The Red River Divine Sword
At that, Lady Jeong-yeon asked back in surprise.
"What? Senior Brother Hwa?"
"Yes. If it's him, he would never dismiss our words. And if he could move Cheongseong, even the elders of our sect could not ignore it."
Senior Brother Hwa?
We exchanged puzzled looks.
Could there even be a "senior brother" figure in Amitabha Sect, a sect of women?
And—move Cheongseong?
As expected, Bisa-yeong could not hold back.
"Who exactly is this Senior Brother Hwa?"
Lady Jeong-an's face lit up as if recalling a first love.
"He is such a wonderful man! All Amitabha disciples admire him!"
…That was not the answer we wanted.
Still, at least we confirmed he was male.
Hm? What's with Bisa-yeong's expression?
He looked a little unsettled, almost awkward, watching Jeong-an clasp her hands like a maiden in love.
Anyone else might not have noticed, but I saw the shift clearly.
Don't tell me this guy…?
At that moment, Lady Jeong-yeon sighed and clarified.
"He is a disciple of Cheongseong Sect. Specifically, a disciple of Master Cheonggwang Jin-in."
Cheonggwang Jin-in? Where have I—
Wait. Cheonggwang Jin-in?!
We all exclaimed in shock.
"Could it be…?!"
Lady Jeong-yeon nodded.
"Yes. He is indeed the one called the Cheongseong Monster Immortal, one of the Five Freaks of the Martial World."
Good heavens!
It was far greater than I expected.
A disciple of Cheonggwang Jin-in, one of the Five Freaks who rivaled Son Eunsang the Ghostly Lust Demon, Alliance Lord Murong Geom the Chivalrous King, and the Blood Cult's Demon of Bloody Wisdom Jeon Mugwang.
And Lady Jeong-yeon's next words shocked us even more.
The Red River Divine Sword Hwa Yeongbin, fourth disciple of Cheonggwang Jin-in, had once been the lover of Lady Jeong-seon, the Amitabha Sword Peak and famed as the greatest beauty of Sichuan.
They had met by chance while traveling, fallen in love instantly, and after several years of romance, received their sects' blessing to wed.
I muttered without realizing it.
"A union between the disciple of a Freak and the Sword Peak of Amitabha Sect… that must have been monumental."
Lady Jeong-yeon nodded gravely.
"It was. The brightest genius of Cheongseong and the brightest genius of Amitabha Sect, betrothed. I was young then, but I still remember how the entire mountain rejoiced when our sect leader approved their marriage."
At that time, no one doubted that the two would live happily together.
But the world is unpredictable—just as they were to be wed, the Great Blood War erupted.
As a women's sect, Amitabha had many disciples who fell prey to the Blood Cult.
They could not stand aside. They committed everything to the crusade.
Even the sect leader and many elders joined, so it was only natural that Lady Jeong-seon went as well.
But though his beloved joined the war, Hwa Yeongbin did not.
Or rather, he could not.
Bisa-yeong demanded, "How could he not fight when the woman he loved did? Why?"
Lady Jeong-yeon explained.
"Even now, Cheongseong is less a single sect and more a confederation of martial lineages. The sect leader does not dictate policy like ours does—he mediates between lineages. So he has little say in how each lineage acts."
Hearing that, I felt a strange sense of surprise.
I had thought the sect leaders of the Nine Great Sects wielded absolute power. But Cheongseong's leader was not like that at all.
She continued.
"At the time, Cheongwon Jin-in was sect leader. He was not on good terms with the Martial Alliance, so Cheongseong had no intention of joining the war. Only the current leader, Cheongmyeong Jin-in, fought—he and his followers acted independently."
"Then Hero Hwa Yeongbin was from the opposing faction."
"Yes. In fact, completely opposed. Even now, Cheongmyeong Jin-in and Master Cheonggwang Jin-in are known as bitter rivals."
I was floored.
The leader of Cheongseong, one of the Nine Great Sects, was at odds with its strongest master—one of the Martial World's Five Freaks.
And yet the sect still functioned.
The world truly was broader and stranger than I thought.
I summarized.
"So of the two betrothed, Lady Jeong-seon joined the war, while Hero Hwa could not. Then, when she did not return, their marriage never happened."
Both women nodded, their faces heavy.
It was not only Jeong-seon who perished—every Amitabha disciple who fought had been lost. For them, surely the greatest tragedy in the world.
The silence weighed heavy, until Lady Jeong-yeon steadied herself and went on.
"Hero Hwa lost the woman he loved, but he never abandoned Amitabha Sect. For ten years, he has cherished only Lady Jeong-seon, helping our sect as if we were his true in-laws. Without him, our disciples would have been adrift. So we all call him Senior Brother Hwa, out of both gratitude and affection."
"Amazing…"
Even after ten years, he remained faithful to his lost love, and cared for her sect as though it were his own.
It sounded almost like a tale from legend.
Still, leaving aside his character, the practical side was clear: he was a disciple of a Freak, a Cheongseong man of great influence, and deeply invested in Amitabha Sect.
That was perfect.
If only one more condition were met…
I brightened, asking:
"You said Master Cheonggwang and the current sect leader are on poor terms. So Hero Hwa's influence in Cheongseong must not be high, then?"
But the two women shook their heads firmly.
"No. In Cheongseong, those loyal to Master Cheonggwang are far more numerous than those following the sect leader. Senior Brother Hwa's influence there is greater than Cheongmyeong Jin-in's."
…Even better?
Too perfect!
I slapped fist to palm.
"Then it's settled! Let's find him. Let's tell him everything and ask him to move Cheongseong!"
Lady Jeong-yeon hesitated.
"But… we should still report back to Mount Ami…"
I smiled faintly and replied.
"Of course you must report. But—send it by letter."
"…What?! By letter?!"
She was clearly flustered by the idea of reporting to her sect by letter, so I explained the reasoning she could not refute.
"Sometimes, a written report is more effective than a direct one. If you send a letter, the elders will be less focused on punishing a disciple who disobeyed orders, and more focused on the content of what she reports. Add a bit of evidence, and even those who wish to stay close with Jeonghyeopbang will have no choice but to act. And if we succeed in moving Cheongseong to rescue an Amitabha disciple, they'll be even more eager to move."
At this point, Brother Sak Muhun, who had been silently listening, spoke up.
"Then are you planning to go with these ladies?"
He didn't seem keen on the idea of traveling all the way to Cheongseong, especially since Sword Saint had entrusted him with escorting Lady Cheong-yeon.
I gave him a reassuring smile.
"Brother Sak, please return and inform our comrades of this matter. Also… could you alter the sender and submit a report to the Martial Alliance as well?"
His eyes sharpened.
"You mean to drag the Alliance into this too?"
"Yes. The more responses we can provoke, the better. If they learn that Jeonghyeopbang is the Blood Cult's forward base, they'll have to act in some fashion."
I didn't bother adding the obvious—that if they did not move, it would mean they had either condoned the Blood Cult's advance or were in league with them.
Quickly, I added one more request.
"And please be sure to inform Lord Man Jongrim, the Great Head of the Twelve Grand Masters. I worry that, if he remains unaware of Jeonghyeopbang's ties to the Blood Cult, he might do something reckless."
Brother Sak gave a dry chuckle.
"Surely even a famed master of the martial world wouldn't go that far. In any case, understood. I'll return to my junior sister now."
He left, saying he would personally see to returning the other rescued women along the way.
At the time, I had no way of knowing—
that this would delay things by an entire day.
That night.
Guizhou Province, at the Yun Clan's manor in Jinsa.
Man Jongrim, the Twelfth Grand Master known as the Fiendish Hermit, and the Twelve-One Squad were hiding in the shadows beneath the outer wall, preparing to infiltrate.
Squad leader Do Mugon asked uneasily.
—Grand Master, are we truly doing the right thing?
Man Jongrim replied with a look of irritation.
—What is there to fear?! We're merely checking if the Blood Cult is here in the Yun Clan. Then we'll leave. It's not even all of us—we've split the task: the Jeonghyeopbang men are checking two suspected sites, and we're only handling one. What's the problem?!
Do Mugon fell silent under his sharp rebuke.
The plan itself wasn't unreasonable.
But what unsettled him was that the entire plan had come from Gu Yusang, the White Jade Flood Dragon of Jeonghyeopbang.
They were merely following his blueprint.
Of course, Gu Yusang's brilliance was undeniable—he was handsome as a jade statue, skilled in martial arts, and sharp in both strategy and leadership.
But… I can't bring myself to trust him.
That was the real issue.
They had entrusted too much to someone who had yet to earn their trust.
It gnawed at him.
But he was not the one making decisions.
By contrast, Man Jongrim seemed to trust Gu Yusang completely, based solely on the fact that he was a righteous disciple of Jeonghyeopbang—a trust that made Do Mugon even more uneasy.
Just then, Man Jongrim sent a voice transmission.
—It should be around the third watch. Let's begin.
Suppressing a sigh, Do Mugon signaled the squad forward.
They had come this far—there was no turning back.
They weren't here to fight, only to scout. Surely nothing would go wrong.
The squad scaled the wall and slipped into the Yun manor.
Man Jongrim scoffed at the lax defenses and whispered by transmission.
—Pitiful! Such feeble night patrols. Typical heretical rabble, tch.
Even here, he couldn't resist mocking the unorthodox sects.
Do Mugon ignored him, quietly relieved.
With such weak defenses, they could be in and out without issue.
Or so he thought.
But when they followed the map Gu Yusang had given them deeper inside—
Suddenly, flames flared up from the surrounding walls.
Fwoooosh!
Startled, Man Jongrim shouted.
"What is this?!"
Torches. Dozens upon dozens of blazing torches, encircling them from every side.
Then a voice rang out.
"They really sent assassins, just as the intel said! Filthy Jeonghyeopbang dogs! Loose the volley!"
Do Mugon's blood froze.
What?! Just as the intel said?!
His worst fear was confirmed.
But realization came too late.
While Man Jongrim and the squad gaped in horror, a storm of arrows and hidden weapons rained down on them from all sides.
Ssshhhht!
Thwip-thwip-thwip-thwip!
It was hell itself.