Blue Wave (1)
"…So the two of them are currently heading to Cheongseong Sect together with the two young ladies of the Ami Sect."
When Sak Muhun finished speaking early that morning, Cheon Jueun, who had been listening with the others, nodded.
"As expected, it was Jeonghyeopbang."
At that, Je Wonyeong let out a hollow laugh, muttering as if dumbfounded.
"Ha… then the story about Somyeon Demon Lord must be true as well."
Sak Muhun's expression turned puzzled at his words.
From the look of things, it seemed they already knew Jeonghyeopbang's true identity.
And what was this about Somyeon Demon Lord?
As the atmosphere grew heavier at Je Wonyeong's remark, Sak Muhun asked with a confused face,
"You already knew it was Jeonghyeopbang? And Somyeon Demon Lord—what is that supposed to mean?"
In response, Seol Pung stepped forward to explain on behalf of the others.
"The truth is…"
After Seonu Jin, Bi Sayeong, and Sak Muhun had chased after the demonic leaders of Great Demon, those who remained managed to capture a man who had been causing a disturbance at the tavern.
It was thanks to Hae Cheongyeon's judgment that the man was undoubtedly a cultist meant to draw their attention.
The fact that he was a cultist was quickly confirmed by the martial arts he used, so the group tortured him to extract information.
And there, an utterly shocking name emerged—something none of them could have imagined.
It turned out that Somyeon Demon Lord Sa Wonyang, the peerless demonic leader who had slaughtered countless orthodox martial artists during the Great Blood War, was in fact the hidden master of Jeonghyeopbang.
The name was so overwhelming that the group had initially decided to withhold judgment.
It could very well have been false information spewed by the cultist before dying.
But now, if the intelligence Sak Muhun had brought was true—that Jeonghyeopbang was indeed an advance stronghold of the Blood Cult—then the story about Somyeon Demon Lord Sa Wonyang was highly likely to be true as well.
Sak Muhun asked in shock, his face stiff,
"Somyeon Demon Lord Sa Wonyang?!"
Sa Wonyang was an expert nearly on par with the heads of the Nine Great Sects, someone rated even higher than Blood-seeking Demon Lord Ji Gwangok, whom Seol Pung had barely managed to endure against in the past.
In fact, considering Ji Gwangok hadn't fought at his full strength at the time, to face Sa Wonyang at full power now was practically impossible.
As the faces around the room grew darker, Hae Cheongyeon spoke with an expressionless face.
"There's no need to think too pessimistically. It's true we can't handle such a person on our own, but if Young Master Seonu can move Cheongseong Sect, then even such a figure isn't untouchable. Also, Brother Sak, please leak some of this information to the Martial Alliance, just as Young Master Seonu suggested. If the leadership of the Alliance has any sense, they'll recognize that this incident breaks the non-aggression pact and presents an opportunity to put pressure on the Blood Cult. They will not let this chance slip away."
But inwardly, Hae Cheongyeon muttered,
'Of course… that's assuming they're in their right mind.'
She too couldn't ignore the possibility, like Seonu Jin suspected, that all of this might have been tacitly allowed by the Martial Alliance itself.
At that moment, Cheon Jueun asked suddenly,
"Then, what should we do now? With Great Demon dead and knowing Jeonghyeopbang is the Blood Cult's stronghold, isn't there no reason for us to stay here any longer?"
Her point was valid.
The very reason they had entered Mountain Sword Sect in the first place was to lure out Great Demon's faction, since Mountain Sword Sect had been certain their enemies were not Blood Cult forces.
In other words, their purpose had already been fulfilled.
At her words, Je Wonyeong nodded in agreement.
"She's right. Moreover, if we are to leave, the sooner the better. Didn't we hear that Jeonghyeopbang has already dispatched over a thousand warriors toward Guizhou Province? And with three peak experts among them."
The last battle had been won due to favorable circumstances, but under normal conditions, two hundred men fighting five hundred enemies was never easy.
That victory had been sheer luck.
And to fight against a thousand enemies now? Even with peak experts among them, survival was far from guaranteed.
At that, Na Seoyu spoke with a troubled face.
"But it doesn't sit right to abandon these people just because we achieved our goal. After all, we've been with them this whole time… if we leave, they could be slaughtered to the last."
Je Wonyeong smirked and replied,
"As expected, Lady Na is kindhearted. But I don't think you need to worry too much. Isn't it said that they'll soon join forces with the troops of the Yun Clan? The Mountain Sword Sect already has nearly four hundred men, so if they join with the Yun Clan, they may not reach a thousand, but they'll have enough to fight. And as for peak experts, with the Yun Clan's two added, they won't be lacking either. So—"
Just then, the mood among the wandering warriors gathered nearby suddenly grew restless.
Their shocked cries reached even this corner, and what they shouted was alarming.
"What?! The Yun Clan was attacked?!"
"Unak Sword is dead?!"
"Then what happens now?!"
The group exchanged glances at the voices they heard, deciding to first find out what was going on.
Seol Pung went to ask and returned with shocking news.
The previous night, more than a dozen assassins from Jeonghyeopbang had attacked the Yun Clan—and among them was an astonishing expert.
That attacker, possessing what seemed like over eighty years of internal energy, had slaughtered more than a hundred of the Yun Clan's elite and even killed one of their two peak masters.
In one single strike, the Yun Clan's strength had been cut in half.
Though precise news had yet to arrive, under these circumstances it was unlikely the Yun Clan would be able to join them.
Hearing this, Je Wonyeong let out a bitter laugh.
"Ha, such cruel timing… Now if we leave, just as Lady Na said, these people will surely be annihilated."
At that moment, Hae Cheongyeon muttered with a grave expression,
"A peak master with over eighty years of internal energy… could it be…?"
Then, with urgency, she turned to Sak Muhun, who had disguised himself as an ordinary wandering warrior.
"Brother Sak! Could you please find out about the identities and fate of those attackers?!"
Though slightly surprised by her sudden request, Sak Muhun nodded readily.
"About them? Very well, I'll find out."
Seeing Hae Cheongyeon's unusually tense expression, Seol Pung asked with a puzzled look,
"Why, Lady Hae? Do you suspect something about those attackers?"
Hae Cheongyeon bit her lip before speaking.
"No matter how many experts Jeonghyeopbang has, it isn't easy to use someone with over eighty years of internal energy as a mere assassin. And more importantly… we already know of one person with over eighty years of internal energy, don't we? Someone who was investigating the Yun Clan."
At once, the image of the Twelfth Great Lord, Man Jongrim, flashed in everyone's mind.
Realizing who she meant, their faces instantly went pale.
"N-no way… even so…"
"Which is why we must confirm it quickly."
However, Hae Cheongyeon's prediction was not wrong this time either.
According to the news Sak Muhun had gathered, the attackers had indeed been Great Lord Man Jongrim and the Twelve-to-One subordinates.
And in that battle, they had all been utterly annihilated.
Sak Muhun spoke with a complicated expression.
"They say he could have escaped whenever he wished, but after his comrades were killed, that master—who seemed to possess over eighty years of internal energy—went mad with rage and rampaged until the very end. Even in his dying breath, he was cursing and spitting hatred at the orthodox sects."
"Haa…"
Everyone let out a heavy sigh.
They had never been fond of him as a comrade, but death was a different matter altogether. And now, because of his stubbornness, even the Twelve-to-One subordinates who had followed him were dead as well.
Even for members of the Flying Dragon Unit, who were long accustomed to the deaths of comrades, there was no avoiding a sense of grief.
In the midst of this, Hae Cheongyeon frowned and said,
"Lord Man caused a major disaster right to the very end. To cripple the Yun Clan's strength by half at such a critical moment… because of that, Mountain Sword Sect's fate is now hanging by a thread. Once again, Young Master Seonu's prediction was accurate—though just a step too late."
Her words were harsh, but undeniably true.
Because of it, the fate of Mountain Sword Sect, which they were now part of, had indeed become precarious.
As the mood grew heavier, Cheon Jueun carefully asked,
"Then… what should we do now?"
It was not an easy question.
Neither Hae Cheongyeon nor Seol Pung could answer readily.
I, along with Bi Sayeong, Jeong Yeon, and Lady Jeong An, was hurrying toward Cheongseong Sect.
But since the two ladies' conditions had not yet fully recovered, our pace was not very fast.
They could not even maintain their lightness skill for half an hour before exhaustion showed plainly on their faces. Lady Jeong Yeon, gasping painfully for breath, offered us an apology.
"Haa… haa… I'm sorry. This is to save my senior sister, yet we're only becoming a burden to you two young heroes…"
At that, Lady Jeong An forced a brave smile and said,
"Still, don't worry about us—just keep going. We Ami disciples may look weak, but we're tougher than we seem! Hahaha!"
But even as she spoke, Lady Jeong An's face was pale, drained of all color.
Bi Sayeong said with a sympathetic look,
"Those are words you should say without staggering, Lady."
"Oh, you could tell? Ahaha! I've been found out."
No sooner had she laughed than Lady Jeong An suddenly lost her footing, her legs giving way as she collapsed.
"Ah!"
"Jeong An!"
But the one beside her was Bi Sayeong—the genius of movement arts, whose speed even Commander Seol Pung could not match.
In an instant, Bi Sayeong was at her side, catching her arm before she could fall.
Tak!
Startled, Lady Jeong An looked at him with wide eyes and gave her thanks.
"Ah! Thank you… you're incredibly fast."
Bi Sayeong, his face slightly flushed, avoided her gaze and scolded instead,
"How do you expect to keep moving in that condition?! Jin! For today, it's better we stop at an inn and rest!"
At his words, Lady Jeong An's face fell, and she apologized meekly.
"I-I'm sorry."
Hmph, this clumsy fellow.
Was it really necessary to put it that bluntly?
Well… it wasn't wrong.
I smiled gently and told them,
"As Sayeong said, let's rest at an inn today. Recovering properly first will actually shorten the journey in the long run."
At my words, Lady Jeong Yeon quickly shook her head in alarm.
"N-no! We can just sleep outside! There's no need to go that far…!"
Bi Sayeong sighed in frustration and snapped,
"And if you sleep outdoors, worsen your condition, and fail to save your senior sister—will you have no regrets then?"
"Wh-what?"
Lady Jeong Yeon's face turned pale with embarrassment.
But Bi Sayeong didn't stop there.
"Think carefully about what matters more. Your pride as a lady—or your senior sister's safety?"
"T-that's…"
I gestured for Bi Sayeong to stop, then gently took over.
"You can repay the favor later. But your senior sister may not have a later. If her safety is the most important thing, then everything else can wait."
"Ah…"
Lady Jeong Yeon lowered her head, blushing deeply, unable to say a word. Bi Sayeong muttered curtly,
"I'll go ahead, get us rooms, and order food. Bring them along slowly. Ah, and tonight's cost is on me—in celebration of surviving Great Demon. Eat as much as you want."
With that, he leapt away and vanished in an instant.
Hearing his words, I suddenly realized something.
'Ah… these ladies must not have any money right now.'
That must have been why they panicked at the mention of an inn.
Sure enough, they fidgeted awkwardly, unable to say anything.
That fellow—he does have a surprisingly thoughtful side.
Or perhaps he's just thoughtful because he likes one of them?
Smiling, I said to the ladies,
"He nearly died to Great Demon today, so consider this a celebration. Eat your fill. He's got plenty of money."
Of course, most of Bi Sayeong's money had actually come from the funds I earned raiding Black Market Sect, but still—it was true he had plenty.
Somehow, that made me feel proud.