Chapter 468

If you ask what kind of guys the Blood Sect are, you’ll get a variety of answers.

Something wearing a human skin.

Those damn wicked creatures just on the edge of humanity.

Scum who take murder, slaughter, plundering, rape, torture, and destruction as the joys of their life. (Except for that little thing about rape, someone comes to mind.)

But not all members of the Blood Sect are like the likes of Seomun or Qing, feeling pleasure from killing people.

Of course, the higher-ups tend to lean in that direction more.

But come on, how could all the members of this secretive world-overthrowing group hiding in the back alleys of the Central Plains be those kinds of people?

The Blood Sect is a gathering of those who pity themselves.

People who see themselves as poor wretches.

Which grave has no story behind it, after all?

Every member of the Blood Sect has a woeful tale to tell.

Each one of them bears a truly sad past that could ignite a wrathful blaze of evil in the world.

Once you hear it, you might find them pitiable enough.

But do you know the easiest way for a person to step away from their essential humanity?

It’s to feel sorry for themselves.

Because, after all, we have to show pity to the pitiful.

Even in Qing’s homeland, with its developed legal system, crimes borne of necessity are often mitigated.

Even if that weren’t the case, judges are people too.

When they see the pitiful, the rich, the powerful, or the former officials enjoying their retirement, they can’t help but be lenient.

Especially that first judge who shows pity to the pitiful is often revered like a hero.

“Oh, our respected judge, the absolute ruler in the sky and the judge of right and wrong, took pity on the commoners! Isn’t that beautiful?”

Thus, being lenient towards the pitiful is regarded as a virtue among humans.

In a way, it could be seen as human nature.

Anyway.

The real issue is when you are the pitiful one.

The self-pitiful can easily show kindness to themselves.

“I’m pitiful, so it’s totally justified if I cause a little ruckus in the world.”

Since this society has made me pitiful, you’ve got to forgive me for taking a few lives and chopping some up.

“I’m just a poor victim, victimized by the government, martial artists, the Central Plains, and heaven.”

I’m a victim.

This mindset is kind enough to not only forgive myself but to hold my head high with dignity.

It’s precisely this mindset that even uses the shady Heaven’s Kill for their own schemes.

And once again, the Blood Sect has been cast aside by the world and the heavens.

Blood Flood Strategy!

The Blood Flood Strategy simply means to create a bloody overflow in the world.

A pretty juvenile name for the Blood Sect to come up with.

And then there’s the secondary strategy.

First, we lure in Sapa with the Heart Consumption Technique as bait.

After that, we draw in the Zhengpai with a slight delay.

Those Zhengpai folks will rush in, panicking, worried that the vile Demonic Arts might fall into the hands of the Sapa.

Once the limited land becomes overcrowded with Zhengpai and Sapa warriors, conflict will inevitably erupt in an explosion.

Of course, someone could ramp up the chaos even more by planting a detonator and lighting the fuse at the right moment.

That’s the gist of the Blood Flood Strategy and the secondary plan.

But somehow, the grand plan hasn’t been quite clicking as intended.

It all began with a failed Fire Suppression Operation.

Displaying the Zhengpai’s pride, the Martial World Tournament, in a disastrous state, would significantly weaken the Martial Alliance’s influence.

Then, during the secondary phase, controlling the Zhengpai warriors would become difficult, causing their unity to weaken.

Since Zhengpai folks are also warriors, given a chance, there are bound to be some who’ll succumb to the temptation of guaranteed fame and glory.

The righteousness inherent in Zhengpai emerges from their awareness of appearances.

The Fire Suppression Operation wasn’t merely for fun or to embarrass the Martial Alliance.

It was meant as a stepping stone to eliminate the pretentiousness and hypocrisy lingering among Zhengpai warriors.

Because ultimately, Zhengpai warriors are merely martial bandits.

If given the right trigger, it wouldn’t be hard to strip away their disgusting facades.

But?

Instead, the only thing that grew was the slogan “Blood Sect, we’ve slain them!” which only succeeded in fostering more caution among them, leading to a highly successful Martial World Tournament without shedding any pretenses.

If only it had simply failed.

The problem is, it seems some solitude has leaked through.

The infiltrators planted everywhere continuously get weeded out.

Thanks to that, sharing news of the Demonic Arts with the Zhengpai has become difficult.

The Sapa folks are roped in, but the Zhengpai folks are utterly stagnant.

Some nearby groups or individuals are sent out, but they just stay in the city, not actively searching at all.

In the midst of this, the rain pours down.

The passageway fills with water, and toxic agents are released.

The Blood Sect members, wearing suffocating gas masks, haul water and break stones to dig drainage ditches…

Heaven!

Why is there not one instance when we aren’t interrupted!

Do we really disgust you that much!?

Why are you so harsh on us!?

We, the pitiful ones, shouldn’t even have our wishes granted!

We are not that pitiful!!

We’re this pitiful!!

Why! Why can’t we be happy! Why!!!

If heaven were to hear this, it would be utterly baffled.

Did I intervene? No, some other lady did.

The world’s most unscrupulous schemes were thwarted by the world’s most unscrupulous lady.

It’s the very principle of “evil cleanses evil” and that the wicked deal with the wicked.

And here comes another trial for the self-pitiful Blood Sect folks.

“Um, Elder Manbak?”

“What is it?”

“The Sapa guys, um. You see…”

“What is it? Speak properly!”

“They’re killing each other.”

Half of Am Ha-ryong’s face trembles.

To truly bathe the Martial World in blood, you’d just need to decrease the numbers of the Zhengpai.

Those Sapa folks naturally spill blood anyway, just leave them be.

But now, those Sapa folks are fighting among themselves?

While the Zhengpai folks are steadily increasing in numbers?

“What the hell? Why? We’ve been carefully combing this area! Why are those Sapa idiots fighting instead of going after the Zhengpai? They’re dumb, sure, but they weren’t that stupid!”

“Well, um. It seems like another bloodline sect’s cultists have gotten involved…”

Gang Pae-cheon had been making a ruckus, vowing revenge against the Blood Sect’s lethal faction.

Then, lo and behold, big and small Sapa clans found themselves under siege.

And right after the Sapa Martial World Tournament to boot, heirs were falling like flies.

So now, they’re stabbing each other, calling one another enemies, and completely forgetting about the treasures; they’re too busy fighting each other.

“Uh, well, thanks to that, the ronin and nameless Sapa folks filled the gaps.”

“Those guys are useless and insignificant! But revenge against the Blood Sect? Gang Pae-cheon? What’s that all about? Why does the name of the main sect come up?”

“That name, Unyeonjeong…”

“No, that girl. Why…”

Am Ha-ryong is at a loss for words, his mouth flapping open.

He raises his hand to cover his eyes.

“Elder?”

“I had no desire to converse with that girl. There’s something unsettling about her. What is she thinking, really?”

While muttering that, Am Ha-ryong approaches a wooden box placed in a corner of the operations room.

It looked like a small box capable of holding a sack of rice, but it had a ton of locks on it.

Am Ha-ryong undoes the locks one by one, and when the lid finally creaks open, inside, there’s a person crammed in tight as a sardine.

“Gah!”

One of the subordinates gasps at the sight.

Just looking at that cramped body triggers a shiver down their spine.

But after awkwardly raising her bent neck, it straightens, revealing a face marked with signs of having been squashed, and she opens her mouth wide.

“Yawn, why wake someone who’s sleeping? Must be my old age, but I suppose I have no manners anymore. They say we should just kill off anyone who gets old.”

Such a beautiful lady, yet her mouth is so foul.

Eventually, she wriggles her way out of the box, revealing her ample form.

Definitely not the kind of size that would fit in that box.

“Quit your nonsense. Get in touch with your master.”

“Am I your old subordinate? Sure, being locked away like this was a cozy experience, but now I have to take orders? This is just cruel for a Jiangshi.”

“You brat-”

“Don’t. That. Matter. How old are you to be so rude?”

“Seems like you don’t understand the situation. Your master is about to ruin the grand strategy. If you care about her life at all, shouldn’t you bring her here?”

“Well, I guess there’s no helping it. Older sister, are you there? Yeah. Master. Uh-huh. Oh? Ah. Yeah.”

Then the Jiangshi stares fixedly at Am Ha-ryong.

He growls at her.

“What are you thinking, girl?”

The Jiangshi responds.

“I didn’t connect. Your master is currently sleeping, they said. Is your business that urgent to wake someone up?”

“It’s high noon for crying out loud! How can she sleep now? Wake her up immediately!”

“Seriously. With that temperament, it’s no wonder all the kids ran away.”

“What!? ”

“Older sister, it seems to be urgent. Uh-huh. Uh. Unfortunately, I suppose so. Yeah, yes, with the world’s most beautiful voice, ahem, even the gentle slumbering tone of my master is lovely. What is wrong? I was just enjoying a nice nap.”

“What in the world are you thinking? Why come all the way here to mess things up?”

“How cunning must you be to play such tricks? This foolish calamity feels obstructed. I humbly request your guidance.”

In entirely new levels of distortion, Am Ha-ryong grinds his teeth.

He’s clenching hard enough to almost break a tooth.

Cutting out the intermediate channels and connecting conversations from different spaces turned out like this.

“Why are you causing disruptions? Do you have any idea how long we prepared the grand strategy?”

-Oh my, causing disruptions? What kind of disruption could that possibly be? I’m merely stating what I need to say after being woken from a lovely nap.

“Cut the crap! Your name is being uttered loud and clear right now! Why did you have those Gang Pae-cheon fools killed?”

-What do you mean? I’m just mingling with these lovely people here.

Those “lovely people” are a bizarre term.

In the Central Plains, calling someone from the Malgal tribe is a serious insult and a gross humiliation.

Even those of Jurchen descent would likely shudder at the mention of such bloodlines, denying their kinship.

That’s why this girl freaks me out.

On the surface, she seems polite enough.

But Am Ha-ryong’s instincts tell him she’s not genuinely following the Blood Sect.

And his instincts, while rare to come by, are quite accurate when they do.

“Quit the act. Didn’t you bring in those corpses to stir up trouble? Or is there really anyone fool enough to impersonate the Blood Sect?”

Qing isn’t from the Central Plains, so she’d gladly impersonate the Blood Sect.

What’s the big deal about it, am I right?

But an ordinary person from the Central Plains wouldn’t even think of such a notion.

Reputation is at stake from the get-go; claiming to impersonate the lowly ones from the Blood Sect is simply unspeakable.

That’s why Qing’s group was completely shocked when witnessing her misdeeds as if the sky was crashing down around them.

Of course, Qing wasn’t particularly concerned, wondering if it was really so outrageous.

-Oh my, calling them corpses is quite harsh. And as for the term “control”? You see, those Jiangshi are not directly under the Blood Sect. They just happen to be helping me out a bit. I’m not forcing anything on them. They aren’t my subordinates or underlings. I lack the capability to control them.

“You’re telling me a Jiangshi can’t control the Jiangshi they made? You expect me to believe that?”

-Even if you don’t believe me, the truth remains the truth, doesn’t it? Hmmm. However, I do feel a bit uneasy about this. So, what do you wish for me to do? Should I personally go out to catch my impersonators?

“Of course! You should sort out whatever mess occurred in your name!”

Honestly, that’s just pushing it.

What fault lies with the one impersonated to tidy up the mess and take the blame?

It’s an obvious attempt to sidestep responsibility.

Either you come yourself or use your Jiangshi henchmen; if Unyeonjeong intrudes into the grand strategy, then she becomes part of the problem.

After that, all faults can simply be blamed on Unyeonjeong.

A crafty ploy to dodge accountability by a cunning old man.

Unyeonjeong, completely oblivious, casually responds.

-If that is indeed what you desire, how could I dare refuse?

“Do it!”

And so, Unyeonjeong replies.

-Then, I must follow your will.

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