Episode 68

At that, Jeong-yeon Sojeo blinked in surprise and asked back.

“What? To Brother Hwa?”

“Yes. Brother Hwa would never ignore what we say. If he moves Cheongseong, even the elders of other sects won’t be able to dismiss us.”

Brother Hwa?

We exchanged puzzled glances.

Is it even possible for the Amipa—a sect of women—to have a “brother” figure?

And to move Cheongseong?

Unable to contain his curiosity, Bi Sa-yeong asked bluntly, “Who exactly is this Brother Hwa?”

Jeong-an Sojeo’s face lit up like a girl recalling her first love as she answered, “He’s an incredible man! All the female disciples of Amipa admire him deeply!”

Hmm, this is awkward.

That’s not what I was asking…

But it was clear he was a man.

Wait, Bi Sa-yeong’s expression looks a bit off—like he’s embarrassed or uncomfortable.

He was watching Jeong-an Sojeo, who was clutching her hands together like she was thinking of her first love, with a slightly uneasy look.

I could tell immediately that something was going on with him.

Could it be…?

Just then, Jeong-yeon Sojeo sighed and continued explaining.

“He’s a disciple of Cheongseongpa, specifically a student of Cheonggwangjin-in.”

Cheonggwangjin-in? That name sounded familiar…

“Wait, Cheonggwangjin-in? You mean…?”

We all gasped in surprise.

“Yes, he’s the very Cheongseong Goeseon among the Ten Great Demons of the world.”

No way!

He was a far bigger figure than we expected.

To think Brother Hwa was a disciple of Cheonggwangjin-in, one of the Five Demons of the Japanese era’s Samsung clan.

Cheongseong Goeseon was on par with the likes of Son Eun-sang, the female demon we met before, Mop Yonggeom, the leader of the Martial Alliance, and Jeon Mu-gwang, the Blood Sect’s Blood Demon.

Jeong-yeon Sojeo’s next words were even more astonishing.

The fourth disciple of Goeseon Cheonggwangjin-in, Jeokha Shingeom Hwa Young-bin, had been the lover of Jeong-seon Sojeo, then the Amipa Sword Peak and known as the most beautiful woman in the Four Provinces, about ten years ago.

They had met by chance during a wandering hero’s journey and instantly fallen in love. After several years of courtship, both their sects had finally given permission for their marriage.

Hearing this, I muttered without realizing it, “A union between a disciple of Goeseon and the Amipa Sword Peak… that must have been monumental.”

Jeong-yeon Sojeo nodded solemnly.

“It was huge. The marriage of the top talents of Cheongseongpa and Amipa. I was young then, but I still remember how the whole mountain was buzzing when the sect leader approved their union.”

Until then, no one doubted that these two top talents from Cheongseongpa and Amipa would live happily ever after.

But the world is unpredictable. Just as they were about to marry, the Blood Sect War broke out.

Because Amipa was a women’s sect, many of its disciples had been sacrificed to the Blood Sect’s demon leaders in the past.

They could never tolerate the Blood Sect War and prepared with all their might to defeat the Blood Sect.

The sect leader at the time, Jeolheo Satae, and many elders even joined the battle, so it was only natural that Jeong-seon Sojeo, a disciple of Jeolheo Satae, also participated.

But despite his lover’s involvement, Jeokha Shingeom Hwa Young-bin did not join the fight.

No, he couldn’t.

“His beloved woman went to battle, but he didn’t? Why not?”

When Bi Sa-yeong asked, Jeong-yeon Sojeo explained.

“Cheongseongpa isn’t so much a single sect as a coalition of various martial lineages. The sect leader there acts more like a coordinator balancing the opinions of these lineages rather than a decisive ruler like our Amipa leader. So, he had little authority to dictate how each lineage acted.”

Hearing this, I found it oddly fascinating.

I had imagined the leader of one of the Nine Great Sects as an all-powerful figure, but the Cheongseongpa leader’s role was quite different.

Jeong-yeon Sojeo continued.

“At that time, the Cheongseong leader, Cheongwonjin-in, wasn’t on friendly terms with the Martial Alliance. So Cheongseongpa originally had no intention of joining the Blood Sect War. But the next leader, the current one, Cheongmyeongjin-in, led his followers to participate independently.”

“So, Brother Hwa was aligned with a different faction?”

“More than different—they were outright rivals. It’s well known that Cheongmyeongjin-in and Goeseon Cheonggwangjin-in are almost sworn enemies.”

I had no idea.

The sect leader of Cheongseongpa was at odds with Goeseon, one of the sect’s greatest masters and a supreme figure in the martial world.

How could the sect function with its top master and leader at such odds?

I had assumed all the Nine Great Sects were similar, but the world was clearly more complex.

I summarized what I’d heard.

“So, of the two who were to marry, Jeong-seon Sojeo fought in the Blood Sect War, but Brother Hwa couldn’t. And since Jeong-seon Sojeo never returned, the marriage never happened.”

Both Sojeos nodded gravely.

It wasn’t just Jeong-seon Sojeo; none of the Amipa disciples who fought in the war returned. For them, it must have been the most tragic event in the world.

Their somber expressions made me hesitate to speak, but thankfully Jeong-yeon Sojeo gathered herself and continued.

“Brother Hwa, despite losing his beloved, never abandoned his loyalty to Amipa. For ten years, he only longed for Jeong-seon Sojeo and treated Amipa’s troubles as if they were his own, always helping us. He’s the greatest benefactor Amipa has ever had. Without him, our disciples would have been utterly lost. That’s why we call him Brother Hwa with both gratitude and affection.”

“Ahhh.”

It was an incredible story.

To live on for ten years still cherishing a lost love, and not only that, to care deeply for her sect as well.

It felt almost unreal, like something out of a storybook.

But setting aside how admirable he was, I focused on the practical side.

He was a disciple of Goeseon, a supreme martial figure, a member of Cheongseongpa, one of the Nine Great Sects, and he cared for Amipa’s affairs as if they were his own?

Sounds perfect.

If only one more condition were met.

My eyes gleamed as I asked Jeong-yeon Sojeo, “You said Goeseon isn’t on good terms with the current Cheongseong leader, right? Then Brother Hwa’s influence in Cheongseong can’t be that strong.”

But both Sojeos shook their heads firmly.

“No, actually, the faction following Goeseon Cheonggwangjin-in is larger than the one following Cheongmyeongjin-in. So Brother Hwa’s influence in Cheongseong is even greater than Cheongmyeongjin-in’s.”

…That’s perfect.

Too perfect.

I slapped my palm against my fist and said, “Then it’s settled! Let’s find him! We’ll explain the situation and ask him to move Cheongseong!”

Jeong-yeon Sojeo hesitated slightly. “But… we should report this to Amisan first.”

I smiled and replied, “Of course we must report it. But let’s do it by letter.”

“…What? By letter?!”

She looked very surprised at the idea of reporting to the sect by letter, so I explained the reasoning.

“Sometimes a letter is more effective than a direct report. If we send a letter, they’ll focus less on punishing the disciple who disobeyed orders and more on the content of what was said. If we attach some evidence, even those friendly with the Blood Sect will have to act. And if we can get Cheongseong to help rescue Amipa disciples, they’ll be even more motivated.”

At that moment, Brother Sak Muhun, who had been quietly listening, asked me, “So you plan to go with these Sojeos?”

It seemed he wasn’t keen on going all the way to Cheongseong, despite being asked by the Sword Saint to escort Cheong-yeon Sojeo.

I smiled and said, “Brother Sak, please return and inform the others. Also… could you change the sender and report this to the Martial Alliance as well?”

He narrowed his eyes and asked sharply, “You want to involve the Alliance too?”

“Yes. The more responses, the better. Once they know the Blood Sect has a forward base at Jeonghyeopbang, they’ll act somehow.”

I didn’t mention that if they didn’t, we’d have to suspect they were either condoning the Blood Sect’s advance or were in cahoots with them.

Quickly, I added, “Oh, and please make sure to inform Grandmaster Manjongim. I’m worried that if he doesn’t know Jeonghyeopbang is the Blood Sect, he might cause some trouble.”

At my words, Brother Sak let out a short chuckle and replied,
“Come on, even if it’s the famous Murim, it wouldn’t go that far. Anyway, got it. I’ll head back to the Fourth Sister for now.”

On his way out, Brother Sak promised to escort the other women back safely before leaving.

But at that moment, none of us knew—
that because of this, we would be delayed by an entire day…

---

That night.
At the Yun family estate in Jinsu City.

The Twelve Great Leaders of the righteous sect, led by the venerable Manjongim, along with the twelve squads, were hiding in the shadows by the estate’s wall, preparing to infiltrate.

Squad leader Do Mugon turned to Manjongim and asked,
“Master, are we really doing the right thing here?”

Manjongim’s face twisted with irritation as he snapped back,
“What on earth are you so worried about?! Didn’t I say we’re just going in to check if the Blood Sect has any presence here and then get out? We’re not the only ones investigating—out of the three suspicious spots, the righteous sect’s squads are covering two, and we’re only handling one! So what exactly is your problem?!”

Do Mugon fell silent, unable to argue further against Manjongim’s sharp tone.

On paper, the plan did seem sound.

What unsettled Do Mugon was that the entire operation had been devised by Baek Okjirong, Gu Yusang—the so-called White Jade Dragon of the righteous sect.

They were simply following the strategy he laid out.

There was no denying that Gu Yusang was a prodigy, as rumored—handsome as a jade statue, skilled in martial arts, and possessing both intelligence and leadership.

But… Do Mugon still couldn’t bring himself to trust the man.

That was the crux of the problem.

He couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that they were entrusting too much to someone they barely knew.

It made him deeply anxious.

Yet, since he wasn’t the one in charge, there was nothing he could do.

In contrast, Manjongim seemed to place complete faith in Gu Yusang, despite having only just met him.

And the only reason for that trust was that Gu Yusang was a “Divine Dragon” of the righteous sect’s faction—a fact that only heightened Do Mugon’s unease.

Just then, Manjongim sent a signal.
“It’s about three o’clock now. Let’s move in.”

Do Mugon sighed inwardly but signaled the squads to proceed.

They’d come this far; there was no turning back now.

They weren’t here to fight, only to scout, so he didn’t expect any major problems.

One by one, they climbed over the Yun estate’s walls.

Manjongim scoffed at the estate’s lax security and sent a message to Do Mugon.
“The night watch here is laughably weak. How can they post guards like this? Typical of the heretics, tsk.”

Even in this tense moment, Manjongim couldn’t resist mocking the heretics.

Do Mugon barely heard him, exhaling a breath of relief.

With defenses this poor, they should be able to finish the reconnaissance and leave without trouble.

It was truly fortunate.

But moments later, as they followed the internal map Gu Yusang had provided and ventured deeper inside, something unexpected happened.

While passing between the pavilions, suddenly, flames erupted along the surrounding walls.

Whoosh!

Startled, Manjongim shouted,
“What—what’s going on?!”

It was a sea of torches.

Countless blazing torches had suddenly encircled them from all sides.

Then someone shouted,
“Just like the intel said—they really sent assassins! Damn righteous sect scum! Shoot them all!”

Do Mugon’s heart dropped.

What?! The intel was right?!

He realized his worst fears had come true.

But realizing it now was meaningless.

As Manjongim and the others stood frozen in shock, arrows and hidden weapons rained down from all directions.

Fshhh-shhh!

Pew pew pew pew!

This place had turned into hell.