Guanyin Manor – 3
Once the peak masters were defeated, the rest of the Blood Cultists quickly fell into disarray.
With Elder Gyeoljin of the Emei Sect lending her strength, and with Bi Sa-yeong, Jeong-yeon, and Lady Jeong-an joining in, the thirty or so cultists were soon either slain or forced to surrender.
Yet despite the victory, the mood was grim.
Three of the ten Emei disciples had already perished.
The survivors were left with somber faces as they gathered the bodies of their fallen sisters.
To make matters worse, the attitude of Elder Gyeoljin—the one responsible for the unit—was strange to say the least.
She suddenly lashed out at Lady Jeong-hye, the same disciple whom Bi Sa-yeong had first saved.
"Jeong-hye! This is all your reckless doing! Because of you, three of your sisters are dead!"
Jeong-hye clenched her teeth in injustice, but finally bowed her head.
"…I am sorry."
"You think saying sorry is enough?! How will you take responsibility for all of this?! When we return to the sect, I will report to the Sect Leader and see to it that your crime is severely punished!"
At that, Lady Jeong-an, having heard the account from her fellow disciples, stepped forward in outrage.
"Elder! How can this be Jeong-hye's fault?! The purpose of this mission was to confirm whether they were Blood Cultists, and it was thanks to her that their true nature was revealed! If not for her, we would have been completely unaware—"
But Elder Gyeoljin cut her off with a furious shout.
"Silence, Jeong-an! And you too, Jeong-yeon! You snuck out with Jeong-in without permission and caused this disaster. You will both face heavy punishment once we return!"
Her sharp voice was like the hiss of a wildcat, but Lady Jeong-an did not falter.
Instead, she raised her voice even louder.
"I will accept punishment for leaving without authorization! But was it not the Sect Leader's failure to act despite repeated kidnappings that forced us into this? While the Blood Cult is abducting women within our very territory—!"
At that, Elder Gyeoljin exploded, shrieking like a banshee.
"Silence, you wench! To speak of sect affairs before outsiders—you've lost your mind!"
While she raged, Jeong-yeon quietly exchanged sound transmissions with me, and I quickly grasped the situation.
It was clear—Elder Gyeoljin was trying to shift all responsibility onto Lady Jeong-hye.
That such a person was among the Sect Leader's closest allies… it was staggering.
When I'd first heard Jeong-yeon's claims, I doubted Emei had truly fallen so far. But now, seeing it with my own eyes, it was undeniable.
Unable to bear it further, Hwa Yeong-bin sighed and interjected.
"Shouldn't our priority be rescuing Lady Jeong-in before anything else happens? Let us focus on finding her first."
But Elder Gyeoljin snapped back with a glare.
"Brother Hwa, even as Cheong Gwang-jinin's disciple, is it not improper to interfere in Emei's internal matters?"
Her sharp tone was met with a strained smile from Hwa Yeong-bin, who tried to placate her.
"I would not dare interfere. I only worry for Lady Jeong-in's safety, as she too is a disciple of Emei."
But Elder Gyeoljin refused to relent.
She fixed him with a mocking smirk and asked:
"And why, Brother Hwa, are you so concerned for Jeong-in? Perhaps you've forgotten Jeong-seon and now seek to tie yourself to another girl? For one who pretends to be a chivalrous gentleman, you're quite the libertine, aren't you? Hohoho!"
She even laughed at her own remark, clearly thinking it clever.
But those words had crossed the line.
Hwa Yeong-bin's expression turned glacial as his aura began to surge.
"…What did you just say, Elder?"
The smirk froze on her face.
There was no way a lowly elder of a declining sect could withstand the aura of one on the cusp of transcendence.
Elder Gyeoljin swallowed hard.
"B-Brother Hwa, how dare you intimidate the Emei Sect—"
Before the quarrel could escalate further, Bi Sa-yeong and I stepped up to the Blood Cult leader we had maimed.
"Hey. Where are the women being held?"
It was plain to us that silencing him would be more productive than watching the farce between Hwa Yeong-bin and Elder Gyeoljin.
At once, all eyes turned toward us.
The crippled cult leader sneered through his pain.
"Kehh… what a stupid question. You think we'd still keep the women here after receiving a visiting note from Emei? They were moved yesterday."
"…What? A visiting note?"
We turned in disbelief toward the Emei disciples.
Lady Jeong-hye was glaring at Elder Gyeoljin with bitter resentment.
The elder's face flushed crimson as she cleared her throat, clearly avoiding her disciple's gaze.
It was obvious what had happened.
Bi Sa-yeong, never one to hold back, barked out:
"Oh, come on! What a pathetic lie! A visiting note, when investigating Blood Cultists? Who'd be dumb enough to do that unless they were trying to sabotage the mission? Spit out the truth already!"
At his words, Elder Gyeoljin's face turned as red as it could get.
I nearly laughed but restrained myself, giving Bi Sa-yeong a tap to calm him.
"Hey, Sa-yeong."
But he snapped back irritably:
"What?! That bastard's excuse is ridiculous! Who in their right mind sends a visiting note before an investigation? That's outright obstruction! Only a Blood Cult spy would—don't you agree, Elder Gyeoljin?!"
He turned and boldly addressed her directly, his words sharp as blades.
"To disgrace Emei's honor with such absurd lies—why, even I'm getting angry!"
Elder Gyeoljin's mouth opened and closed several times, unable to form a reply.
Finally she stammered:
"W-who are you people? From what sect do you come, to dare—"
So that was it. She wanted to use the name of Emei to press us down.
I only chuckled and answered easily.
"Us? We're but wandering swordsmen. By chance, while pursuing the Blood Cult, we crossed paths with Ladies Jeong-yeon and Jeong-an and were able to aid them. Circumstances prevent us from revealing more—please understand."
With our identities hidden, her authority was useless.
Elder Gyeoljin's face twisted, rage burning in her eyes.
She turned her fury on Jeong-an and Jeong-yeon instead.
"To accept aid from nameless outsiders—how dare you disgrace the Emei Sect's honor!"
But Bi Sa-yeong cut in cheerfully.
"Ah, don't forget, Elder—we saved your life from those Blood Cult fiends as well. I only mention it since you seemed to have forgotten to thank us. But no worries, no thanks are needed."
"You…!"
She faltered, unable to respond.
For indeed, it was true—we had saved her life as well. She could no longer invoke "honor" against us.
Lady Jeong-yeon and Lady Jeong-hye fought to suppress their smiles.
But Lady Jeong-an burst out laughing openly.
"Hahahaha!"
Truly, she was as unreserved as Bi Sa-yeong himself. They made a strangely fitting pair.
Elder Gyeoljin, fuming, was about to snap at her when Hwa Yeong-bin interjected again.
"If you truly don't mean to hinder the investigation, shouldn't we now focus on finding the missing women?"
"What… what did you say?!"
Elder Gyeoljin glared at him furiously, but after what had already passed, Hwa Yeong-bin clearly no longer intended to show her any respect.
His cold eyes and suffocating aura made her flinch and fall silent.
After that, we thoroughly searched Guanyin Manor.
But as the cult leader had said, nothing remained.
The women had already been moved to Jeonghyeopbang.
Hwa Yeong-bin turned to me.
"If they were moved only yesterday, then perhaps we should strike Jeonghyeopbang immediately. What do you think?"
"Hm…"
If Lady Jeong-in's safety was the only concern, that would indeed be the right course.
But storming Jeonghyeopbang's main base with just our current force… the odds of success were slim.
So I posed the question back to him.
"How many people from the Cheongseong Sect do you expect will come, and when?"
At that, Hwa Yeong-bin's face darkened slightly.
"The numbers aren't an issue. At least twenty peak masters will be sent. The problem is timing. Even if they depart as quickly as possible, it won't be until tomorrow at the earliest. And if the Sect Leader finds my master's plan displeasing, it could be delayed much longer. The Cheongseong Sect may not be as bad as Emei, but it is quite noisy internally as well. But… the reason you ask must be because you think we alone won't be enough, yes?"
I sighed and nodded at his precise guess.
"Yes. Honestly, that's how I see it. If they moved the women because they feared Emei's suspicion, they will be far more heavily guarded than usual."
He let out a heavy sigh.
"You're right. But we cannot afford to waste time either. A small delay could decide Lady Jeong-in's very life…"
Just then, we sensed a group approaching and turned our heads.
Moments later, a procession of about thirty figures appeared.
They were Emei disciples—women.
Recognizing them, Elder Gyeoljin's eyes lit up and she cried out:
"Senior Sister Sect Leader!"
It was none other than Sect Leader Gyeolhan of Emei, accompanied by her close retainers.
Their sudden appearance was completely unexpected.
Overjoyed, Elder Gyeoljin rushed forward. When Sect Leader Gyeolhan asked about the situation, she reported that Guanyin Manor had been a Blood Cult den and that the women had already been moved to Jeonghyeopbang.
Earlier, she had raged at Lady Jeong-hye and blamed her for the disciples' deaths, but now she made no mention of it.
Of course. If she brought it up, it might expose that she had sent a visiting note beforehand, giving the cultists time to relocate the women.
It was obvious.
But none of us mentioned it either. This was not the time for such accusations.
Having listened, Sect Leader Gyeolhan nodded.
"So it is as I thought. Jeonghyeopbang truly is a Blood Cult stronghold. You've done well, Junior Sister Gyeoljin. I hurried here fearing trouble, but I am glad you are safe."
Elder Gyeoljin, looking somewhat awkward, bowed her head in gratitude.
"Thank you for your concern, Sect Leader. Truly, your insight surpasses us all."
It was a strange exchange.
From her words, one might think Sect Leader Gyeolhan had suspected Jeonghyeopbang all along.
Yet everything we had heard until now—especially from Lady Jeong-hye—told a very different story.
Through sound transmission, I asked Lady Jeong-yeon:
— Lady, who are those accompanying the Sect Leader? Are your masters among them?
— No. They're all her closest retainers.
I see. That explained much.
After a brief exchange with Elder Gyeoljin, Sect Leader Gyeolhan turned a cold glare toward Lady Jeong-an and Lady Jeong-yeon.
"You dared to leave without the Sect's permission and caused such trouble. You will not escape punishment. And if Jeong-in is found, she too will face severe discipline!"
I smirked faintly and relayed my deduction to Jeong-yeon via sound transmission.
She smiled ever so slightly, then spoke politely:
"It is true that leaving without permission deserves punishment. But we also uncovered the Blood Cult's presence and Jeonghyeopbang's true nature. Was it not thanks to this that even the Martial Alliance moved to act? Surely that service offsets our offense."
"…What did you say?"
"The Martial Alliance, Sect Leader. Did you not act after receiving their message?"
Sect Leader Gyeolhan did not answer right away.
Her history of siding with Jeonghyeopbang—even accepting tributes from them—was known. For her to suddenly act against them, the reason was obvious.
The Martial Alliance must have contacted her. Likely Brother Sak had reported it.
If the Martial Alliance informed her that Jeonghyeopbang was a Blood Cult den, she would have panicked.
If it came out that she had been accepting tributes all this time, it would be disastrous for her.
So she likely rushed here with only her loyalists, intending to crush Jeonghyeopbang swiftly—both to silence them and to prove she had no ties to them.
Jeong-yeon pressed further.
"Did you perhaps not receive their message? We asked the Alliance envoy to send word to Emei as well. Strange… perhaps we should confirm with him again."
"No! I—I did receive the Alliance's message! But… did you truly meet with one of their envoys?"
"Yes. Not us, but a secret envoy on mission for the Alliance. After hearing our account, he praised us for our great merit."
"I… I see. And where is this envoy now?"
As she asked, her eyes flicked toward us, trying to gauge if we were that envoy.
Following my cue, Jeong-yeon shook her head.
"He is investigating Jeonghyeopbang even now. He said he was probing whether the Blood Cult had formed ties with any other sects."
"I-Is that so…?"
Her face paled. Clearly she had drawn a terrifying conclusion.
Good. She was desperate now.
I sent Hwa Yeong-bin a sound transmission.
He glanced at me, smiled faintly, then addressed Sect Leader Gyeolhan.
"We were just debating whether to storm Jeonghyeopbang to rescue Lady Jeong-in. We must hurry, but with our limited strength, it seems daunting. What does the Sect Leader intend?"
At once, Sect Leader Gyeolhan replied eagerly:
"How could we hesitate when a disciple is in peril? We march to Jeonghyeopbang at once! And since this is Emei's affair, we will no longer rely on outsiders!"
In short, she was telling us not to follow.
Hwa Yeong-bin pressed again, with a regretful look.
"I see. But since this involves the Blood Cult's fiends, would it not be better if we lent what little strength we have?"
Her expression hardened.
"Do you think so little of Emei's strength? That we cannot subdue Jeonghyeopbang ourselves?"
"Of course not. I would never suggest such a thing."
"Then say no more."
She cut him off firmly and turned to her disciples.
"We march on Jeonghyeopbang now! We will slay the Blood Cult and rescue Jeong-in. Time is of the essence—give your utmost!"
"Yes, Sect Leader!"
Then she looked at the earlier investigation unit.
"Junior Sister Gyeoljin, you will accompany me! The rest, Jeong-hye will lead back to the main sect. Jeong-an, Jeong-yeon, you will return as well. Defy my order again and you will be punished even more severely!"
"Yes, Sect Leader."
With that, Sect Leader Gyeolhan quickly departed with her retinue.
She was clearly in great haste.
After they left, Hwa Yeong-bin approached me.
"As you said, it worked. What do you intend to do now?"
I paused to gather my thoughts, then replied.
"First, let's gather some information."
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