ISS 49

The Hengshan Sect

Seeing this, the two men sprang off in different directions, but unfortunately their opponent was none other than Geomryeong.

“Brother Jeok! Take care of the rest!”

Leaving the members of the Geomcheondae to Jeok Hwamyung, Geomryeong chased after the two who had fled.

“Kyaaa!”

Soon a scream rang out.

They had thought that splitting up and running in opposite directions would save them, but that was a mistaken assumption.

“Huh… when—”

He was startled to find Geomryeong blocking his path.

They couldn’t avoid Geomryeong’s moves — he had mastered the space-folding footwork that let him move between spaces in an instant.

“You didn’t have to know that.”

Geomryeong tossed the sword he held at the man.

Sssshing!

The man tried to bat the sword away and run, but the plan failed. The sword attacked him relentlessly, as if it were a living thing.

“Ugh!”

He couldn’t dodge Geomryeong’s blade and crumpled to the ground.

“This—this damned—”

He went down with a look of bitter injustice.

“You were told to watch where you lie when you bury someone.”

Geomryeong glanced down at the fallen man for a moment, then left the spot. The fight was not over yet.

Arriving where Jeok Hwamyung was fighting the Geomcheondae, Geomryeong watched Jeok in battle.

Jeok Hwamyung, who wielded the so-called “Zanmyeong Sword,” was himself a peak master not to be underestimated.

He overwhelmed the remaining Geomcheondae members with his swordsmanship and knocked them down.

“Kyaaa!”

With the scream of the last Geomcheondae member, he fell.

“Good work, brother!”

“Well— the hard part was yours. Did you kill everyone who ran?”

“Yes.”

Jeok Hwamyung nodded.

Others might have argued that their enemy should have been spared, but Jeok Hwamyung was not like that.

He didn’t have the heart to spare anyone who had tried to take his life.

“Sohju!”

Soon after, Yu Akgun appeared.

“You handled them all?”

“Yes. Not a single one was left alive; we handled them all.”

“Good work.”

Geomryeong’s words encouraged Yu Akgun, and a faint smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

At that moment—

Whirrr!

Three figures descended silently before them from the air.

One was a man in his mid-forties; the other two looked a bit younger. From their clothing, they appeared to be members of the Hengshan Sect.

“They’re Hengshan men. This situation seems to have become a bit tangled, Sohju!”

Yu Akgun spoke in a low voice.

The Hengshan Sect is one of the Five Mountain Sword Sects, and its weight in the martial world was not insignificant.

The three of them looked around with drawn faces.

It was unpleasant to see so many people bleeding and dead scattered about.

“I am Sohakseon of Hengshan.”

The man in the middle bowed to the three in the martial-world greeting and introduced himself.

At the name Sohakseon, Yu Akgun narrowed his eyes—he had heard of him before.

“Sohju—he’s the youngest elder of the Hengshan Sect. Not only is he powerful in martial arts, but his—”

Yu Akgun told Geomryeong everything he knew about Sohakseon.

Jeok Hwamyung looked at Geomryeong and Yu Akgun, then stepped forward.

“I am Jeok Hwamyung of the Zanmyeong Sword.”

When facing orthodox sects, Geomryeong thought Jeok Hwamyung would be more suitable than Yu Akgun, so he remained silent.

“This gentleman is Geomryeong Gongja, and this one is his guard, Yu, the bodyguard.”

Yu Akgun presented himself simply as “Yu, the bodyguard,” since it would be unwise to reveal too much about him.

The Hengshan Sect’s knowledge of Yu Akgun was of his master; they didn’t know that the roles had changed. People assumed the deeds caused by Yu Akgun were the work of his master, so while they knew the name, they didn’t know the master–disciple roles had been reversed.

“Nice to meet you, Jeok Daehyeop!”

Though Jeok Hwamyung was a legitimate figure in the orthodox circles, his reputation was not that of an evil man.

Sohakseon presumed Jeok Hwamyung represented these men, greeted him, and asked,

“Who are these people, and why were they fighting here?”

Yu Akgun wore a slightly displeased expression at the question, as if Sohakseon were accusing them of fighting here without Hengshan’s permission.

“They were warriors from the Cheonmyeong Manor in Guangdong Province. They tried to kill us, so we had no choice but to use lethal force as well.”

“The Cheonmyeong Manor in Guangdong…?”

Sohakseon looked somewhat surprised.

Although he personally had no ties to Cheonmyeong Manor, some members of the Hengshan Sect did. He also knew that Cheonmyeong Manor was a prominent orthodox school representing Guangdong Province.

“Why would they attack you for no reason?”

Sohakseon could not believe Cheonmyeong Manor would attack without cause.

“That is—”

Jeok Hwamyung glanced at Geomryeong, asking silently whether it was okay to tell the truth.

Geomryeong nodded.

“Have you heard that mabolic arts have appeared in Guangdong?”

“Yes. We patrol Hengshan daily, in case a mabolic arts practitioner has sneaked in.”

Many people visited Hengshan every day; the Hengshan Sect could not afford to be lax. Someone practicing mabolic arts might prey on mountain visitors.

From the Hengshan Sect’s perspective, besides protecting hikers, it was their duty to find and eliminate any demonic practitioners who had taken up residence on the mountain.

“That’s why.”

“Eh?”

Sohakseon asked again, not understanding.

“Cheonmyeong Manor’s second scion, Hyeon Jinmyeong, learned mabolic arts, and Geomryeong Gongja here killed Hyeon Jinmyeong on the spot.”

Sohakseon watched Jeok Hwamyung’s expression carefully.

Eyes are like the windows to the heart—by looking at them, one can tell if someone lies.

“So they’re chasing us because of that.”

Sohakseon found no falsehood in Jeok Hwamyung’s words. Naturally, his gaze turned to Geomryeong.

At first glance Geomryeong’s delicate, almost womanly face and fair skin invited comparisons to the flirtatious “Flower Prince,” but his eyes told a different story.

“I’m afraid taking that claim at face value would be irresponsible.”

Many people had died; Sohakseon could not simply accept Jeok Hwamyung’s words and let them go.

“Do you mean to arrest us, then?”

Yu Akgun was about to step forward, but Geomryeong stopped him. Since Jeok Hwamyung had spoken up, it was only right that Jeok take responsibility for handling the matter.

“If you have time, why not come stay at Hengshan for a few days and rest?”

There was an edge hidden under polite words—if they refused, they would be taken by force.

Jeok Hwamyung glanced to Geomryeong, unable to decide alone.

Geomryeong nodded. There was no reason to pick a fight with Hengshan, and the three men who had trained him also had ties with Hengshan, so he didn’t consider them a major threat.

“Very well.”

Relieved to hear they would comply, Sohakseon relaxed a little; needless sacrifices could be avoided.

“You three go up first and bring people down to handle the bodies.”

“We will.”

The two who had come with Sohakseon left first.

“There will be about twenty more corpses around; it would be best to collect them too.”

Yu Akgun spoke in a teasing tone, and Sohakseon narrowed his eyes.

“Cheonmyeong Manor has trained assassins.”

“Their—”

“If you’re sending the bodies back to Cheonmyeong Manor anyway, send these people too.”

“Yu, bodyguard!”

Geomryeong stopped Yu Akgun.

“What good does it do to complain after we agreed to follow them? If we’re cooperating, we should cooperate fully. Don’t you know it’s in everyone’s interest to clear suspicions as much as possible?”

“I’m sorry, Gongja!”

After reproving Yu Akgun, Geomryeong turned to Sohakseon.

“Lead the way. We will follow.”

“Very well.”

At the Martial Alliance’s (Murimmaeng) hall, the faces of those gathered at the martial council were full of mixed emotions—mostly unease.

“Even the Jiangshi art has appeared?”

“Yes. We encountered someone in Nokmyeong Mountain who had mastered the Jiangshi art.”

Ui Je-ung from the Shinchang Guild reported about practitioners of mabolic arts.

“The reanimated corpses he created are also a problem. Fortunately we were able to defeat them, but if more people learn the Jiangshi art, the world will plunge into chaos.”

The elders of Murimmaeng who sat at the martial council conversed quietly with those beside them.

“How many distinct mabolic arts have shown up so far?”

“Four in total.”

“Only in Guangdong, four different mabolic schools have emerged?”

“Yes. Amplified Mabolic Art, Flaming Demon Jade-Form Art, Surah’s Violent Sky Art, and the Jiangshi Art.”

Ui Je-ung relayed to them what Geomryeong had told him, but he omitted the names Hyeon Jinmyeong and Gon Honggi as practitioners who had learned mabolic arts.

He had agreed to keep that secret because Cheonmyeong Manor and the Myeonghwa Merchant Group had promised the Shinchang Guild compensation for hiding the truth. Having already used a divine talisman in the middle of things, the two involved had no choice but to accept Ui Je-ung’s proposal.

“It seems the demons intend to deepen the chaos in the martial world.”

“The problem is the damage to the remote mountain hamlets and hunter villages. They’re away from people’s eyes, and the demons will prey on them. The Nokmyeong Mountain incident is an example—”

At Ui Je-ung’s remarks, the elders nodded.

“Sorim is patrolling Sungsan daily, now that demons have been reported.”

“And the Mudang sect as well…”

All the sects and houses that settled in the mountains were patrolling each day, watching for signs of demons.

“But our manpower is limited. Asking for help from the Green Forest (Nokrim) might save many lives.”

Jegal Mingi, the alliance’s head of operations, argued that they should enlist Nokrim’s assistance to locate and eliminate the demons quickly.

“If we ask Nokrim for help, won’t that mean giving them considerable concessions?”

“That may be, but considering the chaos to come, it is a sacrifice we must bear.”

Many agreed with Jegal Mingi’s suggestion.

“The demons hide in darkness. To flush them out we need many people moving. That will make them cautious, giving us time to prepare a more reliable plan.”

Jegal Mingi’s approach may not have been perfect, but it seemed the most certain.

“We should also immediately establish a tight communication system with the Sado League so that the central martial world can unite again.”

Having heard detailed reports about the demons appearing in Guangdong, Jegal Mingi spoke at length about more concrete measures.

“And it’s urgent to find martial artists who disappeared five to ten years ago, or those who’ve secluded themselves for training.”

“Why them?”

“Because they are the most likely to have learned mabolic arts.”

The elders narrowed their eyes.

“Is that necessarily so?”

“Perhaps not conclusively, but an investigation is necessary. Why would the demons cross the Gobi Desert to spread mabolic manuals in the central lands?”

It was obvious.

“For thirty years we’ve suffered heavy losses fighting demons. The demons that fled happened likewise. They haven’t revealed themselves but have been spreading mabolic manuals because they haven’t yet gained the confidence to face us openly.”

Everyone listened and organized their thoughts.

“Rather than letting embers smolder, it’s safer to extinguish the sparks now and prepare for the future. Everyone here knows that.”

“If we find them as the chief suggests, do we kill them all?”

One elder, Bulseon Dae-sa, asked. He was a devout monk of the Shaolin order, famed for mastering the Great Prajna Chan Skill to perfection.

“No. Gather them in one place, live with them, and find a way to remove the mabolic arts from their bodies.”

“Gather them in one place? Where?”

“For safety, perhaps an uninhabited island.”

“Hmm…”

“A rocky island would be better than one with trees.”

That way they could be controlled without great sacrifice.

“To prevent escape, it might be good to set up sealing formations as a precaution.”

Jegal Mingi listed the plan, and everyone agreed.

“I think we should follow the chief’s plan. What do the other elders think?”

The Murimmaeng leader, Iron-plate Sword Seoja-myeong, asked the others for their opinions.

“Finding mabolic practitioners is urgent; we should act according to the chief’s plan. Also, inform the Sado League so they can search as well.”

“Yes. After all, mabolic arts will be more tempting to the heterodox sects than the orthodox.”

The elders each spoke a few words, confirming the steps to be taken.

“Then it is settled. You go back and inform the Shinchang Guild of the Murimmaeng’s decision, and gather the orthodox sects to search for the demons.”

“Understood, chief!”