The Azure Sky Sword's Secret
Several days had passed since the duel between Moyong Gwang, Patriarch of the Moyong Clan, and the pair of Baekri Hyeong and Namgung Suryeon.
“Hey, friend. Have you heard the news?”
“What news?”
“They say the young rising stars of the Hubei Alliance and the Murim Alliance clashed in a spar a few days back. And the ones at the center of it all were Lady Namgung Suryeon and Young Master Baekri Hyeong!”
“What? Is that true?”
Inside the tavern, where the heat of strong liquor radiated through the air, patrons were lost in lively conversation and amusement. Amid the chatter, one man brought up the duel held at the Murim Alliance. The protagonists were Namgung Suryeon and Baekri Hyeong. Everyone in the murim knew how strained the relationship between their two clans had always been. To make matters worse, Baekri Hyeok had recently declared the founding of the Hubei Alliance. There had to be a hidden story behind this particular match. The crowd, addicted to such tales, leaned in to listen.
“The duel ultimately ended in Young Master Baekri Hyeong’s victory.”
“Aish, that’s no fun! Who starts with the result?”
“Quiet! The story isn’t over yet! A shocking truth lies hidden within!”
“A shocking truth?”
“Indeed! A story more than twenty years old—the real reason the Sword Sovereign had no choice but to leave the Alliance!”
“...!”
The reason behind the Sword Sovereign’s departure from the Murim Alliance was a tale still whispered among countless enthusiasts of the gangho. Before he founded the Hubei Alliance, rumors had swirled: that he wished to wash his hands of the murim like the other Supremes, that nothing could be changed by remaining in the Alliance, that it was a rigged game controlled by the great sects and clans, that he had despaired and shut himself away, or that he had committed an unspeakable crime and distanced himself from the world. Unverified gossip still circulated.
Yet this man seemed to know the real story. Before long, every patron in the tavern had fallen silent, hanging on his every word.
“That was also when the bad blood between the Namgung and Baekri clans first began.”
“Stop dragging it out and tell us already! What happened?”
“Changcheon Sword Namgung Ak committed a grave sin against the Baekri Clan. The Sword Sovereign judged him for it and then left the Alliance!”
“Hmm? I heard Great Hero Namgung Ak lost both arms fighting the Evil Faction.”
“It was concealed. By the Murim Alliance itself.”
“What?”
The impact of the man’s words was immense. Of course, the Murim Alliance possessed vast stores of information. People could vaguely guess that any large organization would have its secrets and cover-ups. But this story crossed a line. If the Sword Sovereign had truly severed both arms of the Changcheon Sword and been driven out, would the Alliance have gone so far as to conceal the truth?
“There must have been a reason, right?”
“There was.”
“So the fault lay with Great Hero Changcheon Sword.”
“Your guess is correct.”
At the man’s answer, the entire tavern imagined the worst possible scenario. If they reversed their positions and assumed the Sword Sovereign’s fury had been provoked by something the Changcheon Sword had done, why would the Murim Alliance have covered it up?
As unease deepened across the room, the man delivered a clear answer.
“It concerns Great Hero Baekri Yeong, who fell in battle against the Red Wave Blood Gate—one of the Four Heavenly Gates of the Four Evil Heavens. In truth, he was abandoned.”
“I-is that really true?”
“The one who made that decision was Namgung Ak. Therefore, the Sword Sovereign’s rage is directed at the entire Namgung Clan that caused him to lose his younger brother.”
“How… how could such a thing happen…”
The truth was utterly shocking. At the time, the Red Wave Blood Gate had been terrorizing the common people of the murim. The Alliance dispatched forces to subdue them, but the unexpected intervention of the Lord of the Four Evil Heavens led to total annihilation. Enraged, the Murim Alliance prepared for an all-out Righteous-Evil War, only to be forced to grind their teeth when the Four Evil Heavens began sealing their gates.
Yet the shock refused to fade. The number of martial artists who had died in that battle was considerable, and many promising young geniuses had been among them. Some had even begun to suspect the hand of a shadowy organization behind it all.
“The reason a full-scale Righteous-Evil War nearly erupted was… surely not…”
“Your guess is correct. The Alliance tried desperately to bury the truth. Especially since the commander leading the campaign against the Red Wave Blood Gate was none other than Great Hero Namgung Ak.”
“How is that possible! Wasn’t it publicly announced that the entire force was wiped out? Were there survivors?”
“...The gangho will not let this pass quietly.”
After that, the tavern descended into chaos. The public, now aware of the truth, erupted in hatred toward the Murim Alliance. The man who had sown these seeds smiled faintly in a dark corner and whispered.
"Heavenly Demon Divine Cult!"
"Ten thousand years!"
"Ten thousand years! Ten thousand times ten thousand years!"
Since you struck first, we shall strike back. Let’s see how well you navigate this storm, Murim Alliance.
The man quietly slipped out among the drunken crowd. In the gangho, the disappearance of a single person raised no suspicion. That was simply the nature of this world.
**********
“What are we to do, Alliance Leader? The rumors are spreading beyond control.”
“Now that it has come to this… we must apologize for that incident.”
“Apologize? What apology! If we’re being precise, the Sword Sovereign himself agreed to bury the matter!”
“Sect Leader!! If this continues, the hearts of the people will abandon the Alliance and turn toward the Hubei Alliance! We must calm the situation first!”
“That is what I should be saying, Peng Family Head! If we continue to feign ignorance at this point, will that not be the end? If we allow further chaos—”
“Enoughhhhh!!”
Crack.
When Namgung Yeong slammed his fist into the shelf in fury, silence descended upon the meeting hall. The most enraged person present was none other than Namgung Yeong himself. Not only had his beloved granddaughter betrayed the Alliance to side with the Hubei Alliance, but the ancient grudge between the Baekri and Namgung clans had now been exposed to the entire world.
“Ark Leader. Has the Beggars’ Sect seen no movement?”
“We have investigated several times, but… no one stepped forward first. It may have been the Hao Clan.”
“Speaking of the Hao Clan, their Anhui branch was discovered completely destroyed several days ago.”
“Is that true!?”
The destruction of the Hao Clan’s Anhui branch was an emergency that could not be ignored. The Hao Clan served as the sole intelligence network of the Four Evil Heavens and occupied one of the Four Heavenly Gates. That they had been wiped out in the Murim Alliance’s own territory meant the Alliance could easily be framed as the culprit if they were not careful.
It was surprising that the one delivering this information was not the Beggars’ Sect Leader but Moyong Gwang. It meant even the Beggars’ Sect had failed to notice the branch’s annihilation. Whether this was fortunate or simply added more problems to an already overflowing plate was difficult to say.
Either way, the Murim Alliance was unmistakably entering a period of violent upheaval. If they could not weather this storm, cracks would form in the foundation of its long history, and the Alliance would gradually lose its position as the leader of the righteous path.
“Beggars’ Sect Leader. Do not block the rumors. Instead, spread them as widely as possible.”
“Pardon? But if we do that…”
“We have no place left to retreat. We can no longer overlook that bastard.”
“Alliance Leader! Surely you don’t mean—!”
“He must take responsibility. Before this matter tears the righteous murim apart.”
“...!”
Every elder in the room was stunned by Namgung Yeong’s declaration. No matter how many despicable acts he had committed to maintain his position as Alliance Leader, to now attempt to kill his own son… When it had been Baekri Hyeok, there had been no other choice. But now, with a chance to suppress the rumors, he was willing to sacrifice his child. It was becoming terrifying.
“I will tell Ak to steel himself. Beggars’ Sect, spread the rumors across the entire murim at once.”
“Alliance Leader… do you truly intend to sacrifice the boy?”
“We should have done this from the beginning. If we had, matters would never have escalated this far. This meeting is adjourned. I will take my leave first.”
Namgung Yeong rose and left the room. Yet none of the elders moved. The revelations had been too shocking.
As heavy silence lingered, Moyong Gwang slowly stood. His next words struck like thunder.
I, Moyong Gwang, hereby challenge for the position of Murim Alliance Leader.
All of you—lend me your strength.