect that even the Sword Saint didn't. And he'd shared them with Sayoon without asking for anything in return.
Given that, this letter probably came from genuine concern for Sayoon—and the sect.
"But couldn't that have been a ploy too?"
Sayoon clutched her sleeve at Ryuhyeon's curt question. But someone had to voice the doubt.
They knew Ryuhyeon was playing the villain on purpose, so neither the Sword Saint nor Hongryeon blamed her. They just considered the possibility.
"I can't be certain without meeting him myself... but in my view, that's unlikely."
"I see."
If Hongryeon said so, then it was so. Ryuhyeon nodded, and Hongryeon tapped the letter before speaking up.
"Word is the ones targeting the Crimson Star Sect are the Iron Blood Clan. Master, have you heard of them?"
The Sword Saint shook her head. In her journeys through the martial world, she'd slain countless foes.
But she'd never crossed paths with the Iron Blood Clan.
"Then let's move on. If enemies come, which way would they attack?"
"It's written in Uncle's letter."
"Even if we fortify that spot, it's a problem. No fool would charge a defended position—they could slip in from anywhere else."
As Hongryeon tapped the letter dismissively, Sayoon raised her hand and pointed to the map on the wall.
"I heard this while patrolling last time. A bunch of government troops arrived at Island Flower Village for training, and they're stationed here, here, and here."
One path into Island Flower Village, the route up Crimson Star Mountain, and a few other spots were marked as training zones.
Hongryeon, hearing this for the first time, looked to Ryuhyeon, who filled in the details.
"After the Demonic Cult's raid on Island Flower Village, the magistrate requested reinforcements. Apparently... that innkeeper Yuwol sorted things out quick and got them sent over."
If government troops were blocking the way, no sane attacker would try breaking through. They might risk clashing with the authorities if desperate, but it seemed unlikely they'd pull something that reckless while facing the Crimson Star Sect.
That narrowed the enemies' viable entry routes.
Hongryeon marked the map and continued.
"Lucky break. Can we set up formations inside the sect too? For defense, something like an Illusionary Welcome Array might be good. Got the materials?"
"We can manage it in a short time."
"It might draw the spirits dwelling in Crimson Star Mountain. It's not in the letter, but..."
The Sword Saint had a point. Crimson Star Mountain teemed with spirits and ghosts. They might heed the sect's commands to claim the spiritual energy the Crimson Star Sect suppressed.
They reviewed the letter's contents, brainstormed countermeasures, and weighed each idea's feasibility.
The meeting dragged on until late into the night.
Once they'd sorted out the tasks ahead, Hongryeon sighed.
"Finally. What should we prioritize excluding against this Iron Blood Clan?"
Hongryeon, Ryuhyeon, and Sayoon all turned. Meeting their disciples' gazes, the Sword Saint gave a wry smile.
Right. To strike the Crimson Star Sect, the first thing to neutralize was the Sword Saint herself.
So how could they sideline her?
"Disciples."
Hongryeon said it bluntly.
The Sword Saint was among the world's top ten powerhouses.
She might be clumsy in other areas, but no one was more reliable in martial prowess.
What mattered most to her was the Crimson Star Sect and her disciples. Capturing them as hostages could cripple her strength immensely.
It might be the only way to take her down.
"For now, everyone except Hongryeon, Ryuhyeon, and Hyunhwi stays inside."
"Nngh..."
Tending the herb garden, gathering Thousand-Day Plum Blossoms for sachets.
Foraging edible greens, wild herbs, fruits for side dishes, or hunting.
Considering those duties, the disciples couldn't just hole up training indoors.
But in this situation, it wasn't easy to account for everything.
As Ryuhyeon groaned, Hongryeon glanced her way, and she calmly explained the issues.
But Hongryeon's face only brightened.
"At least food won't be a problem. The innkeeper Yuwol asked me a favor."
Hongryeon shared what Yuwol had told her that day. Ryuhyeon started to play devil's advocate again at the mention of supplies from the Azure Merchant Guild's new product, Wall Grain Pills.
But Hongryeon shook her head, foreseeing it, and Ryuhyeon smiled bitterly.
Innkeeper Yuwol. Even Ryuhyeon saw him as a good man, incapable of betrayal.
Hongryeon wasn't the only one—the Sword Saint showed him respect too.
So Ryuhyeon dismissed any suspicions about him tampering with the food.
"We could even use this to lure and counterattack the enemy?"
Hongryeon eyed the letter's end. 'Uncle' had suggested something similar—using poison to turn the tables.
"Mm. But with defenses like this, will they even attack?"
The best time to strike was when the enemy was weak. Especially if it wasn't for something like a spar to test skills.
"Hard to say. But... Uncle wrote their goal is to make Crimson Star Mountain's spiritual energy go berserk, right? They won't back off easily... If they don't come, it ends as a false alarm."
"Here's hoping."
But everyone in that room sensed this wouldn't fizzle out so easily.
.
.
.
.
A night with a splendid moon hanging in the sky.
The stern-faced middle-aged man stared straight ahead with impassive eyes.
Amid the corpses of countless demonic beasts, one barely clung to life—a long-nosed monster with tiger-like fangs.
A beast that hated all living things and devoured humans outright cowered in terror before a man far smaller than itself.
And for good reason. That man had torn apart all its comrades.
-Grrr...
Ragged breaths. Fight or die. The beast ignored its fear and lunged.
-Splash!!
A long water sword materialized in the man's hand, cleaving it in two.
Blood and flesh rained down.
Confirming every beast here dead, he plunged the water sword into the ground.
The freshly slain beast's blood and flesh were sucked into it. No—all the corpses and blood swirled like a vortex, drawn into the blade.
Now pitch-black from absorbing countless bodies and gore, he held out a water pail before it.
As the sword vanished into the pail, the man turned to a venomous-looking woman who had approached.
"Jo Yo. Ready?"
"...Yes. Young Merchant Lady Go Yumi has already mobilized. She'll release the poison in the Crimson Star Sect within days. But can she pull it off...?"
"She's one I handpicked. Don't you trust my judgment?"
"Of course not. And with the extra troops at Island Flower Village after the Demonic Cult attack... maybe delay the schedule a bit..."
"Delay? Using that as an excuse to hand it off—or let that wench steal the credit like before?"
A voice dripping with contempt and distrust. The woman flinched, shoulders trembling.
"With Go Hwadan Squad and Ju Kyungdae Unit, they'll reach the rendezvous without issue. Got their confirmations? They can make the timeline?"
"Yes. Barring surprises. And..."
More negative nitpicking. The man finally bared his teeth after listening awhile.
This woman, shoved under him by that bitch who constantly second-guessed him since he took the job, always opposed his views.
"Jo Yo. You always spout nothing but negatives about my plans. If not for my deal with her, your head would be gone by now."
"Eek!"
"Are these defeatist opinions the will of your master, the Iron Blood Gold Sovereign?"
Heart Demon Witch Jo Yo.
She'd slaughtered hundreds of innocents to cultivate her arts and rack up merits, but at the Iron Blood Water Emperor's irritated tone, she could only bow hastily.
He'd hit the nail on the head.
Her master, the Iron Blood Gold Sovereign, wanted the Water Emperor to fail and had planted Jo Yo to undermine him.
Yet her head still sat on her shoulders because of the secret pact between him and her master.
But push too far, and it'd roll as he said.
To survive, she had to grovel.
"No!! How could I?! Everything you do is for the Iron Blood Clan—how dare I...!"
She kowtowed repeatedly, begging mercy. She knew contemptuous eyes bored into her skull.
Yet she couldn't utter a word. Just trembled prone, pleading for pity.
The man sneered down at her pathetically, then turned away.
His gaze fell on subordinates who, unlike her, had sworn unwavering loyalty.
He raised his hand.
"We'll topple the Crimson Star Sect and detonate Sacred Mountain's spiritual energy. Then the Iron Blood Clan will dominate."
"Ooooh!!"
Cheers, roars. Joy.
Expectations for the future echoed.
Ignoring Jo Yo biting her lip on the ground, the Iron Blood Water Emperor turned.
"Move out."
Dozens in black followed.
Only then did Jo Yo scramble up and chase after them.
And so.
The Iron Blood Clan marched on Crimson Star Mountain.
Blind to what awaited them there.