Chapter 112

As we walked along the path, Dang Sojeo, who had been lost in deep thought for a while, suddenly asked me,
“Do you really think it’s the right thing to rescue that person, Do Munseung? I can’t help but feel sympathy for his situation, and from what I saw of him, he seemed too valuable a person to just let die… But still, if summoning disciples from neighboring sects like this is a tradition here, shouldn’t we respect that as well?”

I could understand her dilemma perfectly.
It seemed that the Sucheonhoe had been protecting this region through such methods for ages, which explained why they still enjoyed widespread support.
So, no matter how pitiful Do Munseung’s circumstances were, it was natural to question whether helping him was truly the right thing to do.

After gathering my thoughts, I answered cautiously.
“This is just my opinion, but I think the Sucheonhoe’s role in guarding this area isn’t so much a noble sacrifice as it is an unspoken agreement.”

“An agreement?” she echoed.

“Yes. The local sects provide the Sucheonhoe with funds and disciples, and in return, the Sucheonhoe ensures their safety. It’s like a contract.”

Dang Sojeo nodded, as if she understood.
“Ah, I suppose you could look at it that way.”

“Exactly. From that perspective, both sides have boundaries they must respect. The sects must maintain their trust so the Sucheonhoe’s strength doesn’t weaken, and the Sucheonhoe must ensure the sects’ safety isn’t compromised. In this case, I believe the Sucheonhoe has failed in that regard.”

She repeated my words thoughtfully.
“The Sucheonhoe must protect the sects’ safety. But this time, they recklessly summoned Do Munseung even at the risk of endangering the Yeongnam Sword Sect?”

“Yes, that’s right. The Sucheonhoe, who should be safeguarding the sects, has instead become a threat to Yeongnam Sword Sect’s security. So from Yeongnam’s perspective, why should they obey Sucheonhoe’s orders?”

“Hmm.”

Seeing her fall into thought again, I gave her another example.
“Isn’t it the same with our own front lines? We came here to fight the Blood Cult to protect our families and sects. But if the Martial Alliance, which created the front, threatens our families or sects, is there really any reason to defend the front? Whether it’s the Martial Alliance or the Blood Cult, if they threaten our loved ones, they’re both enemies.”

Dang Sojeo didn’t yet know what the Amyeong Unit had been doing—how former operatives were being killed not by the Blood Cult, but by the Martial Alliance.
I had considered telling her, but I hesitated, mindful of her position within the Sacheon Dang Sect.
From what I’d seen during the Jeonghyeopbang incident, the Sacheon Dang Sect was clearly under heavy influence from the Martial Alliance.

She nodded slowly, seeming to accept my reasoning, but her eyes still held worry.
“I think you’re right, Seonwoo Gongja. But I’m still cautious—aren’t we breaking rules or traditions by doing this?”

I nodded in understanding.
Given her obedient nature toward her family and elders, it made sense that she’d feel burdened by the thought of breaking established rules and traditions.

After a moment, I continued.
“Rules and traditions exist for a reason, don’t they? But if we become so fixated on the rules themselves, without understanding their purpose, it’s like staring at the finger pointing at the moon and missing the moon entirely.”

I shared an example I’d read once.
“In some parts of the Western Regions, there’s a rule that women must never show their faces in public.”

She looked puzzled.
“Women’s faces? Why?”

“That rule was created when bandits were rampant and lawlessness prevailed, to protect women from harm. The problem is, even now, in safe cities, they still enforce it as tradition. If a woman shows her face, it’s said she can be killed without blame.”

Dang Sojeo’s expression twisted in disbelief.
“What? It was supposed to protect women, but they kill them just for showing their faces? That’s absurd!”

I chuckled softly.
“Exactly. It’s nonsense. I think this happens when people cling to words or rules without understanding the fundamental reasons behind them. And it’s not just faraway places—this happens around us too. There are many rules and traditions we follow without knowing why. That’s why I believe this situation is the Sucheonhoe’s fault, and why I want to help Do Munseung.”

Her face brightened with understanding, and she nodded enthusiastically.
“I see now. Thanks to you, Seonwoo Gongja, everything’s clear. Helping Do Munseung isn’t wrong after all.”

Her warm smile made me smile in return.
Dang Sojeo wasn’t as wise as Cheongyeon Sojeo, but she was quick to understand and open-minded. She had a way of making those she spoke with feel at ease.

And… though I hadn’t told her, there was another reason I felt compelled to get involved in this matter.
It was because of Mak Woojeon, the leader of the Sucheonhoe, known as the Ascending Heaven Swordsman.

When Dang Sojeo first mentioned his name, I suddenly remembered hearing it in my previous life.
Though back then, he wasn’t called the Ascending Heaven Swordsman.

“He was known as the Thousand-Slaying Demon Sword Mak Woojeon—an infamous sword ghost who razed southern Sichuan and slaughtered countless people.”

After the front collapsed and I returned to the Seonwoo family, he had already become a blood demon’s pawn, repeating massacres endlessly.
I’d heard rumors that he was once a righteous sect member, which must have been the Sucheonhoe.

Dang Sojeo said his martial prowess was roughly at the ‘superlative’ level, which meant he was on par with the likes of Hwa Youngbin, the Red Crane Sword, or Chief Seolpung Jo.

But in my past life, he was far stronger.
“Back then, his martial skill was no less than Cheolshin Gwangma Cheokgang’s. He was even called the Blood Demon’s Demon Sword.”

Cheolshin Gwangma Cheokgang.
In my previous life, Mak Woojeon was a formidable figure, comparable to Cheokgang, who had recently overwhelmed the elite of Cheongseongpa and Dangmun single-handedly.

So the current Mak Woojeon, who hadn’t even reached the superlative level, was destined to break through several barriers in the coming years and rise to become one of the Thirty-Six Stars of the Martial World.

But that seemed impossible.
“Does that even make sense?”

No, it didn’t.
There had to be some extraordinary event or fateful encounter in between.

I had a feeling.
That Mak Woojeon’s secret was somehow connected to this incident.

Of course, logically, helping Do Munseung escape shouldn’t have anything to do with Mak Woojeon’s secret.
But some inexplicable intuition told me otherwise—that through this, I could get closer to uncovering Mak Woojeon’s secret.

And I was never one to ignore my instincts.
In my past life, it was this kind of gut feeling that helped me survive until the front collapsed, despite my limited martial skill.

Just then, Dang Sojeo looked up at a pavilion ahead and asked,
“Seonwoo Gongja, why are we standing in front of this pavilion?”

Snapping out of my thoughts, I realized we had arrived at the entrance of a lavish pavilion.
A sign above read ‘Yeollakru.’

I gave her a quick smile and answered,
“Oh, this is the Hao Gate branch in Yeongnam, Sichuan Province. I asked Jeom Soi about its location earlier. So, we’re not just at a pavilion—we’re at the Hao Gate branch. Haha.”

She blinked in surprise.
“The Hao Gate branch?”

“Yes. We’ll probably be treated quite well here.”

“Why would Hao Gate treat us well?”

She looked confused, so I smiled confidently.

A little later, we were seated at a large table that could fit about ten people, surrounded by an array of exquisite dishes.
It was the finest feast I’d seen since my days as a pig in the Seonwoo family.

Dang Sojeo looked overwhelmed, her expression blank.

I relaxed and said to the man sitting across from me,
“You really didn’t have to go to such lengths to treat us.”

The middle-aged man, the head of the Hao Gate’s Yeongnam branch and the pavilion’s steward, bowed politely.
“Not at all. Everyone at the Hao Gate branch in Sichuan knows the great debt we owe Seonwoo Gongja. We feel it’s a shame to offer anything less than this.”

A debt, huh…
Though it was more accurate to say they had me on a leash, cooperating in exchange for turning a blind eye to their collusion with the Blood Cult.

Still, I wasn’t about to complain about the hospitality.

As I ate, I asked,
“How is Brother Hwa doing?”

He bowed again respectfully.
“Red Crane Sword Hwa Youngbin is still tirelessly rooting out the remaining Blood Cult forces lurking in Sichuan. Thanks to his dedication, the Blood Cult remnants here have been nearly eradicated. Our Hao Gate estimates that almost ninety percent have been wiped out.”

“Oh, that’s impressive.”

They were confident that nearly all of the Blood Sect had been wiped out.

Leaving even a single member alive was probably just a precaution for unforeseen circumstances, which made his proud expression all the more understandable.

I smiled and said to him,
“Thank you for your hard work. Hao Men’s contribution has been significant.”

“Not at all. If anyone deserves credit, it’s the great warriors Hua and Xianwu,” he replied humbly.

After exchanging some pleasantries, we quickly moved on to the main topic.

“I’d like to get some information about the Thousand Meetings and the Swordmaster Mak Woo-jun. Also, there are a few items I need to acquire.”

“Of course! Please, tell me what you need.”

He then shared what he knew about the Thousand Meetings, and as expected, the situation was quite suspicious.

It was clear that recently, they had been forcibly recruiting warriors from nearby sects.

The reason given was the recent spike in casualties, but the locations of these deaths were strange.

“Up north?” I asked.

According to Hao Men’s intelligence, the deaths were happening far to the north—completely unrelated to the southern front lines or the eastern region where the Six Ghost Hall of Guizhou Province was located.

It made no sense.

“Yes. They tried to cover it up, but when we verified, the bodies were definitely coming from the north. What’s odd is that there have been no notable clashes between sects in the north—except for the incident between the Zheng Xiefang and the Mountain Sword Sect.”

It was definitely suspicious.

I, more than anyone, knew that the Thousand Meetings had nothing to do with the Zheng Xiefang incident.

So how could there be so many deaths without any significant event?

A thought crossed my mind:
“Could it be that the Blood Sect has already infiltrated them?”

From what I knew in my previous life, Mak Woo-jun had fallen under the Blood Demon’s control around the time the front lines collapsed.

But maybe, contrary to what was known, that situation had already come to pass.

I fixed a sharp gaze on Yueluo Luju and asked,
“Have you found any connection to the Blood Sect?”

He looked at me with a heavy expression for a moment before answering,
“I can’t say with absolute certainty. But we believe, with over 90% confidence, that there’s no link to the Blood Sect.”

“Hmm.”

Over 90%, huh…

He wouldn’t say 100%, but it was clear he wanted to assure me it was almost impossible.

If he was that certain, I figured it was best to take his word for it.

“Then, no other information from Hao Men’s side?”

“…No, I’m sorry.”

Though a bit disappointed, I nodded as if to say it was fine.

Not having concrete information was unfortunate, but the fact that so many were dying and Hao Men still couldn’t get any intel—maintaining such tight security—was itself suspicious.

It was definitely worth investigating.

“Well, I think we’ve gathered enough information. Can we now get the items I requested?”

“Yes, please tell me what you need.”

At his question, I glanced quietly at Tang Soje, who had been listening nearby.

She looked back at me with wide eyes, as if wondering why I was staring.

I chuckled softly at her adorable expression and said to Luju,
“First, I’d like two Infi Face Masks, and if you can get me a decent pair of twin swords right away, that would be great. Also…”

Tang Soje’s surprised voice interrupted,
“Infi Face Masks?”

I smiled and explained,
“Even if the opponent isn’t the Thousand Meetings but the Tang family, as long as they don’t know who we are, that’s what matters.”

Yueluo Luju promptly brought the requested items.

Given Hao Men’s extensive connections with the Black Blades, it seemed easy for them to procure Infi Face Masks, weapons, and other requested goods.

After paying, I stood up.

“Thank you, Luju.”

“Not at all. I’m sorry we couldn’t be of more help.”

He bowed politely, giving off an air of trustworthiness.

But as the branch chief of Hao Men, trusting only what was visible could leave one vulnerable to a serious betrayal.

So I gave him one last warning.

“Just a word of caution—I hope no information about us ends up being sold elsewhere. Especially not to the Blood Sect.”

He flinched slightly but smiled and said,
“That would never happen. Our Sichuan branches will never cooperate with the Blood Sect again. I also promise that no information about the great warrior Xianwu will ever be traded.”

At that moment, I noticed something in his expression.

That subtle flicker of unease.

It was the second time.

Since arriving here, I had been carefully watching his face.

And I caught that very brief, almost imperceptible awkwardness—right when he emphasized the Sichuan Hao Men branch.

“Sichuan Hao Men branch,” he said.

The term “Hao Men branch” was broad, so what he was really stressing was the narrower scope of “Sichuan.”

A faint energy began to radiate outward.

Whoosh!

I fixed my gaze on him and asked again,
“And… do you know that while the one who commits a crime is the main culprit, those who know and do nothing are accomplices? I hope Hao Men will never become an accomplice, especially if it means covering up mistakes.”

He looked at me, confused, as if not understanding what I meant.

“Excuse me? I don’t… I don’t understand…”

But once again, I clearly saw his eyes tremble.

This time, the reaction was even more pronounced.