Episode 90
At those words, the top masters from the Jeonghyeop faction exchanged surprised glances and questioned him.
“You mean the Hangsan Sect from Shanxi Province?!”
The Hangsan Sect was one of only three nun sects in the martial world, alongside the Ami Sect of Sichuan and the Geomgak Sect of Zhejiang.
Moreover, the Hangsan Sect’s martial arts were famously incompatible with those of the Blood Cult.
Heo Gyeong replied calmly.
“That’s right. As you all know, the Hangsan Sect’s techniques are antagonistic to the Blood Cult’s. Therefore, I propose that here and now, Yeonhae Sojeok verify that none of you are Blood Cult members.”
The sudden proposal left the Jeonghyeop masters momentarily speechless.
They had heard that the Hangsan Sect’s internal energy could be used to identify Blood Cult members, but to have someone claiming to be a successor of the Hangsan Sect suddenly appear and offer to test them was utterly unexpected.
Of course, the claim that Hae Cheong-yeon had inherited the Hangsan Sect’s legacy was obviously false.
Yet, because she was a woman with an enigmatic presence, even the Jeonghyeop members found the idea somewhat plausible.
One of the Jeonghyeop masters narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“How can we trust you, Master Heo? This could be a trick to accuse us of being Blood Cult demons!”
Heo Gyeong smiled confidently and answered.
“Accuse you? Why would I do that?”
His incredulous response threw the Jeonghyeop masters off balance.
“You’re still mistaken. The Jeonghyeop faction you once fought alongside no longer exists. The main faction has been taken over by the Cheongseong Sect and the Tang Clan. Now, you’re known only as pawns of the Blood Cult.”
One of the Jeonghyeop masters shouted in anger.
“We are not pawns of the Blood Cult!”
Heo Gyeong replied calmly.
“I want to believe that too. Don’t you see? I’m offering you the chance to prove it. I, who once fought risking my life, am telling you I will prove you are not Blood Cult members.”
A heavy silence fell over the meeting room.
Even the Jeonghyeop masters realized there was no better way to prove their innocence than to have their former enemy confirm it.
There was nothing to lose by accepting this offer.
Then another asked.
“Could this be a ploy to harm us out of revenge? What if you pretend to verify us, then attack?”
Heo Gyeong chuckled softly.
“Do you see how many of us there are? Six. Just six. Are you really afraid that six men could harm you?”
It was a fair point.
Though the Jeonghyeop masters outnumbered them in the room, with over a thousand warriors waiting outside, any such treachery would be suicide.
So, the Jeonghyeop masters had no reason to doubt him further.
Suddenly, a weary voice spoke up.
“Why offer us this chance, Master Heo? Even if it was the Blood Cult’s doing, you lost your own younger brother, didn’t you?”
Heo Gyeong ground his teeth, his voice filled with hatred.
“Yes. I lost my brother. And that’s exactly why I came here. Because I can never forgive the Blood Cult demons who took him from me!”
He cast a fierce glare over the Jeonghyeop masters.
“I swear, if any of you here are found to be Blood Cult demons, I will tear you apart.”
Though scripted by Hae Cheong-yeon, his words carried genuine conviction that resonated with the Jeonghyeop members.
They nodded, understanding his resolve.
At least limiting his hatred to the Blood Cult was something they could appreciate.
With no further objections, Heo Gyeong spoke again.
“Very well. Then, Yeonhae Sojeok, please begin the verification—”
At that moment, two Jeonghyeop masters exchanged glances and suddenly lunged forward like lightning.
Smash!
“Ugh?!”
“Brother Jang?!”
“What’s going on?!”
Everyone was startled by the sudden attack, unable to stop them in time.
At least, the Jeonghyeop masters couldn’t.
Swish!
Thud!
“Gah!”
A spear flew like a streak of light, piercing the back of one attacker and embedding deep into the wall.
It was Jaerim Jaryong Changhyeok, the second eldest of the Doksoo Five siblings, who had silently stood behind Heo Gyeong.
He had been waiting for such a move from the start.
Without even confirming the spear’s impact, Seolpung sprang forward like a wild beast.
With incredible speed, he grabbed the ankle of a master who was breaking through the window to escape.
Crack!
“Argh!”
The man screamed in pain as his ankle snapped.
He was dragged back into the meeting room, unknowingly having his pressure points sealed before being thrown to the floor.
Thud!
“Ugh?!”
The Jeonghyeop masters were speechless.
They were stunned not only by their comrades’ attempted escape but also by Seolpung’s incomprehensible agility in that brief moment.
Only Heo Gyeong, who had witnessed Seolpung’s true strength before, smiled fiercely as he looked at the captured Blood Cult members.
“Well done, Spear Hero Chang. You’ve finally revealed your true colors, you Blood Cult mongrels!”
That day, Heo Gyeong wiped out all remaining Blood Cult remnants within the Jeonghyeop faction.
The surviving Jeonghyeop members expressed their gratitude and then disbanded.
Heo Gyeong was satisfied.
Everything had gone according to Hae Cheong-yeon’s promise—to prevent the remaining Jeonghyeop forces from regrouping into a new threat against the Sansword Sect.
Back at Sansword Sect, Hae Cheong-yeon sat alone in a remote room, reading a letter sent by Sak Muheun, her brow furrowed in worry.
The matter of the women captured by Georyeokma was beyond her control.
She hoped Sunwoo Jin had prepared some countermeasures, but even he likely had no special plan.
Moreover, the reputation of the Doksoo Five siblings had grown far beyond initial expectations.
If Jegal Jigang began a thorough investigation into this incident, they wouldn’t be able to escape scrutiny.
It wouldn’t take long for him to discover that the Doksoo Five, supposedly from Zhejiang, had no real ties to that province.
She sighed softly and muttered to herself.
“I need to return to Father soon…”
While they were away, her father, Sword Saint Hae Unbaek, seemed to have nearly taken control of the front lines.
So returning quickly was the best way to avoid Jegal Jigang’s watchful eyes.
The battlefield, once a land of death, had become their safest refuge.
But there was one problem.
Sunwoo Jin and Bi Sayoung.
Though rumors hadn’t spread widely, it was obvious they had played a major role in the Jeonghyeop faction’s downfall.
Yet, days after that, they still hadn’t returned.
Even Hae Cheong-yeon, who trusted Sunwoo Jin implicitly, was beginning to worry.
“I should have arranged a way to communicate with them…”
She bit her lip in regret.
She hadn’t anticipated being separated for so long.
If only she could have at least informed them that the Jeonghyeop leader was So Myeonma Gun Sa Won-yang…
Hae Cheong-yeon, who usually couldn’t understand why people tortured themselves with needless dark thoughts, now sighed deeply at the flood of ominous possibilities invading her mind.
What if they had recklessly attacked without knowing the Jeonghyeop leader’s identity?
What if they were seriously injured and unable to move?
What if… they could never return?
She pressed her hand to her forehead, overwhelmed by uncontrollable thoughts.
“What a foolish thing to do.”
She felt utterly pathetic.
To be consumed by such irrational, time-wasting worries.
She tried to calm herself and think rationally.
“The chances that Master Sunwoo or Master Bi met with an accident… well, it’s not low. It could very well be.”
Her heart sank at the thought, but she forced herself to stay composed.
Clenching her teeth, she continued.
“Even if something happened to them, I can’t wait here forever. Considering the Martial Alliance’s investigation team might arrive, I have to leave this place by tomorrow at the latest.”
Having reached that conclusion, Hae Cheong-yeon suddenly clutched her chest in pain.
Her heart refused to accept the cold logic her mind had just made.
Her chest tightened painfully, making it hard to breathe.
“Haa, haa, huff.”
After a few deep breaths to steady herself, she let out a bitter laugh.
“Have I really come to this?”
It was absurd.
She had thought it was just a slight curiosity growing into concern…
Hae Cheong-yeon decided to leave the room.
She couldn’t stay inside any longer.
She needed fresh air.
At the Sansword Sect’s training grounds, some disciples gathered and called out to her.
“Sister! Come here!”
“Welcome back, Sojeok! We were just betting on why those two are late!”
The disciples’ bright expressions suggested they were placing bets on the reason for the delay.
Hae Cheong-yeon couldn’t help but feel a bit exasperated.
“I’m not sure who’s more pathetic here—the team members who seem completely clueless, or me, who can’t even trust him as much as they do…!”
Lost in that thought, Hae Cheong-yeon suddenly gasped and called out.
“Lord Sunwoo?!”
Her startled voice caught the others off guard as well.
Everyone immediately turned around, and there, soaring over the wall, were Sunwoo Jin and Bi Sa-young.
The whole team broke into bright smiles and shouted out.
“Jin! Sa-young!”
“Lord Bi! Lord Sunwoo!”
“You two! Why are you so late? We’ve been waiting!”
“We were really worried!”
They rushed forward, surrounding the pair with relieved cheers.
Sunwoo Jin and Bi Sa-young returned their greetings with warm, radiant smiles.
“Sorry we’re late, Captain, everyone. We had some things to check on. Was everything okay here?”
“I tried to come quickly, but Jin kept dragging his feet,” Sa-young teased.
Even Hae Cheong-yeon, who rarely showed such an open expression, broke into a bright smile and started running toward them.
But just before reaching them, something caught her eye, and she suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Her cheerful expression slowly faded away.
“Huh? What’s that about? Lord Sunwoo, you didn’t happen to be charming the ladies over there too, did you?”
“What? Seriously? You kept us waiting just to flirt with the women?”
“Ha! Why not? The Amipa women were giving Jin such longing looks, I felt sorry just watching from the side.”
“Whoa! Is that true?! That’s so unfair! You’re the enemy of all women!”
“Oh? Sa-young, so you’re going to say that? Well then, I have plenty to say too.”
“Wait! No, that’s not it!”
Hae Cheong-yeon stopped a little ways off and simply watched them.
She saw Sunwoo Jin happily chatting with the others, but every so often, his gaze would cautiously drift toward Na Seo-yu.
She noticed it clearly.
The way his eyes, which had first looked toward Captain Seol Poong, quickly shifted to rest on Na Seo-yu.
Though he briefly glanced at the other team members and even at her, the place his gaze lingered longest was always on Na Seo-yu.
Watching that careful, gentle look in his eyes, Hae Cheong-yeon felt tears welling up inside her for some reason.