Episode 67
Fortunately, Bisasung’s body wasn’t seriously injured.
It seemed he had only been subjected to acupuncture after losing consciousness.
Relieved, I released the bloodletting and then gave that annoying head of his a hard smack with my palm.
“Hey, you little—!”
Smack!
“Ah! What the—?!”
The blow to his head immediately brought him to his senses.
He stared blankly at my face for a moment, then suddenly seemed to remember something. He frantically looked around and shouted,
“Th-this place… Jin? Ah! The Georyeokma, the Georyeokma!”
But it didn’t take long for his eyes to land on the corpse of the Georyeokma.
“The Georyeokma… it’s dead?”
Watching him mutter in shock, Brother Sak spoke up.
“According to Seonwoo Soje, a reclusive master suddenly appeared, slaughtered only the Georyeokma, and vanished just as quickly.”
But I couldn’t help but notice Brother Sak’s eyes flicker toward me as he said that.
What was I supposed to do?
I was the one who killed it, but I wasn’t the one who killed it.
Bisasung, completely oblivious to the tension between us, just gasped in admiration.
“Oh! So that’s what happened! I saw that guy using even Ganghwan earlier, and yet he took down the Georyeokma in an instant?! The martial world is vast, and there are many extraordinary people!”
He wasn’t wrong, but still…
It was embarrassing.
Anyway, we went to where Brother Sak had brought Jeongyeon Soje and joined her. Thanks to her, we were able to rescue four other women as well.
There was another Amipa disciple and three ordinary women imprisoned there.
What struck me most was that all of them were stunningly beautiful.
Amipa is a sect of Buddhist nuns, but unlike other nun sects like Hangsanpa or Geomgak, they don’t force their disciples to cut their hair. In fact, with the sect’s permission, some even marry.
So when I first saw Jeongyeon Soje, I never guessed she was an Amipa disciple—I just thought she was a beauty.
But after seeing the other women held captive, I realized they were even more beautiful than Jeongyeon Soje.
Bisasung whispered to me through telepathy.
Huh? Is that how it works?
They left the prettiest for last?
At that moment, another rescued Amipa disciple tearfully reunited with Jeongyeon Soje, sharing their joy before wiping her tears and greeting us.
“I’m Jeongan of Amipa! Thank you for saving us!”
Despite still weak from prolonged acupuncture, she was spirited and bright.
Compared to Jeongyeon Soje, who seemed calm enough to stay composed even if the sky fell, Jeongan appeared even more energetic.
She was also probably the last one to be taken out among the women, judging by her beauty.
Bisasung seemed so impressed by her looks that his face flushed slightly, and he avoided eye contact.
I found it amusing and sent him a telepathic message.
Bisasung shot me a glare and replied,
Huh?
What’s that supposed to mean?
You weren’t bothered by Ha Soje or Dang Soje because they were too pretty, but this one’s less pretty, so you’re bothered?
No matter how I looked at it, that was a dangerous thing to say. I wanted to tease him, but for my friend’s sake, I let it go.
After that, we asked the women why they had been captured by the Blood Sect’s demon heads.
Jeongyeon and Jeongan’s answer contained startling information.
“What? You were investigating Jeonghyeopbang?”
They nodded with angry eyes.
“Yes. We had received reports that women—both martial artists and civilians—were disappearing. While investigating, we discovered that these disappearances were somehow connected to Jeonghyeopbang…”
As soon as they realized Jeonghyeopbang was involved, they were attacked by unknown masters and kidnapped.
They were then transported here by the Georyeokma group after being held captive and subjected to acupuncture.
I hurriedly asked,
“Then you didn’t know that those people were from the Blood Sect, or that the leader was Georyeokma Jeo Ungwon?”
Both nodded.
“No, we had no idea. The Blood Sect’s demon heads suddenly appearing so far from the front lines was unexpected.”
We exchanged glances and said,
“This seems like undeniable proof.”
“Yeah, I’m more than eighty percent sure. The Blood Sect’s forward base is…”
Before I could finish, all three of us said in unison,
“Jeonghyeopbang.”
“So it was Jeonghyeopbang.”
“Jeonghyeopbang, indeed.”
I clenched my fist.
We had finally found the Blood Sect’s forward base.
If we could expose and destroy it now, it could change everything—completely altering the outcome from my past life.
It might even prevent the massive forced marriage crisis that my Seonwoo family and most of Guizhou’s sects had to endure.
Suddenly, the faces of the Seonwoo family members who had become puppets of the Blood Sect and attacked me—and whom I had to kill with my own hands—flashed through my mind.
I gritted my teeth and vowed,
This time, I would stop it!
Thanks to the Amipa Soje, exposing this truth to the world wouldn’t be too difficult.
Besides Jeongyeon and Jeongan, there were still disciples held captive in Jeonghyeopbang.
And not just ordinary disciples, but some more important ones.
“Amigumbong Jeongin Soje?”
“Yes, she’s considered the future leader of Amipa. She’s still imprisoned there.”
That was unfortunate, but having such a disciple captive meant Amipa would surely put their full effort into this.
If one of the great sects like Amipa committed fully, Jeonghyeopbang’s fate was sealed.
With hope, I told them,
“Then you should return to Amipa quickly and report on Jeonghyeopbang and Jeongin Soje. That’s the only way to rescue her.”
They exchanged heavy looks and reluctantly nodded.
“Yes, that’s what we must do.”
Huh?
Their answer felt off.
We exchanged puzzled glances and cautiously asked,
“Is there a problem? Why do you look so troubled?”
Jeongan sighed deeply before speaking.
“Well…”
But Jeongyeon cut her off.
“Sister, no!”
Then she apologized to us.
“Sorry. It’s a sect matter, so it’s difficult to speak freely.”
A sect matter…
So there was some kind of problem.
My head spun.
If Amipa didn’t come forward to reveal the truth and pressure Jeonghyeopbang, we’d be in trouble.
We couldn’t fight a huge sect like Jeonghyeopbang alone—not like with smaller sects like Sangeommun or the Woon family.
But since it was a sect matter, we couldn’t press them for details. It was frustrating.
At that moment, Bisasung glanced at my expression and suddenly spoke up.
“Jeongyeon Soje, we have no interest in your sect’s internal issues. But this involves the Blood Sect’s demon heads, doesn’t it? Are you really going to ignore this as an Amipa disciple?”
Huh? Suddenly?
Bisasung’s blunt, almost accusatory tone caught me off guard.
Jeongyeon looked even more flustered.
“W-what?”
“Isn’t that right? We risked our lives to save you, and you say it’s just your sect’s problem and want to ignore the Blood Sect’s demon heads?”
“N-no, I’m not saying we want to ignore it.”
“Then what do you mean?”
“W-well…”
Jeongyeon seemed about to speak but hesitated, exchanging a troubled look with Jeongan.
Then Jeongan said,
“Soje, I agree with our benefactor. It doesn’t seem right for an Amipa disciple to stay silent about a matter involving the Blood Sect’s demon heads just because it’s an internal sect issue.”
Jeongan was refreshingly straightforward.
Meanwhile, I telepathically asked Bisasung,
He smiled slightly and replied,
Ah, so that’s how it is.
Still, it was impressive that he could say that to Soje, whom we’d just met.
Typical Bisasung, always pushing boundaries.
Finally, Jeongyeon sighed and began to speak.
“Sigh… It can’t be helped. This will expose some of the sect’s dirty laundry, but I’ll be honest with you. From what I expect, even if we report this, the sect probably won’t turn hostile toward the Jeonghyeop faction or take any action.”
That was a strange thing to say.
I furrowed my brow and asked, “I don’t understand. You said earlier that Jeongin Sojeo of the Ami Sword Peak is being held captive, right? And this involves the Blood Sect’s leaders. Yet you’re saying the Ami faction won’t move?”
Jeongyeon Sojeo nodded gravely in response.
She went on to explain.
Apparently, the current leadership of the Ami faction is fractured into several factions.
Among them, those who hold real power are individuals aligned with the Mu-rim Alliance and the Jeonghyeop faction.
“Aligned with the Mu-rim Alliance and Jeonghyeop faction?” I repeated.
“Yes. They prioritize maintaining good relations with the Mu-rim Alliance, but for some reason, they also keep close ties with the Jeonghyeop faction. In fact, not long ago, when Jeongin Sojeo criticized the Jeonghyeop faction for threatening the Ami faction, he was reprimanded.”
It was one thing to be close to the Mu-rim Alliance, but the fact that those aligned with the Alliance were also friendly with the Jeonghyeop faction was telling.
Could it be that the Mu-rim Alliance already knew the Jeonghyeop faction was a forward base for the Blood Sect?
No way, could it really be that deep?
Recalling what I knew about the Ami faction, I began to understand their situation.
Come to think of it, the Ami faction was the only sect among those who participated in the recent Jeonghyeol Great Battle whose disciples were completely wiped out.
Other sects from Sichuan Province, like Cheongseong and Dangmun, or those from Guizhou and Guangxi, didn’t suffer such heavy losses. But the Ami faction lost every single disciple—none returned.
The Mu-rim Alliance had held grand memorials, praising the Ami faction’s sacrifice as noble.
But Jeongyeon Sojeo gave a hollow smile and said, “They held grand memorials all over the Mu-rim, but in reality, they didn’t provide any support. No aid that could have improved our situation.”
The Ami faction had lost more than half of the disciples who were supposed to be the heart of the sect’s present and future.
Not just the ordinary disciples, but even the leadership suffered heavy losses.
As a result, factions that were previously on the sidelines rose to prominence, leading to internal chaos.
And this turmoil had dragged on for over ten years.
So, the Ami faction was just a shell of an old sect, one of the Three Great Powers of Sichuan Province in name only. In reality, they had long been surpassed by the Jeonghyeop faction.
That was her bitter confession.
I had no idea.
I never imagined the Ami faction’s situation was so dire.
Suddenly, a thought struck me, and I asked her, “Then is that why those aligned with the Mu-rim Alliance hold the real power now?”
Jeongyeon Sojeo nodded somberly.
“Yes. Without the Mu-rim Alliance’s protection, we wouldn’t even be able to maintain our status as one of the old sects. If we fall out of favor, we might be excluded from the old sects altogether, like the Jeomchang faction. So even the elders of the sect…”
I sighed deeply.
This was the worst.
Better than the Jeomchang faction, which lost its headquarters and scattered, but still worse in that they had become nothing more than dogs on a leash to the Mu-rim Alliance, losing all freedom.
It seemed I couldn’t place any hope in the Ami faction.
Even if they publicly denounced the Jeonghyeop faction, they wouldn’t have much influence in their current state.
I let out a heavy sigh and suddenly remembered something she had said about Jeongin Sojeo being reprimanded.
“So… Jeongin Sojeo was reprimanded?”
“Yes. He was supposed to be in seclusion in the training hall. But he’s not the type to follow the orders of the current sect leader or elders very well. When he heard about the disappearance of the women, he ignored the elders’ orders and secretly left the training hall to investigate. Unfortunately…”
“Ah.”
Now I fully understood.
He had defied the sect’s orders and got into trouble, so his position wasn’t exactly clean.
And since the elders were friendly with the Jeonghyeop faction, reporting this was even more difficult.
At that, Bisa-yeong spoke up, frustrated.
“But this involves the Blood Sect’s leaders, doesn’t it? And a disciple from our faction has been kidnapped—who knows what’s happening to them? What could be more important than that?”
Bisa-yeong was right.
Still, Jeongyeon Sojeo’s expression remained grave.
“That may be true, but…”
Before she could finish, Jeongan Sojeo answered for her.
“If it were them, they probably wouldn’t believe any report linking the Jeonghyeop faction to the Blood Sect’s leaders. They might even think it’s a lie meant to slander the Jeonghyeop faction.”
Our mouths dropped open at that.
Bisa-yeong muttered under her breath, “That’s a complete mess… ugh!”
Luckily, I managed to quickly cover her mouth before she finished.
Then I continued, “It’s a total mess! A complete overhaul is needed! Ha ha, ha ha ha.”
Thankfully, they seemed not to have heard Bisa-yeong’s outburst… but why was Jeongyeon Sojeo avoiding my gaze, and Jeongan Sojeo covering her mouth?
The next moment, Jeongan Sojeo couldn’t hold back a snicker.
Ah, so they had been pretending not to hear.
Looks like Bisa-yeong only manages to be cool about once a month. Always consistent in her own way.
Anyway, the situation they described was frustrating.
If the atmosphere inside the sect was as they said, reporting to the headquarters might only get them punished.
A disciple from the Ami Sword Peak—called Jeongin Sojeo—was in danger, and yet that was the reality.
So, what now?
Should I look for another way besides the Ami faction?
The San Sword Sect? The Mu-rim Alliance? Or maybe even return to the Seonwoo family?
As I was pondering this, Jeongan Sojeo’s eyes suddenly lit up as she asked Jeongyeon Sojeo, “Sojeo, how about asking Brother Hwa for help?”