Chapter 471

“Whenever Cheong tells a story, it somehow turns out to be a bit more intense than the actual events.”

Of course, it’s not just Cheong; everyone has a tendency to spice things up.

Thus, it’s not that surprising when someone questions why they’d bother gilding their own face.

But this time, Cheong didn’t get into the nitty-gritty details, so all they mentioned was that the village was massacred, and that they could not just sit back and let the Sapa guys get away with it.

“Hmm. Even so, to impersonate the Blood Sect and use the sect’s seals to instigate a betrayal? Swordmaster, that’s just cowardly.”

“Huh?”

Cheong frowned.

This guy?

After I went through the trouble of explaining, this is what I get?

Yet Namgoong Shin-jae stands tall.

“The Sapa folks say that martial world individuals are just armed bandits. But then, why is it that one side claims to be Zhengpai and is readily accepted by the world while people tremble in fear and gossip behind the backs of the Sapa folks?”

“What’s the difference?”

“It’s precisely because the Zhengpai people take responsibility. Armed bandits? Sure. But at least a Zhengpai individual has to reveal their name when doing such deeds. They have to own up to the consequences of their actions and the grudges that come with them; this is the spirit of Zhengpai.”

“Hmm.”

It’s morally right, but that just feels cheap.

I have a lot to counter, but the moment I speak, it turns me into trash in an instant.

Did they do something bad? Then that’s a no-go.

There is such a thing as morality in this world.

So what should I say?

Everyone else lives like this too?

Could be; yet are they really following each and every rule?

If you’re not careful, it could happen in the blink of an eye.

At this, Cheong, Jin Jangmyung, and Mo Yong Joo-hee shared frustrated expressions.

Cheon Yu-hak subtly averted his gaze.

Namgoong Shin-jae grinned and asked,

“So, can I join too? Where do you plan to strike next?”

“Huh? I’ve already dealt with all the people worth fighting. We haven’t had time for treasure hunting because we’ve been all about the fighting, so I came down for a bit of upkeep.”

“So when will the upkeep be done? Are you saying you carried out all those exciting things just among yourselves? Hmm, Namjae has used up his pseudonym too much, how about you let Swordmaster come up with a new one?”

“… Did you just call that cowardly?”

“I like cowardice too. From the get-go, those Sapa folks have always played dirty, so why should we respond with any dignity?”

“…? If that’s the case, then why speak? Hmm, never mind.”

How normal can it be anyway?

‘Kenchil’ means ‘fool,’ as in someone who’s so absorbed in swordplay that during a casual chat, they still break their focus on martial arts.

“Hmm. Since we’ve done a full circle, I think I’ll just observe for a while and see how it goes.”

“Oh, I seem to be a bit late.”

Namgoong Shin-jae looked disappointed.

But only for a moment.

Recovering quickly, he stood up and declared,

“Then, let’s do what we have to do.”

“Huh? What? What are we supposed to do?”

Namgoong Shin-jae grinned and replied,

“Well, since the Swordmaster has met another Swordmaster, it’s only natural that we have a duel. Have your achievements grown a bit while I’ve been away? I too have had my moments of enlightenment; it’s high time we top-tier Swordmasters got together to spar.”

“Oh. Top-tier? Now we’re finally on the same level.”

Jin Jangmyung and Mo Yong Joo-hee felt a bit left out, but of course, the duel never actually happened.

“Come on. Please be reasonable. I went through the trouble of disguising you so you wouldn’t stand out, and yet you’re trying to make a spectacle out of yourself?”

—-

The lucky letter, or the tangled web of revenge, was a huge temptation for those in the Central Plain.

For the folks there, a grudge is a debt that must be repaid without fail.

If they don’t repay a grudge, the whole world will mock and deride them, saying they aren’t even human. (They may overlook kindness though.)

Hence, it’s only natural to avenge a brother who died at the hands of the neighboring Sapa folks.

But a grudge should be handled delicately.

The Seven Sects of the Sado Ten Great Stars were engaged in bloodshed, each vying for dominance.

As a result, at some point, they began to feel a great sense of threat.

What if they kept slaughtering one another, and the Zhengpai folks come crashing in?

If we keep fighting each other, wouldn’t it just end up benefiting the Zhengpai folks?

Let’s call for a truce and unite against our common enemy!

Of course, Zhengpai was just an excuse.

There was a belief that Zhengpai wouldn’t attack first, which gave them a sense of security.

Even though they despise the Zhengpai, they held a significant assurance that Zhengpai were fair and upright.

What truly lay beneath was the fear that if they kept shouting “never again war” and fought, the strength of their sects may dwindle, leading to their separation from the Sado Ten Great Stars.

Although grudges are hard to ignore, they could not take precedence over the sect.

Even if that grudge included the sect’s eldest sons and heirs, this was a supreme decision made for the greater good.

In this regard, the Sapa leaders may very well be more responsible than the once-noble Ho, a descendant of a royal bloodline.

They wouldn’t abandon their family, loyal ministers, or the very subjects they pretended to care about just because their brother died, to dive headfirst into a losing battle.

(Or it could just be a matter of priority. Brotherhood >>> Ministers > Subjects >>> beloved steed > children, in order.)

And so, at the intersection of the river and gorge dividing the central areas of Nosan’s Bukak and Seoak.

The leaders of each Sapa search party gathered.

The Heart Consumption Technique is exceptionally important.

Therefore, the leaders were high-ranking officials.

Elders and former Elders or the Sect Leader were present.

Of course, the gazes of many others toward the two Sect Leaders were rather unsavory.

If you’re a Sect Leader, you ought to have a heavy seat.

How dare they shamelessly step in here with no regard for the situation!

We also have our own Sect Leaders, you sneaky brat.

Nonetheless, they were worried that if a Sect Leader took the lead, it could escalate into something serious.

As the Sado Sect might mobilize in response.

What if the Zhengpai rush in? How cowardly of you to have only your Sect Leader take charge!

And they weren’t just thinking these things to themselves.

“Heavenly Lord, you’re truly diligent. You personally lead your subordinates to such remote mountain areas. Surely, as the Sect Leader of a clan, you must be swamped with duties?”

How about handling your business instead?

“Isn’t it customary for a leader to take the front lines with swift movements?”

What good is a light bottom when you can’t use it for anything?

“Isn’t this all thanks to the good fortune of the Sado Sect? Ah, Lady Lian must also be aware of this.”

This clueless brat.

Why is he spreading the word all over town that the Heart Consumption Technique is here?

The eyebrows of the Sect Leaders twitched.

“We appreciate your words, but aren’t we here to discuss something more pressing?”

What? Are you suggesting we fight? Are you feeling confident?

“Cough.”

“Well, our Guanglongsung can overlook this incident if the official apology comes from Choryubukducheon.”

Guanglongsung sent neither the Sect Leader nor the heir.

This meant they had suffered the least damage.

Furthermore, if they agree on the casualties during the treasure hunt, then the Elder doesn’t have to bear the blame.

However, Choryubukducheon found it outrageous.

Why are they demanding an apology from us when they started the ambush?

It’s unacceptable for the victim to apologize to the perpetrator, isn’t it?

Of course, Choryubukducheon had also never apologized when they were the offenders.

It was not only absurd but also enraging.

The Elder of Choryubukducheon drew his great sword.

“How outrageous! You dung-worms dared to harm our Xiao Chen’s successor through a vile ambush!”

“Hah! What are you talking about? Why would we harm someone else’s heir?”

“Denying it won’t work! Look closely! Here is the evidence of your plotting that guards our heir with death!”

The Elder of Choryubukducheon flung the inscribed token.

The Elder of Guanglongsung picked up the token that had fallen at his feet and examined it.

“Your Wu Tianlong Wu Feishun? Why do you have this token? Wu Feishun was killed in a raid by Hyun Gasanchun! Aha, so you guys teamed up with the Hyun Gasanchun and attacked us!”

“What nonsense! Why would we attack Guanglongsung?”

“Are you thinking of feigning innocence? I personally witnessed the troop in Hyun Gasanchun uniforms committing unspeakable slaughter!”

“No, we didn’t!”

The Elder of Hyun Gasanchun was patting his chest.

“We lost our Lord during a raid by the Su Wang Sect. At that time, we were busy collecting the body of our Lord who had been torn to bits by those rascals. How could we-”

“Hold on! Didn’t you initiate the ambush first? You’re the ones who can’t even protect your own heir and then pin it on us!”

As the chain of hatred escalated, they all shouted loudly and drew their weapons.

The atmosphere was so tense, it could ignite a sword fight at any moment—

Until everyone thought, isn’t something odd about this?

“Wait, hold on, doesn’t this situation seem peculiar and contrived? Let’s clarify. Hyun Gasanchun first attacked Su Wangseong—”

“We didn’t!”

“No, just assume we did for the sake of argument—”

“How can you claim we did something we didn’t!?”

“Damn it, let’s switch to claims instead. Su Wangseong is claiming they were attacked first by Hyun Gasanchun.”

Upon this, the gaze of the representatives turned towards the Elder of Su Wangseong.

“We’ve received an attack from the Blood Sect.”

“Blood Sect!” “Blood Sect!” “Blood Sect!”

As if rehearsed, the cries of “Blood Sect” erupted simultaneously.

“Blood Sect? Are you sure? Do you have evidence?”

“Those Blood Sect bastards even left notes written in blood! And you don’t understand how remarkable those characters were? I mean, why are they even doing blood writings like that? They could have made a good living by just selling those characters! The strokes were thick and straight with such steadiness, certainly marked by someone who has mastered their craft! Did I mention that the aura embedded within would truly shake the heavens?”

“Hmm?”

As the sudden praise for the characters started, everyone in the room tilted their heads.

“What? Can we see this awesome writing of the Blood Sect?”

“Ah. Well, you see, it’s written on the wall in blood, and if only it had been left on a corpse instead…”

The Elder of Yuk muttered with regret.

After all, the storm had been so fierce.

There couldn’t be any blood writing left on the wall.

The Sapa executives exchanged glances.

Is that guy really upset about this?

Wait, would he have preferred it had been left on a corpse? What, does he want to take it and showcase it?

With their Lord dead and their disciples slaughtered, why would he lament the lost writing?

Though they had heard rumors that he was obsessed with characters, this seemed a bit excessive.

It seemed that the Elder of Yuk unknowingly earned their trust.

And he left behind a big question for the Sapa’s demonic arts search party leaders.

But really, how remarkable could the writing be?

Curious as well.

Just how impressive could it be for them to get sidetracked from discussing the Blood Sect because of it?

---