Creeaak.
Below, the disciples swung the main gates wide open from both sides. Across the wide, open clearing, the sect leader, fully prepared with a sword at his waist, awaited the uninvited guests. The young master also stood beside him, keeping a slight distance.
I came down from the wall and looked for Sister Soso.
“Where's Ju-gyeong?”
“In the guest quarters.”
“You'll do as I said, right?”
Sister Soso nodded, her face tense with nervousness. I had hidden her young nephew in the guest quarters instead of the living quarters because the back mountain was right over the wall. Sister Soso was determined to kill the assassin and get her revenge.
She was prepared to throw her life away, but by persistently mentioning Ju-gyeong, I was barely able to change her mind. We agreed she would fight as long as she could, and if the situation truly became hopeless, she would swallow her tears of blood and escape as I instructed.
No matter how important avenging her father was, she couldn't make her young son an orphan. The carriage gradually slowed, passed through the main gate, and stopped in front of the clearing. The rear door clicked open, and martial artists dressed in long robes and straw hats emerged.
“It's been a while, Sect Leader of the Western Shadow Sword Sect.”
In that moment, the hair on my head stood on end. It was a familiar voice. The stout man walked forward, took off his straw hat, and revealed his face.
A middle-aged face that seemed carved from rock, radiating a stern, imposing pressure. I was dumbfounded, as if I'd been struck on the back of the head. The Plum Blossom Swordsman of the Mount Hua Sect I met at the inn.
Hu Il-hyeong of the Cold Iron Sword. Why is that monster here… Could the assassin who murdered the former Sect Leader and the head instructor be the Plum Blossom Swordsman?
That can't be right. Why would a sword of Mount Hua do such a thing to a lay disciple sect… If the Plum Blossom Swordsman was the assassin, this was a fight with no chance of victory.
The Plum Blossom Swordsman was an absolute master of such immense martial ability that even Gwang-hyo couldn't treat him lightly. No matter how talented the sect leader was, with the inner energy he had only recently begun to cultivate, he would be no match. Fortunately, the Plum Blossom Swordsman didn't seem to be the assassin.
“Sending a butcher's knife for a cow to settle a dispute between lay disciples. The Mount Hua Sect seems quite determined, doesn't it?”
The sect leader rebuked him coldly. A sharp, clear light gleamed in the Plum Blossom Swordsman's eyes. He glared chillingly at the sect leader for a moment before gesturing behind him.
The Mount Hua Sect martial artists I had seen before dragged over a bound man.
“You must know this man, right?”
The moonlight was bright and his face was intact, so I recognized him at once. It was the same man who had been kidnapped by the Demonic Sect master Cheong-sal and then captured by the Plum Blossom Swordsman's group at the inn.
“You don't know him? He's an escort leader from the Western Shadow Escort Agency, which the Western Shadow Sword Sect used to run." "He was captured by demonic sect warriors while smuggling goods with the Heavenly Mountains, traveling between Shaanxi and Xinjiang.”
The sect leader neither made excuses nor denied it. He was no longer looking at the Plum Blossom Swordsman. With bloodshot eyes, he stared murderously past the Mount Hua martial artists.
“Hong Yeong-chi! Step forward. Are you planning to cowardly hide behind Mount Hua and scheme again, just like you did twenty years ago?”
The shoulders of a martial artist wearing a bamboo hat trembled.
“Kekeke, your delusions are the same as ever. You lost to me at the lay disciple tournament back then because you didn't know your place and acted recklessly." "How could the son of a dog ever hope to defeat a tiger's cub?”
Hong Yeong-chi took off his bamboo hat and slowly walked forward. As his sharp, pale face was revealed under the moonlight, Baek Cha-hyeon's eyes burned with fire.
“Do you think I don't know you bribed an Elder of the Mount Hua Sect?”
“And you didn't?”
“After ambushing my father, you still have the nerve to cling to the Mount Hua Sect?”
A bitter sneer spread across Hong Yeong-chi's lips.
“Do you have any proof I did it? Just like there was no proof your father was the one who cut off all the funding for the main family's businesses and sent assassins to ruin us seventeen years ago.”
Even without hearing more, I could guess what had happened. Two rival lay disciple sects had washed blood with blood, becoming entangled until it led to this. In the process, one was ruined, and the other was scheduled to be ruined tonight.
“I will convey the sect leader's command.”
As the Plum Blossom Swordsman stepped forward, Hong Yeong-chi and the other martial artists quickly bowed their heads. Baek Cha-hyeon proudly lifted his gaze. Since their sect leader stood so, the disciples also watched in silence.
“The Mount Hua Sect will not intervene in the long-standing dispute between the two lay disciple sects." "A martial artist's grudge should be settled in a martial artist's way. However, we cannot tolerate a lay disciple sect under the protection of Mount Hua colluding with demonic sect warriors. As of today, the Western Shadow Sword Sect is hereby closed.”
“Hmph. Looks like you've taken quite a hefty bribe this time too. Do as you please. I don't care if you take down the signboard of a sect that's already ruined.”
Baek Cha-hyeon drew his sword with a cold sneer. Hong Yeong-chi also threw off his long robe and drew his sword. His seven subordinates fanned out to his sides, examining the faces of me and the disciples.
These were the men we had to face. The Plum Blossom Swordsman and the Mount Hua martial artists pulled the carriage and retreated to one side. It seemed they really intended to just watch, regardless of who died.
Baek Cha-hyeon slowly raised his inner energy and gripped his sword with both hands. Baek Seok-hun also drew his sword and took a stance. Surprisingly, I could feel inner energy from him as well.
It seems he had completely hidden it when he sparred with me. Did the sect leader also decide he couldn't do it alone? Hong Yeong-chi also raised his inner energy and scoffed.
“A lay disciple cultivating inner energy… still foolish as ever. No wonder your sect has fallen to ruin.”
“How could I take the head of a true disciple of the Mount Hua Sect without inner energy? I have never for a moment forgotten our match at Mount Hua that day." "I swore before my father's decapitated body. Even if I have to close the doors of my sword school, I will see this through to the end with you.”
As if a sore spot had been touched, Hong Yeong-chi erupted, radiating a thick killing intent.
“After my family was ruined, I relinquished my status as a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect and have lived in the shadows as an assassin for the Murim Alliance." "Won't this grudge be repaid, just a little, if I place the heads of the son and grandson next to your father's? And don't worry about your sword school." "I'll take it over and use it as a foundation to revive my own school.”
Fwoooosh!!
Hong Yeong-chi kicked off the ground and charged. He rushed in with swift movements infused with inner energy, instantly clashing with the sect leader and his son.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Hong Yeong-chi's seven subordinates also charged toward me and the disciples.
“Retreat!”
I led the disciples and fled into the passageway between the pavilions. The assassin was a master skilled enough to have become a true disciple of the Mount Hua Sect. His subordinates would be no pushovers either.
If we recklessly engaged in a melee, I might be fine, but Sister Soso and the disciples would be no match. The best plan was to lure them into traps and finish them off, just as we practiced.
I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should use my inner energy to subdue them instantly, but it was not wise to stand out in front of the Plum Blossom Swordsman. Once we entered the space between the pavilions, we moved as we had planned. I stood alone in the middle for all to see.
The disciples held nets in their hands and hid their bodies in the darkness of the buildings on both sides. A moment later, the enemies swarmed in. Seeing me, they drew their swords and approached slowly.
When they reached the right spot, I gave a subtle hand signal, and nets were thrown from both sides.
Fwoooosh!
Just as we practiced, the nets spread out properly. But there were far too few people to coordinate. As soon as they sensed something flying over their heads, the men agilely kicked off the ground and retreated.
Three of them with lesser martial ability were tangled in the nets and fell. The remaining four rushed in like wolves. I drew my long blade and cut down the closest one.
Clang!
As expected, they were no ordinary men. Most would have been sliced apart, but this one staggered yet still managed to block the saber strike and counterattack. Using my footwork, I deflected the sword strike and thrust my long blade deep.
Thwack!
“Keoheok!”
Even with his stomach pierced, the man didn't lose his will to fight. He retreated, pulling himself off the blade, and then unleashed a frenzied barrage of sword strikes. In that time, the other three scattered to the left and right, targeting the other disciples.
“Sister!”
“Stay behind me!”
With Sister Soso at my back, I unleashed a secret art of the Heavenly Steel Saber Technique, shattering the fierce sword strikes. At the end of a storm-like series of continuous slashes, the enemy's chest was finally split open. I raised a hand to block the gushing blood and stepped aside.
The men covered by the nets were still struggling, unable to find a way out. I ran and plunged my blade into their torsos. Sister Soso helped from the side.
Beyond the pavilion where the disciples and enemies had disappeared, the clang of metal and dull whooshes of air mixed ceaselessly. Without even time to wipe the blood from my long blade, I rushed over. A martial artist caught in a snare was hanging in the air, dying as blood poured from his neck.
On the opposite wall, Lee Ho was sitting with his back against it, bandaging a wound on his shoulder. When Sister Soso and I appeared, Lee Ho, who had been about to grip his sword, let out a sigh of relief.
“Are you alright?”
“It's bearable. These guys are no joke. I took a slash when I approached to kill the one caught in the snare.”
Rounding the corner, I saw Song Chu-gi, Wang Se-won, and Jeon Hyeon locked in a melee with the enemies. I immediately rushed in, slashing their backs and stabbing their necks from behind. Attacked from both front and back, the tide of battle was instantly reversed.
After killing the last one, I shook the blood from my long blade.
“Is everyone alright?”
Song Chu-gi shuddered, panting heavily.
“Hoo, they're vicious bastards. To keep charging relentlessly even after being hit by several falling blades…”
Everyone had been stabbed or cut here and there, but no one was dead or seriously injured. It was a great relief that none of them used inner energy.
“Let's go.”
We roughly bandaged our wounds and hurried to the clearing in front of the main gate. The fight between the assassin and the sect leader was so one-sided it made our victory seem meaningless. Baek Cha-hyeon had already been struck in the leg and had collapsed, while Baek Seok-hun struggled alone against Hong Yeong-chi.
The young master's martial ability was more outstanding than I thought. He desperately poured out dazzling sword forms he hadn't shown in our sparring session, imbuing them with inner energy to push his opponent back. Hong Yeong-chi exchanged blows with an amused expression before taking a large step back.
He scrutinized Baek Seok-hun, who had his sword pointed at him, as if he were a curiosity.
“The young brat is quite something. Better than his father. How could a tiger be born from a dog?”
Baek Cha-hyeon, who was staunching the wound on his leg, gave a bitter smile.
“You're truly blind in the dark. Still don't get it? This child is not my son.”
Baek Seok-hun flinched and bit his lip. His shoulders trembled, but he didn't take his eyes off the enemy before him.
“After losing to you, I impulsively seduced Se-ah and married her, thinking to take what you had.”
At the mention of Madam Yu, Hong Yeong-chi's tone became deliberately gruff.
“Were you happy, taking another man's disloyal woman?”
“The following year, Se-ah gave birth to a son. A precious child who would carry on the sect's lineage." "He was a gentle and good child from a young age. I carved a wooden sword for him with my own hands, placed it in his, and taught him the school's sword techniques step by step.”
Baek Cha-hyeon's face, as he looked back on those days, was filled with bitter regret.
“As the child grew, everything went wrong. His features gradually began to resemble them." "Your face, the one I want to tear to pieces even in my dreams. By the time I realized it, it was too late. I had already grown so fond of him…”
Baek Cha-hyeon's voice faded transiently, as if lost in memory. Hong Yeong-chi's face twisted with bitterness. As he stared intently at Baek Seok-hun, who was treating him with hostility, his eyes clouded with suspicion and confusion.
“My bloodline?”
His sword slowly lowered. Seeing the sword still aimed at him, he furrowed his brow.
“Lower your sword and step back.”
Baek Seok-hun coldly shook his head.
“I cannot. I must protect my father.”
Hong Yeong-chi raised his voice with a puzzled expression.
“Did you not hear what that dog of a man said?”
“He misspoke in the heat of the moment. I have only one father. And it is not you.”
Despite the shocking secret being revealed, Baek Seok-hun showed not a hint of agitation. It was clear he already knew. Did he overhear it by chance when he was young?
Did he secretly find out after noticing his face resembled neither his father nor his mother? Perhaps his mother told him before she died of illness four years ago. Either way, Baek Seok-hun seemed to have already prepared his heart.
He had decided to point his sword at his biological father, his family's enemy. Hong Yeong-chi's face flushed red.
“Kekeke, did you see that? This is the kind of boy he is.”
Even though he was facing death, Baek Cha-hyeon was intoxicated with a strange sense of victory. As if displeased, Hong Yeong-chi's eyes blazed with discomfort and anger.
“Was this the hidden trump card you prepared? Your martial arts are clumsy, and your schemes are even worse." "That's why you always lose to me. A son who points a sword at his father is no son at all.”
Hong Yeong-chi's sword aimed mercilessly for Baek Seok-hun's neck.
“Die.”
Baek Seok-hun deflected the sword tip with a strike imbued with inner energy and unleashed a fierce Phantom Sword.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The afterimages of the swords reflected the moonlight, creating a chaotic flurry of illusions. In that time, Baek Cha-hyeon, who had finished staunching his bleeding, also rose to his feet, grabbed his sword, and charged.