Chapter 69

“…So the two of them are currently heading toward Cheongseongpa with the two junior disciples from Amipa.”

As Sak Muhun finished his report early that morning, Cheon Joo-eun, who had been listening along with the others, nodded and said, “So it really was Jeonghyeopbang.”

At that, Je Won-young let out a bitter laugh, sounding almost resigned. “Hah… then the story about Somyeonmagun must be true as well.”

Sak Muhun’s expression turned puzzled. Judging by the atmosphere, it seemed they hadn’t known it was Jeonghyeopbang all along. And what was this Somyeonmagun?

As the mood among the group grew tense at Je Won-young’s words, Sak Muhun asked with curiosity, “You knew it was Jeonghyeopbang? And Somyeonmagun—what’s that about?”

Seol Poong stepped forward to explain on behalf of the group.

“Well, actually…”

After Sunwoo Jin, Bi Sa-young, and Sak Muhun had chased after the powerful horsemen, the rest of the group managed to capture a troublemaker who had been causing a ruckus at the tavern. Thanks to Hae Cheong-yeon’s sharp judgment, it was clear this person was a member of the Blood Sect, tasked with diverting their attention.

They confirmed his affiliation through the martial arts techniques he used, and so the group interrogated him for information.

What came out was a name none of them had expected.

Somyeonmagun Sa Won-yang—the legendary horseman who had slaughtered countless righteous sect members during the Great Blood Battle—was revealed to be the mysterious leader of Jeonghyeopbang.

The name was so staggering that the group decided to withhold judgment for the time being, suspecting the Blood Sect member might have been feeding them false information before dying.

But according to the intelligence Sak Muhun had just brought back, Jeonghyeopbang really was a forward base of the Blood Sect, just as the captive had claimed.

If that was true, then the stories about Somyeonmagun Sa Won-yang were likely accurate as well.

Sak Muhun repeated in shock, “Somyeonmagun Sa Won-yang?!”

Somyeonmagun Sa Won-yang was considered nearly on par with the grandmasters of the Nine Great Gate Sects, even more formidable than Tam Hyeolmagun Ji Gwang-ok, whom Seol Poong had barely managed to hold off in the past.

In fact, Ji Gwang-ok hadn’t even fought at full strength back then, which meant facing Sa Won-yang at full power was almost impossible.

As the group’s faces darkened, Hae Cheong-yeon spoke with a calm expression.

“There’s no need to be overly pessimistic. It’s true that we can’t handle someone like that on our own, but if Master Sunwoo can get Cheongseongpa moving, then he might not be as invincible as he seems. Also, Sak brother, please leak some information to the Murim Alliance as Master Sunwoo suggested. If the leadership is sane, they’ll realize this breaks the non-aggression pact and presents an opportunity to pressure the Blood Demons. They won’t let this chance slip away.”

But inwardly, Hae Cheong-yeon muttered, “If they’re sane, that is.”

Like Sunwoo Jin, she couldn’t dismiss the possibility that all this was happening with the Murim Alliance’s tacit approval.

At that moment, Cheon Joo-eun asked, “So, what do we do now? If the powerful horsemen are dead and Jeonghyeopbang is confirmed as the Blood Sect’s forward base, is there any reason for us to stay here any longer?”

Her question made sense.

Their original goal in entering Sangeommum had been to flush out the Blood Sect’s forces, which they now knew wasn’t necessary anymore.

In other words, their mission here was essentially complete.

Je Won-young nodded in agreement. “You’re right. And if we’re going to leave, it’s best to do so quickly. Didn’t you say over a thousand warriors sent by Jeonghyeopbang are gathering toward Gwiju Fortress? Including three top-tier masters.”

Though they had won the last fight thanks to favorable circumstances, it was never easy for two hundred men to take on five hundred enemies.

That victory had been pure luck.

Facing a thousand enemies, even with supreme masters among them, survival was far from guaranteed.

At that, Na Seo-yu frowned and said, “But I feel uneasy about abandoning these people just because we’ve achieved our goal. They’ve been with us all this time… If we leave, they might be completely wiped out.”

Je Won-young smiled wryly. “You really have a soft heart, young master Na. But you don’t need to worry so much. They’re about to join forces with the Un family’s troops, right? Sangeommum’s forces have nearly reached four hundred now, so combined with the Un family, they should be able to hold their own—even if not a thousand strong. And with two more supreme masters from the Un family, their strength won’t be lacking. So…”

As Je Won-young spoke, the atmosphere among the wandering warriors gathered nearby suddenly shifted.

Their shocked shouts carried all the way over to where the group was.

“What?! The Un family was attacked?!”

“Unak Swordmaster is dead?!”

“What does this mean?!”

Exchanging worried glances, the group decided to find out what had happened.

Seol Poong went over and returned with shocking news.

The previous night, a dozen or so assassins from Jeonghyeopbang had raided the Un family, and among them was an astonishingly powerful individual.

This attacker was said to possess over eighty years of internal energy cultivation and had slaughtered more than a hundred elite Un family warriors, killing one of their two supreme masters in the process.

From the Un family’s perspective, this single strike had effectively halved their strength.

Though details were still unclear, it seemed unlikely the Un family would be able to join forces with them now.

Je Won-young let out a bitter laugh. “Hah, what terrible timing… As I said, if we leave now, these people will be wiped out.”

Hae Cheong-yeon muttered with a grave expression, “A supreme master with over eighty years of cultivation… Could it be?”

She hurriedly turned to Sak Muhun, who had been disguised as an ordinary wandering warrior, and said, “Sak brother! Can you find out who those attackers were and whether they’re still alive?”

Sak Muhun, slightly surprised by the sudden request, nodded readily. “You want to know about them? Understood.”

Seol Poong looked at Hae Cheong-yeon with curiosity. “Why the sudden concern, young master Hae? Do you have a guess about those attackers?”

Biting her lip, Hae Cheong-yeon spoke. “Even with Jeonghyeopbang’s many masters, it’s rare for them to deploy a single assassin with over eighty years of cultivation. And more importantly… we know of one such master. The one who was scouting the Un family.”

In everyone’s mind, the face of the Twelfth Grandmaster, Man Jong-im, flashed vividly.

The group’s faces instantly turned pale as they realized who she meant.

“C-could it really be…?”

“Then we need to confirm it quickly.”

But Hae Cheong-yeon’s suspicion was correct.

According to Sak Muhun’s report, the attackers were indeed Man Jong-im and members of the Twelfth Grand Division.

And in the ensuing battle, they were completely wiped out.

Sak Muhun said with a troubled expression, “They could have escaped if they wanted, but when their comrades fell, that master—who seemed to have over eighty years of cultivation—went into a frenzy and fought until the very end. Even as he died, he cursed the heretics.”

A heavy sigh escaped from everyone.

Though he hadn’t been the most likable comrade, death was a different matter entirely. And the fact that the entire Twelfth Grand Division had perished alongside him was even more tragic.

Even the battle-hardened members of the Flying Dragon Corps couldn’t help but feel a deep sorrow.

Amid the somber mood, Hae Cheong-yeon frowned and said, “Grandmaster Man always causes a big stir in the end. To think he’d cripple the Un family’s strength at such a critical time… Thanks to him, Sangeommum’s fate now hangs by a thread. Once again, Master Sunwoo’s prediction was spot on—just a little too late.”

Though harsh, her words were true.

Because of this, the fate of Sangeommum, their current home, had become precarious.

As the atmosphere grew heavier, Cheon Joo-eun cautiously asked, “So… what should we do now?”

It was a difficult question.

Neither Hae Cheong-yeon nor Seol Poong could answer easily.

---

I, along with Bi Sa-young, Jeong Yeon, and Jeong An, hurried toward Cheongseongpa.

But since the two junior disciples hadn’t fully recovered, our pace was slow.

They looked exhausted, unable to even use half their speed in lightness skills.

Jeong Yeon gasped painfully and apologized to us.

“Haah… haah… I’m sorry. This was supposed to be a mission to save our master, but instead, we’re just a burden to you two…”

Jeong An, standing beside her, forced a brave smile. “Don’t worry about us. Despite appearances, Amipa disciples are incredibly resilient! Ha ha ha!”

But her face was deathly pale.

Bi Sa-young looked at her with concern. “You shouldn’t be joking around when you’re this unsteady, young master.”

“Oh, you noticed? Haha! Caught me.”

Jeong An laughed, but suddenly lost her balance and collapsed as if her legs had given out.

“Ah!”

“Jeong An!”

But the person standing before her was none other than Bisa-yeong, a prodigy of the divine arts whose speed could even outpace Seolpung Jo Jangjo.

Before she could collapse, Bisa-yeong had already moved beside Jeong-an Sojeo and caught her arm.

“Thud!”

Startled by Bisa-yeong’s sudden appearance and support, Jeong-an Sojeo looked up with a grateful expression.

“Ah! Thank you… You’re incredibly fast.”

Bisa-yeong’s face flushed faintly as he averted his eyes and scolded her gently.

“How on earth did you plan to move around in that condition?! Jin! You’d better just rest at the inn today.”

Jeong-an Sojeo’s shoulders slumped as she apologized softly.

“Ah, I’m, I’m sorry.”

Hmm, that clumsy one.

Was it really necessary to say it so bluntly?

Well, it wasn’t wrong.

I smiled gently and spoke to them.

“Like Bisa-yeong said, it’s best to head to the inn and get some proper rest today. Recovering your strength first will actually help shorten the schedule in the long run.”

Jeong-an Sojeo’s eyes widened in surprise, and she shook her head hurriedly.

“No, no! I’m fine with sleeping outside! You don’t have to go that far for me…!”

Bisa-yeong let out a slightly irritated sigh.

“Are you sure you won’t regret it if you sleep outside, your condition worsens, and then you can’t protect the Sojeo?”

“W-what?”

Jeong-an Sojeo’s face flushed with embarrassment at his words.

But Bisa-yeong wasn’t finished.

“Think about what’s more important. Your pride, or the safety of the Sojeo?”

“W-well…”

I gave Bisa-yeong a look to stop, then gently took over.

“The help you receive now can be repaid later. But the Sojeo might not have a ‘later.’ If that’s the most important thing, everything else can wait.”

“Ah…”

Jeong-an Sojeo lowered her head deeply, cheeks burning, unable to say a word.

Bisa-yeong muttered as if brushing it off.

“I’ll go ahead and book a room and order some food. You two follow slowly. Oh, and consider today’s expenses a celebration for barely escaping death. Eat as much as you want.”

With that, he dashed off and disappeared in an instant.

Hearing Bisa-yeong’s words, I suddenly realized something.

‘Ah, these Sojeo probably don’t have any money right now.’

That must be why they panicked so much at the suggestion of going to the inn.

Sure enough, they just stood there awkwardly, unable to say anything.

That guy really does have a surprisingly thoughtful side.

Or maybe he’s just gotten more considerate because he’s taken a liking to someone?

I smiled warmly and said to them.

“Today, he barely escaped death at the hands of a giant horse demon. Thanks to that, we’re going to feast. Sojeo, eat as much as you want. He’s got plenty of money.”

Of course, most of Bisa-yeong’s money was actually what I earned from raiding Heuksangbang, but still, it was a lot.

Somehow, I felt a quiet sense of pride.