Episode 134

After wrapping up matters with the Four Heavenly Killings Sect, I returned to the Hao Sect’s Yibin branch—the place where I had left Jeok Ma-hyeok’s two younger siblings, Jeok Ha-gun and Jeok Ha-yeon.

“Truly, truly, thank you, Gongja. I will repay this debt for as long as I live. Thank you so much.”

Those were the words Jeok Ma-hyeok had uttered through tears and sobs, kneeling before me as I extracted the poison from his siblings’ bodies.

The sect leader of the Four Heavenly Killings Sect, a man named Il-sal, turned out to be far easier to deal with than I had expected.

Though I had only taken him to the third stage of the Bone-Crushing Pain technique, he was already bawling his eyes out, sniffling and begging to cooperate with anything I asked.

“Ahhh! Stop! Please, just stop! I’ll do anything! Anything you want! Aaaah!”

So, I smiled brightly and said to him,

“Come on now, that’s a lie. Surely the leader of a killing sect wouldn’t be so spineless.”

Then, I slowly pushed him further—through the fourth and fifth stages—and began questioning him.

That’s when a flood of information started pouring out.

The details were varied: the poison they fed to sect disciples like Jeok Ma-hyeok, the hidden treasures and elixirs he possessed, and even information about their clients.

They trained their disciples so ruthlessly that they wouldn’t even let out a scream when dying, yet the leader himself showed a pitiful lack of resolve.

Greedy men rarely hold themselves to strict standards.

Moved, I looked at the three siblings, who were now embracing each other and crying, and suddenly spoke to the man standing beside me.

“You’ll have the poison removed in ten years. Does that seem unfair?”

The man, who had been standing expressionless like a rock, met my gaze with deep eyes and replied,

“If you keep your promise, I wouldn’t mind if you never remove it at all.”

He was Gyeon Jung, the Second Elder of the Four Heavenly Killings Sect.

Though he hadn’t reached the pinnacle of mastery, he exuded a far more threatening aura than even the top experts.

When Jeok Ma-hyeok had told me about the Four Heavenly Killings Sect, he described this man as follows:

“The Second Elder is like a blade. He carries out the sect leader’s orders without question, showing no emotion. He does only exactly what he’s told, like a tool without feelings. I’ve never really connected with him, but I suspect he suppressed his emotions himself to endure this life as an assassin. I once caught a glimpse of sorrow in his eyes when he saw children captured by the sect.”

That was why I decided not to kill Gyeon Jung.

After I struck him with my sword and he briefly lost consciousness, he saw that I had already subdued the sect leader and taken the medicine that delayed the poison’s effects. He then willingly agreed to follow me.

Like a blade that didn’t care who wielded it.

At that moment, I promised him that if he worked for me for ten years, I would set him free.

“If you serve under me, you won’t have to seal away your emotions yourself. For now, you’ll have to use your assassin skills, but soon you’ll walk in the light as a warrior, proud of who you are.”

I said this because I had once heard the feelings of my older brother Sak Mu-heun from the Shadow Division. I suspected this man’s heart was similar.

He didn’t respond, but I think I saw a fierce spark of emotion in his eyes for the first time.

He truly was a warrior at heart.

A little later, the three Jeok Ma-hyeok siblings, having stopped crying, all pledged their loyalty to me.

“Gongja! Please allow me to follow you! Though my skills are lacking, I will devote my entire being to you!”

“Me too! I want to follow you alongside my brother!”

“…I ask the same.”

I had expected this, but it still warmed my heart.

Hiding my joy behind a serious expression, I gave them their first order.

“My first command is—”

They looked at me with determined eyes, as if ready to follow me into hell itself.

I smiled inwardly and continued.

“Take the elixir.”

“Yes, Gongja! The elixir…?”

“…The elixir.”

“…”

The sect leader, true to his greedy nature, had hoarded a massive stockpile of elixirs in his warehouse but rarely distributed them to his disciples.

Even Gyeon Jung, the Second Elder and the sect’s strongest, hadn’t yet reached the first level of internal energy. It seemed they deliberately kept their disciples from breaking through the pinnacle barrier.

“What use is giving orders to someone who hasn’t even reached the first level of internal energy? From now on, everyone will focus on raising their internal energy.”

As they exchanged uneasy glances, the younger brother Jeok Ma-gun cautiously asked,

“We’re grateful for your words, but I’ve heard that suddenly filling one’s internal energy with elixirs risks possession by demons…”

I smiled and answered,

“There’s a way to overcome that, so don’t worry.”

Who would have thought I’d be thanking the Blood Cult? Living long enough, I guess.

I also took note of Jeok Ha-gun, the boy who had just spoken up.

The twins, Jeok Ha-yeon and Jeok Ha-gun, had come along as little more than appendages to Jeok Ma-hyeok.

So I hadn’t expected much, but their talents seemed exceptional.

For eighteen-year-olds who had only received assassin training, their senses and skills were quite impressive.

I found myself eager to nurture these promising talents.

They immediately took the elixir and entered a state of energy cultivation.

Using the Martial Heart Method I had recently taught them.

The Martial Heart Technique was a secret method from the Thousand Killings Scroll I had memorized in the Seonwoo family’s study. Though it was an assassin’s technique, it was far superior to many advanced mental arts.

It was useless to me, having mastered the Infinite Void Skill, but it would surely be a tremendous help to these assassins.

I planned to have them learn the Thousand Killings Sect’s assassin secret techniques.

For assassins like Gyeon Jung and Jeok Ma-hyeok, who had already reached a high level, just mastering these techniques would likely boost their abilities significantly.

And in the long run, I intended to teach them proper martial arts, so they could become warriors who made a name for themselves in the light.

Since they were my first direct subordinates in this life, I wanted to give them everything I could.

I was already looking forward to how much they would grow.

But that was a matter for the future. For now, I needed to meet again with the Yibin branch chief of the Hao Sect.

I wanted to get information about the Hao Sect in Guizhou Province, which I had previously requested from the Yeongnam branch chief.

And while I was at it, I hoped to gather some intel on the Seonwoo family.

He explained the current situation in Guizhou Province with a grave expression.

“…So it seems the internal strife has mostly been resolved.”

According to their investigation, the Hao Sect in Guizhou had been embroiled in internal conflict until recently.

And now, it had been settled.

But in the worst possible way.

“On the side of the Blood Cult, right?”

“…Yes.”

I sighed deeply at his words.

He, too, couldn’t meet my eyes and seemed restless.

“B-But there are still disciples opposing them. Not only the current Hao Sect leader in Guizhou but also his followers have gone into hiding. If we can make contact with them, we can definitely drive out the Blood Cult’s forces.”

“…But I heard the current Hao Sect leader is also part of the Blood Cult.”

“W-Well, yes, but…”

From what I gathered, here’s the rough situation:

Unlike the Small-Faced Demon Army in Sichuan Province, the Blood Cult’s infiltrators in Guizhou chose to seize control of the Hao Sect from within, rather than establishing a new sect openly.

So, unlike other provinces where branches formed loose alliances, Guizhou’s Hao Sect became a centralized structure under a single leader.

That leader was a Blood Cult infiltrator whose identity was unknown.

But the strange part came next.

For some reason, the newly arrived Blood Cult members clashed with the existing Blood Cult leadership within the Hao Sect.

And the victors were the newcomers.

“Thanks for stirring up the internal strife… but why does this feel so off?”

I suspected these new Blood Cult members were remnants of the Justice Alliance who had been driven out of Sichuan.

But that alone didn’t explain everything.

“Considering that the Small-Faced Demon Army’s leader was Sa Won-yang, Guizhou wouldn’t have been an easy target. At least, they would have had a master as strong as Ji Gwang-ok of the Blood Demon Army. Yet these newcomers defeated someone who had already built their own power base? What the hell…”

I swallowed hard without realizing it.

I had a feeling some monstrous power was lurking beneath the surface.

Suddenly, the faces of Cheol Shin-gwangma Cheok Gang and Gu Yu-eumma Ji Gi-eum from the Justice Alliance flashed through my mind.

Monsters who looked down on countless masters from Cheongseong and Dangmun.

“I doubt such heavy hitters would be sent to just the Hao Sect in Guizhou…”

Still, my unease didn’t fade.

“I’m suddenly scared to return to the Seonwoo family.”

If I went back this time, I wouldn’t just be paying a quick visit to my father.

The Seonwoo family’s situation was just as chaotic as Guizhou’s.

Moreover, considering how many from the Seonwoo family had been infiltrated by the Blood Cult in my past life, I couldn’t be sure the Blood Cult’s influence hadn’t spread there as well.

So, I expected that returning to the Seonwoo family would inevitably bring me into contact with the Blood Cult’s forces.

The Yibin branch chief said this about the Seonwoo family.

“The Sunwoo family is like a balance scale, currently held steady by the family head, Sunwoo Jung, the Great Hero. Actually, to be precise, it’s more like a three-armed scale. It may seem balanced now, but the moment the weight tips to one side, the whole thing will collapse.”

I hadn’t known this before, but apparently the Sunwoo family had nearly fallen apart once in the past.

When my father was young, a major conflict broke out, and all the family’s top fighters were killed.

At that time, my father was pushed into becoming the family head at a very young age. To maintain the family’s position among the Eight Great Houses of Gwiyang, he apparently chose to bring in outside support.

“The most threatening force to the Sunwoo family back then was the Ha family, who were also based in Gwiyang. So, my father protected the Sunwoo family by marrying into the Ha family’s daughter.”

The Ha family was one of the Eight Great Houses of Gwiyang and also the maternal family of my second older brother, Sunwoo Hyuk.

I felt a bit foolish realizing only now the true reason behind that marriage.

I asked him suddenly.

“So, the Gaeyang Sect, which is my eldest brother’s maternal family, was brought in to keep the Ha family in check?”

“Yes, that’s how we see it.”

The Gaeyang Sect, my eldest brother Sunwoo Seong’s maternal family, was a sect located in Gaeyang, near Gwiyang. Though a mid-level sect not part of the Eight Great Houses, their smaller size was balanced by the fact that my eldest brother was the first son with the first wife, making them a counterweight to the Ha family.

But it didn’t end there.

My fourth younger brother Sunwoo Gi’s maternal family was the Seogidang of Dokyun, and my fifth brother Yeonha’s maternal family was the Un family of Geumsa.

All these were sects located in different regions but centered around the Sunwoo family.

“So, what about Seogidang and the Un family?”

When I asked, Deputy Chief Uibin avoided my gaze and spoke hesitantly.

“…Originally, Great Hero Sunwoo Jung had a lover. But for the sake of the Sunwoo family, he had no choice but to take her as his third wife.”

The third wife.

He was talking about my mother.

And she had passed away shortly after I was born.

But now, to hear her mentioned…

Deputy Chief Uibin continued cautiously.

“The relationship between the first and second wives was not good. Both had sons and both wanted to control the Sunwoo family. But according to rumors at the time… they seemed to unite only when dealing with the third wife.”

I squeezed my eyes shut.

I understood immediately.

My mother, originally my father’s lover but without any family background, and the first and second wives, both known for their ruthless personalities.

I could almost see the scene in my mind.

“The cause of the third wife’s death was never made public. But from what we can tell….”

He trailed off.

But I knew exactly what he meant.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself.

Nothing was certain yet.

Whether those women had killed my mother, or whether they had been jealous of her as my father’s lover and treated me harshly because of it.

Still, a fierce flame was rising inside me after a long time.

“After the third wife passed away, the conflict between the first and second wives only intensified. So, our theory is…”

“They deliberately divided the power further. If it’s a multi-party struggle instead of just two sides, no one can move recklessly.”

“Yes, that’s our assumption.”

I sighed deeply.

I barely remembered my mother.

She had died too early for even my good memory to hold onto her.

But I could imagine well enough.

How cruelly those women who treated me harshly when I was just a child must have treated my mother.

How hard her life must have been, without a single family background.

And I could guess the weight my father had carried.

How he endured the influence of outside forces trying to control the family, sacrificing his own identity as Sunwoo Jung and living only as the family head.

I muttered to myself.

“There’s a lot to do.”

It certainly seemed that way.

When I visited the Sunwoo family this time.

After a long moment lost in thought, I looked at Deputy Chief Uibin’s heavy expression and spoke again.

“I have a favor to ask.”

“Yes, Young Master. Please say it.”

“Could you deliver two letters for me?”

“Of course. To whom should I deliver them?”

“One is for the Sacheon Sect. The other is…”

---

In the dark night, in the underground chamber of a large inn.

“Aaaargh!”

“Ughhh!”

Countless people were bleeding and dying all around.

It was a massacre.

Enemies had formed a tight encirclement, slowly killing people and tightening the noose.

They smiled coldly, toying with their prey like rats trapped in a jar.

Then, from among those trapped in the center of the encirclement, a middle-aged man who seemed to be their leader shouted fiercely.

“What is this, Young Master?! We swore to follow you!”

At his shout, the center of the encirclement parted slightly, and a young man walked in slowly.

Despite the dim light, his handsome face seemed to glow.

He spoke in a cold voice.

“First, the crime of cooperating with Sonanso and only managing the Haowon Sect, despite being entrusted by the Supreme One with the great task of uniting the Blood Sect. Second, the crime of failing to capture and hiding the criminal Sonanso. Third, the crime of losing trust because of all these actions.”

He stopped and asked with a chilling gaze.

“Do you need more reasons, Gong Daegak?”

Then, Gong Daegak, the eldest of the Blood Sect’s Four Heads, gritted his teeth and shouted.

“You’re mistaken! The Witch planned to move from the shadows into the light, not be lazy! Besides, we truly don’t know where the Witch is!”

But the young man, known as the Number One Young Master of Sacheon, Baek Ok Ji-ryong Gu Yusang, scoffed.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’ve been wasting time helping orphans and sympathizing with courtesans’ grievances, and you call that not being lazy?”

Gong Daegak shouted desperately.

“We were orphans too! Helping children in the same situation isn’t wrong! And by doing so, we could expand the Blood Sect’s influence…!”

“Shut up! Do you think the Supreme One sent you to waste precious time and manpower on that nonsense?! No more words! Pay for your crimes with your lives!”

Gu Yusang’s cold command changed the expressions of Gong Daegak and the Four Heads to icy stares.

“Hmph! The Witch said the Blood Demon wants to cleanse the old generation like us. Just as we dealt with the Small-Faced Demon Army, we’ll be dealt with too. The Witch’s insight was spot on! We should have followed her and escaped earlier!”

The Four Heads, resolved to fight, began to radiate powerful energy.

Gong Daegak, with over ninety years of internal energy, and his two younger brothers, each with over eighty years, were formidable.

Gong Daegak shouted.

“You brat! We treated you like the reincarnation of the Blood Demon, but you act like you really are the Blood Demon! Do you think the Four Heads will be so easily defeated by someone like you?!”

Then, two Blood Heads standing beside Gu Yusang spoke fiercely.

“How dare the Four Heads speak of the Supreme One like that, Young Master! Leave this to us! We, Chuk Hotak of the Underworld Blood Victory and No Josong the Man-Eating Demon, will tear those bastards apart!”

“Leave it to us, Young Master!”

The two beside Gu Yusang were Chuk Hotak and No Josong, Blood Heads with supreme skill and over ninety years of internal energy.

They could easily handle the Four Heads.

But Gu Yusang smiled faintly, turned around, and said.

“May I ask Uncle Hwa for a favor?”

Then, from behind him, a handsome young man appeared, fanning himself and yawning as he walked out slowly.

“Haam, if it’s Yusang’s request, I have to help. But after dealing with those guys, can I go back right away? I found some very pretty girls upstairs.”

He looked to be in his early thirties, dressed more like a refined scholar than a warrior.

But Chuk Hotak and No Josong bowed respectfully and stepped aside, while the Four Heads whispered in shock.

“Ta, Tam Hwa Saekma Hwa Sayu?”

Tam Hwa Saekma Hwa Sayu.

He was one of the Five Demons of the Blood Sect, alongside Cheol Sin Gwangma Cheokgang and Gu Yuumma Jigi-eum, ranked among the Thirty-Six Stars of the World as an overwhelmingly powerful master.

And here he was, appearing alongside Gu Yusang.