Seo Baekjung, master of the Cheonhwa Sect, was looking out the window.
It was the same scene as always: martial artists laughing as they crossed the training ground.
A long while had passed since his son had been released, yet the Demon Cult remained quiet.
‘As expected! Truly remarkable.’
Seo Baekjung thought of the man in the bamboo hat. He had asked because he believed the man could do it, but he had not imagined it would be handled so cleanly.
The days of walking the tightrope between the righteous, the evil, and the demonic were now over. Since he owed the righteous faction a debt, the time had come to join hands with them and move forward. Of course, he would have to join hands in a way that benefited the Cheonhwa Sect as much as possible.
Just then, his trusted subordinate Yu Maeng entered.
“You called for me?”
Seo Baekjung gave him a secret order.
“Send this invitation to the leader of the Demon Extermination Unit, and inform the factions that follow us as well.”
He intended to hold a secret banquet.
He knew that the leaders of the sects who followed him were dissatisfied with his decision to join hands with the righteous faction. He had to soothe their discontent as quickly as possible. Gathering them had taken ages, but collapse could happen in an instant.
This was not something he could accomplish through persuasion alone. Jin Hagun, leader of the Demon Extermination Unit and the future leader of the Murim Alliance, had to come in person and placate them.
‘Now then, I will gather the people, so show me what you are capable of.’
* * *
Jong Yeom (宗染), leader of the Small Sword Gang (小劍幫), was more nervous than he had ever been.
As the head of a faction that ranked within the top ten in Hunan, he had never been this tense before. He paced back and forth across the main hall, drank water, drank tea, sat down, stood up, went in and out of the privy, strolled through the courtyard, and returned inside—repeating it all several times.
His son, Jong Tae (宗泰), found his father’s behavior utterly unfamiliar. His father, who had always appeared imposing and dignified, was this nervous. He was even sweating coldly.
“Who on earth is the guest coming today?”
His father had sent all the gang members outside on one pretext or another. At present, only a small number of trustworthy martial artists remained within the gang compound. It was obvious that he intended to receive the guest in secret.
Someone important was certainly coming, but his father would not tell him who.
“There is nothing good in knowing ahead of time. Even if you learn their identities later, you must not be shaken under any circumstances. Just quietly follow my instructions.”
At that moment, a subordinate reported from outside.
“The guests have arrived.”
The door opened, and a man entered the main hall.
The instant Jong Tae saw him, he froze. The young man’s face bore a terrifying scar. Not only that, he was faintly emitting an aura of evil.
‘An expert of the evil faction!’
The one who entered was none other than Bi Sain, heir to the Sado Alliance. Thirteen martial artists followed behind him. They were the Sado Thirteen Wolves, who guarded Bi Sain.
They spread out to the four corners of the main hall and took control of the space. The presence of each and every one of them was formidable.
They alone were enough to make Jong Tae feel suffocated, but the truly frightening people entered last.
The two who came in at the end were exuding truly dreadful auras, so it was only natural that Jong Tae’s knees trembled. They were absolute masters belonging to the Seven Great Experts of the Evil Path (邪道七大高手).
Goeak (怪惡).
Having cultivated Chamgyeok Cheorin (斬擊鐵人), a type of bodily martial art that used the entire body in combat, to its extreme, he was said to be capable of crumpling an iron sword with his bare hands as though it were paper.
He was infamous throughout murim for his eccentric and cruel nature, and was known for killing those who got on his nerves only after subjecting them to excruciating pain. He was an evil faction master no one wished to meet even in a dream.
Gwangseom (光閃).
He was known as the foremost master of swift swordsmanship in the evil faction. The Churoe Samgeom (追雷三劍) he had mastered was said to be the fastest among the swift swords of the Evil Path.
He was taciturn by nature, making it impossible to know what thoughts he lived with. His sword was fast, but his mouth was slow; he too was an expert ranked among the top seven of the evil faction.
Bi Sain had accepted Geom Mugeuk’s advice and truly brought two terrifying experts with him.
“I greet the Young Supreme. I am Jong Yeom, who leads the Small Sword Gang.”
“A pleasure. I have long heard of Gang Leader Jong’s reputation.”
After exchanging greetings, Bi Sain introduced Goeak and Gwangseom.
Upon learning their identities, Jong Yeom and Jong Tae turned pale and bowed deeply. The absolute masters of the evil faction, whom they had only heard of in rumors, were right before their eyes.
Only then did Jong Tae understand why his father had been so nervous. He also understood why his father had not told him who the other party was. If he had known in advance, he would have been trembling beside his father.
“This is my son.”
Jong Tae cupped his fist respectfully and greeted them. It was a difficult and dangerous occasion, but Jong Yeom had deliberately brought his son to sit in on it. He knew well just how great an experience a meeting with such great figures would be for a martial artist’s life.
“Your son is tall and handsome, and looks very intelligent.”
“He is still lacking in many ways. Go and brew some tea.”
Jong Tae brought the tea, tense from head to toe.
The teacups trembled in his hands as he carried them. Bi Sain saw the trembling, and Jong Yeom saw it too, but neither said a word. After all, it would have been stranger if he did not tremble while serving tea to the heir of the Sado Alliance, to Goeak, and to Gwangseom.
After bringing the tea, he stood a short distance away and listened to the conversation between his father and Bi Sain.
“Please take the seat of honor.”
Jong Yeom offered him the seat of honor, but Bi Sain did not sit there.
“The seat of honor belongs to Gang Leader Jong.”
It was as though Bi Sain was saying, I am not someone who has come to take your place.
Once Jong Yeom carefully sat in his own seat, Bi Sain immediately got to the point.
“You must know that the Cheonhwa Sect has joined hands with the Murim Alliance.”
“Yes, I know.”
“I will ask directly. Does Gang Leader Jong wish to follow the righteous faction?”
Before receiving an answer, Bi Sain quickly added,
“Please do not misunderstand and think I brought these two peerless experts here to pressure you. I brought them to show you that from now on, we are the ones who will protect the Small Sword Gang.”
Perhaps because Bi Sain had warned them beforehand, Goeak and Gwangseom revealed no aura whatsoever and quietly drank their tea.
Because they remained still, Bi Sain seemed even more impressive. They were men far better suited to terrifying threats, yet he was someone who could have them quietly drink tea.
“No matter what answer you give, our alliance will not harm the Small Sword Gang in any way. I promise on my name. So speak freely.”
“Yes, I will.”
Jong Yeom knew that the fate of the Small Sword Gang would change depending on his answer.
“Our gang does not wish to follow the righteous faction. I am a man who breaks out in hives at the very thought of the righteous faction. The reason we have followed the Cheonhwa Sect until now is because they maintained deep ties with the Sado Alliance.”
Before making his decision, Jong Yeom calmly expressed his concerns.
“Hunan has been a region where the Demon Cult’s power has been strong for generations. Our gang remained under the shadow of the Cheonhwa Sect in order to avoid the Demon Cult’s blade.”
At that, Bi Sain said firmly, his eyes filled with trust.
“We will block that blade from now on.”
Jong Yeom’s worries continued.
“The Cheonhwa Sect will not look kindly upon us either.”
Bi Sain answered even more firmly.
“Then the Sado Alliance will not look kindly upon the Cheonhwa Sect either.”
Jong Yeom gazed at Bi Sain’s face. At that sight, his son Jong Tae was inwardly surprised and impressed. To think that his father, who had been trembling so badly, could show such a dignified side. Without being intimidated in the least, he was securing the promises that had to be secured.
“Can you promise me that?”
“I promise in the name of the young alliance lord of the Sado Alliance.”
Jong Yeom did not drag things out any longer. He immediately rose from his seat, cupped his fist respectfully, and said,
“From now on, the Small Sword Gang will share its fate with the Sado Alliance.”
Bi Sain rose from his seat and cupped his fist.
“The Sado Alliance will share its fate with the Small Sword Gang.”
It was the moment the Small Sword Gang’s new fate was decided.
Bi Sain immediately took his leave. There were still many sects he had to visit.
Before departing, Bi Sain said to Jong Yeom,
“Many sects will share the same will as the Small Sword Gang. So you may proceed proudly.”
And so Bi Sain, the Sado Thirteen Wolves, Goeak, and Gwangseom left the place.
Only after they had gone did Jong Tae let out a sigh of relief.
“Were you trying to watch your son die of fright?”
“As you live in murim from now on, you will experience such things many times. When that happens, you must deal with them calmly, just as you did today.”
He knew his son would handle things well. If his son had been frivolous and foolish, he would not have had him sit in on today’s meeting in the first place.
“But shouldn’t we have received their promise in writing, perhaps with a contract?”
“If they choose to break their promise, what meaning would a mere contract have?”
Jong Tae was seeing a new side of his father. Usually, he bowed and scraped before the Cheonhwa Sect Master, always laughing heartily. Jong Tae had thought that was the kind of father he had.
“To make such a decision at once… I am truly astonished.”
“I did not make it at once.”
“What?”
“From the day they secretly sent word asking to meet until now, I have not slept a wink.”
Jong Yeom looked at his son and said,
“It was a matter tied to all our lives. How could I simply make a decision?”
Having newly confirmed his father’s outstanding qualities, Jong Tae bowed his head respectfully. Seeing how moved he was in this moment, it seemed he had not truly respected his father until now.
“Thank you for allowing me to be here.”
And even in this moving moment, the one concern above all else was still the Demon Cult.
“Will the Demon Cult really stay still?”
“Of course they won’t. Now that the Sado Alliance has moved, they too will begin to move.”
Jong Yeom’s gaze turned to the door through which Bi Sain had walked out.
“With the young cult leader of the Demon Cult coming to the Central Plains, the sleeping murim has begun to stir like a dragon.”
“No matter what comes, I will respond flexibly like bamboo.”
It was something his father had always said. But now his father’s thinking had changed. Just as the heir of the Sado Alliance had come to this place today, the Small Sword Gang of the future would have to be led by his son.
Jong Yeom hoped his son would live his own life safely rather than become a hero of murim. Just as he himself had lived.
“Your father survived by conducting himself like bamboo. But in a great wind, even bamboo will eventually snap. You must live like flowing water.”
This was what he wished to tell his son before the tide of change.
* * *
The gatekeeper of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s Hunan branch was guarding the branch’s main gate today as always.
When one stood watch all day like this, the hardest thing to endure was the boredom. And so he would exchange all sorts of idle talk with those on duty with him. Today as well, a subordinate standing watch beside him relayed a rumor.
“It seems the Cheonhwa Sect is planning to hold a secret banquet.”
“A banquet? Where did you hear that?”
“I know someone who supplies food for the Cheonhwa Sect’s banquets. There’s also a rumor that some incredible experts from the Murim Alliance will be coming.”
That was not the only rumor.
“There are also rumors that experts from the Sado Alliance have entered Hunan. The way things are moving feels far from ordinary.”
Both rumors were displeasing from the Demon Cult’s perspective.
The gatekeeper said to his subordinate,
“The atmosphere has been bad lately, so don’t run your mouth for no reason.”
“But are we going to back down to those righteous faction bastards just like this?”
“Enough!”
“Yes.”
After a brief pause, the gatekeeper said,
“As I see it, the young cult leader is not someone who will simply back down.”
All of his subordinates nodded. After all, they had personally experienced the process of him dealing with the Hunan branch leader and capturing the Cheonhwa Sect’s heir. The young cult leader was clearly someone who defied their expectations.
At that moment, one of the martial artists shouted,
“Someone is coming.”
Far in the distance, two people were walking toward them.
They were merely walking slowly, yet the feeling was chilling. The gatekeeper wondered if he was the only one who felt that way and looked at his subordinates, but they too wore faces taut with tension. One subordinate had already gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.
The gatekeeper’s gaze turned back to them.
They were only walking slowly, so why was he trembling like this?
Gradually, their figures became clearer.
One of his subordinates spoke in a trembling voice.
“Should we raise the alarm?”
Normally, it would have been nonsense. Someone was visiting the branch, and without even knowing who they were, they would raise the alarm? A demon practitioner getting frightened? This was truly something that warranted beating the subordinate who had suggested it with a club.
And yet the gatekeeper hesitated. Should he raise the alarm?
In the meantime, the two drew even closer. The closer they came, the greater his fear grew. Now every one of his subordinates had their hands on their swords. Martial artists who gave off such a presence existed in this world? If they were enemies, he had a premonition that all of them would die.
“Raise the alarm!”
One demon practitioner ran inside, and soon the sound of a bell rang out.
Clang! Claaang!
Even as the alarm bell resounded, the two continued walking toward them at the same pace.
And so the two came all the way to the main gate.
The thin old man with cold eyes carried a massive greatsaber on his back. The other man was a muscular giant with a face so fearsome it was difficult to meet his eyes.
When the gatekeeper sensed that the aura emanating from the two of them was demonic energy, only then did he feel relieved. Even so, his heart pounded madly, and his body trembled. Faced with a presence so overwhelming it seemed to choke him, the gatekeeper finally understood.
‘They’re Demon Supremes!’
Only then did the demon practitioners guarding the main gate realize who the two were. Though they had never seen them in person, had they not heard countless tales of these Demon Supremes? That enormous greatsaber, those enormous fists, and that powerful demonic energy and presence no one could imitate.
They were none other than the Blood Heaven Saber Demon and the Fist Demon.
The martial artists at the main gate all bowed at once to show their respect. Rejoicing, they shouted inwardly.
‘Our side has come too!’
With his small, fierce eyes, the Blood Heaven Saber Demon asked in a low voice,
“Where is the young cult leader?”